The glass continued to crack as the mad men pounded on the glass separating the patio from the interior of Scallywags. For an elongated moment, the cluster of patrons and employees eyed each other with fear filled faces until the woman who had just lost her friend outside yelled, “We have to do something.”

“Yeah, but what?” the bartender said.

“Maybe we should just make a break for our cars through the front,” Will suggested.

“As long as you’ll cool with some of us not making it,” Jack said. “Who knows what’s out there? The cops could be moving in to help us. I would hate to have people die when this whole thing could be wrapped up in a few hours. We’re safer as a group where we can defend ourselves!”

Rollie spoke up. “But if they break through the glass this place won’t be too defendable.”

As if his words brought forth a curse, the first window shattered in a rain of jagged shards. Most of the women let out screams, but Jack was quick to act. Snatching up a table, he threw it at the pair of blood soaked freaks already lumbering into the bar. This toppled them over. Then, instead of fleeing, Jack attacked them with his chair leg.

He kept smashing one in the head until it final stopped moving, but the other had gained its feet, while behind it, a full dozen followed the first two into Scallywags.

“Come on!” Will yelled. “He needs help.” Rollie’s boyfriend grabbed up a chair and rushed forward smashing the one approaching Jack’s back.

Rollie still possessed the chair leg Jack had given him and joined his lover near the carnage, but almost as soon as he had, he wished he hadn’t. Blood covered people of every age and size tumbled in at them. A woman, wearing a shirt full of pictures of fat tomatoes, growled as she came stumbling toward him.

Hitting a sick person went against everything he believed in. Will screamed something at him, be the words didn’t register. She drew in closer and he could smell the blood on her.

Then she clawed at him. He might have cried out and went to push her away, but, she had a hold of his shirt. It was the sight of two larger freaks moving in behind her that snapped him into action.

With another yell, he smashed forward with his makeshift club.

She acted like she hadn’t felt a thing.

The others were almost upon him.

With a louder shout, he put everything he had into the next blow. No one would have been more surprised than he, when she toppled to the ground with a dull moan.

Will grabbed him from behind. “Come on!”

Jack yelled to the bartender. “Take everyone backstage!”

An ear piercing scream tore at his ears and Rollie saw a madman had made it past them and grabbed one of the women. This helped convince the others to retreat up onto the stage.

The dying woman sadly aided them, for Rollie, Will, Jack, and Steve made it to the stage safely. For a moment the men took in the grizzly feast and only their loud gasping for air competed with the grizzly tearing of flesh below.

Jack addressed them. “There are still a lot of supplies we could gather in case we need to lock ourselves into there for the long haul. I only see about ten on those fuckers and they’re all screwed up. I say we take them out and then grab some food and water. Who’s with me?’

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