The strange stillness had settled over the area after the ferocity of the fight. The defenders were rearming and preparing for the next wave rebuilding the barricade. Around us, we could hear sounds of weapons fire from other clashes. But with us here, it had become calm and still.

No one had remarked on my last statement because they had all noticed it. It was like the calm before the storm. Everyone recognised that something now was coming and it was going to be bad like this whole day had been. Most were looking towards the zone edge now as it slowly moved forward. It was now three-quarters of the way up the road.

“Here.” Lou said from behind me and I turned to face him. In his hands had another two thermite grenades. Hawk had moved away and was conferring with the Euro Corp officers here. Looking around, I noted that quite a few priests were still present. Most are just behind the line. Praying.

“Why all the priests?” I ask all out to no one in particular.

Henry, Lou and Gregson all look at me and each other.

“Seriously, John, you don’t know where we are?” Gregson asked me after a moment.

“Nope.”

“John, this is the Vatican.” Gregson tells me.

“Okay, that explains why.” I turned my attention back towards the zone edge. I do not see the look that passes between the other three.

A drone flies by quite close by. I briefly looked at it and realised it was not a military drone. I paid it no further mind; I was focused on more important things.

I have found my axe from where I had left it at the crates. I use this opportunity also to reload my pistol. I now have four grenades in my webbing, three thermite and one high explosive.

The feeling was still present of being watched.

“No zombies.” I say to myself, noticing the thing that has been bothering me since the end of the last wave.

“What was that?” Gregson asked.

“No more zombies are attacking.” I say louder for them to hear.

They became aware of the odd thing I had noticed. I expected many more zombies to come pouring out of the zone, maybe even ghouls. Hell, even more, those troll things, maybe. But there was nothing, just this strange stillness in the air.

I watched the zone edge towards us I noticed something.

“It’s slowing.”

The others look down the road at the zone edge and quickly see what I am trying to point out. The zone is slowing in its expansion.

“Do you think it reached its limit?” Lou asks. Ever since the fall of Portland, we have known that when a zone expands, it can only expand to the limit of the number of people who have died in it or if another breach which opens up.

We had lost a lot of people in the east of the city, but that had given time for the rest of the city to be evacuated, so the death toll was not as high as it could be. It was possible that the zone had reached its limit now.

True, this one had been bolstered by the fact that more than one breach had opened, allowing a more aggressive expansion by merging the zones. The others were becoming aware of it and hope flickered through the defenders,

“No, I think we are going to be a hit again.” I can explain it, but I knew. I had an unshakable feeling that was sitting in the pit of my stomach. The zone wasn’t slowing because it was running out of steam. It was gathering for the last great push.

“God, I hope not.” Lou was wishing.

Around us, in the air, stillness is changed. It was like the gathering of static electricity for a storm.

It was here.

“BRACE!” I called out.

In the fog, we saw the building of blue light. It gathered so quickly and bright that we were not ready when it shut out as a blue fireball and hit the crates we were hiding behind.

The impact was close to where we were and we were all knocked to the ground by the blast.

I found myself once more lying on my back, shaking from the force of the impact on the ground. I quickly gathered myself and realised I was okay. I quickly got to my feet, picking up my axe as I rose. My ears were still ringing from the force of the blast but were quickly clearing. That’s when I heard the screams.

Many around the crates to the right of us were down and badly injured. Some were on fire and many had shrapnel wounds. Looking around, I saw Lou was fine and so was Henry. On the other hand, Gregson had a piece of crate shrapnel sticking out of his shoulder. It had punched straight through his body armour.

He was on the ground from the blast. I think you knocked his head as he went down as well. Looking back to the edge of the zone, zombies are coming out and something else, something much bigger.

“Lou!” I called him and he looked at me. I point to Gregson. “Getting him out!”

Lou nods and quickly goes over to him. I turn to look back, knowing that Lou has this well in hand. Around a dozen, zombies had now appeared and were trying to assault our lines. The soldiers manning the line to the left quickly began firing. The others try to assist the wounded and form a new defensive position. Many of the priests behind us have now come forward to assist in evacuating the wounded.

I pay no heed to the zombies as I know the soldiers have this well in hand. It’s what’s coming with them that scares me.

Out of the fog, it comes bigger than a troll and is very similar. Walking like a gorilla does, using its arms to help it walk, putting its weight on its knuckles. The same physical features of a squat face with an oversized nose and ears. But so much bigger!

“Well fuck me!” Henry says to my left.

We heard the call to retreat, but the creature made its move before we could. Although its jawline, there was a sack that suddenly lit up blue. I had seen this before; I knew was going to happen.

“DOWN!” I cried.

I quickly ducked down, dragging Henry. Unfortunately, most of the others didn’t react in time. A blue fireball erupted from its mouth, hitting the crates to our left and exploding with tremendous force. It was aimed at the greatest concentration of bodies.

This blast was further away, but we still felt it.

That part of the line was too wrecked. With many dead and wounded.

An evacuation was not possible. This was going to turn into a massacre.

It was clear to me what I needed to do, but I was getting exhausted by always doing it. But that voice in the back of my head was still driving me on.

