by Greg Ramsay
Ah, to refrain from frightening the one we came here to rescue? he asked.
Exactly, Lia said.
Very well.
The Leader’s mask broke free from his armour, remaining as nothing more than a mask for protection. Lia drew her kynari before jumping from the ten storey building feet-first toward the ground. As she reached three floors from the ground she saw the first shifted. Twisting into a crouch in the air, she kicked off from the building flying straight to it. As she landed quickly but quietly on its back, it gave her the perfect position to silently slit its throat. Lia dragged it into the shadows cast by a building beside her, consuming it undetected. After finishing her meal, she glanced around the side of the building.
Three lesser shifted surrounded a crouched and growling Wanderer. The big black husky had managed to kill a shifted, temporarily unnerving the others all while looking ready to take on the rest. One of them roared, then ran at him, claws bared to strike. Wanderer jumped to the side growling as his legs splayed to pounce, and jumped on the shifted’s midsection. Knocked on its back by the big husky’s weight, it was helpless to stop him as he ripped the plating from its neck easily. Its arms flailing over his body, the shifted clawed at empty air as its exposed neck was completely torn through. The dying shifted flailed stronger in desperation, but its bulky arms couldn’t reach close enough to get Wanderer without clawing itself.
The other shifted ran at Wanderer; he couldn’t hear them over his growling and the death roars of his victim. Lia reacted, running from the shadows; she leapt on one of the shifted cutting off its arm as it swung for Wanderer. She jumped from the back of the amputated shifted, then Wanderer slammed it into the ground, ripping its neck apart as he had done to the other two. Lia spun, blocking a strike from the last shifted. She kicked it in the guts to knock it back, then stabbed her kynari upward through its jaw. As a finale, she ripped her kynari out and buried it deep into the side of its head. Lia grabbed the shifted nearest her, lifting its body up to her as spiked tendrils shot from the chest and midsection of her armour. Wanderer backed away from her slowly, his eyes wary of her. He backed himself into the corner the shifted had forced him in. Wanderer observed quietly as the being with the black armour used spiky vines to grab the dead things that tried to kill him, rip them limb from limb, and suck their bodies into its dark body. Lia quickly finished consuming the shifted, watching Wanderer as she did so.
She stood facing the dog quietly. When Lia took a step forward. Wanderer took a step back; he was now right up against the building behind him. He stood staring at her his heart racing; she could see his muscles tensing. Lia froze, starting to worry he would attack her. She started lifting her right hand to reach out to Wanderer and finally understood why he was acting defensive; it was because of her armour. To his eyes, I must look just like them, plus he saw me consume the shifted that tried to kill him, that’s why he’s wary of me, Lia thought to herself. Lia allowed the Leader’s armour to recede inside her, hoping the frightened dog would recognize her. She took two steps forward and Wanderer growled when she moved, but she ignored him. Wanderer froze when he calmed enough to recognize her.
Lia stood in a small patch of golden light, her long red hair dancing in the gentle breeze. After a couple of seconds, she sat down cross-legged on the ground. Wanderer relaxed and eventually sat down as well. Wanderer was still slightly uncertain, so she held out her hand waiting to see what he would do. He got to his feet, slowly walking toward her. Lia was filled with happiness when she saw him approaching. As he drew in, he sniffed her hand, then suddenly began to growl frighteningly. Lia drew her hand back quickly; she didn’t understand why the dog was suddenly so angry as she slowly started to get to her feet.
She sensed what was wrong just as Wanderer leapt on her chest, knocking her over, and saving her from an alpha shifted’s scimitar decapitating her. The blade flew just above the dog’s back, slicing some hairs off. With amazing reflexes, Wanderer grabbed the alpha’s arm in his jaws. Lia took the opportunity Wanderer had given her, quickly jamming her kynari into its chest. The alpha stumbled backward, recovering before swinging his scimitar at her as she tried to duck. Wanderer jumped into the side of the alpha as it swung its arm out; he used his weight to knock the creature to the ground before jumping on top of it. As he started to attack the alpha’s throat, it swung its clawed arm at the dog’s exposed side. Lia focused her energy blade and cut the creature’s arm off just after its claws met Wanderer’s flank. Wanderer let out a pained yelp then jumped quickly off the shifted as Lia cut its head off, grabbed it, and consumed it.
