Princess Quay Survival

I pushed my way through the crowd, people were moving in every direction and most looked panicked. I’d heard that the government had shut the whole place down because of some terrorist threat. It was pandemonium in here, children running and screaming pretending to shoot each other with toy guns, pretending that one of them was the very reason why we were now stuck in here, it was ironic really if you believe in that kind of thing. A young mother pushed past me and grabbed one of the children that had taken to attempting to shimmy her way up one of the stone columns. She grabbed the young girl’s arm and started swearing in her face. I shook my head and grabbed the mother’s arm, she snapped round to look at me.

“You shouldn’t shout in her face like that,” I advised.

“Who the fuck are you to tell me how to raise my kid!?” she started back.

I smiled, “Just a concerned citizen ma’am,” I winked at the girl and carried on trying to push my way through the crowd.
I reached one of the main entrances and pushed to the front to get to the barriers blocking the way. I ducked under them and showed my badge to a soldier that pointed his rifle at me. He nodded and let me through. I walked over to the captain, she looked me up and down and shouted to the soldiers at the barriers, “Since when did I say allow civilians through the blockade!?”

“Excuse me, Captain? I’m not a civilian.” I showed her my badge, “You mind telling me what’s going on here?”

“Listen to me, that badge doesn’t hold any authority here so I don’t have to tell you jack, now get out of my face before I have you thrown back over the barricade!”

“Wow does the army train everybody to be as much of a bitch as you or does it just come naturally?” She motioned to a couple of the soldiers and they made a move, I waved my hand. “Relax, idiots! I’m out of here anyway.” I straightened my jacket and walked back towards the barricade.

The soldier who’d originally tried to stop me smiled and nodded, “Imagine what it’s like to have to follow her orders,” he joked. I smiled back and ducked under the barrier and mingled in with the now angry crowd. You couldn’t blame them really; suddenly being herded into and trapped in an already busy shopping centre without any explanation what-so-ever apart from a rumoured terrorist threat. I squeezed through the people and managed to get into the more open space near the lifts. I sat on one of the benches that circled the back of the glass lifts and sighed, I needed a plan but before I could form one I needed to know just exactly what was going on. I rested my head in my hands and tried to think through the mass of noise that everyone was making. I looked up, did I just hear that? The creaking happened again it sounded like it was underneath. I looked at the floor and saw a tiny crack appear, quickly working its way across the wide open space running under people’s feet across to the other side of the hall. I stood up and looked around, was I the only one that had noticed? I tried to tell people, to get them to move but no one paid attention to me they just looked at me like I was a raving lunatic. Something underneath the floor groaned loudly and that was when everyone stopped moving, looks of fear frozen on their faces.

“MOVE!!” I yelled trying to push the younger children out of the way. Suddenly I was knocked off my feet and sent flying through the air. I slid across the floor on my stomach and rolled over onto my back when I stopped. I was looking at what could only be described as a monster that had burst through the floor. It was an enormous mass of constantly leaking puss; tentacles erupted from almost everywhere impaling the people who were either too scared or too stupid to move. A huge arm burst through its skin and grabbed a screaming woman. I backed off as it waved the woman around like a club until she stopped screaming. Shaken to death, what a way to go. The tentacles reached out and grabbed other people by the waist, ankles, and arms or simply impaled them. I couldn’t take my eyes of its body what had originally looked like leaking lumps of puss were actually skulls and faces, frozen in death. They were wearing looks of pure terror or excruciating pain and were leaking the puss-like fluid from the eyes nostrils and mouths. It lifted someone it had grabbed towards its mouth that was at the top of its body and simply chewed their head off. The crunching sound of their skull pierced right through me as blood from the person’s neck sprayed across the floor.

I scrambled to my feet, swearing madly and started to run back towards the barricade down the smaller corridor where, hopefully, that monster couldn’t follow. I saw the little girl I’d tried to help out earlier out of the corner of my eyes; she was covered in blood and crying hysterically over the body of her mother who had been pierced by a tentacle. I turned and ran over to her. I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug; she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and sobbed into my chest. “Come on,” I half whispered and half shouted over the noise, “we’ve got to go. I’ll keep you safe. We have to go, it’s all going to be ok.” I lifted her up and she held on tightly as I carried her away. I looked towards the barricade; the soldiers were struggling to keep control. They were trying to calm people but also get rid of the catastrophe that had burst through the solid floor. Suddenly bullets started flying and I instinctively ducked down. The girl clung on tighter so I stood up again and moved towards the nearest counter. I lifted her over the counter and jumped over after her. I pulled her in under the counter and cuddled in close to her.

