by Greg Ramsay
John nodded before passing in front of her. “I found a series of codes in an unlocked safe up in the tower.” He pulled a few pieces of paper from his pocket then started typing. “The first opened the bunker floor for us, so it stands to reason that... Perfect!”
The passcode screen cleared and the group found themselves faced with options. There were supply lists, data on nearby bases, status reports on supply bunker systems, and the option to open the bunker’s sealed secondary door. Steele clicked for the secondary door to open before closing down the terminal. The panels quietly slid open, revealing another staircase. Grant took point again with the others following behind him.
Grimacing slightly, Grant stopped abruptly after only taking a few steps. “I think I found the missing man. Judging by his tag, his name’s Major Dave Hayes.” Grant descended a few more steps to allow Steele to see the Major. She looked down at him, sitting on the stairs with a note in one hand and a pistol in the other. Steele didn’t need to see the dried blood trailing down from his temple to know what happened; she unclenched his hand that held the note, unfolding it so she could read what it said.
“No one has deactivated this damn alarm in what feels like months. It’s all I can hear besides my own thoughts in this damn place. I’ve been without water for days. I’ve long since used up what was stored here and without water I can’t eat the powdered food packets. The damn sink stopped working. To compound all that there is no contact from the outside, despite multiple attempts. I certainly don’t have to guess why. I know they’re all dead. Let the record show the men here fought bravely to hold the line while this position was locked down. I can only hope others survive this madness, whatever it is, and save others. Well, the dead aren’t going to let me out and I don’t think anyone else is coming or they would’ve already. What a joke, dying to protect the wasted things of a world long gone. This is Major Hayes signing off.”
A few drops of the Major’s blood had fallen from his wound onto the note, marking the page like a final signature.
Steele placed his final words back with his corpse, then saluted him. She turned away. “Ok, let’s keep moving.”
Grant continued to descend the long stairway, and the others followed.
“What do you think he was guarding?” Lia asked.
“I suppose we’ll know soon enough,” Steele replied.
Lia noticed scraps of paper sticking out from his jacket pocket; she pulled them free to reveal more codes. Handing them to John, she waited while he compared them.
“It looks like he left a set behind so someone could free him... but...” He looked slightly confused.
Grant gave him an irritated look, “But what?”
John looked at him, “These codes don’t match.”
Black shrugged. “They’re probably to re-open the entrance from the inside.”
John considered her words as they descended concrete steps deeper below the bunker. The stairway looked to have been carved from the concrete after it was poured. He turned to her, his face reflecting concentration that was made apparent by the fluorescent light from recesses above them. “I haven’t seen a terminal yet, but I suppose it’s possible. Although it doesn’t make sense that his codes wouldn’t work.”
Just as he finished saying that, they heard quiet whirring above them. Black turned instantly and ran back in time to see their way in close completely. Faintly she thought she could hear similar activity from the entrance in the bunker itself. Lia and the others joined Black’s efforts to find a way out, but they found nothing. Enraged Black struck the wall, cursing on impact.
“Great...” Steele said sarcastically. “What now?” Grant hung his arms at his sides sighing.
John’s face creased in exasperation; he put his hand to his chin. “Well I guess that explains how the Major got trapped.”
Black gave him a venomous look. “Ya don’t say?”
Steele raised her hand in gentle intervention. “The doors are probably on a timer. Either way it doesn’t matter. We have the codes, the Major didn’t. I’m sure there’s a way out. And if there isn’t we’ll just have Lia blow the door open.” Steele looked at Lia questioningly.
Lia smiled. “Sure thing.”
Black didn’t seem relaxed by Steele’s plan, but she didn’t protest; instead she quietly followed the others as they continued deeper underground. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found themselves faced with a large plain concrete room filled with boxes and what looked like missiles of some type. Metal crates sat against the wall beside the entrance. Steele opened one that had been disturbed; it was filled with canned food and food packets. Letting the container lid drop, Steele noticed empty water jugs left in another slightly opened crate. Meanwhile Lia was wandering around the various armaments stashed in the space. Freezing abruptly her jaw dropped.
