Free Hurt World One and the Zombie Rats by Stuart Parker Page B

immensely
razor sharp teeth and toxic saliva that had earned the creatures
their name, that struck such fear in the heart of Asylum City. The
Meltman Express had two rear carriages set aside for them. Those
carriages were kept clean and well-stocked with fresh meats and
fruits - a standard of comfort the creditors crammed into their
filthy carriages with only stale refuse to eat could only dream of.
Kaptu pulled a long-blade from his military pants, seeing in this
particular snake monkey’s hateful glare every intention to attack,
its territorial instincts a burning fury.
    Kaptu lunged across the roof to get in first.
His thrust was quick, though the snake monkey almost beat it with
its own lightning fast movement. Kaptu kicked the dead body off his
blade with the rancid smelling jaws just a few inches away from his
neck; he did it quickly, wanting to free up his blade for the next
one. But most importantly, he had to get to the black bear before
the snake monkeys had time to gather in numbers. That carriage was
also at the front, right behind the snake monkeys’.
    Six carriages to cross. Kaptu moved in a
crouch. Another snake monkey charge resulted in another head being
decapitated. Kaptu, however, was not being fooled by these easy
victories: the snake monkeys’ more assured movement on the carriage
rooftops and their fearless approaches could easily have him
caught. In fact, it was inevitable if he did not hurry. War cries
were starting up in the snake monkey carriages at a volume to drown
out the poor wretched Ukrainian’s voice, underscoring how limited
was the time available to get the black bear.
    The train rose high into a long loping bend
into the Norwegian Sector. The smells immediately became more
pungent and it was not simply to do with being downward of the
debtor carriages. The heyday of the Norwegian Sector had long since
passed as Norway recovered from the nuclear catastrophe of 2085 had
and asylum seekers were granted special permission to return home.
The once thriving community that was left behind consisted largely
of thieves, drug dealers, junkies and the mentally ill. The
Governor of Norway Town was herself all of these at once. Few
people wanted to live under her control and so the streets and
houses were largely abandoned: it made for the ideal spot on the
Meltman Express’s endless journey to eject a bear.
    Kaptu felt he had gotten sufficiently used to
the rooftop conditions to make his advance upright and at full
speed. He leaned hard into the wind as he sprinted, leaping over
the gaps between carriages with a reckless intent.
    More snake monkeys came at him. He slashed
through them until their numbers became too dense, prompting him to
stab his sword onto the roof beneath him as an anchor and going to
the laser-acid gun holstered to his chest. Practising one-handed
fire with the large weapon at the shooting range had always felt
like showing off but he appreciated the familiarity of the action
now. He spun one hundred and eighty degrees, mowing down a swath of
the deadly snake monkeys and sending the rest scurrying over the
edges. There was no doubt, however, that the snake monkeys would
regather and attack again.
    Kaptu ran, leaping from carriage to carriage,
making quick progress along the train. But in a flash, a snake
monkey leapt up at his legs, tripping him up and setting itself to
plunge its grotesque yellow teeth into his side. Kaptu had braced
his fall with one hand, keeping his sword free for a defensive
swipe that had his entire body contorting with the effort. The
monkey caught the blade in the chest and was sliced clean in
two.
    Kaptu recovered his balance in a kneeling
position and again drove his sword hard into the roof; this time he
activated the “can opener” function built into the sword and dived
for cover. The blade actioned into a drill, sinking down to the
hilt, and the explosion charge within punched a gaping hole into
the roof. Kaptu was caught closer than the