Quinn stopped at the computer nearest the door and switched it on. The fan hummed to life, the screen blinked blue. He placed his hands on either side of the keyboard, waiting. We crowded around him. After a few minutes, the dialogue box asking for username and password popped onto the screen. Quinn sighed.
“Well, that’s not going to do us much good. There’s no way we’re getting into this information.”
I scanned the room. There had to be more. Files, papers, something. They couldn’t trust technology to keep their information safe.
“Was there another room? Or is this it?”
“I didn’t see another door,” Pam answered.
Tanya circled the room, glancing through the windows, a look of distaste and confusion on her face. “What do you think they kept in there?”
“I can only imagine,” I murmured.
“Let’s turn all of these on.” Quinn gestured at the computers. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and one will be logged on.”
I cocked my head to the right and pursed my lips. It was a long shot. Most computers reset themselves after a long time, but what did we have to lose? I crossed the room and pushed the buttons to the three computers. The hum of the fans grew louder, though not overbearing.
Tanya finished her gawking and pulled out a chair, plopping down in front of a computer. I sighed and folded my hands across my chest. I eyed her for a moment before stepping up to a window and glancing into the nearest room.
White tiles lined the walls and floor. A metal drain sat in the middle of the floor. Barren. Boring. Sterile. I walked to the other side of the room, the far wall opposite the door we came through. I leaned against the tiles.
“You’re wasting your time,” I told him. “We won’t be able to access the computers.”
A faint scraping, like gravel on gravel, sounded behind me, and I swear I felt the surface move. With eyebrows pushed together, I straightened up and stared at the wall. In the grout, there was a small crack. I squinted. It was too straight to be an accident. I stepped closer to the wall.
“Krista?” Quinn’s voice sounded behind me. “What are you doing?”
I placed my hand on the tile and followed the line. Just as I suspected, it was the outline of a door. I looked at the others, pointing.
“There’s a door here.”
“A door?” Pam stepped forward.
“Is it a secret door?” Tanya wondered.
I pursed my lips and stared at her. A number of remarks ran through my head, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Okay.” Quinn stood next to me. “So how do we open it?”
“I don’t know. But I swear I felt the wall move when I leaned against it.”
Quinn placed his hands on the tiles and pushed. His face turned red, and small grunts escaped from his lips. The wall didn’t move. He straightened up with a huff.
“I don’t think it opens.”
“It has to. There has to be other ways to access this place. How did they put whatever into those observation rooms?” I gestured toward the empty rooms with my good hand.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Krista. I can’t open the door.”
“Then break through the tile,” Pam suggested.
Quinn and I glanced at her for a moment. “Good idea.”
Quinn raced to the end of the room and disappeared out the door. The three of us waited for a moment, silent, wondering what he was doing. He returned a moment later with a rock in his hand.
The stone crunched against the wall, the thud reverberated through the room. Bits of dirt and small pebbles stuck to the tile. He smacked the wall again, harder. The rock fell to the ground. Quinn shook his hand, sucking in a sharp breath.
“Here.” I reached around my neck and pulled the sling strap over my head. “Put it in here and swing it.”
Quinn took the sling from me and secured the rock inside. Holding my wrist up with my other hand, I stepped back. I didn’t want to get smacked.
Quinn swung the rock over his shoulder and into the wall. The thud was loud, followed by a sharp cracking sound. Lines appeared in the tile. He swung again. Part of the white wall collapsed inward. One more swing and he’d have a hole. The tile clinked onto the floor between the walls. He knelt down and stared through the hole.
“Yep. I see the handle. It’s definitely a door.”
Cautiously, he reached his hand through. After making a few faces and grunting, a click resounded, and the door swung open. We stared into the new dark room for a moment.
“Maybe we shouldn’t go in there.” Tanya’s voice was quiet, shaky. “Maybe this door was secret for a reason.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure it was just a safety precaution. If the people weren’t supposed to be able to go through it, why have it at all?” I unholstered my weapon.
“Here, take this back.”
Quinn dumped the rock out of my sling. He attempted to brush the dirt fragments out, but I felt them on my skin when I placed my arm in. I’d worry about that later. Curiosity about what was in the other room was more pressing than a few pebbles digging into my flesh. I stepped forward.
The room was cooler than the other. Goosebumps formed on my skin. Sunlight streamed in from high above, lighting the opposite side of the opening in a gray hue. I clicked on my flashlight. The beam barely illuminated half the room. Actually, room might not be the best way to describe the place. Cave was more like it. The walls were rock, and the ceiling rose to a point. The floor was smooth concrete, but otherwise, we were in a mountain. The place was immense. I bet at least three helicopters and several Hummers could fit in there without touching each other, along with years’ worth of supplies. Our footsteps echoed eerily through the place. There wasn’t much in there at the time. Did they take it all when the zombie attacks first started? Or was it never there to begin with?
The four of us glanced around the room. It wouldn’t take long to sweep, there weren’t too many places for anything to hide, although a few crates lined the far walls. Pam felt around the wall near the door. A click sounded, and sick orange lights clicked on. They barely illuminated the room, but it was better than nothing. Something scuttled to our right.
