Tommy rummaged through the box frantically and worried that his actions were causing it to descend deeper into the crap due to its weight. He was right. He grasped something useful and ripped it out forcefully since it was wedged beneath more random useless shit. Old rusted batteries, screws and a spool of plastic weed trimmer string flung out of the box. Tommy gripped the rusty hedge sheers in his hands firmly and thrusted them down puncturing the back of its neck. He continued to remove it and drove it back down several more times until its head was removed. Its body twitched for several minutes even after removing the head. He sat on his knees coated in its foul smelling blood and eventually retrieved his revolver from the bottom of the junk box. The pain in his shin returned but he welcomed it. He was alive…for now.
Chapter 13: Trust in God
It had taken Toko a few days to reach the Veil of the Five Daggers underground facility. He travelled on foot in a brisk jog along 156 and hopped on 13. He camped out overnight at First Baptist Church in Marissa. In the morning he caught a stroke of luck with a 150cc moped parked behind the church with the keys inserted. A keychain dangled from it reading Trust in God. It had a full gas tank with a top speed of 56mph. Due to its apparent safety risk; it was most likely abandoned for a fully enclosed vehicle. He started the engine. It rumbled to life after a few sputters. It was much quieter than a motorcycle but still drew in unwanted attention. He throttled the engine, rolled forward deactivating the kickstand and drove off down East Lyons Street. It turned into 13 once more and he followed it onto 154 zooming around the roundabout. He passed several overgrown farms and even more groups of Azrael. He had to slow down through the small town of Sesser, turning left onto South Park Street and then a right onto West Franklin Avenue.
Unfortunately, as he began to accelerate down the road, a massive Azrael darted from within a garage attached to the Sesser Public Library. It rammed into Toko brutally sending him off the moped. He collided into a trashcan breaking through the wood shielding around it and knocked it down emptying its contents all over the cracked sidewalk. Before he could get up a group of six Azrael were on him. He attempted to retrieve his sword from its sheath on his back but their attacks were quick and vicious, keeping him from getting a grip on it. They were starving. The alpha was about the size of Vladomir and held a firm grip on Toko’s leg as he fed on his thigh meat.
“Arghh…chikusho!” He cussed.
The other five fought over available pieces of Toko, tearing flesh from his arms, legs and chest. He was going to die. A voice entered his mind as he lay on his back being consumed by a group of Azrael.
“Grab your sword Toko! The girl needs you. Okiru!” Kyo shouted within Toko’s mind.
Toko glanced over towards the moped still lying in the street with its engine grumbling. The keychain Trust in God caught a glare from the sun. He looked to the heavens, felt the pressure from the feeding Azrael on his body and an image of the seizing girl entered his mind. He wasn’t ready to give up on Samantha.
With a renewed spirit, Toko reached for his sword once more. He successfully removed it from its sheath and struck down on the large alpha with one motion, slicing its skull in half. It collapsed and its muscles continued to spasm. The connection to the alpha severed instantly causing the feeding Azrael to pause. It was enough time for Toko to roll away from them to a knee. He placed his left palm on the pavement of the road and extended his right arm behind him flipping the blade into a reverse grip. He wore a fierce gaze towards his enemy and lunged towards the closest Azrael lopping its head off in one clean swipe. He met the palm of his left hand with the top of his right hand and thrusted the blade forwards stabbing another Azrael through its throat. Toko twisted to his left viciously breaking through its spine and exiting the right side of its neck. He followed the spinning motion and resituated the blade into a formal grip. He settled into a comfortable stance and finished the other three with quick and accurate strikes. His body moved on autopilot. He didn’t think about any action other than eliminating the threat ahead of him. His body executed superbly.
Once the danger ceased to exist, Toko collapsed to both knees, brought in several deep breaths, and said a prayer for the slain enemies. He was in bad shape, but knew that he could still make it to Rend Lake before his body failed him. He staggered to his feet and lifted the moped off the ground. He groaned from his wounds as the weight of the bike placed pressure on damaged muscle fibers. The keychain was coated in a fresh coat of Azrael blood. Toko straddled the bike, brushed the blood off the keychain with his right thumb and kissed it.
“Domo arigatou gozaimasu.” Toko whispered a respectful thank you.
The entrance to the Veil facility was still roughly ten miles away. It took him thirty minutes to arrive due to several unintended detours and from eluding frequent impending collisions. As he approached the guard post, he held up his hands in an attempt to appear friendly. The vibration of the engine irritated his inner thigh and he turned off the engine.
“State your business?” The guard asked.
“I have private business beyond those gates.” Toko explained while pointing towards the gates ahead. His body was covered in dried up blood and scabs could be seen beneath the rips in the fabric of his clothes. His eyes were milky white.
“Toko, what the hell happened to you?” One of the guards walked up to him. He was usually on guard within the facility down below but due to a recent attack at the gates, vital posts were without the appropriate manpower.
“It’s a long story Brandon.” Toko sighed.
“Are you here for François?”
“François? Why would I be here for him?” Toko asked puzzled.
“François arrived about a week ago. He’s still here for some reason.” Brandon answered.
