Pub Crawl

CHAPTER 2: PUB CRAWL

Now late in the evening, the small, black convertible made its way through the empty streets of New Reiswald with two IRA members up front and a despondent Mickey in the backseat.

"Have ye ever seen a more pathetic town?" asked the man riding shotgun.

"Lisburn?" joked the driver.

"Aw, fuck off, yeah? Ye know that's where me mum is from!"

"Aye, and her tits were the only thing I saw there worth a damn."

"Aw, that does it…"

"JESUS CHRIST!"

Mickey was snapped somewhat out of his daze as the driver abruptly slammed on the brakes and swerved to the right. The front of the car struck a streetlamp, cracking the left headlight.

"Who in the hell is that?" asked the passenger.

"I'll tell you who it is," said the driver, drawing a revolver, "A bloody dead man!"

The driver stepped out of the vehicle to confront the pedestrian they had swerved to avoid. The other man stepped out as well, but stayed near the door. From the backseat, Mickey watched events unfold, but could not get a clear view through the window.

"OY!" screamed the driver, "Just what do ye think you're doin', ya fuckin' wab?"

The pedestrian said nothing and continued to amble across the street.

"Look at his eyes," said the passenger, "He's wearing mascara or somethin', the goddamn queer!"

"I'm talkin' to ye, shite-for-brains," the driver continued, "Ye gonna pay for the car, or what?"

The pedestrian did not respond. Mickey could hear low, inhuman growls coming from outside.

"Aye, somethin' ain't right with him," said the passenger.

Mickey watched as the passenger left his spot at the side of the car and joined the driver. Soon after, Mickey heard screaming.

"NOOO!" yelled the driver.

"Aw, Christ!" yelled the passenger.

This was followed up by several gunshots. Some struck the window of the car Mickey was sitting in, forcing him to duck in cover.

"Gotta get outta here!" Mickey thought.

Just then, the pedestrian appeared at the window opposite Mickey and began pounding furiously on it. The man had black slime leaking from his mouth and eyes.

"Aw, fuck this!" Mickey spat.

Trapped in the backseat, and with his hands still bound, Mickey fumbled around with his foot, desperately seeking the handle that would fold the passenger seat forward and allow him to climb out. Just then, a crawler climbed its way in via the open passenger-side door and began to make its way into the back.

"Oh no you don't!" quipped Mickey.

Mickey slammed his foot down on the pedal, causing the passenger seat to fold over and move forward, squishing the Crawler in the process. Mickey then slipped out of the car.

"What in God's name is happening?" he wondered, as he glanced around.

Several more infested individuals came stumbling down the street, alongside a dozen Crawlers. Mickey spotted his two IRA captors lying face-up on the ground while one Crawler vomited down each of their throats. Mickey winced in disgust, then fled into a nearby alley. Still woozy from the chloroform, and with his arms tied behind his back, the journey home looked to be all the more difficult for Mickey.

While making his way down the alley, Mickey encountered a lone police officer. The Dolan Family didn't particularly trust the cops, as the majority of them were in the pockets of the rival Bernucci Family, but Mickey could not afford to turn down help in this instance.

"Help, officer!" cried Mickey, "Somethin' fucked is goin' on! You better…"

The cop turned around, revealing that he too was infested with slime, which bled from his eyes. The officer let out a low moan and raised his gun to Mickey.

"Holy shit!"

Mickey dove behind a nearby dumpster, narrowly avoiding the officer's shots. As the cop made his way over to Mickey, Mickey used the jagged, rusted corner of the metal dumpster to slice off his binds.

"Come on," he muttered, "Hurry…"

Mickey succeeded in undoing the binds, just as the officer turned the corner. Mickey grabbed the infested man by the forearm, pulled him close, then kneed him in the chest. As the officer reeled over, Mickey slammed his elbow into his back, causing him to roar in pain. After wrestling the revolver from the cop's hands, Mickey pistol-whipped him in the face, causing him to fall over.

"What in the hell are you?" Mickey asked.

