The Orphans Brigade by Mike Evans Page B

fast and pulling and pumping the rounds as
quickly and fast as he could. The first smashed into its chest
stopping it’s momentum through the air. The slug knocked it off
balance midair and the second third and fourth were aimed directly
for its torso Shaun was relentless in the fact that he did not want
it to rise. His brutal assault on it left nothing but the neck bone
sticking out from in between its shoulders. The slugs went through
the heart that was still pumping even though it had already
exploded the day it Turned. It landed on its back convulsing on the
ground scrambling to get up. Ellie pulled her forty-five caliber
pistol placing a laser sighted shot through its head, dropping it
back to the ground where it lay to rest forever.
     
    Shaun screamed to her motioning with his arm
to come to him. He was holding the door open with his foot while
trying to take as many of the Turned coming over the wall out with
his rifle, his still smoking shotgun laid empty next to him on the
ground. He would not go until everyone that could be saved had
been. He wanted to make sure that as many of the young soldiers and
new recruits made it to safety as possible. The evacuation plan was
well known, if a group made it to the top of the wall than all was
lost and it was time to get the fuck out of dodge. He screamed to
them as they ran through the doors motioning to speed it up to get
moving. “Head to the basement, get to the basement wait for no one,
we know what to do and how to do it, go, go, go, go!!”
     
    Ellie ran to him thinking only of the fact
that he had been on that portion of the wall just a minute ago and
the only thing that had saved him was forcing him to go down below
to rest. One thing that did not escape her were the two young men
who were now dead because of her choices. “Shaun I don’t know what
would have happened if--”
     
    Shaun put a finger to her lips and shook his
head no pulling her in through the door with him and slamming it
behind hard. They sprinted down the stairwell going past the
blinking lights that would turn the building into Christmas in July
in no time. As fast as they could the younger soldiers sprinted
down the steps for everything that they were worth. Shaun and Ellie
knew damn well that the door wasn’t going to hold for long it might
as well have been a shower curtain with the strength that they
possessed.
     
    Shaun watched as he went down the first
flight of stairs looking back to see the door’s steel buckle until
it disappeared from the frame the full moon shone through the
door’s frame. Shaun ran peering over the edge of the railing to see
how far ahead the rest of his squad was. He was screaming at the
top of his lungs for everyone to keep running. As he peered a
growling came within an inch of his face and he jumped back seeing
a Turned come flying past him. He looked up to see a mess of them
scrambling through the door fighting to be first. Some didn’t have
the patience for the stairs and began jumping from the top trying
to make up the distance. Pain was a feeling long forgotten to them.
They reached for the youths as they fell near them. They landed on
railings breaking their spines and legs, the lucky ones smashed
their skulls open putting an end to their never ending
existence.
     
    Shaun and Ellie were the last to make it
down to the end of the steps everyone else had already disappeared
through the hole to the sewer tunnels. They jumped over the Turned
who had beaten them down by jumping from the top. The ones who had
not smashed their skulls reached for them with any limb that they
had not broken in their plummet. The two veteran teens jumped over
them and through the small opening pulling the door shut behind
them and securing it shut. They stared at each other and at the
door listening they could hear echoes from the soldiers who had
already made it to the space running for everything that they were
worth. Shaun pulled out the remote transmitter and Ellie