I had no idea where we were even going. I was just following the group. I know Nick mentioned something about banging a girl that used to work in the theater. Since he was leading the way, I assumed he knew a way to the roof without having to use the air ducts.
The hallway we had entered seemed a bit unfinished. The walls were white and rather flimsy looking. They weren’t painted, and you could see the different sections of dry wall that had been tacked up. It was a long hallway but the lights were working when Dudley hit the switch. We could see a single wooden door at the far end.
“Obviously they’ve done some remodeling since I’ve been here,” Nick said. “But I bet this hallway still leads to…“.
“AAAAWWWWOOOOAAAA!”
All of us froze. All of us looked towards one another. Max had arrived. He was in the theater.
“We need to move,” Snake Charmer said. “That guy will mow through all of us in this enclosed space.”
“Speak for yourself,” Nick grumbled. “I haven’t taken him on yet.”
“He’s just attracted an army of the dead to back him up,” Snake Charmer added. “You like those odds?”
“Not really,” Nick said.
We picked up the pace. From outside the building we could hear the screams of the dead. From the inside of the building we could hear moans, screams, and bodies scraping against the walls.
“I can smell them,” Dudley said. “There’s got to be a bunch.”
I never noticed it before but the hallway didn’t have the smell of rot. The air was stale but it was clean. That was all changing rapidly. I didn’t even want to think about how many shamblers had entered the building.
When we drove up, we avoided streets that would put us out in the open. We stayed in alleys and kept our lights off. We didn’t see any of the large hordes that populated the Downtown area. That didn’t mean they weren’t there. It only meant that we were successful in our sneakiness.
The Monster didn’t bother hiding himself. He had no need to fear the dead. Max had probably been doing his best to attract them since he entered the area. Judging by the current noise level and smell, he had been successful. Hordes of them must have been right around the block from where we entered the parking garage.
We needed to be long gone before they found their way to the roof.
Something seemed off when we reached the lone door.
“Wait,” I said.
Nick pulled his hand away from the knob immediately.
Everyone was looking at me.
“What’s beyond that door?” I asked.
“A concrete stairwell to the roof,” Nick answered.
“I dunno,” I said. “Something feels off.”
“Maybe it’s the beating you took,” Nick said.
“Show some respect,” Dudley snapped.
“Well, look at him,” Nick said. “His face is all fucked up. He took some lumps. He might not be thinking clearly.”
“Disrespect him one more time,” Dudley shouted. “And I’ll leave you here.”
“I’m not disrespecting him,” Nick said. “It’s the truth. Jax is injured.”
Dudley was about to argue.
“It’s fine,” I interrupted. “I am injured. I know I’m having problems focusing. Let’s just go.”
Nick opened the door.
It must have been a pretty solid-ass door. Because for some reason we were unable to hear the horde of shamblers rushing up the stairwell just beyond it. Or perhaps we were unable to hear them due to the noise level in general. I’m sure I’ve said it about a thousand times but zombies are freakin’ loud when they’re chasing down their supper.
A zombie immediately attached itself to Nick. In response, Nick stumbled backwards in an attempt to throw it off. He ran straight into me, knocking me off my already unstable feet.
From the ground, I watched as Dudley and Snake Charmer attempted to close the door. It was too late for that, however; shamblers were already trying to push their way into our hallway.
Snake Charmer pulled a grenade from his vest. He lobbed it beyond the door. Dudley fell away as the explosion rocked the building. Snake Charmer was somehow unaffected by the blast. He was still attempting to close the door.
I’m not sure if it was an arm or a leg but something was jammed. Dudley tried to help him clear the jam but they weren’t in synch. The door remained open.
I shot the shambler on top of Nick. Its brains splattered against the white dry wall. Damn, the .45 was overkill when it came to zombies.
“It almost bit me,” Nick screamed. “Damn that was close. I could feel its fucking teeth through my sleeve.”
“Relax,” I said. “We’re almost out of here.”
The dead kept pushing against the door.
Eventually, Dudley and Snake Charmer abandoned their efforts. Instead, they backed away, and shot the onrushing horde. In the first moments of action, they were able to drop every single one of them at the doorway but the horde was relentless. They climbed over the fallen bodies and shoved against each other. They just kept pushing through the doorway until a wave of corpses finally flooded into the hallway.
Dudley and Snake Charmer remained calm. They kept up their backwards retreat, and continued firing. I yanked Nick to his feet.
“We need another way out of here,” I shouted.
“I don’t know another way to the roof,” Nick said.
“All right,” I said. “We’ll take the air duct like we did last time. Help Dudley and Snake Charmer. I’ll make sure the way behind us is clear.”
Nick jumped into action. He lined up next to Dudley immediately, and the three of them kept the approaching horde from overtaking us. Since I had only the pistol, and limited ammunition, I covered their backs.
The hallway was filling with smoke but I still managed to see the door we were headed towards. I saw it fly right off its hinges as if it had exploded. I also saw the large man standing just beyond the doorway.
Max had arrived.
