Deaders

by Steven Bynum

  “Holy shit! I am such a dumbass! What the Hell was I thinking!” Jacob exclaimed as he slowly stood up. “Wow! Jesus H fucking Christ! Wow! I will never do that again!”

  Jacob stood there with his hands on his knees and began laughing. “Wahoo, what a rush.”

  Jacob reached and picked up the crowbar which he had dropped after being shocked nearly to death. He again walked closer to the door in order to examine the aftermath of his experiment.

  The keypad and the immediate area around the keypad was blackened and slightly smoking. There was no longer a red light showing above the keypad. Jacob figured the circuitry to the red light was probably blown as well. However, he decided to try the handle just to try it. You never know till you try.

  Jacob took a deep breath and gave the handle a downward jerk with his left hand. To his utter amazement the handle went down and he heard the door unseal with a hissing sound. It wasn’t easy to open the door, however. Jacob had to use all of his strength for a few minutes to get it to budge. The door was now cracked open enough allowing him to use leverage and push it open using his arms and legs.

  Jacob stood there with his hands on his knees again, huffing and puffing from the physical exertion. He stared ahead, glad nothing was coming at him. He didn’t have the strength to put up much of a fight at the moment.

  Jacob could make out a window at the end of the hall. The corridor came to a T-shape in front of it. There was nothing on the sides of the corridor; no doors, no windows. It was just a straight path to where it came to the T-shape. The lines painted on the walls were the only things that disturbed him slightly. On the right wall there was a green line marked P1 and a yellow line marked P2. On the left wall there was an orange line marked P3, and a red line marked P4.

  Jacob assumed these lines led to different sections of the lab. He was not sure what they meant, only that, red probably meant something really bad. So, the right path is probably safer than the left path. Jacob thought as he began walking slowly down the corridor. The flickering lights did not help his nerves one bit. “Spooky.” Jacob said to his crowbar.

  “Well, ole buddy. I think it’s safe to assume they didn’t come this way. I think we should go ahead and check it out anyway. What the Hell else we got to do, right?” Jacob looked at the crowbar and twirled it once. “Yep. I thought you would agree with me.”

  Jacob slinked down the corridor as quietly as possible. He lowered his head slightly in an attempt to ignore the flickering lights and remain focused. Just as he neared the end of the corridor, a familiar sound came to his ears. A shallow moaning accompanied by uneven footsteps. The sounds caused him to stop in mid-step, frozen to the floor.

  The zombie emerged from the left side of the connecting corridor. It stumbled into view directly in front of the window. Sensing a presence, it turned its head and looked straight at Jacob. There was no hesitation nor pause. Jacob rushed forward and shoved the crowbar thru the zombie’s eye socket. The shaft emerged out the back of its skull, causing blood to spatter on the window behind them.

  Another zombie tackled Jacob just as he removed the crowbar from the head of the first one. Jacob hit the floor hard on his back with the zombie on top of him. Jacob let out an involuntary yell, dropped the crowbar, and grabbed the zombie by the neck with his left hand. Jacob brought the pistol up with his right hand and stuck the barrel in the zombie’s mouth. With a squeeze of the trigger, a bullet blew a hole in the back of the zombie’s head, sending bone, blood, and brains spraying into the air.

  Jacob quickly struggled free from underneath the zombie just in time to shoot a third zombie in the head as it rounded the corner.

  Jacob upholstered the other pistol from his left hip and aimed in both directions of the corridor. There he stood, heart pounding, ready for anything. Somewhat to his relief, nothing else came around the corners. With a deep breath, he holstered the pistols and picked up the crowbar.

  “Well, ole buddy, that could have been ugly.” Jacob twirled the crowbar once. Jacob took a deep breath. “Let’s check out this first room here and then we’ll follow that red line. What ya say, ole buddy?” Jacob twirled the crowbar twice. “Scared huh. Well, we’re gonna go anyway.”

