The Becoming: Ground Zero

by Jessica Meigs

  Remy shouldn’t have been so careless. Cade was hurt and would have some difficulty fighting to defend herself if they were attacked. But Remy couldn’t bring herself to care. Not about anything. Not after Ethan …

  She choked back the sudden sob threatening to escape her throat as she trudged deeper into the darkness. She wanted desperately to cram her fist into her mouth, to strangle off the tears threatening to well up at their source. She wanted to run into the street and track Ethan down, to save him if she could and to put a bullet in his head if she couldn’t. No one deserved to live like that. No one deserved to suffer like that. Least of all Ethan Bennett.

  He would have done the same for her.

  “Remy, are you still with us?” a voice asked behind her. Remy glanced back and saw Brandt close behind, Cade’s body braced against his own. Cade looked like she was ready to fall back into unconsciousness again. Remy hesitated before she nodded slightly. It was her time to play leader now. She had to be strong.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Remy assured Brandt, not meeting his eyes. She turned back to the task at hand. Somewhere behind her, she could hear Gray wheezing. She dug into Theo’s medical bag and searched for one of Gray’s inhalers, finding one buried deeply inside. Within moments, it was in Gray’s hands, and Remy was left to her own thoughts in blessed silence once again.

  Their muffled footsteps didn’t mask the rustling, dragging noise that came from the shadows to their right. Remy paused as the sound met her ears, holding up a hand to signal the others to stop moving. The sound ceased, but Remy continued to stand motionless on the stairs, straining her ears, trying to find the noise again. Brandt’s eyes fixed on the back of her neck, watching her intently as he listened for what she’d heard. Remy drew in a slow breath as she sensed the fifth presence on the stairwell, lurking in the shadows, standing just as still as Remy. Waiting for its moment to attack.

  Remy would be damned if she let that happen.

  “Remy, what is it?” Brandt hissed. Remy knew that he still had his hands on Cade, that he had no plans to let her go. With the way the woman looked, Cade could very well fall to the floor if Brandt released her.

  “One of the infected, just to my right,” Remy finally answered calmly. “I’m going to put the mother fucker down. Don’t panic.”

  “Would be way fucking awesome if you’d stop pissing around and do it already,” Brandt hissed. “Cade’s about five seconds away from passing out over here, and I will not hesitate to slap the shit out of you again if I have to.”

  Remy nodded and lifted her gun, taking a careful step forward. The stair below her boot creaked, and that seemed to be the cue for the infected man in the shadows to dart out and go on the attack. Remy didn’t hesitate. She brought her gun up and around, slamming it forcefully against the side of the man’s head. She grabbed him by his dirty, decaying shirt and hauled him fully onto the stairs. She hit the man one more time with the gun and then shoved the barrel underneath his chin. She pressed it hard into the fleshy underside of his jaw and squeezed the trigger.

  The top of the man’s head exploded with the force of the bullet’s impact. Remy grimaced at the spray of blood illuminated in the beam of her flashlight, and she tightened her grip on the man long enough to push him against the railing. It wasn’t hard to lift the man up; he’d been infected long enough that he was borderline skin and bones. Using the railing as a lever, she heaved him over. The man’s body plummeted through the air to land with a thud three floors below.

  “We’ve got to move,” Remy said without further hesitation. She glanced at Cade to make sure the older woman was still conscious. She was—somewhat—but she looked even closer to passing out than she had earlier. Her face was drawn and pale with pain. “We should go fast,” Remy added.

  “You’re telling me,” Brandt said. He checked his grip on Cade’s waist and began descending the stairs again. “I’ll fucking carry Cade if I have to.”

  “No the fuck you won’t,” Cade slurred woozily.

  Remy snorted and led the way down the stairs, her eyes moving through the darkness, scanning every shadow, shining her light into every corner. Thankfully, Remy needn’t have worried; five minutes later, they reached the ground floor without further problems, save for Cade’s increasing exhaustion, made worse by her still-bleeding injury. Once they were there, though, Remy’s instincts screamed for her to be more cautious—not for her own sake, because she didn’t care about herself anymore, but for the sake of her companions. They at least deserved the chance to live, even if she felt she no longer wanted the chance for herself.

