by J. L. Harden
They do not like soldiers.
Sarah leads us to Apartment Complex B. To do this we have to make our way down a few levels, and then enter a long maintenance corridor that connects Apartment Complex A, to Apartment Complex B.
Again, about half way there, we are forced to change our air filters. After Sarah is sure we are ready, we begin moving through Apartment Complex B. It does not take long until we get to the VIP area that Sarah described to us.
At the moment, we’re on the tenth floor. Sarah moves over to the railing and looks down. We follow. All the way down on the ground floor are the infected. They are reaching up to the sky. Sarah points to the heavens, to the top floor. It is a long way up. Another ten stories at least. Maybe more.
In a way it reminds me of the military prison. Except of course, there are no cells. No iron bars. No plastic furniture bolted into the concrete floor. And of course, everything is a lot nicer.
But then again, what’s the difference?
What’s the difference between this residential sector and a prison?
Room after room.
Endless corridor after endless corridor.
Cell after cell.
We are underground.
We are trapped.
In a tomb.
As I am looking up, I can almost see where the air begins to thin out.
Jack can’t figure it out. “What are the infected doing down there?”
“Someone’s been through here,” Sarah says. “That’s why they’re agitated. That’s why they’re in attack mode. They heard the others come through here.”
The infected were bunched together, in the middle of the ground floor atrium. All of them were reaching up. All of them were howling and moaning. Their jaws wide open. Their eyes glazed over. Ultimately, they are unable to do anything. Luckily, they are completely trapped on the ground floor.
I scan the group of infected people for Kenji. For Kim. I don’t see them.
“They’ve put people in here before,” Sarah says. “On these lower levels. Without masks. We need to be careful. Stay alert.”
She has her knife in hand. She has it ready and gripped tight. She leads us into the stairwell and again we make the climb to the top floor.
We walk quickly, and as a result, our breathing gets heavier, more rapid. And we use up our air filters quicker. We’ve only climbed up about five floors when Sarah’s watch beeps. It is time to change our air filters again.
Twist. Release. Discard.
New filter.
Insert. Twist. Secure.
Breathe normally.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Slowly.
Don’t ever take your gas mask off.
Better to pass out. Better to suffocate.
Sarah only has two air filters left in her bag. I’ve only got three. That’s only one more each. We can’t afford to spend much more time in the contaminated areas. We need to find our friends and get the hell out of here.
We make it to the twentieth and top floor, and amazingly, there’s only two doors on this level. Which I’m guessing means there’s only one or two apartments on this level.
They must be huge apartments.
Massive.
Luxurious.
These were the living quarters of someone very important.
“Not sure who lived here,” Sarah whispers. “Head engineer or something. It’s pretty nice. But it’s nothing compared to the places on C block.”
“C Block?” Jack says. “You make it sound like a prison.”
She doesn’t say anything. She just nods.
We approach the Penthouse apartment. More blood at the entrance.
Dried blood.
Daniel opens the door. It is not locked.
Again, no one is home. The place is completely empty. And much like the other apartment we visited, everything is neat and tidy. Whoever lived here were absolute clean freaks. It looks like these people left for work, unaware that they would never return.
I scan the kitchen, the living room, all the bedrooms and all the bathrooms. There are blood splatters here and there. On the walls. On the kitchen tiles. On the bedroom carpet.
But there are no more hidden messages.
There are no watches. No more trinkets. No more treasures to be found.
Was Kim wearing a watch?
What about Maria?
Sarah takes her gas mask off, letting us know that it is safe to do so.
“We need to search the place for clues,” I say. “We need to do this quickly.”
“We’re not going to find anything,” Sarah says. “Your friend, leaving his watch behind, that was a fluke. There’s no way he’ll be able to do anything like that again.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“Because they’ll be watched at all times. If anyone gets caught doing what your friend did…”
“What happens?” Jack asks.
“You don’t wanna know.”
“So where would they take them next?” Daniel asks. “They obviously brought them here for a reason. To show them the infected, to show them the airborne strain. To scare them. Let’s assume these people have made their point. Our friends are scared. And let’s assume they’re doing everything they are told to do. Where do they go from here?”
“There’s a couple of places,” Sarah says. “They might take them to the warehouse. Or maybe to C block. Or the tunnels. The station.”
“That’s too many places,” I say. “We don’t have time to check them all. We don’t have enough air filters. And who knows what could happen in that time.”
“Nothing good,” Sarah says.
“So what’s the most likely place?” I ask.
“It depends,” she answers.
“On what?”
“Look, I don’t know. I don’t like these people. I don’t hang around them. I just don’t know…”
“We should keep looking for clues,” Jack says. “If Kenji had a chance, he would’ve left a sign. A note. Something. I know he would’ve.”
“Let’s split up,” Daniel says. “Take a room each.”
“We have to be quick,” I say. “This treasure hunt is taking too long.”
Daniel moves off to check the master bedroom and the guest bedrooms.
Sarah and Jack take the living room.
