by Kirk Withrow
Reams nodded and said, “I got your back, man. Go get your daughter. We’ll be right behind you as soon as we take care of these assholes out here.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
John waited for Connor to disappear into the building before breaking from cover and moving toward the door. He stayed close to the wall to avoid being shot at by anyone inside the building. When he was halfway there, one of the men who had been speaking to Connor peered over the hood of a nearby abandoned car. A second later, he brought his pistol to bear, resting it on the vehicle to steady himself. John wasn’t sure why the man thought it was a good idea to lead with his head rather than his weapon, but it telegraphed his actions and made him slow to get John in his sights. John made him pay for his poor technique with two shots from his Tavor, giving the man’s day a rather unhappy ending.
Just before John turned to head into the building, he caught sight of movement twenty yards ahead. He was relieved to see Garza running full tilt, his face contorted with rage and his war cleaver in hand. Unfortunately, John’s relief was short-lived when he saw that Garza was racing toward another of Connor’s men who was bringing his machine gun stock up to his shoulder. Before he could get the barrel of the gun all the way up, however, the man’s feet came off the ground as the heavy blade plowed into his chest. For a moment, the man was laid out almost horizontally in the air. Garza was on him as soon as he hit the ground, finishing him off with several vicious chops from the cleaver. When Garza looked up, he made eye contact with John, and they shared a look filled with solidarity. More shots exploded from the upper floor windows, forcing Garza to race for cover as John slipped into the building.
Crouched inside, John waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Connor was nowhere to be seen. Two small lights positioned on opposite sides of the space barely illuminated its details. The massive, high-ceilinged room had enough dust swirling in the air to choke the life out of a thousand asthmatics. Extensive graffiti along with years of vandalism and neglect had taken their toll on the facility. Several old machines that likely hadn’t been used for a quarter century were scattered around the otherwise empty room.
Even the smallest sound echoed loudly within the cavernous space. The intermittent sound of gunfire reverberating through the building’s upper floors told him that his friends were still engaged in a fierce firefight with Connor’s men. Every noise bounced between the empty building’s stark walls until it was impossible to tell from where it had originated.
For the most part, the room had the stale smell of dirt, disuse, and old grease. The unequivocal odor of the infected was just strong enough that John felt compelled to glance around to make sure he hadn’t overlooked a rev lurking somewhere nearby. Seeing nothing, John couldn’t help but envision the horrors he’d seen at Connor’s weapons cache. He tried not to think about what could be waiting for him farther in. Instead, he focused his thoughts on Ava. She mattered more to him than anything else in the whole blighted world. She was his life; without her he was nothing.
His musing was interrupted by a creaking sound that arose somewhere in the room. Although he knew it was risky, he pulled out his flashlight and quickly panned its beam around the room’s perimeter. He stopped when he passed a door on the far side of the room just as it clicked shut.
Connor...
Not wanting to further risk giving his position away, John switched his light off. He brought his rifle up to his shoulder, placing the glowing night sights in front of his eye. Cautiously, he crept toward the door. Being unable to see his surroundings had him on edge.
As he neared the door, the portable lights cast the room in shadows, making everything seem like a threat. His pulse quickened until it felt like his heart might thump out of his chest. The sound of several heavy thuds came from somewhere behind him, and he spun around, ready to fight. His sympathetic nervous system was in overdrive, and the surge of adrenaline primed his body for action. The thumping noise gave way to the scratching sound of something moving in the darkness. John squinted into the gloom in the hope of seeing what was coming his way, but he saw only darkness. The bourgeoning terror within him seemed as though it were taking on a life of its own.
“John? That you?” a voice called.
The man’s voice took him by surprise and left him feeling like he was about to have a heart attack. It took his brain several seconds before he realized who it was.
“Holy shit, Reams! Why the hell are you sneaking up on me like that?” John said in a hushed voice that was still strained by the stress of the situation.
Reams smiled and said, “Sorry, brother. Thought I’d see if you needed some help. You want me to ring the doorbell next time?”
Although John’s heart was still racing, his mind had begun to settle down. He gestured toward the door and said, “I’m not sure where it leads, but I think Connor went through there.”
Partially obscured by the shadows, Reams looked even more menacing than usual. John was glad the big man was on his side. “Lead the way. I’m following you,” he said.
John nodded and reached for the doorknob. He was relieved when the hinges didn’t creak as the door opened. The stairwell inside was partially lit by another small lantern located on the landing above. He and Reams ascended the flight of stairs quietly. When they reached the second floor landing, John saw more light coming from deeper inside the building ahead of him. He tapped Reams on the shoulder and gestured for him to clear the right while he cleared the left. Staying low, he reached up and turned the lantern off.
As soon as they emerged from the stairwell, all hell broke loose. A barrage of automatic gunfire sent them both scrambling for cover. The intensely bright muzzle flash made the machine gun look like some sort of mythical, fire-breathing hell-beast as it sent hot lead tearing through the room. It illuminated Connor’s face, which was already ablaze with maniacal rage. Bullets ripped through virtually everything, sending debris flying in all directions. It seemed like an eternity before the weapon’s magazine ran dry and there was a lull in the gunfire. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
When Connor changed his magazine, John took the opportunity to move forward. While he had a shot at Connor, he refrained from taking it, because he didn’t know where Ava was being held. As though Connor had been reading his mind, he said, “Better watch shooting in this direction. Wouldn’t want there to be any unintended casualties, would we?” Connor let out a wicked chuckle.
