S. Davis - 900 Miles

I heard Kyle screaming from the front as I pulled the hammer to my chest. With the gunfire ringing in my ears, I couldn’t be sure what he was saying. The sun was completely down, so each shot illuminated the suddenly very tiny cabin with muzzle flash as the dark taste of metallic gunpowder caught in the back of my throat.

Steading itself, the creature now set its eyes on Rodgers and tore forward. More gunshots rang out, and I winced in horror as the creature landed on top of him. His screams echoed through the cabin as he struggled under the weight of the monster. Blood was pooling up beneath them, yet I stared, transfixed, as Rodgers tried with all of his might to keep the Hulk’s mouth from coming down on his flesh.

Fighting the overwhelming dizziness to get to my feet, I realized the forward motion of the helicopter had been replaced by a wild spin. Grabbing a bench, I started to stand when one final shot tore through the creature’s head, black bile fountaining up against one of the portholes.

“John, get up here. We’re going down!” Kyle frantically barked from the front. There was a sense of urgency in his voice, pulling me away from the fact that Rodgers was holding the gun.

Bracing myself against the wall, I made my way up to the cockpit. Jarvis was pinned down by the gravitational force, fighting with all his might to get his bearings.

“Get seated. I need your help!” Kyle yelled.

The entire control panel was in disarray with multiple bullet holes, busted dials, and tangled wires that shot sparks into our faces as I forced myself into the seat.

“Help hold the yoke on your side. Just pull up!”

It was too late.

My knuckles turned white as I pushed on the flashing instrument panel, bracing for impact. There was a sudden drop in my stomach as the helicopter took the final plunge. I think I was screaming, but it happened so quickly, I can’t really be sure. In the moment before we crashed, I remember seeing the beam from the headlight of the chopper, as it got smaller and smaller against the calm, flat water. I watched Kyle’s entire body arch back as he pulled on the yoke in vain.

There was no stopping this.

In the end, when you’re sitting there at death’s door, one thing is crystal clear: we are the sum of all our actions.

That’s how it all began. And here we were, underneath God knows how many gallons of water with the dead floating around outside ready to rip the pruned flesh from our bones. We had a maniac in the rear of the cabin and another ready to chase us down even if we did manage to escape this waterlogged coffin.

The cabin light was starting to flicker out, and the thumps and scratches from above were getting louder, more amplified. The helicopter was flashing like a giant McDonalds’ sign to all creatures in the area… and they were starving.

I noticed the backpack full of meds floating a few feet away from my ankles. I leaned over to pick it up and slung it around my shoulders, pulling the straps as tightly as they would fit over the body armor.

Glancing at the now upside-down clock on the instrument panel, I could see the flickering numbers telling me it was 5:57 pm. Exactly fifteen hours till Gordon would be at Avalon’s gates.

The water level was knee deep and quickly rising. The rear of the helicopter wasn’t sealed airtight. The water, once seeping in, was now gushing in. I could see the Hulk’s body bobbing in the rear of the cabin just beyond where Rodgers was crouched, ready to pounce.

“Don’t you do it, man. John. John. Please, man, don’t do this. There’s got to be another way!”

“I don’t think you have a fucking say in this, Rodgers,” Kyle shot back at him.

Kyle was up on his knees now, ready to stop any sort of advance from the backstabbing prick. I still had the gun held up to the glass. I knew the score. We could live here for a few minutes more, or die trying to get to the surface. Both options had my hands trembling, and Rodgers’ manic cries from behind had me second-guessing my actions. Was there another way?

I did what had to be done. We were not all getting out of that sunken tomb, and I knew it. In the end, when you’re sitting there at death’s door, one thing is crystal clear: we are the sum of all our actions. I could only hope that I’d done enough good to make up for what was about to come.

Releasing the clip from the nine mil, I saw that one bullet remained. Looking down at Jarvis, then out toward the creatures lurching toward us in the flickering headlamp, I had an epiphany. I knew what needed to happen.

We needed a distraction.

“Step back, Kyle,” I said gravely. I turned back toward Rodgers, pushing the clip back into place.

Not one person in the helicopter questioned me. I could tell they all saw it in my face.

Kyle half-lifted his arms in the air as if I was going to do something to him, then slid carefully back toward Jarvis. Rodgers started to back up as I raised the gun toward him.

“What are you doing? John? John!” It was a distant yell, and I only slightly heard it as my mind focused on what had to be done.

As if witnessing the event unfold more than being part of it, my words left my lips without any forethought. “Rodgers. Remember when we talked about who the good guys are? You asked the question: how would you ever know which team is the right team to play for?”

Stunned, he looked up at me. His face was barely visible in the dim lights. I heard the water slosh behind him as he continued to back up.

“I don’t really know if I understand good from bad anymore.” Taking a deep breath, I slid my finger to the trigger. “But I know one thing. You played for the wrong team.”

Even in the darkness, I saw his eyes go wide as I pulled the trigger. The bullet tore through his leg, and he dropped with a splash. I couldn’t see the blood spilling into the water, but the liquid grew darker, even thicker, as it splattered in all directions.

My ears and eyes were burning in pain again. It took several moments to regain my senses. I momentarily made eye contact with Kyle. He didn’t say a word but watched me drop the weapon into the rising water and lift the hammer out of my belt.

The expression on his face was more surprise than anything else before he finally nodded. He knew what I was doing, and the nod was enough to reassure me that we didn’t have any other choice.

Pulling the hammer back, I placed my palm on the wall next to me and looked at Kyle and Jarvis one final time.

“This is it.” I let slip through my teeth.

With a single moment of clarity, the last thing passing through my mind was a number. The number that separated me from protecting my son. 900 minutes.

A thump against the glass forced me to look forward. Outside, a creature had its face pressed against the windshield, gnawing at itssmooth finish with a set of broken teeth. Grasping my fingers tightly around the base of the hammer, I took a few quick deep breaths before arching back, grunting and driving that instrument of death down. Despite the pressure from the water outside, the hammer smashed through the windshield and into the creature’s skull.

I didn’t hear even the tiniest bit of noise. All five senses pointed directly toward the million freezing pricks of cold as they showered across every inch of my skin.

At first, I thought I was blinded by the glass as it shattered inward. My entire body was catapulted back by the force of the water rushing in. For the briefest of moments, it felt like someone had hit the pause button, stopping time as I floated helplessly deep inside the cabin. Opening my eyes just long enough to see the light flickering against the multiple silhouettes of the dead outside, I was suddenly yanked out into the open water with the current.