Wanderer started to walk toward her, and yelped as he collapsed to the ground. Lia ran over to him, crouched on the ground beside where he lay, and tried to see where he was hurt. He looked sadly at her as she looked at his left flank, and saw bloody stab wounds from the tips of the alpha’s claws. Blood began to seep from the wounds as he tried to stand, and she put a hand on him. “Don’t get up Wanderer, just lay down, I’ll fix you.” Lia had no idea how she was going to ‘fix’ him, but she knew she would try.
Before she could do anything, she noticed his mouth open slightly, exposing his fangs. Lia watched amazed as his fangs were freshly coated in pitch black tendrils preceding those that emerged from beneath his fur. Within a few seconds his wounds were healed, he sat up beside her happily. Lia let her armour recede slowly into her while she petted him gently. He licked her hand when she put it down beside him, she looked down at the big black husky, smiling. Seeing him nestled up beside her made her feel like everything would be okay, at least for a few seconds. In that strangely serene mindset, she could see her new friends as though in memories, although they were different somehow, and Wanderer wasn’t there. She dismissed that thought as imaginings of a better life.
Curious how much time had passed, she looked up at the sky. The Leader’s speed had gotten them there so fast that even with the fight, the sun was still high in the afternoon sky. She looked down at Wanderer again, stood up, and while petting him said, “I’m gonna carry you back to your other friends, ok?” The dog wagged his tail gently, and Lia brought out the Leader’s armour again. She carefully picked him up; the Leader’s strength made his weight of no effort on her, and started running. She leapt back over the rooftops effortlessly, getting them close before putting Wanderer down. They were three blocks from the gas station. He walked the remaining distance with Lia beside him. They walked calmly up to the vehicles; Wanderer started wagging his tail excitedly when he saw John.
Sergeant John Marks sat on a step attached to the ladder on the back of his gas tanker. He watched the road ahead, waiting patiently, observing any movement that he thought could be Lia. He watched as his friends ate, chatting about what they would do if they found somewhere free of the infection. He didn’t really care about dreams of things he wasn’t sure could be; he was more concerned for Lia. The speed at which she had left amazed him, and he wondered if she was okay since she still hadn’t returned. Inwardly, he cursed himself for bothering to doubt her when she was stronger than he. John awoke from his day dreaming to see two silhouettes approaching from down the road. He looked closely and saw fire red hair. Smiling, he watched as they drew closer, noticing the big black husky curiously at her side. John smiled, wondering how Lia had found Wanderer. He got up from his make-shift seat, turning to his fellows. “Lia’s back and she brought Wanderer!”
Steele smiled. “I wonder why he never came with us to begin with... funny dog.”
John turned from the others, walking to meet with Lia. She smiled when she saw him; Wanderer got more excited as he approached them. John reached down, petting his husky friend. “How’d you find him?”
“I’ll explain when we get back to the others.”
John smiled. “Ok... Hey buddy, where’ve you been?” Wanderer just wagged his tail as he followed John and Lia to where the other soldiers sat.
Lia walked up to the group, “Hey, what’s up?” she asked casually.
Steele said, “I figured you’d be back by now; an hour goes by, and you show up with Wanderer. How about you tell us what’s up?”
Lia laughed. “Well I sensed some shifted that seemed to be after something. I didn’t know what, so I went to check it out. When I arrived, I took out one shifted then I noticed Wanderer trapped by three others. We killed them, but Wanderer was wounded during the fight. An alpha’s claws had glanced his side before I managed to remove the attacking arm. At a loss to help him I watched as he healed himself ... as it turns out he’s like me somehow. After we rested a moment I carried him most of the way back here.”
Steele sat quietly until Lia finished then asked, “So not only are you basically unstoppable, but he is too? How did we not notice before?”
