Omega Virus (Book 1): Beta Hour

by Jake A. Strife

  “What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?” He snarled.

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hold it steady.

  The beeping alarm went off, and everything flew by in a flash. There came crying, screaming, then flashes of white and the sound of metal twisting, bending and snapping. Finally, a great kaboom shook my world apart.

  The next thing I knew, I lay in a field of green grass. I sat up to find my head aching and my ears ringing. Black smoke rose from a patch of trees nearby. I tried hard to remember what had just happened, but none of it came together until I heard Jessie scream. Then, it all came back in a flash. The helicopter had crashed!

  “Please be alright!” I pleaded as I stumbled for the trees.

  I came upon the wreckage and a headcount of ten Corpses surrounding the wreckage.

  “Dammit get the door open!” Jeff screamed.

  “I can’t! We’re gonna die!” Dave screamed.

  I could hear Kessa crying within, and Jessie screaming too. The Corpses weren’t paying attention to me. They were going after the others, my trapped friends. The strong fumes of leaking fuel floated in the air. One spark and they’d all be dead.

  “Hey!” I shouted at the nearest Corpse. “Come get me!

  It turned, gave a long groan, and staggered towards me. I needed a weapon. A long piece of metal stuck from the bark of a nearby tree. It looked like one of the broken propellers. I grabbed onto the blade and pulled. It wiggled, but it didn’t come out.

  “I don’t have time for this!” I cried.

  The Corpse came up just behind me. I felt its icy fingers on my shoulder. I screamed and spun, pulling the blade free and swinging it around. The broken blade sliced across its face. The top part of its head slid off, and the Corpse collapsed.

  The rest of them ignored the cries of my friends, and all came for me.

  “Yeah, that’s right! You bastards! It’s me you want now!” I shouted.

  I charged into their midst, swinging the propeller blade like a sword. One grabbed for me, but I sliced right through its arm. I spun, and lifted my leg, kicking it in the stomach and sending it onto its back. I jumped and stomped on its head then went to the next.

  Blood sprayed as I swung wide and high sweep. Three zombies heads came off. I kept attacking, but my arms soon tired, and more Corpses found their way onto the scene.

  “Help us!” Jessie cried.

  “I’m trying!” I shouted. “Too many Corpses!”

  “Stop trying to play hero and be one!” Wesley came running from between the trees with dual pistols in his hands. “Get your friends out of there!”

  I rushed to the dented-in copter door. I stuck my fingers in the crack and pulled. As hard as I tugged it just wouldn't budge.

  “Can you pry it open!?” Jeff shouted.

  “R-right!” I stuck the propeller into the crack and braced it. With all the strength I could muster, I pulled. The door finally began to give way. I cracked it open a couple of feet. Jessie crawled out and got behind me. I briefly saw her shirt covered in blood, but she didn't look wounded.

  “Kessa, come on!” I yelled in.

  “Bro. She’s hurt!” Jeff climbed out.

  “Kessa!” I called in. “Hurry!”

  Jeff put his hand on my shoulder and shook his head. Dave came to the door and stuck his head out.

  “I won’t fit man!” Dave whined. “You gotta get it open farther!”

  Jeff and I grabbed the door and pulled. With our combined strength we were able to get the door open a few inches more. Dave didn’t wait; he threw himself into the opening and started squeezing his way out.

  “Something's burning!” Wesley cried. “It's gonna blow!”

  “Crap!” Jeff and I cried. We both pulled Dave's arms, but couldn't get him.

  “Just leave me.” Dave cried.

  “Bros don’t leave bros to die!” Jeff said. “We’re getting you out!”

  “Both of them!” I added.

  I kicked the door, trying to dent it farther to the side so Dave could fit. I lifted my foot and slammed into it. Finally, it gave just another inch and Dave rolled out.

  “Kessa come on!” I yelled.

  “She can’t come with us.” Jeff shook his head.

  “Of course, she can!” I snapped. “She’s not bitten! She’s—”

  “You don’t understand.” Dave stopped me.

  “Oh please Lord! Help!” Kessa’s voice came off as weak.

