My head is telling me yes. My heart is hoping for a miracle that I’m not sure will be fulfilled.
I can’t bring myself to speak the truth, among the many others that I have yet to bestow upon her. Like everything else, I must remain the beacon of hope. Her rock to stand on as the tides of despair and hopelessness claw and reach for her feet.
“We are not going to die here. I can promise you that.” I try to sell my words as if they’re made of gold. What doubt and frustration boils in the pit of my stomach stays hidden below. For now, anyway.
Cindy just lays there.
Cassie leans in close to me and whispers in my ear, “You haven’t told her about your parents, have you?”
I shake my head emphatically. “God, no. I’m not sure if or when I’ll have the stomach to tell her the truth. Maybe never.”
Duke’s head springs up from his paws. His ears stand on end. His body is tense, muscles rigid. A low growl sounds from his throat. A threat is close.
“Something’s coming,” I whisper to Lucas and Cassie.
They snap to, and scramble to their feet. I follow suit.
“What’s wrong, James?” Cindy jerks up from the floor in a panic. Fearful cries flow from her quivering lips.
I press my finger to my lips, and shush any further talking. Harsh, but necessary.
The Carbines are shouldered as we sweep the hallway for any signs of a threat. Doctor Harper and the nurses scramble to their feet as well.
“I don’t see-” Cassie pauses. Duke barks and growls. He’s facing the hallway that is down from us. “Yeah. Someone’s coming. They’re not trying to be quiet from the sounds of it.”
We train our rifles at the hallway and patiently wait. Duke’s growls grow louder, more intense with every second that painfully ticks by.
A white light comes into view. It’s being jostled about, bouncing every which way. A body materializes from the darkness. It’s Commander Reynolds. Spent and out of breath, he slumps over. His hands rest on the tops of his knees as he takes a moment to catch his breath.
We lower our rifles and head over to him. I walk past him, and check the long stretch of hallway that is cloaked in darkness for any signs of chasers. Other than the dead who have gathered at the stairwell door, I spot nothing. What had him sprinting back to us?
“We thought you bit it or something,” I say. “What were you running from?”
Commander Reynolds stands up straight, and exhales a long, deep breath. “I was sweeping the floor just to make sure nothing was lurking about up here. I checked the other stairwell as well. I secured it as best I can. But we have a problem.”
Commander Reynolds glances back the way he came. His hand runs over his face. He pushes past me and heads down the hallway.
“What sort of problem?” Lucas inquires as we give chase.
There’s only one problem that I can think of that would have the commander in such a state. The horde of chasers has arrived.
“I need to find a window that looks down to the grounds below.”
“Is it the infected?” I pose.
The commander darts to the left through an open door that leads into a hospital room. He makes a beeline for the window. I stay close, and follow along as we navigate through the cluttered mess of turned over beds and medical equipment that lay scattered over the floor. I dread what we might find beyond the walls.
Commander Reynolds grabs the curtains and shoves them to either side. With eyes wide, he peers down to the darkness that has blanketed the grounds around the front of the hospital.
Lucas stands near me as we look out to the unsettling scene before us.
“Oh, God.” I gasp.
An endless sea of bodies meets our gaze for as far as we can see. The night has cloaked the chasers in black, making it nearly impossible to discern their numbers. Like ants, they meld together as one large group that blankets the landscape. They meander about with no particular destination in mind.
“There’s more on the far side of the hospital as well,” Commander Reynolds mentions.
I point down to the dead, bringing their less than violent tendency to everyone’s attention.
“It doesn’t seem as though they’re converging on the hospital, but more so just passing through. Maybe it’s because there’s nothing stimulating their curiosity. If we remain quiet and don’t discharge our weapons, we should be fine until the choppers arrive, right?”
“Could work,” Lucas agrees. “What do we do if the chasers from the stairwell break through the door?”
I cut my gaze to him. “We’ll cross that bridge when we have to. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
“That won’t matter.” Commander Reynolds shakes his head dismissively as he sighs in frustration.
My face contorts in confusion. I’m not following why he is so beside himself. I mean, I get it, but if we stay quiet, then we shouldn’t draw their attention.
“For now, they really aren’t paying us any mind, right?” he poses. Both Lucas and I acknowledge with a tilt of our heads. “What’s going to happen when those choppers land on top of the building? That noise is going to be like a beacon that draws them in. Those damn things will flood this place in no time. Adding to the already shit storm that is inside the building! They’ll be able to get up that other stairwell with no problem. Given their vast numbers, it won’t take long for them to breakthrough.”
I hadn’t given thought to that. The commander is right. The noise from the choppers will surely snare the chasers’ attention. Draw them in to investigate what’s causing the racket.
I spot his radio that is still fixed to the side of his hip. “What if you radio them and have one of the choppers lead them away while the others evac us?” I suggest.
Commander Reynolds removes the radio and holds it up in front of us. “I tried when I first spotted the infected on the other side, but it’s dead. Batteries are toast.”
Commander Reynolds throws the radio at the wall in a fit of anger. It clatters off the wall, then drops to the floor.
