The Decline

by Jessulat, Christopher

  No sign of movement; no reaction to the light.

  William cursed his nerves and turned to rejoin Cox, who met his return with a condescending smirk. She outstretched her hand and William surrendered the dead woman’s bounty before they stepped back into the corridor with Sully and Isaac.

  ‘How’d you do?’ Cox whispered, as if in greeting.

  ‘Not as well as you’d expect,’ Sully replied, defeated. ‘Wasn’t much worth taking; figured this place would be a gold mine. No food but stale crackers, no medicine… just dust. You do any better?’

  ‘Some pills,’ Cox paused, not bothering to mention the suicide; in her capitulation, she deserved no further mention or laurel. Cox hadn’t the time for her. William was unsettled, but rationalized this is how Cox needed to be; part of what had kept her safe outside the compound walls.

  ‘They must have amassed their supplies somewhere central, picked the apartments clean and dug in,’ William offered.

  ‘Strength in numbers and such,’ Isaac agreed and pointed his flashlight further down the corridor.

  William’s eyes nervously followed the beam. He added his own flashlight to its strength.

  Cox subtly nodded.

  ‘Clear another unit; we’ll scout ahead.’

  They set out and crept through the corridors. Isaac and Sully checked several doors as the group advanced, but found most to be locked. With no desire to risk the noise of forcing a door, they finally arrived at an unlocked dwelling. By this time, Cox and William were well ahead of them.

  Cox came to a door that was unlike the rest; a double push door with a glass pane. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t the entrance to a private dwelling. She signaled for William to fall in behind her as she peered into the small window.

  William pressed up against the wall and studied Cox’s movements. As much as he couldn’t stand her, she was more than capable navigating the wastes.

  A specialist in this environment; a professional.

  He would learn from her.

  ***

  Sully leaned against the wall and his eyes followed Cox’s progress further down the hall as Isaac once again pressed his ear against a wooden door.

  Even at their present distance, Sullivan could tell Cox had come upon something. The two distant flashlights dipped and illuminated the ground at their feet rather than reach into the continuing dark beyond.

  Content the unit was unoccupied, Isaac glanced at Sullivan to find his attentions spent elsewhere. He gave Sully a tap to call him back to the task at hand.

  Sully stepped out from the wall and shouldered his shotgun, but continued to glance further up the corridor to where Cox and William had stopped.

  Something about this moment made him uneasy.

  Exasperated, Isaac gave Sully another punch.

  ‘Focus,’ he chastised. ‘You’re going to get me killed; eyes in front.’

  Sully refocused on the door they were about to breach, and leaned into his sights… but he couldn’t shake the suspicious feeling.

  ***

  ‘Alright, it’s clear,’ Cox whispered. She never took her eyes from the pane of glass and the abyss beyond as she dragged William to position in front of the entry.

  William raised his flashlight and tried to get a glimpse inside the room, but couldn’t see past the glare on the glass as it reflected off smears of grime.

  He stood at the push bar on the door and rested his hands upon it as he considered the best approach to the room once he was inside. He replayed in his mind how Cox and the others entered a room, how they moved their flashlights and picked through a space.

  Wait… he thought.

  The glare…

  Those smudges…

  They looked like handprints…

  William’s head cocked quizzically and his posture stiffened.

  Before he could turn his head, he was struck hard in the back and driven forward heavily into the doors, which burst open with a dreadful clamour. He sprawled headlong into the room and landed awkwardly on the cold floor. His flashlight spiraled out, its beam interrupted intermittently as it skipped away.

  A crushing loneliness filled him as the door behind slammed shut.

  William scrambled to his hands and knees.

  He had almost climbed to his feet when a tide of hands and teeth swept him away.

  ***

  Out of the corner of his eye, a sudden chaotic flash of distant torchlight pulled Sully’s attention away from their door. He whipped his head around and broke rank from Isaac, instinctively taking a few steps towards the noise.

  Isaac turned from his door and illuminated the corridor.

  As their eyes adjusted to the rapid shift in distance and light, neither could be sure of what they had seen. Cox stood, feet shoulder width apart, back arched as she heaved the door closed with both hands pulling on the push bar.

  Sully began to sprint down the corridor towards her as Isaac stood incredulous.

  The anguished cries continued for only a few short moments.

  Cox let go of the bar and thundered back down the corridor.

  ‘Fucking go, go!’ she commanded in a strange half-whisper, half-yell.

  Sully stopped dead in his tracks as he registered the gravelly cries of the infected, their fists pounding against the walls further down the corridor. He stared into the vast emptiness of it even as Cox flew past him and the beam of Isaac’s flashlight turned to follow suit.

  ‘Come on!’ Isaac roared from somewhere behind him.

  Hesitantly, Sully turned from the darkness.

  ***

  Sullivan emptied the unspent shells from his shotgun and handed them to the armory comptroller before he brusquely deposited the weapon on the desk in front of him.

  Isaac had already turned over his weapon and ammunition and had made his way out of the room.

  Cox never bothered to stop.

