NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 20
Chapter 20
The first mutant to reach his pickup truck slammed against the door on the passenger’s side. It slammed its clawed hands against the window, but the glass held. The mutant stood on the running board, pounding its hands on the window. The shotgun that Jake had put between the two front seats was within easy reach, but he hoped to get away from the mutants without resorting to fighting them because it wouldn’t be easy to drive and fire his shotgun at the same time.
Jake felt a bump as two other walkers ran right in the path of his pickup truck as he kept accelerating. The front of the vehicle slammed into them, sending one mutant tumbling to the ground. The pickup truck jolted as it rolled over the fallen mutant’s body, causing all four wheels to bounce. The second mutant was thrown onto the hood of the vehicle. The vile creature managed to cling to it, grabbing a wiper blade with one clawed hand while pounding on the windshield with the other in a frenzied attempt to break through.
Jake heard ominous growling and scraping sounds from behind, prompting him to glance in the rearview window. To his horror, he saw two more mutants vault over the tailgate and into the bed. Before he could do something about it, the passenger’s window burst apart in an explosion of hundreds of glass shards flying in as the mutant standing on the running board finally breached the cab. Despite its efforts, the mutant couldn’t quite reach Jake with its clawed hands, though. Frustrated, the creature began wiggling its way into the car in a desperate attempt to get closer to him.
Jake took his right hand off the steering wheel and gripped the handle of his pistol. He slid the gun out of its holster and pointed the muzzle of his pistol at the creature’s face just as the mutant was about to grab him with its claws. The first round he fired shattered the mutant’s lower jaw, sending broken teeth flying every which way. The second bullet drilled into one of its eyes, turning it into a pulpy mass inside its socket. The third one punched the vile creature through the forehead, and the mutant finally got detached from the vehicle.
The explosion of glass from behind caused Jake to jerk his head to look over his shoulder. Another mutant was trying to get through the shattered back window. His pistol wasn’t very effective against the mutants, so Jake tossed the handgun on the passenger seat and grabbed the semiautomatic shotgun instead. Holding the weapon one-handed, he pointed it back just as the mutant began to slither inside the vehicle. He squeezed the trigger, firing at almost point-blank range. The roar of the gunshot was devastating in the close confines of the car. The load of buckshot blew the mutant’s head apart, sending the now headless body flying out of the window frame.
There was another mutant in the bed. Seeing that the window wasn’t blocked anymore, the vile creature rushed toward it with the intention of getting into the car. Propping the shotgun on the bottom edge of the shattered window, Jake readjusted his aim and fired at the other mutant. The shot carved a huge hole out of its chest, sending the creature tumbling over the tailgate and onto the floor of the parking garage.
The pickup truck was now moving up the ramp, and Jake realized he was about to drive out of the parking garage. He looked forward just as the vehicle shot out of the building. He slammed on the brakes, causing the car to come to a sudden stop with the screech of protesting tires. The mutant clinging to the hood was flung forward, losing its grip and tearing off the wiper blade that was still held in its clawed hand. Before the mutant could rise from the road, Jake pressed down on the gas pedal, propelling the car forward with all four wheels rolling over the creature’s body. He steered to the left, keeping his right hand on the lever, swiftly upshifting gears to accelerate as fast as possible. The road was more or less intact and there were no obstacles up ahead, so nothing prevented him from accelerating.
A quick glance in the rearview window revealed dozens of mutants pouring out of the car park, giving chase. Despite their efforts, Jake was already driving too fast for them to catch up with his car. Gradually falling behind, the mutants faded into the distance as Jake continued on. After passing a few more blocks, he eased off the gas and applied the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a stop. Peering over his shoulder, Jake confirmed that there were no enemies in pursuit behind him.
Jake pushed open the driver’s door and stepped out of the car. He walked to the back of the vehicle and looked into the bed. The headless body of the mutant he’d killed still lay there. The PDA in his inner jacket pocket emitted a notification sound. He took out the device and glanced at the screen. The text told him he’d received some XP for killing several ex-human mutants. He dismissed the notification and scanned the dead mutant for loot. DEAD EX-HUMAN WALKER: EMPTY. After pocketing the device, Jake lowered the tailgate and dragged the dead body out of the truck’s bed. He then walked around the vehicle, studying it. The back and passenger’s windows were shattered, and one of the wipers had been torn off. Other than that, the truck hadn’t sustained any more damage in the attack.
Jake slid back behind the steering wheel and swung the driver’s door shut. When he got attacked by the mutants in the car park, his adrenal system had dumped a harrowing payload of its special concoction into his bloodstream. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, he felt tired as his body’s energy levels returned back down to normal. Sinking into the driver’s seat, he took a moment to rest. During every battle with mutants, he felt a surge of both fear and excitement. This world was extremely dangerous, but it suddenly dawned on him that he was starting to like it, which surprised him a great deal. He realized he preferred this dangerous yet thrilling world over his previous boring life as an office worker struggling to make ends meet. His new life was much simpler but way more exciting, that was for damn sure.
He put the car into drive and drove on. He traveled around the streets for a little while and at some point, spotted a hospital. Since this world was governed by video-game rules, he knew there would likely be healing autoinjectors, or stimpaks, in the hospital. Eager to stock up on these valuable items, he veered off the road, pulling into the parking lot in front of the hospital. You could never have enough of those miraculous medications. Before getting out of the car, he scanned his surroundings, but there were no mutants in sight. However, he knew he had to remain cautious, knowing that there could still be threats inside the hospital.
After topping off his shotgun with extra shells, Jake exited his truck and made his way across the parking lot toward the building.