When the feeling of an impending strike hit again, Cory and Carlos separated hoping the distance between them would at least save one of them. To their delight the lightning struck a nearby tree and set the barren branches on fire.
After an agonizing several miles without rest, a sign displaying the words John F. Kennedy Space Center gave Carlos the strength to keep moving. A little beyond that, the face of a retired shuttle by the side of the road greeted him. He knew they were getting close.
The two dashed under the roof of a building calling itself the ‘al Fam’. Carlos couldn’t help wondering what the sign used to say before the letters fell off.
Cory’s mind immediately replaced the missing letters to spell “Astronaut Hall of Fame”. But he had the unfair advantage of a memory to aid him.
Through the spiny tree trunks, they could make out the road as it moved east and beyond that the beginning of the bridge to the island. Their silhouettes stood looking out across an alien surface pulverized by a foreign sky. The two could have been astronauts themselves.
Cory took a moment to check in with Adus. He seemed pleased with their progress.
“There will be no cover out there on the bridge,” Cory said after he finished his conversation with Adus.
“Sorry I was being such an ass,” Carlos blurted out.
Cory looked at him and just smiled a little.
“How much farther do you think it is?” Carlos asked. He almost didn’t ask the question because it didn’t matter. They needed to cross it no matter the distance. But Carlos thought he owed Cory an adult question.
“I don’t know. Five miles maybe.”
“That’s not bad.” Carlos paused a moment before commenting, “I haven’t seen many zombies.”
“No. Which is really good since we aren’t the last ones to make this run. I’m still afraid that us running here will attract them. So Connor and his men will have a rough go of it. The second the witch is disabled, they should start running. I just hope it isn’t swarming by then.”
Their conversation ended as a terrifying clap of thunder deafened their ears. When Carlos opened his eyes again he saw Cory’s mouth moving but heard no words. Carlos seemed stunned and so Cory grabbed him by the arm and kicked the door open. Cory held Carlos’ arm until he came to his senses and shook off the grasp.
When they reached the bridge, Carlos looked out on the silent world. Cory ran first a good distance ahead of Carlos. Carlos had been around long enough in this zombie infested world to know death ran alongside him. He could feel its hot panting breath over his shoulder. It licked its lips. Paused. And bit.
But to Carlos’ surprise it did not come for him but his companion. The lightning disoriented Carlos for a moment but the linear path of the bridge quickly brought him back to his senses. Knowing he could not spare any time, he doubled his pace and soon ran past the smoldering corpse that once had been a man. He paid it no more respects than a quick glance.
A dread descended on Carlos for now he ran alone. The bridge stretched on and Carlos remembered how much he hated even watching marathons.
With two more strikes hitting the ocean, Carlos finally reached the end of the bridge. There an island greeted him. It, likewise, boasted little cover. Carlos slowed his pace just enough to start catching his breath. A nearby strike sprung him into action and his exhausted limbs forgot their weariness.
Carlos dashed knowing little of where he was actually headed. He hoped Kennedy Space Center was this larger building that came into view and not some underground complex he missed. Regardless, he decided to run for the larger building and figure it out after that.
The colorless world now passed before him more like a haze. The more he ran, the more he became convinced he was someone else just watching this poor devil run his legs off. Carlos hovered like a spirit over this idiot. He ran on road. He ran on barren land. He ran on parking lot. He ran into a parked car and almost knocked himself out. Carlos couldn’t help laughing at the fool’s misfortune.
Lightning struck several more times, but he paid them little attention until one struck near him. Carlos’ mind returned to his body when agonizing pain seized his right side. He woke from his haze lying on the ground clutching his right side. Although the lightning struck several feet away, it managed to sear the skin on his arm and right side of his face. He desperately tried to look himself over to see how badly he’d been hurt, but his vision seemed blurry and distorted. A red haze covered the right side of everywhere he looked. Thinking the red to be blood he tried to wipe it away but finally concluded his right eye had been damaged.
Carlos put out his handless arm to help him stand and found some of the flesh on his right arm to be completely melted or gone. Muscle and veins were exposed. His right arm and leg desperately tried to obey his commands but their crippled states left him wobbly. He breathed in and out heavily with the grunts of a wounded soldier.
Now that his focus returned, Carlos saw only the door on the far side of the parking lot. He moved as fast as he could pull his disobedient right side along. A crazed determination settled into his half melted face. Using the cars in the parking lot to steady him, he balanced on his one good leg and made his way to the door.
When he arrived, he went to shove the door open with the last of his strength but it opened on its own and Carlos fell onto the floor inside. Relief and exhaustion completely overtook him and he lost all strength to even attempt getting up.
Something turned over Carlos’ body and he found himself looking up.
“That was a ludicrous display of courage, my friend,” said a voice.
Carlos used his one good eye to look around and finally find the face that spoke.
“What are you doing here?” another voice asked.
