Savage Mist

by Jason Merchant

  They moved to the wall of the tunnel and walked past the disabled train, their brief moment of relief ended with the sound of dozens of footsteps from behind them. They hastened their movement and jumped back onto the tracks once they passed the train. They ran around a bend and began to see the moonlit open platform at the end of the tunnel, they were almost clear.

  As they approached the next station, they began to see bodies moving around, they were jumping down onto the tracks and moving toward them. There was nowhere to run, there were savages to their front and rear and they were heavily outnumbered.

  “Okay look, there's another train in the station, we need to get on it, so that we can try to control the amount of them we have to fight.

  “Stay with me okay?”

  “Oh my god, okay.”

  As they entered the station, dozens of savages began to converge on them, they hurried to the tracks opposite of them and climbed onto the platform.

  Xavier and Lisa ran onto the train and headed for the back.

  “Okay, aim for the head, concentrate, they have to run straight at us, so we just have to aim straight ahead. Head shots, we don't have much ammo. Fight for your right to live.”

  Lisa didn't speak, she pointed her pistol down the aisle and began firing at the mob of savages as they forced their way onto the Train.

  The savages rushed toward them tripping over the bodies of the ones who fell before them, Xavier focused and homed in his accuracy, his shots were true and controlled. Lisa hit a few of her targets but couldn't remain consistent, she began aiming for the center of the chest, she had better accuracy.

  The bodies of the savages began to pile up and the onslaught began to thin out, they were winning. There were 6 or 7 savages remaining, Xavier stopped to reload and felt himself become nauseous and dizzy. He dropped to his knees and his vision and hearing began to deteriorate. He could hear Lisa's muffled screams and gunshots as she tried to fend off the remaining savages. He fell to the floor and looked at her just as a savage got a hold of her and pinned her down on one of the seats, her screams were the last thing he heard before everything went dark.

  Xavier awoke back in the bore of the tunnel behind the disabled train, it was another dream...all of it. It was pitch black, the only clue he had to his location was the echo of Lisa screaming his name reverberating off the tunnel walls. Something was different this time, he felt no pain, no nausea, he had a surge of energy, and he was ready to fight.

  He got up with a quickness that surprised him, he had never moved that fast in his life. His senses were heightened, he was able to find Lisa and the savage purely based on hearing. He reached through the dark until he felt a body, it had short hair, it wasn't Lisa. From behind, he placed one hand on its chin and the other on the back of its skull and twisted clockwise breaking its neck.

  Lisa got up and felt for Xavier, she felt his bicep and tightened her grip. “Is that you?”

  “Yeah, are you okay?”

  She pulled him in close, reached up for the back of his head and kissed him deeply. He returned the sentiment, reached under her knees and behind her back and lifted her from the ground as they kissed. Her toes curled as she gently tugged at his hair, she wanted him now, in the dark. She wanted to let herself go and entrust her body with Xavier, as she did her life. She snapped back to reality.

  “I’m fine, I’m lucky it was dark, He had a hard time chasing me on the ground. I thought I lost you, I was calling for you, but you didn’t answer.”

  “I think I knocked myself out, I'm fine though, we have to keep mov-”

  Xavier was interrupted by the sound of running from deep in the tunnel, they were close.

  “Get on the train, right side, right side, go!” Xavier whispered.

  Lisa climbed up onto the narrow walkway along the wall of the tunnel and squeezed between the wall and the train. The doors of the train were open, the passengers must have evacuated when the power went out. They tiptoed onto the train and to the back where they hid behind a few seats.

  The savages slammed into the back of the train just as Xavier and Lisa had done, they counted 5 collisions. Tucked low behind the seat with their weapons up, they waited for the savages to either pass them by or enter the train car. There was no light and no way to tell if the savages were still around, they made no noise.

  Xavier leaned over to Lisa. “We need to go, if we stay too long, the Chinese might try searching down here, that's if they aren't already at the other end waiting for us.”

  “What about them out there?”

  “If we move quietly enough, I think we can get off the train before they realize we were here.”

  “How?”

  “We’ll stay on the train and go as far forward as we can before getting off this car, then we hug the wall until we can get down in front of the train. They might not be able to follow us, I think the train is as good as a wall to them.”

  “Okay.”

  “And be as quiet as possible, something tells me they have super sensitive hearing. Go slow.”

  They took their time moving through the train car, they used the seats and the grab bars to guide themselves down the aisle and find the door. They exited the train slowly and climbed down to the tracks near the front of the train and continued in a brisk walk toward the tunnel opening.

  The station was moonlit and clear with the exception of one savage, female, with long black hair, black boots, jeans, and a black jacket. She was about sixty yards away from Xavier and Lisa up on the platform and unaware of their presence. There was no real way to get by her without being seen, Xavier handed his rifle over to Lisa slowly and made his way toward the savage.

  Lisa whispered, “Wait, what are doing?”

  “Shhh, stay here.”

  He stayed low on the tracks below the platform and approached while the savage’s back was turned, he closed in to about 5 yards. The savage was walking away from him in an uncharacteristically calm manner, the other savages he had observed resorted to attacking inanimate objects in the absence of human prey.

