THE KILLER ANGEL : Book Three "Journey" (THE KILLER ANGEL TRILOGY 3) by Myles Stafford Page A

over as the monsters on the other side crushed against each other to get to me. One final leap into the barrier with everything I could muster left me unconscious on the floor. I snapped awake only minutes later; a small, wet pool of blood from my nose and left ear had collected on my jacket; Ben was at my side. The halfwall below the window obscured my vision of the carnage, which had now grown quiet. I could hear croaking noises; the sound of gorging runners. I was sick; exhausted; spent.
    The wall had held.
What next?
Emotion wanted to consume my mind.
Failure meant death. These people had hope...where was Nicki Redstone?
I had to regain control; clear my head.
Think! What next?
    I calmed my breathing as my giant, powerful friend stood next to me, looking at me with his intelligent, beautiful eyes.
    Concentrate! Focus! Control!
Statistically, there should now be no living, breathing humans remaining within the bunker. This was a topic often discussed among survivors of the great twenty-first century plague. Out of over three hundred million Americans, it seemed that only a few thousand had survived, but that was only a guess. No one really knew for sure. Grampa had estimated that if an average of one thousand people survived per state, then that would mean there were fifty thousand people still alive who could be regarded as Americans. That’s a survival rate of one in six thousand. The odds that there was anyone alive on the other side of that glass who might be one of those “one-in-six-thousand” were very small.
    I struggled to keep my mind from screaming into uncontrollable emotion at the atrocity that I had just witnessed... and inadvertently caused.
Oh dear God... save me... I need you Kip... Brick... where are you?
    Focus!!
    I determined that no one on the other side could possibly be a living, normal human, but I had to be certain. Never...never could I leave anyone to die alone in such a place. My knowledge must be absolute.
    Taking a deep breath and regaining my calm, I prepared myself for the view. I wiped sticky, red wetness from my neck. Still shaking and weak from the exertion and massive bolts of adrenalin coursing through my body, I stood up stiffly, feeling aching pain from my struggle to ram through the glass.
    Being mindful of my location at all times, I commenced preparing my gear as the creatures on the other side of the seriously chipped and cracked panel eerily followed my every move. I always hated that hollow, hungry stare at a distance. Now, witnessing the creepy glare up close was chilling beyond description.
    I picked up discarded rifle magazines and placed them in my pack, then loaded full clips into my weapons, with rounds properly chambered. After a calming stretch, I checked each item for proper placement. The knife in my braid felt good.
    In spite of soreness, I felt solid...strong. I knew my body and mind. It would take a few days to recover from the trauma, especially the mental aspect, but I would recover. I had been through this grim hell before and survived. Although this was perhaps my worst, most shocking encounter with the man-eaters, I knew that I would remain whole and vital.
    Then, after another slow, deep, calming breath, I looked into the previously peaceful room and beheld the carnage. I had seen horrors before – many times – but this disaster far exceeded all previous experiences. Disgusting, horrifying images filled my vision, well lit and sharply visible, close up. Some of those people never had time to convert before being ripped to shreds. I calmed my mind and methodically studied every creature and every corner. Nothing. There were no indications of real life.
    Still, I had to be sure. This nightmare was bad enough, but I would not allow the thought of one single survivor living alone in terror to further disturb my already fitful sleep.
    There were two, large double-door exits from that ghoul-filled room, one closed and one partially open. I reasoned that there