Free Wasteland Rules: Kill or Be Killed (The World After Book 1) by J.G. Martin

force. Everything on it flew in different directions. Derek turned and
swung his machete down with as much force as he could muster. The cannibal
butcher tried to lift his blade to block but it was stuck deep in the block.
Derek’s chop severed both of its hands at the wrist. Damn the blade was sharp,
he was keeping this.
      The monster screamed in pain and anger as it
looked at the bleeding stumps where its hands had been. Derek wasted no time in
rushing to Rora and grabbing his shotgun. He fired one blast, not at the giant
but at the jars behind him. Formaldehyde splattered all over the beast and
pooled on the floor.  He kicked the flare over into the pool igniting the
highly flammable liquid. The flame exploded in a rush and engulfed the cannibal
butcher. He roared in agony and terror and lunged towards Derek and Rora. This
thing just wouldn’t die.
      “Now shoot!” Derek yelled at Rora.
      She held his pistol in both hands and started
pulling the trigger. She emptied the remaining clip into it and kept pulling
the trigger. The giant butcher stumbled and fell as the shots tore into it. It
laid face down still burning. The fire around the butcher block had spread and
engulfed the wall. Smoke was beginning to fill up the room. There was another
doorway opposite of the steps that Derek hadn’t noticed and he heard yelling
and howling coming from behind it. The rest of the Night Children were coming.
      “We HAVE to teach you how to shoot!” He snapped as
he rushed to her side.
      He snatched the pistol from Rora and holstered it.
With the machete in one hand and pulling Rora with the other, he ascended the
steps. They ended at a typical set of double cellar doors. These were anything
but typical and were made of steel and were padlocked shut. Just his luck.
Derek tried smashing it open with the machete but it didn’t budge. He heard the
cannibals enter the slaughterhouse. The frequency and volume of the yelling and
howling increased when they saw the fire and the carnage.
      The smoke was increasing and the cannibals were
right behind them. They needed to get out in the worst way. He could try to
shoot out the lock, but the chance of a ricochet in such close quarters was
high. He heard the pounding of footsteps as the Night Children realized they
were at the doors. He had no choice. Derek pulled his Glock and reloaded
quickly. He pushed Rora against the wall and turned away. Arm outstretched with
the gun as far away from him as possible he fire two rounds at the lock.
      The lock shattered and the ricochets just missed
both of them. He tore the padlock off and frantically pushed one of the doors
open. He shoved Rora through the opening and fired blindly back down the
stairs. Howls of pain let him know he had hit a few of them. Sometimes you have
to ignore Rule #5. Rule #1 always takes precedence.
      He followed the girl through the door and slammed
the door shut. He looked for something to hold it shut. Derek grabbed a shovel
leaning against the house and stuck it through the door handles. Moments after
he did that the cannibals tried to push the doors open. The shovel rattled as
they tried to force their way through. Derek could hear the shovels wooden
handle begin the crack as the angry Night Children pushed against the door.
That wouldn’t hold long. He needed something sturdier. Desperate he jammed the
burner’s MAC-10 between the handles. Derek took the clip out; you never know
when more ammo might come in handy. That seemed to hold, and with the amount of
smoke escaping the gap in the doors the cannibals would probably be overcome
soon.
      He looked around. The storm had passed leaving a
coating of dust on everything. There was no sign of the other burners. Derek
assumed that had either been lost in the storm or given up.
      They stood in the back of the hotel which faced
wide open country on this side. There were several outbuildings in the back and
all the windows had similar grating on them. One