Free Quarantined in Chaos (Nova Nocte) by Melissa Gibbo Page B

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                  The tat-tat-tat of an M16 burst popped me off my bed and into my shoes. I grabbed my belongings and ran to the lobby, nearly knocking Chase and Marley Guy over when I stopped abruptly.
                  “Sorry. Where’s the gunfire coming from?”
                  The others slid in to place in clumps; we all knelt behind the bulky furniture and crouched along the wall. Sunny craned her neck and pointed out the glass doors.
                  “Seems to be coming from the way we came. That ‘small army’ that we almost ran into on the highway would be my guess.”
                  “I thought the vamps drained those guys?”
                  Reggie’s voice floated to us from behind.
                  “I think you greatly underestimate how many people are included in our assessment of ‘small army’; there is a limit to how many three vampires may kill and still get away in one piece.”
                  Someone gasped and Hannah began praying under her breath.
                  “Okay, so we are outnumbered and these people were angry enough to track us from Savannah to Hardeeville. How many would you say we’re facing and how organized are they?”
                  Cal motioned and we slinked back to the nearest room. Garret and Bubba remained as sentries. Once in the fading suite, Cal took the lead.
                  “There are roughly fifty people remaining in that group. Assuming the entire force is following us, we are outmatched four to one. Although that party has numbers on their side, they are more of a mob than a trained military and their arms are varied.”
                  “About half only have an axe or knife.” Daemon added.
                  I made quick mental notes and tried to formulate a plan.
                  “But the other two dozen have semiautomatic rifles?”
                  Reggie shook his head laughingly.
                  “Not even close. Maybe six or seven have serious firepower, the rest have pistols, shotguns, or hunting rifles. Still, it’s not the best odds.”
                  Another burst of gunfire, this one closer.
                  “It’s only 5AM, sun won’t be up for at least an hour and a half, but that’s not much of an advantage. We can split into two teams and reconvene at another place tomorrow night.”
                  Half-whispered complaints flooded my ears. I held up one finger and spoke over them.
                  “It’s risky, but our best chance is to retreat as two groups and maximize the number of people we can move quickly.”
                  I looked to our Undead allies.
                  “A distraction would be ideal, but we can’t be sure that you guys would be able to get to safety so soon before sunrise.”
                  Cal and Reggie nodded their consent.
                  The fledgling vamp grinned.
                  “Better idea.” He pointed at the parking lot. “The cars are almost out of gas and we can’t get more without digging up a station pump, so why don’t we ditch them here and set a trap?”
                  Is he insane? How are we supposed to outrun these jerks on foot?
                  Cal assumed a position of authority; his time in the Roman Legion was embedded in him as thoroughly as his spine.
                  “That is an option. If the majority was to move out on foot and circle around the mob, we could regroup at say,” We looked at the road atlas. “ah, where the interstate meets 278.”
                  “It’s just a day’s hike for us and a quick flight for you three.” I folded the map and returned it to my bag. “We could continue on from