HIVE

by Taylor, Dan

  The car park they were in was secured with a ten-foot wall with razor wire. They did have the keys to exit the gate to the front car park but the noise of the gate was almost certainly draw attention to the cannibals currently tearing down the front doors to reception. Lydia briefly suggested making camp here and calling for help but they were unsure how long it would take before the infected got in and trapped them. Abel pulled a tarpaulin cover off one of the police cars and climbed on top of a riot van parked in the far corner. He covered the razor wire as best as her could and called the women over. One by one they climbed over the wall onto the hard concrete below. They suffered only minor grazes but were now free from the station and the infected.

  They group carefully walked around the back of the high wall trying not to make a sound. They had seen first-hand that if they were spotted, they would be hunted. They were behind a row of shops and very close to an alley which would lead them to the town centre. Slowly and carefully they walked through the alley. Lydia poked her head around the corner to see if she spotted any infected but quickly pulled her head back. Her eyes went wide and she was trembling.

  "The town is packed with them. There are bodies littering the streets and the animals and eating them. There must be at least thirty of them.”

  Angela turned white. She had had more than enough of dealing with these infected lunatics today. "We have to turn back. I can't face them again," She whimpered looking at Abel who nodded sympathetically in agreement.

  The group spun around in unison to walk away but Abel froze and raised his arm, signalling to stop. There was a man standing maybe ten meters away at the end of the alleyway. He was tall, bald, shirtless and muscular. His torso was covered in scars which would swell up like blisters and pop. His stomach glistened as the fluid from the blisters ran down his chest. He was smiling like a mad man but had piercing eyes which burned through Abel to his core. His breathing was shallow and he purred like a wolf.

  "Ok time to go." said Abel and he dragged the two women by the arms into the open town centre. The man in the alley followed. The group ran as fast as they could. Most of the cannibals were too busy eating to notice but as soon as one started giving chase more followed. Lydia lead the group from the front and sprinted across the street towards the church gates. Abel was surprised with how quick she was. Not just her physical speed but how quick she was to decide that the church was the best place to be. She was leading the group now. The church was built on a slight hill which meant it was higher ground than the town centre. Its cemetery was surrounded by an old thick stone wall which was five feet in most places and a large iron gate was the only way in.

  Abel was terrified to look behind. He knew the bald man would be at the front leading the pack and he knew he was quicker than they were. This was fight or flight and his flight instincts were in top gear. Lydia swung open the gate and Angela and Abel ran through. She swung it closed as the bald man arrived. He did not grab the gate but waited for the others to catch up. The crazed man stood grinning at the trio. The smell of death radiated from the swollen pores on his chest. Lydia reacted first and started dragging a bench from next to the gate to block their path. Abel saw she needed help and pulled the church bench in front of the gate just in time as the hoard arrived. The bald man stood still the whole time. He watched at the infected clawed at the gate as if he was a maestro conducting the orchestra. The crowd dripped in bloody saliva and their eyes darted around wildly between Lydia, Abel and Angela.

  "The church. We will be safe there," pleaded Angela who just wanted to be as far from the infected as possible.

  The group rushed up the gravel graveyard path to the thick wooden church doors. They were lucky to find them unlocked and managed to bar themselves in with a heavy wooden barricade.

  "Welcome to St Bartholomew's," beamed a warm voice. The trio were stunned to see the friendly rosy cheeked smile of Vicar Pete Addison. He was dressed in bright white robes which illuminated him against the dark candle lit church interior. His hair was neatly parted to one side and the wide-eyed smile showed no signs of knowing what was going on outside. He floated enthusiastically towards them in a way only a Vicar can.

  "What brings you to our church on a day like today?" he asked naïvely.

  Abel, Lydia and Angela did not know what to say. What on earth did he think was going on? The town had basically gone to hell and Pete Addison was acting like it was Easter Sunday.

  Angela was the first to speak, "Ohh Pete. You must know. There has been an outbreak of a terrible disease and the town has been evacuated. We were chased here by some infected mob which is why we have to barricaded ourselves in."

  "So, you are evoking your right to sanctuary," he beamed back at them rocking back and forth on his heels.

  "Well not exactly," Abel started to say but Vicar Pete Addison quickly cut him off.

  "Now, now. It is quite alright. So, you shall attend the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the alter so there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel," he quoted, "I thought someone would be sent. I knew our holy father would not allow me to spend my final moments alone and abandoned by the rest of the clergy. I was at the town meeting and I heard what the general had said. A terrible disease indeed but I have seen the signs and I now know what is to come. I have not fled my parish. That is not what God would want. I am to stay and protect these holy walls until the end and offer refuge to those caught in the chaos."

  Abel was unsure what he meant by the end. "That’s very…” He paused to think of the right word. Idiotic, self-righteous, daft. “Noble of you. But of course, you mean protecting the church until the end of this outbreak, right?”

  "Of course. I cannot leave these walls I have a calling after all. Now come away from the door we do not want anyone to get in. We should use some of the pews to help secure us. I have been watching from the bell tower and ran down when I saw you coming. You should rest here tonight the sun is setting and you don't want to be out there in the dark. Tomorrow you can make your way to quarantine zone if it is safe. Please help me move these pews and then we can talk further."

