Deadlocked 7

by A. R. Wise

  “Who are you guys?” she asked.

  The woman was taller than Clyde, with dark black, African skin. She was thick, but not overweight. She had an athlete’s build, and Hero puffed his chest as he approached. “We’re survivors looking for a bit of revenge,” said Hero as he pointed the rifle back at the woman.

  “Put the gun down, Hero,” said Clyde.

  The woman scoffed. “Hero? Is that really your name? You should be called Chicken-Shit Dough Boy, trying to lure me out so your pigeon up there could take a shot. Fuck you.”

  “Fuck you,” said Hero.

  “No, fuck you,” she said back.

  Hero was about to respond when Clyde yelled at them both. “Enough. Everyone calm down.” He held his hand out to the woman. “My name’s Clyde, that’s Reagan, and you’ve already met Hero.”

  She shook Clyde’s hand. “My name’s Jill.” She walked over to Reagan and shook his hand, and then went to Hero. He lowered his gun and held out his hand, but she slapped it away and then punched him hard on the chin.

  “Mother fucker!” Hero staggered back from the cheap shot.

  “You deserved that, asshole. Don’t fuck with me again,” said Jill.

  Reagan chuckled and shook his head.

  * * *

  August 24th, 20 years after the apocalypse

  Hero is speaking with Beatrice in the cabin above the transfer facility.

  “You’re stubborn,” said Beatrice. “I’ll give you that, Mister Levon.”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell my wife you said so.”

  “What do you think your wife would say if she knew you were refusing my offer? Do you have children? Are you ready to let them die as well?”

  “No kids,” said Hero. “And if my wife were here, she would’ve knocked your ass out a long time ago. Trust me.”

  “I guess you two are a couple of brutes then.”

  “Not quite,” said Hero. “Jill’s a nurse, sweetest woman you ever met, but when you cross her she’ll knock you on your ass in no time flat. It’s what I like best about her.”

  “Then tell me, where do we go from here?” asked Beatrice as she sat on the couch across the coffee table from Hero.

  “Wish I knew, Bea. Truth is we’re stuck here for the time being.”

  “Where are the guards? Did you murder them?”

  “Not me,” said Hero. “Jerald took care of that part for me.”

  “Are you serious?” She uncrossed her legs and sat forward. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I was unconscious at the time,” Hero took off the military cap that he’d put on to complete his disguise and revealed the bandages on his head. “Got the shit kicked out of me by his men. From what I’ve been told, he brought us here and then killed the guards. He was planning on kidnapping you when you got here.”

  Beatrice shook her head, her eyes wide as she placed her hand over her mouth. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Well, believe it sister. That’s what happened. Your boys down below forced him to evacuate by releasing the zombies that were infected with your new strain.”

  Beatrice gasped. “No, please no. Please tell me you’re lying.”

  “Nope. It’s a bloodbath down there.”

  “And what about Cobra? What about my daughter?”

  “Celeste,” said Hero. “She calls herself Celeste now.”

  “Where is she?”

  “With Jerald.”

  “Oh no, no, no. This is a nightmare.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Hero with a wide grin. “It gets worse.”

  “How?”

  “Jerald might be on his way back here right now, and we can’t go anywhere.”

  “Why not?” asked Beatrice. “We should leave as soon as possible.”

  “No can do, Bea.” Hero lifted his blue camouflage pants to reveal the wound on his leg. “I’m infected with your new super disease.” He winked at her. “I’m like the walking embodiment of the Fourth Horseman.”

  “Well then,” said Beatrice as she relaxed back in her seat. “I guess you have quite the quandary on your hands here.”

  “What do you look so damn smug about?”

  “You’ve been sitting there giving me this whole speech about how righteous you are; about how you’re the good guy and all that crap,” said Beatrice. “Yet here you are, standing outside of our underground facility, risking exposing the whole world to the virus you were so indignant about. If you were truly as righteous as you pretend to be, you’d go down there and let us purge the entire facility with you in it. But that’s not what you’ve done, now is it? You’re as desperate to survive as the rest of us, no matter the risk.”

