Victor, Tad and Daffodil sighted and fired, sighted and fired. Acrid smoke rose from the weapons, filling their lungs, while spent cartridges rattled off the walls and floor. When one gun ran out of ammunition, they grabbed another from a cache on the floor.
And still the enemy came, wave after wave, scrabbling over the bodies of their dead companions.
“That’s me out of ammo.” Tad pulled the kitchen knife from his belt. A mutant pounced and he buried the blade in its throat. The creature rolled away, pulling the weapon from his grasp. “Oh well.” He raised his fists and took up a boxing stance. “Time to go old-school.”
“Us too.” Victor and Daffodil reversed their empty rifles and prepared to use them as clubs.
“Exactly what I was waiting to hear.”
Mrs Magdalene clumped out of the darkness and into the hallway. She waved a gloved hand and her deformed minions shrank back, milling around like obedient hounds.
“I’d very much like to finish you off myself.”
“Come and have a go, boss.” Victor ran at her, swinging his weapon.
The vice president grabbed him by the throat and effortlessly forced the giant to his knees. “Just like old times,” she cackled, as the man choked in her grasp. She looked quizzically at Tad and Daffodil, both backing away.
“Aren’t you going to jump to his rescue? Or have you realised I’m quite capable of taking on all three of you?”
“Don’t doubt it, clanky.” Daffodil pointed. “But I don’t fancy your chances against that lot.”
Mrs Magdalene glanced around. The creatures had formed a ring about her and were cautiously advancing, snarling and growling.
“Attack those two!” she commanded. “Right now!”
One beast leapt and clasped her metal arm between its jaws.
“What are you doing?” The woman let go of Victor and he shuffled away on all fours. “Obey me!”
She pulled the creature off and flung it against the wall. As it sank down, whimpering, its companions swarmed over the vice president, clawing and biting. With a blood-curdling scream, she vanished under an avalanche of fur, teeth and claws.
Tad and Daffodil grabbed Victor and pulled him to safety. As they watched in astonishment, the brutes finished off their prey, then turned on each other.
*
Charlie heard Victor’s whoop of triumph coming from the hall.
“They stopped coming at us and started fighting each other!” the man yelled. “What happened?”
The boy listened to the growls and roars reverberating outside. Slowly they faded away until there was silence.
“We won!” Daffodil bounded into the room and leapt into Charlie’s arms.
“How did you do it?”
“With a little help from my friends.”
Victor and Tad marched in, grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s over.” Victor took a set of spark plugs from his pocket and tossed them to Charlie. “Better take your van and clear off. The guy who delivers your milk is going to get a hell of a shock and be right on the phone to the police.”
“Do me a favour, Chaz.” The shutters began to slide up. “Turn me round so the computer’s camera can see out the window.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Please.”
Charlie revolved the screen. Outside, a sea of torn bodies was scattered across the bloody grass, victims of their own self-destructive frenzy.
Frankie was quiet for a long time, gazing out at the carnage.
“Those creatures weren’t bad,” he said, finally. “They had no choice but to act the way they were ordered, just like me. I should have tried to rescue them too.”
“You saved all our lives, buddy.”
“I’ve been liberated for two damned minutes and this was the first thing I did. Turn me back around. I don’t want to see any more.”
Charlie complied.
“Maybe Gerry Ray was right.” On the screen, a teardrop appeared. “I’m too dangerous to be let loose on the world.”
“That feeling is one I know only too well,” Tad sympathised. “I could still kill you, I suppose, but the urge has somewhat abated.”
“I’ll solve that problem for you.”
The group spun round.
“Drop your weapons.” A woman was standing in the darkened doorway, pointing a rifle at them. Her tunic was gore-spattered and shredded, and one side of her beautiful face was lacerated by claw marks.
The guns clattered to the floor.
“Allow me to introduce Candy-Anne,” Victor said despondently. “She… retires people.”
“You are rather indestructible, young lady,” Tad remarked. “Next time I shall make sure to use a nuclear bomb.”
“So you joined the enemy, Vic.” Candy-Anne touched her ruined cheek, just as Victor had seen Mrs Magdalene do. “Made me into a monster.”
“You were always a monster. Now you just look the part.”
“One half of your visage is still extremely fetching,” Tad added nonchalantly. “Just keep your head turned away when we converse.” He glanced awkwardly at his companions. “I think I may have been in prison rather too long.”
“Go to hell, both of you.” Candy-Anne aimed the gun at Victor and fired.
“No!” Tad leapt sideways. The bullet hit him in the chest, catapulting the man into his brother’s arms, knocking them both to the floor. Daffodil and Charlie inched forwards, muscles tensed.
“Go ahead.” The woman motioned with her rifle. “You’re next anyway.”
They moved back, arms above their heads.
“Turn around and put your hands on the wall.”
Both slowly complied.
“That’s better. A bullet in the back is all you two deserve.”
“Let’s not go off the deep end,” Frankie interjected. “Spare them and I can give you riches beyond your wildest dreams.”
“I don’t want riches.” Candy-Anne aimed the rifle at Charlie. “I want my looks back. Since I can’t have that, I’ll settle for retribution.” Her finger tightened on the trigger.
A figure burst into the room, swinging a plank of wood. It connected with the back of the woman’s head and she swayed on her feet. The man struck again and she crumpled to the floor.
“Took me ages to find this place.” Scotty Primo dropped the plank. “Kind of wish I hadn’t. I feel a bit ill.”
“Nice timing, Scotty!” Daffodil ran over and embraced him. “I take back all the bad things I said about you.”
Victor crawled over to Candy-Anne, Tad’s knife in hand. His jaw was working from side to side and his whole body shook.
“Don’t do it.” Charlie threw himself on top of the unconscious woman. “There’s been enough slaughter!”
“Get away from me!” Victor pulled him off. “She killed my brother!” He raised the blade.
“One bullet isn’t going to stop me, bro.” Tad reached out and grabbed his ankle. “Not with the Atlas Serum running through my veins.” He rolled over and moaned. “But I do need some serious medical attention.”
“Just hold on.” Victor knelt by him and cradled his head. “I won’t let you die.”
“I have the number of a nurse called Samantha McLaren.” Charlie took a phone from his pocket. “If she hasn’t already left the country, she owes me a favour.”
“Can’t take that chance,” Victor said. “I have to get him to the nearest hospital.”
“But he’ll be recaptured.”
“Wasn’t that the whole idea?” Tad smiled weakly at them. “I’m fairly sure you do-gooders wouldn’t appreciate a loose cannon like me rampaging around.”
Charlie and Daffodil looked guiltily at each other.
“Put the spark plugs in and start the van.” Victor picked up his brother. “You can drop us off at accident and emergency on the way to Frankie’s second safe house.”
“How did you know I had another safe house?”
“Because you think of everything, damn you.”