The Rising Horde, Volume One

by Stephen Knight

  “Is Logan still open?” McDaniels asked.

  “Only for military use, sir.”

  “Are there any car rental places still open?”

  The private’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t know, sir.”

  McDaniels nodded and motioned everyone toward the car. “Okay, let’s mount up. Private, the Browns are coming with us, at least to Logan. You can tell your commanders you didn’t want a Special Forces officer landing on you with both boots. Hooah?”

  The soldier obviously didn’t like it, but McDaniels had him outranked by miles. His curt nod was accompanied by a quick, “Yes, sir.”

  “Pile in, guys.” McDaniels steered Regina toward the rear door, and Earl pushed Zoe in after her. McDaniels walked around to the front passenger door and slid inside the idling car.

  The private reclaimed the driver’s seat and pulled on his seat belt. He pulled the Crown Vic away from the pier, and McDaniels watched the Escanaba recede from view in the sideview mirror.

  ***

  While McDaniels didn’t have any personal credit cards on him, Regina did. At her insistence, McDaniels ordered the private to stop the car at a nearby bank ATM. The National Guardsman did as instructed without comment and parked the car in a handicapped space.

  McDaniels and Regina got out, and he scanned the area. The street appeared to be deserted. In the near distance, sirens wailed, and there was a faraway taint of smoke in the air. It all seemed familiar to McDaniels, and he didn’t like that they had stopped on an empty street. Even though the streetlights were on and the avenue was well-illuminated, he checked to ensure his night vision goggles were secure in the pack on his belt.

  “Hurry,” he said to Regina. He put a hand on the butt of his Mk 23 pistol and escorted her to the bank’s locked door. She swiped her ATM card through the card reader there and the magnetic lock clicked open. McDaniels pulled open the door and let her inside. He kept the door open with his foot and stood sentry while she hurried to one of the ATM machines and did what she needed to do.

  After a few moments, a dark shape stepped out of the shadows across the street and staggered toward the well-lit bank. McDaniels watched it approach and pulled the pistol from its holster, the dread growing in his chest. Was the approaching figure a necromorph? A person? He had no idea, so he held his pistol in both hands, attaining a low ready stance. He glanced into the bank lobby and saw Regina was pulling cash from the ATM.

  “Hurry it up,” McDaniels said as he focused his attention on the figure approaching him. All he could tell about the advancing form was that it was half-walking, half-stumbling toward him. Just like a stench. When the figure came within twenty feet, McDaniels aimed the pistol at its head.

  “Yo, man. What the hell?” The man raised his hands, his eyes wide with surprise. The middle-aged black man had a wispy white beard and was missing some of his front teeth. His clothes were filthy, and the faint reek of urine clung to him like a cloak. “I just need a dollar, man! You gonna shoot a brother over a dollar?”

  It’s just a bum. Calm down. It’s a wino or crackhead, not a stench. Just the same, his heart rate didn’t slow, and he didn’t lower the pistol.

  “Get the fuck away from us,” he said, putting the steel of command into his voice. “If you don’t comply, I will shoot you… brother.”

  “Yeah, okay.” The bum took a few unsteady steps backward, then lowered his hands. He looked at McDaniels with disdainful eyes. “Give a nigger a gun and look what happens. No respect at all.”

  McDaniels jerked his head toward the street. “Whatever. Take off.”

  “What’s going on?” Regina asked from the doorway behind McDaniels.

  “Nothing. Let’s go.” McDaniels stood aside and let her pass, then escorted her back to the waiting Ford. After she slid into the back seat, he sat up front. The driver wordlessly backed the car out of the handicapped parking space and accelerated into the night.

  “Here, Earl. Take this,” Regina said. McDaniels turned in his seat and watched as Regina reached across Zoe and pushed a wad of cash into Earl’s hands. “The ATM would only let me take out a thousand. I’ll see if I can get some more at the airport, but that might be all you’ll have for a while.”

  Earl nodded meekly. “Thanks, miss.”

  “Earl, you don’t have an ATM card?” McDaniels asked.