The cop lay on his back, gasping and moaning while blood and slime gushed from his broken nose. Mickey gnashed his teeth and fired a shot into his skull, killing him.

"At least they're killable," he thought.

Mickey searched the officer's pockets and found six spare bullets, then ran out of the alley and back onto the street, where he witnessed all manner of chaos unfolding; cars crashing and burning, people running for their lives, and piles of bodies, all covered in slime. Mickey stood in the middle of the street, taking all of the madness in.

"Oh God," sobbed Mickey, "This can't be happening. Gotta find dad!"

Mickey attempted to run but was grabbed by an officer.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, "It's not safe here. Come with me!"

"Like hell!" Mickey spat, "I have somewhere to be!"

"Son, don't make me…"

Before the officer could finish, he took notice of a runaway streetcar barreling toward them at high speed. Mickey pushed the officer away and backed away from the tracks, then watched as the man was flattened by the flaming vehicle.

"Yeesh," Mickey said, wiping the man's blood from his eyes.

Mickey made his way through the mess, taking care not to draw any attention to himself; the city's police officers and the Slime were too busy battling each other to take notice of him. Still, Mickey had a lot to be wary of, including stray bullets, stragglers, and more runaway vehicles.

"So, these things know how to use guns, eh?" Mickey observed, "Wonderful."

Indeed, many of the Infested appeared to be former mobsters or cops and were armed. Even those that were unarmed rushed the officers down with no regard for their own safety. Any hope of getting the situation under control seemed lost now.

---

Mickey eventually reached the pub, though he had to maintain distance as the exterior was occupied by dozens of Infested and Crawlers. The building itself was heavily fortified and well stocked with weapons, so he held out hope that anyone inside would still be alive. Not wanting to stir the hive, Mickey opted for a quieter approach.

From behind the cover of a parked car, Mickey carefully observed the street. O'Hare's sat at the corner and was connected to several apartment buildings on either side, many of which had fire escapes attached to their facades. Mickey headed for a neighbouring building where the fire ladder was close enough to the ground that he could reach it by jumping.

"Come on," Mickey said, with each leap, "If I could just…"

Eventually, Mickey managed to grab onto the ladder with both of his hands.

"Yes!" he said, "Now, here comes the hard part."

With all of his strength, Mickey tried to pull himself up. Unfortunately, this dislodged the ladder, causing it to rapidly slide down. Mickey landed hard on the pavement, with the ladder stopping mere inches from his face.

"Ow," he said.

Worse still, the noise attracted the attention of the Slime. Mickey quickly stood back up and resumed his climb up the ladder with the infested in pursuit.

"Get…The…Fuck…Offa me!"

Mickey kicked one infested individual in the face as it tried to grab his left foot. This caused it to fall to the ground and knock several others down.

Having reached the first level balcony, Mickey ascended the stairs leading to the roof. However, the Crawlers, who proved surprisingly agile, closed the distance.

"Get back you little shits!" Mickey warned.

He fired two shots from his revolver, with one missing and the other obliterating a Crawler. With the chamber spent, Mickey hurriedly reloaded while continuing his climb.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he said in a panic.

Mickey tripped while climbing one stair and fell forward. As he turned around, he saw a Crawler leap for him. Recalling the image of the Crawler vomiting down the man's throat, Mickey covered his mouth with his forearm and turned his head away while firing. The creature exploded messily, though none of the Slime reached his mouth.

"Fuckin' hell!" he said.

Mickey discarded his suit jacket, which was stained in slime, then finished his climb to the roof. From there, he leapt onto the roof of the pub and approached the building's rooftop entrance. Mickey blasted away the lock, then promptly ran inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Whew," he panted, "That was close."

Mickey made his way through to the stairs that led down to the main floor. However, as he reached the second-floor stairwell, he was met with a shotgun to the face.

"HOLY SHIT!" he yelled.

The shotgun fired, though Mickey managed to duck in time, narrowly avoiding the hail of buckshot.