  I didn’t understand. Why couldn't Kessa make it out? Then I saw Jessie’s shirt again. The blood belonged to Kessa. Inside, she sat in her seat, blood pouring out of a wound in her shoulder where her left arm had been severed.

  “My angel, help me!” She gurgled, turning to me.

  The side of her face had been torn apart, and the inside of her mouth could be seen through her cheek. But worst of all, she had a long piece of steel through her gut.

  “Oh crap, Kessa, hold on!” I whispered.

  She reached her right hand out. “My angel!”

  I reached in for her, and the explosion hurled me. We were all flung through the air as fire erupted into the sky, knocking down the surrounding trees. We landed in a heap of bodies and limbs, some of which belonged to the Corpses that were caught in the blast. I rolled to my feet and started a reckless run toward the burning helicopter, but something caught my foot, and I tripped, slamming down and eating dirt.

  I was ready to kick in a Corpse head, but I found Jeff holding on tight.

  “Let me go!” I cried. “I have to save Kessa!”

  “Bro, she’s gone,” Jeff said.

  Those words echoed in my mind, and I felt myself falling somewhere far away. I didn’t love Kessa. She had been akin to a friend with benefits, but she loved me. And her death would remain with me forever.

  Kessa’s face flashed in my mind, as she reached for me. She truly thought I could save her, but even if I had, her wounds were too grievous. Why did she die? Who could I blame? Why had we crashed?

  “Wesley!” I screamed, kicking free of Jeff’s grasp.

  I stomped over to the bastard who still lay on his back, holding his hat on his head.

  “You son-of-a-bitch!” I roared. “What did you do?”

  “I did my best,” Wesley grunted as I grabbed his collar and pulled him to my face.

  “We were shot down by a missile.”

  “A missile?” I echoed.

  “Let me go.” Wesley snapped. “This is a road you don’t want to walk down.”

  His words were true. I didn’t want to fight him, so I let go.

  “The only one who could have shot us down was someone who knew we were coming, right?” Jeff said. “G.O.D. Mode.”

  “Pretty sure it was.” Wesley sat up. “They must be watching the airspace.”

  “Where did it come from?” Dave asked. “I didn’t see any jets.”

  “Rockport.” I pointed straight ahead.

  Everyone’s eyes followed mine. No more than a mile away, buildings rose up over a wall. It looked like a fortified town.

  “Is that where we’re going?” Jessie asked.

  Anger boiled within me. I gripped my hands into fists so tightly that my nails cut into my palms. It hurt, but not as bad as the pain in my heart. I lost another friend because of G.O.D. Mode. Once again they had taken someone precious to me.

  I stormed towards Rockport. Grandson would die by my hands. I didn’t care if we looked like twins, clones or whatever the hell. I promised myself, for Tiffany, for Kessa, I would end his life one way or another.

  LEVEL 32 – PHANTOM PAIN

  “What about ground artillery?” Dave shouted a warning.

  If I had to, I would dodge every bullet, every grenade, and every missile they threw at me. Rockport would not be able to keep me out.

  “Marching right up is suicide!” Jessie ran after me.

  “Guys, wait!” Dave huffed, trying to catch up.

  “You guys stay back.” I threw
my hand to the side and didn't take my eyes off the city walls.

  Jeff finally grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. “You're going to get yourself killed!”

  I turned, and we locked eyes. I didn’t know him well, and I'd never spoken to him before that day at Milpeg High, but when he saw the rage, the pure hatred in my eyes, he let go, and I continued marching.

  “Shouldn’t we stop him?” Dave's voice fell behind.

  I didn’t glance back, but I knew that only one other had the balls to follow. Wesley. On cue he appeared, matching my pace

  “You ready to do this?” He asked. “You may have to kill people and lots of Corpses.”

  “Been there, done that.” I gritted my teeth.

  “No telling how many.”

  “Nowhere near enough!” I snapped.

  “You never answered my question,” Wesley said. “What stakes do you have in this?”

  “Vengeance.” I filled my voice with ice. “For Tiffany and now Kessa.”

  He shrugged. “Good enough for me. I live for vengeance.”

