Subject Nightingale 1: Birth and Death

by Tim Cody

“Sheesh, kid,” Theo commented next, “what did they do to you up there? You're not thinking straight, you're seeing things.”

  “I'm not just seeing things, I'm not crazy!” The nightingale returned a moment later, chirping wildly as it landed on Nightingale's shoulder. It hopped close to her neck and once again took cover in her hair. “See, she's scared! She saw something!”

  “She?” Theo asked. “How do you know it's a girl?”

  Nightingale's eyebrows scrunched together and she shook her head. “I don't know, I just...know! That's not the point! The point is she saw something, and so did I!” When Michaela tried to dab at the blood on her face again, Nightingale snatched the rag and began wiping it herself. “I'm not bleeding anymore!” She wiped off the blood and threw the rag onto the floor.

  “Good, then we're moving out,” Jonny said.

  Nightingale stomped her foot and threw her fists down at her sides, glaring up at Michaela. “Why won't you believe me!?”

  A burst of intense pain surged through Michaela's head—a powerful migraine that only lasted for a few seconds—when Nightingale yelled at her. She grabbed her forehead and shut her eyes, and took a deep breath until it passed just as quickly. “We will look for ourselves, little one,” Michaela said, her tone as calm as ever. “But please, keep your voice down and stay close.”

  “Keep your eyes open,” Jonny said as he led them down the hallway, unknowingly taking the same path as the bird—he was just following the signs for the west stairwell, “there's no telling who heard that little temper tantrum.”

  After a few minutes, they reached a corridor with the door for the west stairwell at the end. Nightingale's heart was pounding as she looked it over; she was sweating, absolutely horrified that the monster could be lurking somewhere nearby.

  “It was right around here,” she whispered.

  “Just keep your eyes on the door,” Jonny replied. “We're almost there.”

  “Contact!” Theo shouted, and Jonny, Michaela, and Nightingale turned around in unison.

  “What the %$#@ is that thing!?” Jonny shouted at the abomination they were suddenly staring down.

  At least eight feet tall and formerly human, its tan flesh was continuously dripping off its body in thick globs and splattering on the floor like wet clay. Those globs of flesh continued to move, now of their own volition rather than gravity's, and rejoined with the creature. All manners of objects stuck to the flesh, though, as they moved across the floor: debris, bullet casings, entire guns, and even body parts from the bodies scattered across the floor.

  It walked slowly toward the group, one heavy step at a time. Its foot fell and splattered flesh, re-collected and assimilated the recently shed flesh and miscellaneous objects it picked up, and then its other foot fell. Each time it picked up a piece of a human it grew slightly larger, according to how big of a piece it absorbed; an arm grew its arms, a leg grew its legs, and a torso was added to the mess of flesh that made up its own torso.

  Glitch squad and Nightingale backed toward the stairwell door as the creature staggered closer, all of them too taken aback to react for a few moments. Eventually Jonny snapped out of it and began barking orders.

  “Theo, get the door open!” He sidestepped into an office to use it as cover. “Michaela, take Nightingale to cover and open fire! We need cover fire so Theo can get us outta here!”

  Michaela grabbed Nightingale and ducked into an office opposite Jonny, and Theo extended his crowbar. He yelled as he jammed it into the stairwell's door, and put every ounce of strength into applying leverage.

  “I told you there was a monster down here!” Nightingale yelled. “What is that thing!?”

  “I do not know,” Michaela answered, poking her head out the door to study it. Jonny leaned into the hallway just enough to open fire, spraying it with bullets. “A terrible and failed experiment, perhaps.”

  “An experiment!?” Nightingale shouted. “Is that gonna happen to me!? Am I gonna become like that thing!?”

  “No, child, just remain calm,” Michaela said.

  “Reloading!” Jonny announced, and Michaela immediately leaned into the hallway. She focused her sights on its torso and began emptying her clip, but the bullets had little to no effect. They tore straight through the mass of flesh and exited clean through the other side, but the holes were just filled with more flesh as it continued to slop off its body.

  “Reloading!” Michaela shouted and ducked back into the room.

