by Olah, Jeff
He didn’t care. Mason had taken care of the man who murdered his family and as long as the Feeders weren’t busting down their doors, he wasn’t interested. Humoring Sean, he worked the kinks out of his neck as he watched the massive group of Feeders move from one side of the screen to the other. “Sean, there doesn’t appear to be anything special going on out there.”
“Keep watching,” Sean said.
“What am I watching for?”
“Kinda hard to explain,” Sean said. “Here, let me make a few adjustments and see if it becomes a little more obvious.” He rolled the video feed back another few minutes, hit pause, and turned to Mason. “Watch this.” There now appeared to be three times the amount of Feeders filling the screen. Sean ran the feed again at six times the speed of the first.
Leaning forward in the chair, Mason ran his hands through his hair and didn’t blink as he watched the screen. “What… The… Hell?” Mason turned to Sean as the video feed caught up to the current time. “What are they doing?”
“That’s why I asked you to take a look. I don’t get it.”
“Play it for me again, at the exact same speed,” Mason said. “I want to be sure what it is I’m looking at before I go talk to your dad.”
Sean rolled the footage back to the same spot and looked at Mason for confirmation. “You ready?”
“Yep.”
The overhead lights flickered as Sean hit the play button. The bottom third of the screen looked to be the Northwest corner of the facility. The six-foot block wall bordering Blackmore divided the remaining portion of the screen as hundreds of Feeders packed the area.
Like an old black and white movie running in fast forward, the Feeders moved into the area and forced themselves forward to the wall. Within seconds of laying their hands on the wall, they’d turn their heads to the right and one by one, moved off into the night.
Looking at the time lapse running along the bottom of the monitor, Mason calculated that the mass exodus of over two hundred Feeders took place in less than sixty seconds. Back to the current time, the area was clear. He pointed at the left corner of the screen. “Where are they going?”
“I’m not really sure,” Sean said.
“Hey, you’ve been monitoring these feeds for the past few days. That answer isn’t going to cut it. You know this system better than anyone else behind these walls. If we’re about to get company, I’m depending on you to know about it… Fair enough?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Listen Sean, no one here is any more important than anyone else. We are a team, a family. Everyone has a role and you’re a big part of the reason we are going to stay alive on this mountain. Find out what those things are up to and let’s not get caught with our pants down. I’m trusting you.”
“Thanks, Mason.”
Standing and pushing away from the chair, Mason moved for the door. “You got it.”
“Yep.” Pulling up each of the cameras that surveilled the exterior of Blackmore, Sean gave each feed its own monitor. He moved quickly from one to the next, assuring the walls hadn’t been breached before going back and individually studying them for something he may have missed.
Three monitors in and the potential problem revealed itself. Rising from his seat and moving back to the door, Sean yelled, “MASON, I THINK I’VE GOT SOMETHING!”
Turning back into the room and moving toward his desk, Sean slid back into his chair and watched the door. The monitors and CPUs began to power down as the lights flickered twice and then blinked out.
“Oh no.”
155
The last breath of air-conditioning flowed out of the overhead vent as the backup generators momentarily sputtered to life and then gave up. He stopped moving and felt for the counter before whispering, “Savannah, Megan… you both alright?”
No answer. Much darker than a moonless night and twice as quiet, Randy laid the serving dish on the table to the right and felt his way toward the door. The counter wet and cold, he assumed he was running his hand through the iced tea Megan had been preparing. Seconds later it was confirmed as he walked into her from behind, tripped, and ended up flat on his back.
Flat streaks of light gliding across the room, Savannah entered. She moved the flashlight from Randy’s face over to Megan’s and then back to Randy’s once again. “Now, just look at the mess you two have made. I’m definitely not cleaning it up. That’s all you.”
As he pulled himself up off the floor, both women began to chuckle. Megan stepped aside as Randy moved to Savannah and held out his hand. “Can I borrow that?”
“Really?” she said. “So Megan and I are just supposed to stand here in the dark while you take off to God knows where in this creepy building?”
“Ok, then where are the rest of the—”
Mason called out, “RANDY!” He wasn’t close, although his voice made it appear that he was just outside the door. “Let’s go,” he said.
Turning into the hall and squinting through the darkness, not much was visible. The bouncing flecks of light coming from just beyond The Cage alerted him as to which direction Mason’s voice had originated. Each passing second growing closer, Randy stepped aside as Mason led Dr. Lockwood and Eleanor past him and into the Command Center.
Now a face with the voice, Mason said, “Get Savannah and Megan in here, we’ve got to get out there.” Mason waited for Eleanor to move around him and then turned back to Randy. “Here,” he said handing him a second flashlight. “Like right now.”
Back into the kitchen and the women still trying to contain their amusement, Randy powered up his black pistol-grip flashlight and lit a path out of the room. “Mason needs everyone in there, he sounds serious.”
Following Randy into the room, Savannah entered first and quickly found a seat, while Megan moved in and sat atop the desk nearest the door. “What happened?” Savannah asked.
