by Amy Miles
“I need you to promise me something before we go up there.”
“Anything.” When Nox smiles, I can see the weariness that creeps into his face. Far too much has happened in the past 24 hours and it has taken its toll, both physically and mentally on us.
“If anything happens to me—”
“It won’t. I won’t let it.”
I place a hand on his arm and offer him a small smile. “If something does, I need you to promise that you will search for someone for me.”
“You’re talking about the brother of that guy you loved?”
I nod then look away as I feel the first sting of tears. I can’t let myself get emotional right now.
“I don’t really know what happened to him after the world went to shit but his brother said he was in this area so I had to try. I need to tell him...” Closing my eyes, I place my hands on my hips and bend over, sucking in breaths to ease the unwelcomed pain flooding into my chest.
“I get it.” Nox stands still beside me, letting me deal with my emotions in my own way. Cable would have pulled me into his arms the instant I showed any sign of weakness, but Nox doesn’t. Somehow he just knows that right now I need to spit this out and then suck it up and focus. “What was his brother’s name?”
“Lenny,” I choke out and wipe at my eyes. I hate crying. I always have.
When I look up, I see that Nox’s jaw has gone rigid and I wonder if it bothers him that I’m still so easily affected by Cable’s death. I suspect that the kiss we shared earlier was not as innocent as he played it off to be and I know that a part of me wanted more. Opening myself to him felt good Terrifying but definitely good.
Nox has now been with me on two different occasions when I was sure that death was knocking at my door. I have a feeling that situations like this have a way of bonding people together, even when you don’t mean for them to.
I also know that I will never allow myself to need him in the same way that I needed Cable. One heartbreak is enough for a lifetime.
“It’s time,” Cyrus calls down from the top of the stairwell and Nox takes hold of my arm to lead me up through the group until we are at the front. “You guys ready for this?”
“Hell no,” Nox replies with a strained voice. I look over at him and see that his head is lowered and his gun is pointed at the floor instead of the door. His eyes are closed and his lips are moving. I realize just before Cyrus shoves the door open and enters the upper hall with a bellowing war cry that Nox is praying.
I also realize that he never agreed to my request to find Lenny if something were to happen to me.
The instant Cyrus disappears from sight, I hear gunfire as he clears a path for us. I hurry up the final steps behind Nox and turn right, making sure to stay directly behind him, while several others veer left and into darkness. The power to the hotel appears to be out.
“There’s nothing better than fighting blind.” Fletcher turns on the light over his gun as the door behind us slams shut. I listen to the hollow thud of the lock falling into place, sealing the bunker off against attack. There is no going back now.
“Feels like old times,” Nox mutters to Fletcher and I wonder how many abandoned homes they have searched through or how many caves they have cleared on their missions. How many times have they been forced to fight at a disadvantage just like this one?
I hear the hum of Nox’s light just before it flickers to life and pain immediately stabs at my eyes. I lift my hand to block the light out of instinct but Nox quickly moves on ahead and I’m returned to blissful darkness. It is only after I blink several times that I realize that I can see clearly, not just blurred shapes in the dark but actual details.
“This never gets old.” I reach out and trace my finger along the contours of the door beside me. I can actually see the wood grain.
As I marvel at how easily it is for me to see the men around me, I realize that if the mutations in my blood have enabled me to see this clearly in pitch darkness, then the Flesh Bags are sure to possess the same abilities.
“Nox!” I rush ahead and grab onto his arm just before he rounds the corner directly behind Fletcher. “We have to turn the lights back on.”
I keep an eye on his light as he lowers his gun and am relieved that he keeps it trained on the floor. “I’ll admit that having light would definitely help but we have bigger issues to deal with first, like getting enough guns to kill these bastards.”
When he starts to walk away, as if his words should be enough to end the debate, I yank him back with enough force to nearly take him off his feet. Realizing the strength that I’ve just displayed, I instantly release him and see that I’ve torn his sleeve completely off and left his skin exposed.
“I’m sorry but you need to listen to me. The Flesh Bags can see in the dark just like me and I’m talking with crystal clarity. That’s why they hate the light. They have become night dwellers by nature and I think that turning the lights on will anger them but also slow them down. They will be forced to retreat to darkness or risk opening themselves up to danger while they shield their eyes.”
“How do you know all of this?”
I hesitate. “Because I have night vision too remember?”
“Did she just say she has night vision?” I hear Flynn ask but Nox waves him off, forgetting that neither of them can see very well in the dim lights attached to two of the guns.
“You need to trust me on this, Nox. Turning on the lights is the only way to give us the advantage.”
Nox thinks it over for a moment and then sighs. “Even if I wanted to agree with you, we have no way of contacting Cyrus to let him know and the generator is in the opposite direction of the armory. We can’t risk heading in that direction with so little ammunition.”
“I agree. That’s while I’ll be the one going,” I say without hesitation.
“Hell no! I’m not letting you go alone.”
I reach out and place my hand on his cheek in the hopes that a softer touch will help to sooth him. “I can sense them and I can see them just as easily as they can see me. I’ll find a way around so that I don’t have to fight.”
