“Yeah,” Dylan said.
“How did you know they were inside the bunker?”
“After we woke up, we found Colonel Jenkins. He was randomly walking in the hall and he took us to grab something to eat,” Dylan said.
“Oh, yeah, Colonel Jenkins. How is he?” Colt said.
“Don’t know, we got split up. The infected breached the cafeteria and he pulled us out and helped us back to our room. We moved everything into the middle of the room. Then he told us to barricade the door. He left to fight the infected right after that.”
Again, Colt scanned around the room and saw the scattered debris. “How long ago was this?” Colt said.
“Don’t know. There’s no clock in here,” Dylan said. “But if I had to guess, I’d say an hour or two.”
“An hour?” Colt was surprised.
“Or two,” Dylan whispered under his breath.
The infected must’ve slipped through almost immediately after Colt and Jake left for the town.
“How many people are even left alive?” Franks searched for Colt’s eye.
“No idea,” Colt muttered.
Colt moved away from the group to gather his thoughts. Where are you, Jacob? Are you with the president? Now that Dylan and Wesley were safe, Jake remained fresh on his mind. He wanted to help, to offer protection for his brother. Level U4 wasn’t far, just an elevator trip away. But if Colt left, the others had to stay. Except for Franks. Colt trusted Dylan with the lives of the woman and child more than Franks.
Colt stepped toward the door and held his ear against it.
“Dad, what are you doing?” Dylan said.
“I need to go find Uncle Jake.”
“But, Daddy, you just got here,” Wesley said.
“Yeah, I thought you said Uncle Jake was fighting the alien thing,” Dylan added.
“He is. But I can’t just sit here and not help now I know you two are safe! Stay put! Let me go help Jake. I’ll be back before you know it.” Colt looked to Franks. “You. You’re coming with me.”
“Say what?” A questioning look hung on his face.
Colt walked to Dylan and handed him his Glock. “Protect them.” Colt nodded to the woman and the boy. “Stay inside and don’t let anybody in. Not anyone. Even if you hear my voice.”
“What do you mean your voice?”
“The aliens can trick us. They use our emotions against us.”
“So . . . how will I know when you come back?” Dylan said.
“I’ll call you by your nickname.” Colt refused to say the name out loud, in case someone was listening.
Dylan nodded, then Colt walked to the door, and Franks followed with his head hanging. “Ready?” Colt peered over his shoulder.
“As I’ll ever be.” Franks rolled his eyes.
18
Colt guided Franks into the hallway. He walked slow at first, not wanting to take any chances or unnecessary risks. Even though his brother could be in trouble, he knew hurrying would be impetuous. His focus was staying alive.
Creeping down the hallway, Colt jumped in fright at the sound of the speaker booming again.
“I am ready to hand myself over if it will spare the rest of the people here,” the president said. Colt waited to move, knowing if the president continued, his voice could mask the sound of the infected walking down the hall. “But I need you to know that this offer expires, and once it does, we will be forced to move against you by any means necessary.”
Smart, I guess. But will she take the bait?
The president spoke again. “As I said, I am ready to give you what you want. But the offer won’t last forever.”
It won’t? Why wouldn’t it? The alien had to know this was a set-up. I guess if she’s as powerful as she seems, perhaps she’ll be too cocky. The president must have a plan to use her power against her.
Colt started forward again. But on his first step, he heard rustling from another hallway, a hallway that split off right. The familiar sound of feet scraping over tiled floor. Colt put his finger to his mouth to quite Franks in case he became curious and offered an idiotic inquisition.
He merely waited a second more, then another, until the sound didn’t grow closer, but grew farther away.
But as Colt stood in the hall, unmoving, he felt something shake beneath his feet—the ground was vibrating.
“What the hell was that?” Franks felt it too.
“No idea, but whatever that was, it can’t be good.”
Colt figured the shudder had to come from Amy. What else could possibly shake the ground they were standing on, especially inside a heavily secured bunker?
