The team looked up in fear, hundreds of disfigured blood crazed Reavers running towards them across the bog laden field.

Y/N was the first to recover as Zoe still sobbed at the corpse of her husband. Y/N swung the side door open and jumped out, his AK 47 in hand as he began firing. His first wave of bullets was aimed at the knees and torsos of the fast approaching horde. Reavers may go until they were taken out, but high powered bullets should do some damage. Several fell as they ran, a spear just missing Y/N as he was fast joined by Jayne, then Grey Wolf and then Mal. The four fired as Mal gave orders to his team, Y/N's magazine running out as he stepped behind his comrades to reload.

"Form into line! River on the surprise package!" Mal yelled.

Kaylee had spent the last week attaching the community's sole M2 Browning to the top of the Ocelot. They had two boxes of belt fed M2 linked 50 cal bullets. Two 100 bullet link chains. It wasn't much but it was supposed to buy them time and chew up as many Reavers as they could.

The plan may have gone to shit but it was still their best best.

The boys continued firing as Simon helped River and Kaylee on top of the Ocelot- River to fire and Kaylee to help get it started. Zoe emerged from the Ocelot, tears streaming down her cheeks as she began to open fire with her own AK.

Men and women had started emerging from other vehicles, ones who hadn't been killed or injured in the pile ups that fanned out behind the Ocelot in a concentric cone of smoke, screams and chaos. Machine gun fire began to sing out across the clearing as the Reavers closed within 50m. An explosion roared in front of the group- then another. Then another.

Mal had promised Y/N, if he made it back then the next time he could bring grenades. Y/N pulled them one by one from his chest, pulled the pins and threw them over the heads of his compatriots. He had a hell of an arm.

While some Reavers were blown up by grenades, others cut down by semi automatic gun fire, still more charged forward until the Browning roared to life.

It cut through Reavers like butter, turning a tear shaped streak of snow covered earth in front of the Ocelot red. The men and women on the outer ridges weren't as lucky as ungodly screams began to ring out, the Reavers reaching them and overwhelming them. Reavers who began to rape, to skin, to feed in a gluttonous orgy of bloodlust.

The team continued fighting hard, firing at any Reavers that came close, but as the Browning ran out of ammo it was apparent it was a losing battle.

"Fall back! Fall back! Grey Wolf, Simon help them down" Mal yelled as all out chaos broke out, Reavers arriving on top of the Gamma squad who fired and fought as best they could.

Simon began to climb up on the Ocelot, attempting to help Kaylee and River down, only to be pushed off at the last moment. Mal had pushed him, saving him from being impaled by an incoming spear.

Mal wasn't as lucky though, screaming in agonised pain as the thick razor sharp and serrated iron head of the spear impaled through the back of his left hand. The force of the spear cannoned against the apron of the Ocelot- forcing River and Kaylee backwards off the vehicle. River's arm was sliced deep across the rear on the busted frame of the pickup that had ended up next to the Ocelot. Kaylee's head connected with the edge of the vehicle's chassis- a sickening thud heard as her body went limp.

On the other side of the vehicle Mal was roaring in pain, Grey Wolf pulling the spear from what remained of Mal's hand as Y/N, Jayne and Zoe fought hand and gun to hand, attempting to hold off the Reavers.

It was a much slower approach now, the majority of Reavers either dead or attacking further down the line as gunfire and screams continued to echo out across the field.

Y/N smashed a Reaver across the face with the butt of his AK, firing his last rounds into the man-thing's head before ejecting his mag and then reloading his last one.

"Simon?" He yelled as the Doc, Grey Wolf and a bleeding River attempted to save the Captain's life in the heat of battle.

"If we don't get him out of here he won't make it" Simon yelled back, attempting to stem the bleeding.

"We're gonna get you home sir. Don't you fucking dare bleed out on me!" Y/N ordered firmly, instantly taking command:

"Jayne carry him back. You're the biggest. Grey Wolf, Zoe. Cover them. I'll buy you time!"

Y/N looked around and pointed towards a van near the back of the large pile up, about 35-40 metres away, that looked in pretty good condition. There was about 15-20 Reavers who had overcome the soldiers remaining between the Gamma patrol and the van.

"We're gonna get you home sir. We're gonna get you home!" Y/N reiterated before he roared to himself three times, getting his adrenaline flowing even more, and ran out, before his teammates could argue.

He stepped out in front of three Reavers immediately in front of him, cutting two down with the last of his AK bullets. As his gun clicked empty and the remaining Reaver charged Y/N dodged the edge of his spear and swung with all his might. The butt of his AK smashed into the Reaver's jaw, a sickening crack heard and as the scarred abomination hit the ground Y/N's boot smashed into the back of his neck three times.

He pulled a glock from his thigh and fired, close enough to hit the next three closest Reavers in the face with a bullet dropping them.

Y/N continued charging forward, a Reaver grabbing him from the left only to be met with a gunshot, the thing's blood and viscera spraying across Y/N's face. He continued on, firing one to two bullets in the face of every Reaver he came against until he arrived at a car. The driver door was buckled, a man inside feebly trying to get it open with an obviously injured shoulder.

The door was jammed in place, damaged on its hinges. Y/N holstered his gun, grabbing the door with two hands, his fingers able to curl round the damaged frame and get a good grip.

He roared as he yanked with all his formidable strength, the adrenaline giving him an even greater boost as he wrenched the door from it's frame. In reality, while impressive, it was a fortuitous convergence of physics and angles. To the driver it appeared a feat of superhuman strength, even more so when he noticed the young face of his saviour.

"Thank you, thank you" the man said in a northeastern accent, holding his shoulder. Y/N pointed to the rest of Gamma squad who were almost at the van.

"Go. They're your only chance" he said. Before the man could reply he had disappeared passed the car, full of blood lust, pulling his gun from his thigh again.

Y/N continued to stalk forward, pulling another mag from his belt to reload his glock before a hard thump smashed into the back of his head. The world went black as he collapsed.

—~—

Jayne and the others made it to the empty van, Jayne laying the captain across the rear of the van's interior as Simon continued to try to work on him. Zoe helped a pale River into the passenger seat and yelled to Jayne to get in the driver's seat.

Jayne did so in a panic as Simon yelled they had to move quick. A man arrived at the van holding his left shoulder and Grey Wolf helped the injured soldier in who thanked him before Zoe yelled "Go!" and slammed the back doors of the van closed.

The keys had been left in the ignition and as Jayne started the van amongst the screams and chaos and gunfire he drove, determined to save his friend's life, not noticing Grey Wolf and Zoe were on the outside of the van when they had closed the back doors.

The pair nodded to each other and reloaded, returning to the chaos and the mayhem of the meat grinder they and their friends had been fed into.