  “My wife kept all that stuff. I didn’t need it.”

  McDaniels nodded and faced forward as the car charged onto a larger street, which contained a traffic flow that seemed almost normal. The driver steered the car toward a tunnel, following the signs that directed traffic to Logan Airport. The route to the airport was almost empty; traffic heading for the Mass Turnpike was much heavier, and McDaniels asked about that.

  “A lot of people are leaving the city,” the driver said.

  “Is it being evacuated?”

  The driver shook his head. “No, sir. But after what happened to New York, no one’s really going to sit back and wait.”

  “How large is the outbreak in Boston?” Regina asked.

  “I don’t know, ma’am. Not very large right now, but the National Guard is being called in to augment the city police. The larger outbreaks are to the north.” The car emerged from the tunnel briefly and quickly charged into another one.

  “To the north?” McDaniels said. “Isn’t that mostly residential neighborhoods?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m not sure why the outbreak started there. Maybe you can find that out later.”

  ***

  The military presence at Logan was sizeable, but it hadn’t entirely supplanted the civilian workforce. McDaniels told the driver to pull into one of the first car rental establishments he saw. Regina exited the car as soon as it came to a stop and ran for the agency’s brightly lit office.

  “Earl, you can drive, right?” McDaniels asked.

  “Yeah, but where to?”

  “To wherever you have someone. To someplace safe. Where are your nearest relatives?”

  “Uh … got people in Long Island, New Jersey, and—”

  “No, no. You have to avoid the New York City area. Those things are all over there. Where else can you go?”

  “I have a cousin in Ohio that I’m friendly with,” Earl said after a moment. “In Akron.”

  “That sounds good.” McDaniels smiled. “You really saved our bacon back in New York, man. I know you’ve gone through a lot, but if it wasn’t for you, things would have had a different ending. And because of you, we might have a chance at stopping all of this. Thanks for everything.”

  Earl sat in the darkened car, clutching his daughter to his side. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was deep and rhythmic in sleep. McDaniels was grateful that she’d been able to escape the terror for a few moments.

  “You’re welcome,” Earl said. “And thank you for doing all this for me and Zoe.”

  “Of course, Earl. Of course.”

  A radio crackled in the car, and McDaniels looked over as the driver pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt. He reported their position and stated they would arrive at the assembly area as quickly as possible. Whoever was on the other end of the radio wasn’t thrilled with that, and he ordered the driver to leave for his target immediately.

  McDaniels took the radio from the Guardsman. “This is Terminator Six. We’ll be on target as soon as possible. Expect us in approximately one-zero minutes. Terminator Six, out.” He switched off the radio and placed it on the seat beside him.

  The driver looked at it, a slightly frantic expression on his face. “Uh, sir—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Private. I’m armed, and you’re not. Make sure your commander knows that.”

  “Uh… roger that, sir.”

  Regina returned to the car a few minutes later, carrying an envelope, keys, and a rental agreement. “There was another ATM inside, and I was able to withdraw another thousand,” she told Earl as she handed him everything. She then pulled off her watch. “Take this in case
you lose the cash, or it gets used up. You should be able to trade it for something useful.”

  “How the hell are you able to get that much money from an ATM?” McDaniels asked.

  “I have a two thousand dollar per day limit,” she said. “I’m kind of rich, you know. And rich people can get different banking structures.”

  Earl looked at the watch and frowned. “I don’t know nuthin’ ’bout watches, Miss Safire, but I’m thinkin’ this one’s worth a whole lot of money.”

  Regina shook her head. “Don’t even worry about that, Earl. I can always replace it.” She pointed at the papers and keys in his hand. “You’re all set. I rented a Nissan Pathfinder, since I figured it would be better to get a four-wheel drive, in case you need it. It has a full tank of gas.”

  Earl regarded the items he’d been given and nodded to her. He even managed a faint ghost of a smile. “That’s wonderful, ma’am. I really thank you for this.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Zoe woke up in the middle of the exchange and looked from her father to Regina to McDaniels and back to Earl again. “Where are we going?”

