by Steven Bynum
Let’s go find that place, Trevor. Let’s go find that place and spend as much time together as we possibly can. I love you, Trevor.”
“I love you too, Misty.”
Fifteen
Jacob stumbled past the vacant checkpoint of the medical section of the facility and into the first emergency room. He quickly looked over the room to make sure no zombies were present and slammed the door behind him. Never had a zombie opened a door itself, so, he figured he would be safe as he searched for the medical supplies he needed.
First thing first, Jacob needed to clean his wounds. Easily done with tap water from the sink in the room. Surprisingly enough, there was still enough water pressure. Guess the pump or whatever is still running.
Jacob focused on searching for needle and thread to stitch himself up. He really needed to stop the bleeding now. Fumbling, he searched every cabinet and drawer until he found the supplies he needed.
There was no doubt in his mind about how much this was going to hurt. Jacob had no delusions about the movies being realistic. He only yelled out a few times in pain before finishing. That was enough to placate his manly ego. Glad there were only zombies that could have possibly heard him.
Only one thing left to do. Jacob needed to get an IV going.
Jacob managed to sneak past several zombies before finding some non-spoiled IV bags. After barricading the door, he got to work. He wasn’t sure he was doing it right, but there was no nurse to help him. It was do it or die, he figured. When everything was prepared, he stuck himself in the arm and laid back on the hospital bed. It wasn’t his choice to fall asleep, it just happened. Either that or he passed out again. Regardless, the nightmares returned.
Screams from wife and daughter echo throughout the suffocating darkness. Running, desperate to save them. Flames in the distance that he just can’t reach. Darkness dissolves to become their home. Wife and daughter on the floor, convulsing. Blood shoots out from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths. He moves to help them, but they disappear. He turns to see them face-to-face. Their flesh rots away, moments before they burst into flames.
Jacob flew awake with a shout and tears flowed down his face.
He wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep. The only thing he knew for certain was the IV bag was nearly empty. He wasn’t even sure he was feeling better either. Jacob replaced the IV bag with a full one and drifting back off to sleep. If one could call it sleep.
Jacob. Jacob, what are you doing? You’re running out of time. Jacob, wake up. Wake up.
“I’m so tired, Mary. Let me sleep a little while longer. I won’t be late for work again.”
Daddy, I want some breakfast. Daddy, you said you would make me breakfast this morning.
“I know baby. I’m sorry. I’m just so tired. I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow, ok?”
Jacob, get up. Don’t give up now, Jacob. Help us Jacob!
“What? What’s wrong? Mary.”
Daddy help us! Help us Daddy!
“Sheila! Mary!”
Jacob’s eyes snapped open. He leapt off the hospital bed and stumbled around the room looking for his wife and daughter. The tube was ripped from the now empty IV bag and he fell to the floor. Gasping, he slowly settled down and came to his senses. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. Jacob rubbed his chest with his left hand. He wondered if a heart attack was about to take him from this world. Slowly, his pulse rate slowed and the foreboding sense of death left him.
It was time to leave the facility. Jacob wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling of dread. A sense that something was close to happening and he didn’t want to be anywhere near the area. Were the spirits of his wife and daughter telling him something from the beyond? Were they warning him? He wasn’t sure, but if there was anything to believe in, he would believe in them.
Jacob was still severely injured, but he didn’t have time to heal any longer. He grabbed a couple more IV bags, tubing, needles, bandages, and placed them in a trash bag he found inside the room. Crowbar in hand, he prepared to exit the room and make his way back up-top.
“Ok, ole buddy. There’s only a few zombies outside the door. Don’t fail me now. We’ll take one at a time right there in the doorway. Piece of cake.” Jacob twirled the crowbar once.
Jacob felt no desire to hesitate. e opened the door and shoved the crowbar thru the first zombie’s head. He kicked the zombie backwards before it collapsed and closed the door. The other two zombies immediately came at the door. Try as they might, the zombies could not get inside to their meal.
