The Demented Z (Book 2): Desolation (Book 2) by Derek J Thomas Page A

baby, rock and roll.”
    “Eddie, you ready?”  
Tom said.
    Eddie nodded his head, worried his voice would crack if he
tried to talk.
    The three men all began to prepare for their assault.
  Smoke unslung his rifle and checked the
chamber to make sure he had a round loaded.  
Eddie moved up to the front of the ladder, taking Smoke’s position.
  Tom removed a small mirror from his chest
pocket and used it to signal Hank on top of the water tank.
    Within a few seconds Hank signaled back, setting the plan in
motion. In the distance a truck engine
rumbled to life. The truck began quickly
backing down the road that led directly to the school.
  Tom could just make out Jenny lying flat in
the truck’s bed. Speeding in reverse it
flew toward the surrounded school. He
was just beginning to think they were getting too close to the horde, when the
truck tires squealed, sending smoke rolling off the pavement.
   The truck came skidding to a stop.
    Jenny sat up with her rifle and began firing rounds into the
nearest infected. Their reaction was
instantaneous.    The pent up energy was
released in a giant howl of rage. The
unanimous scream was so loud Tom could feel it in his chest.
  With terrifying speed, the entire mass of
infected surged toward the truck, like a tsunami lifted from the ocean depths.
    The truck tires squealed again, this time in the opposite
direction, shooting gravel and chunks of pavement at the enraged demented.
  For a time the tires just spun, the truck
sitting in place as the demented rushed at it.  
Jenny continued to rapidly fire into the oncoming mass, her shots coming
quicker and quicker, panic taking over.  
Finally the tires grabbed pavement, shooting the truck forward, away
from the swarm.
    “Hold.”   Tom said
while continuing to watch the truck.
    Quickly speeding away, the truck slowed a bit, allowing the
demented to catch up. Jenny’s rifle
continued to fire into them, brass shell casings clattering to the metal truck
bed. Her weapon ran dry.
  Dropping the empty magazine out, she quickly
slammed a fresh one into the well and charged the rifle.
  Barely skipping a beat, she began firing
again. The giant horde continued their
pursuit, enticed by the sight of fresh meat.
    Seeing that most of the infected had left the building to
chase after the truck, Tom said, “Let’s move.”
    Tom and Eddie lifted the ladder and began jogging down the
hill. Smoke held his rifle tight to his
shoulder and ran along beside them.    
All three men felt better to be executing the plan rather than worrying
about the plan.
    Before they even made it halfway across the flat that ran to
the school, their worst fears were realized.  
A couple of the trailing infected noticed their movements and spun
toward them. They issued loud huffing
noises before charging toward the trio.  
Their huffs were heard by those near them and a whole section of the
horde peeled off and raced back their way.
    The crack of Smoke’s rifle sounded.
    One of the nearest demented pitched over backwards.
  The sound of his rifle fire drew even more
infected.
    From the top of the water tower Hank watched in horror as
nearly half of the giant horde split off and began their pursuit of the ladder
crew. They’re not going to make it Hank
thought to himself.  
“Make it rain.”   He shouted.
  Both men began rapidly firing on the
infected. Their guns rapidly boomed as
they continually pulled their triggers, chambered another round, and fired
again.
    Tom breathed hard as his legs pumped rapidly.
  He looked over and saw a huge wall of
demented sprinting at them. Their angry,
hate filled eyes glared at him. He
watched as several of their heads exploded from gunfire.
  Even on the run, Smoke continued to fire
shots into the group. “Come on kid, we
gotta make it!”   Tom
shouted at Eddie. He could hear Eddie’s
labored breathing behind him.
    Several demented were nearly to them, almost