by Jesse Gagnon
“On the second floor, make a right as you exit the stairwell. Five doors down you will meet Luke O’Donnell. He has red hair, a thick beard and most likely wearing a suit.”
“Will do.”
“He’ll provide you access to the armory. Take anything you need. Might I suggest the crossbow? We’ve made a few modifications to it that I think you’ll like. After you load up on weapons Luke will direct you to your next location.”
“Sounds good, I’ll gather my team and meet with Luke.”
“And Mario, be safe. You and your team are invaluable to our future success. If it doesn’t seem right, don’t take the chance.”
“Got it.”
Mario collected supplies he needed for the mission, packed them in his rucksack and exited his room in only a few minutes. He hesitated and listened beyond John and Savanna’s door for noises. When he heard nothing, he knocked on the door. In seconds the door opened. Savanna was sitting on a large duffel bag full of women’s apparel and a waft of fish guts slammed into Mario’s face.
“Oh, Jesus! That’s strong.” Mario gasped while wincing. John came from behind the door applying more of the masking agent like it was aftershave. He offered some to Mario.
“Want Some?”
“No, no I’m good. Thank you.”
“Your funeral Mario.”
“Have you thought that too much could be a bad thing?”
“Naw, the less I smell like a man, the safer I am. And if I can hide everyone else’s presence with my fishy musk then so be it.” He raised his right arm, smelled his armpit and appeared satisfied with the result.
“So what’s with all the clothes?”
“It’s for Taliah. Donations were given to me to give to her. Her story is all over the place. She’s famous.” Savanna answered, rolled off of the bag, misjudged the length of the bed and fell off clumsily with a thud. “I’m okay.” She squealed and pulled herself to her feet. Mario tried not to laugh. John didn’t try at all. She glowered at him.
“Well it’s a good thing the full story was left out. Simon must have tailored the information to say enough without completely revealing her business. He’s a good politician.”
“He’s more than that. He was a damned good Highwayman.” Jason added while approaching the group. He shook John’s hand and Savanna ran in to hug him.
“Jason Stone.” He shook Mario’s hand. “Don’t want you guys to have all the fun.” He smiled and tried to peel Savanna off of him.
“Giselle told me to octopus hug you when I see you.” She giggled still trying to cling onto Jason while adding her legs and weaving them between his legs.
“Did she now? Did she tell you about wet willies?” Jason slobbered on his pinky finger, stuck it in Savanna’s left ear and twisted it around.
“Aww, gross.” Savanna shouted and pushed him away while swatting his hand away from her ear.
“Want another hug?” Jason laughed followed by a sigh. “Masking agent brings back memories.”
“I’d try to forget that.” Mario added.
“Here, I figured that we could use these too.” Jason pulled his backpack over his shoulders and placed the bag on the ground in front of him. He unzipped it revealing over thirty improvised grenades.
“My man.” John exclaimed. He slapped Jason on the back, removed one from the bag and inspected it thoroughly.
“You made these? There are different types. Which is which?” Mario asked as he inspected the bag’s contents intently.
“Got your noisemakers, frags and blinders.” John declared while pointing out each type in the bag.
“Yup.” Jason agreed.
“I like this guy.” Mario smiled and patted Jason on the shoulder.
“I got more tricks.” Jason raised an eyebrow and flashed a charming grin.
“I look forward to finding out. Let’s go see what they have for us at the armory.”
Mario led the three to the armory where they greeted a scraggly haired and bearded ginger who was waiting patiently in front of the armory standing with good posture and his arms crossed. He was wearing a nice black suit that was different than the last one Jason saw him wearing. Luke invited them inside and they outfitted themselves with as much firepower as they could carry.