I take the kitchen. I try and put myself in Kenji’s shoes. Or Kim’s. Or Maria’s. What would they do if they had the chance? They’re probably tied up. Under constant supervision.
Are they already being tortured?
What would they torture them with?
What would they do?
How would they do it?
I start checking the cupboards.
The walk-in pantry.
The fridge.
The cupboards are full of plates and bowls and cookware.
The fridge is empty.
The massive walk-in pantry is empty.
I check the drawers.
The cutlery. Knives. Forks. Spoons. A matching set.
I pick up a butter knife. It is heavy. Made from high quality silver.
And under this butter knife, is a flick knife. A pocket-knife.
It is not made from silver.
I pick it up. I flick the blade out. The cutting edge is blunt. But the tip is sharp. This is Kenji’s knife. It has to be. And written on the blade, in Kenji’s blood, is the letter ‘C’.
“I’ve got something!”
Sarah moves into the kitchen, pulling Jack along. “Keep your voice down. We don’t know who’s still lurking around here.”
“What did you find?” Jack asks.
“It’s Kenji’s knife,” I answer.
Sarah looks doubtful. “How do you know it’s Kenji’s?”
“It’s blunt,” I say. “But it has a sharp point. This is his back up. His last resort.”
And here he is using it. Not to kill an infected person, but to help us.
Or warn us…
Sarah looks at the blade, at the letter ‘C’.
“C block,” she whispers.
“What are they going to do?” I ask. “What happens next?”
“Pain,” she says. “Lots of pain.”
Chapter 27
“We need to rescue my friends,” I say. “I’m not going to let them get tortured. We’ve been through enough.”
“OK,” Sarah says. “But we’re running low on air filters. We need to get some more or we won’t make it.”
“Where from?” Daniel asks.
“There should be some hidden in this apartment. You guys check the bedrooms. Check the wardrobes. They could be stored in boxes. Like shoeboxes. Jack and I will check the living room.”
We’re being led on some weird treasure hunt. A wild goose chase. I don’t like it. And I feel like we are one step behind. A minute too late. A fraction too slow.
Sarah pulls Jack into the living room. And I hate to say it, but Jack is looking worse. Sarah has the knife in her hand. She could make the call on his life in a heartbeat. Sweat pours off Jack’s face as he searches the living room. To Jack’s credit, he doesn’t complain. And together, Sarah and Jack check under the cushions and under the couches, they look behind the bookshelves. They cover the entire living room in record time.
Daniel moves into the master bedroom. I reluctantly follow.
The master bedroom is huge. It has not one, but two walk-in wardrobes and a separate dressing area with full length mirrors.
A private bathroom.
We check the bedside stand.
There appears to be nothing else. No more clues. And no more air filters.
It appears that C Block is our next destination. And it looks like we’re going to have to get there as quickly as we can.
Daniel throws the pillows on the floor. He turns the mattress of the king-sized bed over. He throws the giant mattress with one hand, like a piece of paper. “There’s nothing here,” he says. “We need to go. We’re wasting time.”
I am about to agree.
I am about to say that we need to go right now.
But then we hear voices.
A man’s voice.
I turn my head. The voices are coming from the living room. I am about to ask Daniel if he heard that. But Daniel steps up behind me and puts his hand around my mouth. He is breathing fast.
My heart rate immediately increases.
Daniel drags me back into the massive walk in wardrobe. He slides the door shut. And we disappear into a rack of clothes and business suits and work shirts.
The voices grow louder.
“Are you alone?” a man asks. “Is he the only survivor?”
“I’m alone,” Sarah says. “This is Jack. He saved my life, so I’m saving his.”
Sarah is lying. This shows that she cares.
“Why is he tied to you? What happened to his leg? Is he bit?”
“No,” Jack says. “It was an arrow.”
“Death Squad?” the man asks with genuine sympathy and understanding in his voice.
“Yeah.”
There is a pause. The man is thinking. He is thinking the exact same thoughts that we all had earlier.
Is Jack a threat? Is he infected? Will he turn?
“This is too risky,” the man says. “You shouldn’t be here by yourself. You know the rules.”
Daniel moves over to the door of the walk-in wardrobe. He slowly and quietly slides it open. He then slowly makes his way to the door of the bedroom and then moves out into the hallway.
And not knowing what else to do, I follow close behind.
Daniel crouches down and I do the same, making myself as small as possible. Daniel points to a mirror on the wall. In the mirror’s reflection we see the man.
He is holding a knife. And a gun.
Sarah said they wouldn’t use a gun because it’s too loud. But we’re on the top floor. We’re in the penthouse.
He could shoot. No one would hear. Nothing would hear.
“What are you doing up here, Sarah?” he asks. “You know you’re not supposed to come up here. You know this whole area is contaminated.”
“I know. I’m looking for someone.”
“Who?”
“A friend. Of his. Of Jack’s. Like I said, he saved my life. I owe him.”
“And you thought to come here?”
The man is not buying Sarah’s lies.
