“Go ahead, shoot,” said the Preacher.
His machete was sheathed, and his pistol rested on the lid of a crib beside him. He turned around with his arms cradled. Flecks of blood speckled the otherwise clear visor covering his face.
Nestled in his arms was an infant. A tiny, bronze and purple-skinned baby. Behind it, the Faithful’s emblem was painted in thick black ink across the Preacher’s chest. His eyes widened as his gaze fell upon Lucy.
“You,” he breathed in disbelief.
“Put the child down, Troy,” said Lucy.
“I have thought of you every night since we parted, Lucy. I thought of your treachery, and cowardice, and your betrayal of your own family. I have prayed for you. I prayed that we would be reunited so that I may have peace in my heart. You took from me the last precious thing left in this world. You killed your own sister, my Shona. But our Lady is wise. She has brought you here, beside these sinners, so that you too may atone for your sins,” he said, gesturing to the incubators around them.
“Put him down. Please – that’s my child,” urged Lopez, edging closer.
The Preacher stared at him with genuine pity. “Your ‘child’?”
Lopez holstered his pistol and raised his hands in submission, nodding imploringly. The baby gurgled, and the Preacher rocked it gently. Lopez stepped closer, longing to reach out and comfort the child himself. But the Preacher edged away, retreating further inside the lab.
“I lost my first child to the spores,” said the Preacher. “My wife died tending to him. When winter came, I did the best I could by my community, and what was left of my family. I gave shelter to my neighbors. I shared my food and water. Did you do that, Lucy? When my second child died, I nearly gave up. I let her go to fetch water from the tank. She was attacked by some creature. Part of the plague that is consuming our planet. With my third child, I kept her safe in all the ways I knew how. I barely let her out of the house, except when I was with her. And yet one day, she fell sick with a fever. I watched her suffer and weaken for four days before it finally took her.”
The Preacher blinked the tears away from his eyes.
“Only then did I understand what was happening. That this a lesson. A punishment for our arrogance. All that I took for granted has been taken from me. When I learned that the disease had struck the capital, I knew our Lady was calling me here; to witness your people’s sins, and free you from them. For only when the last sinner is cleansed will the creatures fall,” said the Preacher.
The fingers tensed on Lopez’s gnarled hand as he shifted forwards. Lucy moved slowly in tandem across the parallel side of the lab. She tried to shut off the nearby gas taps as she moved, but there was no way she could reach them all without passing the Preacher.
“You were a father too. I can hear it in your voice,” said the Preacher, looking from Lopez to the infant in his arms.
“I am a father,” said Lopez, edging closer still.
He and Lucy had drawn level with the Preacher, in a pincer motion – each just a few yards away. Lopez’s hands agitated to grab the baby from him, but his fear of harming the child was all too clear. The rational, disciplined major had vanished, and a terrified, powerless father stood in his place, yearning for the release of his kid.
“As that which I loved was taken from me, and so shall it be taken from you, brother. We shall be united in our pain,” said the Preacher, softly.
“Troy, you don’t have to do this,” urged Lucy.
“Our Lady’s work was never intended to be easy, Lucy. Look at me – I am weak. I’m holding this sinner here, seeing not its blemishes, nor its deviations from what is human. No, I am seeing the children I have lost, for that is what my heart longs to see. Satan is blinding me to the truth in my very hands. Gather close, my children, we shall go together,” said the Preacher.
With one hand, he unzipped a pouch on his tactical belt. From it, he pulled out a silver lighter.
Lucy’s mouth fell open in horror.
The door behind the Preacher swung open. Karys rushed forwards silently. In her hand she clutched a metal lab stand.
“By our Lady’s grace, she will have final judgement. You will atone for your sins, and I for mine. Perhaps we shall meet in the next life,” said Troy, raising his hand to the air.
The Preacher stared at Lucy with a puzzled expression. Sensing her distracted gaze, he turned. Karys launched herself at him, swinging the desk clamp directly at his head.
