The howls rose in volume as they took a narrow set of stairs between several floors. Kuru paused at the top landing and contorted his body, lowering his shoulders toward the ground. Rowan sensed his hesitation, swept the undead boy’s legs out from under it, and left it lying prone on the floor. He made sure the boy was still before stepping over it then closer to the doorway.
“What are we waiting for?”
Rowan anticipated a response that didn’t come. He turned his attention to Kuru to find his eyes closed, his body shivering in a constant wave. Rowan lowered the lantern to the floor and turned down the light until the glow scarcely reached beyond his body. He kept his eyes on Kuru until a shifting wave pulled him out toward the darkness of the room. Rowan looked back in time to see Kuru’s eyes peel open.
“What did you do?”
Kuru motioned at the chamber.
“I can sense them,” he said, his voice returning to a haunting growl. “We will not reach the landing before the infected hunt us down.”
Rowan felt a sudden urge to turn up the light. He grabbed the handle, brought it close to his face, and adjusted the focal point. One hard turn intensified the light and the beam shot out into the room. The illumination highlighted Kuru’s effort a moment before he explained.
“We need an escort.”
He extended a rotting finger toward a long row of figures glaring back at them. A majority of the dead were dressed in the black fatigues of the commission soldiers, each dotted with the dried crimson stains of both their horrendous end and the heinous acts they committed since. The spectacle was a lot to take in. Rowan glanced from one half-eaten face to another, which contained the creature’s eyes dangling between bits and pieces of an exposed jawbone.
“Will they follow us?” Rowan asked.
“They’ll follow me,” Kuru countered.
Rowan couldn’t shake the haunting view even when he tried to focus on more immediate matters. He managed to turn his back on the nefarious scene, but froze with an unshakable question.
“Can you keep them off of me?”
Kuru didn’t answer for several agonizing moments.
“I believe so,” he said at last.
The response didn’t bring the measure of certainty Rowan had hoped for, but under the circumstances, he’d have to take it. He forced the undead boy to stand then face the opening. Rowan glanced at Kuru.
“Well, I’m not going out there first.”
Kuru grinned then nodded. The moment he stepped out into the open space, the entire line of dead shifted their gaze toward him and the display took Rowan aback. Kuru never spoke to them, but there was certainly a measure of communication going on among them. Kuru waved his hand at the landing and Rowan hesitantly stepped out. He quickly made sure the knotted sleeves holding the jacket over the undead boy’s head was secure then started toward a gap in the wall on the far side of the room.
Kuru moved the trailing crowd of the dead with increased speed, enough so that Rowan felt compelled to jog. A mounting distant sound prodded them on. The infected were coming and they were closing in with every step. It wasn’t long before the terrifying calls echoed all around them. Kuru led the entire procession up a mountain of fallen concrete and chunks of metal to a vaguely familiar space.
“I know this place,” Rowan announced. “The landing exit is near.”
The hall in front of them flashed with a ripple of figures a heartbeat after the recognition. The roar identified them as infected, and Rowan saw momentary slices of their vile faces as the ray of lantern light swept across the space. His knife was out, although he knew it would do him little good. The infected pushed into the room in one massive gaggle, each of them set on draining every drop of blood from Rowan’s body.
“Get behind me.”
Rowan stumbled backwards as Kuru stepped to the center of the room. The trailing dead followed him and the chaos that ensued was a remarkably horrific sight to witness. The dead swarmed the infected with mouths wide open, quickly outnumbering them. The dead tore at the infected as they would any living person, biting at their exposed flesh.
The room erupted with violent wails as the infected were taken by surprise. Rowan saw a look of bewilderment he’d never seen in the ferocious eyes of his enemy. Several of the infected went down before they recognized the need to fight back. Men and women lashed out at the dead with a sudden longing to survive.
Rowan was still until Kuru grabbed his hand. The contact caused him to leap back and snatch his hand away. Kuru did not make a second attempt, instead moving toward the closest wall. Rowan had to force himself to take a step, his eyes locked onto the nearest fray.
A woman was covered in blood, a majority of it her own. Her limbs struck out at the undead attackers clawing at her face and chest. The crying howls erupting from the depths of her lungs lost their rage as she took blow after blow, drowning to a whimper. Three zombies climbed on her as she went to the ground, her eyes still locked onto Rowan as he moved away.
The dead had no pity for their former masters. Kuru’s control appeared to be complete. They fed on the infected bodies with fiendish delight, devouring them as they would the truly living. The entire scene was soon drenched with blood, sending the dead into an unrecognizable animated dance of sorts. They stomped across the floor, trouncing the remains of the infected beneath their feet. The awe-inspiring panorama seized Rowan’s heart in his chest. The power of Kuru was on full display and the horrifying possibilities were undeniable.
Kuru reached the exit and the sight of him stepping out into the hallway compelled Rowan to hurry. His boots splashed through fresh pools of blood, splattering his clothes. Rowan shoved the undead boy ahead of him and his feet shuffled through the muck. The dead moved toward Rowan as he ran, filling him with a renewed sense of terror. He could not allow himself to let Kuru out of his view.