A thought gels in my head. I’m not sure I even want to ask what’s brewing on my mind as I fear I already know the answer.
“Do they even know where our exact location is?”
“They know we were falling back to the upper floors, but no, they do not know exactly where we will be.” Commander Reynolds points in the direction of the hallway. “I wasn’t counting on the infected being this far up in the stairwell. The plan was to sit tight, remain silent, and head up to the landing pad when they arrived.”
“So, there’s not any other way for us to reach them before they get here?” Lucas prods.
“That dead radio was our only chance,” Commander Reynolds counters.
A bad situation that has been flipped on its ear. We’re treading water now, and the waves are growing more bold and deadly with each moment that ticks by.
Silence befalls us. I look down to the Carbine tightly gripped within my hands. Three rifles remain between us and the commander’s sidearm. We each have an extra magazine left, but considering the chasers seemingly endless numbers, it’s a moot point.
We’ve exhausted all plans. Nothing congeals that could hint at a way that we make it out of this in one piece. Wicked fatal thoughts slowly consume me like a parasite. It’s a no win scenario that is going to be left to chance and fate itself.
Lucas narrows his eyes and cocks his head to the left slightly.
“What’s wrong?” I prod.
“Do you hear that?” He moves his finger in a circular motion, as if it’s timed with something. “Sounds like a steady thumping sound.”
Commander Reynolds pivots toward the window. He looks up to the eerie, cloudy sky that hangs above us like the grim reaper’s cloak.
I listen closely as well, now picking up the constant thumping sound that’s growing louder. A sense of joy and dread meld together inside of me as the revelation of what it is dawns on me.
The military ha
ve arrived.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
It’s do or die. The moment of truth has arrived. We’ve fought for our lives and have lost many. To survive what is to come, we’ll have fight with everything we’ve got, and then some.
Cassie rushes into the room with Cindy and Duke by her side.
“Is that the military?” she excitedly asks.
A chopper buzzes overhead and comes into view. Flashing red dots, fixed to its hull, indicate its location within the moonless sky overhead.
“There!” I shout, pointing out the window.
Commander Reynolds turns back and looks to Cassie. “Gather everyone, and get ready to move!”
“Move where?” she counters. “Is there another way up to the roof other than the stairwell?”
“Just gather everyone up, now!” Commander Reynolds barks.
Cassie shakes her head, but turns and leaves the room, taking Duke and Cindy with her.
A light from the chopper comes to life and sweeps over the earth that is crawling with dead. Bodies cover the ground. Heads tilt up to the sky, and search for the source of the sound that has grabbed their attention.
The light moves toward the building. I lean forward and press my forehead against the glass. All I can see is waves of chasers forcing their way inside the building.
“Oh hell,” I grumble.
Commander Reynolds looks back out to the ground below.
The chopper turns to the side, its light fixed on the ground floor of the building. It opens fire at the mass of infected that swarm like locusts.
An explosion of dragon’s fire breathes from the side of the chopper. Tracers light up the sky like fireflies. The mass of incoming rounds tears through the chasers’ bodies like a hot knife through butter. It slows the dead down some, but doesn’t cease their advancement.
“Get down!” Commander Reynolds shouts.
The hammering of the gunship’s weapons batters the air. The floor beneath us shakes and shudders from the punishment its being dealt.
Cassie peers around the corner of the door. She waves her arms frantically in the air and shouts, trying to snare our attention. “We’ve got a situation out here!”
Commander Reynolds gets to his feet. He grabs a handful of my jacket and pulls me up from the flat of my butt. We make a beeline for the hall.
We converge in the hallway, huddled together in a circle of uncertainty and panic. Cassie points toward the stairwell. Fists thrash the door as the chaser’s yowls rise in anger.
“Sounds like they’re about to burst through!” she yells out.
We train our rifles at the doorway. An exhale of tension escapes from my trembling lips as Cindy melds into me. Duke barks and growls, baring his teeth. He’s ready for a fight.
A deep thud sounds from the stairwell. The hammering from the chasers ceases. Smoke funnels out from under the door as the reports of gunfire play in my ear.
“Everyone, hold your fire!” Commander Reynolds orders.
The door opens. Beams of red light strike out from the darkness of the stairwell. Bodies charge into the hallway with rifles shouldered.
“Down here!” Doctor Harper yells out.
The red lights sweep across the walls and train in our direction. Our lights bear down on the soldiers who are outfitted in black tactical gear from head to toe. They race down the hall in our direction.
They lower their rifles as they stop just shy of us. A quick salute is offered before one of the soldiers speaks. “Sir, we need to evac now!” He looks over our haggard group quickly. “Is this everyone?”
“Yes.”
The soldier’s radio crackles as a voice barks through the speaker.
More gunfire sounds from the stairwell.
“Stay close and follow us,” the soldier demands. “We need to leave now.” He spins about and twirls his hand in the air. The other two soldiers turn, and head for the entrance of the stairwell. We keep pace with the soldiers.
The gunfire from the gunship outside continues to batter the dead below without pause. Duke gallops by my side as Cindy struggles to keep pace with us.