“Cover me,” John said, as he hopped over the low wall he’d been hiding behind. He didn’t get far before more gunfire rained down upon him, this time from the right side. Once again, he dove for cover as he watched Connor move deeper into the building.
“Son of a bitch!” John growled. It seemed like something intervened any time he tried to get closer.
Reams opened fire on the two men that had targeted John from the third floor stairwell. One went down right away amidst screams of pain, while the other made it to cover. Reams laid down suppressive fire to keep the man pinned down as John pushed forward.
“Go after him, John. I got this asshole,” Reams shouted, as he broke from cover and advanced on the man ducking behind an overturned worktable. Round after round from his .308 rifle punched holes in the tabletop. “That’s right! I’m making Swiss cheese in here!”
A moment later, the shooter slumped over as a pool of red oozed out from behind the table. Reams crinkled his nose at the sight of the blood glistening in the lantern light. “Ah, now that’s just nasty,” he added with disgust.
Meanwhile, John continued to press forward, keeping an eye out for signs of Ava as well as any traps Connor might have lying in wait. He was beginning to realize just how much the man prided himself on such things. When he reached the end of the long room, he found another flight of stairs, but it was not readily apparent which way Connor had gone. He listened intently, but there was so much noise echoing through the building that he couldn’t pick out anything that told whether Connor ha
d gone up or down. Another lantern glowed from the third floor landing, while the stair leading down remained dark. Going up felt like he would be walking into an obvious trap, which made him feel fairly certain that was the way Connor had gone. He listened for a second longer before starting up the staircase.
“God, I hate this guy.”
35
When they fled from the fight at the drainage reservoir, Bayani and his men left one of the UTVs behind. In their haste, they hadn’t turned the lights off, so Animal knew the keys were still in it. Even so, Cujo and she didn’t take it.
“The old manufacturing facility isn’t far based on what I saw on Mother’s map. Given the terrain between here and there, we can probably get there just as quick on foot. Without the engine noise, we’ll be able to maintain the element of surprise. Besides, they’re probably expecting us to show up in that thing,” Animal said, pointing at the abandoned vehicle.
Cujo agreed, and the two women set off on foot. They followed the UTV’s tracks until they veered away from the plant, at which time they opted for a shorter, more direct route. Between the darkness and the thick vegetation choking the landscape, maneuvering through the area proved challenging. They pushed themselves as hard as they could, even running when the terrain permitted. Hell-bent on revenge, Animal had little trouble finding the strength to keep going. Her heart was alight with rage; she couldn’t recall ever having been so singularly focused on any one thing in her entire life. Right behind her, Cujo seemed to be riding the same wave.
About forty-five minutes later, the old manufacturing facility came into view. The bright floodlights that peered out of the darkness like giant insect eyes left no doubt that they were in the right place. It was quiet except for the low hum of a distant generator.
“This must be our place,” Animal said breathlessly. “Let’s ease forward and scout it out. I haven’t heard Bayani’s vehicle, so unless they arrived a good bit before us, they haven’t shown up yet.”
Cujo nodded and said, “Those lights aren’t moving, so I assume they’re fixed. At least, I hope they are. That would allow us to remain hidden by moving forward just outside their paths.”
The world around the building appeared black and white to Animal. Everything in the path of the floodlight’s beams was so intensely overexposed that it seemed as though it might burst into flames at any moment. On the other hand, the area outside the beams may as well have been nonexistent. In fact, for all she could see, the world may have ended in a bottomless abyss just beyond the swaths of light. The only gray area existed in between the two beams where a few errant rays from each combined to create a relative darkness that allowed only the most basic visibility.
Visions of an old jailbreak movie flooded Animal’s mind; only, she was the criminal. In her imagination, she was tiptoeing along in the shadows when all of a sudden the big light’s beam swung toward her, highlighting her against the dark world like some giant’s shadow puppet. She pushed the thought out of her mind and decided she would deal with that when, and if, it happened.
“Okay, you skirt along the outside the floodlight’s path, and I’ll head up the middle through the dark area in between the lights. Sound good?” Animal asked. She was thankful that the dazed and apathetic woman that had surfaced after Stack’s death was nowhere to be found when she looked at Cujo’s face.
A second later, the two women were on the move. Unknowingly, Animal was approaching from the same direction that Garza and Kate had. The pile of rubble that had given Garza cover at the start of the firefight was in the path of the big floodlight to her right, which cast everything behind it in deep shadows. For that reason, she didn’t see Kate’s body until she was right on it.
“Oh God, no. Kate,” she said under her breath, even though she hadn’t seen anyone around that might hear her words.
Animal squinted into the darkness but saw no one else: dead or alive. A lone boot lay motionless on the ground near the base of the light ahead of her, but she couldn’t tell whether it was attached to a body. She wondered what, if anything, Cujo was seeing, and she wished she had some way to communicate with the one person she knew was still alive.
