Several voices laughed loudly through the weather’s gray haze and the dead creature honed in on the sound like a hound on the hunt. It stepped and chomped at the air, making growling noises that were lost to the wind. In no time it appeared on the edge of a group of underground miners eating their lunches on the surface. The murmured tones of the workers rose in worry as the gray-skinned man missing his jacket swayed into their view.
At first, they jumped to assist what they assumed was a man injured on the job. When he grabbed and chomped on the hand of the first responder, the rest jumped back in concern. He was acting sick, not injured. Three of the largest tried to hold him in place as several attempted to call the on-site EMT to the scene using the radio. When the foreman bit another man on the hand the trio took him to the ground and held him in place. The group questioned what was going on, having heard the rumors of cannibals biting people in New York and some other places around the country. The miners waited for the EMT to arrive, unsure what to do.
Waiting killed them all.
Moments later, before the EMT had even grabbed his kit and jumped in his side-by-side, the corpses of the engineer and the driver stepped into the confused crowd. They dove onto their first victim much like their foreman had done to them earlier in the day, knocking the man’s top-heavy helmet away and driving him to the ground. They landed in a heap and bit voraciously into his scalp and neck as he screamed in agony. The group tried to fight haphazardly against the two new intruders but they quickly found the corpses did not react to punches or strikes from any of the makeshift weapons they made from tools and instruments nearby. By the time the EMT arrived, sixteen men were bitten and the dead foreman was back on his feet and moving toward the hysterical survivors. They scrambled onto the equipment elevator designed to ferry large items to the underground limestone quarry and quickly slammed the gate against the intruder. They watched the bloody corpse of the foreman as the group sunk slowly out of view. The survivors disabled the elevator as soon as they reached the mine floor.
The foreman slammed himself into the frame of the elevator dozens of times before the vibration of the lift stopped. After a moment, the mindless body stepped away and shambled into the rain. His first two victims, the engineer and driver, were pulling organs from the open cavity of the EMT that had arrived on site. The entrails slipped from their fingers as they hungrily pulled them from the man’s body. They chewed and tore at the innards as the foreman joined and began to eat his share.
It took less than a day before the men underground began to succumb to the diseased bites. The few uninjured were quickly overwhelmed and killed. Within a few hours they were all reanimated and walking around the damp interior of the mine, looking for live flesh to eat. After a month, the stench of the corpses and their mouldering clothing filled the air of the chamber. Water began to rise through the clay and limestone bed so the corpses were splashing through knee deep groundwater anytime they moved through the chamber. By the three-month mark, the mine’s air was a built-up mixture of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane gas from the slowly decomposing bodies. This deadly mixture, while not affecting the walking dead, set off the quarry’s underground Air Quality Detection System. The system was built to be rugged because of the hazardous conditions working underground and, more importantly, it was designed to work even when the power was out due to explosion or equipment failure.
Both under and above ground, strobe lights flashed and a loud auditory alert began to scream. The system was only designed to operate for short periods of time, so it only took about another month before the rechargeable batteries began to swell and fail. The solar panel, however, operated as intended to keep the system wailing as long as the underground air quality was dangerous for the living. Its warped sound warbled and sang, echoing off of buildings, and alerted the dead in a wide swath of the northern part of San Antonio. During the day, thousands of corpses attempted to find the source of the haunting melody. They funneled perfectly into the northbound highway with its tall walls and looping shape. At night or when weather prevented the solar panel from powering the alarm, they stood still or began to disperse slowly and randomly back into the city. Each sunrise, the distorted siren began anew, keeping the dead caged by interest and instinct.
Through winter, spring, and summer, the foreman’s corpse paraded around his quarry. He, and others, remained trapped and forever wandering under the howl of the automated machinery designed to keep them safe.
Chapter 21
- Gray Ocean
Gray Ocean
“Jesus Christ, look at that,” Specialist Jones said. They were about halfway up the ramp in a scattered and jagged line. Jones had paused to look over the barrier on the side. The concrete was a foot thick and chest high on the cook, and he gripped the edge as he carefully peered over.
It was an ocean of swarming bodies below.
“Holy shit!” Ty called, joining Jones on the side barrier with eyes wide at the scene.
The highway below ran north and south, cutting the city of San Antonio in half down the center. This portion, on the northernmost edge of the metroplex, had been under various stages of construction for years. The population growth on the north side had caused serious traffic problems that had various solutions. One solution was to construct the sky-high exits that would prevent cars from exiting and sitting at stoplights to move from the east-west loop to the southern lanes toward downtown. The northern exits were still under construction, or at least they were before the dead began to walk. Construction on the northern clover leaf-shaped looping exits and the high, sprawling ramps that served as side-to-side barriers had created a perfect funnel that led the walking dead in perpetual circles from low highway to low highway.
The quarry sat just outside the western clover. The stumbling creatures were too uncoordinated to do anything but push other bodies ahead toward the sound. As a result, corpses walked from northbound lanes into looping exits and then fell back into the pile of corpses to begin the cycle all over again. Ty and Jones were fascinated. The remainder of the group of twelve walked to either side and looked down at the endless cycle of reanimated dead.
