by Jeff Olah
“Yes, I tested it remotely before we lifted off,” Dalton said tabbing through the many screens on his hand held tablet. “Here it is, fully functional.”
“Good, when we arrive I want you to stay put,” Goodwin said. “The others here will take care of any unexpected resistance. Nothing happens until I order it and that obscenely expensive piece of plastic and circuitry doesn’t leave your hands… Understood?”
“Yes sir.”
“He doesn’t know it yet, although Daniels is going to watch his family die on this mountain.”
105
With visibility cut in half and the charcoal grey cloud cover trying to decide whether to dump buckets of snow or freezing rain, their journey began to slow. The trail ran sloppy and harder to navigate as the minutes rolled by, the smell of death lingering behind every shadow. The men were exhausted and tense as they continued to climb the unforgiving hillside. Too many misplaced footsteps and slick terrain tortured their already ravaged legs. Rest was not an option as their lives were the cost of not completing the course on time.
Through the pulsing wind, Randy was the first to make the discovery that they hadn’t been alone for the last several minutes. Not yet close enough to cause any real alarm; he let the others continue ahead as he assessed the situation before reacting. They numbered twelve, with others pouring in from behind when Mason slowed his pace. Standing directly ahead, the Feeders now covered a large enough portion of the mountain that simply trying to avoid them wasn’t going to be an option.
Huddled together, the men waited for Randy’s thoughts. Shouting above the rain, he kept one eye on the horde twenty feet away. “If we get split up, continue toward Blackmore and we’ll meet in the clearing behind the rear wall. Only use these if we have to,” Randy said, pulling Frank’s old pistol from his waistband. “Travis, I don’t have to explain to you what I’ll do if you decide…”
“Randy, I’m good,” Travis said.
Revealing that he too held a weapon, Major Daniels slid the nine millimeter from under his loose button down shirt and chambered a round.
“I guess you’re ready,” Mason said. “Where’d that come from?”
“A gift from Anton,” he said.
“Use the rain and wet ground to your advantage and please don’t shoot each other… or me.” Randy said as he took the lead.
The numbers growing, too many to count, the four men marched forward and began dismantling the horde. Most were slow to move and easily toppled with a shove at just the right moment. Others that got close enough to cause any real concern were promptly eliminated with a single shot to the head.
Travis, while coming to Randy’s aide, was pulled backward to the ground by a Feeder who then clawed his way on top. Fighting free from the crowd, Randy circled back for the kid. Two feeders… now three, Randy didn’t have a clear shot. Over his shoulder, Mason and his father-in-law weren’t faring any better. Tucking the pistol away to free up both hands, Randy slid the first Feeder away and smashed his boot down twice into the motionless Feeder’s face. Travis continued to squirm away and readied his weapon yelling for help. “Randy… I need you!”
Fatigue began to paralyze every inch of his body and as his arms began to cramp, Major Daniels fired the first shot. With the others safely to the rear, he destroyed eight Feeders in the following sixty seconds. Firing three more rounds and destroying two additional Feeders, he was done. The snap of the slide locking into place told him that his weapon was empty. Sliding the pistol back into his severely tattered grey slacks, he realized he’d moved beyond the horde and all that lay ahead was a badly disturbed running trail.
The shots fired hadn’t done much to distract the others as Mason, backed into a corner, also sighted his weapon. Unable to assure a clear trajectory through the crowd, he used the handle of his handgun to smash the skulls of each Feeder as they plowed into him. This practice quickly proved futile with each new Feeder that piled in from behind. Tearing at his left pant leg for traction, the nearest Feeder snapped its jaw around the sole of his boot and pulled back four less teeth in the process.
Pinned against a large spruce and unable to free his gun hand, Mason leaned back and pulled his knees to his chest. With both legs at once, Mason kicked forward, sending the crowd of four into the mud.
The melon sized piece of granite that Randy found proved to be an effective deterrent for the few that still hovered over the youngest member of their group. Travis continued to scream as Randy slid the last one away and into the deep bed of fallen leaves. With one blow to the back of its cranium, he ended the battle.
Randy and Travis rushed in to assist Mason with the few that followed him deeper into the woods. Randy moved in first and made short work of the last few, before helping his friend get back to his feet.
Returning to the trail, Mason knew time was running out and sensed the kid was somewhere else. “Travis… TRAVIS, is this your first time seeing these things up close?”
Shaking off the visual left over from of the last few minutes, Travis didn’t speak. Instead, gun in hand; he closely examined the forest, not focusing on anything in particular.
“He gonna be all right, Randy?” Mason asked. “He’s kind out of…”
Finally turning back to the others, Travis interrupted. “I’ll be fine, just haven’t had to deal with these things before.”
“We’re over two weeks into this hell and this is your first sighting?” Randy asked.
“I’ve seen them and been fairly close, although Goodwin had us locked down since the infection and this morning was my first time out of the building. I stayed behind the others all day. These things freak me out.”
“You and me both buddy,” Randy said laying a hand on Travis’s shoulder. “Nothing to be ashamed of. They are an abomination, nothing about them is natural and no one here will ever get used to this. Trust me.”
