Cold Sanctuary (John Decker Series Book 2)

by Anthony M. Strong

  “Not anymore it isn’t.” Decker took a step forward, careful to stay out of Hunt’s line of fire.

  “It was right there, I swear. I don’t understand.”

  “You’re hurt.” Decker slipped an arm around her waist, supporting her.

  “It’s nothing. A sprain.” Mina let him lead her back, behind Hunt, and then leaned against the wall with her foot lifted off the ground. “I tripped on the stairs. The tape player didn’t make it I’m afraid.”

  “We know, we heard it fall,” Decker said. “Are you sure the creature didn’t turn and go back up?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It was gaining on me. I can’t imagine where it went.”

  “I think I can,” Dominic said. “Listen.”

  A strange sound wafted down the corridor, a doleful, plaintive wailing that traveled through the ducts.

  “The creature locked in the quarantine block,” Decker said. “It’s calling out.”

  “Right, and without the tape player to drown out the sound, it’s leading the other one right to it.”

  “That’s impossible,” Hunt said. “The only way into the base is right here.”

  “No it’s not.” Dominic glanced upward, toward the ceiling. “There’s an access door on the next level leading straight into the quarantine area.”

  “That door can’t be accessed from the outside.” Hunt shook his head. “It’s one way.”

  “Are you sure?” Decker walked toward the stairs.

  “What are you doing?” There was a note of fear in Mina’s voice.

  “We have to find out where it went.” Decker was at the door now. He peered inside the stairwell. “Nothing.”

  “This isn’t good,” Dominic said.

  “Wait here.” Decker ducked through the door and glanced around, then jogged up the first flight of stairs. A moment later he returned with a grim look upon his face. “The door to level two is off its hinges. It’s been ripped clean out of its frame. We’ve lost the creature.”

  “Shit.” Hunt slammed his fist against the wall. “If both of them get loose we’re done for.”

  “Then we have to find the damn thing before it gets to its friend,” Decker said.

  “So what are we waiting for?” Mina took a step forward. Her ankle gave way and she cried out.

  “You’re not going anywhere.” Decker held her upright. “We’ll take care of it from here.”

  71

  Mina sat on the examination couch in the medical bay, the same one upon which they had patched up Silas a few hours before. As Dominic bandaged her ankle, she watched Hunt and Decker prepare to track the creature.

  “This should do for now.” Dominic stood. “I’m not a doctor, but it doesn’t feel broken. You should be fine in a week or two.”

  “A week or two?” Mina complained. She looked up at Decker. “This sucks.”

  “Yeah, but at least it will keep you out of trouble,” Decker replied. “Now stay put, okay?”

  “I guess I don’t have much choice.”

  “Nope.” Decker checked the clip in the gun Silas had used to take them hostage. He would have preferred a weapon of his own choosing, but he wasn’t in a position to be picky.

  Beside him, Hunt inspected the assault rifle. “Everything seems to be in order. We should move out. We’re wasting time.”

  “Got it.” Decker turned to Dominic and Mina. “You two keep your heads down. Understand?”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Dominic nodded. “Now would you please go and kill that thing before it gets to its buddy?”

  Decker made eye contact with Mina. “Promise me you will stay here.”

  “What choice do I have?” She glanced down at her ankle. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

  “Lock the door after us.” Hunt put a hand on Decker’s shoulder. “Come on. They will be fine. We have a job to do.” He turned and walked from the room, passing through the outer office into the corridor.

  Decker lingered a moment longer, his eyes on Mina, then swiveled and followed Hunt. As he exited the room he heard the door click shut and the gratifying sound of the lock being engaged.

  Mina was safe, at least for now.

  72

  Decker navigated the corridor, his gun at the ready. Next to him, keeping pace, the assault rifle held high, was Adam Hunt. Neither man said a word as they moved forward, working their way deeper into the base.

  They were on the second level, nearing the quarantine block, and so far had not encountered the creature or seen any sign of its passage, but now, as they came upon the door that separated the isolation cells from the rest of the base they found evidence that they were on the right track.

  The door was buckled and bent, ripped from its frame and standing open in much the same way as the stairwell access door. A set of deep gouges ran from left to right across the door. Decker could only imagine how strong the creature’s claws must be to inflict that kind of damage on cold hard steel.

  “It came this way,” Hunt said, speaking for the first time since they had left the medical bay. “We’re close, I can feel it.” He adjusted the assault rifle, resting the stock on his shoulder, his finger curled around the trigger.

  “We shoot to kill, right?” Decker wanted to make sure that his companion wasn’t going to try and capture the beast.

  “Of course.” Hunt kept his voice low. “That creature is much too dangerous. I let it escape once; I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.”

  “Good to know,” Decker said.

  They were at the door now.

  Hunt motioned for Decker to take up a position to the right of the door, while he took his place to the left. He held a hand up, three fingers in the air, and counted down in silence. When he dropped the last finger the two men swiveled, filling the doorframe, and stopped dead in their tracks.

  There was no sign of the creature.

  The quarantine block was just as they had left it hours earlier.

  In the furthest cell, the imprisoned creature still kept up its strange wailing. In the next cell Silas watched them, wide eyed.