  To get within striking distance he would need to get up onto the platform which was about a foot and a half high, he placed a hand on the platform and hopped up, immediately making a move for the savage’s neck. He missed. He alerted her to his presence as soon as he made the jump. She turned and swung at Xavier sending him back down onto the tracks, flat on his back.

  Expecting to be in pain from such a direct hit, he was surprised to feel nothing at all. He rolled away from the savage who had just them leaped from the platform to pounce on him, Xavier stood to his feet, now face to face with her. She swung wildly at him with her fists, Xavier eluded her with relative ease. She reached out to grab him, he spun away and ducked under her arms. He could move just as fast as she could, he was just as strong as she was.

  Xavier for the first time realized how inept the savages were, they fought like children on the playground. Xavier waited for another clumsy swing from the savage, he ran underneath her arm and positioned himself behind her. He put her in a chokehold and held her until the kicking and screaming ceased and she went limp.

  Lisa stood near the entrance to the tunnel, baffled at what she had just witnessed. She walked over to Xavier and examined him from head to toe.

  “How did you do that? How were you able to beat her so easily?”

  “I’m not sure, I’ve been feeling odd since we were captured by Major asshole.”

  “Are you becoming one of them?”

  “I don't think so, I’m still me. I just want to get you to your boy.”

  “But what if you...”

  “Look, we don't have time to do this right now, we need to find a car and hurry south.”

  Lisa returned the rifle to Xavier and they left the station and returned to the surface streets. There was an old green Pontiac parked near an intersection, a woman's body lay just outside the driver side door. Xavier checked her for the keys but didn't find them, Lisa called out to him w
hen she discovered them underneath the car.

  “She almost made it, poor thing.”

  Xavier opened the driver side door and remembered his propensity to passing out, “you’d better drive.”

  They drove slowly through the littered streets with the headlights off, it was an attempt to avoid being spotted by helicopter. Lisa could barely concentrate on the road, she was worried about Xavier.

  “So, what happened to you guys? How did you get past all those Chinese soldiers? Did you do what you did in the tunnel?”

  “No, we fought our way out, we got lucky too. . . but we lost Jake… and Carly.”

  “I know, I saw them.”

  “Carly would be alive if we would have left with the others after the hospital, her and her sister… Jake too.”

  “We’re all adults Xavier, we made a choice to stay with you knowing there was no way you could possibly know what was going to happen. Nothing about this could be predicted, you did your best, and moreover, you found me twice.”

  “Yeah that's been on my mind for a while, that's one hell of a coincidence.”

  “My dad used to tell me people call it a coincidence when they don't want to find out why something really happened. He was a God-fearing man, who believed everything happened for a reason.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “Nothing I hope, luckiest man I know. He almost died once. He was in one of those assisted living places, had some health problems and needed more care than the family could give him at the time. Anyway, he wanted a smoke and was hiding from his nurse in a stairwell, he had a heart attack and fell halfway down a flight of steps. He said if he had been under the care of any of the other nurses he would have died in that stairwell, but the nurse was….”

  “A smoker” Xavier finished.

  “Yeah how'd you know?”

  “What was your father's name?”

  “Rubin”

  “Rubin West?”

  “Oh my god...you were his nurse?

  “I tried to be, I was a bad influence. I remember that day, he came real close to having his last smoke.”

  “I guess saving lives isn't anything new to you.”

  “Right place, right time. You know, he told me the lord put me in his life for a reason” Xavier laughed. “He said I was a part of a divine plan.”

  “Well, it was because of my dad that I moved to Seattle, he ended up needing help and they passed the house along to me and Charles. If you hadn't saved him, I would still have been living in Los Angeles. Who knows what's going on down there.”

  “Well, you made friends with the right guy I guess.”

  The Anomaly

  After the area quieted down Michael headed deeper into the city, most of the Chinese vehicles fled in that direction after being overrun. The area around the Columbia tower was swarming with amassed Chinese troops, they were occupying buildings and setting up defenses. He tried to keep his distance to the south and get an estimated size of the troop presence, they were organizing fast.

  After monitoring the Chinese for several hours, Michael noticed one lone soldier running away from the Columbia building not long after a large unit entered. He lost sight of him around another building and decided to try and get a closer look, he’d have to move amongst the infected again.

  Michael was more prepared for an encounter this time around, he removed a sheathed knife from his pack and secured it to his belt. He wasn't going to take a chance with his bare hands again, he drew his silenced 9mm and exited the building. He’d have to run west a block or two to get the soldier back in his sights.

  Several killers were on the street as he ran, he kept his pace and fired at the killers as the neared him. Perfect, professional shots to the head. When he made it about two blocks he heard heavy gunfire north of him. He stopped and peeked around the building, one of the soldiers was pinned down behind a car and taking fire from a Chinese troop carrier. Confused, he pulled out his monocular scope and scanned the area. There was a woman there as well, she was also taking fire. They both split and ran around the block; the woman ran toward the waterfront and the Chinese soldier ran down the block toward Michael.