“You’re not telling me the truth.”
The accusation halted Kuru. He spun around in time to bring Rowan and him face to face. Rowan looked into his soulless eyes. He saw no hint of the young man he knew as Garret. The growls of the dead echoed over Rowan’s shoulder, drawing closer as he and Kuru stared one another down. The response crept from Kuru’s lips in a tone that matched the mounting groans of the dead.
“I told you what you needed to know.”
Rowan was instantly aware of his miscalculation. Kuru had known all along what he needed to find. He’d intentionally led him to Connor first in order to gain his freedom without giving up the nexus. He downplayed his ability to control the dead in order to make himself appear harmless. Rowan decided once and for all that he could not allow Kuru to reach the surface. He ground his teeth as he spoke.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Kuru continued forward without so much as a second glance. It was apparent that he had the upper hand. Rowan knew he had one advantage. Kuru’s physical disabilities prevented him from reaching the surface without assistance. Rowan guessed that one flaw was keeping him alive.
Rowan glanced at the dead filing out of the room. Their numbers had dwindled either from the fight with the infected or Kuru’s loss of control. Kuru moved faster than he had at any time before. His wobbling limbs swayed as he sped up and the dead were lost behind them. Rowan’s swaying light provided little relief from the darkness. The maddening march was met by an equally horrendous shriek.
The roar of the infected was undeniable and the sheer weight of the response spoke to the size of the force. Rowan pushed on his captive, driven by the fear of what was hunting them. The meager remains of Kuru’s undead guards would not match the coming surge of bloodlust. Rowan’s mind singularly focused on reaching the exit he knew was up ahead until a relaying roar hit him square in the face. Kuru came to a stop and Rowan knew at once that they were trapped.
“Call them,” Rowan exclaimed. “Call the dead to help us.”
Kuru shook his head as he turned around.
“They won’t reach us in time.”
Rowan tightened his grip on the undead boy’s cover. The abominable thing attempted to pull away for the first time since their climb out of the elevator shaft. Rowan pressed down sharply, snapping the boy’s head back. His eyes fell on their lone remaining option as the roars from the infected ahead of them rose to a glorious thunder.
“Go.”
Rowan’s shout was followed by a push. The undead boy scampered forward through an open doorway. Kuru stepped in behind them and the light from the lantern revealed a squat area, near collapse. The ground was covered with stacks of crates and the other exit stood closed by a door Rowan knew didn’t have the power to open.
“Hurry now,” Kuru said, stepping around the metal crates. “We have to move them.”
Rowan forced the undead boy into the corner then rushed around to join Kuru. The last of the dead entered through the doorway as the crates shifted then slid across the floor. The roar of the infected poured into the room in an explosion of sound as the first row of crates skidded in place against the doorway. Rowan raced to another stack and slammed his shoulder into it. Kuru’s added strength started the slide and the second stack pressed up against the initial barricade a heartbeat before a burst of force struck the crates from out in the hall.
The initial impact nearly sent the barricade toppling over. Rowan leaned in against the crates to keep them in place. Kuru was close, adding his meager weight to the barriers. Hands reached in over the tops of the barrier swiping at Rowan. He looked around the cramped room and recognized it for what it was: his last stand.
“They won’t eat me.”
Kuru’s odd announcement pulled Rowan’s attention away from the disheveled space.
“I could infect you,” Kuru said as calmly as if he were suggesting they take a nap. “This is nothing more than your blood mixed with his,” he said motioning toward the undead boy standing motionless in the corner. “If you remember,” he added.
Rowan was speechless. His conscience gnawed at him; partly because he knew Kuru was telling the truth, but also because he knew he might soon lose his opportunity to save the world from the dreadful creature.
“I can save you,” Kuru said.
The sound of his delusional proposal shook Rowan down to his bones.
“That’s not salvation.”
Kuru leaned in dangerously close as several hands reached in for them, some slipping their fingers through the end of Rowan’s hair. Kuru’s lips parted and the words crept from his mouth.
“We could rule the dead together, forever.”
27
Mia tried to account for the countless tasks running through her mind. There was so much to do that the sheer size of it nearly crushed her. Bree and Bale had an assortment of updates, few of them good. A number of the tribespeople had already made a run for it, trying to get out of the compound before the Northern Continental Alliance could cut off the escape routes.
The mass exodus was easy to predict, but the number of people abandoning the tribe was disheartening, even under the difficult situation. Mia’s hope of forming a new tribe from all the combined people of Canaan appeared to have been more of a mirage than an accomplishment. She would have to force herself to stay committed to the idea until sunrise. Time was running out and everyone knew it. If the man who spoke for the Northern Continental Alliance was telling the truth, he was expecting Mia to return to their meeting point at sunrise with the nexus in tow.
Mia found herself peering over her shoulder time and again, no matter what she was doing. Her heart begged for a glimpse of Rowan. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to face her enemy again on her own. Mia didn’t want to even consider having to witness Jonah’s execution.
