Plague War: Pandemic

by Alister Hodge

  Harry nodded wearily in agreement as Jai reluctantly walked back out the door.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ‘This is the last one on our list. Once we’ve cleared it, we’ll join up with the squad and head back to base,’ said Nate, folding up a map of the town with their search zone marked out on it.

  Steph rolled her shoulders to loosen the muscles as she looked at the house in question from the street. It looked deserted, although they’d found that a poor indicator of Carrier presence on numerous occasions. The past two weeks had seen a systematic clearance of all properties on the peninsula. The army had constructed a temporary fence across the neck that joined Queenscliff to the mainland while eradicating the plague behind it.

  For clearance work, each platoon had been split into three detachments of ten soldiers led by a Corporal. To avoid accusations of favouritism or conflict of interest, Mark had placed Steph in a detachment separate to the one he oversaw during the clearance work. Although their relationship had quickly become common knowledge amongst the troops, it surprisingly hadn’t drawn the ire of Command. Relationships were usually strictly frowned upon between officers and those under their leadership, but as in many areas since the plague had altered the country, enforcement of this rule had slipped as well. Mark had however, been quietly warned that if the slightest issue was noted in performance or morale within his platoon, that Steph would be transferred into a different squad.

  Nate glanced around the soldiers in his detachment. ‘Everyone ready? Let’s get this shit over and done with.’ There was no need to cover each exit, as the bloodthirsty freaks were guaranteed to move toward any noise they heard. The soldiers fell in behind him as he approached the front door.

  Nate tried the handle. Locked. He waved forward one of the men holding a heavy door breaker, the modern equivalent of a small battering ram commonly used by police. The soldier swung the flat end of the pole against the edge of the door. The lock smashed free of the frame allowing the door to crash open.

  ‘If anyone’s home, they certainly know we’re here now,’ thought Steph as she moved inside. The group split off into pairs to check each room systematically. Steph’s rifle was at her shoulder, ready for any movement while her partner checked each cupboard in the bedroom they entered. Nothing more interesting than a nest of mice was located by any of the pairs.

  Nate did a brief recon about the house and yard to ensure they hadn’t missed a small gardening shed or any other place that could hold a Carrier. ‘We’re all done,’ he said, a broad smile cracking his face as he rounded the corner again. ‘Nothing else here. We might as well join one of the other detachments and help them finish off.’

  Nate’s radio buzzed to indicate an incoming call. As he listened, Steph saw the colour drop from his face and felt her own pulse jump as she waited to hear if it was bad news. ‘Ok, we’ll head back to base ASAP. Look after him, yeah? Out,’ said Nate, signing off from the communication.

  Steph touched his elbow, ‘What’s going on? Anybody we know hurt?’

  Nate eventually met her gaze, clearly uncomfortable at the information he was about to deliver. ‘It’s Mark; he got bitten. They’re rushing him to base as we speak.’

  Steph felt the ground tilt at the news, and threw out a hand against the house’s wall to steady herself. It couldn’t be real, surely? The spark that had so recently caught between them was the only joy she’d had since the plague had broken. No. She wouldn’t believe it until she’d seen him with her own eyes.

  ‘It must be some sort of mix up. Mark’s not stupid enough to let himself get bitten on a bloody house clearance,’ she said as she stood straight once more. Nate opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, evidently choosing to alter his words.

  ‘Yeah, you’re probably right. He’s harder to kill than that. Either way, we should get back to base,’ he said, a sad expression conveying a lack of belief in his own words as he watched Steph make for their transport.

  ***

  As Steph approached the medical clinic, she dug fingernails into the palm of her hand, trying to distract her thoughts with pain. Despite her earlier words, she knew it was delusional to think the message had been a mistake, but she wasn’t ready to face the reality. Jai was waiting outside for her.

  ‘Is it true?’ she asked, words tumbling out in a rush.

  Jai’s face was pale and drawn, a nervous tic twitched at a lower eyelid. ‘He got bitten, but Harry reckons there might be a slim chance.’

  Steph left Jai outside and entered the clinic, shoving the door roughly aside in her haste to enter. Harry was inside talking quietly with Vinh who looked as anxious at his officer’s injury as Jai.

