Previously, On Dead Limit:
"You're insane," Brady replied. "It's a great idea, but it won't work."
"We'll see." Gary said absent-mindedly. "In the mean time you're welcome to hang around here, well get a couple guys to help you." He went to the door and paused. "What were your names?"
"Brady," Brady answered, "and Alex, Juan, Morgan and Daniel."
Gary smiled, "Nice to meet you. Welcome to the Lion's Den."
---...---
"What's the plan?" Roger asked, his voice sounding distant. Mason shook his head, his mind fogged with anger. He looked out the window; there were at least twenty Seekers in the driveway. He scanned the yard checking for any hiding behind the trees.
"Damn it," Mason growled. "I knew we should've brought more knives..."
"We need to just lay low, wait it out" Roger decided.
"Hell no I'm not staying in here with those things at our doorstep!" Morgan shouted. Beingly closest to the door he swiftly opened it and began firing at the closest Seekers.
"Get back!" Brady called out as Mason shouted "We don't have anything to burn them with, it's pointless!"
However Morgan continued to shoot wildly. Roger noticed Alex and Daniel looking hesitant.
"Stay in here," he ordered. "Morgan, get back in here!" he hollered, stepping outside. Morgan turned around, gun aimed at Roger.
"Nobody tells me what to do anymore," he sneered. "You ain't my mommy."
Roger opened his mouth to speak, but before he could a body fell from above, landing right on top of him. The weight of the snarling corpse knocked him to the ground.
"Roger!" he heard Mason shout his name and appear in the doorway. Morgan fired a warning shot; Mason cursed and went back inside. Meanwhile the Mocker had him pinned.
"H-ide..." It spoke in its garbled voice, using strength Roger thought impossible to hold his arms down.
"Come on guys, we can make a run for it now," Morgan announced gleefully.
Roger kicked the Mocker off him, yet the monster had surprising reflexes, yanking at his leg when he tried to get up. Morgan barely paid attention to the fight, busy pleading with his friends:
"Brady, come on. Baseball? That's the best lie you've got?"
Roger watched helplessly as Brady stepped outside, joining Morgan. The Mocker had him pinned once more and was reaching its jaw towards his neck.
"Kill him," Morgan told Brady, motioning towards Roger, who was struggling desperately against the ravenous Mocker. "Hiiiide.." It groaned eerily.
Brady clicked off the safety and walked over to them. Roger tried to protest but his energy was spent from wrestling with the apparently stronger creature that was seconds from tearing his throat out. Brady saw the fear in his eyes, the will to survive showing through the scars and bruises, he shook his head regretfully and pulled the trigger.
"Carlos?" Matt asked, coming up the spiral staircase noisily. His boots clang loudly over the sounds of dinner on the floor below. He saw Carlos's door was shut. Probably sleeping again," he thought. Still he knocked on the door with no response. "OK then," he said aloud. "Dinner's ready if you get hungry." He had one boot on the stairs when he heard it: a low, rumbling groan. Looking back he saw the door to Gary's room swing open, saw a large bloodstain on the carpet-
"Ah, hell" he said under his breath, taking a cautious step into the room. He glanced around, barely catching a glimpse of the dark mass that charged out of nowhere. His head broke through the wooden wall behind him, felt a piercing pain in his shoulder, heard a deep growl, then all went black. He barely knew what hit him.
Roger threw the limp Mocker off of him, taking a deep breath. He looked at Brady, who winked.
"What the hell do you think-" Morgan started, until he found Brady aiming the gun at him instead.
"Really? You're rooting for these dumb asses?" Morgan hissed.
"I'm done with my old life," Brady replied, firing. Morgan stared in shock, first at Brady and then the bloody hole in his chest.
"Dumb asses," he repeated as his eyes rolled back and his body collapsed.
"Back to the house," Brady said, helping Roger to his feet. The Seekers that Morgan had shot were animating again, while the rest continued to shuffle towards them.
"They can climb trees," Roger observed. He could see at least two Mockers up in the branches of the big pines. They looked like owls hunting their prey, watching them hungrily. In their crouching position they seemed ready to pounce.
"Any other bright ideas?" Mason asked as they crossed the threshold.
Mason eyed Brady warily as he entered. As soon as the door was shut Mason seized Brady by the shirt collar and shoved him against the wall.
"Where do your loyalties lie?" Mason asked through gritted teeth.
"With you!" Brady gasped. Mason stared at him angrily and pushed him aside. "Your friends ever pull shit like that again, I'll kill them myself," he warned. Brady sputtered, Alex backed away fearfully.
"So how are we supposed to get out of here?" Roger reminded them.
There was a loud scratching at the door, and banging on the front windows. Mason pulled a curtain open, revealing the Seekers pressed up against the glass, snarling and smearing blood everywhere.
"Well there is one thing we could try," Daniel announced, dangling a set of car keys.
"Gloria, are you feeling?" Martin Kray asked, joining her on the large couch in the family room, on the other side of the house from the kitchen. She sat there quietly, hardly noticing his presence. He saw her eyes watering.
"I'm sorry, for whatever happened," he attempted. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, to see her smile again.