  The street was free of infected. Remy had the sobering thought that it was so clear because all the infected in the area were still busy with Ethan. Tears threatened her eyes again, but she banished them once more. There wasn’t time for crying right now, if ever. She wouldn’t allow herself that weakness.

  “Brandt, which way?” Remy asked. She fell back to draw even with the Marine. “I don’t know the way.”

  Brandt gently dislodged Cade’s arm from his shoulders and, with Remy’s help, managed to transfer her to Remy’s shoulders. “I’ll lead from here, okay?” he offered. “Just stick closer. All three of you.”

  Remy nodded and, as Brandt moved ahead to take the lead, glanced back at Gray. He managed to meet Remy’s eyes, and she swallowed hard as she saw the hurt and sadness in his gaze. She still felt the hurt herself; just thinking of the rapid succession of deaths they’d met with after being together for so long was enough to make her want to break apart. She swallowed down the feeling and faced forward once more, locking her eyes onto Brandt’s shoulders and walking on silently.

  Chapter 49

  Brandt let out a relieved sigh as he saw the green foliage ahead of them. Trees lined the sides of a concrete-and-brick path that led through a large park, and the rapidly failing sunlight filtered through their branches to land in patches along the walkway. It’d taken them nearly an hour to reach the park, an hour longer than Brandt was happy with, but it couldn’t be helped. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and glanced around cautiously. He didn’t see any potential threats nearby; a few squirrels scrounged through the grass, but otherwise, everything was still. Brandt hoped the four of them had reached the end of any trouble that might threaten. At least, for the moment.

  Brandt motioned for the others to follow him as he began the trek across the street to Centennial Olympic Park, pausing before he reached the outer edge of trees and dropping back to allow Cade, Remy, and Gray to catch up with him. He took Cade off of Remy’s hands, and the younger woman gave him a grateful smile, even as she managed to look concerned.

  “I don’t think she’s doing that great, Brandt,” Remy warned. “She’s dragging her feet, and she can barely keep her head up.”

  Brandt took Cade’s face in his hands, lifting her head so he could see her eyes. Her lids were heavy, and her skin was pale and clammy, cool to the touch. She breathed shallowly, and Brandt shook his head as he gently jostled her. “Come on, babe, we don’t have much farther to go,” he murmured. “Just through this park and out the other side, and we’ll be right on top of the Tabernacle, okay? Just stick with me.”

  “And when we get there?” Gray spoke up, breaking his contemplation of a large, oddly shaped building less than a block away. It jutted out at an angle over the street, and a massive mural of sea life was emblazoned on its side. Brandt looked up from Cade’s face and frowned at the building, taking a moment to realize he was staring at the side of the aquarium. He blinked and focused back on Cade, scooping her right off her feet and settling her against his chest.

  “Then we get inside and see what we can do about rousing some help on the radio,” Brandt said.

  “And if help won’t come?” Gray prompted.

  “Help will come,” Brandt said, confident.

  “But if it won’t?” Gray persisted.

  Brandt rolled his eyes and started down the sidewalk again, stepping into the shade
of the trees, his grip on Cade secure. Gray and Remy scrambled to keep up with the ground-eating pace Brandt set. “Gray, it will, okay? They’re not going to leave me out here in this cesspool of a city; they’re going to want to track me down.”

  “You’re assuming an awful lot, if you ask me,” Gray muttered. He wrinkled his nose doubtfully and gripped his gun in both hands, doing his best to help Remy guard Brandt and Cade, since they were the two most vulnerable members of their little group.

  “Well, I’m not asking you, so you can shove it up your ass,” Brandt grumbled. “Now shut it. The more noise you make, the more likely you’ll draw attention right onto us, and we’re not in a position to deal with that right now.”

