The Stand
CHAPTER 7: THE STAND
"Wake up!"
Mickey awoke to the sound of gunshots. He was still lying on the ground in the middle of the woods, but had been dragged some distance away from his original position. As he sat up and looked around, he could see members of the Farband at war with the Slime. The forest had been lit ablaze to both illuminate the area and to keep the Slime at bay.
"Aye," said Caelan, who stood by his side, "He's awake!"
"About time," said Danny, who came rushing over, "Come on, we gotta get outta here before we're overrun!"
"Caelan?" said Mickey, "Danny? What's goin' on?"
"No time to explain, lad," said Caelan, "We best get a move on, yeah?"
Caelan helped Mickey up. Just then, Chaim appeared and passed Mickey a rifle.
"We're gonna have to fight our way back to the truck," he said, "Hope you're in fightin' shape, kid."
"Guess I got no choice, eh?" Mickey said.
The Farband and the Irish took on the Slime horde that blocked their path.
"We heard you screamin' in the woods," Chaim explained, while shooting at some Leapers, "We risked our friggin' necks to come here and bring ya to safety."
"I don't understand," Mickey said, blasting away an Infested, "I thought you guys would've skipped town by now. Why are we still here?"
"Fuckin' military barricaded us all in," said Danny, "We've been tryin' to find another way out."
"WHAT?"
"Yeah," added Caelan, "And don't ye dare skip the wall on foot, lest one of 'em snipers on standby nail ye through the ol' cranium."
"Watched it happen to a couple of civvies," said Danny.
"Jesus," said Mickey, "And they call us the bad guys. So what do we do now?"
"We're still workin' on a plan," said Chaim, "First, we gotta survive."
"Not exactly what I wanted to hear," quipped Mickey.
"Well, the moment you have an idea, I'm all ears, kid."
Mickey thought for a moment.
"The tunnels," he said, finally.
"Eh?" said Chaim, "Come again?"
"The tunnels," Mickey repeated, "Back during prohibition, my dad and his friends used to sneak booze in through this tunnel beneath an old church, then store it in the nearby barns. He stopped using it years ago after prohibition ended but it should still be around."
"I remember that," said Caelan, "Your father's actions saved me da's pub."
"And where is this church?" asked Chaim, taking aim at an Infested.
"It's my namesake," Mickey replied, "St. Michael's…It's not that far from here."
"Good," said Chaim, "The truck is just up ahead."
Eventually, the group succeeded in the road at the edge of the woods where a mid-sized reefer truck was parked. The container was packed full of civilians while two Farband soldiers sat in the driver's cabin. Mickey laid suppressing fire on the Slime while the group climbed aboard.
"Hurry, Mick!" cried Danny.
"Comin'," said Mickey.
Once safely inside, the group closed the container door and the truck departed from the scene.
"Where's Lev?" Chaim asked.
Mickey shook his head, "Didn't make it."
"And your ol' man?" Caelan asked.
"Fuckin' dead," Mickey spoke with tears in his eyes, "I wasted my time lookin' for him when I should've been helpin' you guys."
"Don't say that," said Caelan, "I'm certain ye tried your best."
"This war has taken too much from all of us," Chaim said, "We're so close to puttin' it all behind us."
"We lost a lot of people," Danny said, "But just look around ya; all these people are alive because we didn't give up on 'em."
"Yeah," said Mickey, "True."
---
After some time navigating the long and winding road, the driver was able to locate the church that Mickey had described. Stationed at an intersection, the building was adjoined by a small cemetery and surrounded by a few barns and farmhouses. By this time, the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon.
"Come on," said Mickey, escorting a child off of the truck, "We gotta get in there and find where that entrance is. This is our last hope of escape."
The interior of the church was in disarray with many of the wooden pews moved about and slime stains coating the walls. The crucifix behind the altar had fallen to the ground and some of the windows were shattered. Despite that, there was no sign of life inside.