  “Ohio, little miss. Ohio, to see your cousin Emma.”

  Zoe nodded.

  “Major, we really need to go,” the driver said. “They’re holding a plane for you.”

  “Understood, Private.” McDaniels shook hands with Earl and touched Zoe’s face. She looked especially fragile at that moment, and his heart went out to her. He wished there was more he could do. “Goodbye, folks. And the very, very best of luck.”

  Regina handed Earl a business card. “My personal cell is on there. Please call me and let me know you’re all right. Just leave a message if you can’t get me directly. All right?”

  “All right, Miss Safire. I’ll do that.” Earl paused. “I’m sorry about your father.”

  Regina froze for a moment, and McDaniels knew she’d been using all the frantic tasks of the past hour to keep memories of her own loss at bay. He hoped Earl hadn’t just blown a hole through the dam she had built to hold back her emotions.

  Regina nodded. “Thanks, Earl. And I’m really, really sorry about Kenisha and your wife, too.” As she said this, she reached out for the girl. Zoe threw herself into Regina’s arms and wept softly. McDaniels reached around the seat and put his hand on Zoe’s back, feeling a surge of emotion. Chances were good he would never see these people again.

  “Major,” the driver said.

  “Yeah, okay, boy, keep your pants on.” Earl threw open his door and climbed out of the Ford. He walked around to where Regina stood, embraced her quickly, then took Zoe’s hand. “Come on, baby. We gotta let these people get goin’. Major, Miss Safire, thanks for everything. We appreciate it. And I’ll repay you, ma’am. You can count on that.”

  “No need to do that, Earl.”

  “I know. But I’ll do it anyway.” He looked at her and McDaniels for a moment, then reached down and brushed the tears from his young daughter’s face. “You ready, sugar pie?”

  “Yes,” she said softly.

  Earl straightened and nodded to them one more time. “Goodbye, folks.”

  He led Zoe away.

  2

  McDaniels was surprised to discover the plane waiting for them was a US Air Force C-21, the military version of the Learjet 35 business jet. He and Regina were led to the jet by other members of the National Guard military police unit their driver belonged to, including the driver’s commanding officer, a narrow-faced captain with a prickly demeanor and a thick Bostonian accent.

  “You took your sweet time, Major. You realize how much it costs the government to keep one of these jets parked here?”

  McDaniels cocked a brow and smiled. “You realize just how very little I give a shit, Captain?”

  The captain seemed to get the message and didn’t say anything further.

  The interior of the jet was cool and inviting, though not as luxurious as McDaniels had thought it might be. The headroom was less than five feet, so he had to bend over to enter the aircraft; Regina only had to bow her head. As soon as they were aboard, the Air Force copilot closed the cabin doors and returned to the cockpit after prompting them to buckle up. He pointed out the refreshment station on the way, directly across from the door.

  The jet’s engines spooled up as McDaniels and Regina fastened their belts, and a few minutes later, they were airborne.

  ***

  The flight to Maryland took slightly more than three hours. Regina passed out almost as soon as they were wheels up, but McDaniels remained awake. Sleep eluded him, and the Air Force crew didn’t seem to want to talk. With nothing else to do, McDaniels leaned back in his seat and stared out at the night beyond the cabin window.

  Fort Detrick didn’t have an airfield capable of recovering the C-21, so the jet set down at nearby Frederick Municipal Airport. As the jet taxied toward one of the fixed base operations that offered fuel and other aviation-related services, the copilot turned back to the cabin.

  “Major, a UH-60 is waiting to take you and Miss Safire to Detrick. It’s off to our left, parked on the ramp.”

  McDaniels looked out the window and saw the helicopter sitting in the darkness. As he watched, its anti-collision lights came on, winking in the night. “Roger, I have it. Thanks.”

  Regina didn’t look very happy. “Another helicopter ride?” No doubt she was reliving the helicopter crash in New York City. They had gone down on a modified special operations Black Hawk after a necromorph had jumped off a building and smashed right into the helicopter’s main rotor.