  Silence fell among them after Brandt’s order. Remy once more slipped into the lead, her gun in one hand and her bolo knife in the other. Brandt was always impressed with how well the young woman handled the blade; seeing it in her hand made him feel slightly better about being out in the open. If anything got the jump on them, Brandt was sure Remy could hold off the problem long enough for him to set Cade down to assist her.

  When the four of them emerged from under the trees, they found themselves in the open, in a large concrete and brick plaza that had once hosted the Olympic Games. The fountain that now occupied the space no longer sprayed jets of water toward the sky, and the entire plaza was littered with trash and debris and the remains of several bodies. Brandt saw the camouflage in which one of the bodies was wrapped, and he swallowed hard, averting his eyes. The sight didn’t do much to boost his confidence about what he’d find in the Tabernacle.

  The building in question came into view, standing tall and square against the graying skies, surrounded by military vehicles and supplies. As they reached the edge of Centennial Drive, Brandt could see the thick steel chain wrapped around the handles on the front doors, undisturbed by the passage of time; once they scrambled across the street and set foot onto Luckie, he saw boards crisscrossing the large green doors, nailing them firmly shut.

  “Brandt, why are the doors nailed shut from the outside?” Remy asked nervously. Cade’s head lolled against Brandt’s shoulder, and he smoothed his fingers over her thick hair. “Doesn’t that usually mean it’s full of the infected?”

  “Usually,” Brandt agreed as he made a beeline for the building. “The military did it on purpose, so people would think that it was full of infected and stay out.”

  “So how do we get in?” Gray asked. “I don’t happen to have a crowbar on me anymore, you know.”

  “Just follow me and keep your damn mouth shut,” Brandt ordered, making for the left side of the building. The entire back end of the structure, complete with most of the white building attached to the back of it, was fenced in with sturdy-looking chain-link fencing; coils of barbed wire rimmed the top of the entire fence line. Brandt carefully passed Cade into Gray’s arms before squinting at the fence, trying to figure out how to get them inside. Normally, he’d get them up onto the dumpster blocking the gate where bands used to enter the backstage area, since that portion of the fence had less barbed wire on it than the rest, but considering Cade couldn’t climb onto the dumpster at that point if he paid her to, the plan was dead in the water. He contemplated lifting Cade over. He wasn’t sure it would work, but it was a chance he’d have to take if he expected to get them all inside. No other option was acceptable.

  Brandt made sure his sidearm was still secure in its holster before he hauled himself onto the dumpster, digging his feet and hands into the diamond-shaped links on the fence and dragging himself up. He climbed, hand over hand, foot over foot, to the top of the fence, then straddled the metal pole at the top, careful to avoid the sparse barbed wire, and slung himself over, dropping to the pavement on the other side. He landed hard on the ground, his knees jarring painfully. He shook the pain off and got busy, making short work of the gate. Then he flung the gate open and scrambled back onto the dumpster, beckoning to Remy.

  “Rem, get up here,” Brandt ordered, catching the young woman’s hands and lifting her onto the dumpster as her feet tried to find purchase on its slick metal side. “I need you on the ground so you can help catch Cade when I pass her over, okay?” Remy nodded and scrambled down the other side of the dumpster, looking around cautiously as Brandt motioned to Gray. The young man nodded and eased Cade up higher, and Brandt hooked his hands under Cade’s and lifted. The muscles in his arms bulged from the awkward attempt to lift the woman to the top of the dumpster, and she groaned faintly as he settled her down beside him.

  A wave of nausea washed over Brandt as he set Cade down, and he closed his eyes, sucking in a sharp breath and clenching his teeth. No, not now, he thought, shaking his head as he braced his hands against his knees. He bowed his head, breathing through his nose and trying to quell the sick feeling swimming in his gut. He let a slow breath out through his mouth as Gray spoke up quietly.