“No, I am here for someone else. I need to speak to…”
“Dr. Aoki, right?”
“Hai.”
“I’ll have his people contacted at once. They should be outside the facility when you arrive.”
Brandon gave Toko the thumbs up and instructed one of the guards to open the gates for him. It hummed to life and lifted slowly. Toko started the moped and drove through the gates.
“Nice bike Toko. Delivering Chinese takeout?” Brandon and the other guards joined in on a good laugh.
“I wish I was.” Toko forced a smile ignoring the obvious slight to his ethnicity, especially since he was Japanese not Chinese.
After a few minutes of slowly puttering towards the hidden building, Toko finally saw it. Unfortunately, he was on the verge of collapse and before he could successfully park, he blacked out crashing onto the curb in front of the structure.
Dr. Ang rushed over and dragged him from beneath the bike. François hurried after and heaved his injured friend over his shoulder. They entered the building and placed him in a comfortable bed in one of the Veil recovery rooms. A slow drip of the serum was administered while his vitals were closely monitored.
The next morning, Toko awoke recharged and in better spirits.
“Good to see you awake.” François greeted.
“Uh…they came from a garage. I…didn’t see them.” Toko groaned and brought in a deep breath.
“Who?”
“Azrael, they tackled me and Kyo…”
“Kyo?”
“Kyo, gave me strength to continue fighting.”
“Kyo’s dead. What…what drugs do they have you on?”
François inspected the IV bag that was dripping into the drip chamber attached to Toko’s left arm. It was the usual Azrael serum. A level one serum was kick starting his body to produce an abundance of white blood cells. It should only be repairing the damaged tissue, not causing hallucinations.
“I’m fine… François, I’m fine. It was just a voice…a voice inspiring me to keep going.”
“Where’s Giselle Johnson? Did she die?”
“No…she is fine. A girl needs our help. She was bit.”
“Shoot her. What’s the
problem?”
“No, no no. Giselle used one of my serums on her.”
“Did it work?” François worried that he made a poor decision with Taliah.
“Sort of. She’s been introduced to the level two serum. She needs a weaker dose. Her vitals are stable, but her condition could change at any moment.”
“Sounds like a real problem. Do you think she will be like us?”
“I don’t know. It would be the first for a female to be like us.”
“Giselle?”
“She was immune to begin with. She does not need the serum to keep the virus from killing her. Dr. Aoki’s calculations were exact…is…he…here?” Toko stammered.
“Take it easy. You’re still recovering. I’ll go get the doc.”
François exited the room. When he returned with the doctor, Toko was asleep again.
“Just let him rest. He may need a bit more time to heal. Did he tell you where the girl was?” Dr. Ang asked.
“No.”
“Was hoping to send you to deliver the bottles of serum to the girl to get some fresh air.”
“I’m fine, Jen.”
“Taliah is in good hands. The doc’s got it all under control. You need a break. How about you go back with Toko. He could use a friend on the trip back.” She suggested.
“I can’t leave her. Not that I’m worried about her condition.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Well, I am worried about her condition but that’s not all.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tricon’s been filling the Duvereaux’s pockets.”
“You’re talking rubbish. Eleanor would never…”
“She’s dead. They’re both dead.”
“They’re what?”
“Tricon’s goons killed them. Probably to keep them quiet or they’ve exceeded their worth.”
“And how do you know this?” Dr. Ang scowled.
“I, uh, brought Taliah over for a dinner and some evening conversation. I was curious how they still maintained their lavish lifestyle and had the suspicion that they were receiving dirty money.”
“The Duvereaux’s?”
“I was right. They called Tricon and had assassins at Taliah’s window by the evening.”
“Cunts.”
“They had more Azrael infected assassins.”
“Were they more dangerous than the soldiers from the Second Breach?”
“About the same.”
“So they haven’t improved their formula yet?”
“That we know of, no.”
Dr. Ang sighed. She handed François a month’s supply of the serum in a customized padded bag. They were protected from breaking by foam padding that surrounded each bottle.
“I’ll brief the Doc. You should really go with Toko but I understand your hesitation. If you decide to stay, at least spend time with Toko. He’s probably going to commit to level one from here on out.”
“Are you serious?”
“It’s getting harder to keep the necrosis event from happening. He has probably a month left before the serum...”
“Stops working?” He interrupted.
“Afraid so.”
“He’s been doing too much lately.”
“Giselle, he thinks she’s the answer.” She explained.
“What do you think?”
“She may have the answers we need.”
“Taliah?” He asked.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with her and the virus. She’s stable, that’s all that matters at this point.”
“True.” François sighed and shook his head. “Maybe I will go with Toko. Have you heard from Jimmy?”
“Not a peep. You’ve all been real silent lately. I’ve been worried.”
“It’s getting crazy out there.”
“It has. In any case, get some rest. Might as well sleep while he’s sleeping. You need it and another dose of the serum yourself. You’ve got the shakes.” Dr. Ang pointed to François’ hands.
“I will. Thank you, Jen.”
“Any time François.”
