by A. R. Wise
The soldier kept the gun pressed to her head for an agonizingly long time. Hero looked away, unwilling to watch the murder. “What the fuck is he waiting for?”
Then the gun shot echoed through the blackened landscape, seeming to rattle even the dead husks of once vibrant trees.
“He didn’t kill her,” said Reagan as he watched through his binoculars. “He just fired off to the side.”
Reagan lowered his binoculars and grimaced as he watched the soldier pick the woman up and guide her down the stairs to the facility below. “Maybe we won’t scout first. I don’t think these fuckers can wait to get what’s coming to them. What do you guys say?”
“I’m game,” said Hero. “Let’s get in there and kick some ass.”
“Billy, how’s your back?” asked Reagan.
“Fine,” said the young man a little too quickly. “I’m good to go.”
“All right,” said Reagan as he pointed north. “Let’s go around that way. Stay low, give me a five yard lead. Keep quiet.”
They moved around the lake cautiously, keeping an eye on the surroundings for any sign of other soldiers. The town had burned, just like the rest of the area, but there were signs of life amid the soot. The tire tracks carved on the ash stained pavement proved that this was a high traffic area. It had been a dry season, and no rain had come to wash away the soot yet, leaving everything blanketed with it like the inside of a grill.
Reagan led them to the entrance of the facility below. It was a featureless stairwell that had once been attached to a building that was now burned, black stains reaching from the windows to the roof that was no longer there. The concrete steps led down deep into darkness, and the stairs had been swept clean by a frequent flow of traffic.
Reagan paused at the top of the stairs, reluctant to go in. This was too easy.
He heard the distant hum of an approaching truck.
Hero was standing a couple yards away, closer than he was supposed to be, and started pointing to the entrance. Reagan looked down, and then back at the truck that had transported the little girl and her mother. Everything about this felt wrong, but the truck in the distance was getting closer every second.
He went down the stairs, ready to confront whatever demons were waiting in the dark below. His only regret was dragging Hero and Billy into this with him.
* * *
August 24th, 20 years after the apocalypse
The Rollers have stopped once a safe distance from the fire.
“Where’s Laura?” asked Zack as he rushed along the line of trucks. The caravan had escaped the blazing town, and driven south almost a mile before stopping to gather themselves. Several of the Rollers had been marching along beside the slow moving trucks, running ahead to pull aside spike strips that littered the road.
Kayla stopped Zack. “She was still in the church last I saw her. She was going to talk to that pilot.”
“Yeah I know, but she promised me she’d be out before we left. Did she get out?” asked Zack as panic threatened to overwhelm him.
“I’m sure she did,” said Kayla. “She’s got to be here somewhere.”
Abe panted as he jogged to meet up with them. He was winded from running alongside the caravan and held up his finger to signal that he needed a moment to catch his breath. “Billy went back in.” He put his hands on his knees and leaned forward as he continued. “To get her. He didn’t get out. I’m sorry, Zack. I didn’t see them come out.”
The caravan had followed back roads away from the town, and Zack had no idea where they were now. He looked back, and the horizon glowed orange.
“I’m going back.”
“Like hell you are,” said Kayla. “We’re probably a mile away by now. No, Zack. I’m not going to let you do this.”
He pulled away from her grip. “You’re in charge now.” Zack was saddened by a realization. “You’re the last lieutenant, Kayla. You’ve got to get the Rollers someplace safe.”
“You’re abandoning us to go running back into an inferno to die? What about the Rollers? What about the people from Vineyard?”
“I’m leaving them in good hands. You need to follow Arthur’s directions. He knows of an old rehab clinic out near Castle Rock. Get there, and when I get Laura and Billy I’ll come looking for you. Did we save any of the fire gear?”
“A couple suits, but we tossed the extinguishers,” said Abe. “They were all a decade past expired.”
“Get me a suit, and an axe if you’ve got one,” said Zack.
“I’ll go with you,” said Abe.
“Thanks, but don’t be an idiot, brother. You need to stay and help Kayla. Now go grab me that suit.”
“We can’t spare a truck for you,” said Kayla. “Billy had us leave a few behind. Each truck is packed full of people.”
“I know,” said Zack. “I’ll run back.”
Kayla shook her head as she protested. “That’s stupid, Zack. Come on. Don’t do this. We’ve been killing stray Greys the whole way out here. Who knows how many are crawling out of these woods, trailing our caravan? You’re being an idiot and you know it.”
“Darling, how many years have you been telling me that I’m obsessed with Laura? Did you really think I was going to leave her behind? That’s not about to happen. It’s not my style.”
A zombie growled from somewhere nearby, as if eagerly welcoming Zack’s sacrifice. Kayla pulled Zack in for a hug, which was a surprise to him. After the initial shock, he hugged her back.
“You remind me of my late husband,” she said after pulling out of the embrace. “He got his dumb ass killed too.”
Zack laughed and kissed Kayla’s forehead.
Abe returned with a fireman’s suit and then helped Zack put it on. It was surprisingly heavy and limited his movement more than expected. Abe was one of the Rollers in charge of fighting fires in the area, and was familiar with how to properly suit up.
