The Loyal Ones

update: if you would like a character in this story then PM their name and occupation (doesn't have to LCPD but somewhat relevant to the story)

after a couple of weeks, here's chapter 4
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Even the arrogant Representative appeared shaken by the statement he'd just heard. There was an almost silent understanding in the room as everybody in the room attempted to come to terms with what they were about face. Suddenly, Doyle broke the silence.

"Ok............we can take the elevator down to the lobby and have the chopper pick us up at the other helipad."

"Yeah and waltz straight into a convention of those things? Fuck that!" yelled one of the officers.

"I second that; if we're gonna get outta here it's gonna have to be done by using the stairwell." replied Parker.

Hammond flicked the safety off on his carbine and took point out of the room. The long hallway that stretched before him was in shambles, as pieces of drywall and ceiling tile chipped and fluttered to the ground. A fine layer of dust from the drywall had coated the floor. Like clockwork, the squad slowly crept forward in till they reached an intersection and Hammond signaled for them to stop. Silently reaching back he tapped the man behind him on the shoulder and made a swiveling motion with his hand. His squad mate understood almost immediately and handed him a small mirror attached to a handle.

By slowly holding the mirror out in front of the corner, Hammond was able to survey the unknown hallway. It must have been close to where the explosion had originated from as there were multiple slumped figures; some charred and others still steaming. Hammond reached down next to him, picked up a piece of rubble and tossed it down the hallway, and when the bodies remained motionless he gave the signal to move up. A single file line was formed to minimize the chance of stepping on the corpses and in case of any structural weakness from the explosion.

The wall at the end of the hallway had been completely made of glass but was now a skeleton of it's former self. The twisted metal beams that had once held the expensive glass panels in place were distorted and mangled in an ugly wreck. One of the more observant officers quickly pointed something out.

"Hey guys check this shit out."

"What the hell could be more important then getting the fuck outta here shield?" whispered Parker.

"His name is shield?" chuckled Hammond under his breath.

"Yeah that's right; but there's a story for that and this isn't the time Sergeant." replied the Captain.

"Anyway guys, in case you didn't notice, the steel frame on these windows are bent inwards........so whatever the fuck went off wasn't inside this building." finished Shield.

The squad however didn't have the luxury of time to ponder this as the door to the stairwell was in plain view. However as Hammond crept up to it he heard a horrifying sound at his feet. It was the sound of shattering glass, and it echoed through the entire floor. Suddenly the sound of thumping footsteps could be heard around the corner, starting slowly at first but slowly picking up speed. Within seconds the footsteps were rapid and became louder as the squad slowly backpedaled closer to the door. The source of the noise suddenly came bounding around the corner in the form of a tall pale man in a ripped up business suit. With surprising speed he went airborne and pounced on top of the closest officer, letting out a shrill scream as he did.

“Get this fucker off of me!” the officer screamed as the creature’s rancid breath fogged his goggles.

Just when the abominations teeth were mere inches from the poor mans face, a sickening crack sounded from the back of the monster’s skull. The marauding zombie instantly went limp and the cop wasted no time in kicking it off of him. The man looked up to see the security guard standing over him with his left hand extended out and a bloodied baton in the other. Hammond and the rest of his squad stared in absolute shock, trying to absorb the situation. However, the ominous silence was suddenly broken by the sound of even more footsteps barreling down the hallway that sent chills up everyone’s back. Parker quickly turned around and began barking orders.

“Jesus Christ………weapons fucking hot people, we’re gonna get through this damn door or it’s a fuckin wrap. Hammond your on door duty, the rest of us are gonna try throwin those fuckers a lead shower in till you crack that shit.”

Hammond turned around and began throwing himself into the door with his shoulder. The mighty oak board shook a little bit under his weight but ultimately didn’t budge. The Sgt.’s heart nearly jumped up into his throat as a series of pops and cracks erupted from behind him. Hammond wheeled around to see what was happening but quickly wished he hadn’t. The entire wing was completely packed with the infected. Many of them were tripping over each other in a desperate attempt to claim their meal first, and each one of them wasn’t going to let anybody stop them.

The ones in front were the first to drop as a curtain of bullets smacked straight into them, causing a thick mist of blood and other organic matter to cloud the air and coat the walls. One of the bastards managed to keep running with four rounds in his gut, in till a twelve gauge slug cracked it in the chest and sent it flailing on its back. An officer in the front of the formation was desperately trying to reload his handgun before clumsily dropping his fresh mag on the floor. The man bent down, picked it up, and slid it into the gun. The officer raised up, ready to keep firing, only to see his last sight. A lucky zed had run through the hail of gunfire and was bearing down on him. With unblinking eyes and an open mouth, the infected plowed into the poor man as he let out a panicked scream.