Next to me was a fully loaded shotgun. I dropped my axe and took it up.

“Cover me.” I said, turning to look Henry straight in the eye. Saying he was shocked did not even come close!

“No way you can take that thing on!” He exclaimed.

“I got to, or we all will die.” I am in a calm state of mind. The normal fear that comes with any operation is gone. I am at peace, for I know what will happen if I do not do this.

“Fuck!” He exclaimed with great frustration. I knew I was right. “If you’re doing this and coming with you.”

I didn’t have time to argue with him, so I just nodded. I started to get up and he joined me. We looked over the crates at the monstrosity heading towards us. It was so damn close now. Only metres away.

It was focused on the second blast site. That was where most of the people that were still here were located. Around us, the drones were buzzing madly the air was filled with cries of pain and fear.

“You have a plan?” Henry asked.

“Maybe. Keep the zombies off me.” With that, we crossed the crates and went into action.

Due to how it was moving, I knew that taking out the kneecaps was a waste of time. So, I aimed for the elbow of the closest arm. The creature is putting all its forward weight on it its arms.

Henry began engaging the few zombies around us, keeping them away from me.

I put the shotgun stock on my shoulder. I took aim. Firing as fast as I could.

This creature’s arms with thick. Almost as thick as the legs of the earlier trolls. I aim directly for the elbow as they are facing outwards. The kick of the shotgun or the thing I was getting used to. Parts of the elbow exploded as the shells ripped into it.

This stops the creature and it roars in pain.

I quickly emptied the shotgun. Dropping it as soon as I heard the click of the empty chamber. The creature swung its face, the blue glow under its jawline building.

I went for the grenades on my webbing, pulling two of the thermites clear.

I only had time to pull one of the pins as it opened its mouth blue fire building. I was so damn close I could make out all the details of the broken and rotten teeth in its mouth. I am hit by the intense smell of methine, something I cannot name.

I through both grenades. My greatest Hail Mary to date and I have had more than a few by now! Due to the size of the creature’s mouth was almost impossible at this range to miss. And both grenades wound up in its mouth as the fire roared forward.

Light.

Noise.

Flying?

Impact and pain. A lot of pain.

I’m looking up at the clear blue sky. Stunned on my back again. Thinking it is a bit hard at the moment. I might have bumped my head.

My ears are ringing and everything sounds fuzzy and far away.

I lay there feeling very warm.

A figure comes into my eye line, and I realise it’s Henry.

He said something to me, but I didn’t really understand it. He quickly starts slapping my body around my legs, I think.

What are you doing?

Suddenly everything comes back into focus with my hearing returning.

“Fucking hell John! Your fire!” I hear him say.

Fire?

I left my head and looked down at my body and realised that there were patches of burning flame across my armour.

“Fuck I am on fire!” I exclaim.

“No shit!” He replies.

We quickly put me out. Thankfully the new flame retardant layer on our armour prevents any major injury. But there is more damage now to sections of my body armour.

He helps me to my feet. I look at my shield and find a large piece of bone has ripped through it. It, too, is on fire. I look at it critically and realise that it will not last much longer, so I choose to ditch it.

Looking over at the body of the creature I had just faced, I saw a burning mess. The head was totally destroyed and there was a raging fire across his body.

“Well, that’s dead.” I say to Henry bending over slightly as my body announces to me all the parts of it are in pain. And it turns out it’s a lot. No time for reflection on all of it.

“What the hell did you do? I wasn’t facing it when the blast happened.” He asked.

“Thermite grenades in the mouth as it was about to use that blue fire shit.” I told him.

“Fuck, you were that close?” He said to me, amazed. I just nod in the affirmative.

I saw that the zombies that came with it had been taken out again. The area was littered with bodies and burning wreckage. The entry to the Plaza we were in was two L-shaped buildings. That was where the third and final set of barricades was located. The zone had now passed them and was entering the plaza. I looked at the liner crates that had made up the final line of defences on the side of the Plaza.

There is no way we could hold anything here anymore.

“Let’s go.” I told Henry and I began moving towards the crates at the speeds of a very old man was terrible arthritis. Hawk quickly came over to us.

“Bloody Hell! John, that was incredible.” He exclaims to me. I just waved vaguely at him, slowly inching forward in great pain. Before he can say anything else is radio as his attention.

The air was still full of a lot of drones. I was wondering why so many were hanging around here.

I get around the crates as I can’t climb over them. I pick up my axe after a few attempts to bend over.

“Roger that.” He spoke into his mic. “We are pulling back to the Basilica and then out.” He told us.

“We saved whom we can. The Pope has called on the Italian government to evacuate the city completely. It seems that they’ve agreed. We are evacuating completely with them and will wait for the zone to stop expanding. Then assess our options.”

Goldsmith has come over and joined us. Our armour is covered in burn marks like mine. She was on the left and was caught in the second fireball.

“The wounded are being evacuated.” She tells Hawk.

“Okay. Get everyone together with getting out here.” He quickly gave orders that the Euro Corp’s remaining officers matched and we began falling back.