"The apocalypse happened," she muttered. Martin calmly pushed a lock of hair from her face.
"It's not the end," he said, "not yet. We're still here."
"Not for long," she replied. Awkwardly he put an arm around her and pulled her closer.
"This won't work," she told him.
"What?" he asked blankly.
"Us..." she whispered.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Martin, I just can't right now." She explained, "It's not a good time."
Martin took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll wait."
"The top's up, so we can jump!" Daniel was saying. They were looking out a second floor window, the convertible parked directly below. Mason had kicked the screen out and was peering down at the vehicle.
"it's quite a jump," Mason commented.
"I can make it," Daniel claimed confidently. "the cover will cushion my landing." Without another word he clambered onto the window sill and leaped out. They watched him hit the fabric cover and tear through, but he hit the leather chairs softly without harm.
"OK, now it gets tricky," Roger noted.
"I'll go next," Alex offered. Roger felt a pang of guilt seeing the burned scar from Mason's blade on his leg. He noticed Alex wince slightly as he stepped onto the window sill. He knew something was about to go wrong but didn't think to stop it. Alex pushed himself out into the air without enough force, not making it into the car and instead smashing face-first into the windshield.
There was a loud cracking noise, the glass breaking; Daniel cried out in surprised, and Alex rolled lifelessly of the hood of the convertible leaving a trail of blood.
"Crap!" Brady cursed.
Daniel stared at the red-stained, broken windshield in shock. he noticed a little glob stuck between a few large shards and leaned close to get a better look. When he saw what it was he turned away in disgust it was a single torn out eyeball.
"You need to distract them," Mason hollered down to him.
"Start driving, lead them away," Brady instructed. Daniel nodded absent-mindedly and got in the driver's seat. Mason shut the window and sighed.
"Today's not a good day, is it?" he wondered aloud. The engine roared to life outside, tires screeching as Daniel swiftly pulled out of the driveway. They heard the horn blare several times and the commotion downstairs stopped. The Seekers left the house in pursuit of the car and its driver instead.
"Let's get ready to ditch this place," Mason ordered. They followed him back down to the front door. He stopped, listening intently. "Sounds like they all left. Now when open this door, we run like hell back to the den. On my mark..."
Daniel was honking repeatedly, driving just ahead of the Seekers chasing him. He could tell they were hungry, bloodthirsty, even if he sped away it seemed they would find a way to catch him. Wind and leaves blew in through the torn hole in the cover, Shadows cast by the large trees in the evening light obscured his vision, which was already blurred by tears. He was ready to turn around, to confront his hunters and run them over, when he heard a loud thump in the backseat. Looking behind him he saw a Mocker growling, tangled up in the torn fabric.
Daniel swore and hit the brakes hard, meaning to send the Mocker flying forward into the windshield In a split second he realized his mistake; he wasn't wearing a seat-belt His body lurched forward hitting the dashboard, and suddenly blown back forcefully by the airbag.
Daniel groaned, glancing around his surroundings. He heard the shuffling of feet, wheezing voices and snarls of the Seekers closing on him, their prey. Above him, in the branches of the trees, crouched more Mockers. One gave an unearthly bellow, and the others roar in return. Daniel shook in fear at the sight of such monsters. The eerie sound of their triumph echoed through the woods. In unison they dropped from the pines. He knew this was the end as he watched death fall from the sky.
"I'm getting awful worried about this place," Pierall grumbled. Dinner was over, everyone was bringing plates to the sink where Gary was washing dishes at an incredible rate. The old man was sitting at the bar with Mary.
"What do you mean? It's secluded," Mary replied.
"That's what we all want to think," Pierall told her. She looked confused, so he went on; "Sure it's a small mountain town, but haven't you noticed how many people apparently pass through here?"
"Is there danger in that though?"
"Depends on who takes the highway."
Mary sighed, wanting to change the subject. She believed in the security and hospitality Gary provided. "Look at him go," She commented, nodding at Gary.
"Yeah," Pierall grumbled. "We have a new dishwasher."
"What's wrong with you?" Mary snapped. "You are so negative about him, and he's an excellent host!"
"You know me Mary, it's hard for me to trust anyone."
"Why, because he's like Otis?"
"That's part of it."
"You trust Roger," She told him. Pierall couldn't answer; instead he shook his head, grumbled something about smoking, and went outside. The sun had passed the mountains leaving the sky a deepening navy blue. The trees were casting long dark shadows across the ground. Pierall lit a cigarette and looked at the clouds. They were clean, white, no longer polluted by fallout and smoke.
He heard several loud footsteps in the gravel down the road, but a short evergreen blocked his view. A few moments later Roger, Mason and Brady came sprinting around the corner, panting and saying something about the trees.
"What's up with you three?" Pierall asked, going down the stairs from the porch to the driveway. Roger took a gulp of air. "Mockers. In the pines."
"What? English please?"
Mason sputtered; "Aren't you listening, geezer? The zombies learned how to climb the damn trees!"
Suddenly, as if from every direction, they heard an unearthly chorus of snarls and roars.
"We're being hunted..." Brady wheezed.
Pierall stared at them, appalled. Then, from in the house, they heard screaming.