  “You don’t get it.” I glanced at him. “You’re a bad ass. You have no emotion. No pain and no despair! You don’t understand the pain of loss!”

  I didn’t see his fist coming. Wesley punched me right in the face, and I landed on my back, hard. I rubbed my jaw, wishing the shock had been more devastating than the hit. His fist felt like a crowbar. The ‘Zombie Killer’ let me sit up. He put his foot against my chest and shoved me back down, and held me there.

  “Kid, it’s you who don’t understand the real pain of loss. You didn’t love Tiffany. You didn’t love Kessa. You didn’t have to shoot the love of your life, and it wasn’t because I didn’t love her! It wasn’t just because she was a traitor to the human race! It was because G.O.D. Mode had brainwashed her and there was no bringing her back. I loved Serenade more than life itself, and I would have done anything for her, and I did. She asked me to kill her if she got in too deep with G.O.D. Mode... so I did. I killed her! Don’t you get it? No, you don’t. But maybe one day you’ll have to kill the one you love most!”

  I felt dumbfounded. I thought Wesley to be all bravado and insane tactics, but at that moment, I saw the hurt in the contours of his face. Wesley James had more inside him than a cold, killing machine; a human being that had gone through something no one ever should. Serenade had willingly turned against him; something she had to of known would force his hand, but didn’t care. She betrayed not only his trust but also his heart.

  “I’m sorry.” I stared up at him from the dew-covered grass.

  The shade lifted from under his Zombie Killing hat as the sun rose. I could clearly see tears running down his face, the caked on dirt smudging away.

  “You’re sorry?” Wesley asked. “Or do you still think I’m nothing but an emotionless bad ass?”

  I shook my head. “I was wrong. We both have vengeance to achieve.”

  He wiped the tears from his face, getting dirt all over his hands. “My turn to say sorry.”

  He offered his hand and lifted me to my feet.

  “You guys cool?” Dave asked as the group approached. “I didn’t want to have to step in.”

  “I told you all to stay back.” I rolled my eyes.

  “We aren’t letting you face this alone, bro.” Jeff crossed his arms.

  “I may not be the strongest guy,” Dave said. “But I’m a damn good gamer, so that has to count for something.”

  “We’re together forever,” Jessie added.

  I felt scared for their safety, but I couldn’t have been happier. The warmth in my chest built and I began to tear up. Until I realized my chest burned, and I wanted to vomit. Jessie likely only lasted so long by being in frozen at the Cornelia Facility, but the virus ran freely in my blood, probably consuming every red blood cell one by one. We had to hurry.

  “Thank you.” I looked between all of my friends, the Gamer's Guild.

  “All for one,” I said and put my hand out.

  “Come on; that’s corny!” Dave whined.

  “Just do it.” I sighed.

  Jeff shrugged and put his hand on top of mine, Jessie followed, as did Dave with a sigh.

  Wesley chuckled. “What the hell?”

  He put his hand on top of the pile, and we all said in unison. “And one for all.” Then threw our hands up.

  “That felt so awkward.” Dave sighed.

  Jeff smacked his shoulder. “Oh get over it. We’re the Gamer’s Guild, every one of us. Even Wesley is an honorary member.”

  “I’m touched. I never had a friend before.” Wesley chuckled as we all walked towards Rockport.

  “No friends?” Jessie asked.

  “Nah,” Wesley answered. “Even Serenade was my girlfriend before my friend. We just met at a game tournament, and I asked her to be my player two.”

  “How romantic.” She giggled.

  “It was nice, ya know. It was good. That’s all I can say about it. It was just good.”

  We continued as Jessie pressed Wesley for answers to personal questions. She asked all about Serenade, probably not realizing how much it hurt him. He hesitated before each answer, but still gave one just the same.

  Through the conversation we found out they met as teenagers, they went out to eat every night because neither of them could cook, they both loved pizza, and both had an affinity for the dog breed Pugs.

  She probably never would have stopped with the questions had we not reached the gate of the city, without ever being attacked by gunners.