Jacob repeated the process for the second and third zombie, dispatching them quickly and efficiently.
Once he stepped out of the room, Jacob quickly realized he didn’t remember how he got to this particular place. Should he go left or right?
The question was answered when Jacob heard snarls, moans, and loud steps coming from the right. A group of zombies was headed his way. “Fucking deaders.” Instead of going back inside the room and risk being trapped, he took off to the left. The race was on and the prize was life.
Jacob did not run at full speed. He didn’t want to accidentally fall down or run into any zombies. Instead, he jogged down the hallway carefully and did his best to keep watch for an escape route. Surely there had to be an elevator or stairs in this section just like there had been in the others.
I must have been really out of it. I can’t remember a damn thing.
It was a good thing Jacob was being careful. A zombie stepped out in front of him from a room just to the right. Jacob did not slow his pace. He slammed the clawed end of the crowbar into the zombie’s head as he passed by. The zombie bashed up against the wall and fell to the floor. A few zombies tripped over the zombie speed bump that lay in the middle of the floor and fell, causing a zombie dog pile behind him.
Luck seemed to be moving in Jacob’s favor once more. Just up ahead, the flickering lights of an elevator came into view. I knew it. Just a matter of time before I found one. Jacob kicked his feet into high gear. The time for jogging had ended. Now, it was time to cross the finish line.
Once inside the elevator, Jacob immediately pressed the button for the top floor. Nothing happened. He pressed it again. Nothing happened.
The zombies had recovered from their dog pile and were once again homing in on him. Arms outstretched and snarling, the zombies moved as fast as they could toward their prey. They would be on top of him in under a minute. If luck was on his side, it better hurry up and do something.
Jacob had an idea. He slammed his thumb into the button used to close the elevator doors. Lucked arrived again to lend a hand. Just as a zombie was reaching for him, the elevator doors closed tight. Jacob took in a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief.
Over and over, Jacob slammed his hand against the elevator button to the top floor. Eventually, as if the elevator gave up on a struggle between the two, it began to rise.
Sixteen
The elevator arrived at the top floor, but in entirely different building. He wasn’t sure how far he was from where he parked the Humvee. It was a situation he wanted to remedy, and fast. The above ground facility was crawling with zombies. That much he knew already.
Lucky for him, it was still light out and the sunlight was shining through the windows of the building. It took a moment for Jacob’s eyes to adjust, but he could see well enough what appeared to be one zombie standing still looking in the opposite direction. Thankful the zombie had not yet noticed him, Jacob immediately slowly crept up behind the zombie and stabbed it in the back of the head with the crowbar.
Instead of letting the zombie fall, Jacob held it up with the crowbar and slowly lowered it to the floor. The situation at the moment called for stealth.
Jacob crept along the right wall as he began his reconnoiter. The building wasn’t large, only one level. It reminded him of the emergency room of what use to be his local hospital. Stands to reason, it’s up above the medical section of that underground facility.
Surprisingly, there were no other zombies inside the building. Jacob looked in every room and closet to make sure. Just about all the staff must have went down the elevator.
All the better. Jacob could now go around and look out the windows. He needed to find his Humvee. Once found, maybe with more luck he could formulate a plan to reach it without a problem. Without a problem. Now that would be something.
Jacob finally caught sight of the building that he assumed to be the original one he had entered. It looked a lot farther away than he thought it would be. The tunnel he had traversed must have been longer than he thought. He was pretty out of it at the time. There was also another problem.
Jacob couldn’t see his Humvee or the other Humvee that Dr. Atkinson and Nurse Bennings had arrived in. Do I assume it’s still there where I parked it? That is the million dollar question.
“What do you think ole buddy? Should I assume it’s still parked there? I mean, there’s probably no one left alive around here that could have taken it. I suppose the doc and his honey could have taken it while I was out of sorts. Really doubt one of those deader bastards drove off with it.” Jacob twirled the crowbar several times as he thought. “Yeah, it has to still be there.”
