D Maxwell - Resistance - An Extinction Cycle Novella

Luke pointed to the right where the head librarians’ office and the reference room were located. He slipped around the corner and entered a narrow aisle between the wall and the long shelves of books. Neal, Mark, and Grace followed him. He signaled to Mark to watch the area above and to Grace to stay and watch behind them. She nodded and slipped into the darkness.

Luke, Mark and Neal moved toward the end of the shelves. Another long shelf ran parallel to it forming an aisle with another aisle leading off it to the librarians’ office and the reference room. They stopped long enough to lower their NVGs and let their eyes adjust Every few steps, Luke stopped and listened for the sound of clicking. He reached the end of the shelves and glanced around the edge, then ducked back and held up a fist. Mark and Neal stopped behind him. He pointed to his eyes then indicated there was one hostile three rows over, crouched down on the floor.

They’d agreed during the planning to use their carbines only as a last resort. Even though they were equipped with suppressors the sound of firing them would draw other creatures to the area especially if the first shot wasn’t a kill and the creature had time to howl.

They backtracked, passing Grace, then crept around the shelves until they were in the aisle next to the creature. Mark and Luke drew their knives. Luke belly crawled to the other end while Mark moved into position at the end nearest the library’s circular check-out desk. Neal loaded an arrow in his compound bow then climbed to the top of the wide shelf and slid over the smooth wood until he was directly above the creature. He glanced down at Luke and saw the signal to fire at will. Taking aim, he released the steel-tipped arrow. It hit the creature in the top of the head, passing through and exiting beneath its chin.

“Go,” Neal said.

Luke ran around the corner. The creature tried to howl, but the arrow held its puckered lips together. When it saw him, it charged. Mark ran up behind it and shot another arrow through its head. It stood for a moment then fell to the floor. Luke jumped back, keeping his distance from the blood.

Neal slid down from the top of the shelves while Luke scanned the long aisle that ran between the end of the stacks and the wall of shelves at the back of the room. They waited, listening for the sound of the creatures. After several moments, Luke signaled them to follow him. He moved into the hallway and pointed to the office. Mark moved to the right side while Neal moved directly in front of the door with his bow up and ready. Luke grasped the knob, glanced at them, then opened the door.

Weapons up they moved into the room. Neal went left and Mark went right. Luke took the center and searched behind the desk. They finished clearing it then closed the door and moved to the reference room door. Luke tapped on it. One soft tap, followed by three taps, then two taps.

They waited for a response. When they didn’t get one, Luke dropped to the floor and spoke through the narrow crack at the bottom. “It’s Luke Matthews. I’ve got Mark, Neal and Grace with me. We’re here to take you to the shelter.”

A few seconds later, Stephan Greco opened the door and beckoned to them.

Luke and Mark entered but Neal stayed in the hall watching for hostiles.

“Is it just the two of you?” Luke asked, nodding to Damien Moretti.

“No, we managed to grab one of the cadets before the creatures broke through the front door. The other three scattered into the stacks. I don’t think they made it,” Damian said as a girl with long red hair and freckles stepped into view. Damian introduced her. “You know Sabrina Carson.”

Neal nodded. “Are any of you hurt? Sick?”

“No,” Damien said. “We locked ourselves in here while those things were invading the library. It sounded like there were dozens of them.”

“Then, let’s go.” Luke handed Stephan, Damien and Sabrina compound bows and 9mm Glocks. “Use the arrows if you can and don’t shoot your pistols unless I give the order. We think these things are drawn to noise, movement, and smell. Once we leave the library we’re going to try to return to the shelter sight unseen. If we can’t then we fight and run.”

“Mark, you and Grace take point. I’m next with Sabrina behind me. Damien, you take right. Stephan, you have left. Neil you bring up the rear. Everyone watch the trees. We stay together and move fast.”

They nodded and followed Mark and Grace out.

At the front door, Mark stopped, scoped the area outside the library, then signaled them to follow him. One after the other, they ducked through the door, running from shadow to shadow toward the cafeteria.

They were a hundred meters from the cafeteria when a shrill hissing screech came from behind them.

“Multiple contacts behind us,” Neal said, his voice calm on the headset.

“Don’t shoot unless they pursue us,” Luke said, struggling to get through snow that was over a foot deep in some places.

“ Base One to Bravo. Multiple hostiles on either side of you. Over.”

“Bravo to Base One. Understood. Out.”

“Open fire,” Luke said, firing his weapon in short bursts. “Watch your fields of fire.”

Grace moved a couple meters to Mark’s right, found a target and fired her weapon. She chose her targets carefully, aiming for the head and trying to send two bullets into each one. She swept the area directly ahead of her and to her right while Mark took out the creatures to his left and in front of him.

They ran, fired, and then ran again, making sure to stay together as a group.

Creatures screeched as they died, and those that were wounded, and in many cases had lost limbs, crawled through the snow determined to feed. Sabrina stepped up next to Luke and Grace and helped them keep the field to their right open.

Mark, Damien, and Stephan held the creatures back on the left. They fired in rapid bursts sending body parts flying while Neil kept the creatures from rushing them from behind.

“Keep moving,” Luke yelled.

Grace spotted the dock ahead of her and laid down a wall of bullets, taking out or injuring the creatures that tried to block them from reaching the dock. As she ran through them with Sabrina behind her, she shot each one in the head and heard Sabrina doing the same. Jumping onto the dock, she ran to the keypad with Sabrina sticking close, guarding her back. Once the doors were open, she waved the others forward.

Grace continued firing shorts bursts. Once a creature fell she moved on to the next one. Sabrina laid down covering fire, kicking up clouds of snow and taking down one creature after another.

Grace saw movement to Sabrina’s right and stepped farther out on the dock, shooting a creature that moved so rapidly it was nearly a blur of motion. She missed the first time and fired again this time hitting it. The bullets climbed up the creature’s body in a line to its head. It fell back and tumbled down the stairs. She turned back in time to see Luke and Mark firing at the roof above her and stepped back in time to avoid being hit by a falling body.

Luke urged them to pick up the pace. They reached the dock and leapt onto it, rushing into the elevator. Sabrina and Grace continued laying down fire while they backed into the opening. Once they were inside, they stepped to the side while Luke and Mark took a knee and continued firing from the center position. Damien grabbed the overhead door and jerked it down.

Grace secured the doors then moved around the perimeter of the elevator to the other set of doors. After opening them she stepped out and beckoned to the cadets, recognizing all three of them. “This way.”

They followed her into the large dining hall.

Sabrina Carson smiled when her belly rumbled. “Thank you for coming after us. I’m so hungry and thirsty at this point I could drink my own pee.”