  He placed the scope back in his pocket and checked behind him just in time to spot an infected civilian rushing him. There was no time to shoot the killer, he pulled his knife plunged it into the killer's neck as it collided with him. They fell to the ground where Michael stabbed it repeatedly in the back of the neck, the killer went motionless and died. From under the killer, Michael turned his head to try get a glimpse of the lone soldier, he was now headed west toward the water like the woman he was with.

  Michael pushed the body off him and ran toward the lone soldier, a group of infected civilians spotted him and gave chase. There were easily 10 of them on his tail as he sprinted through downtown, he would have to deal with them now before more joined them. He ran into the lobby of one of the buildings and dived behind a reception desk, the killers followed him into the building but kept running down hall passed the desk. Michael stuck his head up and checked that the area was clear, he darted outside only to be face to face with three more killers.

  He quickly drew his 9mm and shot the first one in the head, the gun was silenced but the streets were quieter, the clack from the 9mm echoed off the buildings. Being a weapons expert, he killed all three before they got close. He continued south, maybe he would run into the lone soldier, maybe even turn him into an asset if he was defecting.

  Michael was becoming fatigued, he stopped at a light rail station in the Chinatown district to catch his breath and hydrate. He sat on a bench and took a sip of water, he scanned the area around him and heard a sound from the tracks below. He stood up and looked over the railing to see the Chinese soldier fighting with a woman. It wasn't the same woman he appeared to be with earlier, this woman was incredibly strong, shoving the fairly large man off the platform and down onto the tracks. The woman never screamed or tried to run, she viciously attacked the man and possessed a strength unnatural for her size. She was infected. He finally put her in a chokehold and ended her life, she dropped to the ground and the man turned his attention toward something. It was the woman he was with earlier. She seemed just as surprised as Michael at the man's ability, the spoke about it briefly and then exited the station south.

  Michael began to wonder if the man was infected, if he was, he wasn't affected the same way the rest of the population was this information would be vital to George...or not. Michael was very troubled with the events that took place at the waterfront, he had to ask him about it. He pulled out his satellite phone and called George.

  “Hey Michael, what news you got for me?”

  “Sir, I need to ask you something. You led me to believe that you were sending in fighters to destroy the missiles I reported, but when the jets arrived, they fired what appeared be biological weapons at the Chinese. Are we using biological warfare sir?”

  “Michael, don't tell me you’ve gone soft, save the humane bullshit for another time. We’re trying to win a war.”

  “No sir, those weapons looked a lot like the ones that were used on the civilians, it had the same effect on them. They went down, then they got up and started attacking their own.”

  “Michael look, you’re a great asset to us, very reliable, very good at what you do, but sometimes there are things you don't need to know about. Don't concern yourself with that stuff right now, your country needs you Michael. We have to stop the Chinese by any means necessary, are you up for that?”

  Michael swallowed hard, “Yes sir...also sir, I believe I’ve spotted a civilian who is only...partially infected,”

  “What do you mean partially infected?”

  “Sir, he possesses the same strength and speed as the infected civilians, but he’s lucid sir. He’s trying to protect a female that's with him, I saw them running from the Chinese.”

  “Michael, I need you to follow them. Stay out of sight for now, but be ready to make contact. I nee
d to consult with someone first. This is your new priority Michael, good job.”

  George hung up the phone.

  Michael was pretty sure George had ordered a biological strike on the Chinese, but he still wasn't sure if he launched the attacks on the civilians. For now, he’d follow orders, at least until he knew more.

  Chapter 14

  The Subjects

  “Alright, are all our assets in place?” George asked a room of people sitting around a conference table as he sat at the head.

  “Yes sir” said one of the men at the table, “We have information being relayed back to us...with the exception of two of our surveillance assets.”

  “I’m sure Cavanaugh is one, what happened to the other?”

  “We believe his position was overrun sir. Satellite imagery has dozens of B.R. entering the building he was held up in approximately 15 minutes ago.”

  “If he was still alive, he would have called for help by now.”

  “Would it have mattered, sir?”

  “Would what have mattered?”

  “If he called for help, sir.”

  “I suppose not. Any deserters?”

  “Not yet sir.”

  “Good” He turned his attention to the group as a whole. “Look, I know there are a few questions you all have been patiently waiting for answers to, Dr. Wells here is going to help answer some of them. Try to keep an open mind, our survival as a nation, our sovereign right to exist is our number one priority. Dr. Wells, you have the floor.”

  “Thank you, sir.” replied the slim blonde woman who rose from her seat and turned on a projector that was hooked to her laptop.

  “Sir, since you're up, could you hit the lights?”

  When the room dimmed she began her presentation. She was a very attractive woman: green eyes, slim waist, large breast, and soft facial features. Her voice was just as soft and innocent, her entire demeanor was so non-threatening it was hard to believe she developed a biological weapon unlike no one ever imagined.

  “Okay, gentleman, what we have going on in the streets of Seattle is...what I call, biological recruitment. About 36 hours ago, the order was given to begin…” she sighed and searched for the right word. “Inoculation. F-16’s from our top-secret installations were loaded with a biological munition that they then deployed over the city of Seattle. The entire city.”