I looked back towards my friends. They were in retreat, and still preventing the mass of dead from overtaking us.
“Hold your position,” I shouted. “I’ll clear the way.”
Everyone did as I asked. They stood their ground, and they spent their ammo. I faced Max. Both of us walked down the long hallway towards each other. He had abandoned his shirt. His body was riddled with holes, and all the holes were seeping that thick gelatinous blood of his.
I rolled my head on my shoulders in an effort to prepare myself. I had just been given a second chance at revenge. I wasn’t about to fail.
My eyes focused on the glowing disk above his heart. It was pulsing out a black light. It would be my target. He had to have a weakness. I should have gone after the disk before.
I unloaded the 1911 on him. Only one of my shots hit the disk. Max began to laugh as the disk shorted out. Then he simply ripped the damn thing out of his chest.
“If that was a weakness,” Max said, “don’t you think I would have covered it up?”
I rushed him.
At the last second, I dove at his waist in another attempt to take him down. I failed just as I had failed before. He merely sprawled backwards slightly, and elbowed my spine once again.
I dropped to my knees, and came up with a beautiful uppercut. Max simply absorbed the punch and smiled at me. Then, he picked me straight up by my vest.
I felt helpless.
I never feel helpless.
I struck out with both hands and clapped his ears. He dropped me instantly. I landed on my feet somehow and began to punch him.
I punched him, and punched him, and punched him. I battered his head until he dropped to his knees. I stomped his face. I punched his neck. The skin underneath my gloves began to split around the knuckles due to the amount of strikes I had given him.
I was gasping for air.
I began to scream out my rage as I beat the man to death.
Max began to laugh.
&
nbsp; He was playing with me.
I hadn’t left a mark on him.
He easily got to his feet. I backed a step or two out of his way. I wasn’t finished. I wasn’t discouraged. I attacked him again as soon as we locked eyes. He blocked my punches. He absorbed my kicks.
Then he fought back.
His first punch was to the side of my head. The impact wobbled me. His second attack came at my left knee. I felt something pop, and I dropped to the floor.
“I have you now, Guardian,” Max said. “Your team can’t hold back the tide forever. Soon they will be overcome, but not before I break you. Not before I beat you down. Not before I snatch the life out of you.”
With those words, the beating began. I tried my best. I tried to fight back. I tried to hurt him but he rained his fists upon me. He battered my head and body. Each of his punches took years off my life. He hit that hard.
I found myself on the ground pinned between the unfinished wall and his flying fists. I was trapped. The punches kept coming. I tried to put my arms over my head in order to protect myself but it was too late. The damage was already done. Also, with both of my arms occupied, I couldn’t get off the floor.
Blood was flowing freely from my shattered nose due to one of the many punches that got past my feeble defense. I could feel it running past my mouth. I saw large drops splatter on the floor as I sank lower and lower. It was hard to see. My eyes were just about swollen shut. My left leg didn’t seem to be functioning below the knee. It was just hanging awkwardly to the side.
I needed just a brief moment. I waited. I took the punishment.
Finally, Max stood back to gloat.
“Are you still alive?” Max asked.
I sprang at him using only my right leg to push off with. In my hand was my Ti-lite. I drove the blade straight towards his heart with one hand. The other hand curled around the back of his head so that I could stare into his eyes as I turned the tide of the fight.
My knife sunk less than an inch before it met resistance. I pulled it out and stabbed him again. The blade bent in my hands. It didn’t puncture. There was something under his skin that protected his vital organs.
He swatted me to the floor.
The useless knife fell from my hand. I felt his heavy boot step down on my fingers. I felt the bones snap and pop. I screamed out when he began to grind his heel. Through the pain, I found focus. I reached into my utility belt.
Max seized me by the vest once more, and when he lifted me up I slammed a handful of Georgie’s boom balls into his face. The small explosions destroyed my good hand. I wasn’t missing any fingers but the end result was horrible to look at. My fingers were splayed in just about every direction, and none of them wanted to work.
Max dropped me, took a step back and rubbed his face. I wanted to move. I wanted to press the attack, but my leg was shot. My hands were shattered, and I could barely see. Still, I tried. I forced myself to roll onto my knees. I put my arm against the wall and tried to lever myself to my feet.
I was about halfway up when Max shattered my hip with a kick. I dropped back to the floor limply. For the first time I noticed the hallway. There were blood smears all over the walls, and none of them were from Max. I had a sudden realization that I wasn’t going to survive.
“I respect you, Guardian,” Max said. “I need you to know that. Never before have I fought a man or monster with more determination than you. Your body has been defeated but your spirit still rages against me.”
“Fuck you,” I gurgled through a mouth full of blood. In my delirium I found the gurgle just a bit funny, and I snorted out a laugh. That was a big mistake. Blood gushed out of my nose, and my eyes instantly swelled shut. The last image I had was of Max’s nose. Georgie’s boom balls had really fucked it up.
I felt myself lifted into the air. I felt myself slammed onto the floor. I felt the movement but I was powerless to do anything. My body was a ragdoll being tossed around by a giant. I tried to lift my head. I didn’t want to quit. I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to fight. I wanted to live just long enough to kill the bastard.