***
Jacob moved quickly and quietly across the area utilizing any cover he could find. Most of his cover came in the form of vehicles parked all around. He couldn’t stay in one place very long. Several times now he had nearly been seen by zombies walking by to and fro like they were strolling along in a park. He was glad most of them were spaced out and not in a group.
It wasn’t really their sight that he worried about, but their sense of smell and acute hearing. The very reason Jacob didn’t wait around for nightfall. At least with the sun shining, he had a better chance of making it to the Humvee.
Jacob skillfully made it to cover beside a large metal trashcan behind a building halfway there. He press a hand against his side, the pain was increasing with every step he took. When he withdrew his hand, there was blood. Apparently some of the stitches had come undone allowing blood to trickle out. “Oh great, another problem to worry about ole buddy. Them damn deaders are sure to catch the scent of blood sooner or later. I hope later, but let’s not get our hopes up.”
Jacob peered around the side of the trashcan. Sure enough, the closest zombies appeared to be walking around sniffing the air. They had already caught the scent, but had not been able yet to pinpoint the location. Jacob would be out of time soon enough, so he needed to make a decision quickly.
“Ok, ole buddy. If we stay here, I’m sure to be in big trouble.” Jacob twirled the crowbar once. “I’m thinking, since I’m halfway there, I take a chance and run my ass off to the Humvee. It’s either stay here and risk getting surrounded or run and hope my legs don’t give out. What do you think?” Jacob halfway twirled the crowbar. “Oh, I see how it is. You want me to make this decision. Ok, fine, you be that way.”
Jacob peered around the trashcan again, noting the positions of the zombies. He was attempting to plan the best path to the Humvee when he noticed the worst possible scenario. Several zombies were running straight toward him. Too late to make plans. Jacob jumped up and ran for his life.
Dodging … spinning … any NFL running back would be envious of Jacob’s ability, but he had some advantages and disadvantages over NFL running backs. The disadvantage was that if he didn’t make the touchdown, he would die, but his crowbar was his advantage. The crowbar was being put to very good use.
Jacob was leaving a trail of bodies behind him on his journey to the Humvee. Interestingly enough, he was beginning to enjoy himself. He could feel a bloodlust coming on and made an effort to hit zombies in the head which he could have bypassed.
It was when Jacob stumbled, fell, and was nearly mauled by a zombie. That brought him back to his senses. Jacob hit the zombie with a crowbar uppercut, allowing him to get back to his feet and continue running. Out loud, he cursed himself for getting caught up in the killing. He made a mental note to never let it happen again if at all possible.
The Humvee was only twenty feet away when he stopped and looked up towards the sky. He wasn’t sure what caused him to look up.. Perhaps he heard the engines of the airplane. It didn’t matter, but what did matter was what he saw come out of the plane. He remembered the movie, Outbreak and what came out of that airplane over that village. There was no doubt in his mind. It had to be a bomb, a daisy cutter in fact.
“Oh fuck!” was the only thing Jacob managed to say and he said it very loud.
Jacob jumped inside the Humvee, tossed his crowbar on the passenger seat, and cranked the vehicle. He slammed the gas pedal down to the floor, he sped off in the direction the Humvee was pointing. No time to look for an exit, he kept going straight as an arrow, even though there appeared to be trees directly in his path up ahead. Not to mention zombies.
Running over zombies was the only fun thing in this fiasco. Sending zombies flying left, right, and crushing them underneath actually caused him to laugh.
“Doesn’t matter! Doesn’t matter! Keep going! That thing is gonna pack a wallop!” Jacob urged himself on despite the ever approaching trees.
It wasn’t until Jacob reached the tree line that he understood the precarious situation he was about to fall into…literally. Just past the tree line was a steep drop off. He couldn’t tell how far the drop was though. Immediately, he grabbed the seat belt and strapped in, pulling it tight as possible. There was no time to stop or turn around to reassess his choice. Forward he drove, and he flew off the ledge just as the bomb exploded.