Although the semi-circle they formed was less than eight feet in diameter, their faces were still a muted grey under the weakened light put off by the three flashlights. “Randy and I need to check it out. Sean just showed me something a little weird out there… should be nothing to worry about, although I need all of you to stay in here and manually lock it down once we head out.”
Sean twisted in his seat. “This is the only door I can lock down manually. The others are unsecure until we get the power back on. We’d need the master set of keys and those were gone long before we got here. All doors should lock down when the power goes down, although something in the code changed within the last few days. I’m still trying to locate it.”
Leaning forward in her seat, Eleanor said, “Are we safe or is this going to turn ugly again?”
“Eleanor, everything’s fine. Sean can explain, but for now we need to get out there… Randy, let’s go.”
The door closing behind them, Mason moved to the strongbox sitting alongside the rear exit and pulled free two semi-automatic rifles. They readied their weapons and Mason leaned into the door. “You ready?”
“Sure, but what’s got you so spooked?” Randy said.
“It’s nothing.”
As Mason began to step outside, Randy grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and pulled him back, new spurs of white powder giving way under his grip. “You need to tell me what the hell we’re doing out here.”
Pulling away, Mason said, “I told you, we’re turning the power back on.”
“You’re not telling me everything. What did Sean show you? Do you know why this happened?”
Mason paused, looked out into the yard, and shook his head. The storm beginning to intensify with each passing moment, he turned back to Randy. “Not exactly… long story short is that we saw a big group of Feeders moving out of the Northwest corner beyond the wall. The looked like they had a purpose, as if they were being drawn to something. They don’t move that way, not all at once anyways.”
“So?”
“So,” Mason said. “You now know exactly what I know, which is nothing. We need to get into
Building Two and get the power back on, that’s what I do know. According to Sean, this place could run for another six months on what’s left of the power supply. There’s a reason this keeps happening, and if it has to do with what I saw this morning, we can deal with it right now.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s it. We need to move though, this storm is getting worse.”
“Right behind ya,” Randy said.
With the moon casting shadows along their path, the pair moved out into the courtyard and ran the short distance to Building Two. A column of white powder trailed as they reached the door and stood at the entrance. Randy held his flashlight to the glass and peered into the lobby. “Looks clear.”
Mason pushed through the door and moved quickly down the length of the darkened hall to the last door on the left. “I’ll head down and get it running again, maybe five minutes. Cover the door and watch the perimeter walls. Also, keep an eye on Building One; we don’t want to be caught asleep at the wheel.”
“I’ve got it, now go get us some lights.”
One hand on the rail and the other lighting his path, he moved through the door and down the stairs. The area growing colder, Mason chuckled as his breath crystallized and then disappeared. Reaching ground level, he turned right and made his way through the maze of shelving that was stacked floor to ceiling.
Not as familiar with this building, Mason directed the illuminated beam into the corner of the basement. His last trip to this area was with William, less than twelve hours before Marcus Goodwin murdered him. As the horrific memories from days gone by began to flood back in, he jogged the short distance to the panel.
Three separate breakers all tripped, Mason stared at the panel. “Start at the beginning I guess.”
Turning off the breakers for each area of the facility separately, he waited sixty seconds and then powered them back up one by one. He gave the system a few minutes to restart itself and then waited for what he figured would be an inevitable voltage spike, leading to another outage.
It never came.
The overhead lights buzzed to life as Mason walked back in the direction he’d come. Ascending the stairs two at a time, he reached the first floor and moved into the hall. “Randy, we’re good to go, let’s get back—”
The hall leading to the lobby was empty. Randy was gone.
156
The sighs of relief pulled him from under the main desk. His path now clear, Sean moved to the door, unlatched the deadbolt, and stepped into the hall. Confirming the other areas were operational, he walked to the desk, slid back under, and powered on the main bank of surge protectors. Two of the individual CPUs crackled to life as Sean restarted the system and locked down the exterior.
“Don’t they need to get back in?” Megan asked.
“Yeah,” Sean said. “I’ll keep it locked until they get back… someone want to watch the rear door and let me know where they are?”
Looking around the room before heading to the door, Dr. Lockwood turned and said, “I’m going back to work.”
Close behind, Megan followed her father through the room and out into the hall, attempting to get his attention. “Dinner’s in twenty minutes, and this time you’re going to eat. Got it?”
“Yes, I’ll be there,” Lockwood said as he walked away.
Turning back to her brother, Megan pointed toward the exit. “I’ll go watch for the boys, just be ready to open the door when they get back.”
His fingers already a blur against the keyboard, he nodded and kept working. Sean keyed in the commands and one by one, the monitors brought to life the desolate landscape just outside their door. “That’s weird… where’s Randy?”
Still standing in the threshold between the Command Center and the hall, Savannah paused and let Eleanor get around her. Moving back into the room, she said, “What was that? Something about Randy?”
“I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, I just don’t see him. Mason came out of Building Two alone, although he’s not headed back this way.”
“Where’s he going? Can you find Randy on one of the other cameras?”