There was a final impact on the back of my head. After that, I don’t remember anything.
Chapter 6
Ivana
My second meeting with Ivana is at the same bar as our last meeting. She shows up late again and seems to have been drinking prior to our meeting. Still, she greets me with a warm hug, and then giggles herself to the cushioned bench opposite mine.
“I’m curious as to why you’re late?”
I had to get my drink on.
“You had to get your drink on before meeting with me?”
What can I say? I’m shy. Plus, I had to get permission to talk about the things we’re gonna talk about.
“I thought everyone already had permission to speak with me?”
We do. I just wanted to make sure that Miriam was okay with it.
“Miriam?”
Yes. This is sort of her part of the story. I wanted to make sure she was okay with me talking about it.
“Was she?”
Yes.
“Okay then. So Jaxon, Dudley, and Nick left you after the phone call from Mr. Hardin. Is that correct?”
Yes, that’s correct.
“Did you have any knowledge of their activities after they left?”
I found out everything later.
“Can you tell me what happened after they left?”
Miriam did her thing.
“Can you elaborate?”
Miriam was concerned about Skie. She wanted to see her. The staff wouldn’t let her. Miriam was very upset.
“I need to get past these idiots,” Miriam said. “I’m running out of time, and so is Skie.”
She just kept repeating this over and over.
By the time we were finally allowed to see her, she’d been given her own private room on the fifth floor of the hospital. There were nurses in the room when we entered. They were checking Skie’s vital signs and attaching various wires and tubes.
Poor Skie was so pale.
Miriam told the nurses to leave. As the last one passed me, she whispered in my ear.
“She’s not suffering,” The nurse said.
I started crying. I stood in the doorway and just sobbed. Skie was my friend. She was the sweetest person I knew. She didn’t deserve to die.
Miriam went straight to her side the second the nurses were out of the room. She pulled these strange little instruments out of her purse and began looking into Skie’s ear. She felt her pulse. She used another sort of strange funnel thing to listen to her heart.
“Her soul is preparing to depart,” Miriam announced. “I need to work fast.”
In my mind, it was over. We had lost a member of our family that was never supposed to be in danger. I didn’t believe any of us would ever recover. I knew Jaxon wouldn’t. I worried about him terribly.
Miriam spent hours arranging candles around the room. She drew strange symbols on the two windows. She poured an ugly smelling powder by the doorway. She also began to draw more strange symbols on Skie’s body.
I kept staring at the red stained bandage above her heart.
When Miriam was done with her symbols and candles, she pulled a small bowl out of her purse. She put many different ingredients into the bowl. I couldn’t tell you what a single one of those were, but I do believe I saw a human finger. She eventually set the ingredients on fire. I harsh green smoke filled the room.
Miriam began to chant as the sun came up. She stood before Skie and mumbled the same strange words over and over. For some reason, the nurses ever returned.
I guess it was just before dusk when Miriam finally came up for a breath. She looked tired but she was still buzzing around the room with all the energy of a child.
She pulled out her strange instruments once again and checked on Skie’s vitals. Finally, she found a seat, and sat back with a small smile.
“I did it,” Miriam said. “I bound her sou
l to this room. For a few moments there I almost lost her. I was lucky.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“As long as her body remains in this room,” Miriam answered. “Her soul will not be allowed to cross over.”
“What good does that do us?” I asked. “Will she wake up?”
“Only if her husband comes for her,” Miriam said. “It needs to be something huge in order for her soul to force its way back into her body. She needs Jaxon to walk through that door for her.”
“Is her body dead?” I asked.
“Not really,” Miriam answered, “but it’s not alive either. It’s sort of frozen in-between. Not really a big deal, especially with all those machines she’s attached to. We keep her body in this state, and we make sure she doesn’t leave this room. When Jaxon returns, all will soon be well.”
Obviously, I had my doubts. I wanted to believe that things would turn out all right. Miriam had never been wrong before. It all just sounded a bit weird to me.
“I’m going to go and check on Georgie and Javie,” I told Miriam.
In response, Miriam reached back into her purse and pulled out a waxy looking blob. She grabbed my arm and drew a few symbols onto my skin.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“That’s so you can find your way back,” Miriam answered.
I left the room and made my way to the nurse’s desk. I asked about my friends. They gave me directions to their room. It was one floor up. The clean air of the hospital was a relief after the strange smells coming from Miriam’s bowl.
I rode the elevator alone. I heard Javie and Georgie arguing the second the doors opened. I didn’t need to ask for further directions. I just followed the sounds of bickering.
“What are you doing out of bed?” A nurse was asking Javie who stood before her completely healed, and wearing only a towel.
“I’ve already told you like five times,” Javie answered. “You just seem to have a problem hearing me.”
“Get me to the shower,” Georgie interrupted.
“No,” the nurse answered. “You need to stay in bed. You’ve both been seriously injured…”
Broken (Book 3 of The Guardian Interviews) Page 20