  Jessie cut herself short as she stared up in awe. Large iron gates were in place around a thirty-foot tall stone wall. It looked more like a kingdom than a modern day city. We couldn’t see over the gates.

  “They built these walls so fast,” I whispered.

  “Where are the guards?” Dave asked. “Shouldn’t they be asking us questions? Or saying they used to be adventurers like us?”

  “No arrow to the knee jokes,” Jeff said. “That got old a while ago.”

  “Some jokes never get old.” He argued.

  “Both of you shut up!” Wesley said. “Do you hear that?”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Nothing.” He pointed out. “Pure phantom silence. No people, no machines, no animals, no Corpses.”

  “The animals are gone,” I said.

  “They went silent a while ago,” Jessie said. “I used to love listening to morning birds.”

  “Now that you mention it,” Jeff said. “Where are all of the animals? I haven’t seen one since this all began.”

  “G.O.D. Mode has something to do with it,” I said. “How did they build a wall like this?”

  Wesley shrugged. “I don’t know. None of this sits well with me.”

  “Hey! A way in!” I pointed to the left gate, which had the outline of a smaller door. We walked over and together Jeff and Wesley pulled it open.

  “Let’s be careful,” Wesley said. “I’ll go first. Zach, wait ten seconds. Jeff, you take up the rear.”

  “Ha, rear.” Dave chuckled.

  Jeff rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

  Wesley stepped inside, and we waited. I slowly counted to ten. “One-one thousand, two-one thousand…”

  At ten, I stepped through and found Wesley leaning into a gray SUV. I looked around, and the city streets were entirely void of life, but also destruction. Every car sat neatly parked in their spots on both sides of every street. Not a single business had vandalism. The shops even had their lights on inside. Something in the air felt strange.

  “Do you see this?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Some strange crap.” Wesley called back.

  “It's a trap!” Dave said.

  “I don’t think Grandson cares enough to try and ‘trap’ us. This city just seems to have power.”

  “And no citizens,” I replied.

  “Like I said, strange crap,” Wesley repeated.

  “You sure it’s safe?” Dave asked from the doorwa
y.

  “Just go!” Jeff snapped.

  Dave stepped through the door, followed by Jessie and then Jeff. They all stopped and looked around.

  “I’ll be damned,” Jeff said. “This town is alive... well sort of.”

  “We can game again!” Dave cheered. “Whoo!”

  “That’s all you think about?” Wesley asked.

  “Only on days that end in Y.” Dave gave a huge, silly grin.

  Jeff shut the door and turned back to us. “Maybe we should find food.”

  “You think they have a McDonalds?” Dave asked.

  “That’s not all he thinks about.” I rolled my eyes.

  Dave made a dash for the convenience store catty-corner from our position.

  “Don’t wander off!” I jogged after him.

  As we approached, the window sign flashed ‘OPEN’.

  “If there’s no one here who turned on the ‘OPEN’ sign?” I asked.

  “Who cares?” Dave replied. “The shelves are fully stocked.”

  Dave threw open the door and ran inside.

  “I don’t like this,” I said.

  “Something is spooky as hell.” Jeff agreed.

  “Can’t we just hurry to the port?” Jessie asked. “I’m getting the creeps.”

  I watched Dave take a shopping basket and begin throwing snacks and drinks inside. I knew it could be dangerous to follow him inside, but I did anyway.

  “Hello?” I called, shivering from the cold AC.

  I walked to the counter and grabbed a chocolate bar. Even though the world had ended, I felt weird just taking food without paying, especially with how the store still appeared in perfect condition. My stomach growled, but I set the bar back down. I glanced up into the corner and saw the security camera. It moved left and right, following Dave’s path around the store

  “Dave,” I whispered. “Let’s go.”

  “But they have fresh nachos!” he said, “Let me just get some cheese.”

  “Wait—”

  “Not-yo-cheese! Nacho cheese! Get it?” Dave laughed as we left, and he carried a basket and a container of nachos.

  “The camera in there was watching Dave,” I said as we approached the others.

  “It was what?” Dave cried. “I’m a rogue! I hate playing rogues!”

  “Yes,” Jeff said. “Roll initiative.”