  Chapter 27

  "The sun is setting. The time is nineteen thirty-two. Delta One, Three and Six are within the quarantine zone at precisely fifty-one point zero three zero five north, minus one point two seven seven nine west. We are on the outskirts of Bayhollow East and awaiting orders." Delta One held his left hand to the spot on his full-face visor where his left ear would be as he listened to the response in his headset. A voice buzzed, "Loud and clear Delta One, Three and Six. You may proceed into the town. We need a fully metamorphosed and undamaged specimen. We recommend using Worker Bee serum. These things are strong and you will need all the strength you can. Over."

  Delta One looked at Delta Six. "Worker Bee," he said calmly. Delta Six pushed a module on her belt. It popped open and she pulled out three small vials and handed one to each member. On the right forearm of their black mesh uniforms was a titanium cover which when pulled back revealed a tube to slot the small vial. Once clicked into place there was a small hiss as the titanium slot covered the tube. The solution inside would then quickly be injected into the uniform wearer’s bloodstream.

  Delta One had used this serum many times and he welcomed the rush it gave. He was stronger and sharper. It was like taking super strength anabolic steroids without the high blood pressure or rage. You could think clearer and react quicker. Delta One loved looking at the reaction of Delta Three who was new to this serum. He was bouncing on his toes ready for anything.

  "Okay, let's move out and scout possible targets for extraction. The hostiles are like noting we have seen before so let’s make this a quick mission," commanded Delta One.

  The Delta team moved out of the woods and into Bayhollow town. It was relatively quiet and a mess. Cars littered the street which was peppered with broken glass tire marks and blood. Before joining HIVE, Delta One had served five terms in the Iraq War and this scene gave him a
strange sense of déjà vu. Albeit less sandy and hot, there were crashed cars, broken glass, eerie silence and the smell of death in the air.

  Their orders were clear. The scientists needed a specimen for testing and they were to leave the rest of the infected. Only shoot to kill if absolutely necessary. There were only so many test subjects in this town after all.

  It wasn't long before Delta Three spotted a shuffler. It was a male. Alone and wondering down the middle of the street. It groaned and blood frothed from its mouth. Without a word, their training kicked in and the trio split. Delta One and Six walked to the left of the street behind a BMW which had crashed into a lamp post. Delta Three went to the right and hid behind a row of bushes. When the shuffler was close Delta One sprang from the back of the BMW with Delta Six rushing from the front. Delta three took the left. The target was surrounded and outnumbered. Before it could comprehend the situation, Delta Six had thrown a bolas around its legs tying them together. Delta Three lassoed him round the waist pinning his arms and Delta One threw a black hessian sack over his head. He pulled a drawstring which tightened the bag around its neck. The man completely taken by surprise and incapacitated fell straight down onto his face.

  "Six, check him." Commanded Delta One.

  Delta Six knelt down to the man. she pressed her gloved hands over the body as if she was patting it down for weapons. She then rolled the body over and stopped. She had thought at first the man was wearing a red t-shirt when in fact it was a white t-shirt soaked in blood. Carefully making sure she touched as little soaked blood as possible she lifted the t-shirt up to his neck. Where the man's torso should have been, was a mess of eaten flesh and exposed organs. The ribcage was visible and blood sprayed out the man's punctured lungs with each breath.

  "It's a no, Delta One. The target is a mess. the organs are exposed and damaged. The liver and kidneys are missing. Eaten I'm guessing," Delta Six replied disappointed. Missions are rarely as simple as planned. They would have to find another and quick. Although they were not afraid the group understood the risks and would rather be out of the infection zone as soon as they could.

  Delta Three pulled a modified Browning Hi-Power handgun from his waist and aimed it at the moving hessian sack. The gun was silenced with an oversized magazine.

  "Stand down Three," Delta One ordered. He squatted down and pulled the hessian sack off the man's head. The tied and bloodied man hissed and wriggled like a viper. "We can leave this one it is of no harm. Test subjects are limited and this one can be used if we get desperate. In fact, it might be a good idea if..."

  The group stopped in their tracks as a loud shriek bellowed towards them. All three drew their weapons. Down the street an old grey woman dressed in a blue cotton nighty and brown slippers pointed at the group and shrieked like a banshee.

  "Next target spotted," Grinned Delta Three from beneath his visor.

  No sooner had he made a step towards her, two more infected people appeared from behind her. Lurking from behind cars was another six. Once the HIVE team had been spotted the infected ran at them at full sprint.

  "Into the housing estate north!" Shouted Delta One. Their mission now was to lose this group and then find a loner they could extract. Taking on of these things would not be a challenge, especially on Worker Bee Serum, but it was still a risk. The deeper into the town they would go the more dangerous the mission would be for them. They ran through windy streets and through alleys but the heard chasing them did not let up. Realising the danger that they would be in if they hit a dead end, Delta One ordered the group towards a three-story town house. Delta One grabbed the door handle ripped it out the door. It flung back and hit the old woman straight into her face and knocked her flat on her back. The Serum was now in full effect. It was seconds later that Delta one had ripped enough of the door off to get the team inside.