Chapter 14: Foolish Hope
Sitting in a booth at Norma’s Place a few miles north of Mount Vernon, Jimmy lethargically lifted his head up from the table.
“About time you woke up. I was thinking you were in some kind of coma.” A woman speculated nearby.
She was sitting on the bar with her legs crossed about twenty feet away and eating a plate of hash browns, eggs, and some canned baked beans. The aroma of the meal was what brought Jimmy from his deep sleep.
“That…ugh…smells delicious.” He groaned and smacked his gums tasting the food in the air.
“Momma!” She hollered to the back room.
“Yes?” An elderly woman responded from the back room. It was probably the kitchen.
“The squatter’s awake. Bring out another plate.” She continued.
“Okay Dear. I’ll have Bryson bring it over.” The old woman responded.
The woman smiled with wads of food in both cheeks.
“There you go. Don’t think that you’re getting a free meal.” She grimaced and shoveled another wad of hash browns into her mouth stuffing it completely.
A boy entered through a swinging door carrying a plate that looked similar to the woman’s. He headed over towards Jimmy.
“Stop! That’s close enough Bryson.” The woman instructed while holding her right arm out in front of him.
“Mom? He’s not like those zombies. I’m sure…”
“You don’t know anything about that man.” She turned to look at Jimmy. “Look, there’s a gun aimed at your face right now from the back.” She turned. “Ain’t that right Momma?”
“That’s right, Dear.”
“So don’t try anything stupid.” She continued.
“I…won’t do anything to hurt you. I promise.” Jimmy attempted a smile. His disfigurement and scarring made it look awkward.
“Bryson, give it to the man.” She urged. He walked over. “Slowly!” She added. He slowed his steps and reached it out to Jimmy.
“There you go, sir.” He wore an uncomfortable grin.
“Thanks Bryson.”
“No problem….uh..sir.”
“What’s your name?” The woman asked after swallowing all that was wedged from within her cheeks.
“Jimmy.” He answered.
He sniffed the food, sighed and put a handful of hash browns into his mouth.
“Your eyes, they look like the zombies eyes. What’s going on with you?” She asked.
“Well…ma’am…I…”
“I’m Grace and my Momma’s name is Norma.”
“Well, Grace, I work for a group of people who have been studying the virus that created the uh, zombies, as you called them.” Jimmy explained and grabbed a handful of eggs and dropped them into his mouth. “Could I get some…utensils and a napkin please?” He asked.
“There are napkins on the table. You can eat with your hands. I don’t want you drooling all over my silverware. Not sure if the cleaner we have is strong enough to kill whatever you have.”
“Fair enough.”
Jimmy retrieved a napkin from the dispenser on the table and wiped his mouth and hands. “We were all stuck over there when the outbreak happened. The airports in the US were not taking in any more flights. On the way over to our hotel the taxi we were in drove over an IED.” He turned to Bryson. “That’s an improvised explosive device. Like some land mine hidden in the dirt made out of anything they could find.”
“Okay.” Bryson answered with wide eyes and a deep curiosity for what came next.
“The doctors pronounced me dead once I arrived at the hospital.”
“You died!” Bryson gasped.
“No, I was still alive, barely. But most of the staff had left to be with their families so not much care was actually given.”
“That’s awful!” Norma scowled as she walked in and sat on a stool that was bolted to the
floor next to the bar beside Grace.
“That’s where I met Dr. Greene from the company where I work now. She said that she could save my life but I wouldn’t be the same as before.”
“So you said yes.” Grace asked.
“Of course, I was dying. I would have done anything to stay alive.” Jimmy broke out into a big laugh. “After a few months of intense therapy, I became…this.” He gestured to himself.
“They used the virus to fix you?” Norma asked.
“That’s right.”
“So what’s with the drugs in your bag? What’s L2?” Norma asked.
“It’s a level 2 serum. I have to take it daily to keep the virus from taking over and turning me into those zombies. It helps to stabilize my cells. I’m not a scientist or doctor. I’m not sure the specifics. If I’m hurt pretty badly I take an early dose to fix me up.” Jimmy explained.
“I see. Looks like you ‘ve healed up quite a bit already. It’s hard to tell with all the blood, but you seem in much better shape than when you came in.” Grace admitted and shoved another scoop of hash browns in her mouth.
“You still stink.” Bryson added.
“Bryson? That’s not a polite thing to say.” Norma scoffed.
“It’s okay. I do stink. I had to kill a bunch of those zombies after the accident.”
“Accident?” Bryson asked.
“It’s complicated. I’m still figuring out the details in my head.” Jimmy admitted.
“So where were you headed?”
“Rend Lake.”
“That’s about twenty miles or so to the south. What’s so important there?” Grace asked.
“Meeting up with some friends there.” He lied.
“Well, you seem like a nice young man. You can stay here as long as you need to. When you’re done eating, come upstairs and wash up. I’ve got a set of clothes that might fit you. It was my late husbands. They’re clean. I’ll head up and get the water going.” Norma spoke.
“Momma?” Grace leaned her head towards Jimmy and wore a scowl.
The Azrael (Book 5): Prisoners Page 9