The Lost Journal Part 2 (A Secret Apocalypse Story) Read Free Page A

destroyed my
hearing.
    The light,
the shockwave, the noise.
    Everything
happened at once.
    The red hot
shrapnel smashed into the jetty and the boat. A huge chunk of wood crashed down
on top of me.
    My world
turned dark.
    The sound of
my own beating heart was the only thing I could hear, the only thing that told
me I was still alive.
    Chaos

    I couldn’t see and I couldn’t hear. I was in bad shape. I needed those two
senses if I wanted any hope of staying alive. My heart was still beating like a
goddamn jackhammer. Thumping, like the rotor blades of a helicopter. There was
a loud ringing in my ears. Almost as loud as my beating heart. I threw the
piece of wood off me. Scrambled to my feet. I was so disorientated. I had
completely lost my bearings. I had no idea which way I was facing.
    Suddenly
another explosion erupted in the harbor. A much bigger explosion. I turned
around in time to see a section of the footbridge being blown up. Concrete,
bitumen and wood flew in all directions, crashing into the water. I was
instantly confused.
    Had they set
charges to blow the footbridge? Why would they do that?
    Another
explosion erupted way overhead. The side of a building was partially destroyed.
Concrete and glass rained down into the marina and the harbor. Then I saw what
had caused the explosions. It was the tank. It was over near the casino building.
    Slowly I
regained my senses. The bridge had taken a direct hit from the tank. The tank
was completely covered in the infected. Like ants attacking a larger insect.
The driver of the tank was freaking out. You could tell by the way he was
driving. Forwards. Reverse. Then forwards again. The main gun swiveled around
back and forth. They were trying to shake the infected off but it wasn’t
working.
    The men in
black were losing their ground support.
    I could hear
the two closest soldiers behind the concrete slab, shouting at each other in
confusion. They knew if they lost the tank they were in big trouble.
    "What the
hell is going on?" one of them shouted. "Where are the goddamn choppers?"
    They’re busy
elsewhere, I thought. I knew how they felt. I could see the soldiers hesitate.
All of a sudden they weren’t firing at me. They weren’t targeting me. They
weren’t even looking at me.
    The horde.
    It was just
a few at first.
    The tank
fired another wayward shot. The shell rocked into the casino building. More
concrete and more glass showered the street and the harbor. The tank was slowly
moving away. The driver probably had no idea where he was going. It wouldn’t be
long until it crashed into the side of the casino building. Maybe even the
harbor. The driver should stop. Wait for reinforcements to pick off the
infected. He should stay calm.
    Easier said
than done.
    A crowd of
infected rushed into the street closest to the harbor.
    The men in
black opened fire.
    I was no
longer a priority.
    In the
confusion, I made my move. I headed for a bigger boat. One of the harbor cruise
boats. It had suffered a lot of damage in the missile strike from yesterday and
had taken on water. It was listing to one side. I made my way to one of the
upper floors, climbing the narrow stairwell. I climbed three floors and
crouched under a window so I could keep an eye on everything. I checked my
ammo. I had two magazines left.
    Sixty
bullets.
    I peeked out
the window. The men in black were getting overrun. I took aim, fired at the
infected. And for a few minutes the Special Forces team and I were fighting on
the same side. Fighting a common enemy.
    I could hear
the soldiers screaming though. Confusion and panic spreading through the team
like wildfire.
    I could hear
them on the radio as well. Calling for an extraction. Calling for aerial
support.
    "Where is
the target?" one of the soldiers asked.
    "Target is
secure," someone answered.
    They were
talking about Maria. They came for her. She was their target.
    "Get to the
extraction point. Now!"
    The Special
Forces soldiers moved back across the bridge.