Instantly on high alert, we all spun around, guns up and ready. Quinn pointed at himself and Pam, then in the direction of the sound. They were going to check it out, Tanya and I were to stay behind. It didn’t make me happy, but I nodded. The two slowly walked off.
A dragging, followed by a snort sounded. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, my muscles tensed. It could’ve been a dog, maybe another animal. It sounded like one. But how would they have gotten down there? And how would they have survived? It was wishful thinking, I knew that.
Quinn and Pam were within ten feet of the crates against the wall. Quinn signaled, indicating he was going to the right. Pam stopped, flanking his left side. He stepped up to the crate. The moan was loud, unearthly in the confined space. But it was nothing compared to the gun shot. My ears rang. Instinctively, I swung around and scanned the area behind Tanya and me to make sure no other creatures snuck up on us. I strained my ears, waiting for more creatures to emerge from the shadows, for us to be surrounded. My heart thumped in my chest. Moments passed. Nothing. I turned back to the others.
Like me, they scanned the area, their guns pointed into the darkness, fingers itching to fire. Another moment passed. Still nothing. I relaxed slightly, taking a deep breath.
“I think we’re clear,” I said aloud. I cocked my head to the side and listened. If anything was going to draw out more zombies, it was speech.
Quinn nodded. “I think you’re right. Come check this out.”
I joined him by the crate and examined the body.
Like the others, it was dressed in business wear. A white, button up shirt and gray pants. Clipped to his pocket was a badge. I stepped forward and grabbed it. Wiping off the blood, I read the writing. “He was a scientist,” I told the others. “Dr. Stanson. Civilian position, but he
did work for the Army.” I handed the badge to Quinn.
“What is this place?” Tanya asked.
We all looked at each other, hoping someone had an answer, but no one did. Without being able to access the information in the computers, there was no way of knowing what went on in the cave.
“We don’t really have time to worry about it.” Quinn tossed the badge onto the floor. “Whatever went on here hasn’t happened for years. Let’s see if there’s anything we can use and move on.”
Pam and I nodded before heading off to check out crates.
“Tanya, why don’t you come with me. I could use an extra hand,” I said.
I still didn’t want her getting too far out of my sight. Anything could happen in that cave, and anyone could escape undetected.
“Do you think they did something with zombies here?” Tanya wondered as we approached a crate. “I mean, those rooms seem so weird. Do you think they put infected people in there and studied them?”
“Tanya, honestly, I don’t know. There is that possibility. But where are those people? If they did turn into zombies and infect the others here, where are they? We can speculate all we want, but we’re never gonna know. In reality, we shouldn’t waste our time. Here, help me with this lid.”
We placed our hands on the top of the crate and pushed. With a scraping sound and squeak of wood, the top crashed onto the floor. I glanced in. I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over my lips.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” It was a dream. It had to be. I reached into the box and pulled out an AR-15. The laugh wouldn’t be contained. “Pam, Quinn. Check this out.” I turned to show them the weapon.
Something slammed into my back, knocking me to the ground. Both guns slid across the floor. I gasped for air, pain exploded through my shoulder, fear gripped my chest. Panicked, I tried to roll over onto my back. I wasn’t going to get bit without at least putting up a fight. Why hadn’t the others shot? What were they doing? A hand grabbed the back of my hair and pulled me to my feet.
“Do something!” I screamed. “Help me!”
“You do, and she dies.”
I knew that voice. My blood went cold. I risked turning my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar face.
“Liet.” The name rushed out of my mouth in a breath. I couldn’t believe what I actually said.
“Who were you expecting?” he snarled. “Another zombie?”
“I would have preferred one, yeah.”
He tightened his grip on my hair and pulled me against his body. The barrel of a gun rested against my temple.
“I guess you’re not that lucky,” he hissed into my ear.
“Liet, come on now, let’s be reasonable.” Quinn held his hands out in front, talking calmly. “There are three of us and one of you.”
“Oh, I’m well aware of that. And I have no doubt you’ll kill me. But at least I’ll take Krista down before you can get a shot off. I’ll die happy knowing I took her away from you.”
My throat tightened. He would do it. He was more than capable.
“Liet, we don’t want that. I’m sure we can come to an understanding.”
“Then I suggest you put your weapons on the ground. Now!”
My head rattled as he yelled at the others. Tears threatened to fall. How did it come to this? Was this really happening? The others did as he commanded.
“Undo your arm sword!” He practically yelled in my ear.
It took a moment, but I complied. It clanked onto the concrete floor.
“You.” He gestured toward Tanya. “Stand with the others.”
She raised her hands and side-stepped to be with Pam and Quinn. Liet moved the gun from the side of my head and pointed it at the others.
“Who wants to go first?”
“No!” I pleaded. “You have what you want. You have me. Let them go.”
“They all deserve to die for what they did. Quinn it is.”
The world was thrust into slow motion. Liet lined the gun up so it pointed at Quinn. His eyes went wide, and the barrel flashed. I pushed with all my might against Liet’s body, hoping to make the bullet sail wide. Quinn’s body jerked. He fell backward. Tanya and Pam took the opportunity and ran in opposite directions, looking for cover. Liet fired rapidly. I chopped the arm holding the gun.