“Basically,” Lia said.
“Amazing,” Steele said, a knowing look crossing her face. Lia didn’t notice. Instead she thought about the alphas she had fought in the past after reflecting on her close call with Wanderer. She understood how they had adapted, by learning from other alphas. The thought worried Lia slightly. If they could imagine weaponry, did that mean Barton intended them to be able to do that or were they just an evolutionary circumstance of sorts? Lia turned to Steele.
“Are there any other MiraiCorp locations you know of, anywhere data on other strains of this virus could’ve been sent?”
Steele looked puzzled by the sudden question, and asked. “Why? Didn’t you destroy the main building and all the data within?”
Lia’s face grew grim, and she replied, “The alphas we’ve fought are adapting in the same ways I just learned. I have a bad feeling other MiraiCorp buildings were sent different versions of the virus that created the evolving alphas. If that isn’t the case, perhaps we’ll at least find some backed-up info on a cure, if there is one.” Noticing the doubt in Steele’s face she elaborated, “I doubt we’ll be free of the shifted without a cure.”
Steele looked at her, seeming to understand her concerns. “There is a smaller location in North Dakota. I’m not sure if it’s still locked down... I think it’s probably run down and infested by now.”
Lia responded, “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind, it’s worth looking into, even if I just quickly do it myself.”
Steele looked at her for a moment; her grim expression hadn’t wavered so she decided it was best to let the subject drop. Steele looked at the others noticing they’d all been listening to their conversation, also considering what had been said. Steele broke their focus.
“Ok, break’s over people, let’s mount up and get the hell outta here.”
Black and Grant got into the Jeep while John got in his tanker. Steele turned to Lia. “I parked your Hummer beside mine, come on.” Lia got up and walked along beside Steele; Wanderer followed Lia happily. Steele got in her Hummer, indicating its other side. Lia walked up to her Hummer, opened the passenger door for Wanderer then went around to the driver’s side. She noticed a note on the dashboard that read, “She’s all gassed up for ya. John.” Lia smiled and started the Hummer. She grabbed her CB radio’s microphone and radioed John. “Thanks for the fuel.”
“No problem, you ready to go?” he asked. Lia looked over at Wanderer; he sat comfortably on the seat.
“Ya, we’re good here.”
Lia heard Steele’s Hummer start up; all the other vehicles followed suit.
Chapter 14 – Convoy Through Hell
Everyone pulled out with Steele at the lead, turned left onto the road, then drove two kilometres east toward Interstate 76 that would take them into Nebraska. When they reached the Interstate highway, it painted the same macabre picture of abandoned, bloodied, and shredded vehicles adorned with a backdrop of bleak scenery dotted with abandoned buildings. Steele slowed a little as she drove through the vehicle graveyard. She used her Hummer to bunt any cars out of their way, making room for the tanker. Lia watched out her left windows, while Wanderer watched out the right; they couldn’t see any shifted. Lia watched out her windshield as Grant climbed down from the turret, closing its hatch before returning to the passenger seat. She noticed the hatch had been welded to makeshift hinges with steel covers welded to block them from above and steel layers had been added to its top. Lia picked up her microphone to radio Black, “What happened to the original hatch connections for the turret?”
Black radioed back. “When we were attacked on the highway into Colorado, a shifted attacked Grant while he manned the turret. The attack missed its target but when Grant closed the hatch, the shifted ripped it off.”
“Was anything else damaged?” Lia asked.
“Luckily no, I killed the shifted with my Eagles. Later on, Marks found a mig torch welding kit in a nearby auto shop. We dragged all that back to the garages you saw before so Marks could attach big farm door hinges he had found to the vehicle and hatch. Strange, I know, but the original hinges were busted in half so new ones had to be MacGyvered. After that he added some steel we scrounged together for reinforcement, then he welded the rest of the metal above the new hinges like a guard. I’m not sure if it’s enough to stop a shifted, but it does the job.”
Lia thought a moment. “I’m sure it could, but it’s not like we’re gonna let the bastards get that close again.”
