Sovereign.

**Ross Saxophone** 28th July 2009, 8:59 pm

I got bored so I thought I'd have a go at writing a short story around a Zombie setting. it came to two pages on word processor, so I apologise if it looks like wall of text on here. Also, all the paragraphs were indented but for some reason it corrects them when I post.
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Sovereign

As he lay face down on the warm tarmac road, Sovereign cautiously assessed the situation around him. His body remained ridged and immovable. He stole only small shallow breaths, focusing on ensuring his breathing was unnoticeable.
Two feet stopped in front of him. Still, his mind was clear and he didn’t flinch. Even when the sharp poke from the gun barrel a of Ruger Mini-14 came, Sovereign just felt it as it dug deep into his ribs. The two boots, content with the state of Sovereign, finally began to move away. His eyed flicked open instantly as if someone had just opened the curtains. In haste, making little sound, his body sprung into automatic action. He rolled from the foetal position onto the balls of his shoes. He swung his entire body around, as his right hand wrapped tightly around the mouth of the unexpected victim. At the same time, his left forearm closed across the skinny neck of the hapless patrol guard, and in one quick movement, verified by an ominous crack from deep inside the bone, his victim lay lifelessly limp in his arms.
Sovereign carefully placed the man onto the floor, rubbing the back of his hand over the small droplets of perspiration that had begun to pool on his wrinkled forehead.
He stood back from the body. His eyes surveyed the city skyline as he brought a cigarette to his parted lips. It seemed unrecognisable from what it was only a few short months ago, which by now, felt more like years.
The silence was deafening as the small flame from a lighter touched the end of the cigarette, lighting it in a small amber glow. Exhaling deeply, the silver smoke danced around Sovereigns face before curling up into the grey air.
Everything seemed so colourless since the incident, only a few crumbling buildings stood in defiance against the black and white canvas. The view seemed more appropriate in a film noir than reality.
Inhaling the last of the cigarette, he threw it casually from between his thumb and forefinger into the ground, as it bounced off a decaying corpse that lay just metres away from Sovereign. The sight now was so familiar. The same yellow bone and pale flaps of skin that hung like demented tapestry from the bodies. He had seen them slowly rot away in the perversion of nature.
Shaking his head, Sovereign broke his own trail of thought.
God damn it man, focus on the mission, his mind echoed.
He adjusted the Kevlar tactical vest he had been given back at HQ. It seemed to be two sizes to small, but it would have to do. He checked his equipment over; His radio was still safely strapped in a pouch at the front of his vest. A loaded 9mm S&W Subcompact in a holster wrapped around his left thigh. Finally, he brought his hand to his opposite side where a 16cm bladed combat knife hung in it’s sheeth coat.
Sovereign brought his eyes to a fairly large warehouse building that lay weight in front of him. Half the building was in brick and the other, sheet metal. Visible pockets of bright orange rust had began to stain the metal, alluding to it’s obvious neglect. One of the fire escape doors was wide open, courtesy to the now deceased patrol guard.
Sovereign moved with stealth, his eyes darting from the door, to his right and left hand side, expecting an ambush.
Finally he had his back against the brick wall. Reaching into his thigh holster, he brought the lightweight Subcompact to shoulder height. He narrowed his eye as he levelled it to his head and shifted around the corner.
The warehouse interior was black. Sovereign could hardly make out the sights of the pistol, regardless to what was around him. He stopped advancing when the light of the doorway from outside finally faded to a small glimmer.
With his free hand, he pressed his index finger on a small button on the edge of the radio.
‘In position, hit the lights’, he spoke sharply in a raspy broken tone.
With his command, the bright floodlights from above cut through the darkness the illuminate the fairly chaotic room. Huge shelves lay overturned as countless cardboard boxes lay ripped and broken around him. The room seemed to have been painted in blood, it lay dried all over the floor, walls and from some of the still standing thirty meter high metal shelves.
Sovereign stood frozen in the moment, the Subcompact never swaying from his eyes.
‘Sixty seconds’, the radio finally announced through static.
Sovereign sprung into action, the Subcompact dropped to his side, as he sprinted through the main floor, weaving around the wreckages. His legs pumped rhythmically like two hydraulic pistons.
‘Thirty seconds’, the radio reminded.
The pistons pumped even harder, the noise of Sovereigns frantic footsteps now booming in echo throughout the floor as the mess steadily got worse the deeper he travelled.
As suddenly as it came, the lights cut out. Sovereign stopped instantly as he was swallowed into darkness. A chilling groan echoed through the silence. Sovereigns senses were heightened as even the smallest of movements whether it be moth or the turn of cobweb, entertained his entire attention.
The groan turned to more of a growl as it raced down the Sovereigns spine causing every hair on his body to elevate.
He gritted his teeth, the iris’ of his eyes, widened. The Subcompact rose instantly to his eye line as he pivoted to his right where he was met face on with the hideous sight of a living carcass of what was once a human. The body lunged forward, just as Sovereigns finger pulled back on the Subcompact trigger, erupting a burst of seven 9mm automatic fire.
The bullets entered the head, as the thing was thrown off balance. The cranium oozing blood so thick and dark it was more like oil. Sovereign knew it wasn’t over. Holstering the Subcompact, he pulled the combat knife into his hand, raising it high, it struck down into the skull of the being. It easily passed through the weak bone and was met with the satisfying sponge of what could only be the brain. Sovereigns face sprayed by the blood.
The twitching body now lifeless as Sovereign wiped the blood from the knife in the shirt of the thing, briefly inspecting the condition of the now stainless knife, he returned it back to it’s sheeth before setting off cautiously in a North direction.
Sovereign gripped the handle of a door, he turned and opened the stiff door to a room quite the contrast to the main warehouse floor.
Huge windows, flooded the room with dim light, along the walls were several blank monitors, along with overturned filing cabinets and broken chairs of what was once an office space.
Sovereign approached one of the windows, he looked out over the dead patrol guard through the murky glass. The radio let out a moment of static before a voice from the other end spoke the Sovereign.
‘Situation?’
‘The place is empty, only a few rotting bastards left behind’, Sovereign said calmly.
‘Damn it. We needed the medication’.
‘This place was raided long before we ever caught wind of it, maybe you should sack whoever’s giving you your intelligence’, Sovereign hissed.
‘You can’t sack the government’, there was a brief pause from the radio before it spoke for the final time, ‘Only an hour before sundown, get back to the chopper, we’ll try again tomorrow.’
Sovereign said nothing. He’d acted this script many times. The government were desperate to gather all the medication and supplies they could get their hands on. Trying to raid as many supermarkets, pharmacies, warehouses even corner shops before scavengers got there first to sell the contents on the black market. The era of robbing banks and electrical stores was over, it was all about surviving. Terrorists demanded food and water, as far as he could see, it was hard to define the line that separated the governments methods and those of everyone else.
He reached in one of the pockets of his vest for another cigarette. He found nothing, breaking into a small smirk.
Just as well, I’m all out.