Thrive in Catastrophe Chapter 91

Xiao Yan is unable to turn and make an escape.

The zombie opened its mouth wide and moved close to sink its teeth into Xiao's neck. Suddenly he changed directions and grabbed Xiao's chest. Xiao held his arm and the zombie pulled back before Xiao could twist his wrist around.
The creature gasped and panted furiously

The two Special Forces are at a disadvantage. If Xiao Yan doesn't hurry and take care of the zombie in front of him, then the two special forces are in danger of being bitten.

The zombies are rapidly mirroring their techniques. They are adapting the skills and fighting style of the special forces. Xiao knows that if he wants a chance to kill these zombies, then he has to knock them off their center of gravity before they can mimic his movements.

Fighting skills are not the most important aspect of combat, it is speed and decisiveness that determine the outcome of a battle.

Xiao pictures Heine's fighting form and he moved toward the zombie as it launched at him excitedly. Suddenly Xiao slid and turned, kicking at its knee as he rotated. The zombie's legs pulled out from under him and the creature slammed against the wall with an audible crack.

It swayed as it stood up, unable to find its balance. Xiao quickly kicked its head open.

But at that moment, another zombie had already reached him. He turned to face a pair of greedy decaying eyes hovering dangerously close to him.

He is finished!

The distance is easily closed. The zombie is in range of Xiao's carotid artery and it quickly lowers its head to bite him.

Like a phantom, the zombies head exploded splattering against the wall. A gleaming blade flashed and its head rolled along the floor.

Heine Burton stood in front of him, his eyes cold and severe. "They told you to go! Why didn't you listen?"

Xiao Yan opened his mouth to speak but Heine had already turned around to pierce another zombie through its eye socket. The zombie immediately began to retreat and its eye regenerated instantly. They were healing faster than Xiao could even imagine.

A chilling sound crowded the pa.s.sage and more zombies flooded the hall.

Heine and the special forces had already wiped out the remaining two zombies, they did not intend to fight these. Instead they ran in the direction of Xiao Yan's lab.

"I hope that Lauren hasn't left yet!"

"He hasn't."

Suddenly Heine grabbed Xiao's head and roughly pushed it down. His blade cut through the air above. Xiao looked up to see a zombie hanging upside down from the ceiling of the pa.s.sage.

The zombies behind them quickly caught up. His door was surrounded with them, Xiao thought for a moment then rushed into a lab.

"Xiao Yan!" The zombie followed him inside.

Heine movements are incredibly fast. His blade slashed over their shoulders to slice off their limbs, and pierce their abdomen but these zombies were smart enough to shield their necks from being cut.

Xiao Yan maneuvered around the throng and hurriedly searched around. Just as he located what he was searching for, a zombie reached him. Xiao Yan was pulled roughly by his ankle. The creature's strength was immense. Suddenly Xiao Yan reached into the cabinet, turned and raised his hand. He pointed the condensation gun at the zombie and pulled the trigger. Immediately the zombies head burst apart. Xiao turned his head away and pushed it aside, letting its torso fall.

"Xiao Yan!"

Heine's voice crackled through the air and Xiao Yan grabbed two more guns and shoved them into the waistband of his uniform. He ran toward the door and fired.

The first shot ripped through the zombie's thigh and instantly the frozen limb began to break apart. Heine rapidly swung his sword and cut off its head. With Xiao's a.s.sistance they were able to break through the group of zombies more rapidly.

Heine grabbed a hold of Xiao's wrist and pulled him into the hallway.

Watching Heine's form in front of him, His heart beat madly, pushing blood throughout his body. It was not due to the tension of the moment or the threat of death, his body simply reacted to watching Heine.

His powerful muscles flexed beneath the casing of his combat uniform and his ferocious form seemed to cut through the air like a supernatural force. Xiao knows that even if it is his last moment, Heine will not let him go.

Suddenly, seven or eight more zombies intersected their path.

Xiao Yan lifted the condensation gun, aimed and shot all in one go. Two zombies fell but he emptied both guns of condensing fluid.

"Oh s.h.i.t!"

Heine tightened his grip on his blade and flicked his wrist. He looked over at Xiao, his calm cold eyes were fearless.