  Hero laughed as he stood up. “Damn woman, you really are queen of the bitches aren’t you?” He took a pair of handcuffs off his belt. “Willy’s down there working on a cure, because he’s infected too. We’ve already agreed to purge the place if he comes up empty. I just wanted to make sure I had the chance to bring you to the party first.” He blew her a kiss and laughed again as he motioned for her to stand up.

  “You’re a hard man to like, Levon.”

  “Funny, that’s the same thing my wife used to say. She learned to put up with me. I’m sure you can too, because we’re going to get to know each other real well.” He cuffed her wrist and then attached the other side to his own. “And if I turn into one of your super zombies,” he shook his left arm, rattling the cuff and her arm as well, “I’ve already lined up my first snack.”

  “What if Jerald comes back?” asked Beatrice.

  “Willy says we can lock everything up downstairs. If Jerald comes back, I doubt we’re going to have to hold him off for too long before this disease is either cured or that we find out it can’t be.”

  “Sure, but what then?” asked Beatrice.

  Hero looked down at her and then chuckled. “Darling, swear to God, I haven’t even thought that far. I’ve got demon blood pushing through my veins right now, ready to turn me into a blood thirsty maniac. The future isn’t something I’ve had the luxury of planning out.”

  Beatrice stopped and pulled at the cuffs, forcing Hero to stop as well. “Levon, we need to get my bags.”

  “Lady, I could give a rat’s ass about your clothes right now.”

  “Not for my clothes, you idiot,” she said and pointed to the basketball court where her luggage was still sitting. “My computer is in there. With it, we can communicate with The Electorate. We already have a cure for the new virus.”

  “For real?” asked Hero. “I thought the whole reason Jerald was looking for my group was to try and get a cure.”

  “There’s still a lot you don’t know. Now let’s just go get my bag so we can get the information about the cure for the scientist here. Then we can get out of here before Jerald gets back. Like it or not, trusting me on this is your only option.”

  “I’ll give trusting you a shot,” said Hero. “But just this once, you nasty old bag.” He waggled his finger at her as if admonishing an old friend.

  She rolled her eyes and pulled him along as they headed outside.

  Chapter Ten – The Tempest Strain

  Seven months after the apocalypse

  Reagan and the others are with Jill, above the facility in Estes Park.

  “Your friends took off,” said Clyde after trying to see where the other two had fled.

  “It’s okay,” said Jill. “I don’t know who they were. We just got stuck here together. I’d still like to find them if we could. They’re just kids, not any older than thirteen.”

  “Are there any soldiers still down there?” asked Reagan, reluctant to relax.

  “Not a soul,” said Jill. “That’s how we got out. A couple days ago they all just disappeared.”

  “And what were you doing there?” asked Hero.

  “We weren’t working with them, if that’s what you’re trying to say,” said Jill, incensed just by the sound of Hero’s voice.

  “That’s not what I was trying to s
ay. You don’t have to jump down my fucking throat. You’re the one that hit me, remember?”

  “Oh yeah, I remember,” she said. “And every time I remember it I start to smile, asshole.”

  “Hero,” said Clyde, “Just keep quiet.”

  “I didn’t do nothing!”

  “Just shut up for once,” said Clyde.

  “Yeah,” said Jill with a satisfied smirk.

  “Why were you down there?” asked Clyde.

  Jill’s demeanor softened and she smiled at the medic as she answered. “They were doing all sorts of tests on us. I don’t have any clue why. They kept asking when my last period was and weird shit like that. I’ve only been down there for a week, but the other kids there had been around for a lot longer. Weirdest part of all, everyone in there was black, and all the scientists were white.”

  “Really?” asked Hero.

  “Yes really,” said Jill, a hostile edge to her voice. “I’m not a liar.”

  “I didn’t fucking say you were a liar, girl. Give me a damn break here.”

  “I’ll break your damn nose,” said Jill.