  Jacob did not bother to look for a door to the first room in front of him. He looked through the window, easily seeing there was nothing in there. The room was curious to him. It contained nothing but a table and a chair. The chair was on the opposite side of the table, facing the window. I wonder what went on in here.

  Jacob moved on, following the red line. Through the branching corridors he walked, bypassing closed doors, and quickly checking open rooms. He silently dispatched any zombie he came across that was wandering the work path of its former human life. Eventually, he arrived at the red zone. Probably a highly secure area when people were alive.

  At the entrance to the red zone was another large door. It was open instead of sealed. A large blood trail was on the floor behind it. Flickering lights, blood, open door; Jacob began to rethink checking out the area. Maybe it’s best just to head on out.

  “Curiosity killed the cat. Right ole buddy? This is one of those secret government places you hear about. I wonder if they got an alien down here somewhere. I think we’ll just look around a little more.”

  Jacob slowly walked through the doorway.

  The first room was just past the doorway on the right. It was some type of security station. There were several flickering monitors above a panel of flashing lights. On the floor was the corpse of a security guard. The body was almost entirely eaten. The sight caused bile to come up in Jacob’s throat. The smell wasn’t any better, so Jacob held his hand over his nose and mouth.

  “Well, I guess that blood trail belongs to this guy.” Jacob twirled the crowbar once.

  Jacob looked at the monitors one after another. Most of them showed nothing but static. A few still worked, but flickered along with the lights. Jacob did not like what he saw. “Deaders.” He proclaimed.

  Jacob decided there was no reason to go any further into the red zone. His curiosity was extinguished with the view of the zombies on the monitors. He made his way back to the first corridor. He didn’t bother to close the large door. It would be too much of an effort.

  Jacob stepped into the elevator and thought about which button to push next.

  Twelve

  There was only one button on the elevator panel that Jacob wanted to push for certain—L3. That had been the number on the readout when Jacob first arrived in the building, so it must be the path Dr. Atkinson and Nurse Bennings had taken. They were his priority, and he needed to get back on track. It was the reason he came to the facility in the first place.

  Jacob tucked the crowbar into his belt and had both pistols raised, ready for action. There was no way to know what would be on the other side of the elevator doors when it arrived at the destination.

  The elevator doors slid open revealing nothing but office space. Cubicles lined the area. If Jacob didn’t know better, you’d think he arrived at a floor in an office building.

  “Come on, Deaders, I know you’re in here somewhere.” Jacob scanned the immediate area, pistols pointed. Nothing.

  Jacob stepped out of the elevator pointing a pistol both left and right. He was sure something would come at him, but still nothing.

  Something on the floor caught Jacob’s eye and he realized the situation. All the zombies that had been in the room were already dispatched. Apparently, this was the path Dr. Atkinson and Nurse Bennings had taken. The question was, were they still here?

  Jacob began using more cover as he checked the room. It was ok to attack zombies in the open. Zombies don’t use guns, humans do.

  Jacob systematically checked the four offices on either side of the cubicles which left one large office at the end. It was the only office with a door open. Why did you come here doctor? Jacob wondered. What’s important about that office?

  Jacob couldn’t see anything moving around in the large o
ffice. No shadows or noises were detected. He was fairly certain they were long gone from this area, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Slipping up to the office, Jacob burst inside waving the two pistols around ready to shoot anything that moved. Lucky for them they weren’t in the room, or they would be full of holes. Jacob holstered the pistols and began searching the office for anything and everything. There had to be something here to give him an idea of what the doctor and nurse were up to.

  No use checking the computer with the fluctuating power. As soon as Jacob tried to boot it up, it would shut off. Jacob took the flashlight from his belt and checked paper after paper on the desk. None of the documents seemed like they should be of any importance now. “This is all just government bullshit.” Jacob spoke to himself.