  “Try not to worry about it. I’ve flown in helicopters hundreds of times and never had a problem until this last hop,” McDaniels said. “I don’t think we’ll have the same set of circumstances tonight as we did in New York. All right?”

  “All right.”

  The helicopter jump from the airport to Fort Detrick took less than six minutes, and the Black Hawk touched down on the pad at Detrick without incident. A single Humvee waited for them, and they climbed inside it.

  “Where are we headed?” McDaniels asked.

  The driver, a female with sergeant’s insignia on her lapels, replied, “Straight to the Rid, sir.”

  “Fantastic.” McDaniels checked his watch—ten minutes after eight. “Can you tell me what’s been going on around Detrick? Is the area secure?”

  “Yes, sir. Right now, the area is secure. There haven’t been any reported instances of an outbreak here, but Baltimore and DC both have… um, infestations. That’s the official description, I guess.” The sergeant pulled the Humvee away from the idling Black Hawk. “Where are you coming in from, sir?”

  “New York City.”

  The sergeant gave him a sidelong glance. “You kidding about that, sir?”

  “Not at all. Why?”

  “Because New York City belongs to the dead. The entire Tenth Mountain Division is trying to stop the stenches from getting off Manhattan, but it’s not working. They’re all over the city now, in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. I heard even on Long Island. If you were there, you’re lucky to have gotten out alive. That’s all I’m saying.”

  McDaniels nodded. “I know. The rest of the alpha detachment I was with wasn’t so lucky.”

  A few minutes later, the vehicle pulled up in front of the Crozier Building, a structure that must have dated back to the 1970s, in McDaniels’s estimation. The big sign on the manicured front lawn said it all: USAMRIID. A small group of people on the sidewalk turned toward the Humvee as it braked to halt.

  McDaniels thanked the sergeant, and he and Regina exited the hardy four-wheel drive vehicle. The approaching group of people was a mix of Army soldiers and civilians; the military folks wore Class B uniforms and garrison caps, while the civilians wore business casual beneath their white lab coats.

  “Major McDaniels?” A short, thin man with a carefully manicured mustache and receding hairline moved to the front of the group.

  McDaniels saluted. “Y
es, sir.”

  The colonel returned the salute. “I’m Colonel Jeffries, commanding officer of USAMRIID.” He pronounced it as You-Sam-Rid. “Welcome to Fort Detrick.” Jefferies looked at Regina. “And you must be Doctor Safire?”

  “I’m Regina Safire,” she said. “Good to meet you, Colonel.”

  “Hello, Doctor. Ah, my condolences regarding your father.” The two shook hands before Jeffries looked back at McDaniels. He cocked a brow and smiled broadly. “Well, Major, we don’t normally get you Special Forces types around here, and certainly not while fully manned up.” He gestured at McDaniels’s weapons and body armor.

  “Sorry, Colonel. Didn’t have much time to change into the usual duty uniform,” McDaniels said.

  “Not a problem. Do you have the research data on you?”

  “Right here, sir.” McDaniels reached into his pocket and pulled out the Iron Key thumb drive. He handed it to Jefferies, who in turn transferred it to one of the civilians, a willowy blond-haired woman on the high side of fifty.

  “Doctor Kersey will take it from here. I understand the data is encrypted, Doctor Safire?”

  “It is, but I have the password.”

  “Then, would you mind going with Doctor Kersey?”

  Regina shook her head. “Not at all.”

  Jeffries turned to back to McDaniels. He looked as though he was going to say something, but then he looked past McDaniels’s shoulder. McDaniels turned to see three vehicles coming to a halt behind the Humvee; a fourth hung back on the main road. The vehicles were LAV-25A2 amphibious reconnaissance vehicles used by the US Marine Corps. Fully armored, each of the eight-wheeled vehicles carried a turret-mounted 25 millimeter Bushmaster chaingun and two M240 7.62 millimeter machineguns. The weapons were currently manned. McDaniels found the presence of armed Marines on an Army reservation to be a bit odd.