Free OUTNUMBERED volume 4: A Zombie Apocalypse Series by Robert Schobernd Page B

behind Paige turned her gun toward the shiny aberration. A wet, black clad, figure rose above the fiberglass. Its gun spat three times. Pellets of shiny water flew through the air then fell downward as the figure reached the peak of its ascent. The blonde pulled the trigger as she fell to the deck dying or dead. By then I knew I was watching Ed at work. His gun swung to the cockpit and shot multiple times as Ridder heard the commotion and turned with a gun in his hand.
    The black clad figure disappeared back below the boat into the water as Ridder sank to his knees. His gun swung toward our women. As I pulled the trigger the second time there was movement to the left of my scope. I heard more gunshots in the distance. 
    My scope lowered and I saw Paige. She was on both knees with her arms outstretched toward Mark Ridder. She had a pistol in her hands and continued firing until Ridder fell forward onto his face. Ed rose again above the side of the boat, paused to see all was okay and disappeared once more.
    I yelled, "Take over," to Shane and ran to the pier. Steady gunfire was still rampant behind me as the battle continued.
    At the boat I leapt onto the deck and grabbed Paige in a bear hug and squeezed her tightly and held her for several seconds. She held me close and sobbed several times. I focused on Carmen; she looked relieved and smiled.
    "Paige," I finally said, "are you okay?"
    She looked up at me soberly, "I'm fine Dad. But I was scared. He was so mad he was crazy. He would have killed both of us."
    I let Paige go and escorted both of them back to near the cabin where they'd been captured. Their weapons still lay on the ground where they'd been dropped when Ridder's thugs captured them.
    Ira answered my call and told Carmen where to meet him. Sadness flowed through the transmission, "James Butler died of his wounds. He was hit too many times in the critical areas of his chest and neck; he lost too much blood and suffered severe shock.  Marcie was hit in the left arm below the shoulder, but she's doing well considering I'm not a surgeon."
    "Hang in there Ira," I told him. "Carmen will be there in a minute to assist you."
    I left Paige with Martin Radcliff and told her to keep her head down. From twenty feet away I saw her crawl around the rock I'd left her behind. She sighted on a target and fired three shots. She was definitely her mother's daughter.
     
    Gunshots had diminished to sporadic blast by the time I crept back to my group of people. I approached Morgan Halcom as three people stood up from behind a ruined fortification with their hands above their heads. One of them had a piece of white cloth tied to the end of a rifle barrel. Morgan and Barlow Jones took aim and dropped all three. We had agreed no quarter would be given. I tried to swallow the big lump lingering in my throat but it didn't go down. It was hard to overcome old teachings and ethics that had stood for a way of life. But those were remnants of a past life that was destroyed and gone forever. We're forced to deal with problems ourselves because there is no higher authority to depend on. Morgan motioned me over. "While you were gone, Tony Osmond was hit in the side. The bullet went through clean above his hip and below his ribs. Doc say's he'll be okay." I nodded, glad Tony's injury wasn't more serious.
    Slowly, all gunfire dwindled away as the morning sun cast rays on the destruction we'd wrought. I led the way on clearing out the remaining enemies. Those found wounded and still alive were given a coup de grâce. No one laughed or joked during the commission of the ruthless acts. Rather, we all accepted the harsh measures as necessary for the future safety of peaceful people. Several of us spun about as a weak voice called out. "Dad, this is Richard. Tell them not to shoot me. I'm behind a short landscape wall below the building that burned. I'm raising my gun so you can see where I'm at. I'm wounded." Richard still had the wet suit on. He'd