Savannah pulled up a chair and sat near the last three monitors as they came into focus. She chewed at the corner of her index finger as Mason moved into view of camera four. He continued marching through the snow and just before escaping the screen; he raised his weapon and slowed his pace. “This can’t be happening,” she said under her breath. “Where is he?”
Running through the minimized video feeds on the main monitor, Sean found what Savannah was searching for. Given another ten seconds and he may have had the chance to soften the blow, although Megan’s screams sent Savannah from the room as he reached under the desk for a weapon.
Megan’s voice echoed throughout the building as Savannah reached the door and pushed in behind her. “Randy’s down… he’s not moving.”
Through the first floor of Building Two and into the lobby, Mason hung the flashlight from his waist and shouldered his rifle. He walked quickly through the door and across the courtyard, spotting his friend, face-first in the snow.
Quickening his pace with each step, Mason moved to the open area outside the main gate and slid to a stop near his friend’s motionless body. His head cocked to the right, blood ran from Randy’s ear and down the length of his face, only stifled by the thick growth from weeks of not shaving.
A quick scan of the area revealed two sets of footprints. Randy’s, obviously ending near his spot in the white powder, and the second trailing off to the East wall. Through the scope of his rifle, Mason sighted the treeline beyond the wall and after ten seconds of silence, knelt next to his friend.
Wiping the pinkish flecks from Randy’s face, Mason pulled him in close and checked for a pulse. The flow across Randy’s carotid artery now weak and thready, Mason knew he needed to get help. Only slightly louder than a whisper, Mason spoke. “Randy… can you hear me? I’m gonna get you inside, just hold on a minute.”
No response.
His face cold and his lips a slight shade of blue, Mason saw no rise in his Randy’s chest. “Come on buddy, stay with me.”
Allowing his weapon to hang from his right arm, Mason scooped his friend onto his left shoulder and used every ounce of strength left in his legs to stand. He talked to Randy as he marched back across the courtyard toward Building One.
Ten seconds from the door and Mason detected movement near the rear wall. He ran the short distance to Building One, turned the corner and slowed as he moved past Megan and Savannah standing outside the door. Into the hall, he stopped at the Command Center, looked in, and asked Sean to cut the exterior lighting. He then called out to Dr. Lockwood and moved quickly to The Cage.
“What happened?” Dr. Lockwood asked. “Is he bitten?”
“I don’t think so; there weren’t any Feeders in the yard.”
Mason backed away as Lockwood took over, cutting Randy’s tattered shirt and pants away from his body. “Doc,” Mason said, “Is he breathing? His pulse felt really weak.”
Stethoscope to Randy’s chest, Dr. Lockwood shook his head. “He’s still breathing, and the injury to his head doesn’t appear to be life threatening, although we do need to warm him up.”
Mason started for the door. “Is he going to be alright?”
“He’ll be fine; it’s nothing too serious… worst case a concussion and he’ll just need some rest.” Randy’s eyes fluttered and began to open as Lockwood continued, “He’s going to have a nice size headache and may not remember much, although nothing long term.”
“Good,” Mason said. “Can you handle it from here?”
Lockwood nodded, “Sure.” He then turned to Megan and asked her to get him a few towels and the comforter from Randy’s bed. “Let’s warm this man up.”
Turning back into the hall and actively ignoring Eleanor and Savannah, Mason jogged down the hall and leaned into the Command Center. Pointing to the door, he said, “Sean, once I’m outside, lo
ck this place down.”
“What’s going on, how is Randy?”
“He’ll be fine, just a little bump on the head.”
“We’re good now, power’s back on,” Sean said. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to find out who did this to Randy… who did this to us.”
“What do you mean who, don’t you mean what did this to Randy?”
Mason pushed through the door and didn’t say a word. He shouldered his rifle and moved quickly to the area where Randy was assaulted. Following the trail of whatever attacked his friend, Mason stayed in the shadows afforded by the trees and out of the moonlight. “Couldn’t be a Feeder,” he said to himself as he continued along the trail. “The footprints are too consistent.”
With his back against the wall, he squatted and tossed a rock into the trees. He waited.
Nothing, no movement.
Mason paused and looked back at Building One. He told himself he needed to do this. That if by chance someone was actually out here, he needed to find out. The people inside the building one hundred feet away were his responsibility now. They were his family.
He quickly scaled the six-foot wall, brought the night vision scope to his right eye, and followed the trail to where it ended near the treeline. The young man never had a chance; his rifle sat six feet away, obviously dropped as he jumped from the wall and was overrun by the small group of Feeders. Outfitted head to toe in black, he was sprawled out in the shallow snow base, being pulled apart by a half dozen Feeders.
Mason raised his weapon and quickly fired seven headshots. He eliminated all six Feeders and also assured that the young man wouldn’t add to the dead that walked among the living.
How had he not heard this man assault Randy? How was he oblivious to the attack taking place less than a hundred yards away? Somehow this man found his way to Blackmore, avoided being noticed, and nearly escaped without ever being seen. Unfortunately for him, he was one step short of survival. He died alone in silence.