  ‘Harry, Jai said he might have a chance? Is it really possible?’ she asked, brusquely interrupting their conversation.

  Harry eyed her warily, obviously uneasy to give weight to such an unlikely event. ‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘But time’s the only thing that will give us a clear answer.’

  ‘What happened? No one’s survived a bite before, why should Mark be any different?’

  ‘If he does make it though, the credit will sit firmly on his own shoulders. All I’ve done is give him a place to lie down while we wait on the outcome. Mark’s awake in the next room. It’s probably best to hear the story from him – he’s been asking for you,’ Harry said, pointing to a doorway in the far wall.

  Steph followed his direction and walked toward the room. Pausing at the doorway for a moment, she took a deep breath and forced herself to enter. Steph felt tears well up as she saw him on the hospital trolley. He was lying on his back spread-eagled, each limb manacled to the bedframe. The handcuffs bit deeply into each ankle and wrist, eliminating any chance of movement.

  ‘Jesus, Mark. Do the restraints need to be so tight? They must be hurting like hell,’ she said softly as she sat on the edge of his bed, before leaning forward and kissing his lips.

  ‘It’s alright. I’d rather be a little uncomfortable for a few hours than put Harry’s life at risk if the virus takes hold.’

  ‘What happened? Where did you get bitten?’ she asked.

  Mark glanced towards his left hand. ‘My little finger, it…’

  ‘No,’ interrupted Steph, ‘tell me from the start, I need to understand properly how it happened.’

  Mark met her gaze, saw her tears and nodded.

  ‘All right, I’ll walk you through.’

  ***

  Mark pulled on a set of leather gloves as he walked up to the doorway, it was the second last house on their list and he was eager to get the search completed. Most units had been issued with reinforced clothing during the previous days to lessen the chance of a bite penetration, and although he was glad of the added protection, he hated his trigger finger not having skin contact with the weapon.

  The soldier he’d sent to check in each window for Carriers had returned without a sighting. Mark reached out a hand and pushed the front door open. A musty smell of damp and mould seeped outwards. A leak had allowed water into the roof space, and the ceiling of the hallway ahead was covered in a thick speckling of green and black mould. Mark stepped through the doorway and felt the carpet squelch wetly underfoot. He grimaced at the smell, almost tasting it at the back of his throat and turned to his team.

  ‘Pair up. Mitchell, you’re with me,’ Mark said, hooking his finger at an eighteen-year-old. ‘Same as usual, guys; take your time and stay safe. No prizes for coming out the other end first.’

  Mark waited at the front door as his team peeled off and entered the property. On hearing no immediate issues from the rooms the different pairs had entered, he commenced clearing a room with Mitchell, throwing open the door to the adjacent master bedroom.

  Silence.

  Under Mark’s cover, Mitchell walked into the room with his rifle up, scanning left and right. Most of the space was taken up by an ensemble king bed. Its covers were fouled with animal droppings and Mark’s nostrils flared at a strong tang of stale urine em
anating from a possum nest amongst the pillows. Built in wardrobes filled the entire length of wall opposite the bed, two doors partially open.

  ‘Check the cupboards, then we’re done,’ Mark said.

  Mitchell nodded curtly then stepped forward to give the doors of the wardrobe a brief rap with his knuckles to focus the attention of any Carrier hidden within. A scrabbling sound caused him to jump slightly. He looked over his shoulder at Mark to ensure he was prepared, then opened the door and stepped backward, quickly raising his rifle.

  Long dresses filled the space, stretching from the hangers to a series of shoes at the base of the cupboard. Something caused one of the dresses to move, and Mitchell let loose a spray of bullets in fright. A terrified possum leapt from the cupboard, bolting past both of them and out the bedroom door. Mitchell turned his back on the closet door, his face holding a sheepish grin.

  ‘Sorry Boss, thought for a sec it was something bigger,’ he said.

  ‘No matter, let’s move to the next…Shit! Get down!’ shouted Mark.

