The Darkest Days (Death & Decay Book 0.5) Read Online Free PDF Page B

it.
    With a sense of purpose, Wyatt placed the barrel
of his gun against the boy’s head, and pulled the trigger.
    The momentary silence that followed was
shattered by a deep, guttural scream. Wyatt’s head snapped towards
the sound. The people who crowded the hallway shifted nervously,
unsure of what to do.
    The holding cells.
    Wyatt’s heart stopped. Down the long, straight
corridor, through the crowds, he could see the cell doors hadn’t
been closed. Right now they held the injured, not criminals. The
processing area that contained the holding cells was separated from
the rest of the department by a thick, sturdy door. That door stood
propped open.
    The hallway suddenly descended into chaos as
fear enveloped the survivors. Wyatt roughly shoved his way through
as more of the gruesome cries echoed from wall to wall. A shot
thundered from the confines of the small room. It was quickly
followed by a second and a third.
    Wyatt burst through the doorway to find Andrew
struggling against one of the motorized cell doors. The doors would
slide closed after an officer swiped his badge and punched in the
proper pin number. To avoid bodily harm, though, the doors would
reopen if something were stuck in them as they closed, much like a
garage door. Though the doors could be manually closed, Trevor
struggled against Andrew to keep it open.
    At this moment, though, this safety measure kept
Andrew from closing the door. Trevor had thrown himself against the
door and wedged his arm in the opening. No longer himself, he let
loose another terrible, throaty shriek. Blood coated the small
glass window to the cell as Trevor pressed his face against it.
Wyatt rushed to help.
    “Go help Stephen!” Andrew nodded to the only
other holding cell in their small station.
     
    Wyatt looked wearily between Andrew and the
rabid beast that clawed viciously at him through the door. “Go!”
Andrew shouted above the clamor. “He needs you more than I do.”
    The other cell door stood open. Grunts and
growls emanated from its interior. Wyatt drew his weapon as he
entered. A struggle was taking place on the floor.
    Stephen was pinned down. He used his asp to hold
a man and woman back as they tried desperately to reach him. Both
of his hands were occupied in an attempt to keep the monsters away,
but this meant he couldn’t take up his weapon to end the
struggle.
    With three quick steps, Wyatt was in the holding
cell. The creatures were so fixated on Stephen they didn’t even see
him approach. He took hold of the woman by one ankle and dragged
her backwards. She howled as she was removed from her prey.
    As soon as Stephen was out of her reached, she
twisted around towards Wyatt. The writhing creature’s foot was
ripped from his grasp. The woman pulled her feet underneath her as
he grabbed his gun from its holster.
    The woman’s movements were quick, but clumsy and
disoriented. As she leapt, he pulled the trigger. The shot struck
her in the thigh and she crumpled to the ground. Almost as quickly
as the woman dropped, she began to pick herself up. Without a
second thought, Wyatt took aim at the woman’s head, which was no
more than a few feet from him, and fired.
    Instantly, he rushed back into the holding cell.
Stephen had wrestled his gun out and fired at the man pinning him
to the ground. Wyatt slapped his hands over his ears in an
ineffective effort to drown out the deafening crack of the gun.
    With his ears still ringing, Wyatt rushed to
shove the lifeless man off of Stephen.
    “Are you bit?” he asked as he pulled his friend
to his feet.
    “I don’t think so.” Stephen shook his head and
immediately bolted for the door.
    They exited the holding cell to find Andrew now
struggling with Trevor and another deranged man. The second man had
wrapped his fingers around the edge of the door and pulled against
it. Andrew fought to keep the door closed as the two fought to pull
it open.
    Before Wyatt and Stephen could rush to his aid,
the handle