Lucy seized her chance and dived for the lighter. She grabbed Troy’s hand as he tried to strike the flint wheel. The Preacher dropped the child as he raised his other arm to block Karys’s attack. Lopez dived in and caught the baby just in time. He curled into a protective ball as the group struggled above his body.
Lucy wrestled the Preacher backwards into the wall as they fought for the lighter. She pried his fingers back and the lighter fell to the ground. She tried to kick it away, but the Preacher kneed her hard in the abdomen, sending her crumpling to the ground. With his foot, he shunted the lighter out of Lucy’s reach.
Karys bludgeoned his chest with the clamp. The Preacher cried out in pain, grabbed her arm, and punched her hard in the ribs, throwing her to the ground.
Lucy watched aghast as he seized a knife from his belt and fell upon her, plunging it at Karys’s throat. The botanist flung her hand out to stop him. The knife stabbed through her palm and clean through the other side. Karys screamed in agony. Lucy dived at the Preacher, tackling him to the ground.
His head landed close to the lighter. He reached for it with a desperate groan, but Lucy pounced on his back, flattening him temporarily. He elbowed her hard in the chest, knocking her backwards.
She grabbed his leg and clawed at him, but he kicked her away and scrambled forwards. Lucy leaped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You. Brainwashed. My. Sister,” she cried.
The Preacher rolled backwards with a yell and elbowed her repeatedly in the ribs. Lucy broke off, winded. He flipped onto his front. She tried to get up, but he knocked her to the ground. The room swam as she reeled from the blow. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw the lab door open as Lopez fled with his child.
Suddenly, the Preacher was upon her. The air to her lungs was cut off. His yellow gloves had wrapped around her neck and he cried out as he squeezed with all his might.
“Finally it all makes sense. This is a gift, Lucy, a gift from our Lady. She has sent you here to reward me, for my faith, and my loyalty. I shall show you the redemption you deserve,” he grunted, squeezing harder.
Lucy rasped. Her lungs strained against her blocked windpipe. Stars appeared across her eyes. Her vision became clouded with red. She pawed hopelessly at the Preacher’s hands, but his grip was too strong.
With a cry, Karys stabbed him in the back. The Preacher reared upwards with a yell of pain. Lucy gasped as air poured back into her lungs.
The Preacher seized Karys’s injured hand and twisted it. She screamed in agony as he dragged her to the ground and pummeled her face with his fists. Lucy staggered to her knees and dived onto his back, slamming the knife in further.
The Preacher cried in agony as they fell in separate directions. He grabbed Lucy by the collar and stared into her eyes with pure hatred. He clamped his hands around her neck once again. Lucy’s eyes bulged as she spluttered desperately for air.
“Your end will match hers. First, you will suffocate. Then, you will burn. Then, you – will – face – judgement,” he exclaimed, slamming Lucy’s neck against the floor.
A mass of red flew in from the side and the Preacher fell away. Lucy gasped for air and scrambled backwards in terror, clutching her throat. She stared as Lopez slammed the fire extinguisher down on the Preacher’s skull a second time.
Troy lay motionless on the ground. Lopez dropped the canister with a clunk and rushed towards her.
“Are you OK?” he said, heaving her upwards, as she rasped for air. “We need to evacuate t
he children – Lucy?” begged Lopez.
Wheezing and spluttering, she pushed him away and crawled back towards the Preacher. She seized the extinguisher. She lifted it up, swaying as she did so. With a cry, she brought it crashing down upon him. She missed his head, and struck his shoulder blade, rocking his body. She raised it again with a grunt, and smashed it into him – this time finding her mark. She swung over, and over, until Lopez pulled her away.
“Lucy, that’s enough! It’s over – we need to get out of here,” he yelled.
The room spun before her eyes. She felt him support her out of the lab and into the corridor. There, she slid against the wall, gasping for air. She faintly registered Lopez bringing Karys to recover beside Lucy, while he loaded dozens of cribs onto trolleys.