The shockwave from the explosion sent Jacob’s Humvee flying further and faster than it should have gone. It was impossible for Jacob to do anything but ride it out and say the only words that came to mind. “Ohhhhhhh…shiiiiiiiiit!”
***
Trevor and Misty were in an elevator when everything shook and a cable snapped up above. The elevator dropped several feet, coming to a crashing halt. Both of them held on to each other to keep from falling. Hearts racing, they wondered if they were going to drop to their deaths. What a precarious situation they suddenly found themselves in.
“What the Hell just happened?” Misty was looking around wondering what to do. “Was that an earthquake?”
“I don’t know. I suppose it could have been. Though, I highly doubt it.” Trevor took a moment to gather his senses from the initial scare. “We need to get out of here.”
Both of them turned and began attempting to pry open the elevator doors with their hands. They were making headway when something popped up above. The elevator jerked but quickly stopped causing their knees to bend. Fear had them in its grip and they were unable to move a muscle. Their eyes were wide and each began praying silently.
Their prayers went unheard as another pop sounded from above. The elevator began descending in freefall accompanied by a deafening, screeching sound. The elevator hit bottom and everything went black for both of them in an instant.
Seventeen
The blast decimated the center of the surface facility in a 600 yard radius. The airplane delivering the payload was unable to reach the 6000 feet needed to avoid the shockwave. Engines were damaged and the airplane began an unwanted descent toward the ground. The pilot was unable to recover and the airplane impacted the ground sending a plume of smoke into the air.
It was nearly twenty minutes after the crash before Reverend Thomas stepped out of the wreckage. He was banged up, bruised, and had a large cut on his thigh.
Reverend Thomas took a moment to get his bearings. Once he was able, he walked straight to a burning piece of the airplane, picked it up, and placed it against the cut on his leg.
Flesh seared. It was apparent by his face that he was in extreme pain while cauterizing the wound, but he didn’t let out a sound. He held the burning piece up against his leg until he was satisfied the job had been done. Then he tossed the piece aside and fell to his knees.
“Oh Mighty
God, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Thank you for bringing me through this unforeseen crash. Thank you for allowing me to continue your work. Amen.”
Reverend Thomas stood up, determined the direction of the facility he just bombed, and started walking. It was not just mere chance that he attacked this particular facility. He knew who was there. Dr. Atkinson had thought he had tricked the reverend, but it was only wishful thinking. Now, the reverend had returned and he was going to finish what he started.
***
Jacob slowly opened his eyes. Everything was slightly blurry and there was a loud ringing in his ears. He wasn’t sure where he was or what was going on. His eyes slowly closed and everything was black again.
Two seconds later, his eyes snapped open and the world came into focus. Everything looked odd until he realized he was hanging upside down.
The seat belt that he managed to get snapped in seconds before the blast had kept him from flying off down the mountain to his death. He always bitched and moaned about the seat belt laws, because seat belts seemed to ride up around his neck making him uncomfortable. Now, at this juncture in his life, he realized the benefit outweighed him being a little uncomfortable.
Jacob turned and twisted his head to determine his situation. It was not good. From what he could tell, the Humvee was a hair inch from going over the side. Why luck was on his side, he didn’t know, but he damn sure wasn’t going to make a fuss about it.
How he was going to get out of the Humvee without going over the edge was the question.
There was only one option he could think of… just do it and see if luck remains on my side.
Jacob unhooked the seat belt and slammed into the top of the Humvee which lay below him. The Humvee shook and some rocks gave way, but it did not go over the side. Luck continued to be on his side.
Jacob, with much effort, climbed out of the battered and broken Humvee. Dizziness took him as he tried to stand, sending him back down to the ground on his face. He tried again with the same outcome. Must have a concussion. He rolled over on to his back and just stayed there staring up into the sky. Clouds, in the form of zombies, stared back at him.