Fall of crystal lake (part 9)

"Okay everybody gather around we got some shit to do and we gotta do it well!" Tank yells from the top of the main house's stairs. "We aren't going to make a plan really, we are going to wing it but the main thing is this and It's all that matters. Alex, Marcy, Marie, Jessica you 4 will load the truck while me, Rat, Slim, and Thomas keep everything from you. We do not leave until the truck is completely full or that gun shop is completely empty." Tank says nodding. "What are the rest of us going to do?" Mrs. King asks. "Go hunting, scavenge loot, anything productive." Tank says nodding. "Be safe." Jason says, patting Tank's arm. "We leave in 15 minutes so do what you have to and get your gear together." Rat says, slinging his quivers over his shoulder. At the truck those who were not going watched the silence. Slim twirl his knife as he leaned against the truck. The others had about as much interactions with him as they did with Riley if not slightly less. Jason walks up to Slim and waves. Slim nods sliding the bowie knife away. "Take this." Jason says handing Slim a handgun discreetly. Slim slides it into the back of his pants and looks at Jason questioningly. "You have been doing very well with your own skill development brother. It would be such a shame to see you die if this goes badly. The Riley wannabes are getting a little to far out of their own reach." Jason says leaning against the truck. "If it looks like there is no way to achieve this make sure you and you alone come back. I need someone I can trust." Jason says. Slim smiles. "Be safe Slim there is still a lot of work for us to do." Jason says hobbling away. Slim watches everyone looking his way. 'They have no idea how lucky they are they don't ever leave this place, it's a shame though the weak are still in this paradise for the strong. Slim thinks to himself. "Hey bro you ready?" Tank asks Slim, walking up with Rat. Slim nods. 'If only something does happen so I can get rid of these weaklings.' Slim thinks as he climbs into the truck. Throughout the drive Slim reminisces about the first day they had woken up. About how Jason had chosen him. "You will be disdained and they won't like you but we need your skill that is getting honed." Jason had told him. "Someone who is strong and has the will to survive must watch over the base and that someone I feel is you." Jason's words echo in his memory. "We both know Alex is too frightened and Rat and Tank are to stupid or easily controlled. Unlike you." Slim had nodded and pointed at Rileys door. "He can't be trusted, the moment we do something he doesn't like just as he did with Tank and the gun today he will be violent. I should know better than anybody since he did this to my leg." Jason had said pointing to his twisted limb. Slim was the only one besides Jason and Riley who knew and it was empowering. "Almost there guys." Tank says pausing in his terrible singing of Katy Perry. 'I hope this goes badly' Slim thinks to himself.

Riley rips open the door to the courthouse and stabs a zombie with his bayonet. Riley shoots 2 other zombies in smashing bloodstained suits through the firsts head before shoving it hard and moving forward firing quickly in front of him to carve a path. Sweat runs into his eyes making them sting but he doesn't stop nor does he look back. Riley follows signs on the walls until he comes to the stair access and rips that door open slamming it behind him. "Good thing that fucker opens outward." Riley says panting. Looking around the dark stairwell with his flashlight Riley sees no zombies. This brings him no comfort because while they aren't visible he can in fact hear them. And unless he had lost his touch it sounded like there were many. "Alright nut up bitch boy." Riley whispers to himself catching his breath. Now just as he had in the tunnel Riley moves cautiously although slightly faster not wanting to make the kids wait longer than they had to. Halfway to the second floor Riley meets his first of many zombies. The zombie is an officer and very useful to Riley since he had a gun belt with ammo and a pistol. Riley whistles to catch its attention and when it turns Riley laughs. In both lungs are boot knives. Riley spears its brains with his horde buster. Riley takes the zombie's vest off and sets it to the side. "Get you on the way back." Riley whispers as he straps the belt around his chest. Riley tosses the surprisingly heavy body over the rail to the floor below. It lands with a squishy thud that echoes up the staircase. "Come to me you bastards." Riley whispers watching up the stairs as he moves faster now. When he is halfway to the third he sees a large cluster of zombies moving down to investigate the noise. Riley begins shooting in his quick accurate fashion and soon runs out of ammo in that mag so he switches to his glock and kills the last 8 zombies. The exchange took maybe 1 minute but to Riley pumped full of adrenaline it was like he had been there for hours. Riley utilizes the pause in hungry corpses to reload the horde buster. "Lets go." Riley tells himself running up the rest of the way and yanking the door open Riley hits a zombie in the face freeing up some space to shoot it. Moving into the hall he kicks the door shut and looks around the crowded hall trying to find his bearings. "Sunny knock so I can find you!" Riley roars for the only child that can hear. Dipping away from a zombie Riley draws his hunting knife and dispatches it. Down the hall behind him he hears 4 loud bangs. Riley raises his horde buster using his wrist to stabilize it while wielding his knife still begins shooting and running while dodging zombies in between until he reaches the door the noise is coming from. Riley leaps inside and yanks the door shut and puts his hands on his knees. "Well that was fucking great cardio." Riley laughs. The 4 kids are much thinner in person than Riley imagined. "Here." Riley hands Nancy the gun belt and one of the pocket guns and holds the other out for Sid. "okay Sunny gonna need you to translate for me okay." Riley says, leaning back against the door. The young boy nods vigorously. "Good, okay I'm going to give these 2 some knives." Riley says pointing at Kyle and Sunny. "When I open this door you do not kill zombies unless they grab you or block the path after I make it. Your job is to keep up with me at all costs and don't slow down, if we slow we die. Any questions?" Riley asks handing the 2 youngest kids the boot knives he had found earlier. Riley sheathes his knife and reloads his weapons so they have fresh mags. Seeing that they had no questions. Riley pats Sunny's head and smiles. "This is going to be fucking fun, lets go." Riley grabs the doorknob and looks back at the others in ready positions. Riley nods and takes a deep breath before shoving the door with all his might knocking the zombies back. He shoots 5 and moves down the hall towards the stairs. He hears the kids running after him in between shots. They make it inside the stairwell without any issue. The 4 kids whimper quietly in the dark. "Go down first so I can keep the light on you, there is a police vest down a little. 1 of you put it on." Riley says as he reloads. Nancy puts the vest on. Riley figures it's probably because it is heavy and they are weak from hunger. At the bottom of the stairwell Riley grabs the doorknob. Sunny grabs tightly ahold of Riley's belt and the others also grab various straps on Riley for dear life. "Good idea." Riley says, pushing the door open and shooting. The small path Riley quickly makes starts closing and Riley is forced to draw his pistol again. "Go to the tunnel entrance and run through it. It will be dark but its clear!" Riley yells pushing the 4 ahead of him. Riley punches a zombie in the face and shoots it right after. "Got your Riley snacks Right here come and get it!" Riley yells cutting his palm attracting all the zombies easily with the scent of fresh living blood like coke to a crackhead.