“That’s disgusting,” Deb cried, holding her nose and cringing back over the concrete edge. Lars quickly jumped back choking and dry-heaving while Wiggs tried to explain to Ricky why the monsters couldn’t get up to them. The putrid stench of the rotting bodies in the hot sun filled the air so when they leaned over they were hit with the full force of the odor. One by one they looked away except Jones and the teenage Ty.
POP! POP! POP! POP!
The rapid gunfire shattered the air around the twelve-strong squad. Ten of the twelve jumped to the ground or crouched and covered their ears. Jones’ laughter cut through the shocked cries from the team.
“Yeah, man! Get some!” he hollered over the edge. Ty had his carbine square on his shoulder and had fired a concussion of 9mm rounds into the dead crowd 50-feet below. He pressed the trigger a half dozen more times, raining semi-automatic lead. The bodies were so tightly packed that neither man could tell if any of the dead were downed, or even hit, but both laughed over Ty’s deed regardless of the pointlessness of it.
“Goddamnit, Ty! Cut that shit out!” Jesse commanded. Ty responded by firing a few more rounds until the magazine clicked empty in the chamber. He turned with a big smile on his face.
“That was great, man. That was great. I can’t believe how many are down there!”
“We’re on a mission. Don’t compromise it because you’re an undisciplined idiot,” Kahn snapped.
“He is just a kid, give him a break,” Jones replied, losing his smile.
“There are no more kids in this shit,” Kimble jumped in. “Get your shit together. Now. And let’s do this and get home.”
Captain Louis, the two Wiggins, Daisy, Deb, and Lars were all silent. Ice stood behind Jesse, waiting for the conflict to pass. When a moment went by with no reply, Kahn considered it enough to turn and walk away.
Each of them continued to trudge up the concrete hill, one by one, until Jones finally patted Ty’s shoulder and they took up the rear.
It took about thirty more minutes of walking for the group to reach the top. By now, it was significantly past noon and the sky had taken an ominous cast. Gray clouds were turning dark, and the day’s heat and humidity combined to wear out the crew. As they wearily approached the crux at the highest point of the onramp, the anchors and heavy ropes and equipment came into view.
The ground was broken straight across where the ramp began its gradual left turn and descent to the southbound lanes. Torn rebar hung like jagged lines from the edge of the broken road. The rappelling ropes were coiled neatly on the small shoulder. Deb took a few fast steps to the edge and glanced over before quickly grabbing the coiled rope, checking the anchor, and tossing the narrow cable over the side edge. It arched and disappeared from view over the waist-high concrete barrier. Deb spun and stood akimbo with her hip jutted out to the side authoritatively.
“Okay, here’s how we do this. We only have two seat kits and one rope, so we’ll need to pull them back up after someone hits the ground. I’ll tie all the knots and check everything from up here. Jesse and Kahn will go down first, then Ice, and then the big guys. Sarge, you and the two Wiggins. Then it doesn’t really matter the order. I’ll go last,” she paused and looked at the mixed faces in the group. Most looked neutral but she noticed the nervousness in some expressions. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe as long as you listen and stay calm. It’s just over 50 feet and the rope will bring you to the roof of the seafood restaurant. Rebar here means we go over the side. You get a harness, get hooked up, and then we’ll help you climb up onto the edge. Any questions?” Deb chirped her instructions with ease despite her own concern for the safety of everybody. This was a large group and it would be difficult for her to ensure everyone was able to perform the tasks and still balance speed against the approaching dusk. Captain Louis raised his hand and simultaneously spoke.
“Yeah, uh, isn’t there supposed to be a safety line?” Deb’s eyes flickered to Jesse and back quickly, but obviously enough that Louis rolled his eyes and grunted his disapproval.
“Well, yes. But this is all we got. When we tried this the first time we took the belay line with us afterwards. We left this one since it was anchored, but, uh, didn’t--” she drifted off instead of finishing her thought. But it was obvious to everyone even without her finishing. There would be no safety line on this trip.
“How do we get back up?” Lars asked, stepping forward and pulling on the big lag bolts drilled into the side and holding onto the climbing rope.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Jesse interrupted. “We climbed back up last time but I don’t think we’ll be able to do that this time. Besides, if we find any good intel in this house we’ll need to head out quick. There’s a car dealership just next door. The cars have been sitting for awhile, but they’re new and we have a mechanic, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” Lars said.
“Good, we’ll get a couple trucks running and go from there.”
“Okay, great. Now, listen up and we’ll walk you through how to wear this harness,” Deb finished, holding up one of the climbing seats.
It took a long hour to explain the harness and the principles of rappelling to the team. Over and over Deb and Jesse showed how to hold your body weight and how to hold and release the rope in a controlled way to let the equipment do the work. Daisy and Kimble were the most nervous of the whole group. Deb switched and said Daisy would go before the larger members of the team to get it over with for her and prevent her from freezing in fear. Deb ended her lesson with Jesse and Kahn each in a harness and Jesse being connected to the line with some of the few carabiners. Deb checked the setup of his equipment and gave him a thumbs up. She held the rope taut as Jesse hefted himself onto the narrow edge of the road. He listened to Deb’s instructions as she had him lean into an L-shape before she told him he was ready.