Mario took the crossbow that was altered to be able to shoot three bolts at the same time or semi-automatically. It had three highly tensed bows with a three finger trigger that could be pulled individually or all at the same time. His quiver could auto-compress as bolts were removed. Over three hundred were inside. Fifty were made available on the front of the belt already fixed with random assortment of bolt heads. The red ones were point detonating high explosive tips. The green ones were contact injecting poison tips. The blue ones were dull concussive tips. The yellow ones provided a 500 volt/50 amp shock while the silver sharp tipped heads were normal penetrating tips. About eighty percent of the tips were silver tips. Each bow provided a 50 lb. draw. It almost drew a tear from Mario’s eye. He attached the belt and situated the quiver to his right where he could retrieve the tip-less bolts easily with his left hand. The extra tips were in a foam cutout case that had each type arranged by color. He kept it in his pack. Mario couldn’t wait to use his new weapon.
They exited the armory ready for war. Luke shook their hands and wished them luck. He directed them to the basement and secured the armory. He contacted Simon to let him know what was taken and that the team was headed for the tunnels.
Mario and the group took the stairs down to the B3 level. Once he opened the door he was interrogated by armed guards. Each team member was visually inspected. Their faces were compared to the photos sent to their access list only five minutes ago. Jason wasn’t on the list but was known by the guards. A short explanation and crosscheck with Simon over the phone verified his credentials.
The guards waved the group towards several more armed guards who carried M-16 rifles and a pistol sidearm. They unlocked a door that opened up to an access tunnel. The door was heavy and was made of two feet thick solid steel. The tunnel they were in connected with several other buildings with similar armed guards defending other underground entrance doors. Mario’s mission led the group to a maintenance tunnel that gained them access to a small power grid which was the bottom floor of a high rise nearby. Mario knocked on the door and waited in front of the security camera and several locks were disengaged shortly thereafter. The door opened and the group entered the building. More armed guards were inside near the door while the majority was posted up at each window that overlooked the streets outside. One door exited the power grid floor into an alley between buildings. A security camera determined the alley was clear and the guards quickly guided Mario and his team outside.
The moment the door opened the aroma of the dead and of the Azrael scent, carrying in the breeze that funneled between the buildings, brought a grimace on Mario’s face.
“Never get used to their smell.” Mario stated while covering his nose and mouth.
“I don’t think we should ever get used to that smell. They mark the end of civilization as we know it. We can’t rebuild until that smell…” Jason waved his hand in the air as if dismissing something. “is gone.”
“Well said Jason.” John agreed and added. “Fuck the Azrael.”
Chapter 7
The Alpha
The morning breeze grazed David’s face, awoke him from sleep and brought him back to his world. His body had been hunting throughout the night. The sweet stench of fresh turners excited his senses. Stanley and Cooper were at his side as usual. There was still a vague familiarity about them that he couldn’t quite remember. He’s been an Azrael for as long as he could remember. He enjoyed the hunt, the challenge and the victory in the kill. His two companions were both gifted trackers that were invaluable to his herd. They were not a large group. They had exactly enough to get the job done.
Movement in the weeds beyond the open field he was moving in caught his attention. He listened c
losely as his body lowered its posture and the herd followed suit. A group of ten armed humans waded through the weeds low and at alert. Their slow heartbeats and human musk wasn’t hidden well behind the mud, grass and leaves that covered them. He could taste the fear in the air and smiled. The hunt begins.
His body grunted softly urging the fresh turners to move in slowly towards the front. As if given an exact command the Azrael remained low and pushed through the field slowly towards the men. David’s body grunted at Cooper and Stanley. The two massive Azrael eased stealthily towards the rear of the men in hopes to pick them apart from behind. David waited and watched as his body orchestrated an intricate hunt. The only thing he loved more than hunting men was hunting the Azrael defects that abandoned the herds. There is no place in his world for such creatures. Thinking about defects reminded him of the one that mocked him across the river. That piece of shit stood beyond his reach taunting him to approach. He remembered his face and size. He was about the same size as his own body. The aroma of the defect carried in the wind that day urged his herd to leap into the river. David remembered one of his finest being swept away by the current. That dumb fuck.
Voices of men enticed his mind. They appeared unaware of his herd. The wind blew towards the south and the men moved east to west. Heartbeats quickened among the men.