Xiao Yan nodded, reading the meaning in his eyes.

If the zombies could cooperate with each other then so could Heine and Xiao Yan.

As the two zombies rushed toward them, Heine kicked at one and waved his blade to force him over. Xiao grabbed the shoulder of the other and slammed his knee up, his internal organs spilled out at the impact, instantly Heine's knife movedbehind to pierce the back of the zombies neck. He plunged the metal deep and ruthlessly twisted the blade until the bones split apart.

Heine swiftly pulled his blade out and Xiao Yan grabbed his arm to leverage his weight against as he forcefully kicked the zombie's head off.

The two special forces took down a zombie, the other three surrounded him like a pack of rabid wolves, strategizing how to take down their prey

Suddenly they all rushed toward Xiao Yan. They quickly converged on him and Xiao's eyes widened at the attack. He threw a punch and cracked the chin of one of them as Heine went to sweep his blade through. Suddenly one of the zombies grabbed his sword and seized Heine's shoulders ready to bite his head.

The attack on Xiao had just been a ploy to distract Heine.

All of the zombies closed in.

The two special forces can barely fight them off, they struggled to get to Xiao Yan.

These are not ordinary zombies and every minute is fraught with tension..

Xiao's attention is always split in order to keep track of Heine. The zombies clearly know that Heine is their most difficult combatant. They rush toward him, all of them trying to bite his neck. The zombie behind him was too evasive and Heine couldn't get a clean attack.

Xiao was suddenly slammed against the wall by two of the zombies. To save Xiao, Heine moved rapidly and decisively- he did not hesitate. He lifted his blade and ran himself through, piercing his own abdomen and tying the zombie behind him to his body. Xiao stood shocked and paralyzed.

"Heine!"
Heine pulled the blade out and his blood splashed through the hall, staining Xiao's gaze a horrific red.

Heine does not reveal a hint of pain. Before his body even had a chance to heal, he turned back and sliced off the head of the zombie. His body moved powerfully despite his wound and his muscles were tight as his nerves pulsed painfully. He rushed toward another zombie.

Then he went back and leapt through the air, his momentum made his rapid movements difficult to follow.

Xiao Yan sat Heine's hand grip the back of one of the zombies, Xiao ran up and grabbed its chin twisted its head sharply to break its neck.

"Heine."

XIoa's voice was soaked with horror as a zombie slammed its hand into Heine's wound and attempted to pull his organs out.

Every cell in his body trembled and Xiao was not certain where his speed or strength came from. He rapidly grabbed the zombie's shoulder and ripped its limb off as the zombie loudly screeched. Then Xiao crushed its head between his hands, brain matter splattered all over his face.

Heine leaned against the wall, his blood soaking half the zombies.

Xiao hurried over to him, the tragic scene made his heart bleed, if he hadn't needed rescuing then he wouldn't have pierced himself through and been so badly wounded.
_______

Gordon tried to contact Heine, but the connection wouldn't go through. "He has to be with Xiao Yan, he would never leave Xiao Yan on his own."

This is his only comfort in the situation.

General Ervel is looking at the numerous messages popping up on multiple holographic screens within the Shire. No matter if it is government or commercial, all areas were maliciously invaded. An image display shows him the government announcement screen in the central square.

A man's irreverent gaze and elegant temperament forced the eyes of the citizens upward.

'Good afternoon citizens of the Shire. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

The people began speaking excitedly to one another and speculated as to the purpose of the transmission. Was it a presidential candidate delivering a speech?

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of your city. I understand how happy a celebration this must be. After all the Shire is such a warm and peaceful city. So beautiful you have completely forgotten what the world actually looks like."

Ervel looked closely at the man and his face tensed into harsh lines.. "This...is this Valentin?"

Major General Gordon did not say anything, instead he contacted Winn and Ling.

"Ling! Go to the presidential palace and protect the military and political officials. Winn take your troops to the Academy of Sciences. I don't care if you have to level the place, get Xiao Yan out of there!"

The military tried to interrupt the public displays but were unable to break through the Surge control over their systems.