  “Hero,” said Clyde. “Just keep quiet.”

  Hero ignored him. “How the fuck does a bitch get free from a military complex full of crackers doing tests on black people and come out here and pick a fight with the first fucking black dude she sees? What sort of sense does that make? I swear to God, man. They pumped you up with crazy-ass-bitch juice in there.”

  “Have you ever listened to yourself?” asked Jill. “You sound like a damn fool. You really need to listen to your friends when they tell you to keep your damn mouth shut.”

  “Clyde, you’d better control your new girlfriend, because she’s pissing me right the fuck off.”

  “Would you two stop bickering,” said Reagan. “Hero, there’s not a damn soul alive that’s going to accuse you of being smooth with pretty ladies like this one.”

  Hero put his hands in the air and spun, at a loss for words as he guffawed. “This is some Bizarro world shit here, man. I can’t even stand it. I swear to God, I’ve just lost my damn mind. Everybody’s on crazy pills.”

  “Can you take us in there?” asked Reagan. “Show us where they were doing the tests. I want to learn as much as possible about what they were up to.”

  “I don’t really want to go back in there,” said Jill.

  “I know,” said Reagan. The harsh demeanor that Hero had come to expect from the old captain seemed to melt away as he spoke to Jill. He couldn’t of been more charming, as if he’d been possessed by a ghost with charisma. “But I really need to figure out what these guys are up to. I need your help, Jill. Will you help us out?”

  She took a breath, rolled her eyes, and shrugged. “All right, but only because you asked nicely.”

  “Thank you, dear.” Reagan took her hand and kissed it, then motioned for Clyde to go first. “You lead the way, Clyde. Jill, tell him where we’re headed. I’ll cover our rear with mister smooth criminal here.”

  Jill and Clyde headed back into the facility, but Reagan stopped Hero at the entrance. He watched Clyde and Jill walk further inside before smirking up at Hero. “You’ve got to learn to be nice to the ladies.”

  “Don’t go schooling me on being smooth, old man,” said Hero. “I’m a pimp, man. Ain’t no brother ever got the up on me when pussy was on the line.”

  “No, no, no,” said Reagan. “For Christ’s sake, if I ever hear you refer to a lady as ‘pussy’ again I’ll slap you upside your head.”

  “I’m not turning on the mac for that dump truck,” said Hero as he motioned to the woman walking away from them. “She’s not my type, man.”

  Reagan snorted before he laughed, something Hero had never heard him do before. “You’re a damn fool then. That’s a beautiful woman that we just met, and one of the only women we’ve had the pleasure of coming across in the time I’ve known you. Now try for once in your life not to be a prick. Okay?”

  “You’re tripping, old man. Can we get going now?”

  “Be nice, or I’m going to beat your ass,” said Reagan.

  “You can try,” said Hero.

  Reagan walked into the building while chuckling. “Hero, you and I both know I could lay you flat on your ass before you could even start crying. And that’s pretty damn quick!”

  “You know,” said Hero. “I feel like I’m getting an awful lot of abuse here. What the hell did I do to deserve this shit?”

  Reagan put his arm around Hero’s shoulder as they walked through the warehouse, headed to the office where Clyde and Jill were waiting beside the pile of rubble. The two pipe bombs had left the area shattered, exploding the walls into a mess of concrete, plaster, and exposed rebar.

  “How the hell did you make it through this?” asked Reagan as he inspected the mess.

  “Wasn’t easy.” Jill pointed to the far side of the room. “There’s a gap over there that we were able to crawl through.”

  “Did the people here say why they were leaving?” asked Clyde as he started to ascend the mass of rubble.

  “Nope,” said Jill. “They just started packing everything up. There used to be a lot more of us that they were running tests on, but they took almost everyone away with them.”

  There was a clatter from far off, echoing through the empty warehouse. It sounded like something banging against the metal racks and Hero aimed his rifle at the entrance. Reagan put his hand on the top of Hero’s rifle, lowering it before saying, “Jill, I think you should let your friends know that we’re not the bad guys.”