“Azrael!” A man yelled out and bright flashes from their weapons lit up the landscape. Their shots were on target, tearing through the fresh turners. Unfortunately for the men, it was too late. Five of them had been pulled away from behind and bitten during the gunfight.
“Johnson? Forrest?” A man attempted to whisper as if his presence wasn’t already known.
David’s body moved forward slowly as the men left alive searched for their missing allies. He could smell their bodies, felt them become a part of his group. He continued his approach.
The once human soldiers that were extracted from the group became a part of the hunt and no longer the hunted. They moved towards the men being led by a link of the virus through pheromones released by David, the Alpha.
“Forrest! Is that you? What the fuck are you doing?” The man whispered. Forrest’s body moved towards them slowly. The others were behind him.
“Shit. Where did you go?” The men lowered their guard and their weapons. The fresh turners hurried and lunged at the men. All were bitten into except the talker. He fled towards David completely unaware of his presence.
David’s body waited for the man to get close. The massive aroma of fear in the air moved towards him. Saliva in his mouth increased causing it to ooze out increasing the chance to infect. The man turned around and shot towards his ex-comrades. David stood up right behind the man and as he turned he was grabbed by the throat with one hand as David’s other hand knocked away the man’s weapon effortlessly. He lifted him off of the ground. The man grabbed at his throat with both hands in attempt to pry David’s grip. It was no use. He kicked his legs wildly and gurgled when David’s fingers dug into his throat. David gazed into the man’s eyes. His body knew that it needed to feed. It had evolved to survive in the wild. He snapped the man’s neck, killing him and making his body incapable of accepting the virus. David fed on the corpse until satisfied. He dragged the remains to Stanley and Cooper. The two consumed the corpse to the bone. The others will only feed during the attack. They were expendable. David knew it and so did his body.
The excitement of the hunt waned and their bodies were fed. David’s mission was now back in play. Cooper found the defect’s trail once more and continued his pursuit. David will not be mocked or let an Azrael choose its own fate.
Chapter 8
Ethan’s Survival
The aroma of fertilizer, pig shit and dead bodies overwhelmed Ethan as he awoke. In the home team locker room of Soldier Field Ethan hid among livestock in hopes to hide his scent. He’d never seen them attack animals so he thought that it would be safe. The pigs grew accustomed to his presence and pushed their snouts into his crotch and hand for attention while grunting at him.
“Shhh, still not sure if it’s safe.” He stood up slowly surveying everywhere and wondered how he got himself in this situation.
The day before Ethan snuck off to Soldier Field even though he was told that he was on bed rest for a few weeks to treat his dehydration and diabetes. No one was even watching him. He heard some residents of the medical housing facility talking about The Taste of Chicago Revival at Soldier Field and thought it would be an awesome event to see. He hadn’t been to one in a few years and missed the days of normality, when you could expect it every year. He wasn’t necessarily proud of stealing rations from his neighboring residents but he knew that he couldn’t afford the price of the tickets.
He entered Soldier Field in awe of the size as he walked onto the field where tents and vendors were offering differing selections of food. The stadium seemed larger from the field.
He thought about the Bears and how many times he came to see them play. He wondered how many players, if any, were still alive today. He noticed the locker room and decided to sneak around security and check it out. He wasn’t expecting to see a pen of pigs and chickens in there. It made sense since there would never be a professional football game played there ever again. The world was different now. Playing games would get you killed. After investigating the farm locker room for a few minutes he was disinterested and began to head out to the field once more.
Suddenly, gun shots popped off behind the walls of the stadium. He heard lots of yelling and widespread panic as the patrons partaking in The Taste pushed towards the entrance of the stadium. Ethan ran out onto the field and witnessed people biting each other. He knew what was happening and retreated back into the locker room. He slipped in pig shit and landed face first in it, got up without pause and hid in a locker in a dark corner. He didn’t care about the pig shit, he needed to hide. He waited for the Azrael to come for him. After a few hours, he heard nothing but the pigs grunting and chickens clucking.
