Free Total Apoc Trilogy (Book 2): Fighting the Hordes by TW Gallier Page A

cussing furiously.  The Deathdealers were pulling away, again to lick their wounds.  They couldn't do many of those attacks.  That tactic might work with most groups they encountered, but we were too well armed.
                "Abandon the burning trucks!" Jake called.  "Form up the convoy, staggered.  We're going to make a run for it!"
                Olivia jumped behind the wheel and started her up. I handed the M60 up to Ralph, who secured it on the mount while I reloaded all of the ammo cans, including the empties.  We pulled out of the laager first, moving up to the bottom of the northbound on ramp.  Jake quickly pulled up behind us.  The remaining pickups were quick to respond, but the cargo trucks not so much.  One of them wouldn't start, so they abandoned it.
                "Hurry up!" he screamed.  Then to us, "Go!"
                We moved up the ramp slowly, holding back until everyone was in the formation.
                "What did he mean by staggered?" Olivia asked.
                "I haven't the foggiest," I said.  "No one tells us anything."
                The convoy formed up faster than I thought it could.  Soon we were barreling down the highway at 45 MPH and straight at a horde of excited zombies.  Our little battle got them all riled up.  They weren't running yet, but they were walking with extreme haste.  At least they were still on the other side of the bridge.
                The Deathdealers recovered and came after us.  They remained on the service road, passengers firing at us.  They zigzagged, changing speed, anything they could to keep from being shot, but we were still getting more than a few of them thanks to the crew-served weapons on the jeep and pickups.
                "Look up on top of the bridge," Olivia shouted over the wind.
                There was a single RTV in the middle of the bridge.  A man and woman were sitting there.  The woman was driving, and he was talking into a hand mike.  Was he their leader?  Was he directing their attacks?
                "Ralph, start shooting zombies!" I called.
                We were almost to the bridge, and we'd have to slow down if he couldn't thin them out quite a bit.  He swung the M60 around and opened up on them.  I could see where he was shooting thanks to the tracers.  Zombies were dropping in scores.
                I turned my attention to the Deathdealer's leader.  The jeep didn't have the smoothest ride, and that section of I-50 could use some work, but I lit them up.  They ducked at any rate.  Then they jumped on the RTV and took off eastward, going to our right.  I was willing to let him go, but Olivia growled and veered right.
                "Oh shit!" I cried, as we left the road, bumped across the bare earth, and hit the service road.  "What the hell?"
                "Cut off the head!" she said.  "Kill the snake!"
                Glancing back at the convoy, I saw Jake lead them under the bridge.  Then we went off the black top again, and Olivia took us up the embankment to the county road.  A second later we flew into the air, only to slam back to the ground right in front of the RTV.
                "Aaaiiee!" she screamed, as did the woman driving the RTV.
                They slammed into us, spinning us around and killing the engine.  Ralph and I were left sprawled, and Ralph was hanging half out of the jeep.  The Deathdealers both lifted Uzis, fury in their faces.
                "No!" Olivia cried, lifted her pistol, and shot the woman in the face.
                Ralph regained his feet and opened up on both of them, ripping them to pieces.  It was horrific to see what a M60 did to the human body up close and personal.  Bile rose in my throat, just before we were surrounded by more RTVs and