  “Our bullets aren't doing $#!% to it! How's that door coming, Theo!?” Jonny shouted as he leaned back into the hallway and opened fire once again.

  “As well as the others went!” Theo shouted back, the door barely open six inches.

  The creature reared its head back and let out a roar that could have rocked the entire building. A hail of bullets erupted from its body, pulling the triggers of all the guns it had absorbed at once, forcing Jonny and Michaela back into their offices.

  “Get down!” Jonny warned Theo, and Theo ducked and covered just in time.

  He landed flat on his belly and covered his head with his hands, and a swath of bullets struck the wall inches above him. As soon as the gunfire settled down he sprung to his feet and got back to work on the door. He retracted his crowbar and held it horizontally between the partially open door and its threshold, and gave it a quick shake to re-extend it. It became wedged in the door and acted like Jaws of Life, slowly prying the door open on its own.

  “Couple more minutes!” Theo shouted once the process was automated. He spun on a heel and dropped to one knee, lifting his shotgun in both hands to join the largely one-sided firefight.

  “We don't have a couple minutes!” Jonny shouted. He was running low on ammo, and putting bullets into this thing wasn't getting them anywhere.

  “Flash bang out!” Michaela shouted, and pivoted around the office doorway to underhand toss a flash bang grenade at the creature—it was worth a shot. She turned back into the office and knelt, grabbing Nightingale's shoulders on her way down to pull her to the floor as well. “Close your eyes!” she shouted, and Nightingale did as instructed. Michaela covered Nightingale's ears and shut her own eyes as well.

  The flash bang landed against the creature's chest and stuck, and slowly sunk into its torso as it was covered by more flesh.

  Nightingale shouted when she felt Michaela's hands on her ears, the touch sending another surge of pain through her head. Images of the medic flashed through her mind. She was in a doctor's office and wearing a white lab coat, and there was a boy sitting on a metal table in front of her. She applied a Band-Aid to a scrape on the child's knee, and then helped him down.

  “There, all better,” she said. “But no more climbing! The slides are for sliding down, little one.”

  “Yes, Michaela!” the boy said as he ran out of the room. “Thank you, Michaela!”

  Michaela smiled and chuckled, and walked over to a window. She sighed and folded her arms, and stared out at the dozen or so children playing in a playground.

  BANG.

  Nightingale was pulled violently from the scene when the flash bang erupted, and she threw her arms around Michaela.

  “It is alright, little one!” Michaela shouted without realizing it, her ears ringing from the blast. She stood and poked her head into the hallway to assess the damage—if any—done to the creature.

  Its chest was wide open, and its sticky flesh clung to the walls, ceiling, and floor of the hallway. The gaping hole revealed its mechanical insides—more than what it may have absorbed previously, it actually appeared to be powering this thing. Mechanical organs pumped vital fluids through thin metal tubes that weaved through the creature's chest like veins through a human.

  But despite having its chest wide open it was still on two legs, and hardly seemed deterred by having a portion of its body blown off. The random items it had been absorbing, including many of the guns, were now scattered across the floor. They were creeping back toward the creature,
though, the roving chunks of flesh carrying them mindlessly toward their host.

  “Door's open!” Theo announced, grabbing at the thick globs of flesh that had landed on him. The tan flesh was slowly changing color to match that of Theo's, and he yelled as he tore it off his arms and legs by the handful. “This $#!% won't let me go!” he shouted, the globs of flesh assimilating portions of his clothing, becoming one with the fabric—and then latching onto his skin to claim him.

  “Get through that door!” Jonny ordered as he rushed out of the office, laying down some more cover fire as the creature continued to advance. He aimed for its mechanical organs, but the bullets bounced off without leaving so much as a scratch.

  “Michaela, get the girl through!” Theo shouted as he cocked his shotgun and fired on the creature repeatedly. He advanced, moving toward the office where Michaela and Nightingale were hunkered down, putting himself between the two and the creature. He could feel the flesh tearing his own from his body, the chunks growing larger and heavier, and soon there was almost no visible difference between his own skin and the globs.