“Watch the way he uses his brake hand,” she called as he slowly walked down the outside of the road. A line of faces appeared as he dipped out of sight and the group watched his descent closely.
The road had about ten feet of barrier and concrete before Jesse had to let his feet leave the stabilizing safety of the wall and dangle in the open air. He released the hand at the small of his back as his other hand kept him stable and in a steady position. His body jerked a few times as he slipped and stopped, slipped and stopped. It only took a few slow minutes before he kicked around and stepped onto the gritty roof of the restaurant fifty feet down. He pulled the loose end of the rope through his harness and stepped back before looking up and giving two big thumbs up.
The whole group cheered and yelled, even Captain Louis, and they clapped and shouted encouragement to Jesse.
“All right,” Deb said through the exuberance. “Halwende, it’s your turn.”
“Just Hal, or Kahn is fine,” he said nervously as he stepped to the barrier. She went through the same routine to connect, check, and double check Kahn’s rig. Beads of sweat ran down his face, from both the heat and nerves.
“Okay, Hal. Ready to go?”
“Hold on, let me have some water first.” He cleared his throat and pulled the plastic bottle from his cargo pocket, emptying it before tossing it onto the street’s surface. He nodded and Deb held the rope as he moved into the same position Jesse occupied several minutes before.
“You okay?” Deb asked as he struggled to stand.
“Yeah,” he chuckled nervously. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve done this. I’ll be fine.” He stood and leaned back against the rope allowing it to take his weight as he gradually moved into the proper L-shape. Deb gave him the go-ahead and he walked down a few steps.
Kahn moved off the wall and repeated the same descent that Jesse had. He looked up at the faces peeking over the edge, catching Daisy’s eye and smiling. He felt a little flutter in his stomach as she smiled back and shot him a small wave. He spiraled in circles as he descended, seeing the car dealership Jesse mentioned as well as the unending horde of the dead endlessly walking toward the screaming alarm to the north. It took almost no time until Jesse caught his legs and helped him come to a safe stop on the roof.
The same cheers and yells from before echoed down from the tiny faces at the top of the highway. He waved and let loose a long whoop in return. Kahn couldn’t help but smile as Jesse guided him out of the harness. He walked around to the edge of the flat roof, looking over to the awning and parking lot of the little seafood place. By the time he turned back to Jesse, the two harnesses were clipped in place. Jesse stepped back and gave another thumbs up signal, allowing the group above to hoist the rope back to the top.
“How far to this address?” Kahn asked as they both shielded their eyes and watched the rope disappear over the edge at the top.
“Not far. We’ll have to walk, so probably an hour away. Watch it!” Jesse pushed Kahn back as the line tumbled back down and struck the surface.
“Okay, good. An hour away,” he nodded, in a good mood despite all that had happened to bring them here. He watched as the next climber moved to the top of the edge. It was Ice, her almost pitch black skin contrasting sharply with the gray-colored road. She leaned back and easily lowered herself, quickly dangling in mid-air and steadily moving toward the two men. He thought for a moment and added, “Why do you call her Ice?”
“I don’t know, that’s how she introduced herself.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. Nobody knows if it mean anything. Maybe she’s just cold as ice, or something,” Jesse shrugged.
“She could be an assassin, or a mercenary. It could be her call sign or something.”
“Maybe she’s a fighter pilot,” Jesse laughed.
“I bet she’s a samurai, or a drug smuggler, or a bodyguard,” Kahn returned the chuckle.
“No, a sniper,” Jesse finished.
&
nbsp; “You never thought to ask?”
“No,” Jesse laughed. “I guess not.” Both expelled breath in silent laughter at the speculation as they watched her move closer to them.
“Hey, man,” Kahn interjected suddenly. “I just want to say thanks for doing this. I appreciate you helping me find this place and figure out how we can get there.”
“I’m not doing this for you,” Jesse replied coldly. The smile disappeared from Kahn’s face at Jesse’s forceful declaration. “I’m doing this because it’s my best chance to find out where they’re holding my wife. That’s all I care about. Remember that if we find these Neighbors. They killed your wife but mine is still alive, out there, somewhere.” He reached up and caught Ice’s legs as she finished her descent. Jesse moved to help her out of the rope and harness as Kahn contemplated his words.
She is still alive. Finding her is more important than my revenge, he thought. Ice stood next to him, bare muscle flexing as she looked back up where she had come from. No cheers from the group at the top this time, the novelty was already over.
“Hey,” Kahn said. She snapped her neck and looked his way without acknowledgment. “Why do they call you Ice?” Her forehead creased in confusion or annoyance and she glanced at Jesse. He shrugged in reply. She took a moment and seemed to be deciding if she was going to answer.
“My name is Charice. C-H-A-R-I-C-E,” she spelled. “Ever since I remember my dad called me Ice. It’s just, my name.” She looked from Kahn to Jesse and both men smiled at her answer. She had no idea why her name was so funny, but couldn’t help but smile and laugh back.
Nation Undead (Book 2): Collusion Page 15