“Multiple contacts on the roof,” Sharp yelled and the distinctive sound of his MK11 echoed around them as he picked off the Variants, blowing them to pieces and misting the air with their blood.
Dan continued firing, clearing a path between him and Sharp. Snake raced through the opening and leapt onto the dock then backed against the wall, away from the roof overhang, and laid down covering fire. Books and Sherlock jumped onto the dock next to him with Dan and Sharp coming last.
Snake and Sherlock fired at the Variants that clung to the edge of the roof and scurried toward them on the ceiling, hitting them in midair and moving to the next target before they dropped to the dock.
“Books get that damned door opened,” Dan yelled while firing another burst at the Variants.
“The code doesn’t work,” Books said.
“Move to the emergency exit” Dan yelled.
# # #
“Grace, come quick,” Luke yelled. “There are soldiers outside fighting the creatures.”
Grace dropped the book she was reading and ran toward the security room. The cadets crowded into the room behind her.
Mark pointed to a view at the back of the building. Five soldiers dressed in full armor were fighting for their lives as the Variants swarmed them.
“We can’t just let them die,” Megan said.
“Are you sure they aren’t marauders?” Grace asked.
“They’re the real deal,” Mark said. “Marine Raiders like my dad.”
“Okay, then let’s let them in,” Grace said, knowing every second counted she pushed through the cadets and ran for the elevator with Luke behind her. Unlocking the door, she let Luke raise the shutter then keyed in the code and the doors slid open. “Lock the shutter then get the others and lock yourselves in the solar battery room. Stay there until I come for you. If anyone else but me opens that door shoot them.”
“Neil will stay in security and tell you when to open the outer door,” he said as the doors closed.
She pushed the up arrow and moved her NVGs and headset into place. A few seconds later the elevator stopped and she opened the sliding doors. She expected to hear the sound of gunfire. When she didn’t she wondered if they were dead already. Taking a deep breath, she held her pistol in one hand and locked the elevator at that level. Bruce or the creatures might get into it but they wouldn’t be able to move into any other area.
“Grace,” Neal said, “Open the door right now. It looks like they’re leaving the dock.”
She keyed in the code and pulled the door up as fast as she could.
A medium height, stocky man dressed in armor that gave him the appearance of an alien warrior pointed a rifle at her. She started to raise her hands then asked herself what the hell she was doing and beckoned to him. “Come on.”
He turned sideways and she knew he was keeping her in his sight while the other four men continued firing, the sound of their rifles suppressed as they backed toward the elevator.
Grace stepped to the side, giving them room to fight and keep the creatures at bay. As soon as the fifth man stepped in, she keyed in the code to close the heavy steel door. It began to slide down and one of them grabbed it and forced it down. The others dropped to one knee and continued firing.
One of them grabbed her and shoved her to the back of the elevator. She lost her balance and fell to the floor against the second set of doors. Pissed off, she climbed to her feet, questioning the wisdom of letting them into the bunker. The man who’d grabbed her pulled a machete and chopped off the clawed, bloody talons of a creature who’d been reaching under the door—reaching for her.
Before the door locked into place, he kicked the remains through the narrow opening. One of the men reached for the down arrow.
“Wait, I have to secure the shutter and the sliding doors,” she said.
The Marine moved back. She reached passed him and keyed in the codes. He pressed the down button. She slipped through them as it began to descend. All five of them tracked her. She couldn’t help but stare at them. They were spattered with blood and gore. Even their rifles and the goggles they wore over their eyes were filthy. The stench of rotten fruit and hard-fighting men filled the small space.
The tallest one pushed his night vision goggles up and looked down at her. “Ms. Walker?”
She had to tip her head back to see his face. “Yes, I’m Grace Walker.” The doors behind her opened. She backed up the few inches until she was against the closed shutter. “Who are you and what are you doing here? Didn’t you know about the creatures?” She stood her ground, blocking them.
“Variants,” he said.
“What?” she asked.
“The things you call creatures are Variants. The first people were infected with Ebola and another substance called VX-99. We called them the infected until we killed them and the ones who survived evolved into these things. Now we call them Variants. They’re strong and extremely dangerous but not infected.”
“When did you kill the ones who were infected?”
The stocky guy spoke up, “May second, but some of them out in the boonies are still infected.”
“I think they’re changing back to whatever crawled out of the muck millions of years ago,” Grace said.
“Lady, they already—.”
“Grace. My name is Grace.”
“Grace,” the leader said, putting emphasis on her name. “We’re going to discuss that later but right now open the shutter or I’ll have my man do it.” He pointed to the stocky guy.
She glared at the leader. The last man who’d bossed her around like this had been her dad. She hesitated then turned and keyed in the code. He pushed it up then sent a signal to his men and they scattered, searching between the shelves while the leader stayed with her.
The guy stocky guy returned. “All the doors are locked and the codes have been changed.”
“Your doing, Grace?” the leader asked.
“Yes.”
“Who else is here with you?” the leader asked.
“Who’s asking?”
“Gunnery Sergeant Dan Perryman, United States Marine Corps. Now, where are they?”