After escorting all of the civilians inside, one-by-one, the group searched the room behind the altar for a passage leading downstairs.
"Doesn't make sense," said Mickey, "There should be a door here somewhere."
"Maybe your dad sealed it up?" Danny suggested.
Mickey began feeling the wooden walls and sure enough, found a section that was hollow.
"Here," he said, "It's behind this wall! Does someone have a hammer or somethin'?"
"Nay," said Caelan, "But I found somethin' just as good."
He led the group to the altar where they worked together to live the fallen crucifix. After carrying it to the back room, they used it as a battering ram to break open the wall, revealing a staircase leading down.
"Meyn vort," said Chaim, "You weren't kiddin' son."
"Come on," ordered Mick, "One-by-one, let's go!"
The basement was dingy and cold, with water dripping from the ceiling and from the brick walls. In addition to the tunnel that Mickey had spoken of, there were a set of steel doors sealed with a padlock.
"What's behind those doors?" Chaim asked.
"Lemme check," Mickey said.
He used the butt of his rifle to smash the lock off, then opened the doors. Inside, were several firearms and spare ammunition.
Danny let out a whistle, "Nice. Looks like your dad left behind a nice care package, Mick."
"Yeah," said Mickey, grabbing a shotgun, "He was always had a plan."
Just then, the group heard a voice coming from outside.
"Mickeeey," it sang, "Oh, Mickeeey boooy…"
"What was that?" Caelan asked.
Mickey ran back upstairs and cautiously approached one of the windows. On the road in ront of the church, he spotted Jack Donnelly, standing among several Leapers. Slime was running down his face from both his eyes and mouth, which was stretched inhumanly wide.
"I know you're in there, Mickey-boy," he taunted, "Why don't ye come on out so we can have a chat, aye?"
"Not here," pleaded Mickey, "Not now!"
"I see you're harbourin' civvies," Jack continued, "Ye know I can't let 'em leave, not without convertin' em first."
"Been a while, Jack," said Mickey, "Look, I know you want my head, and you can have it. Just…"
"Oh, I'll have your head – Along with the heads of everyone else you got holed up in there – The only question is how quick and painless ye want it."
As Mickey spoke to Jack, Caelan, Danny and Chaim made their way upstairs and watched events unfold. Mickey signaled to Caelan.
"He's gonna follow the civvies into the tunnel," he whispered to her, "Unless we stay up here and defend the church."
"Aye," Caelan acknowledged.
"I can try and lead Jack away from here," Mickey continued, "He's dangerous, but he has it out for me. I can come back once he's dealt with."
"That's too risky, Mick," said Danny, "Where are you gonna go?"
"I have a plan," Mickey replied, "But I'm gonna need you to cover me while I reach the truck. Caelan, search the altar. Danny, please tell me you have your lighter on you."
Danny nodded and handed Mickey his lighter. Caelan meanwhile searched the altar and found a half-finished bottle of sacramental wine.
"Well?" Jack called out, "I'm waitin'!"
Moments later, Mickey kicked open the doors and opened fire on the Slime with a submachine gun. Caelan, Danny, and the Farband took cover behind the windows and fired from there. Amidst the chaos, Jack retreated across the street
"Now's your chance," Caelan said, "Get to the truck!"
As the group kept pressure on the Slime, Mickey made a run for the truck, which was parked next to the cemetery. As Mickey navigated the tombstones, he was attacked by several creatures, including an infested priest.
"Forgive me, Father," Mickey said, bashing his head in with the butt of his rifle.
Once Mickey reached the truck, he leapt into the driver's seat and started it up. Instead of driving back onto the road, Mickey cut along the field.
"Oh no, ye don't," growled Jack.
Despite being riddled with gunshots, Jack was not deterred in the slightest. Tentacles sprouted from his spine as he pursued the truck on foot with inhuman speed.
"That's it," Mickey said, "Stay with me, Jack."
To Mickey's surprise, Jack leapt high into the air and landed atop the truck's container.