  "Delta Six, smoke grenades, Delta Three, flash bangs. We’re going upstairs, now!" he ordered coolly.

  As they ran to the top floor Six and Three were intermittently dropping smoke and flash grenades. The trick worked to slow down anybody chasing them. Once they had reached the top floor Delta One ran towards the bedroom window unlocked it and climbed out and onto the roof. Three and Six followed. Six made sure to swing the window closed once she was through.

  On top of the roof Delta One had time to analyse the situation. They wouldn't be able to extract anyone in this area as it was too busy. They could call air support to extract them and take them back to camp Nectar but that would mean the mission was failed. The worker Bee serum would protect them from a high fall but the streets below were surrounded. He could see a building nearby encircled by a high wall with razor wire. Its car park was empty apart from one person shuffling around.

  Delta One pointed towards the building. " That building over there, with the high fence, what is it?"

  Delta Six pulled a GPS from her belt and started punching coordinates. "That's the police station sir. Are you thinking that will be where our target is?"

  Although hidden by his visor Three and Six could tell he was smiling. "Affirmative," he stated before jumping to the next building and shimmying down the drain pipe.

  As soon as all three were on the ground they ran silently towards the station. The Worker Bee serum made them quick. They could move their legs faster and push themselves off the ground easier. This made them bounce high as they took each stride like a gazelle in grassy plains. It was now dark and they made it to the station without any fuss. Three was however spotted by the infected person in the car park, who lunged at him. Three responded by firing two rounds into his head. The bullets noise was suppressed by the silencer, but they blew through the back of his skull like it was a balloon popping. His brains covered the bonnet of a parked car in a mixture of green and grey chunks.

  "Three, have you forgot our mission?" Asked Delta One calmly. He had experience with loose cannons before and knew how to handle the situation.

  "This one had to be put down. It almost got me so I had to defend myself. Plus, he is missing an arm so, not exactly the specimen we want."

  "Our orders are to leave the rest of the infected. Only shoot if necessary." He pointed to the corpse on the floor, "This was not necessary." Three had to put in his place. They were a team and had to act that way if their mission was to be a success. Delta One put this outburst down to a reaction from the drugs coursing through Three’s veins.

  The stations front doors were smashed open. The reception area was empty but a trail of blood that lead through the security door looked promising. Through the door they found another corpse lying face down in a corridor. This one was a blonde woman wearing pink. It was impossible for the team to tell anything else about her as she was lying in a pool of her own blood which had clearly come from her head.

  The trail was still warm as there was more blood in this room. This time on a steel door which had the words holding cells written above it. Delta One gave the signal to Six to open the door whilst he and Three took their positions. She swung the door open quickly. She could feel it should be heavy without the added serum strength but was still too heavy to rip off its hinges. The room behind the door was empty. The trail had gone cold.

  They were about to move out when Delta One heard a faint moan. He paused and raised his hands for silence. Not that he needed to, Three and Six had heard it too. Delta One carefully walked in the block, pistol drawn. He slowly slid open the food hatch on the second cell and had a look inside.

  He lifted his visor, turned to the team and smiled. "Call in the chopper. We got one all wrapped up like a Christmas Present." He loved the feeling of a successful mission.

  Chapter 28

  Can't let the monster out. Can't let it take control. Dios Mios. Can't let the monster out. Can't let it have control.

  Callum stood in the pitch blackness at the edge of the woods pacing backwards and forwards. A new ten-foot chain link fence was in front of him. This fence was not for the others he had infected, it
was specifically meant to keep him in, he knew it.

  The patrol was routinely walking around the boarder as construction was happening on building a concrete fence meters behind the chain link one. This was not going to stop him. He had to find him. It wasn't long before two patrol men walked by the chain link fence. They shone their torches into the woods. Callum dodged the light beams by hiding behind a fallen log. The patrol men wore British Army uniform. They weren't HIVE which was good news for Callum. Maybe these soldiers did not yet know what to expect. He would imagine General Holt wouldn't have filtered down all the information to the grunts doing patrol duty. As soon as the two soldiers had passed him, Callum felt a twinge in his neck. There was an urge he thought was quenched.

  Maybe he should let the monster out. Maybe in this instance it should take control. Silent and swift as a ninja, Callum emerged from the blackness and scrambled over the chain link fence. Once over and behind the first soldier, he grabbed him by his helmet and twisted his head full spin. He felt the neck break and his body go limp. Hearing his patrol partner drop to the ground the other soldier spun around. However, he was met by a fist which broke his nose and knocked him unconscious. Callum pulled both soldier behind a block of concrete slabs, out of view from watchtowers and other patrolling soldiers. He fed to quench his blood lust and he decided to eat the necks of both soldiers in order to decapitate them. He didn't want to risk a reanimation. He had found in his experimenting there was little chance of this happening when a body was removed from its brain. The reanimated corpses of two soldiers would definitely cause alarm in the camp.