Containment_A Zombie Novel

by B. A. Hippsley

  There was an ominous air to that last remark; it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “Why? What makes you say that?”

  “I turned out all those freaks you made. They ought to be heading onto Main Street.”

  “You moron! Do you know what the hell you’ve done?”

  “Just give me that damn stuff you lousy broad, or I’m gonna start slicing bits off!”

  She looked down to see Branigan holding a large brass-handled hunting knife at her stomach.

  Chapter – Twenty-Six

  King loaded his second ammo clip into his pistol, cocked the 9mm and stepped over the dead creatures at his feet. That had been close – too close. He looked down at the grotesque, misshapen bodies. The whole base was filled with the pungent smell of burning. Far stronger was the reek of rotting, burnt human flesh. It smelled like a garbage dump, a human garbage dump.

  As he continued, he scanned the surrounding area with night vision gear. Crumpled bodies and various pieces of rubbish littered the floor. King walked a few yards, then stopped to check his GPS from the corridor number attached to the wall. He smiled, then resumed his progress until he came across a large metal door marked ‘Medical Research’. Light flooded into the corridor and he darted forward, pulling the door closed behind him. The last thing he wanted was another run in with the creatures; he’d been lucky last time.

  He removed his night vision gear, feeling helpless as his eyes adjusted to the harsh light. He was in a tight enclosure with several small rooms built into the rock face. He made his way towards a room marked ‘Restricted Area’. Cautiously, King pulled open the door and went inside.

  Two rows of six blank computers occupied the gloomy room. His eyes systematically searched the confined space. King caught sight of a green power light blinking at the far end of the room. His footsteps echoed over the wooden floor as he walked to the source of his curiosity. Two blank VDU’s sat on a separate table just to the left of a metal door. King clicked on the standby switch and was surprised to see information being downloaded onto a USB pen. He stared intently at the screen. Why would some random computer be powered up and downloading onto a pen drive? Intrigued, he reached over to the gadget.

  “Please don’t. It hasn’t finished yet.”

  King whirled around, ready to confront the cause of the sudden interruption.

  “Out! Where I can see you,” he ordered, aiming his pistol at the desk to his right.

  A small, timid man in a dirty lab coat emerged from underneath the table; he stood a few feet from King, bathed in the light from the VDU’s.

  “And who might you be?”

  “Hasslein. Dr Hasslein, head of Research Amendment,” the little man uttered, fearfully.

  “Where’s Tellermine?” King snapped back.

  “He... he ran out on us; left us all to die.”

  “Taking all the research with him...” King sent a savage kick to the table, sending it crashing onto its side. Hasslein winced and moved back at the outburst. “But it won’t do him any good, not without my amended notes.”

  King lowered his pistol and advanced on the terrified man. “Why not?”

  “He only took part one of the material. The part that creates the mutations.”

  Hasslein clasped his hands together, almost gleefully. “He needs part two – the amended research – and without that, he has nothing.”

  King pointed to the pen drive. “And all that is on this USB?”

  It took the man a few moments before he replied. “Yes. I managed to save almost all the data.”

  He checked the download progress, smiled, then ejected the stick. “This will give us a way to redress the virus.”

  King holstered his pistol. His eyes bored into the other man. “You’re telling me you have a cure for this chaos?”

  Hasslein took his glasses off, rubbing them on his coat. “As soon as I can re-assemble the data, yes, this will cure the infection.”

  “What do you mean re-assemble? You either got a cure or you don’t.”

  King strode across to Hasslein, forcing him back against the wall.

  “Well maybe not quite ready – it’s very complicated, you know.”

  King reached over and slowly, deliberately, straightened the man’s tie, while staring directly into his eyes.

  “It’s been my experience that things are never as complicated as you think they are. Things are or things are not. Now, I’m gonna ask you the same question, but you’d better have a different answer this time.” He stepped back and gave Hasslein a menacing smile.

  “The data is fragmented, disjointed, like a jigsaw.” He held the pen drive up to the light, reflecting its shiny metal casing. “It’s all here, but it needs to be assembled.”

  “And you would be the only one to do this, right?”

  “There are two others who could do it but…”

  “Where are they?” King’s voice took an animated edge as he pressed for information.

  “Through there.” Hasslein indicated to the door behind King. King waved his arm at the door. “More for the party.”

  Hasslein opened the door, allowing Peel and Thornson into the room.

  “Thank God! Are you the rescue party?” Thornson turned from King to look at Hasslein uncertainly.

  “Rescue party? Oh yeah, that would be me,” said King, smiling at the others.

  “Are you the only one?” Peel asked, stepping up to King.

  “This is Doctor Lynda Peel and Doctor Thornson, two of my research associates.”

  “Are you the only one here Mr...?”

  King looked right through the woman as if she wasn’t even there. There was an uncomfortable silence.

  “How’d this place get in such a mess?”

  “After the first fire, Tellermine became paranoid; thought there was a spy down here.”

  Peel took up the story. “One of the holding pens was breached. When the first test subject made it to the surface, Tellermine thought they’d shut him down. We think he deliberately started the second fire, but then he took it too far.”