The momentum of the stricken officer carried him back into two more men who abruptly ended up on their backs as well. This small flux in the firing line was all it took for the rest of the infected to steamroll through the formation with ease. Another brave officer attempted to kick the infected of any officers they had tackled, only to have his very own zed pounce on his back and bite into his neck. This was all the motivation Hammond needed to get the door open. Raising his carbine in till it was level with the bolt of the door; Hammond closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. The rifle jerked back wildly as splinters of wood sprayed up in his face. The sound of cracking wood was suddenly replaced by a sharp ping. Hammond raised his right leg up and brought his foot down on the door with tremendous force. The door instantly swung open and slammed into the wall next to it with a loud bang.

“Alright the doors open, now lets get the fuck out of here!” yelled Hammond

The surviving officers in the hallway didn’t waste a second in turning around and sprinting down the stairs with the infected on their heels. Hammond was in front, lungs on fire, sweat pouring, and legs aching. At the next platform there was a lone infected busily enjoying its fresh kill on the floor.

Upon hearing the stampede of cops and zeds pouring down the stairs, it quickly looked up only to receive Hammond’s boot to the face. The creature attempted to rise again but this time was permanently put down by the Sgt.’s carbine. Running past the now dead infected, Hammond could now see salvation in the form of a glowing red exit sign three platforms down. Leaping over the stairs, Hammond landed on the second platform and proceeded to do the same for the final set of stairs. However, right as his feet touched the final platform, a colossal concussion wave swept through the whole building, sending him flying into the wall in front of him. Those unfortunate enough to be on the third platform still were engulfed in a raging fireball that shot through an open doorway. Hammond’s vision began focusing in and out as a group of silhouettes began closing in on him. Desperately reaching for his holstered handgun; Hammond’s mind when blank just as he gripped the handle.

When the police Sgt. came to, it was obvious from the cold air that he was outside, and by the way he was moving that he was being dragged. Even though his vision was a little fuzzy still; Hammond could make out “Shield” in front of him quickly backpedaling with a shotgun. Turning around, he could see Captain Parker dragging him with one hand, and fumbling with his headset with the other.

“Where the fuck is the bird!” screamed the Captain into his mic.

A shaky voice responded on the other side; the fear in it obvious. “I’m not landing in that clusterfuck. That courtyard is crawling with those things.”

“What’s the word!? Yelled Shield over his shoulder.

“The bird’s not coming!” replied Parker.

“Then we’re screwed?” screamed back Shield, before firing a couple more shells into the on coming horde.

Parker didn’t reply; instead he took his hand away from his headset and un-holstered his pistol. He continued to drag Hammond while shooting off a couple rounds. Suddenly an unknown voice crackled over trio’s ear pieces.

“Today’s your lucky day Captain.”

“Who the hell is this?” questioned Parker and Shield.

“My name’s Mark, I’m with the southern Algonquin Police Station, and fortunately for you I’ve got an empty truck.”

“You don’t gotta tell us twice; how’s the highway behind the UN complex sound?”

“I’m about to pass by it right now so get your asses ready cause I’m not sticking around for long.”

By now Hammond was staggering to his feet with the help of Parker as the horde drew dangerously close. Still stumbling a bit, Hammond did the best he could to keep up with the Captain and Shield as they ran down the ramp to the highway below. As soon as the group stepped out on to the asphalt the bright beam of the vans headlights hit them.

“Get the hell in now!” yelled the driver.

The team scrambled into the back compartment as the truck screeched off into the night; leaving the bloodthirsty horde behind them. The rest of the ride back to the station was mostly silent, in till the driver (Mark) yelled out.

“Jesus Christ they’re really doing it! Why are they doing this!?”

Hammond quickly threw open the back doors of the van to find out the source of the driver’s dismay. Save for a few abandoned cars in the road; there was nothing overly horrifying in the road. Out of nowhere, a screeching noise pierced the air above them and the group quickly realized what Mark had seen.

Dozens of aircraft were streaking by to release their deadly payload on the infested city. One of the jets broke off from formation and began to soar in their direction. A white trail shot off from one of the aircraft’s wings and jettisoned directly at the van. However, instead of making contact with the swat truck, the rocket streaked over them and slammed into a gigantic cargo ship in the river to the right of them. The boat immediately began to take in water as it started to list heavily to the side.