Despite seeing no evidence of any human presence, Animal remembered what had just happened at the reservoir, and she knew they could be walking right into another trap. Even so, her entire being wanted to leap up and charge into the building. She needed retribution; it was an insatiable hunger gnawing at her insides. By harnessing her concern and turning it to her advantage, she managed to calm herself and move ahead cautiously. Dressed in black from head to toe, she blended seamlessly with the shadows, leaving little chance of anyone noticing her as she crawled through the darkness.
The sound of several engines drifted in on the wind, growing steadily louder until Animal worried that they might drive right over her. She’d covered less than half the distance to the building when the first UTV’s headlights swept across the area. The other two vehicles appeared moments later, all three approaching fast. When she heard the sound of tires sliding on gravel as the brakes locked the wheels, she knew their effort to reach the plant so quickly had paid off.
A second later, the engines went silent, only to be replaced by the sound of voices and doors slamming. Slowly, Animal turned her head to the side so that she could see the men without raising her head. Panic rose up within her when she couldn’t discern Bayani’s Filipino accent among the jumble of voices she heard. Please tell me he’s with them. He has to be. The UTVs had stopped just beyond the lights, making it difficult to see any details about the men who climbed out of the vehicles. She saw movement and the occasional glow of a cigarette when its owner took a drag. Not him. She made a mental note as she tried to puzzle out which man was the Filipino.
Animal knew she would likely be gunned down as soon as she killed Bayani. She wouldn’t get a second chance, so she had to make sure she got it right. The cigarette flared brightly once again, as a man with a strong country accent began to speak. A bout of coughing from the smoker overlapped the man’s words, confirming that they were two different men. Their movements told her that a third man was in between them. She knew at least three men had escaped, as they’d left in three vehicles. While she knew there could be more, she was debating whether to take her chances that the man in the middle was Bayani when she heard his unmistakable accent.
Despite the inky blackness and glaring white lights, Animal saw only red. The man who’d killed her friend and partner in the apocalypse was less than fifteen yards away. Although she generally detested firearms, she would’ve taken one right then if she could have killed him with it. One thing was absolutely certain in her mind: Bayani Lumaban was going to die, one way or another. She would tear his heart out with her bare hands if that were what it took.
Animal sprang to her feet with the grace of a predatory cat and was racing toward the men the instant she hit the ground. Despite her impressive speed, she was virtually silent as she ran full tilt. The shadows that existed between the two floodlights kept her concealed until she was within ten feet of the men. Up to that point, she’d blended indistinguishably with the darkness. By the time she emerged into the light, it was already too late.
Animal was a blur as she covered the short distance to where Bayani stood. None of the men with the Filipino had time to process what was happening, much less react to it. Bayani’s senses were keener, however, and he detected her presence a moment before she attacked. Turning, he locked eyes with Animal and immediately wished he hadn’t. He would’ve far preferred never to see the fury that was coming for him. With her brush tool raised menacingly overhead, she let out a terrifying howl and launched herself into the air.
In that split second, Bayani’s mind faltered. Instead of defending or evading her attack, the piercing shriek triggered memories of his Filipino grandmother warning him about the WakWak when he was a child. A shape-shifting monster of Filipino lore, the WakWak was a winged creature of the night that screeched as it
hunted and fed on the hearts of men. The stories that had crippled him with fear so many years ago did so once again—only this time, he had reason to be afraid.
The savage blade slammed into Bayani’s chest, glancing off the bone before slipping between his ribs. It sank deeply with Animal’s full weight behind it. As though just realizing he was being attacked, Bayani began to struggle against her, but it was no use. She clung to him, following him to the ground as he collapsed. In a single violent motion, she wrenched the blade to the side as she yanked it from his chest. There was a sound like air being sucked through water, though she had no delusions about what it really was. Blood gurgled out of the hole in spurts that grew weaker with each heartbeat.
Animal had been expecting the stinging pain of bullets to tear through her body at any moment, so she wasn’t surprised to hear shots ring out a second later. When the only thing she felt was the spray of blood on her face, however, she looked up in confusion. This only intensified when she saw the other men drop to the ground. It wasn’t until Cujo and Lydia emerged from the darkness that the situation began to make sense.
Everything had happened so quickly that Animal hadn’t had time to consider how she’d feel once she had her revenge. She still didn’t know the answer to that question, and she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to find out.
Animal watched with morbid fascination as the life faded from Bayani’s eyes. When he tried to speak, she covered his mouth with her hand. “Shhh…don’t ruin this moment,” she said.
Bayani stared at her with confusion and couldn’t help but wonder if she was indeed a WakWak like his grandmother had spoken of. The monster that had flown through the air to take his life had been ugly and vile, but the woman above him now was warm and beautiful. Although it didn’t seem possible, he knew on some level that they were one in the same—part angel and part devil.
With his final breath at hand, his thoughts turned introspective and he reflected on what he’d become. At that moment, he knew with absolute certainty that his actions had brought the demon down upon him.