They couldn’t linger. They had to get to the elevator and get down to a level that his brother, or the president, was on.
The elevator was close, within sight. Colt ran for it. When he made it there, he touched the down button and backed away into the hall. Then he turned back around for a surprise attack.
As he stood, there were more sensations tingling through his feet, followed by a deafening roar.
What the hell? Colt covered his ears to muffle the sound.
As he gripped his ears, Colt didn’t see the swarm of infected approach, not until Franks shook him. Five infected were running directly at him and Franks. In a panic, Colt looked for a way out, but they were caught with no place to run. There were walls on both sides and an elevator door behind that wouldn’t open.
The only positive was the noise. They could fire a weapon with no repercussions.
“Shoot them!” Colt yelled and nodded to Franks.
“What?” Franks shouted, clearly not hearing Colt’s command.
Colt didn’t bother saying it again, he ripped the gun from Franks’ hands and fired down the hallway. He dropped the lead three, and when the two others stumbled over their downed comrades, Colt dropped them too.
Then there was a sensation like static electricity filling the air. Colt didn’t know why he felt it, or what it was, but he looked down and saw the hairs on his arms stand on end.
He spun around and touched the button to the elevator again. “Ah, damn.” He shook out his hand. When his finger came into contact with the electricity of the button, he felt a shock more powerful than any he’d felt in his life.
The static lasted only another moment, and then there was a moment of relief. The noise subsided, and the rumbling beneath his feet ceased.
In the same second, the loudspeaker burst to life again, but this time a woman yelled, “She’s killing him! That thing is killing the president! Please someone stop her!”
Damnit, Jake. Where are you? Colt assumed he was fighting off the threat, but since the electricity and the noise was echoing throughout the facility, he could only wonder if his brother was still alive.
“C’mon, damnit, what’s taking this elevator so long?” Colt said.
“I know a way we can get to the lower levels,” Franks said.
“What? Where?” Colt had thought his uselessness would continue, but it seemed, for the moment, he might be worthy.
“Back this way. There’s a staircase.”
Colt followed Franks. As soon as they stepped over the dead infected, the floor started to shake again, but not as much as before. Maybe Amy was getting weaker, maybe Jake was winning, bringing this alien being down.
When Franks made it to the emergency exit door, he waited.
“What is it?” Colt said.
“How many infected do you think are down there?”
“A lot, I assume, why? Getting cold feet?”
He paused. “No . . . I . . . uh, just want to know. You know, to prepare myself.”
“Relax, you’re prepared. You’ve seen what these things can do. You know what to expect.”
“Well, yeah, but what about that thing down there? She seems pretty powerful.” Franks used his eyes to look around and show Colt what he meant.
“It would seem so.” Colt was getting frustrated. “Look, kid, all I know is my brother ne
eds my help. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, but I’m not giving up until I find him. Got that?” Colt reached for the door and pushed, but before he entered, Colt looked to Franks and said, “If you want to stay up here, stay, but I’m taking the gun.” Colt showed it to him.
Franks sighed, then followed Colt inside the stairwell.
The stairs traveled up and down. All in a U-shape. Colt leaned over the rail, and looked upward for any sign of infected above. There were none. Then he looked over the edge and below. He didn’t see any but heard rustling below.
Then thought, here goes nothing.
19
A scream echoed inside the stairwell, and Colt stumbled on the first step. It wasn’t a scream from the infected—he’d heard plenty of those. This was a female screaming, and from the sound of it, the noise was coming from only one floor beneath him.
Colt moved with care. Silence was paramount. Franks followed close. Apparently, he made the decision to carry on. He didn’t have to, but it was probably best for his own personal safety.
The flat area of the staircase was upcoming. Colt leaned over the railing and looked downward. No infected were on the next flight down. And at the base of the next flat zone, there was a door.
That had to be where the screaming came from.
