Part 9 - Out of the frying-pan

A group of survivors moving north from Midtown South in Barberton City are heading towards the fortified Winsdale Tower through an area of light industrial and commercial businesses. (Picture 1.)
The group consists of :

Cash Dog and Easy-8, two mean mothers of bad ass gangstas
Bill and Ted, two excellent adventurers on skateboards who end up on a bogus journey
Stu, owner of Barberton's notorious Ramrod leather bar, and Graham the Glaswegian Rastafarian.

Cash Dog and Easy-8, mindful of their street rep, moved ahead with Ted close behind and the party followed on. (Picture 2.) Ted, with the spirit of Adventure obviously on him, opened the door to Paterson's Machine Shop finding five survivors hiding within. These survivors expressed their delight at being united with such a well armed group. They were: a cop, whose name turned out to be Donald J Melton; his prisoner, Stephen Allen; Wade Webster, who was carrying a petrol bomb and itching to use it; a guy carrying a looted TV, whose name was Joe Padilla; and a woman over-dressed for the situation, Madelaine Santiago Hernandes.

Their delight quickly evaporated as Stu, in a fit of bravado, opened the door to Enhance Print Services and four Infected, lurking within, charged forward. Luckily, Graham fired his assault rifle at the leading Rager and the heavy 7.62mm round knocked him backwards thereby blocking the doorway. A rather pessimistic communal sharp intake of breath came from the party as Wade lit his petrol bomb and headed towards the doorway. (Picture 4.)

Fearing the worst Graham sprang forward yelling "How di boy deh ah act so doltish?" slammed the door shut on the Ragers and gestured rudely at the rather sheepish Stu. Unfortunately Graham's shot had attracted further Infected and one appeared to the right of the party and it headed towards them.

Wade Webster sprang into action and to the relief of everyone the petrol bomb span off down the alleyway towards the charging Rager, knocking it down. In the meantime Cash Dog had cut the zip-ties securing the arms of officer Melton's prisoner and then ran forward to fire at a Rager which had appeared to their left. The Rager fell to the ground, and seeing it temporarily immobilised Bill shot it the finger and then skated off to lay into the Rager knocked down by Wade's petrol bomb. (Picture 5.) Yet another Infected appeared and attacked Madelaine, at which she fell backwards a pace while a very rash shot indeed from Graham whizzed past her left large hooped earring and attracting another Rager.

Infuriated by her near escape Madelaine let the attacking Rager have it with her right 6" heel Jimmy Choos and it fell back, howling and groaning. Joe hurled his looted TV at it, missed, and the TV flew off across the street. Further up the street Ted finished off a Rager which Cash Dog had downed (Picture 6.) but failed to see another running at him from an alleyway (Picture 7.).

Graham ran forward to help Madelaine just as Bill killed the Rager which had been blown off its feet by the Molotov Cocktail. As Graham arrived the furious Ms Santiago Hernandes sprang forward and attacked the Rager knocking it back once more (Picture 8.). "Cheese on bread, look pon di gyal pompasetting", he remarked in astonishment before knocking down another Rager further up the street with a well aimed shot.

Meanwhile Stu, probably the author of the party's misfortunes, found himself in the midst of the rapidly increasing Ragers and as two of them sprang on to Ted and officer Melton Stu 'lost control of his nerves' and fled back towards the southern edge of the street.

The attacking Ragers killed Ted and Melton (Picture 9.) and also drove Wade Webster to the ground whereupon Easy-8 knocked down the Rager facing him and fled over to the right out of sight of the party. "Once a momma's ho, always a momma's ho, fo' shizzle" muttered Cash Dog in disgust at his compatriot's cowardice, blowing another Rager away with a well aimed .44 and heading off to the right. Behind him, Joe Padilla was overwhelmed and killed by a Rager coming from an alleyway.

With the street ahead filling up with howling Ragers (Picture 10.) and Bill's offing of the Rager downed by the Molotov it became quickly obvious that the only way through to the Winsdale Tower would be to the right and past the Spartan Wargames Supplies building. Four more Ragers appearing on the left confirmed this and as Joe Padilla was caught and overwhelmed Stu and Graham ran towards the right, catching up with Madelaine who ran along in her stockinged feet heedless of broken glass splinters and the occasional canine offering littering the street. Graham attacked and downed an intervening Rager but immediately ran on towards the right. A rager sprang on to Wade and Bill attempted to shoot it but missed and found himself out of ammunition.

By a stroke of luck the Ragers headed towards the last shots which effectively took them south and further away from the party which was to the north east of the engagement (Picture 11.) - all except the hapless Steve Allen who lagged behind and was pounced on by a Rager and became Infected.

Above: Picture 1. Overview of the engagement area from the 3rd floor of the nearby Winsdale Tower (home of Winsdale Insurance PLC).

Above: Picture 2. The party, led by Cash Dog and Easy-8, begins their advance through the buildings towards the Winsdale Tower.

Above: Picture 3. Stu leads the advance forward with the five survivors - discovered by Ted hiding in Paterson's Machine Shop - following on with the rest of the party.

Above: Picture 4. Stu, having rashly opened the door to Enhance Print Services to find four Infected rushing at him, flees ahead while Wade Webster lights his petrol bomb. However, a good shot from Graham's assault rifle knocks the leading rager back into the doorway allowing him time to jump forward and slam it shut.

Above: Picture 5. Bill fights off the rager that Wade's fire bomb has narrowly missed in the side alley.

Above: Picture 6. Easy-8 takes on a rager watched by an insouciant Bill who gives the Infected the finger from a safe distance.

Above: Picture 7. Easy-8, Cash Dog and Ted take on and kill an Infected but another appears in the alleyway behind Ted.

Above: Picture 8. Bill finishes off a downed rager while Madelaine Santiago Hernandes fights off another - for the second time - and Ted and Stu attack a third.

Above: Picture 9. Mayhem as the bodies of Ted and officer Melton lie on the ground while Cash Dog fires at another rager.

Above: Picture 10. Still more ragers appear as the party's situation looks ever more desperate. To the left Wade Webster is being disembowelled while further off Graham has just knocked down a rager.

Above: Picture 11. The survivors make their escape. Poor Steve Allen is left behind and is soon pounced on by a Rager.