Carlos found he lacked the strength to reply. He tried and found his throat only made a pathetic groaning noise. Instead, Carlos tried to make eye contact but couldn’t seem to locate this second person. With his one good hand, Carlos reached into his pocket and pulled out the disc.
Carlos’ feeble lips managed to make a sound similar to “Zalac.” One of the men took the disc from Carlos’ hand and looked it over. It bore the word “Virus” and had a sadly drawn skull and crossbones written in Sharpie.
“Go get Adus on the walkie talkie,” the first man said.
“Are you serious? That thing hasn’t been on in months.” the second replied.
The look on the first name’s face answered the question.
“What about him?” the second said gesturing to Carlos.
“Bullet through the head would be the most merciful thing we could do.”
The second made no reply.
“Hey,” the first yelled into Carlos’ ear, “do you want to bleed out or do you want me to shoot you?”
Carlos only turned his head a little and groaned.
The man looked Carlos over and saw the silenced weapon under his belt. He pulled it out and placed the barrel next to Carlos’ temple. Carlos died instantly as his head scraped across the floor under the blow.
There under the antique starships hanging in the lobby, Carlos fell and never rose again.
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ • ∙
“Adus,” the first man said into the walkie talkie, “these two poor scum yours?”
“Yes, did they arrive?”
“They’re dead. One died on the bridge the other died handing me a CD. What the hell are you dragging me into?”
“Xavier, we need to put our differences behind us.”
“Says the man without a bullet hole in his shoulder.”
“This goes beyond all of us, Xavier,” Adus replied. “That virus, we’re hoping, can disable the device creating the terrible weather. If it does, I’m sending you a team for the shuttle.”
Xavier laughed and looked at his companion startled.
“I’ve watched you,” Adus continued. “I know the shuttle is ready for launch. I know you’ve painstakingly retracted the arm.”
/> “What could you possibly be planning with the space shuttle?”
“That team is going to go disable the weather device permanently.”
“And why would I give you my shuttle, you worthless-”
“Xavier, this is the end. Don’t you see?”
“I see that your little band of humans managed to bring the entire zombie army to our doorstep. And I see you successfully gave away my location to them. Thanks for that.”
“I had to send runners. Apparently you turned your radio off.”
Xavier said nothing.
“Xavier, we’re out of time. Can you use the virus on that CD to disable the device creating the weather?”
“What’s your plan of escape?”
“There isn’t one. I die. You die. I think only a small team will get out. I don’t ask any of this for myself. I know I’ll die here. That should give you some sense of satisfaction. This is the best plan we have left. At least someone survives.”
“Who gets out?”
“Brady’s wife and her child, I think. I honestly don’t know about anyone else.”
“Could I see the radio?” Xavier’s companion asked.
Xavier squinted at him. “And what do you have to add to the conversation?” Xavier asked without handing over the radio.
“They’ve still got that Learjet. And we could fit a whole lot of people in the shuttle. Give everyone parachutes and drop down on some island somewhere.”
“Sure, you do that. Take a bunch of people in the Learjet. I’ll watch from space as your little island goes up in a mushroom cloud.”
“Well what’s your plan then?”
“Xavier? Are you still there?” Adus’ voice said over the radio.
Xavier brought the radio back up to his mouth. “Where are they going? Even if you escape the zombie army and are able to fly somewhere, where are you going?”
“I don’t know. Sara wasn’t sure just yet.”
“Is that Brady’s wife?”
“Yes, this plan is her idea but I’m behind it.”
“Sara’s plan involves saving Sara. How incredibly convenient for her. Adus, I never thought of you as a smart man, but-”
“She sees the future.”
Xavier laughed. “Of course she does! She comes to you with a plan that involves everyone sacrificing themselves so she can get into the plane and waltz away alone. And you buy this? My god, Adus, you’re dumber than I thought.”
“She’s proved that she accurately sees the past and future. Why is that so hard to believe? Brady did it before?”
“Not while I was around, he didn’t. The only one enamored with this Brady of yours is you. I’ve never met the guy. How do I know Brady didn’t have you all tripping on the Kool-Aid?”
“How did Brady predict the exact date Sara and her company would arrive?”
“I’m not playing that game with you. I’m too busy trying to escape the predicament you’ve gotten me into.”
“Can you just look at the virus?”
“Oh sure! Let me put a CD labeled ‘virus’ into one of the last working computers in the world. That’s the same logic as your first plan. Did Brady give you a lifetime supply of Kool-Aid you regularly drink from, Adus?”
“Hesitant-tory,” said a woman’s voice from Adus’ side of the conversation.
Xavier paused. “What did you say?”
The woman’s voice repeated the undignified word.
“Who is this?” Xavier asked.
“It’s Maya. Sara told me to tell you that word.”
Xavier threw the radio against a table and stormed out.
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ • ∙
A long time passed before Xavier came back, grabbed the CD, and headed for a computer. He reached behind the machine and popped out the network cable to save his other two computers in case the virus tried to spread immediately.