Black laughed. “Nah, I blame Grant for letting it get that close.” Lia could hear Grant exclaim his displeasure at being blamed through Black’s microphone, causing her own laughter. She set her microphone back on the dashboard of her Hummer and turned left as the others did, seeing a sign on the left of the road ahead. It said: “NEBRASKA... The good life.” The bottom of the sign was so coated with dirt, Lia couldn’t tell if it said anything else.
The convoy continued along the Interstate, turning off on an exit ramp that stated it led to Omaha. Lia followed behind Black and Grant, still watching carefully for shifted. The highway branched off into a two lane straight stretch of road. They travelled down the road for an hour, passing by the same mundane dusty fields as dust flew with the wind in miniature tornados. The fields eventually gave way to clustered houses and then to taller office buildings. Lia saw another sign as they got close to the office buildings that said, “Omaha City Population: 628, 352.” Lia looked at the large number; she wondered how many could still be alive. That number also represented the potential number of shifted waiting in the urban jungle’s foreboding shadows. Lia heard a crackle come over her CB radio; she picked up the microphone. “Hello?” She didn’t receive a response for a long time.
Eventually Steele came on the radio, “We’re getting close to the base; if the occupants were attacked, the security sensors would have started broadcasting threat messages through their emergency broadcast satellite uplink. If that is the case, the signal may be what’s interfering with our radios.
Lia looked puzzled, and asked. “Why would a satellite uplink have any effect on CB radios?”
There was a slight crackling before Steele replied, “It itself wouldn’t, but this base is older, and its warning systems are like alarms, and PA systems would have been activated to warn the occupants. The PA systems run on the same channels as these radios which could be the cause of our current interference.”
“If the occupants had warning, do you think they’d be able to hold off shifted?” Lia asked.
“Last I heard before our base was overrun, they said the men were capable of holding their positions and the base was still fully operational. That was months ago. I can’t say for certain, knowing what the shifted are capable of. We’ll have to wait until we arrive to learn whether anyone is still alive or not,” Steele replied.
“How far are we from the base?” Lia asked.
“I’d say about half an hour, considering the steadily increasing interference we’re getting,” Steele replied. Steel accelerated, the others kept up without having to be told. Lia set down her microphone and looked over at Wanderer; he sat staring forward like he felt the concern coming from his friends as they continued forward. She was concer
ned too, worried about what they might find.
The convoy held their pace for around half an hour. The buildings around them were as grey and degrading as those left in Colorado. Their shadows were unyielding, unrevealing, like they hid answers to the madness in their abysmal darkness, but wouldn’t reveal them. Eventually the drab dark office buildings gave way to tall concrete walls that lined the tightly squeezed roads they now navigated, each topped with razor wire. Small security check-in buildings appeared ahead; red automated stopping bars barred the road farther into the base. Steele drove up to the bars, accelerating on contact, the torque of her Hummer easily bending the bars as they yielded to the force, eventually ripping from their mechanism. They drove down a small winding road and through another security station. Once they passed the tight wired entrance way, they drove into a large square lot.
Lia looked around the lot; it was mostly filled with the remains of dead soldiers that had fallen back to that position, with the exception of a few military Hummers and Jeeps. A shrill alarm could be heard from the lot ahead. The convoy drove slowly through the lot toward a small road that branched off it and led to the hangars. Lia followed behind the line of vehicles, watching out the windows for any movement in the ghostly quiet base. A small observation tower could be seen attached to the inside of the thick concrete wall at the left of the lot. Another tower stood dark and unmanned in the hangar section of the base. A large factory-style building stood between the adjoining wall and the tower, connected to it by a concrete walkway suspended from the second floor of the building. The convoy pulled up to the building; Steele was the first to get out of her vehicle. The others got out of their vehicles grabbing whatever weapons they had that weren’t already tethered to them.
Lia walked up to Steele and asked, “What do you think is in there?”
“That’s the command building; it will have supply and personnel rosters inside, in the CO’s office,” she answered.