“Hey guys, get over here!” she called out.
The others jogged over curious, their reactions at what they saw were variations of shock and awe. Before them sat racks of missiles attached to warheads marked with the nuclear symbol. Steele’s hand clenched in a fist.
“This place was a storage facility for nukes?” Grant looked at her. “I had no idea this place existed...but of course that’s the point.”
Steele laughed. “Dying to protect the wasted things of a world long gone... So he must’ve had some idea what was going on, yet he still came down here to secure these.” Lia touched her shoulder reassuringly.
“No doubt he was just following orders. Who knows what would happen if bandits or similar found this place. It’s impossible to say if he knew whether it was hopeless for sure, despite his realization at the end.” Steele nodded.
“You’re right. I don’t fault him; it just seems like such a waste of life. It’s not like shifted can transport and launch nukes.”
Lia shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do for him or his men now; all we can do is focus on getting out of here.”
John surveyed the weapons quietly with his arms crossed then added, “I wonder if the soldiers here knew what they were guarding.”
Grant laughed. “I doubt it, odds are only the Major had any real idea. Hence why he had the codes.”
Black joined in, “Ya, they probably knew they were guarding something important but weren’t privy to the exact details of what it was. Need to know and all that jazz. She said the last line with a hint of sarcasm.
Lia looked around with renewed interest. “At least with them being here we know for sure there’s a sizeable exit nearby so they can be shipped out.”
Steele recomposed herself. “Good thinking, Lia. Everyone keep an eye out for terminals; they’ll be our way out.”
The group made their way through the complex, taking a while just to get to the presumed back of the space. Eventually they got close enough to see the entire back wall was a giant mechanical door with huge metal arms holding each side together. Lia found one terminal to one side then gestured for John. He passed her a set of codes before heading to the other side. They each entered their respective codes, then with the press of a button on each panel, the doors began to open with a smooth quietness that surprised Lia. As the giant arms finished pulling the doors into large recesses, a large paved tunnel was revealed that stretched forward past a point she could discern. The others joined Lia following the road; eventually they came up on a set of doors.
After having to rearrange codes a few times, they got both doors to open; one branched off back toward the second parking lot. The main road led out of the base directly; both had been expertly disguised as part of rocky outcroppings near the base. Lia and the others made the long walk back to their vehicles. Lia greeted her passengers, who had luckily been left alone judging by the fact they were cuddled up sleeping together. Smiling, she started the vehicle just as Steele’s voice came over the CB radio, “Black and Grant, take the Jeep into the storage area; Lia follow me in, and we’ll grab what we can take.” Lia heard the Jeep start, followed b
y Steele’s Hummer.
The Jeep drove down the short road into the supply area; Steele pulled in behind with Lia following. Black pulled up beside one of the fuel stations; she and Grant got out, and began to fill up the empty containers in the trailer. Steele pulled up beside the arms closet, and Lia drove up beside her. They both got out. Steele tried the door on a dark metal closet at one side of the room, but it wouldn’t budge; it was barred by a keypad lock. Lia drew her kynari, filling the blade tip with her crimson energy, focusing the energy into a keen blade that sliced through the lock in one swing. She let her kynari’s energy dissipate harmlessly while holding the glowing damaged door open like a valet for Steele. Steele just shook her head, smiling. The space was large enough to step inside if one was so inclined. Lia propped the door open with a combat boot she found inside, then walked back to open the back hatches of their vehicles. Steele began tossing weapon magazines, and grenades into her Hummer. Once she had taken all the ammunition compatible with their assorted weapons, she walked out of the arms closet with a satisfied smile. Lia got in her Hummer; Steele got in hers, then they drove closer to the food bins. They loaded their vehicles with as much food as would fit and drove up beside Black and Grant.
“You guys filled up?” Steele asked.
“Ya, we’re good to go,” Grant replied.