“It’s going to be ok, what’s your name?” I asked.

“A-Amy…” she stammered.

“I’m Jamie.”

“Uncle Jamie?” she asked looking up at me tears running down her face.

I smiled back at her, “Yeah, ok, I’m Uncle Jamie, now let’s get you cleaned up, right?”

She nodded back at me and I looked around, I spotted a pack of ‘skin friendly wet wipes’ and grabbed them. I gently wiped the blood off of Amy’s face. She didn’t say anything or move; she just stayed perfectly still and let me clean her face. I blamed it on the trauma of witnessing her mother’s death and being covered in her blood. I threw the wipes away and almost immediately she cuddled back up to me, “Will you look after me, Uncle Jamie?” she asked.

I put my arms around her, “Of course I will sweetie as soon as this is all gone we can go to the seaside and get some ice cream. Would that be nice?”

I felt her nod against my chest. I sighed and relaxed a little. I covered up her ears with my hands to try and block out the sounds of bullets and people screaming. How the hell was I going to get us out of here? I couldn’t let Amy get hurt and I felt like she was my responsibility now. I wasn’t going to let anything hurt her.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a soldier crashing into the cupboards opposite the counter. His legs were missing and his insides trailed across the floor, blood pumping out the bottom of his stomach. I threw up, I couldn’t help it, the sight was disgusting. Amy had covered her eyes when she heard the crash; I groaned and told her not to look. I moved us away gently pushing us across the floor, I had to move, to get Amy away and I felt like I was going to throw up again.

I turned Amy away from the body and looked back at him. His eyes were moving wildly in their sockets, he noticed me looking and then moved his eyes towards his hand, my eyes followed. He was holding a grenade and the pin was out. I gasped and his eyes rolled to the back of his head and what was left of his body relaxed, he was dead. The grenade slipped from his hand and rolled towards me. I gulped, “Oh no, no, no, no, no!” I panicked reaching out; I grabbed the grenade and threw it over the counter. I scrambled back over to Amy and shielded her, pulling her in close. I heard the deafening explosion and was sent flying into the dead soldier as the counter was blown to pieces. I felt the back of my head crack and everything seemed to slow, all I could hear was my own heartbeat and shallow breathing, and Amy’s quiet sobbing. My right eye was clouded with a deep red mist. I tried to move to check on Amy and found that my limbs just wouldn’t respond. My vision grew darker and I felt my eyes close.

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I felt cold. Every inch of me. My skin was prickling. I opened my eyes and saw rain pouring in through the gaping hole in the building. I let out a groan and pushed a sheet of wood panelling off me. I slowly managed to get to my feet, my head was spinning rapidly. I leant against what was left of the wall and breathed deeply, my head soon settled. I looked around and noticed the dead soldier. I groaned again and staggered over to his body. I closed his eyes with my fingers and stripped him of his weapons; if that monster was still here I wanted to make it pay! It was going to suffer before it ripped me to pieces!

I took his harness for his pistol and fastened it to my belt. I grabbed his assault rifle and loaded it, using the strap to hang the gun across my shoulder. I gripped the gun and turned on its flashlight. I scanned through the growing darkness…something was missing….my head started to hurt again but why? “AMY!!!!!!” I roared. I ran into the darkness and headed up the stairs into Leonardo’s. I’d never seen it this empty. My flashlight hovered over a table, my hands started to shake. I walked towards the table and picked up the envelope with my name on it. I opened the envelope and read the card ‘Meet me in Vue @ midnight xxx Your Tinkerbell xxx’

I checked my watch, it was half past eleven, and I set off at a run, hoping she’d be there…