  As Sully turned over the remaining items on his person, he studied the reactions of everyone gathered. All were official personnel, either guardsman or those who controlled the loadouts for the salvage teams.

  No one seemed to mourn the absent returnee.

  In fact, Sully thought to himself, no one even seems surprised.

  Chapter 15

  Daniel was halfway into his rounds when word had reached him. Again, the salvage team would come home virtually empty handed. Though they managed to bring back a mixed bag of medications, only a handful of the pills gathered were of any practical use.

  Keeley knelt next to a patient on the floor. He was malnourished, exhausted and had run a fever out of the stress. He had no visible scratches or bite marks so the risk of infection was minimal. His body, like so many others gathered here, was simply giving out for the strain.

  She removed a simple strip of cloth from the man’s forehead and checked his pallor. He had been without colour for several hours. They had hoped to keep his core temperature down, but without proper medication he would be left to his fate.

  She placed the fabric into a Tupperware container filled with melted snow she had gathered from the compound courtyard. Once thoroughly soaked, she squeezed a few drops of water onto the man’s cracked lips. Her heart sank as his thirst didn’t react to the sensation of the cool drops and she reached to check the man’s pulse.

  Still alive in there, she thought as she replaced the damp fabric to the man’s forehead and pushed some of his hair away from his face. Good…

  Keep fighting.

  Keeley managed a weak smile for the man, and he seemed to shake his catatonia in acknowledgement of her touch.

  Daniel rubbed his forehead and struggled to think of what else they could do improve the prospects for any of the patients. Dehydration and malnourishment only compounded their misery – Quinn expressly forbade ‘extraordinary measures’ for an
y who weren’t more than worth their weight, and the posted guard kept close vigil on the medical staff and the disbursement of their inventory.

  With supplies so thin, the infirmary needed to ‘prioritize.’

  Daniel was out of time, and he knew it – even as the procession of Quinn’s soldiers came into the infirmary, he still had hope for a solution.

  None of his efforts would matter.

  One of the large garage bay doors at the face of the infirmary was opened as the soldier that led the column conferred with the head physician. Keeley rose and wandered over to where Daniel stood.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she whispered in a hushed, desperate tone, such that it was audible to Daniel’s ears alone.

  The attending physician sat down in his chair, outstretched an arm towards the makeshift beds, and slumped forward in surrender.

  The soldiers set about the room.

  ‘Oh, my god…,’ Keeley started in disbelief.

  Fury swelled inside Daniel. The soldiers began to lift several of the patients from their beds, gripped by the shoulders and the feet, and carried them to the bay doors where they were discarded to the snow and slush outside. Any patients unable to resist sufficiently were added to the heap.

  Daniel’s hands clenched to fists at his side as Keeley put her head on his shoulder. Tears streaked her face as she quietly sobbed.

  He couldn’t take it.

  In that moment, Daniel snapped.

  With a guttural growl, he broke from Keeley and rushed the guard nearest. He tackled the soldier but landed awkwardly; Daniel landed a couple decent shots as they grappled, but he was quickly pulled off. Struck and subdued, Daniel found himself face down on the floor, pinned by a knee on his neck and several hands on his extremities.

  ‘You can’t do this!’ he pleaded beneath the weight of his captors. ‘These people aren’t infected… they can be saved!’

  ‘Please, don’t hurt him!’ Keeley cried as she raised her hands to cover her mouth.

  Daniel continued to struggle under their combined weight.

  ‘Come on, man, please, don’t do this…’ Daniel continued, words somehow retaining a strong and determined quality despite being thoroughly overwhelmed. ‘You can’t do this… they’re people…’

  Daniel was struck in the back around his kidneys.

  The attending physician was on his feet, but his protests were silenced before they ever began. With a single look, the soldier who led the column ensured it was obvious any argument would fall on deaf ears.

  ‘Is that necessary?’ Keeley stammered between sobs.

  The lead soldier strode over and knelt beside Daniel’s face.

  ‘Please… they just need food, medicine,’ Daniel begged, undeterred. ‘We can still help them…’

  His last pleas were interrupted by the sound of a Beretta, its muzzle being pressed into the floor.

  Under the soldier’s weight, Daniel’s face was fastened to the tile. His eyes fixated on the black metal finish of the 92FS.

  He never said a word; just stared at Daniel as he fought for breath.

  As the soldier slowly stood, he slid the muzzle a few inches across the floor, allowing its menacing scrape to reinforce its message.

  Their course was set.

  Their orders were absolute.

  Daniel’s eyes closed tightly as his spirit broke.

  He stopped struggling.

  As they relaxed their hold on him, Keeley rushed to Daniel. The soldier who had pressed his knee against Daniel’s neck stood and intercepted her path. He set his shoulders – seemingly broader now that he stood upright – and stared at her in provocation, daring her to challenge them.

  Adrenaline raged within her, and it swept aside all semblance of caution.

  Keeley hauled back and slapped the soldier – a delicious, satisfying smack that left the imprints of her fingers embossed in the brightest of reds upon his cheek.

  Now it was Keeley’s turn to dare the soldier on.