“What do I call you? Dan or Gunnery Sergeant?” she asked, buying time. “Or, Gunny?
“Dan.”
“Okay, Dan, nice to meet you.” She added the last four words just to irritate him.
“Unlock the door to the shelter,” Dan said, his voice hard.
“Be glad to—all you had to do was ask.” Grace unlocked it, stepped in and moved to the side.
Dan signaled one of his men to stay with her while he and the other three scattered, checking the galley area and then disappearing into the short hall that led to the sleeping rooms, shower and utility. They returned a few minutes later.
“Where are the others?”
“What makes you think I’m not alone?”
He stared at her. “I can count bunks, Grace.” He put special emphasis on her name. “There are sixteen people here including you. One is injured.”
“You still haven’t told me why you’re here,” she said.
He sighed. “We’re here to secure the bunker and the supplies.”
She shrugged. “You’re too late. I’ve already secured them.”
Books returned. “Gunny, the code on the door that goes to the upper level has been changed.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Dan glared at her. “Why did you change them?”
“To keep the security guard, Bruce Rogers out. He and another cadet, Jefferson Mitchell, have gone over to the dark side.”
“What do you mean about Rogers?” Dan asked.
“When he couldn’t unlock the doors, he tried to ram the front doors with his truck. The creatures, who were Variants then, were all around him but they didn’t attack. Then a few days later we saw Jefferson with Rogers and again they weren’t attacked.”
“They’re collaborating with them. We’ll take care of them,” Dan said. “We aren’t here to h
urt you.”
“No, just to take over,” she said. “And, you haven’t mentioned anything about rescue.”
“Our mission includes looking for survivors.”
“Well, then, I certainly don’t want to see you fail in your mission.” She moved to the solar panel room with Dan on her heels. She knocked on the door in a prearranged pattern then called out her name and opened the door.
Luke, Stephan, Damien and Mark stood in front of the other cadets, their pistols in their hands and aimed at the door. John lay on a mattress behind them.
“It’s okay,” Grace said. “They’re here to secure the bunker and food supply, oh, and look for survivors.”
Dan stepped around her. “Lower your weapons and place them on the table.”
The four ignored his order and looked passed him to Grace.
Grace sighed. This moment had been coming since the moment they’d decided to let the Marines into the shelter. “This is Gunnery Sergeant Dan Perryman. I believe he has the highest rank and is therefore in command.”
The four cadets obeyed the order then all of them with the exception of John waited at attention.
“Rest,” Dan ordered, and the cadets moved their feet apart and placed their hands behind their backs.
Grace crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe. “The tall blond is Luke Matthews. On his left is Stephan Greco and Damien Moretti. Mark Kelton is to his right. The petite blond is Megan Matthews. Next to her is Sherry Jones and Sabrina Carson. John Martinez was injured yesterday when we rescued the six cadets you see with him. They’ll introduce yourselves when they’re rested and feeling better.”
“One is missing,” Dan said.
“Neal White is in the security room at the end of the hallway,” Grace said. “Mark will show you where it is.”
Dan sent a signal to one of his men then tipped his head to his right. “Go with him, Kelton.”
Mark joined the Marine and he hurried away with the Marine trailing a few steps behind him.
Dan moved Grace. “We were told there were at least sixty cadets on campus. Where are the others?”
Grace slid her hands into her pockets. “Dead or captured.”
“Or alive in another form,” Sherry said. “Depending on how you look at it.”
Luke sent Sherry a signal to zip it. She smiled and looked away.
“A lot of the cadets are in the Main Dorm’s basement stuck to the walls by some kind of goop the Variants spit up. We think they’re being stored for food later on.”
“You’re right,” Dan said. “We’ve seen it before. We’ll clear that building first and rescue the ones who are still alive.” He paused for a moment. “You’ve done good here. I was surprised to find anyone alive although Dr. Matthews told us we’d find his niece and nephew here.”
Megan held her hand up. “Yes, cadet?”
Sir, permission to ask a question,” Megan said.
“Permission granted.”
“Our uncle, Mike Matthews is still alive?”
Dan nodded. “He’s in a secure location working on a way to kill the Variants.”
“Variants?” Megan asked.
“It’s what they call the creatures,” Grace said then sent Dan an offended glare. “I don’t know why you thought we’d all be dead. This shelter is nearly as impregnable as they come. I think you’re aware of that or you wouldn’t be here.”
“My mission is to clear the campus of Variants. Command intends to use it as a post. I want to know everything you know about the campus. The buildings, the greens, everything.”
“Most of the creatures stay with the leader in the Main Dorm by the Admin building but they wander around the campus and enter and exit the other buildings,” Luke said.
“How do you know that?” Dan asked.
“Mr. Edgar had cameras installed everywhere, even the girl’s showers.” Sherry said.
“Gunnery Sergeant, I’m prepared to give you a SITREP,” Luke said.
“What’s your cadet rank, Luke?” Dan asked.
“Cadet Battalion Sergeant Major, Sir.”
“How many cameras and where are they located?” Dan demanded.