Fletcher reappears from around the corner, looking like his usual disgruntled self. “This isn’t the best place to stop and have a chat, you know? This place is crawling with those Flesh Bags.”
Glancing around the corner, I shake my head. “You’re fine. That hall is clear.”
Fletcher shoots Nox an incredulous look as he refuses to lower his weapon or the light out of my eyes, but Nox waves him off.
“We stopped because I have an idea—” I say.
“A bad one,” Nox interrupts me.
Fletcher rubs his forehead. “Look, I don’t care what sort of lover’s spat you two are having but I’m not going to sit around here and wait for you two to hash it out. This place gives me the creeps.”
Looking beyond Nox’s determined face, I see Fletcher as I saw him the very first time he arrived at the farm: large, well built, strong as an ox and motivated. Exactly the sort of man I need at a time like this.
“The Flesh Bags have developed a natural night vision and you are walking into a trap. The only way to save your asses if for me to get to the generators and turn on the lights,” I say, focusing on Fletcher. “Once the lights are back on the zombies will be blind and you can take them out before they can retreat. If I do this countless lives will be spared.”
Fletcher scratches at his beard. I can see flecks of blood in it and wonder if it came from Kenzie before she died. “That actually sounds reasonable to me.”
“It’s not.” Nox turns on Fletcher. “We have a plan and we are going to stick to it. End of discussion.”
“The plan will fail,” I say. I see movement beyond Fletcher and realize that Flynn has moved in close to listen in.
“But you just said—”
; My fist flashes out and slams into Fletcher’s jaw before he can finish his statement.
“What the hell was that for?”
“I was just making a point.” Hitting his chin should have hurt, but it didn’t. As I flex my fingers I realize that my body absorbed the brunt of that punch with hardly any physical discomfort. “You didn’t see me coming until you felt the pain and a Flesh Bag won’t stop with a single punch.
Now take that advantage I just used against you and amplify that by a thousand and you might be getting close to the reality of what you face if you remain in the dark. You can hear the screams and the roar of pounding feet. These things aren’t slowing down. They are gaining momentum. The only way to stop this horde is an attack that they won’t see coming.”
Fletcher rubs at his jaw as he glances at his commander. “Sir?”
“Your orders are to stand down.” Nox practically growls as he yanks me back several paces. “That is enough, Avery. I won’t have you risking your life for us again. The group is going to stay together.”
“And how long do you expect that to last?” Flynn asks from behind Fletcher and we both turn to look at him. “We are going to be picked off one by one. That’s how it always happens. How sure are you that in the dark you will really know if it’s a Dead Head that you are targeting instead of one of your own people? Mistakes happen during war and you know it. I vote for Avery’s plan. Let’s light the bastards up and take them out!”
From behind me, I hear several others mutter in agreement.
“I’m in command and I say it’s not going to happen,” Nox roars with a tone of finality that leaves zero room for misinterpretation.
I stare Fletcher down, pleading silently for him to step up and pull rank just this once. The muscles along his jaw flinch as he grinds his teeth and I see that he wants to and that he knows I’m right but then he lowers his gaze and shakes his head.
“Fine,” I say, “I’ll go to the armory with you but as soon as we are armed then we hit the generator.”
Flynn rises up onto his toes to look at me around Fletcher’s broad shoulders and the instant Nox turns and his light illuminates my face, I wink back. Flynn smiles and nods so quickly that I hope that no one saw him.
Walking in a crouched single file line, with Fletcher at the front of the group and Nox directly in front of me, I feel a shiver trickle down my spine moments later and grasp his arm. “There’s a group of them up ahead of us,” I whisper.
Nox whistles and Fletcher halts. “Friendly?”
“Definitely not.” My finger trembles over the trigger as we spread out and drop to the floor, using it to help brace as Fletcher sends off the first shot.
Snarls and growls echo down the hall toward us and within seconds, the hall is bright with gunfire. The movements of the Flesh Bags as they scrambled over each other to reach us looks eerily like large pale spiders crawling across the floor and up against the walls.
When Nox shifts to help cover Fletcher as they press forward, I hear the dull thud of bodies dropping and pray that none of them are ours.
“You ready for this?” Flynn asks, suddenly appearing at my side. A streak of blood runs down his cheek for where a piece of plaster gashed him in the bullet spray.
“We have no other choice.”
“Nox will be ticked when he finds out that you’ve left.”
“Yeah,” I nod and look at Nox one last time. He is down on one knee, scope to his eye as he shouts out commands to the men standing behind him. Their wide and unskilled spray of bullets will rapidly place a hard strain on their decreasing ammunition supply.
I look down at the gun in my hand. “Are you a good shot?”
“Nope.” Flynn shakes his head. “I left that job to the others while I stuck with more hands-on stuff.”
“Excellent.” Taking his gun, I set it on the floor beside mine and shove it in Nox’s direction. They will need the spare bullets long before they reach the armory to reload.