Hammond slammed the truck’s doors shut. Between being attacked by once sane human beings and witnessing the results of the quarantine, he’d seen enough. This time the ride remained silent in till the van reached the front gates of the Police Station

End of chapter 4

The air was still congested with ash and cinders by the time the van had arrived at the station. Mark stopped at the front gate with a quizzical look on his face; he was no longer looking at the once orderly and welcoming front gate. There was now a dented and scratched bus haphazardly parked where the usual security booth and post were. The men in the van sat idling and astonished at what they were witnessing, in till a voice from beyond the barricade broke the awkward silence.

“Citizen(s) you are within our self-imposed danger zone. You must immediately leave the area or we will be forced to take lethal action…………..you have twenty seconds to comply.”

Captain Parker stood up from his seat and moved up to the driver’s compartment to console with Mark. Hammond stayed back in a daze, still trying to process the night’s events.

“What should we do Captain? I think they’re serious.” Said Mark in a worried tone.

“Don’t worry Mark , there’s a good chance that he’s bluffing….I don’t think we’ve been given the authority to gun down civilians on a whi-“

Parker was suddenly cut off by a large snapping noise and what sounded like chipping glass. He looked up to see an impact mark on the windshield in front of him, with the cracks in it moving ever so slowly. The trio immediately ducked into any cover possible In the van as a hail of lead projectiles smacked into them. The side mirrors were blown clean off and the Enforcer lurched to the right as one of its tires was shot out.

“Parker, get us the hell out of here!” barked the Captain.

“And drive back into that mess? Fucking forget it man. I’d rather wait for them to run out of ammo.” Parker replied while ducking below the steering wheel.

However, an idea suddenly crossed Hammond’s mind. The young Sgt. H stood up and began to cautiously move towards where the driver and his superior sat. Without saying a word he quickly scanned the instrument panel the right of wheel and flipped one switch. The tell tale red and blue lights of an emergency vehicle began to erupt from the top of the van; flooding the area around them with a vibrant light show.

The fire immediately ceased and a pair of hands appeared on the top of the bus. A beaten up looking state trooper began to hoist himself up on to the makeshift barricade and then turned around for somebody to hand him a shotgun. He eyed up the Enforcer for not even ten seconds before hitting a 180 and yelling down into the parking lot behind him.

“Aw shit, we’ve got NOOSE down here…………..well yeah……………..of course we’re gonna fucking let them in!”

The trooper turned back towards the trio in the van and gave them a thumbs up before jumping down off of the barricade. The engine of dilapidated bus screeched to life and began pushing the entire vehicle in reverse. Finally, the trio was given a green light on entering their own station.

Even the parking lot was a complete alteration of its former days. There were now sniper nests on the roof surrounding it and another bus in the back entrance. Some of the garages had been converted into full blown communications centers, with multiple operatives working the equipment inside.

The officers had just climbed out of their van when a screeching noise above them penetrated their ears. One of the NOOSE operatives who had been helping a comrade work radios immediately ran back into the safety of the garage and yelled : “Hit the fucking deck right now!” Nearly every person in the vicinity followed the man’s advice and leapt on to their stomachs in a prone position. No sooner had everyone gone prone; a pair of A10 Warthogs streaked over the station with their noses down and their 30mm cannon’s humming before quickly breaking off in order to avoid the buildings. There was a serious of small explosions heard a few blocks down from the station following this.

The man who had warned everybody stood up and began to survey the parking lot for damage in till his eyes crossed Parker’s. He immediately broke into a jog and within seconds was right in front of the captain, shaking his hand.

“How the hell have you been Jag!” yelled Parker excitedly.

“Been better man………….just been helping the rookies get our radios up to speed. But from what I’ve heard, you’ve personally encountered those god forsaken creatures so I won’t complain about my day too much.” Jag replied.

“Well I’m going to get something to eat and drink, then I’m passing the hell out” grumbled Hammond as he walked past the two with Mark.

“Yeah get as much sleep as you can Sgt………….you’re going to need it where we’re going. Listen, I know you’ve just crawled out of hell but we’ve been ordered to help enforce containment protocol at Francis International Airport……so be ready to mobilize in about five hours.” replied Jag.

“Wait what exactly are we doing there?” asked Mark.

“Well my young recruit……..we’re going to war.” Responded Jag.

To be continued….