Kayla watched the woods until the moaning Grey revealed himself, and then she killed him with one of the spears that the Rollers kept on the trucks. It was always preferable to kill a zombie quietly when possible, but it was also important to stay away from the blood. A spear was a great weapon to use for that, but Zack had never been able to get the hang of using them. He much preferred the axe Abe had brought him.
“This shit is heavy as hell,” said Zack as he writhed in the suit.
“Yeah,” said Abe. “And you’re not even going to be hauling a tank on your back or a hose on your shoulder.”
“Were you a fireman, Abe?” asked Zack, surprised by how familiar the Roller was with the gear.
“My dad was,” said Abe. “I’d always wanted to be one, before the world went to shit.”
“No kidding?” asked Zack. “I never knew that.”
“Yeah, us Reds tend to keep quiet about the old days. We’ve all got our secrets. Like you and how damn insane you are.” He pulled a strap around Zack’s waist tight and smiled. “Try not to die out there, you big idiot.”
“No promises,” said Zack.
“Here’s a mask.” Abe handed him a plastic mask. It had a black tube connected to the front that dangled below it. “There’s no oxygen to connect it to, but it’ll keep your face from burning up. It’s not going to do shit to stop you from dying of smoke inhalation though, so be careful about that. And pay attention to how hot the air you’re breathing is. The suit can trick you into thinking you’re in less danger than you really are when you’re in the thick of it. Also, you should…”
“Abe,” said Zack, eager to leave. “If I make it within a hundred yards of the town it’ll be a miracle.”
Abe looked out at the orange glow in the distance. “Yeah, you’re probably right. This’d be a good time to reconsider, old man. Are you really up for this? Is it worth it?”
“I might not be ready for it, but I promise it’s worth it.”
“Here’s your gun,” said Abe as he picked up the rifle off the ground.
“Keep it,” sai
d Zack. “I’m not going to take a good gun away from The Rollers. Besides, if I shoot that thing I’ll have a hundred Greys on my ass in no time. I’ll do my murdering the old fashioned way.” He flipped the fireman’s axe back and forth between his gloved hands.
“Good luck,” said Kayla while watching the woods for sign of movement. “Abe, we need to get a move on. Help me tell the Rollers to mount up. We can get the caravan rolling full speed out to this rehab clinic.”
“Good luck,” said Abe as he pat his friend’s shoulder before walking away.
“I hope to see you again, Zack,” said Kayla as she went with Abe.
“Tell Artie I love him.” Zack saluted them, and then started to jog back toward the burning town.
Chapter Eighteen – Another Hopeless Rescue
Two years after the apocalypse
Reagan has led Billy and Hero into the facility under Nederland.
Reagan led the way down the stairs to a large underground hallway. There were doors on either side, and he ducked into the alcove of one while motioning for Billy and Hero to do the same.
He could hear a voice from within the room pleading for help. It was the woman that they’d seen outside, and she was begging to be set free. Reagan set his ear to the cold, iron door and tried to hear more, but the woman just kept saying the same thing.
“Please, someone let me out of here. Someone help me find Katie. Please, someone just let me out. Can anyone hear me?”
Reagan pointed at the door that he was pressed against to let them know he wanted to clear the room. They moved into position on either side of him as he tested the knob.
He opened the door quietly, and then shined his light inside. The nondescript, concrete room only had a chair in the center of it. The woman was tied to it, and she looked away when the light shined in her eyes.
“Hello?” she asked as the three men moved into the room.
Reagan motioned for Hero to guard the door as he went to inspect the captured woman.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“We’re here to help,” said Billy.
“Oh thank God.” She started to cry. “Thank God. They have my daughter. They took her somewhere deeper in the facility. They said they were going to do tests on her.”
“We’ll help her,” said Billy, but Reagan stayed staring down at the woman. “Right, Reagan?”
“We’re going to leave you here,” said Reagan.
“No, please,” said the woman. “You can’t. You don’t know what sort of things these people are doing! You can’t leave me.”
“We’ll come back for you,” said Reagan. “But give us time to get inside and see what’s going on.”
“I can help,” said the woman. “Please, let me help. Or at least help me find my daughter, and then I’ll leave. Please don’t leave me here.”
“We can at least cut her loose,” said Billy.
Reagan considered it, and then relented. “Okay, sure. We’ll cut you loose, but you’re staying in here until we come back to get you. Got it?”
She nodded. “Sure. Anything you say.”
“What’s your name?” asked Billy.
“Rebecca,” said the woman.
“I’m Billy, that’s Hero, and the nasty old man is Reagan.”
“Thank you for this,” said Rebecca. “Really, I can’t thank you enough. If you can help me get Katie back, I swear I’ll do anything you want.”
“We’ll do what we can,” said Reagan. “Can you tell us anything about this place?”
“Yes,” said Rebecca. “There’s a bunch of rooms like this one, but about fifty feet or so down the hall there’s a blue door. That’s where the testing room is at. That’s where they’ll have Katie.”
“Have you been here before?” asked Reagan.
“Yes,” said Rebecca, quick with the answer. “They keep us in cells not far from here, near the command post.”