  Jill gazed out across the dark warehouse. “Paul? Jason? Ya’ll out there?” No one responded. “These fellas ain’t with the military. They’re cool, I promise.”

  “You sure?” asked a young voice.

  “Yeah, pretty sure. Two of them are cool, anyhow. The third one’s a bit of a dick.”

  The two young men revealed themselves cautiously, their rifles still held high. There was something disturbing about seeing such young men carrying weapons like that, and Hero was reminded of videos from Africa depicting war torn countries where child soldiers were common.

  “Put the guns down,” said Jill. “It’s okay.”

  “Why are they taking you back in there?” asked one of the boys.

  “We’re trying to figure out what they were up to down there,” said Reagan. Then he looked at Jill and said, “We’ve got a guy up in an apartment near here. Clyde can take the boys up there if you want.”

  “Yeah, okay,” said Jill. “That’s probably for the best. Hey, Paul, Jason, this guy’s going to take you over to a safe place. Okay?”

  Clyde climbed back down from the pile that used to be an office. He dusted himself off, coughing as particles got snuck in his nose. “Good luck in there. If you’re not out by morning, Billy and I will come looking for you.”

  “Come on, Zero,” said Jill. “Help me pull some of this debris away from the wall.”

  “Oh yes ma’am,” said Hero with animated gestures as he did as commanded. “I’ll get right to it, ma’am. Anything you say.”

  “Stop it,” said Reagan. “Both of you.”

  They stayed quiet as they pulled the concrete away until a large enough hole to fit through was revealed. Jill swiped her hands on her pants and motioned to the entrance. “Who’s first?”

  “It’s dark as shit in there,” said Hero as he peered into the exposed hall.

  Jill clicked a switch near the end of her rifle and a light blazed to life. “I found this inside. They left a bunch of their gear in there.”

  “What sort of gun is that?” asked Hero as he inspected the foreign rifle.

  “It’s a Belgian gun,” said Reagan. “FN 2000 with modifications. Inferior to an M-16, in my opinion, but not a bad gun. I wonder why the hell they’re geared with foreign military equipment.”

  “What about these?” asked Hero as he pointed at his stolen uniform. “Are these Belgian too?”

  “No,” said Reagan.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen uniforms like these, not that I remember at least.”

  “I’ll lead the way,” said Jill. “You guys just want to go where they were keeping us, right?”

  “We’ll start there,” said Reagan.

  “I can go first, if you want,” said Hero, offering to take the rifle with the light.

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” said Jill. “Like I said, they cleared out of here. Not a soul left down there.”

  She ducked through the opening and Hero followed behind. He inspected the false wall, built recently to cover this entrance. There was a descending ramp beyond that led to a steel door. Jill pushed the door open and ushered them into a bland, square room with a mirror on one side and a large window on the other. The glass was reinforced with a grid of metal, and behind was a guard room. Jill led them into that room, which was filled with the standard office supplies you’d expect to find in a place like that. There was a long counter that was positioned under the long, rectangular window, and a small circular screen where people on either side could speak to one another.

  “They left all this shit here? What the hell?” asked Hero as he went into the room. It had once been a defense against intruders, a final checkpoint before entering whatever compound lay beyond. It looked as if whoever had left last had expected the second shift to walk in soon and flip on the lights, ready to get to work.

  “We’re in trouble,” said Reagan, startling both Hero and Jill.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Jill. “I told you this place is empty.”

  “Look.” Reagan pointed to the corner of the room where a video camera stared down at them.

  “I don’t think it’s on,” said Jill. “Don’t they usually have a red light on them or something?”

  “Shine your light at it,” said Reagan.

  Jill pointed the gun up at the camera and they all saw the shutter inside the lens rotate to accommodate the light. “I thought all the power was out,” said Jill.

  “That’s what they want us to think.” Reagan spun around and rushed for the exit when a hollow, metallic noise echoed through the room.