“Ok,” Steele said. “Go get Marks so he can fix the water basin over there. Steele pointed to a single sink hooked to a pump with a toilet stall beside it. Black started the Jeep and drove up the short exit road to get John. After a few minutes, she returned with John. When John walked over to Steele, she asked, “Would you be able to fix that pump over there so we can fill our water reserves?”
John said, “I’ll try.” He walked over to the basin, looked at the pump, made a few quick adjustments with some tools he’d brought from the Jeep, and turned on the sink. He walked back calmly. “Needed some tweaking, that’s all.”
Steele grinned. “Well done.”
Lia watched as Black began unloading water jugs of various sizes. There were ten huge water cooler sized jugs as well as a few smaller containers. She grabbed two of the larger jugs herself. Grant passed her a hose and tape to attach to the basin; Lia nodded in acknowledgement. Quickly she began filling the containers; each one she filled she passed to Grant for loading while Black kept watch. Steele and Marks focused on scrounging up any other supplies they might need. Once the main water supply was filled, everyone filled their own water bottles. Lia filled a bottle for Tory, took it to her then helped finish load the Jeep. Once the vehicles were restocked they were ready to continue. In minutes, they left the military base behind them, travelling toward Omaha as night began to draw closer.
Steele’s voice came over the CB radio, “We’re not far from Omaha city; we should be able to get there before it gets pitch black.”
Lia radioed back, “I’m glad that base was provisioned for prolonged lockdown.”
John radioed back, “It certainly was convenient, hopefully we can find another like it later.”
The convoy travelled quickly down main roads, slowing only when the road was barred by abandoned vehicles. In what seemed like little time, Lia saw the Omaha City sign in the distance. The sky grew increasingly dim as the sun sunk behind the moon. All that remained of its light was the pale glow cast off the moon into the wispy clouds.
Lia grabbed her microphone. “There’s a barren stretch of desert to the left of the sign. Would it be less risky and easier to monitor if we were to set up camp there?”
Steele replied, “You’re right, the shifted will be prowling all over the buildings if they’re in the city. Alright, set up a tight circular formation in the field, set up night scanners, and monitor in shifts of two. Black and Grant, you two are on first shift; Marks and I will take second. Lia, you can do a solo shift after us with Wanderer.”
“Ok,” Lia responded, then asked, “What did you mean by night scanners?”
“Black and Grant are setting up night vision cameras that are wired to motion sensors. If a shifted comes within fifty feet of the set perimeter, an alarm will sound in the Jeep and alert the team on shift.”
“That’s a fancy setup,” Lia said.
“Yes, it’s served us well. Does everybody know their job?”
Everyone acknowledged their roles so Steele put her microphone on her dashboard, quickly falling asleep. The Jeep was parked in the centre of a tight vehicle formation. Its interior lights were off allowing its occupants to be bathed in the dim glow emitting from its dashboard. Black watched a laptop’s screen partitioned into screens for each of the rear cameras. Grant sat beside her in the passenger seat monitoring the forward-facing cameras as well as two smaller partitions representing the feed from the side cameras. The laptops were both wired directly through to the Jeep’s battery through vehicle adapters; each had secondary batteries ready in the back seat. The laptops ran only to receive the cameras’ feeds so they weren’t too taxing on the system. The dim screens showed nothing more than an empty expansive field, Omaha City’s buildings in the distance, and the occasional dust cloud blow by in the wind.
Grant asked Black, “Do you think we’ll find somewhere liveable this time?”
Black grimaced. “I don’t bother with such fantasies. It’d be nice, but it’s highly unlikely. At least if we stick together, we can make do anywhere.” She shrugged dismissively. “Look at Lia and Steele; those two alone have enough spunk to take out hordes of shifted.”
Grant smiled. “Yes, indeed they do, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Captain so impressed by a newbie.”
Black laughed. “Lia kicked her ass!” They both laughed, the mood lightened slightly despite the eerie emptiness from the camera feeds.
Grant turned serious again. “Nice to see you warming up to Lia a bit, but what do you think would happen to us if the Captain or Lia went down?”
