Dead Frontier/Issue 119

This is a preview for Issue #119 of Dead Frontier, titled ''Hammer. This is the fifth issue in 'Volume 20. '''The entire issue is planned to be posted the week of October 21, 2013.

Issue 119 - Hammer
“Just don’t look, man. Don’t look,” Cole mutters as Adam sobs into his shoulder. Behind them, Chloe’s body lies, utterly unrecognizable. Conner decided to leave the blood-soaked sledgehammer sitting right next to her--just another of his devious measures. Cole pats Adam's back, struggling to keep his own wits together. The sounds, the blood, the scream: all of it is burned into their memory, and Cole finds himself squeezing his eyes shut to hold back tears that end up running down his cheeks anyway.

“What the fuck, man…? He just--fucking--” Adam stutters as he pulls away from Cole and scoots toward the wall. He makes a half-hearted swinging motion with his arms. Cole turns his head and sees the lower half of Chloe’s body, but he doesn’t dare look up from there. He returns his look to Adam, who can’t hide his complete distress as he lets out a choking sob and covers his face with his palms.

Around the room, everyone has relocated to the wall directly left of the door. There’s a strong sense of desperation, as everyone hopes that when they return, they’re not the next victim. Duke is particularly on edge; he sits in the corner, fists balled in his lap and eyes glued to the floor. Should’ve been him on the other end of that hammer, as far as he’s concerned.

Daniel has his arm around a wide-eyed Farrah. He mutters something to make sure she’s okay, and she replies with a slow nod. He gives her a sympathetic sigh before rising to his feet. Someone needs to step up, and with most everyone in near hysterics, he takes up the responsibility. Eyes look up toward him, and he scratches his head in thought.

“We need...to figure something out,” he says in a hushed tone. He doesn’t receive a response, so he decides to continue. “I know we’re all--freaked out here. We’re scared. I get it. But we can’t sit here.” He realizes his hands are moving around wildly as he speaks, so he stuffs them into his pockets. “We need to get out of here.”

“Then what the fuck do you suggest, Dan?” Adam snaps at him, wiping a few tears from his face. “Go ahead--go against some psychopaths and get your fucking head bashed in, too.”

“I’m looking for everybody’s input here,” Daniel says calmly. Grief and rage. They go hand in hand; he knows it’s not personal.

“We’re dead, bro,” Duke mutters. Sudden hopelessness rises over him, and he lifts his head to glare at Daniel. “Gonna come back and fuckin’--” He cuts himself off and sets his jaw, letting his head hang low again.

“Thinking we’re just gonna die isn’t gonna help us. At all,” Daniel says with rising conviction. “We need to think of something.”

Lienne stares down at the arrow jutting from her stomach. Her eyes roll back in her head, and Tora catches her before she can hit the ground. “Hunter!” Tora screams, and she does her best to keep Lienne upright. She hears the stomping of footsteps, and Hunter, blood spatter covering his face and knife, turns the corner.

“Wha--” he starts, and his frantic eyes fall onto Lienne. “What the fuck happened?!”

“Hurry up--get her inside.”

He wants answers, but knows this probably isn’t the most appropriate time to get them. He reaches one arm under Lienne’s legs and the other under her back to lift her. An arrow whizzes between their heads, and he and Tora let out a small screech. Before another can fly, they turn the corner to the front of the house. Tora swings open the door and allows Hunter access with Lienne. As he sets her down on the couch to the surprised expressions of the others, Tora slams the door shut and twists the lock.

"Lock all the doors, all the windows," she orders, but no one moves. "Go!" Dean, Cedric, and Jake zip away at her command, but Ivy stays petrified on the couch.

"What happened to her?" Ivy asks.

Tora rushes to Lienne's side and crouches down next to her. "Ivy, go help them," she says sternly, but Ivy doesn't move.

"What happened?"

Tora looks up. "Ivy." That's all it takes for Ivy to take one last look at Lienne and speed off behind Cedric, Dean, and Jake.

"We've gotta take the damn thing out," Hunter says.

"No."

"What the hell do you mean no? She's got a fuckin' arrow in her stomach. I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be there."

"I need a kit--or something. Get me something."

"I think we should probably deal with--"

"Just do it!" she shouts at him. "If you want her to bleed to death, okay, I'll take the arrow out right now. Or, if you want her to live, find me the fucking kit and stop running your mouth." Expecting him to follow her demands without complaint, she turns her attention back to Lienne. He hesitates, then turns to the kitchen and begins searching through the cabinets. Tora mutters something to try and get Lienne to open her eyes; she mumbles something back in response and lets out a jarring cough.

"Lienne? Honey, you're gonna be okay," Tora says. "Hunter!"

"I've only got two hands! Jesus fucking Christ!" he shouts from the kitchen. He slams a bag onto the table and rips it open. He can't remember which one held the meds or medical supplies, and with each failed search his frustration grows. Finally, he sees that the bottom of this bag is filled with bottles of weird chemicals, pills, and rags. He grabs the entire bag and heads back into the living room. He tosses it onto the coffee table and Tora looks up at him.

"That's all I found," he says. "You know how to use this stuff?"

"No," Tora says, looking through the bag. She takes out whatever she can and lines everything up on the table. "Guess I'm gonna have to learn now."

Hunter puts his hands on top of his head and looks down at Lienne; she's breathing, letting out a few periodic coughs, and her eyes are finally starting to open, wild and bloodshot.

"Jake, what's going on?" Ivy asks. She trails Jake as he goes to lock one of the hall windows. He peers out the glass cautiously; when he sees nothing, he covers it with the curtain.

"I don't know," he says, and he hurries on to the next window. "Just stay c-calm, okay?" It looks like he's having a tough time trying to follow that advice himself, but he proceeds forward. The window at the end of the corridor is open slightly, letting in a quiet breeze. He slams it shut and locks it, but he swears he can hear a subtle groan. He lingers for just a second, and Ivy tugs on his arm nervously. He can see the silhouette of a sole infected in the darkness, making its way toward the window. Jake watches it in disgust, as Ivy continues to urge him to move. He's about to turn away when an arrow flies through the back of the infected's skull and it collapses to the ground. He flinches, and Ivy yelps.

"Come on," he says, his voice rattling. He grabs her by the arm, but the glass suddenly shatters and they drop to the floor under the window. Shards of glass cover the ground under their feet. He pulls the shaking Ivy close and looks up, where he sees an arrow protruding from the wall across from them.