“Thanks, I just can’t bring myself to…”
“Sorry to cut this short,” Major Daniels said. “Although the day is getting away from us.”
Watching the trail for any stragglers, Mason agreed. “Yeah, we gotta move.”
Major Daniels turned and started up the trail. Mason followed and Randy, making eye contact with Travis, nodded toward the others. “Get your head together, we need you focused… let’s go.”
Using his free hand to wipe away the residual filth, Travis started up the trail behind the others, his head on a swivel. He quickly closed the gap and kept pace with Major Daniels, neither acknowledging the other.
Less than five minutes had passed and as the pounding rain transitioned at the higher altitude into a brilliant snowfall, the incline leveled out. Major Daniels slowed and called for Mason to fall back. “That tree to the right is the half mile marker. We’re only a couple of minutes from…”
The unmistakable sound of the rotors turned their gaze to the south tree line. The cloud cover camouflaged what they all knew was headed toward them, although they weren’t nearly prepared for what came next.
“He’s here.”
106
The blades beat away the hovering flakes of white powder as the chopper claimed victory over the unrelenting turbulence. The pilot, Goodwin and his group of handpicked men were preparing to touch down and the menacing grey outline of Blackmore was the only thing visible from their current position. The newly constructed private heliport just south of the facility, although obscure, was still operational and Goodwin left his seat to point it out to the pilot. “Just to the right, put us down over there.”
Returning to his seat, he studied the six men he’d found favor with only an hour ago, but was now disgusted. Shouting above the pulse of the rotors, the words couldn’t leave his mouth quickly enough. “You were all once soldiers, am I correct?”
Silence…
“SHALL I REPEAT THE QUESTION?”
A few low-level murmurs and blank stares were all they could muster.
“I understand Dalton tossing his lunch from th
e rough ride over, although the rest of you might as well have stayed back at headquarters. If you aren’t willing to do the job I hired you for, you are of no consequence to me. The fact that I have to walk through vomit to get to the pilot is ludicrous. Pull yourselves together; you have a job to do.”
One barely audible “Yes sir” was all that came from behind.
“When this bird hits the ground you will do as I have instructed… to the letter. If you are unable or unwilling, lay your weapon at the door and we’ll see how well you fare out on this mountain alone. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
“YES SIR!” They all barked back in unison.
He was almost home. The last time he pulled away from this mountain, he was told in no uncertain terms never to return. They wanted to keep him from the facility he built. They sold off the technology he brought into this world and now sought to wash their hands of it. They called him a monster and blamed the end of civilization on his initiative. From his vantage, the world now belonged to him. He was responsible for its survival and in control of its destruction.
As if he scripted the change himself, crystal clear blue sky from above pushed the pregnant grey clouds and with it, the snow and rain, away from Blackmore. Goodwin pulled open the side door and craning his neck out the opening, smiled at the white smoke pouring out of Building One.
Hovering above Building Six, Goodwin barked commands to his men. “You all know your roles. As soon as we’re on the ground, you have thirty seconds to get to your positions. No one takes a shot at Daniels or his people without my order… no one. Your first priority is keeping the perimeter free of those things; once I exit this chopper I will be unarmed. If one of those monsters gets within ten feet of my position and they are not terminated, I will personally feed you to them. I don’t have to tell you how serious I am.”
The pilot awaiting instructions turned to Goodwin. “Sir, are we a go?”
“Yes, put us down,” Goodwin said. “You’ve done your job well. I will be sure your reward is commensurate with your performance… thank you.”
Holding the tablet out to the right, allowing Goodwin full view of the screen, Dalton gave his last update. “Sir, we are linked. When you are ready, I can assume control.”
Sitting back, Goodwin cupped his hands together and filled his lungs with the frigid mountain air. “Outstanding, look for my signal and DO NOT leave this helicopter… not for anything.”
. . .
Her plan and what she may face entering the room was something she couldn’t share with the others. He was a child, although bigger and probably much stronger physically than she was. She could only make broad conclusions with him still bound to the table. Justin would have to be released before she could begin to fully access the results his treatment may have had, if any. The men weren’t here to help her and every second that went without new data jeopardized her progress. Tessa would have to release him herself.
Entering the four digit security code, Tessa entered the room as the others continued to watch Justin’s every move from the other side of the impenetrable glass. She moved about the room returning the items that had toppled to the floor to their proper places before logging into the main database. She briefly entered her findings into Justin’s file and closed the laptop.
His focus hadn’t moved from his mother and although he appeared to be mouthing some form of communication, nothing audible left his lips. His breathing normal and rhythmic as she rounded the table and began to unstrap his left ankle. Tessa looked toward the four women and slowly slid the strap away from the table standing back as she paused for a long moment to judge his reaction… nothing.
Giving herself plenty of room and assuring a safe route back to the door, Tessa removed the chest and waist straps then continued to the opposite side and the right ankle. Before moving on to the last two restraints, she moved back to the edge of the room. “Justin… can you hear me? Are you there? Your mother and grandmother are…”
His mouth stopped moving as he lay back on the table. Only his head moved as Justin narrowed his eyes and turned his focus from the window to her. A tear fell from his eye, ran across his cheek and fell to the floor. He appeared confused, wanted to question his current situation, why was he here? How did this happen? He wanted to be with his mother on the other side of the glass. Tessa understood his question even before he was fully able to verbalize anything from within.