The bright glow from muzzle flashes within the confines of the stairwell offer brief snapshots of soldiers standing and firing at the surge of dead pushing up the stairs. The deads’ yowls are silenced by the hammering of weapons continuously discharging.
One by one, we’re funneled through the doorway and to the right. Soldiers are positioned close to the railing and the staircase that leads down to the lower floors.
Doctor Harper stops on the stairs. He looks back toward the hallway. He calls out to Commander Reynolds who’s standing before us just inside of the entrance.
I can’t tell what he’s saying. He’s pointing in our direction. Commander Reynolds comes about and cranes his neck. He looks in the direction we came from.
“What’s wrong?” I yell.
“The backup drives were left back down the hall where Doctor Harper was sitting,” the commander yells back. “We need that data!”
Commander Reynolds makes for the opening, but is halted by one of the soldiers.
“Sir, I can’t allow you to leave. I’ve got orders to make sure you’re on that bird.”
The commander and the soldier exchange heated words as I look back down the corridor. I know exactly where the doctor and nurses were sitting. If I run fast enough, I can retrieve the satchel, and make it back. It’s not too far.
I look to Lucas. I pull Cindy from my leg, and move her over to him. I don’t want to leave her, but what’s contained on those drives could possibly aid in finding a cure for the infection, and rid her of this curse.
“I’ll be right back. Watch her!” I take off down the hall in a mad dash with the Carbine slung over my shoulder. The faint whispers of voices calling out to me are drowned out quickly by the barrage of gunfire.
Hard and fast, my feet abuse the floor. My head swivels, frantically searching for the missing satchel within the darkness. I come to a grinding halt, scouring the floor with frazzled nerves.
It’s got to be around here somewhere.
I move closer to the wall to my left, and finally spot it resting in the seat of a chair. I grab the leather strap and toss it over my head. Time to leave.
I make for the stairwell, but no longer spy any soldiers positioned just outside of the entrance. The gleam of muzzle fire has vanished, and the reverberation of weapons discharging has all but ceased.
The caterwauls of the infected loom large from the darkness. The chasers flood out of the stairwell entrance into the hallway in droves. A wave of teeth and unbridled violence spill out before me.
Oh shit.
I stop and nearly lose my balance. I remove the Carbine and shoulder the rifle. My finger presses against the trigger, but I stop. It will just draw their attention more to me. Even if I do take out a handful of the infected, there will be many more to take their place.
The chasers turn and look in every direction. Finally spotting me, they howl at the sight of a warm body to rip into.
They rush down the corridor after me.
I bolt in the opposite direction. I flip on the light on my rifle to guide my way through the maze of corridors.
I’m scared out of my mind, running aimlessly through the halls of the abandoned hospital with a horde of chasers hot on my heels. I try to think clearly, plot out my next move as to how I’m going to make it to the roof before the choppers take off.
Think, James, think.
From what Commander Reynolds said, the roof wasn’t that far away from this floor. But how can I get there without using the stairwell?
I hook a right, and continue my mad dash. The yowls of the chasers remain in tow. Unrelenting and unwilling to give up, they stay the course.
Off to my right, the light plays over the walls until it shines upon an elevator door that is partially open. I stop just shy of the opening. Looks as though someone tried to check out the elevator but stopped.
I train the light through the gap, and find nothing more than a hollow shaft with no elevator. I peer down to the bottomless pit; it nearly paralyzes me in place. I take a deep breath and exhale. I scan from side to side quickly, and find a ladder on the far wall to my right. It has to lead up.
The tidal wave of chasers’ races toward me. It’s now or never. Live or die. It’s as simple as that.
I shine the light at the narrow edge that leads about the shaft in the direction of the ladder.
I secure the Carbine over my shoulder, and force the door open a hair more to allow me to reach the edge.
The pounding of the mob of chasers charging me makes my heart pound against my chest. I become lightheaded from the spike of adrenaline that fires through my veins. I don’t want to die and leave Cindy all alone.
My meager arms pull in opposite directions, forcing the door open wide enough for me to make my move. The infected close in, clamoring and reaching for my body.
I carefully move to the right. My fingers search the wall for anything to grab as my boots find the ledge. A ridge within the wall is discovered. It isn’t much, but it’ll have to do.
I slip down the ledge quickly, but cautiously just as the chasers arrive. Arms stretch out from the opening. Greedy fingers swipe at my jacket with the hopes of finding their mark. My breathing surges to the point that I feel as though I could hyperventilate.
Bodies are shoved from the edge of the opening, and plummet to the deep, dark abyss below. A dense thud marks that they found the bottom.
I make the corner, moving farther away from the chasers. My left boot stretches across and finds the ledge. I move over and continue going. The thought of my family keeps pushing me to battle through my fear of heights. The unrelenting groans and growls from the infected do little to help stay my nerves.
My hand brushes against the side of the metal ladder. It feels close enough to where I won’t have to reach too far. I climb onto the rungs and take another deep breath. My arms are on fire. What few muscles I have are being pushed to the brink of exhaustion. I can’t stop now, though. I must fight through, and get to the roof.
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