Chapter 81 Left Behind
1424words
At this moment she is thankful that they were ready for a probable and quick evacuation. The six drivers each have his keys.
"Drivers, get the doors open for the visitors! Jump in and start the cabs! Lesley, shoot to kill the nearest monsters."
The ten detainees are running out and Tania yells over the noise of Lesley's shooting while accompanying them: "You five, jump in the nearest cab and you five in the next one! I want to get you away first!"
She yells at the firing Lesley: "Jump in behind with them! I am going with the first lot."
They all rush frantically to get to the vehicles before falling into the hands of the onrushing monsters. Michael's group is already jumping into the canopy of the first cab and Tania joins them and they lock the doors. The cab departs with spinning wheels on their way to the bush path.
On their way to the second cab, Kadin steps into a rather deep hole, loses her balance and falls down. Billy abruptly stops and helps her up. They want to start running again, but she limps. Billy yells: "Quick! Jump on my back and clutch around my neck. I will hold your legs tightly and carry you!"
Kadin jumps upon Billy's back and he carries her while Jack, unaware that the children were left behind, helps Rene and Emilie into the back of the next cab. He turns around to have a look where Kadin and Billy are but Lesley, who has stopped shooting and has jumped in, suddenly grabs him from the inside and roughly pulls him in so that he falls in backward and she pulls him inside and slams the door shut.
"Go! We are in!" The cab races away.
Jack tries to get upright while he, together with Emilie and Rene, yells hysterically: "Dammit! Stop the cab! Our children were left behind!" The cab, however, is already racing down the bush path behind the first one.
Lesley glimpses back through the bulletproof rear window. "Relax, they have just jumped into the last cab."
Billy has carried Kadin and they reach the last cab just in time and he is thankful that the driver saw their predicament. He has jumped out and is shooting on automatic fire at the nearest monsters before he shoves his gun into the cab and yells at them: "Move your bloody asses, or I leave you here!"
Moments later he slams his door shut and revs the engine.
Billy pushes Kadin in, jumps in and closes the doors. The cab races away and they are thrown to and fro while trying to reach secure seating and something to grab on. Hard noises of items that hit the cab outside can be heard and they peep outside. The monsters throw sharpened spears and stones at the cab. Kadin and Billy creep forward in the cabin and peep through the front cabin window. They are frightened by the spears that hit the windscreen now and then right in front of the driver and ricochets from it. If it wasn't for the reinforced window, the driver would have been pierced by the spears. These monsters are throwing the spears with great precision! It looks as if they know exactly what they are doing.
It is only Kadin and Billy, and the driver in the last cab. They are moving out of the last horde of cannibals and the hits against the cab stop mercifully. Eventually, they turn into the dirt road that leads to the tar road, drives around a short bend, and stop. Kadin and Billy hear Tania talking over the radio to the drivers but can't make out what she is saying.
Tania anxiously speaks over the radio: "Drivers, report that you are all on the dirt road. Alfa first!"
Alfa up to Foxtrot reports and she talks again: "I want the last cab to wait for them and lead them away in the opposite direction. Entice them along this dirt road deeper into the woods. We are going a little forward and wait within radio range for our colleagues and arrange a pickup point and then we will proceed to the tar road. We will wait for you there. You will have to join us by 16:00 or else you will be left behind because we must go through that obstacle and reach our camp before dark. We cannot wait any longer for you. Good luck, see you later ..."
Kadin and Billy look at each other with big eyes when the driver makes a three-point turn while the other cabs drive on. What is going on? They are going back into the danger zone! They don't understand it. The cab stops at the connection with the bush path, the driver climbs out and gets his gun ready.
With a question on her face, Kadin asks: "What is going on, Billy? Why did we turn around? The monsters will be here at any moment!"
Billy frowns. "I think this soldier has been ordered by the sergeant to keep the monsters busy while they are making radio contact with Joss."
Kadin gets tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Billy. It's my fault that we are trapped in the cab with the monsters on their way."
Billy hugs her tightly. "No worry, it was an accident. It could have just as well been me that stepped into that hole." He pecks her on her wet cheek.
"No, if I wasn't so damn clumsy!"
Suddenly the first shots are fired as the leading monsters come down the bush path.
Kadin and Billy peep through the windows and watch how the bushes start to tremble as the monsters burst into sight and the firing changes to automatic. They hear how the soldier changes his magazines and then resume firing. But then loud bangs can be heard as items hit the cab and suddenly the driver yells out and stops firing.
Billy peeps through the window to the front of the cab: "Oh, hell!"
Kadin quickly joins Billy and tries to see what is amiss. "What is it, Billy?"
Then she sees for herself how the driver tosses his gun inside the cab and he screams from pain as he pulls out the spear that penetrated his stomach and throws it away before he jumps into the cabin and shuts the door. In front of them, monsters are coming out of the bushes blocking them. The cab shoots ahead and simply bumps the monsters out of the way while thumps sound as projectiles rain on them.
They look up when a loud noise on the roof attracts their attention and are amazed to see the tip of a spear piercing through the roof. In wonder, they stare at it and Billy airs his view: "My gosh! It has a metal tip. It is a really sharp and dangerous spear. I wonder whether the driver has been hit by one. Wow, it could not have been nice!"
They are now driving away from the nearest monsters and they peep through the back windows. The last of the monsters emerge from the bushes and run behind them while the cab suddenly reduces speed and keep a distance just out of reach from the attack by the projectiles that now harmlessly fall short.
Billy enlightens Kadin: "I realize now what he is doing. He was ordered to lead the monsters away from the rest. Look, we keep a distance in front of them. The whole lot are coming out of the bushes and following us. This guy is leading them away from the five cabs that will make contact with Joss and arrange a pickup point. I just wonder how we will be able to join them with all these monsters blocking our way."
Kadin shakes her head: "Well, let's hope there is a road ahead we can take that connects with the tar road. Else, I don't know."
Billy again peeps through to the front. "This guy looks bad, Kadin. His hands are red with blood. I just hope he doesn't lose too much blood and leaves us in the lurch. The cannibals are right behind us. How's your ankle? Will you be able to run if he faints and stops the cab?"
Kadin fearfully looks at Billy with big eyes.