Xavier glared at the CD drive as it spun up. He displayed the contents of the drive and found a single script. His eyes stared in disbelief of the letters written across the screen. In humble unassuming font he read the title “Hello Xavier.” He let the cursor hover over the file before he clicked “Edit” to see its contents.
As far as Xavier could tell, it just executed a command on a remote server. Convinced now that the virus posed no obvious threat to his equipment, Xavier decided he would execute the script when connected to the satellite network.
Xavier called for his companion.
“What have you found?” the man asked Xavier.
“I’m going to run the virus.” Xavier stood. “But I want you to disconnect the Cisco box downstairs as soon as I do. I’ll show you which one.”
The two men started walking down toward a networking closet.
“What did that word mean?” the man couldn’t help wondering.
“My wife made it up. It’s when I didn’t want to do something just because it was her idea. Between that and the virus having my name on the file – I guess I’m convinced. I know Adus doesn’t have a computer and no one over there has the skills to have written it. So there’s something crazy going on. Don’t get me wrong, the plan is still terrible but I don’t have a better one.”
Xavier swung open the door to the closet. “Yank out this power cord from the plug when I say so.”
Xavier went back upstairs and unplugged his two other computers from the network and plugged in the one with the virus. He double clicked the script and yelled down to his companion.
“I’ve run the virus,” Xavier said into the walkie talkie.
It took a moment for Adus to reply. “Did you say you’ve run it?” Adus asked.
“Yes, so go do whatever you’re going to do.”
“Switch over to channel 3,” Adus said. “My team is on that channel. I’m going to send them to you to get in the shuttle.”
“I’ll get Mark,” Xavier said.
“Thank you for everything, Xavier. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I shot you.”
Xavier raised his middle finger to the radio and left.
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ • ∙
When Connor received the word to move out, he wasted no time climbing the ladder. He and all his gear hopped up each rung on his one foot.
Kristi followed only a few rungs behind him.
When Connor reached the top, he threw back the manhole cover and scrambled out. He couldn’t help looking skyward wondering if the lightning really had been disabled.
While Kristi climbed out, Connor surveyed the area for any enemy. At first glance he didn’t see any.
Holly and Bill climbed out last.
“No strikes yet?” Bill asked.
“None that I’ve seen,” Connor replied.
The sound of something hitting metal filled their ears.
“What was that?” Holly asked.
Bill looked down the ladder he’d just climbed up and saw a maniacal looking second level zombie desperately climbing up the stairs.
“Shit!” Bill yelled while moving the manhole cover back over the opening. Before he finished, he saw three or four more in the tunnel. He glanced around for something heavy to put over the cover, but saw nothing that could be easily moved.
“They’re all over the tunnels!” Bill yelled. “Let’s move!”
Even before they passed out of the ring of houses, Holly looked back and saw the manhole cover lifting up off the ground and soon shoot off to the side. Ant-like zombies scurried out.
With the others running off ahead, Bill quickly setup his machine gun and started firing into their followers. In short bursts he knocked down several. To Bill’s surprise, they stopped coming out of the entrance soon after. He managed to kill the remaining ones long before they reached him.
“So glad we brought silent weapons!” Bill yelled to Connor when he rejoined the others.
They all ran together in silence dreading the next appearance of their enemy.
Although Connor feared the arrival of a massive horde, they found
only scattered groups. With only a few breaks, the company reached the retired space shuttle resting next to its museum. Not a single lightning strike had been seen.
In absolute need, the company leaned against the bridge to catch their breath. This break gave Connor the time to look back from where they’d come. Connor’s obvious reaction drew the others’ attention.
The land behind them shifted like the sea. It moved as if the very dirt had grown legs and now charged after them. No surface behind them seemed stationary.
“Look,” Kristi yelled pointing out to sea. A fiery asteroid fell slowly through the air into its new watery bed.
“One last push, everyone!” Connor yelled to get everyone moving again.
Before they reached the end of the bridge, the road shook underneath them. The company lost their footing and found themselves among the dancing pebbles on the surface of the road. Several more asteroids tore through the thick cloud cover puncturing holes with a view to the heavens. Connor couldn’t help looking up from his shaky vantage point into the colorful fury of the sky.
The earth could not stop shaking and so the company scrambled to their feet and used the side of the bridge as support. Connor found it impossible to balance himself on his foot and crutch. Bill and Holly came along either side of him and he threw his crutch aside and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. Together the three and Bill dashed onto the island.
The zombies weren’t far behind. They crammed themselves like too much water onto the beginning of the bridge. Several fell off into the water and swam with the desperation of the starving.
When the company reached the main building, Xavier awaited them. “The shuttle is that way,” he yelled. “Mark is joining you. He’s already in the shuttle preparing it for launch.”
Connor waved as he ran by Xavier to thank him. Bill ran up to Xavier and stopped.
“No time to rest,” Xavier greeted him.
Sorrow Page 47