“There are hundreds of them,” Luke said. “They cover every inch of the campus and just about every room in every building. We monitor them and use them to plan rescue missions.”
“How many times have you left the bunker and when?” Dan asked.
“Bravo team rescued Stephan, Damien and Sabrina from the library on April twentieth,” Luke said. “Charlie team rescued seven cadets from Admin yesterday. They lost one on the way back and that’s also when John Kelton was injured.”
“I want to know everything about your missions. Where you went, what time you went, how many variants you saw, how many you killed, how John was injured, every detail,” Dan said.
“We’ve already eaten but we’ll prepare a meal for you and your men while you clean up. While you eat, we’d appreciate anything you can tell us about what’s going on out there.” Grace turned to Luke. “Show them where the clean clothes and towels are stored and make sure they know where to put their dirty clothes.” The offer for food and showers made, she walked away.
Megan caught up to her and grabbed her hand. “Isn’t it great? We’re not the only people left alive and we’re being rescued.”
Grace forced a smile. “Yes, wonderful.” She squeezed Megan’s hand then released it. “Do me a favor—make sure John is taken back to his bunk and that someone stays with him, then get another cadet and come help me please.” Megan changed directions and ran back in a slow jog displaying the endless energy of a fifteen-year-old. Grace watched her then breathed a sigh of relief.
She needed a few moments alone to adjust to this new reality. She’d been in charge of the shelter for so long. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Gunnery Sergeant Dan Perryman and his men invading her territory. On the one hand she felt relieved they were there to guide and protect the cadets, but on the other hand she resented his sudden appearance and ‘I’m in charge now’ attitude.
She wanted to make it clear to him that she and the cadets were the proprietors of the shelter, but her instincts were telling her to use caution. Dan knew too much about the campus and the shelter and she felt as if she didn’t know enough now. He’d called it a bunker rather than a shelter. That more than anything answered the questions she’d wondered about for so long. Mr. Manning had built a bunker for when the SHTF. Now, she wanted to know who had ordered and financed its construction.
Seven
Dan glanced around the table where his men sat with four of the cadets and Grace. When he’d asked her where the others were she’d explained that Neal, Sherry and Sabrina were monitoring the cameras and radio, Stephan was with the injured cadet, John, and the six cadets they’d rescued the day before were resting and recovering.
He took a bite of beef stew and wanted to groan with pleasure. It was the best meal he’d eaten since the world had gone to hell. While he chewed, he watched Grace and the way she dealt with the cadets. She was definitely in charge. They treated her with respect, but he could tell they also liked her. She looked up and caught him watching her and he decided to needle her. “I’m impressed with the condition of the bunker. Everything is clean and in order.” She started to say something then pressed her lips together and remained silent. He knew she wanted to blast him but her silence told him that she wouldn’t do it in front of the cadets. It made a difference that she was willing to do that rather than upset the cadets sense of security.
“The cadets have self-discipline and are well-trained. They each have daily tasks to accomplish as do I. For instance, I’m in charge of the laundry. The clothes you wore when you arrived will be laundered tonight and ready for you in the morning,”
“We put them in the washer before we showered then hung them up to dry before we came in here for chow,” Dan said, and quickly added when he saw the narrowing of her eyes, “I want a copy o
f your schedule.” He nearly smiled when she ruffled the blond curls on her head, tucked the sides behind her ears, and stared at him with icy blue-green eyes. She reminded him of a sniper he’d met in Iraq. The guy had been a legend but his real gift had been his sharp instincts. He’d always seemed to know what the enemy would do next.
Watching Grace, he figured she was trying to find a way to deal with him and his men. It would be amusing messing with her but to his advantage to get her on his side instead and keep her there.
“Well, great, thanks for helping out but just so you know I do laundry late at night when there isn’t as much drain on the system, but if you need anything else let me know.” She stood up and moved into the galley. A couple minutes later the scent of coffee filled the room.
His men sniffed the air like Variants then turned and stared at her. He figured in that moment they’d all die for her.
Megan jumped up and helped Grace set a large pot of coffee on a tray along with cups, cream and sugar. She carried it to the table while Grace went to the hot buffet and lifted a large stainless steel lid. She stuck a large spoon in the pan and using hot pads she carried a large pan to the table. She slipped between Snake and Books and set it on the table. “Hot peach cobbler for dessert.”
Sharp, who was notorious for having a sweet tooth, grabbed the spoon first and served himself before passing it on to Books.
“Grace, this is the best meal we’ve had in months. I know I really enjoyed it but if you continue to eat like this you’re going to run out of food,” Dan said.
“On the contrary. I’m a nutrition specialist. The night of the attack we received a food shipment that would feed eight hundred cadets for six months. A lot of it was fresh produce so the cadets helped me process it. We freeze dried the bulk of it and put some in the freezer for immediate use. I designed a menu that would feed the ten of us for more years than we have fuel to run the generator. I haven’t had time to adjust it to include the six cadets we rescued and now the five of you.”
Extinction Cycle (Kindle Worlds Novella): Resistance Page 8