She was ready to find out, even if they weren’t. Tessa moved to his side while he watched and removed the first arm strap. With caution, she quickly removed the second and moved back to the door, hand over the keypad. Although she couldn’t make out their reaction from her corner of the room, Tessa was sure that they all were just as anxious. The five women held their breath as they waited for the teen to move.
His focus remained on Tessa as he sat forward and slowly swung his legs over the edge of the cold stainless steel table. She didn’t flinch and said nothing as he dropped both feet to the floor and looked around as if testing his newfound freedom. The commotion on the other side of the glass barrier turned his gaze from Tessa and she let him find his way.
Leaving the door meant there’d be no exit, although this needed documentation. Tessa quietly moved to the back counters and opened the laptop. She navigated away from the shared database and fired up the camera, recording direct to the hard drive.
Locking eyes with his mother, Justin took his first step and then another and within seconds he stood just a few feet from her as she placed her right hand against the glass and quietly cried his name over and over. Taking one final step toward her, Justin also reached out, still unable to vocalize his thoughts and placed his hand on the glass, slowly sliding it down the pane to cover hers.
107
With Blackmore less than a hundred yards off, the group slowed and checked the surrounding area for any yet unseen threats. Looking out above the roofline of Building Five, the painted grey cloud cover relented to a deep blue, the late afternoon sky only dotted by the infrequent powdery flakes falling to earth. The crowded tree line framing the rear walls lay just ahead and hid the men as they sprinted toward the thunderous aircraft descending from the south.
“Don’t show yourselves, he’s going to try to draw you out,” Travis said. “He doesn’t have a fix on us and for now we have the upper hand… try to keep that in mind.”
Pulling the pistol from his lower back, Randy removed the magazine, counted the rounds and slammed it back. He removed the two additional clips from the cargo pockets of his pants and passed one to Mason. “This probably isn’t going to get us very far, although it’s all we have. Major, you stay with Mason and I’ll keep the kid with me.”
“He doesn’t want any of you,” Major Daniels said. “I’m going out to meet him unarmed. There is no other way to negotiate… without him killing us all.”
The men watched as the helicopter faded into the trees and came to rest just outside the walls of Building Six. The doors opened and from where they stood, eight men could be counted. Six of which jumped out and from a crouched position ran off in different directions fading into the backdrop as the seconds ticked away.
One hand on the Major’s shoulder, Randy pointed to the opposite end of Blackmore, near the first few buildings. “Is that area passable, can I get through to the entrance from there?”
“Sure,” Major Daniels said. “Although…”
It was too late, Randy mumbled something as he moved around Mason and was gone before he could be talked out of it.
“Where’s he going?” Travis said. “Doesn’t he realize that we’re outnumbered? He said I was supposed to stay with him. What’s going on?”
Motioning for the three of them to get lower in the brush and out of the line of sight, Mason readied his weapon. “Randy will be fine on his own, isn’t that right Major?”
“I’d put my money on him any day of the week.”
The side door slid open once again and he came into full view. The man was ph
ysically much more menacing than Mason was expecting. Nearly six feet tall as he poured himself out onto the helipad and started toward the clearing. He walked with an unflinching confidence without once focusing on anything other than his destination. Marcus Goodwin was out of place in this broken world, although this had less to do with the demeanor he carried than the five thousand dollar suit he decided to wear that day. He was dressed for a funeral, not a confrontation.
“DANIELS, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME. I’M UNARMED. LET’S TALK... YOU HAVE EXACTLY THIRTY SECONDS BEFORE I BRING HELL TO YOUR PRECIOUS FAMILY INSIDE THESE WALLS.”
. . .
Her eyes darting between Tessa, Justin and April, Savannah realized what she’d heard wasn’t coming from inside. “Did you hear that?” she said. The others still slack jawed or weeping over what was happening inside the Cage wouldn’t have their attention swayed. “Parker, did you hear that? It sounded like our helicopter was leaving.”
Eyes still trained through the glass, only not directly at Justin, Parker was anticipating Tessa’s next move. There wasn’t anything to be done at this point. If Justin’s next move turned bad, no one would be able to help her. The entry code was only ever known to three people. Parker was not one of them. “Savannah, what was that?”
Turning from the glass and motioning for Parker to follow her, the pair moved into the Command Center. “The helicopter, I thought I heard it taking off… Can you check the video?”
Before Parker had a chance to switch the feed, Savannah witnessed the devastation that occurred in the lobby. “Are you serious? That’s what rocked the building?”
“Yes,” Parker said. “It’s also the reason I can’t get the feed from the front to come up, must have disabled that camera. If they flew out of the area, it’s possible we may catch them on another camera.”
Switching between the feeds and stopping for a short time on each to rewind the footage, Parker ran through the exterior cameras. Nothing to be found on any of the feeds until she reached the rear footage and the chopper came into view. “Savannah, that doesn’t look like the one you all flew in on.”