  Hunt glanced toward Decker, a puzzled look upon his face. “Where is it?”

  “Beats me,” Decker replied. “I don’t know how we haven’t run across it yet.”

  “Come on.” Hunt stepped back into the corridor. “It’s not here.”

  As he did so, Decker caught a flash of movement off to his left, from the direction of the nearest laboratory. He opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late.

  The creature exploded from the darkness within the lab. The door, which had been half closed, splintered as it broke free of its hinges and flew across the corridor.

  Hunt turned, surprised.

  He did his best to bring the gun to bear, his finger squeezing the trigger as he did so. A burst of rapid gunfire ripped the air and cut a wide track across the wall, short of the intended target.

  He cursed and tried to aim for a second volley, but it was too late. The creature slammed into him.

  He staggered backward, a spray of blood arcing outward as vicious claws cut into his chest, opening him up.

  He hit the far wall and slumped down, the assault rifle falling useless from his hands.

  Decker raised his own gun and fired two shots in quick succession, but by then the corridor was empty once more. The creature had made its escape.

  Decker stood for a moment, rooted to the spot in disbelief. Everything had happened so fast. He looked down at Hunt, who was sprawled with his back to the wall, a crimson stain spreading across his wrecked shirt.

  Decker dropped his arm, his ears still ringing from the rapid-fire shots, and knelt next to the stricken man.

  “Don’t move.” He examined the wounds, deep lacerations that ran across Hunt’s torso. “It got you pretty bad.”

  “I’m fine.” Hunt looked up at him. “It barely scratched me.”

  “You don’t look fine,” Decker sa
id. “You need a doctor.”

  “I’ll live. I’ve been through worse, believe me.” A rasping cough wracked Hunt’s body and he groaned, leaning his head back against the wall. He reached out and gripped Decker’s arm. “The creature, it planned this.”

  “What are you talking about?” Decker shook his head. “How could it have planned this?”

  “The creature is genetically engineered. It might be uncontrollable, driven by a need to kill, but it’s still human, at least in part. It was designed to think, strategize. Somehow it knew we were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, that Mina was leading it into a trap, so the damned thing turned the tables. It found another way out, and then lured us away from the others. Divide and conquer.”

  “That’s impossible.” Decker shook his head.

  “Is it?” Hunt raised himself up. When he spoke he winced with pain. “You have to get back to the medical bay. It will be heading there. It wants to finish what it started.”

  “What do you mean?” Decker leaned in close.

  “Mina.” Hunt met Decker’s gaze. “It wants to kill Mina.”

  73

  Mina sat perched on the examination couch, her attention focused on the door. Decker and Hunt had been gone for a while, and she was worried. Even more so after the sound of gunfire, faint but clear, echoed into the room.

  That was five minutes ago, and they had not returned.

  She glanced sideways at Dominic, who occupied a chair near the door, his eyes fixed on the clock.

  “They should be back by now,” he said. His right leg jiggled up and down, a nervous habit that betrayed his anxiety. “Maybe it got them. Maybe they are dead.”

  “Don’t say that.” Mina glared at him. “Don’t ever say that.”

  “Why? We both heard the gunshots.” Dominic tore his eyes from the clock and returned her stare. “There’s been nothing for ages, and they haven’t returned.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything.” Mina choked back a hard lump of fear that had formed in her throat. “They will return any time now, you’ll see.”

  “What if they don’t?” Dominic said. “How long do we wait here?”

  “I don’t know.” Mina lapsed into sullen silence.

  Dominic looked at her, opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment the door handle moved.

  “It’s them.” Dominic’s head snapped around. He jumped to his feet. He crossed the room in three steps and reached out to unlock the door “They’re back.”

  “Wait.” Mina felt a sudden pang of foreboding. Something was wrong. “Don’t open the door.”

  “What?” Dominic looked confused. “Why?”

  The door handle rattled. Something heavy pushed against the other side.

  “It’s not them.”

  “Of course it is.” Dominic froze anyway, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

  “Move away.” Mina could not explain how she knew, but she was sure something bad was about to happen. “Come back over here.”

  “But what if…” Dominic saw the look in Mina’s eyes. “Fine.” He turned toward her.

  At that moment the door burst inward with a great splintering crash.

  Dominic, startled, dove forward. He barreled into the examination couch and Mina, which pitched backward, sending the two of them toppling to the floor.

  Mina’s head hit the floor and she cried out as pain shot through her body. She pushed the couch away and looked over to see Dominic scooting backward, his eyes wide with fear.

  When she followed his gaze, she saw why.

  The creature filled the doorway, its milky eyes searching the small space. When it saw her it parted its lips to display a mouth full of sharp white teeth. For a moment she had the crazy thought that it was smiling. And then it was in the room, advancing toward them, a strange warbling cry rising up from deep in its throat.

  Mina shrank back, realizing there was nowhere left to run, and screamed.

  74

  Decker ran as fast as he could back toward the medical bay. In one hand he carried the gun liberated from Silas, while in the other he gripped the assault rifle. Behind him, back at the quarantine wing, Adam Hunt lay bleeding. Decker knew that if the man didn’t get to a hospital soon he would die, but he also knew that if he didn’t reach Mina, so would she.