“You brat!” He pointed the gun back at me. “This isn’t over! They will get what’s coming to them.” He dragged me by my hair toward the door.
I stared at Quinn. Blood soaked the front of his shirt. He didn’t move. I gasped for breath. Dizziness swept over me.
Liet dragged me up the stairs and outside. I pulled out of his grasp, not caring if I was missing a chunk of my hair. My intention was to claw his eyes out, get him to the ground, and pound his skull with a rock. He pointed the gun at my forehead.
“Try it. I dare you.”
“Shoot me,” I taunted. “You’ve already taken everything away from me.”
A smile curled onto his lips. “That would be too easy. I have other plans for you. I’m taking you back to Florida.”
He raised the gun and smashed it onto the side of my head. Blackness engulfed me.
CHAPTER 12
The sun sank behind the cliff face, streaking the sky and clouds a dark crimson. The horse shifted beneath me, snorting uncomfortably. I patted her neck and whispered soothing words.
“You sure nothing is down here?” I turned to Quinn.
“Of course.”
“Then why are the horses so skittish?”
He shrugged. “Probably picking up on your vibes.” He clicked his tongue, and his horse moved forward.
I stared after him, my eyes narrowed to slits. Why was he always so calm about things? Didn’t he ever worry? How come I always had to be so high strung?
I pressed my heels into the animal’s side, and she moved forward. Quinn was a ways in front of me, near the entrance to the canyon. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. It put me at ease.
The rock walls surrounded him and his ride, casting them in shadows. A rumbling sounded, a low mumble that vibrated the ground. My horse stopped and jerked her head in the air, backing away from the canyon entrance. It started with a few pebbles, then, within seconds, larger rocks rolled down the canyon walls.
Quinn glanced up, his eyes wide. He pulled the reins. The horse turned and started to run. Before he could make it out, the walls fell inward. Quinn was buried.
My chest hurt, my breath came in rasps. I screamed his name, but no sound came out of my mouth. I tried to get off the horse, but my foot tangled in the stirrup. She kept moving backward, the fear rose in her, the desire to run away overpowered her. I tried to keep the horse calm, attempted to say soothing things, but I couldn’t. I didn’t feel it.
Eventually, I got my foot untangled. As I was about to swing my leg over the saddle, the horse reared. I was thrown backward. Landing in the dirt with a thump, the air left my lungs. I gasped for breath. Darkness crept in. I had to get to Quinn before it was too dark to see. A hand appeared above me, reaching out to help me up. I didn’t flinch. It never crossed my mind to wonder who else was out there with us. I grabbed it.
The fingers were cold and brittle. They jerked me to my feet with an unnatural strength. I lost my balance and fell forward, catching myself on the person’s shoulders. The bones were prominent beneath the tattered shirt. My heart leapt into my throat. I knew I didn’t want to, but I forced myself to look into the person’s face.
Quinn’s skull was crushed, his skin peeled down his cheeks. One eye was missing, the other dangled from the socket. He opened his mouth. Several teeth were gone, but he sunk the remaining ones into my neck. Again, I screamed, but no sound came out.
I jerked awake, sucking in a sharp breath. My head pounded, my shoulder was on fire, and the bright sun threatened to blind me. I moved my hand to rub my eyes, but it stopped short. Blinking rapidly, I glanced down.
My hand was cuffed to the handle of a door. I
squinted at my surroundings. Liet sat next to me, his hands on a steering wheel, his gaze focused forward. I felt groggy. Was I still dreaming? I tugged at the cuffs again.
“Knock it off,” Liet growled. “They aren’t going to come loose.”
If I could focus and breathing didn’t hurt, I would have lashed back at him, figured out a way to get my legs free and kicked him in the face, but I didn’t have the energy.
“Where are we?” My mouth was dry, sticky, my throat sore. The words crackled out of my mouth.
“On our way back to Florida. Just like I told you.”
The events from the cave rushed back into my mind.
Quinn! Liet killed Quinn! Forget the headache and searing pain in my body, I needed to take him out. I moved my feet, calculating the best way to turn in my seat, when they stopped short. I tugged on them and glanced down. Twine. He secured my feet with twine. Well, you couldn’t say Liet wasn’t prepared.
“Aaaaah!” I screamed out of frustration and anger. I pulled and jerked and writhed against my restraints, hoping one of them would pop free.
Liet chuckled, a low, maniacal sound.
It sent me into a fit of rage. I did the only thing I could. I spit. It was more of a mist than an actual threat, but it accomplished its goal. Liet slammed on the brakes. I jerked forward in my seat. Luckily, Liet fastened my seatbelt. Not like I was going far with the other restraints, but it did prevent me from having a dislocated shoulder.
The tires squealed and burnt rubber tickled my nose. I was thrown back into my seat as the vehicle came to a complete stop. I thought Liet was going to tear the gear stick out of the side of the wheel. He turned in his seat, placed his hand on my neck, and stuck his face inches from mine. He pushed my head into the headrest.
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