"Helipad is straight ahead; take a left at the end of the corridor," he said. "It's bes-"

In a split second John was thrown back into the chaos, all of his hope washed away in a single second. Iroquis fell onto the wall unable to complete his sentence, crimson liquid flowed out of the holes in his chest, and his body slowly slid to the floor. John knew he didn't have time panic. The thunderous gunshots had left him to dazed however, so he had only a moment to think. With the rifle at his hip he pulled the trigger, blindly returning fire spraying six bullets into the hallway, before dashing back out the door, and planting himself firmly against the wall. "Fuck," he exhaled, realizing that he had been holding his breath. There was groaning in the hallway, followed by a soft chuckle, and something that sounded like it was being shuffled around. John managed to build up the courage he needed to peek around the corner. The sight chilled him to the bone.

The infected soldier was crawling towards him, pulling himself inch-by-inch, fingernails finding traction on the floor. One hand pulled his body, whilst the other dragged his rifle behind him. "Come here, boy. I've got a present for you!” His voice alternated between high and low notes, he was singing to John. “Aaaand it’s LEAD!” John ducked back behind the wall. Three bullets zipped past him, narrowly missing his head. Still singing, “Don’t be so shy now!” 

John, without looking, fired around the corner. Four shots blasted out of his rifle, two hit the infected. One tore his ear to shreds, and the other ripped his shoulder apart. The soldier only briefly stopped his advance before continuing, seemingly unaffected by the damage. John could hear him giggle, and he soon realized why. His finger was still squeezing the trigger tightly, but the gun only responded with harmless clicking. “Out of ammo?” He voice filled desperation. His fingers fumbled over the gun, looking for the switch that would eject the clip. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Don’t worry, I have plenty of bullets for you. Just stick that pretty little face out for me, let me see them pretty lips!” The infected continued taunting him, John did his best to tune him out. The shuffling was getting louder, the infected was nearly at the door.

“Fuck you, I found it!” John ejected the clip, snatched up his last remaining magazine, and fed it into the rifle. With a little hesitation, he peeked the rifle around the corner and pulled the trigger once more. The rifle kicked in his arms, and the bullets rocketed out of the gun. Eight bullets shot around the room, most ricocheted off the walls and embedded in them, but two found their marks. John slowly peeked his head around the corner. The infected was slumped over, blood spilling out of his body. Two new holes had appeared, one in the chest and the other in his forehead. “Fucking piece of shit military, was safer on my own…” his voice trailed off, as his eyes wandered over to the captain.

Iroquis had curled up into the fetal position, and bled out during the gunfight. It was a sad sight for the once intimidating man. John had only known for a few minutes, but he still felt a pang of guilt at his death. The man had risked his life for him, granted he had been under orders to do so. The guilt, however, did not stop John from stripping him of his vest and relieving him of his handgun. “Sorry,” John offered as he took the headband from the dead soldier. It might not have looked as good on John, but it did help to keep his shaggy hair from poking him in the eye. “Rest in peace.” John decided that he would mourn later, not only for Iroquis, but for all the people that had died that day. “Gotta keep moving,” He told himself over and over. He placed the handgun inside the vest and cautiously moved forward through the corridor. “Straight and then a left.” The helicopter was getting louder and louder, as John moved past the dead soldier that he had killed. Eventually he made it to the turn. He rounded it slowly, cautious of danger, but still hopeful that his rescue was imminent.