If all goes well Cyrus will recruit a group of trusted soldiers and they can make a stand with Nox while Fletcher makes his way to Cap’s office to locate the blueprints. A lot is riding on hope and ‘what-ifs’ but it’s all we’ve got.
“Let’s go get that generator fixed!”
SIXTEEN
As I lead Flynn in the opposite direction of Nox’s group, I can’t seem to shake the feeling that we are being led this way. From time to time, I spy the telltale white sheen of eyes watching us from down the hall and caution Flynn to stay behind me, but each time the Withered disappear before we arrive. This leaves me deeply unsettled.
They seem to be toying with us.
When I glance back over my shoulder at Flynn, I can easily see his fear as he clings to the red handled ax that we busted out of a firewall unit. My own dangles from my hand and points at the floor but in an instant, I can be ready for attack. Although I have no clue just how talented Flynn may be with an ax, I have faith that he would not have survived this long without a few hidden skills. I just hope that they will come in handy when the time is right.
As we move along the carpeted corridor, Flynn is blind without any light and relies on my hand to keep him moving straight or to warn him of impending danger.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say over my shoulder, hoping to help him feel a bit more at ease. “I promise I won’t let anything eat you.”
“Oh, you’re a funny one now, huh?”
I look back to see him rolling his eyes and I wonder if this is what having a younger brother feels like. I find myself enjoying the witty banter. “At least I got a smile out of you.”
Flynn’s fingers flinch inside of mine. “You really can see, can’t you?”
“I can see clearly now that the lights are off.”
I pause to peer inside an open door and move on again when I see that the room is clear. Our pace is slow and arduous but steady. I only wish that I’d had a chance to ask Nox just how far away the generator was. I had hoped by now that I would run across Cyrus’ group or at least a map on the wall to guide me but so far, I’m striking out on both counts.
“What’s it like?”
“Seeing in the dark?” I peer around the corner and sense that for the time being it is clear. “Well, it’s kinda cool, actually. I’ve got skills even Batman never had.”
“That’s not true. He had night vision.”
“A mechanical version, sure but this is the real deal.”
I hear Flynn’s breathing behind me, steady and under control. He’s a tough kid. If we all survive the night, I’ll be sure to let Nox know to give him more credit. Of course, if I do make it until the morning I may not survive seeing Nox again.
“So what’s it like being the new you? Are you still changing? Can you feel it happening? Are you going to wake up tomorrow with a lizard tail and shark teeth?”
I laugh and suddenly the gloom of the eerily deserted hallway doesn’t seem quite so terrifying anymore. Contrary to the upbeat tone that I’m attempting to pull off for Flynn sake, I’m not overly fond of walking into a trap and with each step I am more sure that this is exactly what is happening.
“Are you always this inquisitive?”
His shrug jostles my hand. “I guess I am now. I used to be kind of a loner. Hard to believe, right? It’s true, though. Before all of this happened I would spend hours locked up in my room and be perfectly happy. But after people I knew started dying I realized that we need each other to survive so I decided it was time to change.”
“Just like that?”
“It’s all just a mindset anyways. Fear is nothing more than impulses firing in your brain that tell you to flee or accept what’s in front of you.”
I stop walking and turn around to face him. “Most people ran and hid when people started getting sick and here you are talking about standing up and fighting.
I’m impressed, Kid. You’re some kind of special, aren’t you?”
“Don’t go getting all sentimental on me.” In the dark, I can see a blush rising on his cheeks. When he looks away and shuffles his feet I realize that I’ve embarrassed him.
I tug on his hand when I turn away and let the awkwardness settle between us. I didn’t actually mean to get weird with him. There is just something about him that reminds me of myself. Flynn is a fighter and I know how hard that life can be. He’s already lost so much and I find myself wishing that I could keep him for any further pain.
We walk down two more hallways in silence before we come across the first body and I’m instantly grateful that Flynn can’t see the gore sprayed across the wall. The chunks of flesh alone make my stomach turn as I carefully maneuver him around the dead.
I can tell by the way Flynn’s fingers tremble that he’s aware of what I’m doing. While he may be lacking in sight, his sense of smell must be reeling by now.
When his right foot slips in a puddle of blood and he goes down hard, one knee slams down onto a severed leg and his hand plunges into an open cavity of a man’s shredded torso as he tries to steady himself. His startled cry is cut off when I clamp my hand over his mouth and kneel beside him.
“Breathe, Flynn. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. This is not okay.” He is trembling when I help to pull his hands free. Blood and something stringy clings to his hand. He tries to clear it away, growing steadily more anxious and he ends of flicking a bit onto his face. After taking one sniff of the rotting flesh he starts gagging. “Oh, that is disgusting!”
“It’s not a human. It’s just a Flesh Bag.”
“I know.” His cheeks puff as he clutches his stomach and makes retching noises. I hold onto his arm, sure that he will lose his stomach but he slowly regains his control “It reeks.”
“Well,” I chuckle and grab hold of his hand to wipe it clean on the zombie’s shirt. “Dead things usually tend to stink and I’d wager this unlucky fellow has been dead for quite some time.”