  A Carrier erupted from behind the clothes, latching onto Mitchell before he could follow Mark’s instructions. A woman with lank, dirty hair grabbed hold of his shoulders, driving him to down to his knees and then face first onto the ground. Mark followed her movement with his rifle but was hamstrung. Every shot at the ghoul’s head risked killing or seriously injuring his own soldier at the same time. Mitchell flailed on the ground, trying to escape the corpse that pinned his body. As the Carrier leant forward, teeth bared to rip a chunk of flesh from his young charge’s neck, Mark dropped his rifle to hang from its sling and dove forward.

  ‘Back up needed!’ yelled Mark as he grabbed hold of the ghoul’s head from behind. He could hear steps thundering in their direction as the rest of the detachment zeroed in on the noise coming from their room.

  The flesh on the Carrier’s head tore under his fingers as it jerked forward in his grip, snapping at the warm skin so close to its mouth. Mark’s right hand slipped forward, gaining purchase by driving his index and middle finger deep into an eye socket, puncturing the globe. His left hand slipped as he changed grip on the frenzied beast beneath him, his little finger accidently entering the corner of the Carrier’s mouth. Its teeth immediately clamped down hard, crushing his finger.

  ‘Arrgh!!’ screamed Mark, trying to wrench his hand free. The Carrier whipped its head back and forth, and Mark felt a tooth penetrate the leather to the skin beneath.

  Finally, someone arrived; a captive-pin gun was rammed into the side of the Carrier’s skull and fired. The ghoul went limp, releasing Mark’s finger. Mitchell shoved aside the corpse and got to his feet.

  ‘Fuck, that was a close one,’ he said, the stupid grin of death avoided fading at the expression on his officer’s face.

  Mark ripped off his glove to check his little finger. A slight defect was torn through the skin below the nail, and a small drop of blood welled as he inspected the wound. Without another thought he drew his combat knife, extended his little finger and rested it on the window ledge, then chopped down hard, severing the digit cleanly at the base. Mark sheathed the knife, allowing the stump to bleed freely for a few moments before finally stopping the haemorrhage with direct pressure. Unable to think of anything more he could do to decrease the chance of infection, he looked back to Mitchell to check his condition. His stump burned fiercely, but for some reason it didn’t distress him, as the amputation gave him the faintest hope that he might survive.

  ‘Any bites?’ his voice strangely matter of fact, considering he’d just sliced off his own finger without a word. Mitchell stared at him, mouth open like a stunned fish before he finally generated some words.

  ‘No, I think I’m good,’ he said as his hands ran over his neck and shoulders, checking for wounds that he may have missed.

  ‘I’ve got to head back to base. Vinh,’ he said, looking up at his Sergeant that had entered the room to see Mark’s finger lying on the damp carpet. ‘You’ve got command for the rest of the search.’

  ‘Nah, we’re done here. Place is clear – our priority’s getting you back to the clinic to get that injury washed out,’ he answered, pointing to his officer’s finger stump.

  ***

  Mark’s eyes focused on Steph as he finished recounting the bite injury.

  ‘Vinh applied a field dressing, and then raced me here. Harry’s given it a good clean, removed the last of the bone at the base of the finger and sewn up the stump. He reckons that as the wound didn’t involve any larger vessels and was removed so quickly, there’s a small chance I may have stopped the virus entering the rest of my body.’

  Steph picked up his injured hand and gently touched the dressing where his finger used to be. ‘I still can’t believe you had to chop your own finger off,’ she said quietly.

  ‘I’d say the cure was cheaply bought if it works,’ said Mark with a short hard laugh before his face dropped once more, all humour removed. ‘I feel like I’ve been walking in a daze since Milton. For much of it I didn’t give two damns whether I lived; but not anymore. I’ll be fucked if some dead shit’s going to take me out before I’m ready.’ Mark clasped her fingers in his own as he spoke. ‘I’ve only just got hold of you, and I’m not letting go just yet, ok?’

  Steph nodded, not trusting herself to speak as tears ran unashamedly down her cheeks.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt, guys,’ said Harry from the doorway. ‘But I reckon it might be time to move out, Steph. We’ll know the outcome by morning.’

  Anger flashed in Steph’s eyes as she rounded on the doctor. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she said, her voice shaking.