  Michaela nodded and grabbed Nightingale's hand, and they bolted for the door. She ducked under the crowbar and pulled her ward through. “We are clear!” She took cover behind the wall and trained her sights on the creature, but held her fire while Theo was in the way.

  Jonny ducked under the crowbar next, and shouted after Theo. “Theo, we're clear! Fall back!”

  The mechanical organs were beginning to dent under the repeated blasts of Theo's shotgun. A few of the thin hoses became detached and spewed a clear liquid all over, and the creature let out another roar. Theo turned his back to it and sprinted for the door, but the creature's hand hit him square on his back before he reached it. It had hurled its arm like a whip, and now it was stretched to a few yards long.

  Theo was shoved the last few feet and collided violently with the door, and he felt the creature's flesh creeping up the back of his head. He dropped his shotgun and shoved the crowbar with both hands, pushing it into the stairwell so the door began to close.

  “What the %$#@ are you doing, Theo!?” Jonny shouted, immediately grabbing the door and putting all his strength into keeping it open.

  “It's no use, Jonny,” Theo muttered out, his voice a guttural snarl of pain. He gasped and panted for breath, turning his head so Jonny could see where the creature's flesh was slowly and painfully crawling over him. It was already impossible to tell where Theo ended and the creature's long arm began.

  “We'll cut that %$#@!^& thing off you, we just gotta get you through the door!” Jonny refused to let go of the door, wedging it open with his foot against the threshold.

  Theo tried to speak, but he couldn't. He felt his throat sealing shut, becoming just another mass of flesh for the creature's gruesome armor; he couldn't breathe, he only had a few moments left. He jutted his arm through the door and Jonny grabbed his arm to pull him through, but Theo was reaching for a grenade. He plucked it right out of the small pouch on Jonny's chest, and then grabbed the door's emergency latch with his free hand.

  He grunted and used his grip to help pull the door shut, and Jonny shouted from the other side.

  “God dammit, Theo, get your ass into this stairwell! That's an order, soldier!” He pounded on the door and reached his arm through, but Theo took a step back out of reach.

  He retrieved his own grenade and pulled the pins on both, one in either hand, and he grinned at Jonny.

  “Theo, no!” Jonny continued to shout helplessly.

  The creature tugged Theo back toward its body, heaving him effortlessly through the air. Jonny watched as the grenades' levers flicked through the air, and he threw himself toward Michaela and Nightingale.

  “Fire in the hole!”

  Theo was pulled back-first into the creature, pinned to its chest as the flesh continued to overtake him. He shoved his fists behind his back and through what flesh the creature had reclaimed, until he felt his clenched fists touching the beating mechanical heart and flexing lungs. He watched as the door shut completely.

  Michaela tackled Nightingale to the floor and shielded her with her body, hands over the back of her own neck. Jonny landed flat beside her, and then, BOOM!

  The entire floor rocked, and then fell silent.

  “God dammit, Theo!” Jonny immediately jumped to his feet and began pounding on the door.

  “Are you okay, child?” Michaela asked quietly. “We need to keep moving.”

  Nightingale was stunned and her ears were ringing, but she was otherwise fine. “I think so,” she said, and Michaela helped her to her feet. The bird had flown several feet into the air, safe above the action, and landed unharmed on Nightingale's shoulder once she was upright again.

  Jonny was still pounding on the door and yelling at Theo, so Michaela grabbed his shoulders. “Jonny!” she shouted, spinning him and forcing him to look at her. “Get your $#!% together and get us out of here! Do not make Theo's sacrifice in vain!”

  Jonny immediately snapped out of it. He knew what needed to be done.

  “We're behind schedule,” he said, lifting his rifle and loading one of his last fresh clips. He cocked the hammer back and started toward the stairs leading down. He crouched and grabbed the crowbar on his way past, retracted it, and tucked it into a pouch on the back of his belt.

  Michaela fell in line behind Jonny, and Nightingale was right behind her. There were footsteps several floors below, they were coming up the stairs, so the group began to rush. The door to floor 12 was open, so Jonny led them inside—it was better than meeting someone head-on in the stairwell.