  As if to punctuate that thought, a terror filled scream filled the air.

  Decker pushed himself faster, rounding the last corner and reaching the medical bay just in time to see the creature disappear through the door.

  He raised the assault rifle, and edged forward, his finger on the trigger. He wasn’t sure how many rounds Hunt had let off back at the quarantine wing, but he was sure there was at least half a clip left. More than enough bullets to finish the job, and unlike Wilder, or the bait and tackle shop owner, his bullets could cut through a flat jacket. They should be more than capable of killing the beast.

  When he reached the door, he saw that the creature was already halfway across the room. Beyond that, behind the toppled examination couch, Mina cowered, a terrified look upon her face.

  “Hey.” Decker called out in his loudest voice. “Over here.”

  The creature turned.

  For a brief moment Decker thought he saw a flash of anger pass across the beast’s face when it saw him, but then it was gone, replaced by pure animal rage.

  Decker pulled the trigger.

  Nothing happened.

  “Shit.” He pulled the trigger again. Still the gun refused to fire.

  “For Christ sakes, kill it!” Dominic’s voice rose from the other side of the room, thin and full of terror.

  “I can’t. The rifle jammed.” Decker pulled the trigger a third time, to no avail. He swore, discarding the useless weapon. It must have gotten damaged when Hunt was attacked. He raised the pistol and fired. There was a moment when everything slowed to a crawl. The scene played out like it was in slow motion. Decker saw the bullet fly from the gun, saw it hit the creature square in the chest. Only the creature didn’t fall. Just as he had suspected, the regular ammo in the pistol was not up to the job. “The pistol won’t work; it’s not powerful enough.”

  “So use something else.” Dominic’s voice was rising in fear.

  The creature observed Decker for a moment, then, deciding he was no threat, turned back toward Mina and Dominic.

  Decker’s mind went into overdrive. If he didn’t find a way to stop the beast in the next few seconds it would all be over. Hunt was already dying, and Mina would be next, followed by Dominic and himself.

  He scoured the room, frantic to find something, anything to slow it down. His eyes settled on two large compressed oxygen tanks strapped to the back wall. This was a medical bay, so it made sense that they would have pure oxygen on hand.

  He knew what to do now.

  But there was no time to warn the others. He hoped they would realize what was happening and take cover.

  He zeroed the pistol in on the tanks, taking careful aim, and then called out to the creature. “Hey, ugly. Look at me.”

  The creature stopped, turned toward Decker.

  That was all he needed.

  Decker fired off two bullets, one for each tank.

  They flew straight, slamming home with deadly accuracy, and then Decker was flying backwards as the room erupted in a mighty explosion.

  Pieces of shrapnel, large chunks of metal torn from the cylinders, flew in all directions. The sound was deafening.

  Decker hit the wall and slid down, his vision blurring as the concussion wave washed over him. Just as he was about to pass out, he saw the creature caught mid stride, a look of surprise on its face as the blast ripped through the room, and then it was gone.

  75

  “Decker?” A voice drifted through the blackness. “Please don’t be dead.”

  Decker opened his eyes, blinked, and looked up at Mina. She knelt over him, tears streaking her face. When she saw his eyes flutter open, she let out a whoop of joy and flung her
arms around him.

  “Oh my God. I thought the explosion killed you.” She gripped him much too tight, her face pressed next to his. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

  “I’m fine.” He struggled to sit up. “What about the creature?”

  “Nothing left but monster sized sushi,” Dominic said from over Mina’s shoulder. “Good call on the oxygen tanks. A little warning would have been nice.”

  “No time. It was the only way to kill the thing.” Decker probed his body for injuries, and was relieved to find that aside from a few bruises, he was unharmed. “Besides, you were behind the examination couch. I figured it would shield you from the brunt of the explosion.”

  “You got lucky.” Dominic turned away, gazing back at the remains of the medical bay. “Boy, we sure made a mess of that place. Do you think it was insured?”

  “Probably not.” Decker forced a grin.

  “Where’s Hunt?” Mina looked around. “Please tell me the creature didn’t kill him?”

  “He’s alive, but he’ll need a doctor. The creature tore a nice chunk out of his chest.” Decker pointed back toward the quarantine area. “Help me up will you?”

  “Gladly.” Mina reached down and took his hand. “Can we get out of this place now?”

  “Absolutely.” Decker looked at Dominic. “What do you say, ready to leave?”

  “After you,” Dominic said, a big grin spreading across his face.

  “Come on then.” Decker slipped his arm around Mina’s waist to support her. “Let’s go collect Mr. Hunt, and blow this joint.”

  76

  One week later

  “So you’re really leaving then?” Mina stood in the bedroom doorway, watching Decker pack a small suitcase lying open on the bed.

  “I can’t stay here forever,” Decker replied.

  “I don’t see why not. We need a sheriff, and you already have the job.”

  “Not anymore.” Decker shook his head. “Hayley is bringing in a new sheriff from Anchorage. I spoke to him yesterday. He’s a nice guy, and he has experience.”