"Jesus, Caelan!" he shouted, pushing the barrel aside, "It's me, for God's sake!"

"Mickey?" said Caelan, as she lowered her shotgun. "Y-You're alive? Where's Sammy and Liam?"

Mickey shook his head despondently.

"Aw, bloody hell," she sobbed, "Can this day get any worse?"

"Where's dad?" Mickey asked.

"He wasn't feelin' so hot," Caelan replied, "So he took the rest of the day off. Not long after, these bloody, greased-up pricks showed up and started makin' a mess o' the city. If your da' made it home on time, he could very well be alright, but I ain't heard from him since he left, so I can't be sure."

"Great. Listen, I gotta get to him, but first, I'll need some guns!"

"Sure. Follow me, aye?"

As Caelan ushered Mickey downstairs, Mickey spotted some individuals, including children, poking their heads out the apartment doors. Once downstairs, Caelan led Mickey to a room behind the main tavern where the Dolan Family kept their stockpile of weapons. Some had already been taken.

"You're harbourin' civilians, I see?" Mickey noted.

"Aye," Caelan replied, "Most of our guys are out there fightin' the Slime; they asked me to stay behind and watch the place. But when the neighbours started showin' up, askin' for help, I just couldn't turn any of 'em away."

"You're a good woman."

"Eh, I try."

Mickey grabbed a lever rife off of the wall along with a box of rifle shells. He also grabbed a fully-loaded Tommy gun, which he slung onto his back, two M1911 pistols with extra mags, and a combat knife.

"Should be enough," said Mickey.

"The fastest way to reach your da's house is via the cellar," Caelan explained, "There's a passage there that should lead you to the catacombs."

"Ah yes, the tunnels. How sure are we that it's safe down there?"

"Not very, but it's better than…"

The two were interrupted by the sound of banging. Mickey entered the main tavern and saw dozens of silhouettes banging against the glass. They succeeded in cracking it.

"Aw shit," he muttered, "They figured out we're inside. It was a mistake comin' here!"

"Son," said Caelan, "If anythin', I'm glad you're here. You can help me bring those civvies underground with us. Go round 'em up while I fend off them creatures!"

"You got it!"

Mickey then ran back upstairs.

"Listen up, people!" he yelled, "It ain't safe here no more! You're all comin' with me, ya hear?"

One by one, the civilians opened the doors to their apartments and made their way down the stairs. The appearance of Crawlers on the staircase alarmed everyone.

"Everyone, get down!" Mickey commanded.

The civilians ducked and covered their ears while Mickey blasted the creatures away with his submachine gun. As more creatures appeared, Mickey ushered everyone down the stairs, and into the back room where the cellar entrance lay.

"How ya holdin' up there, Caelan?" he asked, slamming the door behind him shut.

Caelan laughed maniacally as she blasted away several Infested with her shotgun.

"STAY THE FUCK OUTTA ME BAR!" she yelled, "YE LITTLE GOBSHITES!"

Once all the civilians were led through the cellar door, Mickey joined Caelan in the tavern. He drew his lever rifle and fired at several of the creatures. Despite their efforts, they risked being overwhelmed, especially since the creatures from upstairs were now banging on the door behind them.

"We're gonna need a distraction," he thought.

Mickey grabbed several bottles of liquor off of the shelf and placed rags inside of them.

"Son," said Caelan, as she fought off a rather large individual, "Just what do ye think you're doin'?"

"I'm sorry about your bar, Caelan," Mickey said, as he ignited the rags with his lighter, "But it's fucked either way. Now, stand back!"

Mickey tossed the Molotov cocktails, igniting the entire main floor of the pub and burning several of the Infested. The fire spread very quickly along the main floor, forcing the duo into the back room.

"Hurry!" said Mickey, opening the cellar door.

"Ye owe me a bar!" Caelan snapped, as she made her way down.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's focus on survivin' first, hm?"

Once Mickey and Caelan were inside, they led the civilians through a secret passage that led them deeper underground. Mickey was out of danger this time, but as long as his father was still out there, his work was far from over.