He didn’t know why, call it intuition, but Colt felt like his brother was on that specific level too. For some reason, he knew Amy was as well. Deep in his bones, he knew she wasn’t after the president. Not then. Amy was trying to kill his brother—trying to kill the biggest threat to her existence. Because once Jake was gone, there weren’t many that knew how to fight or control her.
Colt continued down the next set of stairs but stalled at the bottom. A shrill shriek rose from beneath him again, this time lower. The scream was, again, human. A woman.
Damn, Colt thought, peering over the edge of the railing to the floors below. The screaming grew louder. Agonizing, like the infected had overtaken her and was finishing the job by chomping into her flesh.
Another yell boomed, but this one came from behind the door set in front of him.
Colt put his hand to the handle, and just as he did, he heard a voice, “Jake!” It had to be Jess. “Wake up, please! We have to go!”
I’m coming, little brother. Hang in there. Colt gnashed his teeth and pulled the door open slowly.
He peeked through the crack of the door—into the hall. One quick look to the right, then to the left. He couldn’t see anything. No sign of Jake or Jess. Or an alienlike being.
Once the door shut behind him, Colt chose to walk left.
Now, there was only silence.
Damnit, Jake, now’s not the time to be quiet. Colt took ten steps before another cry rang out, followed by a skid across the tiled floor. But it was odd—the noise sounded like it came from behind him. Colt whipped around and followed the noise.
They were close. Colt knew it.
Then he heard it. A foreign voice—something unhuman. “I will kill her if you take another step.”
The sound danced around the hallway, bouncing off the walls and throwing Colt for a loop. When the voice spoke. It started from ahead of them, but then Colt whipped around as it came from the opposite side of the wall.
He was disoriented. Where was she? Where was the alien? And where was Jake?
Colt needed to think tactically. Then came another sound—a thud, followed by a grunt—and finally the sound of a body falling limp.
Jake!
With no current threat in front of him, Colt jumped into a light jog. He wanted to call out to his brother, make sure he was okay, but he couldn’t risk it. Not yet.
Another corner was upcoming, and the long hallway ended at the elevator. Colt turned the corner and was stopped in his tracks. There was a scene. People. Real live people peered into the hallway.
Colt scrunched his brow and wondered why there were so many in the hall. Where was Amy? Was she dead? Did Jake kill her?
Beyond the scattered humans, Colt could vaguely see ahead. A woman, and two other men, were helping another to his feet.
“Jake,” Colt muttered under his breath.
Colt didn’t take time to consider why people had begun to congregate in the halls. All he knew was his brother looked weak and needed help.
“Excuse me, excuse me.” Colt danced in between several people who were gawking but didn’t want to help.
Amongst the crowd, Colt saw Jake fall helpless to the ground—unable to move a muscle. This time, Colt didn’t bother with pleasantries, he simply pushed people aside until he saw Jess squatted next to Jake’s immobile body.
“Jake! Jake!” She shook him in between sobs.
There was so much blood. Colt could see his shoulder and the wound.
Colt bent next to her, and said, “What happened?”
She peered at Colt through glassy eyes and said, “Amy, I mean Element Zero. She . . . she . . . took him.”
“Took him? Took him, how?” Colt glanced to his brother, feeling for his pulse.
“Somehow . . . she threw his axe into his shoulder and squeezed the life out of him. I thought he would survive, no, Jake! Please, no!” she cried and lunged for his still body.
“Where’s Amy?” Colt said.
Jess looked up long enough and pointed on the opposite end of the hall. “There.”
“Is she dead?”
Jess nodded her head yes, but she didn’t seem certain.
Colt brought his fingers to Jake’s neck. “His pulse is there. It’s strong and he’s breathing. We need to get him to a doctor,” Colt said. “Jess!”
She still held him, unwilling to let go. It was easy to see how she felt for him. She loved his brother deeply.