Lucy forced her dizzy brain to focus on Karys’s hand. It was bleeding heavily. Lopez had pressed a bandage into it, but not fastened it. She grabbed the cloth and wound it tightly. Karys groaned as she came to, then cried out as the pain hit her sharply. She jolted upwards, recoiling her legs instinctively, bracing for another blow.
“He’s dead,” said Lucy, exhaustedly tying the bandage into a knot.
Karys’s fingers probed her swelling eye and split lip. Outside, the all-clear sounded.
“What were you doing in that room?” coughed Lucy.
Karys gathered her thoughts, replying as if she were on some far-off planet.
“Uh, there’s another baby unit in there. You guys were late so I was preparing them to be moved. Then that psychopath broke into the main unit. He was covered in blood, and armed. I wasn’t, so I hid. I didn’t know what else to do. Then I heard you guys. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“How come you were already inside? Harvey never mentioned you,” said Lucy.
Karys looked away, shiftily.
“Oh my god, you already knew about this ward, didn’t you?” said Lucy, seething.
“Harvey only gave me access yesterday afternoon,” said Karys.
“Why didn’t you tell us immediately?” said Lopez, stopping abruptly in the threshold.
“Because I didn’t know whether I wanted them to live, OK?” blurted Karys.
Lucy stared at her in amazement. Those were the very words she’d never had the courage to say herself.
“I’m not infected,” continued Karys. “Up until today I was still harboring a naïve hope that the Government might get its shit together and not fall to pieces. But that’s not how it’s played out, alright? So let’s just get these things out of this city.”
“These things are our children,” grunted Lopez.
“Your children,” said Karys, pointedly.
“Enough. We need to get to the East Gate fast,” said Lucy, clambering to her feet.
She, Lopez, and Karys each grabbed a hospital trolley loaded full of tiny, gurgling infants, and pressed on towards the main hallway.
The elevator could only fit one of them at a time. Lopez went first. While they waited, Lucy grabbed more morphine from the supply closet, wincing as she stepped over Harvey’s lifeless body. She loaded a boxful of vials and syringes onto the trolley, then hastily drew up a dose. She jabbed it into Karys’s arm as the elevator headed back up.
The door to Lucy’s powder lab swung open behind them. She grabbed her pistol and trained it at the doorway.
“Woah, don’t shoot. Same side, remember?” said Maurice, emerging with a duffle bag. He stepped into the corridor, followed by Kryz, also clutching a bag.
“What the hell are you two doing here? Who’s evacuating the infecteds?” said Lucy, aghast.
“Hoffstein’s guys are on it. While we were at the prison, Maurice shared some interesting details with me,” said Kryz, patting his duffel bag.
“What’s in there?” said Lucy, dreading the answer.
“This is how we win,” said Kryz, swinging the bag over his shoulder, and brushing past her towards the elevator.
“You’re not coming with us?” said Lucy.
“We are taking the city for our people. All people will be our people. No more prisons, no more hiding. We are the only way humans can stay strong, and defeat the creatures. We have to adapt – people will see that,” said Kryz.
Karys grabbed Maurice’s bag and pulled the zip open, revealing containers brimming full of white powder.
“This would cause a mass outbreak,” said Lucy, horrified.
“Which will save thousands of lives,” said Kryz.
“How did you get so much?” said Karys.
“Your director friend was a resourceful man,” said Maurice, closing the bag. “Once we’d concluded the deal for the blood jackets, it didn’t take me long to find out about the powder project. The man loved his work – and he was very keen for people to know about it.”
“Why would he tell you? That undermines the whole blood supply market he was trying to create,” said Lucy.
“He knew there was no way the Queen would have been able to replicate his blood system on the same scale. He was confident of the deal. Blabbing about the powder – well that was ego, pure and simple. He only had one customer for the white stuff, and they were keeping it secret, which made him rather sad,” said Maurice, rubbing his eye in mock sympathy.
“Wait, you said he has a ‘customer’ for the powder?” said Karys.
“You might have heard of them – they’re called the US Government?” said Maurice, sardonically.
“Bullshit. If they knew what this stuff truly did they’d never have allowed it – my whole set up was off the record,” said Lucy.