“How long have you been here?” asked Reagan.
“A few months,” said Rebecca.
She rubbed her wrists after Reagan cut the bindings that held her to the chair. Then she hugged the old captain first, and then Billy. Hero stayed in the doorway and smile as he waved at her.
“Sit down and act like you’re still tied up,” said Reagan. “We’ll be back.” He was curt, all business as he moved to head into the hall again.
“Let’s get this kid and get out of here,” said Reagan. “I don’t trust anything about this place.” He walked across the hall to check the nearest door and found it locked. They moved a good distance down the hall and he checked several other doors discovering they were locked as well.
Reagan stopped and looked at Billy and Hero. “You two go back and get the girl. Take her outside and wait for me.”
“What?” asked Billy. “Why?”
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this place. Something’s not right,” said Reagan.
“Those two soldiers we saw have to be down here still,” said Billy. “I don’t want to leave you here alone with them still wandering around. Let’s just get the kid and get out of here.”
“I think we walked into a trap,” said Reagan. “I think that letter with Covington’s name on it was planted there.”
“For real?” asked Hero.
Reagan nodded. “Yeah. Something Covington told me has bugged me since the last time I saw him. He said that my body had become immune to the disease, and that my blood was the key to them creating some sort of cure. I wonder if they’ve been trying to track me down for years already. They saw my face on video back in that base in Estes. They might’ve set this up to trap me.”
“You sure?” asked Billy. “That’s an awful lot of trouble to go to just to capture a cranky old bastard like you.”
“I had a bad feeling about that woman back there. Her wrists weren’t cut up. If her kid was really being held down here for tests, she’d rip her wrists to shreds to get out of that chair.”
“Then let’s get the fuck out of here,” said Hero.
“You two get out,” said Reagan. “There’s no way that kid was in on this. Remember how they pulled her out of that truck? She was screaming bloody murder. I want to get her out of here.”
“Then I’m going with you,” said Billy.
“Me too,” said Hero.
“No,” said Reagan. “That’s an order.”
Billy smiled and stuck his elbow into Hero’s side. “Listen to the old guy. He still thinks he’s in the Army.”
“Sorry, Chuckles,” said Hero. “We’re not good at taking orders.”
Reagan grimaced and shook his head. “You two are a pain in the ass. Have I ever told you that?”
“A few times,” said Hero. “Now let’s get this kid and get out of here.”
“Wait,” said Reagan. “If I’m right, and this is a trap, then we haven’t sprung it yet. They’re waiting for something.”
“Maybe for us to go in the room with the kid in it?” asked Billy.
“All the rest of the doors are locked,” said Hero. “Do you think there’re soldiers on the other side, waiting for us to go into the room with the blue door?”
“Could be,” said Reagan.
“Why don’t we head back and have a chat with Rebecca?” asked Billy.
Reagan nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
They walked back down the hall, careful to step quietly past the closed iron doors. Reagan was reminded of the time he took his son, Jim, to an event at Turner stadium. The Braves were honoring local military men and women, and Reagan brought his adopted son along for a tour of the field. The tour host was excited to show them the box seats, and bragged about how much it cost to rent the room for just a single game. But Reagan felt at home in the corridors below, where the workers toiled within concrete halls built with no care for comfort. This area felt similar, wide and unadorned with even a single stroke of paint. This time, however, Reagan felt anything but content.
They got to Rebecca’s room, and
Reagan wasn’t surprised to find her gone. The ties that had bound her were on the floor behind the chair.
“The bitch took off,” said Hero. “Looks like you were right.”
“We walked into a trap,” said Reagan.
“Then what are they waiting for?”
Reagan shook his head as he thought about the situation. “It must have something to do with that kid. They must be waiting for us to open that door. Part of me thinks we should just tuck tail and run.”
“And leave the kid?” asked Hero.
Billy sneered and then looked at Reagan with devilish eyes. “Don’t they know we’re the three dumb bastards that took on an island of armed inmates to rescue a little girl? We’re pretty good at this sort of thing.”
“I’ve got a plan,” said Reagan.
Hero took a deep breath and then shook his head as he sighed. “I fucking hate it when you guys say that.”
* * *
August 24th, 20 years after the apocalypse
Zack is headed back to the church to save Laura.
Zack was alone in the dark, half a mile from his destination on a desolate road in the middle of densely packed woods that were hiding a horde of Greys. Coyotes howled nearby, probably warning their pack of the fire that was forcing zombies to evacuate the area. All the while the moon sat above, a Cheshire cat smile in the star filled scape.
A deer broke through the tree line ahead and stopped in the center of the road to look at Zack as he jogged along. It stared, seemingly shocked to see someone running the wrong direction, toward the fire. Then it bolted to the other side and back to the safety of the forest.
The pervasive scent of burning wood got stronger as he went, and he recalled the Red days when he was a child of the suburbs. The smell took him back to the street he grew up on, where his neighbors would burn the leaves they’d raked from their yards. That distinctive aroma hung on those afternoons. The crisp fall air cooled him as he played ball in the street. He focused on the memory as he continued his journey, passing the corpses of zombies that the Rollers had killed while guiding the caravan down this road.