"Lambs of Shire, enjoy the circus before the sky falls."

As soon as he finished speaking, the displays began to transmit the events occurring inside the Academy. The mutants were attacking the research directors, they battled for their lives along the pa.s.sageways. A tight shot reveals Xiao Yan as he evaded the zombie attacks. The sight was tense and thrilling. The people shouted nervously at the screens as Xiao was almost bitten, then the transmission suddenly terminated.

'Xiao Yan!" Ervel shouted at the display with clenched fists and rushed out of his office.

"Ervel!" Gordon chased after him and shouted orders back toward Maya.

Maya rushed after General Ervel. "Sir. Please stay calm!"

'Calm?! How can I be calm?!  Xiao Yan may already be dead!"

Gordon suddenly pulled Ervel toward him and moved his face within inches of Ervel's. "Xiao Yan isn't dead! If he was dead then Valentin would have surely played it for the people to see. He would have wanted them to know that he had successfully taken down the city's genius- That the man who had solved the x-virus had died in the Academy. He would have used it to sow the seeds of fear into everyone's heart. We both know that Heine Burton will not allow Xiao Yan to die. Xiao Yan is not so easily defeated, have some trust in your subordinate."

Ervel looked deep into Gordon's eyes. Gradually his gaze focused and his breathing calmed.

"Valentin must have a reason for doing all of this. That man has acc.u.mulated nearly two hundred years of madness. He mentioned the 'sky falling'...that must have a deeper meaning."

Suddenly the s.p.a.ce overhead trembled violently and the holographic display showed an explosion in the sky. A deep depression began to fissure through the ground. Such destruction indicated the object that fell must be quite large.

"It...It's the high density t.i.tanium that supports the dome. "Ervel eyes widened and shook as surveyed the scene.

"What? How can high-density t.i.tanium fall?" Major Gordon couldn't believe it.

At that moment, an aircraft slammed into the sky above the city and the sky seemed to shatter as small dust like particles caught the artificial glow and reflected light in all directions. Several Shire aircraft engaged them and eventually shot the craft down.

"That is what he meant by the sky falling. That is a particle bomb. It has infiltrated the t.i.tanium and exploded. " Ervel stepped back as another deafening explosion rocked the entire dome. Pieces of the building knocked loose and the pa.s.sage rocked dangerously.

Ervel looked dumbly upward.

"Ervel..." Gordon reached his arm out but was swiftly picked up by Maya.

The entire channel shook violently and the pa.s.sage warped as the strain compromised the entire structure.

"Sir! We have to leave!"

"I order you to save General Ervel! Now! Immediately!"

The pa.s.sage continued to collapse. Gordon looked at Maya with pleading bloodshot eyes.

"Sorry...my job is to ensure your safety."

"You can't protect me Maya."

Debris continued to rain down as the building broke apart. An urgent message sounded from Ling, the presidential palace would soon be completely destroyed. Ling issued a request to evacuate the president.

*********I think I am going to pull the go fund me. I really appreciate the people that donated but...it just hasn't reached its goal and I think it is time to admit defeat on the computer front. As for the tips...Please if you can....Thank you so much to those that have tipped and donated. I really appreciate it. Side note: Someone even commented with their tip...that was awesome...but I didn't know how to comment back.

I am sorry it didn't add up to a computer.... Maybe we will get a rich reader that wants to tip lots of money and a computer will magically fall into my lap and I can release all the chapters in one final go (let me have the lie...I prefer illusion to despair).

In rambling news I had an interview--- so I thought, for a hot moment, I might not be sans home (I am really freaking out). Then it turned out the job wasn't exactly in my wheelhouse. He asked if I wanted to continue the interview--since it wasn't a lab position and I (being desperate) continued and interviewed for a job I didn't even understand.... Humiliating... the guy interviewing me tried really hard to find some common experience to work with...I think I blathered nonsense for a straight hour and then eventually...mercifully...it was over...I don't think that one is going to work out...I didn't get a straight 'NO' though sooooo......maybe?.... probably not...

So how does everyone feel about the turn of events...I wanted to release these chapters in rapid fire...I feel bad that everyone is having the tension cut up into pieces.