  His anger sweltered; his eyes widened and nostrils flared.

  The two stood and locked glares with one another.

  Both seethed, and neither yielded an inch.

  ‘Miss…,’ chided a voice behind, coming into frame as Keeley’s tunnel vision dissolved and periphery returned.

  As she peered around the shape of the man that barred her path, she noted the Beretta pointed squarely at Daniel’s head.

  Keeley shook with anger, but his aim never wavered.

  As the adrenaline subsided and she could center herself again, her attention turned to the several sick and dying that were discarded outside.

  She could hear their whimpers as they dared to crawl away.

  None among them had the strength to stand and run.

  The chill of the outside air filled the infirmary; the mocking wind lapped at her tear-stained cheeks.

  As the soldiers broke from this standoff and jumped down from the concrete ledge to the heap outside, they didn’t bother to close the bay doors.

  This time, all would watch the cull.

  Some of the soldiers secured a small perimeter as the others systematically put rounds into the heads of those piled in the snow.

  ***

  Sullivan stared distantly at the ceiling from his cot.

  It was late in the day and he continued to replay the events of the run, as if by the sheer force of his will alone he could transport himself back into the tenements.

  What did he actually see…?

  The scene was chaotic; the distance, the lighting, the stress… all factors that caused Sully to question the accuracy of his memory.

  Could she really have…?

  She had claimed that William was grabbed as soon as he entered the room; they were caught completely by surprise. He was snatched almost instantly. It was everything she had to close the doors behind him so they could escape.

  What was William doing out with them today?

  He wasn’t fit for their kind of work.

  It was possible Quinn needed to dig deep into his roster to staff the run; manpower was harder to come by.

  Sully knew it wasn’t exactly uncommon for new recruits to be called up suddenly, but typically they would be sent with a large force of veteran scavengers… at least until the rookie had a few notches on their belt.

  Okay, assume this was his training day… why Isaac?

  Sullivan scratched at his memory, ran through those final moments again and again.

  It didn’t feel right.

  Isaac and Sully had been paired together. When Sully tried to keep an eye on Cox and William as they plumbed the further depths, Isaac interrupted him.

  Jesus… had Isaac meant to divert his attention?

  His thoughts returned to their conversation in the armory.

  ‘Couldn’t find anyone better?’

  ‘Guess not.’

  Mounting suspicions swirled.

  He knew that Isaac was one of the early refugees to the Coast Guard site.

  Apparently, he was one of the lucky few; even made it here with his wife.

  Sully was treated well at the compound. Proficient in the wastes, he was respected amongst the civilians and officials alike. Not to say Sully didn’t find Isaac useful outside the walls – he knew the Uptown and he had proven capable of taking care of himself – but somehow Isaac had garnered more ‘position’ with the officials, if such a thing existed beyond military rank.

  Sullivan puzzled over what arrangement they may have struck for Isaac to secure and maintain such high standing with Quinn, wondered if they knew limits.

  But his thoughts were unable to reach their conclusion.

  The report of gunfire broke Sully’s concentration; several shots split the air from deep within the compound.

  He
sat up and tuned his senses to the sound.

  Pistol fire; 9mm mostly. Irregular intervals.

  Something about the shots seemed deliberate, unhurried.

  Even if a few infected had found a way into the compound, there were too many shots to take down a few stragglers. They originated from back towards the command module.

  Mutiny?

  Unlikely. The soldiers were loyal to Quinn. The civilians would be foolhardy to challenge their obvious superior strength.

  Still, hunger can cloud judgment… and desperate people can do desperate things.

  His insides knotted and something grew heavy in the pit of his stomach.

  He rose from his cot and made his way outside.

  ***

  A crowd had formed in the courtyard.

  Quinn stood in its center, arms crossed, flanked by several uniformed men.

  Each among his retinue armed for combat.

  Sully found himself at the back of the line. He nervously scanned the courtyard and noted additional armed guards blocked any passage between the civilian quarters and the command building.

  Sully studied Quinn’s features between the shifting crowd.

  He was hardened, unblinking.

  A pillar of cold-forged steel.

  Despite the clear show of force, it was his complete calm that was the most imposing.

  Sully looked to the command nest and the shooting platform – their weapons trained at the gathering crowd.

  Several of the civilians huddled together for warmth.

  All eyes were upon Quinn.

  ‘We are on the edge,’ he solemnly began. ‘We stand at the very precipice of extinction.’

  His voice was eerily soothing. Only as loud as needed to ensure his words carried.

  ‘We have been asked to endure the unimaginable, the impossible,’ Quinn paused as if in reverence, ‘and endure we will.’

  ‘For all we know, we are all that remains; the last bastion of humanity. What we do here could determine the fate of the human race – we have no choice but to operate under those parameters.’

  The crowd shifted uneasily. Several among them chattered in hushed disbelief.

  Quinn paid them no heed.

  ‘We will be tested. Our resolve will be tested. Our determination, our conviction, our willingness to do whatever it takes, to pay whatever price…,’ Quinn allowed the words to hang over those gathered, ‘must be unwavering.’