  Chapter 6

  Intimacy Issues

  Jonny's face was red with a seething rage that Michaela could feel emanating off him in waves. She was concerned he would lose it at any moment, but Jonny was a better soldier than that. He controlled his breathing and kept his mind focused, aiming his rifle left and right as he moved swiftly through the hallways.

  “In here,” Jonny said as he approached the wooden door of a private office. They needed to regroup and think about their next move.

  He tested the doorknob gently, twisting it slowly—it was unlocked, so he eased the door open. He crept into the room, stepping carefully onto its plush red carpet, covering the left side, away from the door. There was a sturdy oak desk near the left wall, and a man cowering in the corner beside it.

  “Contact!” Jonny shouted, and Michaela trained her sights on Jonny's target as well.

  “No!” the scientist shouted, hands high above his head. He was clearly unarmed, so Jonny held his fire.

  The door was pulled suddenly from behind, opening completely to make room for two members of building security to get the jump on Glitch squad.

  One of the men kicked the inside of Michaela's leg to force her to her knees, and she dropped her rifle. He grabbed her forehead from behind and brought a blade across her throat, but she grabbed his arm before he could slice her open.

  The other man grabbed the barrel of Jonny's gun and hurled his other fist toward his face, landing a strong sucker punch square across his jaw. His upper body twisted and his gun's strap snapped, sending the weapon to the ground. Jonny immediately drew his knife and dropped to the floor, hooking his legs around his attacker's and twisting to bring him down as well. He rolled toward him and brought his knife down toward his attacker's chest, but the security member rolled out of the way and sprung to his feet, and drew his own knife.

  Michaela clenched her attacker's arm and shoved her entire body back and into his legs, knocking him off balance just enough to gain the leverage she needed. She twisted his arm and twirled out of his grasp, standing and drawing her knife in the same motion.

  She and Jonny stood back to back, knives clenched upside down in their fists, free hands raised defensively in identical stances. Their two attackers adopted similar stances in front of each of them, squaring off and sizing each other up.

  It had all happened so quick
ly, Nightingale hardly had time to react. Before she knew it, Jonny and Michaela were standing in the center of the room, waiting for someone to make the first move. Her eyes were wide with panic and she backed against the wall.

  “Look away, child,” Michaela said to Nightingale, her fiercely determined gaze locked on her opponent's knife. “You have already witnessed many gruesome things this day. I do not want you to witness me killing a man.”

  Nightingale trusted Michaela, and truly believed she would continue to protect her—and also that she would kill this man. She just nodded and turned toward the corner of the room, and crouched. She shut her eyes and held her hands over her ears, trying to just wait for Michaela to come get her.

  “It's been a while since we've needed to resort to close combat—still remember your training?” Jonny asked jokingly, his voice quiet and calm.

  “Do not forget who it is that trained you, Jonny...” Michaela replied. She addressed her opponent next. “We four are about to become very intimate... My name is Michaela,” she said.

  “Krauser,” her opponent replied.

  “Jonny,” Jonny said.

  “Burton,” his opponent said next.

  Krauser made the first move, taking a quick step forward and stabbing square for the base of Michaela's throat—right above her collarbone, the only spot on her torso not covered by body armor. Michaela took a step back, and Jonny took a step forward to mirror Michaela's movement. He gave her room to dodge, launching his own attack on Burton at the same time.

  Burton grabbed Jonny's wrist to stop his knife, and thrust his own toward his face. Jonny cocked his head to the side, just barely dodging the blade. It scraped his cheek and opened a small gash, and he felt blood trickle down his neck.

  After dodging Krauser's initial attack, Michaela swung her arm up, an uppercut that brought the blade toward her attacker's face. Krauser dodged with a back step, and then a sidestep to avoid the blade being brought straight down into his skull.

  He flipped his knife to hold it upright, and hurled his arm at Michaela's stomach. If he could land the blade right beside the zipper, he could hit that weak spot and pierce her armor. His blade was blocked by Michaela's, though, and instead landed home against the thick Kevlar. She threw her other fist across his face in a strong punch.