I sprinted through the corridors and up the escalators, low growling noises echoed through the seemingly empty building. The escalator creaked and groaned beneath my feet. It moved slightly and I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. I scanned around, shining the flashlight over everything from the dark balconies to the massive hole in the giant glass roof. Already the rain had started to rot things like shop window frames and rust could be seen all up the escalators. How had everything gone to the pits so quickly? How long had I been unconscious? I took a deep breath as these questions rang through my head and placed my foot on the next metal step; my boot echoed loudly. I breathed deeply again and took another step, once again my boot met the rusted metal with an overly loud clang. I raised my foot once more and was knocked aside by a massive force. I fell against the banister and shined my torch at the huge windows that had just shattered. I pulled myself up using the banister as support and flicked the torchlight around the darkness. I tried to look under the escalator and shone my torch under the stairs next to me. What the hell had just crashed through that window? I looked back up and scanned the upper floor where the Vue cinema was and saw someone through the windows. I brought my torchlight back to them and saw a ghostly image of myself. He stood staring back at me; his wet clothes seemed to stick to him and then he flickered slightly and moved forward a step. His right arm was showing where the sleeve had been ripped of his t-shirt and was covered in blood. He flickered again as he moved forward once more. I readied my rifle but my hands shook as I aimed through the rugged Acog scope, what the hell was going on!? I realised I’d been asking that question more and more lately. He flickered again and a large knife appeared in his hand, he moved the knife across his throat. He flickered wildly and a red liquid gushed from his throat before he collapsed and faded away.

I blinked several times, had I really just seen that? Did I just kill myself in front of myself? I shook the image out of my head. “I must be going crazy…” I mumbled. I turned back to my left to carry on up the escalator. He was stood on the step above, his knife raised and ready to strike. I screamed and instinctively stepped backwards, missing the step below. I tumbled down the rusted steel steps until I hit the floor. Hard. I felt something break as I slid across the floor on my stomach. I groaned in agony and tried to move. My head was spinning again and my vision was already fading. I tried to crawl but I couldn’t move! I couldn’t die here…I just couldn’t…I…was fighting so hard…to keep moving…I heard footsteps…he was coming for me! I just couldn’t move. I was going to die! Someone grabbed my head and a bright light shone in my face. I closed my eyes but I felt their fingers pull my right eye open again.

“It’s ok, he’s human at least,” I heard a male say.

“Get him up!” a female ordered.

I felt a pair of hands lift me up and put me over their shoulder. We began to move and I felt myself blacking out. I closed my eyes.

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I sat looking at the man we’d found in the corridors. He was lying on the small medical bed and he kept twitching and fidgeting in his sleep. Occasionally I would have to hold him down to stop him from hurting himself because he would get so violent. I dreaded to think what he must be dreaming. His hair and clothes were covered in muck and stained with blood in places.

The door opened behind me, I turned and the captain placed her hand on my shoulder. “How is he?” she asked.
“He’s settling down,” I replied, checking my watch. “I think he’s having nightmares and with the shit out there, who can blame him?”

“You should rest, Lieutenant.” She advised.

“I’m fine, Lara, honest,” I smiled.

“Reaper, you can’t lie to me, you know that.” She always called me by my codename. I didn’t know whether it was military procedure or whether she just liked the codename. “You need to rest up because I need you at 300%! You’re the best but you’re useless if you can’t concentrate so go rest.” She stared deep into my eyes, and I got lost in her amazing hazel eyes. I’d tell her how I felt but I couldn’t…damn military procedure.

She ruffled my hair, never one to stick completely to the rules. “Go see Andy, he’ll cover for you.”

I nodded and stood up. I saluted Lara and walked through the adjoining fire escape corridor onto the scaffolding outside. Andy was pacing up and down, his gasmask hid his face but I could tell he was stressed; it was the way his shoulders stiffened as he walked. He stopped and saluted me, “Lieutenant.” He addressed me
.
I saluted him back, “Sergeant,” I lowered my hand but Andy still stood straight, “at ease.” I added.

He relaxed and adjusted his rifle so that it sat across his chest freeing his hands. He held out a fist and I knocked mine against his. “So what’s up?” he asked.

“Captain’s orders,” I mumbled in reply.

“My sis getting’ on your case again bro?” he asked. Oddly enough Lara was actually his sister but I wasn’t his brother, we’d just been through a lot together as war partners. We had a history, a horrible and bloody history. “If you want I could go piss ‘er off for ya. You know I’m pretty good at that.”

“Nah, you’re supposed to cover for me while I sleep it out coz I’m the best apparently.”

“Ahh she just has the hots for you man. Seriously I once walked past while she was in the shower an’ I was sure she was calling your name! I’m tellin’ ya that shit still scars me man!”

I laughed, “Yeah well maybe she also forgets that we’re a team and it’s not me that’s the best it’s us.”

Andy smiled, “Hey whatever man, it’s your ass on the line not mine.”

I shrugged, “You and me both know that you’ll get blamed anyway.”

Andy shrugged back, “What’s new?” he asked.