  “Brandt, are you okay, man? You look a little … peaked,” Gray observed. Brandt opened his eyes to look down at the young man and discovered a deep frown on his face. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

  “Since when you been British, Gray?” Brandt replied, turning to the task at hand as his nausea subsided. “I’m fine. Just tired is all. Get your scrawny ass up here so you can help me lower Cade down.”

  Gray scrambled onto the dumpster obediently, taking a moment to stand on its edge and study the parking lot around them. Brandt could almost read the other man’s mind: the lot was too cluttered; too many cars and boxes and other assorted detritus offered too many places for the infected to hide. Gray grimaced and turned his eyes onto Cade, and the two men lifted her up with minimal infliction of pain and slowly lowered her to Remy’s waiting arms. The thin woman nearly dropped Cade as she grasped her, and it was only through Brandt’s quick intervention that the Israeli woman didn’t hit the hard pavement and gravel beneath Remy’s feet. Once the four of them were on the same side of the fence and the gate was secured once more, Remy looked to Brandt expectantly.

  “Well, now what?”

  Brandt lifted his head and let his eyes travel up the rusty red metal fire escape staircase winding up the side of the building, all the way to the roof. He nodded toward the building and scooped Cade up into his arms once more. “Now we go inside.”

  Chapter 50

  The interior of the Tabernacle was dark and, quite frankly, a little scary, but Gray sucked up the uneasy feeling the building gave him and eyed the floor far below them. The fire escape had disgorged them at the highest point of the highest balcony in the place, and Gray swallowed hard as he squinted at the floor. He didn’t do well with heights, and he was very drastically reminded of this as he stood, knees quaking in his jeans, back flat against the wall. Brandt shone his flashlight down below, where folding tables and chairs lined the hardwood, littered with papers and equipment. Brandt seemed completely unperturbed by how high up they were. The fact made Gray more than a little jealous. He shifted his grip on Cade and swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves and find his resolve.

  Brandt glanced at him and then hurried along the backside of the balcony, ducking through a large, dark doorway. Gray swore softly, hesitating before carrying Cade to the door, Remy following close behind. Cade was becoming a dead weight, and Gray’s arms were tiring. He wanted desperately to put her down and rest his arms, but it seemed he’d have to descend two flights of stairs before he could make that happen.

  Brandt was already at the bottom of the stairs when Remy and Gray finally reached the first floor. The older man shone his flashlight around their immediate vicinity, watching for dangers as he waited for them to join him. He looked up with a wry smile as Gray thumped down the last few steps. “Sorry. I forgot I was supposed to take Cade off your hands when we got inside.”

  Gray shrugged nonchalantly as Brandt scooped Cade easily out of his arms. “No big deal. I could handle it,” Gray said, lying through his teeth. He followed Brandt into the large, open area that m
ade up most of the first floor, the same area lined with the tables and chairs he’d seen from above. Remy was right on his heels, oddly silent as she breezed into the room. Brandt carried Cade close to the performance stage and settled her into a folding chair, holding onto her shoulder to make sure she’d stay steady before he climbed onto the stage.

  “What’s all this?” Gray asked, following Brandt onto the stage. He motioned for Remy to stay with Cade before hoisting himself onto the platform, wincing as the pain in his arms radiated through his shoulders.

  “Radio, mostly,” Brandt said. He started fiddling with cords and cables, shoving his small flashlight between his teeth and following a cord down a set of steps and out the backstage door. Gray wondered at the wisdom of allowing Brandt to go outside alone, but then the older man was back, prodding at switches again.

  The radio’s lights flickered on, and a quiet burst of static emitted from the speaker. Excitement rippled through the group. Even Cade looked slightly more alert, sitting up an inch straighter for a moment before slumping back over, more conscious than before, though that wasn’t saying much. Gray dropped off the stage and went to Cade, kneeling beside her and gently pushing her shirt and jacket aside to examine her wound. He didn’t know much about emergency medicine, not like his brother had, but he’d seen Theo treat and talk about wounds enough that he felt confident enough to figure out what needed to be done.