Black gave him her venomous look. “Don’t even bother thinking something like that!” Grant flinched. Black continued bluntly, “If something happened to one of us, the others would continue on. That is what we all must do, and what we’re trained to do. We’re all more than capable of handling ourselves; we don’t need to rely on either of them.”
Grant nodded in acknowledgement, then grimaced slightly. “Those alphas are an issue though...”
Black shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, what we can’t kill we’ll just avoid. It’s not like we have to deal with them anyway. Our mission is over.”
Grant shifted slightly in his seat. “So, what’ll you do when we do find a place to call home?”
Black shrugged. “Continue as I have been, guard it, help keep us fed and live content in the repetition.”
Grant smiled slightly. “Guess that’s all there is left anymore. It’d be nice to have a garden so we can grow a future rather than just rely on disgusting stored stuff.”
Black smiled back. “Ya, no kidding...” she looked lost in thought for a brief moment. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see; for now, all we can do is worry about things day by day.”
Grant looked at her, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Do you ever wonder about your family, people you know... Do you think anyone else made it?”
Black’s expression went from somber to angry almost immediately. “There’s no point thinking about that and you know it!”
Grant sighed, “Yeah I know...” Black calmed slightly.
“We’ve all been through this. We have to hold our own and take things as they come; distractions like that are unhelpful.”
Grant turned away noticing her frustrated expression, instead feigning complete focus on the screens. He wasn’t neglecting his duty by any means, but he couldn’t help feeling sad as well as a little yearning he dare not express. A strange mix for sure, but not one he was unfamiliar with.
Black sat grimly eyeing her screens trying to stop herself from thinking. The calm darkness outside did nothing to help her. As vividly as the day it happened, she foun
d herself seeing it again. Her boyfriend Michael sitting calmly beside her in the base’s Humvee telling some silly story from one of his old tour buddies as they drove back to turn in for the night. She couldn’t remember what it was about, just the same old thing really. Suddenly there was the blaring horn and screaming again; she could remember seeing the woman’s car crash into an apartment complex with one of the shifted crushing its hood as it tore through to her. Ever responsive, Michael twisted himself into position holding his rifle out the window and fired into the creature just below its neck. The creature collapsed off the roof of the car to the side shaking. Black remembered turning to him shocked, aware of the eerie feeling she felt in her gut. He reached for the door handle while pulling his rifle in. WAIT she screamed in her dream; he turned just enough to flash a quick smile before he was on his way to the woman. It was too late. A crashing from above announced another shifted’s presence on their Humvee from a nearby building.
Before he could react, a giant clawed hand flew down and ripped him out of the vehicle. In what seemed like an instant, he was thrown clear across the road into a building. Black grabbed the radio, quickly radioing on the base’s channel, “Backup 202nd street!” She tossed the mike then dove from the Humvee. Falling on her back, gun at the ready, she fired into the creature that had just buried its claws into the roof, her rifle tearing its face apart. As the creature fell, she rolled to her feet then turned toward Michael, seeing him lying in the dirt face down. She ran to him cradling him in her arms. He was badly torn up by glass and jagged metal, but still breathing. He grabbed her arm. “No worries, just a good dose of adrenaline.”
Even through the dirt and blood she could see him smile. His rifle was jammed against him still attached by its strap. She feigned anger. “I’m not worried, I’m pissed off. What are you still doing lying there?” He laughed at her, coughing as he rose. She looked around, more were coming in the distance. The woman got out of her car trying to run from them. Black yelled for her to move out of the way, but she didn’t hear. Aiming down her sights, she waited anxiously for a clear shot of the shifted behind the woman, but she obscured it. Michael calmly picked off a few others that were drawing closer. Unfortunately, the noise of their weapons masked the sound of more slowly climbing down the side of a building behind them. Unaware, Black continued to wait for a clear shot, but time was out and, in what seemed like a second, the creature was behind the woman. Black fired into its head just as it rammed its clawed hand through her back, pinning her under its body when it fell forward.