Co-post--Moon and Siks. The Ragged Lady Rides Again
Things began happening quickly around Andi, her hand lowering before she had a chance to shake the elderly gentleman’s, several members of the group running out of the precinct to aid whomever was firing off their weapons. Even the drunken cowboy answered the call, his half-empty beer can deposited in her seat haphazardly as she twisted to grab up her backpack and tire iron. She mumbled an apology to the grizzled senior then turned away, her attention drawn to the commotion beyond the door. Without further hesitation, she ran for the exit, nearly losing her balance when the floor beneath her shifted, lifting slightly before it dropped back down following an explosion.
“What the...?” slipped from her lips, the man who had been leading the conversation earlier moving past her towards the door, another gun lost to the fight outside. His shouted command did little to temper the fear that was building in her. They were no longer safe. It was time to go.
Feeling the push of the other survivors heading deeper into the precinct towards the back lot, she scrambled to get her gun from its shoulder holster and follow them. Her ammunition had been replenished when she reached the police station yesterday, but there was precious little against so large a horde. Still, she would have felt safer moving into the field of the infected rather than following the other civilians, so many of them unarmed and unprepared for what might happen next.
Once in the back lot, Andi stood her ground, her feet planted apart as the first of the infected managed to get past the armed men and women out front. She hesitated before lifting her Glock...if not for the angry snarl, the afflicted teenager would have appeared normal...at least at first glance. Her gait was a bit off, a thin line of blood oozing down the front of her pale blue slacks the only indication worthy of note. She was barely deterred by the injury, no sign of pain registering on her face. When Andi’s bullet struck her mid-chest, her body flinched, the shoulder kicking back, but little else. Andi's aim lifted, the next round leaving a gouge along the girl’s hairline. Curses poured out of the teacher’s mouth as she fired a third time, the girl finally dropping, the hole just above her eye the final count.
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Zeke was well on his way before more of a horde converged on the flames and explosions. The Doomsayer peeked out storm grates watching the zombies swarming the area and the rest of the humans in the precinct beginning to panic and run for their vehicles. Letting out a low cackle he eyed the way back home and began looking for a grate or manhole cover he could pop out of. "Y'all are welcome." They would've been arguing and bitching about making a plan till the zombie cows came home and ate their faces. Now whatever the plan was they'd have a cover to drive away under and no surprise zombie hordes would stop them if all the zombies were gathered around the gas station and with any luck maybe the fire would reach the under ground fuel tanks soon and level even more of the horde.
He was sure the Ranger Ricks and uppity G-men in the group would give him shit for doing what he did. But those two idiots that thought shooting would end up any differently would be just as at fault. But they sure as shit didn't have the bullets to end that horde so a mad escape would likely have been the only option anyway. But because everyone needed someone to blame it would fall on him despite making the biggest dent in the horde they could in a single swing.
Whistling merrily the Southern man power walked through the sewers kicking through whatever blockages got in his way until he figured he was close enough to the precinct. Kicking shit off his boots he climbed the metal rungs that led him back to the surface. Pushing the heavy metal disk up he tossed it aside and popped up in the motor pool of the precinct. A bunch of the survivors were already rushing towards whatever vehicle they could find. Zeke said it once and he'll say it again. "We ain't got the movers for these shakers." Lifting himself out of the hole he quickly turned to see the woman he left in charge of his beer shooting some zombie chick girl taking a whole three shots to do it. "Hmm remind me to show you some proper shooting skills when I get back. Here go warm the car." He pulled the keys to his jeep off his belt and tossed them to Andi. "She's the uparmored gray Jeep Cherokee over yonder." Just then he heard another explosion and some orders from around the front of the building telling everyone to retreat. Zeke laughed moving back into the building, all his gear was still there, including his bow and the second twenty four pack he liberated from his own fridge before he made his way here.
