The rush of adrenalin was back, forcing my body to move and forcing my brain into overdrive.

Daniel was already at the chopper. He gave it a quick inspection and confirmed it was OK to fly. He jumped into the pilot’s seat and began performing the pre-flight checks, getting it ready for takeoff.

Our plan was simple, as it usually was when we made stuff up on the go. It was based on the explosion we had created in the hardware store earlier. The main difference being it would be much, much bigger.

And for it to work, everyone had to be involved. Even Maria. Sure, we wanted to protect her, but she had to help, it was the only way. We needed to blow up at least three of the fuel tankers to create a big enough explosion and create a big enough wall of fire to shield us from the chasing horde of infected.

This meant that Kenji, Jack and I would each drive a fuel tanker and park it about half way back down the main runway. Maria would follow us in the Humvee with the machine gun mounted on its roof and pick us up and drive us back to the chopper. As we made our getaway, Kenji would open fire with the machine gun and blow the fuel tankers sky high. Hopefully the bullets hitting the metal tanks would create a big enough spark to ignite the fuel. Hopefully they weren’t bulletproof.

The Warthogs continued to fly overhead as we made our way to the fuel tankers, although they seemed to have stopped firing.

“Do you think they’ve seen us yet?” I asked Kenji.

“Not sure. But as soon as we blow these tankers they’ll know we’re here.”

“And once they know we’re here, what’s stopping them from attacking us?”

“Nothing. In fact, they probably will.”

“Oh, great.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll probably be out of missiles by the time we take off. And once we’re in the air we should be able to out maneuver them.”

For some reason I didn’t find Kenji’s words very reassuring.

We each chose a fuel tanker and started them up. As I turned the key in the ignition, I suddenly realized there would be no turning back from here. And while we drove the fuel tankers out into the middle of the runways we would basically be driving a massive portable bomb. Just one spark, just one stray bullet or rocket or missile and we would all be vaporized. I guess it was best not to think about that.

I had to push hard on the clutch to get the engine into gear. But after a few tense seconds, I finally got the truck to move. It was slow going at first, but as I up-shifted gears I was able to build a bit of speed.

Kenji was already well ahead. This was a good thing because I was really hoping he’d be able to pick a suitable location to park the tankers.

This would prove to be a crucial decision.

If we parked the fuel tankers too far down the runway, the horde of infected would catch up with us and run us down before we got a chance to get away.

On the other hand, if we parked the tankers too close to the base and the chopper, we would almost certainly blow ourselves up.

I had no idea where this sweet spot would be, so I was glad Kenji was out in front.

As I pulled further away from the base of operations, I looked in the side mirror, back at the chopper, hoping to see its rotor blades spinning.

But instead, to my absolute horror I saw that Jack had hopped out of his tanker. He was over at the Humvee, helping Maria. She had obviously stalled the engine and was having a hard time trying to drive the thing.

I’m not surprised. I remember just after Jack got his driver’s license he took us out for a spin in his car. And even though it’s illegal, he let Maria and I drive. It was stupid and dangerous. But it was loads of fun. I was surprised at how good I was. And even more surprised at how bad Maria was.

Whenever she tried to change gears, the car would stop and start and bunny hop. Eventually she would change the gears, but not before we had all been violently shaken back and forth.

That was only a few months ago. Neither Maria nor myself had driven much since. We probably wouldn’t be getting our licenses for a while. But I guess we’d better get better at driving, and we’d better do it quick.

Maria finally got the Humvee moving, only slightly stalling and bunny hopping as she moved out on to the runway. But once she got going she must have floored the accelerator because she started moving faster than any of us.

Jack hurried back over to his fuel tanker and slowly started to catch up.

I changed gears again and put my foot to the floor, revving the huge engine to its limit. I leant forward over the steering wheel and looked out the windshield up to the sky. I was trying to see where those damn jets were, but I couldn’t see them anywhere.

To my left, Jack had caught up and was now driving parallel to me. Maria was following closely behind.

I looked around for Kenji but I couldn’t see him. I glanced in the side mirrors. For some reason Kenji had stopped. He had jumped out of the cabin and moved to the rear of his tanker.

“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted even though no one could hear me.

A few seconds later, Jack and I had driven as far as we dared. We both slammed on our breaks at pretty much the exact same time. The infected were only a couple hundred yards away now. And they were closing fast.

I jumped out of the fuel truck, not bothering to turn its engine off.

Maria drove up next to where I had parked and I jumped in the back seat. Jack was close behind. He jumped in the front seat and pushed Maria over so he could drive.

“You know, technically, girls are better drivers than boys,” she said.

“I totally agree,” Jack replied. “And as soon as you pass your license exam, and actually get your driver’s license, I’ll let you drive.”

“Ah, guys,” I said. “What the hell is Kenji doing?”

Jack turned the Humvee around so we were pointed back towards the chopper.

Kenji was still outside his truck. He was fiddling with something on the actual tank. He then began to unravel what looked like a massive hose.

“It’s the fuel hose,” Jack said.

“What’s he doing?” I asked.

Kenji then turned the hose on and jet fuel began spewing and pouring and gushing out on to the runway. Then he got back in the truck and continued driving towards us, leaving a trail as he went. He then drove out and around the other tankers, weaving in between them.

I guess he was leaving a trail of fuel, like an ignition trail, just to make sure each of the fuel tankers caught on fire, making sure the explosion and the wall of fire would be as big as possible.

It was an insurance policy. It was a good idea, but the problem was he hadn’t left us with much time to get to a safe distance.

Kenji finally parked his tanker. Each one was parked about a hundred feet apart. Jack drove over and picked up Kenji. Once he was in the Humvee we sped off, back towards Daniel and the Blackhawk.

I stuck my head out the window so I could see how far away the infected were.

They had made it to the fuel trucks. Most of them were running around the tankers, some were climbing up and over the actual fuel tanks. All of them were looking right at us. They definitely knew we were here.

Kenji stood up through the man hole in the Humvee. He grabbed onto the massive machine gun and swiveled back towards the fuel tankers.

He took aim and fired.

At first he was shooting at the infected that had made it past the tankers. Initially I thought he was doing this for fun, but then I realized he was just making sure not one of those bastards got through.

He laid down a devastating line of fire. He cut down maybe twenty or thirty infected. Bodies and limbs were exploding all over the tarmac.

He then lifted his aim a little higher.

The bullets sprayed into the fuel tanker in the middle. And in an instant it ignited. I mean, one second it was there and the next it seemed to lift off the ground and vanish. There was a blinding flash of light and a huge red and orange fireball that seemed to ride up into the sky on a never ending column of black smoke.

A second later, the heat wave hit us and I had to duck my head back inside because it was just too hot to look at.

Kenji had to slide down from the machine gun as well and take refuge inside the cabin of the Humvee.

I was about to ask him if he was all right, when we heard another massive explosion, and then another. The Humvee began to shake and rock back and forth from the multiple blasts. Jack then seemed to lose control of the vehicle and we actually spun right around and did a full 360 degree turn. In the split second we were facing back towards the explosions, we could see the full extent of our handiwork.

It was horrific and yet beautiful at the same time. I don’t think I’m a pyromaniac, but at that moment I could’ve stared at that blazing inferno for hours and hours.

It was a giant wall of flame that reached up to the heavens. The smoked seemed to billow out and cover the entire width of the runway. Nothing was getting through. Everything in the blast radius, and every single one of those poor infected souls would’ve been vaporized instantly in the initial explosions, or incinerated by the flames.

Jack regained control of the Humvee. He was cheering as we sped back to the waiting chopper.