“Yeah,” she says. “It’s the only place…”
The man cuts her off. “And his friend would know that? His friend would know to come all the way to the top floor of this section?”
Yeah, he’s definitely not buying it.
“Where did you get the extra gas masks?” he asks. “Where did you get the extra filters?”
“There’s a few around,” Sarah answers. “If you know where to look.”
“No there’s not. We’ve collected all the gas masks. All the air filters. Unless you’ve stolen some?”
“No. I swear. There’s some in the offices of the…”
Again, the man cuts Sarah off. “You little… You know we’ve been looking all over for you. Most of us thought you were dead.”
“Most?”
“Well… she never thought you were dead. She knows what you are capable of.”
She? Who the hell is he talking about?
The man lowers his voice and continues speaking in a friendly tone. A non-threatening tone. “What are you doing, Sarah? You can’t live like this. You can’t survive on your own.”
Sarah was right. They will pretend to be your friend. They will try and disarm you.
“I’ve seen what you do,” she says. “I’ve seen what you’ve become. You should leave.”
“We’re doing what’s necessary. They made us… the soldiers… the Death Squad. They slaughtered us, and they made us into what we are. You know this. And you know we can’t trust anyone. Not anymore. You stayed quiet. You hid. You know better than anyone. You’re just like the rest of us.”
“I’m nothing like you people.”
“You are exactly like us. You are one of us.”
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“We can’t. You might lead them here.”
“I’m quiet. I’m better than you. I’m better than all of you.”
The man takes a step forward.
Sarah takes a step back.
Jack nearly trips over. But he regains his balance. “Guys, can we just relax,” he says. “We can talk this through. We’re just looking for our friends. We’re not going to hurt anyone.”
“Friends?” the man asks. “A second ago it was ‘friend’, as in one friend. Now there’s more than one?”
Jack looks at Sarah. It is a look that’s says ‘sorry’.
Sorry for not being a good liar.
“You can stop lying,” the man says. “I know everything. We found your friends. They’re safe. You should come with me.”
“If they’re safe, then why did you bring them up here?” Sarah asks. “Nothing good ever happens in this room, in this place.”
“We didn’t bring them here. We didn’t need to. They’ve been very helpful and cooperative.”
Sarah shakes her head. “You’re a terrible liar, Nick. Now, you really should leave.”
“I’m not lying. Just relax. I’ll take you in. I just need to tie you up first. It’s for your own safety. It’s for the safety of the group.”
Nick takes out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket. He throws them over to Sarah. “Put them on. Cuff yourselves together.”
Sarah shakes her head. “No. I’m not doing this. I’m not going with you. We’re not going with you.”
Sarah says this with frustration in her voice.
“Just go,” she continues. “Get out of here.”
He raises the handgun. He flicks the safety off and cocks the hammer. “Put the cuffs on. Do it.”
“You won’t shoot. You’re not allowed to shoot. She
’ll kill you herself.”
“They won’t find out. No one will find out. We’re alone. There’s not another living soul in this entire apartment complex. Everyone else is over in C block. I could shoot you both dead. And no one would ever find out. But I’m not going to do that. I like you. And I don’t want to hurt anyone else. I hate the killing. But if you don’t do as I say, you’ll leave me with no choice.”
Sarah throws the handcuffs back at Nick. She is calling his bluff.
But I’m not entirely sure he is bluffing.
He lowers the gun. “If it was just you, I’d let you go. You know I would. But you’ve brought an outsider here. I can’t let you go. I can’t let him go. I don’t know him. I don’t know what he’s capable of. He doesn’t have anyone’s trust.”
“No one is here,” Sarah says. “Just go back to C block. Forget you ever saw us.”
“I can’t do that. You know I can’t. She’ll find out.”
“What have you done with my friends?” Jack asks. “Where have you taken them?”
“If you put the cuffs on,” the man says. “I’ll take you right to them.”
“Come on, Sarah,” Jack says, pleading. “It’s the only way.”
“No, it’s not,” Sarah says. “Don’t do it. He is lying. He won’t take you to them. They’ll lock you up. You won’t see them. Not for a long time.”
“But you will see them,” the man adds. “Eventually. If you do as we say. If you earn our trust. But if you don’t put the cuffs on, you will never see them again. You will never see anyone again.”
Jack nods his head. “OK, I’ll do it. Give me the handcuffs.”
I tap Daniel on the shoulder. “We have to do something,” I whisper.
Daniel shakes his head. “No. Too dangerous.”
Daniel wants to wait. But waiting means this guy will take Jack and Sarah back to wherever they keep prisoners.
They’ll torture them.
They will break them.
I’m not letting that happen.
“Good,” the man says. “That’s good. I want you to know that you are doing the right thing. You should be more like your new friend here, Sarah. He knows how to behave. He knows how to cooperate. You have to understand, living alone, it’s not a good way to live. It makes you vulnerable.”
The man kneels down to pick up the cuffs.
And while he is momentarily distracted…
I make a decision. A snap decision. In the heat of the moment.