Apocalypse Alley by Don Allmon

Author:Don Allmon [Allmon, Don]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2018-01-04T05:00:00+00:00

From behind the motel: a flash of light and a plume of dirt and smoke. COWBOY and BANDIT shot that way, COWBOY leapt up the debris of the building and over. BANDIT circled around, passing so close to the window they watched from that they both crouched, afraid it would see them. Valentine, smart enough to sense a diversion, moved closer to Comet’s bike. It sat there like bait.

The rattling and popping of gunfire came from behind the motel.

—How long do we wait?

Shaggy was getting edgy. Comet put his hand on Shaggy’s shoulder to calm him. —When I go, you follow, and keep low, okay?

—Yeah, yeah, okay.

More shots, different direction now. Another explosion, the flash of it over the motel. Another and another.

—Jesus, how many of them . . . and then Shaggy trailed off.

—Oh shit, Comet sent.

They came around the far side of the motel. They came around the near side. They came over the top. Some drove jeeps and ATVs and more clung to the sides. Most simply ran or climbed.

They were human and alive, not zombies, but their eyes were pale and wide, and their nails were long. They screamed and howled battle cries and spun hooked nets and shook machetes. They weren’t careful where they drove, and some were run over. Those behind took the time to stop, but not to help their injured. Their machetes hacked, and they left mounds of broken bones and chopped meat and ran on swinging limbs over their heads like trophies.

Shaggy stepped back, pale and wide-eyed.

COWBOY and BANDIT ran with the ghouls, firing into them. They flung nets in return, and those did more to hamper the drones than guns or knives did. The drones’ legs tangled and they fell. The drones cut themselves free as ghouls dog-piled them and beat them with clubs.

Comet sent, —Now!

—I’m not going out there! and Comet had to drag him away from the window and out the door.

Across the highway, more lights blazed as all the old, beaten-up cars in the station lot came to life. They inched forward, all of them at once. Their tires suddenly spun and squealed and they lurched toward the ghouls. Valentine had taken control of them all, each one a half-ton weapon under her command.

The highway and lot became a demolition derby like nothing Comet had ever seen. Ghouls ran everywhere, cars spun and battered into each other, some drifted too far and triggered mines and the vehicles bounced a meter into the air on a column of smoke, guts blown sky-high.

Comet smiled at the bedlam stink of it. This was perfect. This was better than he’d hoped. And though he’d never admit it—not even to Blitzen in his most drunken moment—this here felt like home.

He counted deep breaths with Shaggy to help calm him because the hacker was on the verge of panic, then they ran out into the maelstrom. So much chaos, so much smoke and dust kicked up, they didn’t bother to hide. They held hands as they ran because if they were separated, neither would ever find the other again.

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