"Shit," he uttered.
"I'M GONNA RIP YE TO SHREDS, BOY!" Jack screamed out in a monstrous voice.
From inside the cabin, Mickey could hear Jack pounding on the roof, attempting to force his way inside. He succeeded in denting it slightly.
"Not today, ya cocksucker!" Mickey yelled.
Mickey swerved left and right causing Jack to stumble over.
"Ye can't shake me that easily, Mick!" Jack laughed, using tentacles to hang on.
Mickey looked ahead and saw he was on a collision course with one of the neighbouring farmhouses. Instead of slowing down, he sped up towards it.
"This is for Sam," Mickey spoke through his teeth, "You son of a bitch!"
Mickey had previously assembled himself a Molotov Cocktail using the wine bottle from the Church. In that moment, he ignited it using Danny's lighter, then dropped it onto the dashboard.
"SURPRIIIISE!"
Jack suddenly appeared at the window while continuing to grip the cabin roof with his tentacles. He smiled at Mickey, who simply smirked back at him. Jack watched in confusion as Mickey bailed out of the driver's side door.
"What the…?" said Jack.
The truck collided with the farmhouse's east wall, crushing Jack. At the same time, the wine bottle on the dashboard shattered, setting both the truck and farmhouse ablaze.
"Burn in Hell," Mickey laughed, "Ya bastard."
Mickey lay in the field, laughing for nearly a minute. As soon as the euphoria died down, he felt an immense pain in his left foot and realized he had sprained his ankle during the fall.
"Christ almighty," Mick groaned, while attempting to stand back up, "ACK!"
Worse still, Jack had somehow survived the crash. Mickey watched in terror as a silhouette emerged from the burning wreck.
"Oh God, no," Mickey pleaded.
The entire right side of Jack's coat had melted from the heat and was fused to his skin. He also had severe burns all over his neck and face, including a missing right eyelid. In spite of his injuries, Jack persisted, though at a slower pace than before.
"Ye've gone and done it now, lad," he warned, advancing on Mickey.
Mickey hopped on one foot in the direction of where his Tommy gun had landed after falling out of the truck, but it was too far to reach in time. Instead, Mickey drew a pistol from his pocket and fired two shots in the direction of Jack, but missed.
Just as he was about to fire a third shot, he accidentally put weight on his left ankle, causing him great pain. This distraction allowed Jack to catch up Mickey and lift him by the shirt collar.
"You're a survivor, Mickey-boy," he taunted, bringing Mickey's face close to his, "I'll give ye that. But now, fun time's over, ye hear?"
Thinking quickly, Mickey grabbed the burnt flesh on Jack's face and began peeling it, causing Jack to cry out in agony. Jack tossed Mickey aside with great force, sending him crashing into a nearby bale of hay. A discarded pitchfork lay nearby.
"YE BLOODY GOMBEEN!" Jack screamed, while clutching his mutilated face, "THAT DOES IT!"
As Jack rushed Mickey down, Mickey reached for the pitchfork and held it up in front of him, piercing Jack right through the throat. Jack stared at Mickey in shock.
"Say 'hi' to your cousin in Hell for me," said Mickey.
Mickey forced the pitchfork in deeper, causing Jack to vomit a mixture of blood and slime. His eyes then rolled to the back of his head and he fell limp. After pushing the corpse off of him, Mickey crawled away from the scene. The trek back to the Church would have been a long one if not for Danny and Caelan meeting up with him halfway.
"Guys?" he said, "What are you doin' here?"
"We've escorted all of the civilians to safety," Danny explained, "And killed most of the Slime. We're the only ones left."
"Come boy," said Caelan, "Take me hand."
Caelan and Danny helped Mickey to his feet, then escorted back to the Church where the Farband lay covering fire against the remaining Slime. The group lit the church on fire to prevent the Slime from entering, then made their way downstairs, and out through the tunnel to freedom.