Parchman, стр. 30

The murmur became louder and as the smoke lifted there was a rally cry.Logan attempted to see what was happening but as he looked over the edgeof the battlements one of the Savages bounded over from under the edgeof the wall and pushed Logan backwards over the other side of thebattlements.

‘Logan!’ Jay shouted, as Logan grasped for the top of the wall.

His hand grasping thin air Logan knew this was it.

And then a hand reached out and caught his.

Logan looked up at the top of the wall.

‘McGregor.’

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

McGregor pulled Logan up onto the battlements.

‘Is she alive?’ said Logan.

‘Well a thank you would be nice,’ replied McGregor.

‘Is she alive?’ he repeated.

The Irishman stood aside and pointed to the courtyard. ‘Alive and well myfriend and slaying those animals down there.’

Logan watched as Tallulah led from the front with Samson’s sword in herhand cutting through the Savages. ‘We knew something was up when we went via your pal Samson’s and found they’d been slaughtered. Figured itwas Roderick. Now where’s that thank you? In caseyou’ve forgotten lasttime you saw me I was tied to a tree,left to rot.’

‘This doesn’t make us even,’ Logan scowled and pushed passed McGregorand down the stairs.

The Professorcame running over. ‘You must be the world-famousProfessor Brittle. Well I’m the worlds infamous Frank McGregor. Pleasedto make your acquaintance.’

Logan jumped the last few steps and ran towards Tallulah. A gun pressedagainstLogan’s temple. ‘It’s fine Jackal, this is Logan,’ she said.

Jackal lowered the gun, nodded and turned back to fighting the Savages.

Logan embraced Tallulah and kissed her. ‘We don’t have time,’ saidTallulah pushing him away. ‘We need to finish this now.’

‘My father?’ said Logan.

Tallulah pointed over to where Nathaniel Mathers was fighting alongsideChuck and shooting Savages left, right and center. ‘Your dad, Chuck,about a hundred of our community and a little group we met along theway.’

‘Jackal?’ he said.

‘Yeah, he’s not so bad when you get to know him. He has a penchant forhuman flesh but we’re working on that,’ said Tallulah.

Logan drew his gun and started to help shooting the remainder of theSavages. Along with the prisoners that were still alive the sides werestarting to even out. As the rest of the smoke started to rise Logan saw thatthey were winning this battle. However, this was only half of the war as the Commander General still had his main army outside.

‘Dad,’ he shouted over to his father. ‘Take Chuck and some of the othersand check inside the prison. Some of them have got into the communalareas.’

His dad nodded without saying anything and took off with Chuck, pullingsome of Jackal’s men along with him and entering the prison.

‘So, McGregor?’ he said, as he killed another monster.

‘Yes, McGregor,’ said Tallulah. ‘It’s a long story. Are the boys ok?’

‘Scott, Seth, Jay and Xander are up on the battlements. They’re as fine asthey canbe under current circumstances.’

‘Brittle and Mendez?’ she said.

‘Brittle’s up there with them. Isaacdidn’t make it. Max either.’ said Logan.

Tallulah sliced through an oncoming Savage with her sword and Loganfinished it off with a well-placed bullet.‘You know that he’s out there waiting don’t you?As soon as this ends in here he’s sending his army in,’said Logan.

‘Let’s fight this war one battle at a time,’ she said, looking around at themismatch of men versus beasts still going on in the yard.

Inside the prison everything was eerily silent. McGregor had come insidetoo and was working his way through the cells helping the others to get ridof any Savages who had broken from the pack. As he turned the corner ofthe corridor he looked up to see Nathaniel ten foot away and with his gundrawn aimed at his head.

Tallulah’s words rung through McGregor’s head. ‘

I’m serious. If he getsyou alone then he will kill you.

’

The two men looked at each other as Nathaniel pointed the gun and pulledback the hammer and slowly squeezed his finger against the trigger. Hehad McGregor bang to rights and McGregor knew it. No point even tryingto get out of this one. McGregor felt the bullet graze past him. He turnedaround to see one of the Savages drop to the floor behind him as the bulletmade contact with its intended target.

Nathaniel raised his hand and indicated to the others to move forward.

Chuck followed, smiling. ‘Ten dollars says you just crapped your pants.’

McGregor smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. He had a stay of executionon this occasion but next time he might not be so lucky. He moved on andcontinued clearing the cells, relieved to still be alive.

Outside, the Savages were started to whittle down to the few lingering oneswho were clearly quicker and stronger than the rest. Although Tallulah andher platoon now had the upper hand when it came to numbers theremaining Savages were still able to evade complete obliteration.

‘Jackalfight them in pairs, back to back,’ she said. ‘Seems to work.’

He nodded and pulled one of the nearest inmates towards him and showedhim what she wanted them to do. There were individual fights going on allaround the courtyard with Tallulah wading in and killing any Savages whoweren’t expecting it. She knew that they weren’t intelligent enough toretreat so this was a battle to the death.

One of Jackal’s men set off his flame thrower setting three of the Savageson fire but still they kept coming. The boys on the battlements were stillpicking off the wall climbers as more and more of them tried to avoid theimminentdeath below them. ‘There’s too many of them,’ said Seth.

‘Use the machine gun,’ said Scott. ‘Take them out in batches.’The machine gun rattled in the teenager’s hand with the bullets bouncingoff the walls and the Savages dropping like flies to the floor and limpingaround whilst the cavalry finished them below.

‘Yes,’