  Jacob was about to walk away from the desk when a folder caught his eye. What’s this here? He flipped through the papers contained within the folder. “Well, ole buddy. I’m not sure if this is what they were after, but it will certainly come in handy. These papers show the layout of the entire facility. I know I can make use of it.” Jacob looked at the crowbar and smiled.

  Jacob sat down at the desk and pulled out his flashlight for more light. Just as he clicked on the flashlight, the room brightened up, causing him to shield his eyes for a few seconds as his eyes adjusted. He looked at the flashlight for a moment, wondering, then realized the power had been restored. There was no more flickering, all the lights were at normal luminosity.

  “Ok, that was a trip. Thought I was going crazy there for a second.” Jacob laughed to himself and adjusted the crowbar on the desk. “I guess someone fixed up the generator for this level. I’ll give you two guesses who that probably was, ole buddy.” Jacob looked at the crowbar. “Yep, you got it. Dr. Atkinson.” Jacob continued to look through the papers. He paused for a moment and placed one of the pistols on top of the desk. Can’t be too careful.

  Jacob picked up the crowbar with his right hand and began pointing at the papers with his left. “Look here. You know those closed doors I thought were just offices? Well, they’re not offices. Those doors lead to other areas of this level we’re on. Look here.” Jacob pointed. “That’s the engineering section. I bet our friends are still there. What you say we go pay them a visit?” Jacob stood and twirled the crowbar once.

  Jacob grabbed the pistol from the desk and placed it back in its holster. He moved with purpose.

  ***

  “I knew you could do it, Trevor.” Misty hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re just too smart.” Misty smiled at him.

  “Thank you my dear. Though, with the plans here, it wasn’t very difficult to get it back up and running properly. Mainly, it just needed more fuel.” Trevor shrugged.

  “I just hope the smell gets removed.” Misty held her nose. “It’s pretty rank in this place.”

  “That was to be expected with all the rotting corpses and deaders walking around. If I can get the filtration system working well enough, it should help. At least it should bring us in some fresh air.” Trevor gave her a solemn look. “I guess no one survived in here.”

  “It’s not your fault, Trevor. You warned them all. If more people would have listened to you, perhaps they would still be alive. You need to stop beating yourself up about it.” Misty held his hand. “Come on. Let’s go get the filtration system working.”

  Misty and Trevor started back toward the offices when the lights in the engineering room went out.

  “What the Hell?” Misty exclaimed and squeezed Trevor’s hand.

  “Shhh. The generator is still running. Someone turned off the light switch.” Trevor whispered in Misty’s ear. Trevor kneeled, pulling Misty down with him.

  “What do we do?” Misty asked.

  “First. We don’t go back the way we came. Look over there. It looks like there’s still light in the corridor. Whoever it is wants to lure us into a trap. No, we need to make our way to the service elevator and stairs.” Trevor thought for a moment. “We just need to figure out the best way to get there.”

  “But we can’t turn on our flashlights. They’ll see us.” Misty whispered.

  “Whoever it is can’t see either. We have the advantage. If they turn on a flashlight, we’ll have them. I have an idea if you are willing.” Trevor waited for an answer.

  “What’s the idea?” Misty asked, a little reluctant.

  “Ok. This is what we’ll do. I will slip over a ways away from the direction of the service elevator. I’ll turn on my flashlight, which should cause a distraction. After a bit, you turn on yours and make your way to the service elevator. With luck, whoever it is, will concentrate on me.” Trevor waited for what he knew would be a heated response.

  “No fucking way. No. I am not going to leave you. You’re going to think of another plan and that’s that.” Misty scolded him.

  “I think it’s the best plan my dear. All that matters is your safety.”

  “No. Please Trevor. I can’t live without you. You know that. Please.” Misty began to panic as tears fell down her cheeks.

  “Hush. It’ll be ok. You’ll see. I’ve gotten us this far right? Right? I know what I’m doing. You just wait for me in the elevator with your flashlight turned off.” Trevor did his best to kiss her on the forehead.