  Mark gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. ‘It might be for the best. Whenever I think of Georgie, all I can picture is what she looked like after the virus took hold. If it comes to pass – I don’t want you stuck with such a memory.’

  ‘Geez you’re a difficult bastard to love, Mark,’ she said, giving in. ‘You better fight this thing and win, ok? Because I won’t forgive you if you’ve taken away the last few hours we could have had.’ She leant down, gave Mark a kiss, and then walked out of the room without a backward glance.

  ***

  Steph woke with a start, her heart hammering. A weak shaft of morning light fell on her bunk from one of the dorm windows. She checked her watch and was horrified to see she’d made a mistake when setting her alarm, sleeping later than she’d planned. Her head ached from the shots of whiskey she’d downed to make herself sleep the night before. Steph climbed out of bed, hurriedly ditching the tracksuit she’d slept in for a clean uniform, then darted over to Jai’s bunk and gave him a shove.

  ‘We’ve bloody overslept! Are you coming to the clinic with me?’

  Jai squinted up at her, still half asleep. ‘What? Oh shit, yeah, of course I’m coming. Just give me a sec,’ he said, clumsily dressing in the clothes he’d ditched on his bed the night before. ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Six o’clock, we should have been there half an hour ago. You can catch up, I’m going,’ she said, losing patience and leaving the dorm. Jai pulled on his boots and with the laces flapping undone, ran after her.

  As the clinic came within sight, Steph found her pace slowing. Her gut was in turmoil, the sour feeling of last night’s whiskey compounded by the fear of what she’d find. She paused at the door, her hand resting on the handle without turning it.

  ‘Come on, Steph. It’ll be all right,’ said Jai, resting a hand on her shoulder.

  She took a deep breath, turned the handle and walked inside. Harry was there, holding a few vials of blood as he turned around. As their eyes met, Harry cracked a smile, and for the first time since she’d walked out the night before, Steph dared to hope.

  ‘Is he still himself?’ she asked, finding it difficult to get enough air in her chest to speak.

  Harry gave a small nod as his smile broadened. ‘I’ve taken some blood off him to culture for the virus, but that’s really just to keep Command happy before t
hey allow him back around other troops. The ruthless bastard must have got the finger off in time.’

  Steph gave him a quick hug before darting into the next room. Mark was sitting up in bed without restraints, munching on a bit of toast. Seeing his girlfriend enter, he ditched the food, stood up and gave her a bone cracking hug and kiss.

  ‘All right, save it for later!’ Jai said. ‘It’s not like you’re running out of time now, eh?’

  Mark broke away from the kiss, a broad smile on his face as he freed one arm to shake Jai’s hand. ‘Good to be back, mate,’ he said while still holding Steph against his chest with the other arm.

  ‘So how do you like Harry’s handiwork?’ Mark said, holding up his left hand. The dressing was off, exposing a neat suture line over the knuckle of his little finger. The margins of the surgical wound were clean and free of any inflammation or pus. ‘Never thought I’d have been so happy to lose a part of my body,’ he said smiling ruefully.

  ‘You did the main work, mate, I just tidied it up a little,’ said Harry. ‘The culture report should be back by mid-morning, so you can clear out after that. Good thing really, because I’m going to be busy as hell processing the refugees landing from King Island.’

  ‘That’s where Erin went,’ said Jai. ‘Why are they moving them all here?’

  ‘I’ve only found out this morning that the camp was overrun two weeks ago. The survivors have been on board a Navy Frigate awaiting the town to be cleared of Carriers before relocating the camp to here.’ At the look of worry on Jai’s face, he continued quickly. ‘There’s no list of names yet, mate, but as soon as I find Erin, I’ll send word. She’s a tough kid, she’ll have made it though.’

  His words didn’t seem to make Jai look any more confident. ‘How the fuck did an island in the middle of Bass Strait get hit by the plague? Here’s me thinking I was getting her somewhere safe when she would have been better off with us.’ Jai stood up and started pacing. ‘Sorry guys, I’ve got to go and find something to distract myself. Harry – as soon as you hear, ok?’