  Thorson looked at Hasslein then continued grimly, “Yes, way too far.”

  “Go on.”

  Slowly and somewhat uneasily, Hasslein began. “Tellermine introduced a ‘hyped up’ derivative of NB33 into the base sprinkler system.”

  He paused briefly and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “Anyone caught in the downpour was instantly infected. Rather than days, the transformation took place in hours.”

  He halted, unable to carry on. Doctor Peel took his hand. “The creatures went on a rampage, hunting everyone else down. Then Tellermine released all the secured TS into the base. It was a bloodbath.”

  King sat down in one of the many chairs, shifting his gaze between the other three. “See, what bothers me is why he took off… leaving you three with the ‘wonder’ drug.”

  “Because he thinks he has the wonder drug.”

  King shot a glace back at Thorson. “And why would he think that?”

  “We copied the master files, then we corrupted the originals. And for added insurance we encrypted the whole lot.”

  Hasslein nodded agreeably at Thorson. “He’s quite correct; by the time Tellermine gains access he’ll find the data of no use.”

  “Until he works it out for himself...”

  Doctor Peel shook her head at King. “It will take him months if not longer and by that time our cure will be available to anyone who wants it.”

  King stood up and began to study his GPS.

  “According to this, that door leads to the main exit. After you Doctor Hasslein.”

  “That way is blocked under a ton of rock.”

  Hasslein walked to a computer and showed King CCTV images of the tunnel.

  “And if you go this way you run into them.”

  The small black and white screen was crowded with the creatures. King turned away from the screen and looked at his GPS. He tracked his finger over the tiny screen for anothe
r way out.

  “Didn’t you say you were the only one of your group? Then who the hell are they?”

  King hid his irritation from the others as Taylor’s face stared back at him from the CCTV screen.

  “I’ve no idea, but I’d say they’re no rescue party.”

  “But there are soldiers with them. They must have come to rescue us.”

  Hasslein pointed at the grainy TV pictures, almost in desperation.

  “What would real soldiers be doing with the very people they’re meant to be containing?”

  Thornson was confused – “Are you saying they’re fakes?”

  “That cure is worth a lot of bucks to a lot of desperate people, starting with them.” King glanced at the GPS, his face glum. “They’re about two corridors away from us. I want to put some distance between us and them.”

  He pushed the inner door open to reveal a large bulkhead door leading to the blocked passage.

  “Sorry, that’s the only way out.”

  Hasslein shrank away from the door in dismay. “We can’t get out that way. I’ve already shown you!”

  “We wouldn’t last five minutes out there with those things. I won’t go!” Peel’s frightened face looked for support from the others. King brought up the TV section containing the creatures and stabbed his finger at the screen.

  “Eight, nine, ten. Ten! That’s no big deal.”

  “You propose to fight through that lot with us?”

  King gave Thorson a bland smile. “I can’t risk a fire fight with that other crowd. There aren’t too many of those things, besides they don’t shoot back. Trust me, that’s always a good thing.”

  Hasslein waved his finger at King, shaking his head in disagreement. “I still don’t like it; there are too many TS’s.”

  “The door they’re all clustered about, leads into the mess hall…” He drew his finger along the GPS display, “…and that leads directly to stairwell 3. That people, takes us the hell outta this bone yard.”

  “Look, you may be used to all this gung ho stuff but...” Thorson trailed off as he watched the reactions of the other two. “Don’t tell me you’re going along with this?”

  “My mission is to convey all research material and survivors to safety. Period. That’s exactly what I intend to do...” King paused as he observed the small group’s reaction before continuing, “…but you have to trust me.”

  Peel looked at the two men, almost pleading with them: “I don’t want to die down here.”

  King looked earnestly at them. “Then trust me to lead you all out of here.”

  “Okay, okay. Now please get us out.”

  “Consider it done, Dr Hasslein. These things are like any other predator; they hunt with sound and sight. As long as we can get to that mess hall, we’re in with a chance. So we have to keep silent.”

  He steered them to the outer door then paused and held his hand out to Hasslein.

  “I’d better take the stick, just in case.”

  Reluctantly, Hasslein handed King the device. “This could save a lot of lives.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the right people get it.”

  He took the stick and slipped it into his jacket pocket. Warily, he pulled open the metal bulkhead door and moved into the dimly lit corridor. The only source of light came from a neon lamp near the door. A quick visual inspection offered no possible route of escape; it would have to be through the mess hall. King signalled the group to follow him. They’d travelled a few yards when King stopped dead, smacking his jacket pocket in frustration.

  “Damn! I left the GPS on the table.” Peel peered fearfully into the shadowy tunnel ahead of them.

  “Leave it, we don’t need it. You have to stay with us.”

  “No can do. That’s our only chance out of here. Look, I won’t be long.” King started back towards the open door. Urgently, Hasslein called after him – “I’m sure I could...”

  “I want the three of you watching that corner. Don’t take your eyes off it.”

  They watched as the uniformed man sped back to the door. Hasslein turned to the others.

  “We’d best do as he says; I don’t want them creeping up on us again.”