Ethan fell asleep in the corner of the pen and cuddled with a mother pig that was lying on its side feeding piglets. They didn’t mind his company, accepting him as one of their own smelling like pig feces.
He slept for twelve hours and was awoken by a raspy shriek in the stadium. It was remarkably close to the locker room. He heard several footsteps approaching his location. He knew he’d been found. The aroma of Azrael gradually entered the stagnant air. He curled into the fetal position and held onto the mamma pig. The pigs began to squeal and stir as the Azrael approached. A loud explosion on the outside of the stadium caught their attention. Their heads sat up and they sprinted out of the locker room and away.
He didn’t know if they would come back or what that explosion meant. He was too afraid to move and eventually fell asleep again.
Ethan awoke and was nudged by the pigs to get up. “Shhh, still not sure if it’s safe.” Ethan whispered and carefully stood up so he wouldn’t slip in the poop again that littered the ground and polluted the air. Pig crap was dried up on his face. He faintly smelled anything else. He exited the locker room and walked out onto the field. Tents were knocked over, food jars and boxes were scattered about. Birds were feeding on scraps that cluttered the green field. They took flight as Ethan neared them. Blood stained everywhere and in everything. As he approached the entrance, the smell of corpses hit his nose. He noticed a candy bar vendor nearby that had its products tipped over spilling out under the table it had been on. He looted as many as he could stuff in his pockets. He located a backpack nearby, emptied its contents and stuffed as much candy inside as possible. He also found a case of water bottles and tossed six in his bag. He flung it around to his back and slipped his arms through. The weight of it put a slight strain on his shoulders.
He unwrapped a candy bar and ate it without pause. It tasted weird but his senses were kind of off due to the cesspool of aromas in the air. He walked towards the entrance. Trampled corpses provided the foulest odor that lingered
in the area. Flies circled the carcasses motivated from the odor that loitered. Their faces were buried into the ground and their skulls were crushed revealing an assortment of bone, blood and brain that spread for several feet around the head. Their bodies were distorted from multiple breaks and severe compression from a massive mob that inadvertently flattened them while fleeing the stadium. Ethan turned away while holding his breath and focused his attention on getting out of the stadium alive.
More trampled corpses were strewn about outside and accompanied stains of blood. Hundreds of bodies were shredded from gunfire from either the fifty caliber guns on the HUMVEES or the military issue rifles on the ground. He picked one up and inspected it. He didn’t know anything about guns besides what he learned playing first person shooter video games. He found the switch that said SAFE, SEMI AUTO and AUTO. He left it on SAFE. He pushed and pulled other buttons and switches. He had no clue what they did. The last button he pushed dropped the magazine to the ground. He reached down to pick it up and noticed that it was empty. He inspected the inside of the weapon while pulling back a metal flap and it was empty. He scanned the ground for more magazines and found none. He dropped the useless weapon and started heading for the building he was supposed to be sleeping in.
He headed north and the streets were quiet and an aroma of death carried in the brisk Chicago breeze. An occasional headless body littered the landscape blown off by some high powered rifle. Ethan used to watch snuff films with his buddies a few years back. You could find anything on the internet. He recognized the same result from those films using high powered rifles. It made him think about who did the shooting. He stopped and examined the buildings ahead. The high-rise top floors offered excellent sniper coverage. He proceeded with caution hoping he wouldn’t be mistaken for one of the Azrael. He emptied his left pocket of the last candy bar in it. He unwrapped it, noticed that it started to melt already and he shoved it in his mouth whilst licking the wrapper of the melted chocolate left behind. He smiled at his luck that he found such a large supply of candy bars. However, he didn’t bother to read the label and when his stomach started to grumble he knew that he had made a mistake. He inspected the label that he just licked clean. They were stool softener regulator bars called Regulators. He felt the push on his bowels immediately, closed his thighs and lowered his posture.