“Jess! Please. Please, let go. Do you know where the hospital wing is?”
She lifted her body off Jake’s, wiped the tears from her face, and nodded.
She rose to her feet, then Colt looked to the two men who stood nearby, and said,” Come on, let’s get him up. We’re gonna have to carry him out.”
The two men and Colt strained to lift his flaccid body from the floor.
The masses who came out to watch split and allowed them to pass.
“Franks,” Colt pushed out a breath. “Get to the elevator.”
He ran toward it, then looked back and asked. “Up or down?”
“Down.”
When the bell dinged, they piled inside. There wasn’t enough room for Franks to fit, so he stayed behind. Jess pressed the button on the pad, but before the doors closed, Colt looked to Franks and beyond at the multiple others who stood there. “Take the gun.” Colt handed him the handgun. “Protect them.” Colt nodded to the civilians.
“From what?” Franks said.
“From Element Zero, or whatever else happens. Find someone who can get in touch with the president. Tell them what’s happened. Take care of Amy. Make sure, Jake took out the threat,” Colt said.
Whether it was more infected, or just human nature, Colt knew it was only a matter of time before people would potentially turn on each other out of fear. Fear of the unknown.
People—like sheep—need direction—a shepherd—a person to tell them everything is going to be okay. Colt didn’t know if Franks could be that person, or if he was up to the task, but somebody had to be.
And in that moment, it couldn’t be him, or the president. There needed to be order amid chaos. And after all the chaos the aliens brought along with them, it was time to find normalcy.
For Colt though, normal meant having his brother alive. They were running low on time, and Jake was running low on blood.
20
When the elevator doors swung open, Colt didn’t wait. He didn’t care if an infected stood in between him and his end goal. He couldn’t—his brother needed saving.
“Doctor! Is anyone here a doctor!” Colt yelled, as he and the other men led Jake ahead. Colt turned to Jess, and whispered, “See if you can find anyone. We don’t have a l
ot of time. We’ll get him onto a bed, or gurney, whatever we find first. Now go! But be careful.”
Jess walked ahead searching frantically. “Hello!” she yelled. “Is anyone here? We need a doctor!”
Colt led the men to a door on the left-hand side of the hallway. “In there,” Colt said, suggesting they move inside.
Colt allowed the other men to hold the brunt of Jake’s weight, while he tested the handle. It was unlocked. When Colt pushed inside, he saw a bed pushed against the opposite wall.
“There’s a bed in there. Let’s get him in and set him down.” Colt grabbed a hold of his brother and all carried him inside.
Just as the door shut behind them, Colt heard a yelp. Jess! The noise wasn’t a loud, not like Colt had heard before. This sounded more like she was startled, but still Colt wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He knew how much his brother cared for her, and how much she helped Jake along the way.
Jake was as safe as he could be, and Colt needed to check on Jess. “Get him on the bed, I’ll be right back.”
As Colt exited, he didn’t need to get far before he found Jess. She was running beside a woman who wore a stethoscope around her neck.
“Found the doctor. We literally ran into each other, hence the scream,” Jess said. “Where’s Jake?”
“He’s right inside.” Colt showed them the way with his open hand. He moved to the door and opened it for both.
“Step aside, men,” the doctor said.
Colt watched the Good Samaritans part, then watched the doctor bend down and examine Jake.
“Any chance you’re a nurse?” She looked to Jess.
Jess’s eyes were full of tears. She said nothing. She couldn’t. She was still choked up, then shook her head no. “Alright, here’s what I need you to do. You.” She pointed to Colt. “Accompany her to the break room.”
The break room? Colt stood back in shock.
The doctor recognized both of their looks of concern. “It’s just outside the door and down to the left. It’s the last door before the exit into the stairwell, you can’t miss it. There’s a refrigerator inside. We’re using it to keep our supply of fresh blood. Any chance you know his blood type?”
Uncivil War (Book 6): Awakening Page 9