A loud clang made me whirl around. I cocked my shotgun, behind me I heard Andy load his M4. “What the fuck was that?” he whispered then shouted, “LARA!!!”

I stamped on his toes, “Quiet dammit!” I hissed, pulling on my night vision goggles. Andy did the same and we moved around each other scanning the darkness. I heard the clang again and looked towards the sound. It was a rusted piece of the roof banging against the wall. I sighed and pointed at the sheet of metal. Andy laughed, “You really had me goin’ there you chickenshit!”

I punched him gently in the arm, “Go tell Lara I’m gonna take a rest.” He walked back into the building and I tried to relax myself. Something was off but was I just being paranoid? I leant against the scaffolding, letting the wind blow across my face. I heard the scaffolding creak behind me. I sighed, “Okay, Lara, I was just getting some air…” I turned but it wasn’t Lara.

It was me. I stood staring at myself; he was naked and soaked from the rain. He looked tired and almost…dead. His eyes weren’t green like mine; they were dark and almost invisible in their sockets. His hair was matted with blood and who knows what else. His chest was scarred and his wounds still seemed to be open and fresh blood seeped from them dripping onto the floor.

I raised my shotgun but he grabbed it and pushed it down before I could get a shot off. I tried raising the gun again but he still held it down, man he was strong! I looked up into his eyes, “Shit.” I mumbled. He stabbed something into my shoulder and started to inject something into me. The pain was unreal; my heart was pounding in my ears so loud that I couldn’t even hear myself scream. I squeezed the trigger of my shotgun and blasted a hole into the wooden scaffolding below. I collapsed in a heap, my body wouldn’t respond at all. I couldn’t move but I could feel my vision going, someone came towards me and I blacked out.

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I turned as Andy ran up to me, “Yo, sis. Reaps says he’s gotta catch a break.” He half panted. I knew full well he wasn’t tired; he wouldn’t be part of this team if he was. It was bad enough I had to put up with my own brother being part of the squad anyway.

“What?” I asked. I’d heard him; I just liked him to know who was boss of this team.

“Reaps is taking a break, sis. Chill.”

I scowled, Andy was never serious. How he’d even managed to get through the exams I’d never know. Then I remembered, the examiner was an attractive blonde and Andy didn’t take the exams he just slept with the examiner. Come to think of it, I think he still sleeps with the examiner. “I don’t chill!” I growled through gritted teeth.

Andy smiled smugly, what was he thinking and did I really want to know? “I know you don’t chill sis and that’s why you haven’t nailed my good friend Reaps yet and we both know that that’s what you think about in the shower.”

I felt my cheeks go red, “How do…” I began but then I heard Reaper scream. I pushed past Andy and ran outside. I saw him lying on the scaffolding in a heap with the rain pouring down on him. His green eyes were wide and panicked as he stared wildly at me before they closed and his body relaxed. “NO!” I shrieked skidding down next to him. I tapped his cheek several times, “Deacan! Deacan!” I checked his pulse and sighed, he was still alive.

“Pick him up!” I ordered to Andy. For once he didn’t question the order he just got on with it and I realised why. He’d seen things like this happen before. He’d been into many battles with Reaper and countless amounts of times they’d nearly died. I slammed close the door behind us, bolted it and then turned to Andy. He laid Reaper down on the floor and then started to pull a large cabinet in front of the door I’d just bolted. This was all second nature to him now, retreat and secure then deal with first aid.

I checked his pulse again but it was slowing, I reached into my pack and pulled out a small hypo; a little mercenary pick me up. I carefully injected his neck and passed the empty syringe gun to Andy. Reaper’s eyes opened and he breathed in sharply as if coming up for air after being held underwater too long. He yelled out in pain and then relaxed, breathing heavily. “Took your…time…didn’t you?” he panted.

I stared blankly at him, he’d just nearly died and he was making jokes! Was he insane?

Andy lightly punched him in the chest, “Had me worried there, Bro’” he grinned.

“Easy Andy, worried? Nah!” Reaper replied.

I pushed Andy out of the way, “What the hell happened out there, Reaper?” I demanded.

He shrugged, pulling of his battle vest and undoing his shirt. He threw his shirt towards me, in a different scenario I would’ve loved it but I was too worried now to care. I checked his shirt over, “There’s blood on the shoulder?” I announced, more puzzled than anything.

“Yeah, some psycho stabbed me in the shoulder with some kind of syringe and injected me with something. It made me crumple up. Felt like I was dying…”