Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

[Josh]

Cornered, bleeding, and out of tricks.

Sorry Mel.

Not much chance of making it out of this one. He weaved left, so putting one zombie in front of the other, and swung the pipe and an extended arm, cracking an elbow solidly.

Keep moving. Two opponents could be danced around. It wasn't about dropping them, it was about holding them long enough for Reaper to finish the job. As they swung back out to flank him, he tossed the pipe into one of their faces and dove under the table again.

[Dark Silver]

The Leader screamed, pain flooded it's body. He could feel the pain.

One of the guards whirled on the sound, rushing into Reaper's back, as it's master's leg drove up towards Reaper's groin. Human memory coming for a moment, and resorting to brawling tactics.

[Caz]

"Jabberwocky to Zimmerman," Sherry said. "Head Hunter and Wendigo are inside the old factory trying to take down the leaders. We've sustained heavy losses. Head Hunter has ordered us to blow the building in two minutes."

She watched the windows as she tended to the cuts down her arms.

[Cynical Cat]

Reaper twisted out of the way of the groin blow, but the minion coming at his back was not something he could avoid. They fell together in a heap.

[Josh]

And out from under the table he emerged, hatchet in hand.

He wound up and threw it as hard as he could at the back of the guard attacking Reaper.

======================

Zimmerman came back on the radio. "Have you contained the rest of the horde?"

[Caz]

"Affirmative," Sherry said. "There's a maximum of fifteen or twenty left and they're all inside that factory."

[Josh]

"Then follow your orders," Zimmerman said. "Books out."

[Dark Silver]

The three were down, a tangle of limps, the guard on Reaper's back grabbing for the arms, teeth coming down on leather, metal and flack jacket. The Leader's own jaws tored into the chains and leather, into Reaper's other arm.

Both held Reaper there, until the hatchet buried itself in the guard's back, and he rolled off, arms attempting to rip the hatchet, thrashing about only causing it to go deeper into it's flesh.

Meanwhile, the other Zombie rushed Petro, teeth gnashing as it dove for his legs.

[Josh]

He stepped into the charge, lashing out with his boot and kicking the zombie square in the teeth.

[Cynical Cat]

With the other gone from his back, Wendigo was on top. He pulled himself up, kneeling straddling the leader's chest. He placed both hand on the knife and drove it into his skull.

[Dark Silver]

The knife drove into the skull, and impacted the brain.

"GRAHHHHHHH" it screamed, as precious brain matter was destroyed, and life left the large zombie.

The last guard thrashed on the ground, it's teeth kicked in by Petro's boot, and it laid on it's stomach, trying to scramble to it's feet.

[Josh]

"DIE YOU FUCKER!" he bellowed, hammering his boot down on its neck, snapping it, then stomping it again several times for good measure. He looked over at Reaper.

"We gotta move... they're gonna blow the place."

The color was gone from his face, as blood loss was making him loopy. He spotted the nametag as he swayed, muttering something inaudible.

[Cynical Cat]

Wendigo retrieved his hook and rose, replacing it on his harness. He stopped to grab Petro and his shotgun, slinging the human over his shoulder as he began to run.

[Josh]

"Brand..." he murmured as the zombie grabbed him and tossed him over its shoulder. As Reaper raced for the window, he looked back at the body.

Size was right.

Shape was right.

Fuck.

[Caz]

"Everyone get your firepacks ready," Sherry ordered. "Thirty seconds, whether they--"

At that point, Reaper leapt from the building with Petro slung over his shoulder in a moment eerily reminiscent of King Kong.

"Fuck it," Sherry said, "NOW!"

A dozen or so fuses were lit and scavenged gas was thrown against the factory's sides.

"Fall back!" Sherry ordered over the radios, "We regroup at the trucks!"

She caught up to Reaper as he ran and didn't look back as the building exploded into splinters behind them.

[Josh]

Every bouncing stride pounded the wind from his lungs as Reaper ran. He couldn't complain about the rescue, by any stretch, but this shit was starting to hurt. Fuck but the rotter had a bony goddamned shoulder.

[Cynical Cat]

The ghoul gently put Petro down. "I told you. Getting smarter. Weapons now. Crude, but more will do it. Priorities must shift."

[Josh]

He nodded, gasping for breath. "Just so long as we stay... ahead of the fuckers." He slapped his hand against Reaper's shoulder. "Good fightin' with you, pal." He reached over to his wounded shoulder, grimacing. "That all of 'em?" he asked Sherry.

[Caz]

"It's enough of 'em," Sherry said. They skidded into the parking lot on the snowy concrete, where some of the militia and all of the Irregulars were already waiting.

"All right," Sherry said, "wounded men get first priority."

They surveyed the damages as the trucks idled to warmth.

[Josh]

"Somebody give me a fucking smoke," he muttered. His cigarettes had vaporized back with the building. One of the passing militia handed him an already lit cigarette, which he took a deep drag off of, grimacing as the pain really started flaring up. He took another drag, then looked over at Sherry. "Losses?"

[Cynical Cat]

"You must make sure that all guns remain in human hands," said Wendigo. "Once the tool users become more common, they will start to use any they find. And that will be the end of you."

[Caz]

Sherry nodded at Reaper's comment as she checked he and Petro over. They looked like they could make the trip okay.

"Once I know, you'll know," she said to Petro. "All of the First save two are here, and I saw both of them go down."

She looked to Marley, who was counting his men on the truck.

"Four confirmed dead and the rest are here," he called. "Let's move!"

She looked to Petro and Reaper, neither of which appeared to be in condition to drive.

"I'll take Petro in the cab of mine," she said. "Marley will give you a ride or you can ride in the back. Can you keep your eyes on the wounded men?"

[Josh]

He looked at Reaper for a long moment. Before this, he wouldn't have trusted him around any wounded.

But whatever his feral nature, and... frankly, the guy was nuts. But for all that, he was on their side, for the moment. And well-fed.

He clambered into the passenger seat. "Oh fuck yes," he said as he felt the heat start to hit him. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaarm."

[Caz]

After everyone had piled in and situated themselves, Sherry pulled out of the lot and took the lead.

She looked down to Petro.

"You look like shit smells," she said.

[Josh]

"Four," he said, pulling his bloody hand away from his shoulder and holding up the requisite number of fingers, waving them at her. "I took FOUR of those cocksuckers. AH JESUS FUCK," he snarled as a fresh wave of pain stabbed through his shoulder. "Let's get the fuck back to our nurse and doctor, hey? I'm in need of reassembly here."