  Trevor began moving away before Misty could continue her protest.

  Misty began to shout at him, but caught herself before the words came out of her mouth. Instead, she looked around in an attempt to remember in which direction the service elevator was located. It didn’t take her long. The light from the corridor is that way, so, I go this way. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for Trevor to get in position.

  Trevor made his way, slowly but surely, toward the far wall. He remembered an equipment cabinet was located there that could provide him with cover. He just hoped Misty was safe.

  Misty was safe, but her heart was beginning to pound furiously. She was not only worried about who turned off the lights, but about zombies. What if we missed one? Oh God, it could be standing right next to me, ready to kill me. She looked around and swallowed the lump in her throat.

  “Shit!” Trevor shouted before he could stop himself. He touched something that was hot and burnt his hand. He held his hand to his body and began cursing in silence. No matter, I’m over here as a distraction. The burning subsided enough for him to continue on his way. He surmised the wall was fairly close now. Just keep moving.

  Trevor was right. Pain shot through his head when he bumped into the wall. He grabbed his head and cursed silently again. He was getting very irritated and angry.

  “Let’s get this show on the road before I accidentally kill myself.” Trevor whispered to the air. With pistol ready, he clicked on the flashlight and placed it on the floor, pointed in the direction of the corridor.

  That was the signal Misty was waiting for. She began counting: one thousand one, one thousand two … one thousand ten. She clicked on her flashlight and took off toward the service elevator. Fear caused her to tear up as she ran, but nothing was going to stop her. She had her pistol ready just in case, and she would use it if necessary.

  ***

  Jacob focused on the light that came on well over to the right side of the room. It was low, perhaps on the floor. These two were smart people and he knew it. He had to be very patient and cautious. At least, that is what he told himself up until the other light came on and took off in the opposite direction.

  Without a moment’s thought, Jacob raised his pistol and fired at the moving light. He managed to fire off three shots before gunfire erupted to his right. Bullets struck all around, causing him to duck behind the machinery he had picked out for cover earlier.

  Jacob’s reaction to the second light had gotten him into a hairy position. There’s only one thing to do. Jacob returned fire at the area of the light that wasn’t moving.

  Two more shots were returned and a ricochet clipped Jacob’s side. Jacob unintentionally yelled in pain.

&
nbsp; Jacob was infuriated after he recovered from the initial shock. “Ok, buddy, I got something for ya!” Jacob yelled. He pulled out his other pistol, spun and unleashed a barrage of gunfire at his opponent.

  Jacob finished his assault and dropped by behind the machinery to reload. If he had hit someone, he didn’t know. The barrage had an effect. The light was quickly jerked up into the air and moved at rapid speed in the direction the other light had gone.

  Jacob quickly reloaded one pistol and fired off a few shots before the light disappeared from sight.

  “Well, Hell, ole buddy. That plan didn’t go like I had in mind.” Jacob reloaded the second pistol. “Let’s turn the lights back on and see if I hit anything.”

  Jacob flipped the light switch, ducked down and pointed his pistols in all directions. No one fired any shots at him, and he didn’t see anyone moving in the immediate area. Slowly, he began a reconnoiter of the large room. First, to the right where someone had been shooting at him.

  There was no blood to be seen. Jacob had missed with every shot. The bullet casings on the floor told him that he had gotten close, but close doesn’t cut it when life and death is on the line.

  Jacob bent down for a closer look and pain reminded him he had been hit. His side hurt and there was a fair amount of blood, but he didn’t think it was too bad. I’ll live. Just clipped me. He applied pressure to his side with his right hand while he continued his reconnoiter of the entire engineering section. Nothing and no one was to be found beside zombies that had been shot in the head.

  “So, that’s how they got out.” Jacob stopped in front of the service elevator. “Shit, ole buddy. I should have studied that layout more before heading off half-cocked.” Jacob shook his head. “I won’t make that mistake again.”