  The three stood like watchful sentinels, mindful that the slightest noise could attract danger. Suddenly, Hasslein screamed out in pain as a bullet ripped through the rear of his thigh, toppling him to the floor. As he rolled around in agony, he was astonished to see Thornson and Peel fall with similar injuries. He tilted his head in time to see King disappear through the door. He cursed the man and then fell silent at the sight of the ever hungry ghouls advancing on them.

  “Ding dong. Dinner is served,” said King. Safe inside the lab, he locked the metal door and reached into his jacket, producing the GPS. Then he located Taylor on the CCTV.

  “Need to do better than that Sport.”

  King left the lab as the high-pitched scream of a woman penetrated the wall.

  ****

  Eddy Joe stopped his patrol car on the corner of Biderbeck Road and Honorious Avenue. He left the vehicle and walked over to Kate who was standing by her car. Eddy Joe’s jacket was torn and his face bloodied.

  “We couldn’t hold them, they broke our lines. I told the guys ‘shoot at the head’ but folks panicked…” His voice rose with anxiety as he continued, “Those damn things kept getting back up; even full of holes they kept coming.”

  He lent his hands against her car, leaving grimy fingerprints on the metal surface.

  Kate stroked his arm and spoke softly to him.

  “Where’d they go?”

  Franticly he rubbed his hands over his face, as though brushing away cobwebs.

  “They swarmed all around like locusts, looking for people to eat. After that, the guys wanted out. I sent what was left of them home.”

  “You did what?”

  He pulled away. “Don’t you get it? They’d had enough, damn I’d had enough!”

  “Look, we gotta get organised, go at them again. You and me. It’s our duty.”

  “I know all about duty, but times like this you gotta look to your own kin.”

  “This town is our responsibility – we owe them that,” she said, squaring up to him.

  “I got responsibilities as a father and a husband. If there’s some nut about to roast this town then by damn, I’m not spending my last chasing about here.”

  He thrust his finger at her, his face flushed with anger.

  “I’m gonna spend it with my folks!”

  She dropped her gaze and looked at the sidewalk. He placed his hand on her shoulder then walked back to his car. As he drove past, she called out to him, lifting her hand to wave him off.

  “Good luck.”

  “I’ll leave that with you,” he said, before driving off towards Honorious Avenue.

  Disappointed, she watched as his tail lights vanished from sight. Maybe he was right; maybe it was best to go home. After all, what could she do on her own, against dead things that wouldn’t stay dead? Maybe she should go home. She started the engine, then turned her head at the sound of nearby gunfire. She looked back up Honorious Avenue, shook her head and drove in the opposite direction, towards the shooting.

  ****

  “I think you have gone far enough.”

  Branigan let go of Anne Lenski’s hair and turned to face Miguel Bonzzoni, standing in the doorway with Marv Glitzman and Britney Patrick.

  “Yeah, and I think you’d best mind your freaking business, unless you want some of this?”

  He held up the knife, its razor sharp blade glinting in the artificial light. Anne took the opportunity to move away from him and stand with the others. She smiled at the two youngsters but her face fell as she saw the bite on the girl’s arm.

  “You can leave. I will not try to stop you,” said Miguel Bonzzoni, lowering his weapon. He stood away from the door, ushering the others aside as he did so.

  “Don’t give me orders little man. I ain’t leaving
till I get what I came for.”

  “What’s he on about Dr Lenski?” Marv looked at her as he held Britney tightly.

  Anne shook her head dismissively at Branigan. “Nothing, he’s drunk.”

  “Damn! ‘Nothing,’ she says. Well ain’t that rich. While we been dying, she had a cure all the time. Tell them!”

  “Please help me, I’ve been bitten,” said Britney. With an effort, she held up her arm to display the teeth marks.

  “He’s talking garbage. There is no cure!”

  “That’s right. You gonna let her turn like you did all the rest, but not me. I’m gonna use that stuff you got.”

  Branigan looked at the array of slides and phials on the desk behind him. He started to examine some labels, while roughly pushing everything else aside, unsure of what he was looking for.

  “Just give him what he wants. She’s getting worse.” Marv pleaded with Anne – anything to get rid of Branigan. Oblivious to the others, Branigan continued in his wild search, smashing glass containers on the floor.

  “It has to be one of these blasted things.”

  “None of them work. Why can’t you see that?” Anne roared back at him.

  “Then I’ll grab the stinking lot!”

  He started to thrust sealed ampoules into his coat pockets then moved for the open door. The others moved aside, giving him free access, all except Anne Lenski. She had to at least try to warn him. “Branigan, just listen to me for a second. You’ve no idea how dangerous that stuff is. It’s likely to kill you. Do you understand that?”

  As he stared into her face, it seemed for one awful second as though she’d pushed him too far.

  “You’re lucky I don’t kill you.” And with that, Branigan barged past her, marching up the corridor, away from them.

  “Why you leave that pig take the medicine?” said Miguel Bonzzoni, throwing his arms into the air and shaking his head, “…I don’t get you.”

  She looked on miserably at the mass of broken glass and blood samples on the floor. “If he takes any of those, he’ll end up dead.”

  ****

  “Taylor, we’re about lucked out on this dumb mission. You’d darn well better have a good plan!”