“On the contrary, Harvey knew exactly what the powder does, and he told his superiors. They ordered pounds and pounds of the stuff for a big, puffy bomb,” smiled Maurice.
Lucy’s face fell as she realized what was happening.
“The Government struck a deal of last resort with the navy – that should the city ever fall to the D4 creatures, the White House was to kill as many as possible before they fled. When Harvey revealed this powder, they immediately saw the potential for a dead hand mechanism. Of course, when Harvey told us this, I don’t think he was expecting a coup to break out,” said Maurice.
“A powder bomb would infect the entire population – it would be practically impossible to escape,” said Karys, aghast.
“Precisely, and the future will belong to us. No more prison. No more torturing infecteds. We will be one people, and we will fight the beasts together,” said Kryz.
“Goodbye, Lucy. It’s been fun. We must get going, our contact’s expecting us. I think he’s got a crop duster drone or something, who knows. The butterfly attack is over for now. Both sides will be taking to the streets. Perfect timing, I think you’ll agree,” said Maurice.
“Three days from now, the city will be ours – yours, too. Come back when you’re ready,” said Kryz.
“You can’t do this – five percent will die in the transition, at least. The people deserve a choice,” said Karys, blocking the stairwell door.
Kryz’s hand moved to his holster and the smile vanished from his face. “The people deserve to live – we are giving them that chance. They will have many choices to make after that.”
Lucy swallowed bitterly, and moved Karys away from the door.
“Let them go, Karys. He’s right,” she said, despondently.
Karys stepped back and let the door fall shut. Kryz and Maurice hurried down the stairwell with the duffle bags.
“I don’t want to be infected,” said Karys, anxiously.
“And I don’t know what a second dose that potent would do to the rest of us. It could mean heaps more of these, and that’s not a world I want either,” said Lucy, gesturing to the infant-laden trolleys. “Let’s go – quickly.”
Karys took the next elevator, leaving Lucy alone on the deserted ward. She stared at the sealed doors stretching before her, shuddering at the horrific memories behind each, before her turn came to leave.
The cityscape had become filled with the echoes
of a warzone. Gunshots stuttered from blocks all around, while explosions rang out across the city. People’s cries mingled with the snarls of beasts swarming the city. The predators pounced on stranded civilians and ambushed outnumbered soldiers.
“I’ll keep them secure – you two get up front!” urged Lopez, grabbing Lucy’s trolley.
“Where’s the Hummer?” said Lucy, eyeing up the trolley-filled van before her.
“I gave it to Kryz. We needed the capacity. Let’s go!” he cried, leaping into the back.
Lucy took the wheel and hit the gas. They raced through the citadel, weaving past burning buildings, prowling creatures, violent protestors, and overstretched troops. Lucy’s mouth fell as they passed a section of the city’s improvised wall, which looked like acid had cleaved it in two. Beasts poured through the gap, undetected, and unchallenged. The muscular, white-furred creatures sniffed the air and bounded down side streets, towards their prey.
Lucy screeched up to the East Gates. The first set was open. The second, partially so. The base of the left side had disappeared. It too had been corroded away. Glistening pink liquid covered the burned edges, over which insects crawled. Rodents and reptiles swarmed under the newly-created gap, and disappeared into the surrounding buildings.
The right hand gate was open just wide enough to let the last truckload of infecteds through into the abandoned portion of the city beyond. The handful of remaining soldiers tried in vain to pick off the creatures streaming over the perimeter, but the numbers were overwhelming.
A soldier wearing a yellow-striped jacket ran towards the van, halting Lucy in her tracks.
“I thought you weren’t going to make it,” cried Ruth. “The army’s sending reinforcements to seal the gate – we need to go now.”
Ruth leaped in, and Lucy sped forwards. They hurtled through the gates and after the convoy of trucks stretching before them, heading for the freeway. In her rearview mirror, a series of drones glistened against the grey sky. They flew over the capital in a neat formation, methodically tracing the streets below, leaving powdery contrails overhead, which gently rained down on the city.
Convulsive Box Set Page 81