Her current focus was on what was left of the food supply. The commission had developed a process for freeze-drying foodstuffs for long-term storage. That process, as well as their underground farming levels, was lost after the detonation of the compound’s defense system. Information from former members of the commission’s loyal security teams identified an entire level of multiple crops in the lower portions of hive four. Several teams made unsuccessful attempts to dig out access to the lower levels. The half-dozen crates laid out on the floor of the cramped storage space accounted for all that remained of the entire compound’s food supply.
“This is what Rowan meant.”
Bree’s statement pulled Mia from her calculations.
“Meant about what?” she asked.
“He always said how important it would be for us to know how to hunt,” she explained. “He knew we were going to run out of supplies.”
Mia nodded. In truth, the entire tribal council knew. The issue was one of the problems they could never come to a consensus.
“This is it,” she said, tossing the last of the packets in the closest container. “Let’s put a lid on these and get them ready to move. We’re going to need to keep a close eye on this once we reach the gardens.”
Bale picked the lid up off the floor and slid it in place.
“There’s not much time left.”
He’d given her the reminder several times. Mia knew if she hoped to reach Asher and make it back in time to meet the northern alliance’s speaker, she’d have to go soon.
“The first of the groups are gathered in the main hall,” Bree said. “Marcus assigned leaders to every group.”
Bale finished what he was doing then took a seat on top of the container. He folded his arms in front of his chest and waited.
“What do you want us to do now?”
Mia understood the question. She also knew what he really meant. How are you going to stall now? She gave in.
“There’s nothing left,” she admitted. “Let’s go.”
The long trek to hive five was an eye-opening experience. The residents of the hive had left most of their belongings in place. As best as Mia could tell, there would be six massive groupings of people, each with a single scout team to guide them east away from Canaan, and then follow the highway into Cheyenne. She doubted the last of the groups would make it out in time to get past the Northern Continental Alliance’s blockade, but there was little she could do about it now.
“This place feels abandoned.”
Bale’s whispered tone highlighted the creepiness of the deserted hive. Mia stopped short of the entrance to the stairwell. They would have to go down several flights to reach the entrance to the generator rooms. Bree took to the stairs first, apparently determined to get Mia to her destination as quickly as possible.
They climbed down six flights of stairs before reaching the door on the final platform. Mia used her security access key to unlock the door and the trio stood in the center of a wide hall running directly into the heart of the hive. Large sections of the ceiling lay cluttered along the walkway, hinting at the significance of damage the level took during the security system’s detonation. They had to climb over the chunks of cement after the first few steps. The degree of difficulty slowed them to a crawl, so much so that by the time they reached the opening at the end of the hall, Mia had real concerns about reaching the surface of the compound by sunrise.
The concern for time was temporarily interrupted by the initial view of the generator room. The name was a poor representation for the space. An enormous dome rose up high above the entrance. Wide columns filled the space, each lined with a variety of cords and wires running up and down the length of it.
Sudden movement startled Mia. Her hand went to her sword as she focused on the closest source. Someone stood hunched over a panel at the base of one of the columns, staring at a small screen. It took Mia a moment to realize the light from the screen indicated that it was on. The recognition pulled her upright.
“Is the power on?”
Her abrupt words broke through the silence, echoing across the chamber. The man’s head snapped around, bringing a pair of terrified eyes on the new arrivals. His face scrunched up as he slid a pair of goggles up to his forehead. He was an older man, on
e Mia didn’t recognize. He muttered something between clenched teeth before replying to the interruption.
“Don’t do that.”
“Sorry,” Mia said, walking toward him. “But the screen, the light, it’s on.”
The old man looked down at the apparatus confused then back to her.
“It’s got its own power source,” he said. “Doesn’t mean a thing about the generators.” The explanation sucked the excitement out of the moment. “What are you doing down here?”
The question quickly pulled Mia back to her task.
“We’re abandoning the compound,” she said. “You need to get your things together and get up to hive one as soon as possible.”
He looked back and forth between the terminal screen and the trio.
“We can’t just stop,” he said.
“The horde is coming,” Bree said.
The mention was enough to yank him from his internal debate. He peered at the center of the chamber.
“There’s a lot of people down here,” he said.
Mia acknowledged his concerns.
“We’ll warn them,” she said. “You’ve done everything you can do.” He swiped his hand across his dirty face making it worse. “The tribe will need you in the days ahead.”
He hesitantly nodded.
“I’ll close down.”
“Where’s Asher?” she asked.
It took him a moment to recall the name.
“He’d be at the main generator,” he motioned over his shoulder. “Dead center.”
Mia patted him on the shoulder before they moved on. It took a few strides for the swarming workers surrounding the other generator columns to come into view. Mia continued forward drawing a number of stern glares for her interruption. She repeated the warning of the tribes pending exodus. Several of the engineers brushed off the idea as if insulted by the thought of abandoning their work.
The main generator was something far beyond its surrounding counterparts. The massive construction stood three times the width of the other generators with more rising cables than Mia cared to count. A group of figures stood at the base and Asher was among them. He looked up at Mia with an expression that read he’d expected to see her sooner or later.
Season Of Decay (The Decaying World Saga Book 2) Page 23