A scoff met the cowboy's back as he entered the police station, Andi stooping to grab up the keys from the ground where they had fallen. "I can shoot fine," she said louder than needed. "Might help if the target wasn't so damn resilient." With a huff, she turned away, scanning the lot for the mentioned vehicle. It only took her a moment to locate it, her steps taking her there double-time. It started up on the first try, the young woman looking over the lot nervously. "Don't take all day cowboy...the clock is ticking," she said under her breath.
Who would've thought stinking like a sewer would come in handy when you were trying to back into a building in the middle of evacuation. People jumped over chairs and tables as he came through he let them have the right of way when on steps, but mostly he just walked through whistling to himself as he returned to the little war room. It was empty, what with everyone being gone, so he quickly stripped out of his shit water covered clothes and tossed them away before he cracked open an abandoned jug of water and dumped it over his head to give a quick cleaning before putting on clean clothes and grabbing his pack, bow, and beer, his hat being the last thing he grabbed before he followed the last of the survivors outside. "I can fit three more people in my jeep!" He shouted to whoever before moving to the Ragged Lady and tossing his pack and bow into the back of the jeep. He went around to the drivers side, putting the beer in Andi's lap. "A'ight I'm back hop over girly. The Ragged Lady may start up quick, but it takes a...tender tried hand to really get her motor runnin'. " He cackled lightly looking up to see if anyone was taking his offer for three seats.
"Really? ...but no argument here," she said, her brow lifting as she scooted over, taking the beer with her. Her belt was securely fastened as she waited on the man to get inside, already doubting her decision to be his passenger. Getting in with the drunkest member of the party was not in her best interest, but she wasn't switching now. Her chances were in question no matter her choice...she might as well ride with someone who might be crazy enough to keep her alive. At least he had changed his clothes...the odor that had been wafting off him enough to gag a maggot.
Just as Zeke got himself buckled in the backdoors pulled open and three people clambered into the back of the jeep, one was a male cop with his arm in a sling and the other two were a mom and her daughter. Zeke gave them a smile and a wink. "Buckle up y'all we gonna have to drive hard an' fast to get outta here." He then turned to Andi and smiled. "So our fearless leaders decide on a plan of escape while I was gone?"
"I think they settled on checking out the Cheyenne base...but I wasn't really paying too close attention. That was before everything started going to sh...crap...I mean." She swiveled in her seat and smiled apologetically to the young mother before continuing. "They were talking about flying out there and sending in ground troops...not sure if the plans changed."
Moving the case of beer to the floor between her feet, she gave the man a once over, similar to how she looked at a student who had broken the rules a few too many times. "Was that you that caused the explosion? You seem the type...a trouble maker."
Zeke simply gave Andi a roguish smile and a wink before he put the Ragged Lady into drive, cackling madly and flooring it out of the precinct, mowing down a couple more Zombies that had gotten in his way before he turned towards the military base. No one would be fool enough to try and organize a convoy for an escape like this, so he didn't even bother to look back and see if the others were following. Until they found a home base and decided on a cool team name for the surviving group, it was every man for themselves, as far as this mad man was concerned. Him, Andi, and the three passengers could all flee South and join the Edge family Doomsday Cult if this Air Force base idea went belly up.
Coming back to himself slightly he glanced back at the passengers...all looked equal parts scared and angry. With a big smile Zeke held his hand over his mouth and made the sounds of an intercom in a plan coming on. Altering his voice he spoke in the stereotypical low slow voice a captain on a plane used for announcements. "Hello everyone this is your Captain Zeke Edge. I thank you for picking Edge Airlines for all your zombie escaping needs. Sadly there will be no inflight movie, but we have a whole box of MREs behind Mr. Cop for your complimentary inflight meal. I don't remember what is left, but I do know there is no tuna surprise." He made a buzzing sound and went back to cackling to himself as he drove the jeep through the last few stragglers of the horde.
Laughing despite herself, Andi punched Zeke lightly on the arm. "You really are effing crazy...you know that?"