Outbreak (Book 2): The Mutation

by Shoyer, Scott

  “We’re hoping that Spicewood hasn’t been hit too hard with the infection,” continued Butsko as he heard a few groans.

  “But let’s not look past the mission at hand,” said Butsko as he talked over the others. “I know the exact spot of the facility, and I know a private entrance that the military snuck into the design.”

  This got the attention of the others.

  “There won’t be as many security features on this particular hidden entrance,” Butsko explained. “This was installed, unknown to the Schoepke’s, in case the military ever lost control of the facility and needed to retake it.”

  “Heinrich Schoepke,” Wilder explained, “was not a man to trust. He was brilliant, but twisted.”

  “So we have the route there and an access into the facility,” Mears summarized. “Where are the bombs located?”

  “That,” Butsko said, “we don’t know.”

  Groans erupted from the tired group.

  “But I do know,” Butsko said, louder, “that Schoepke’s grandson, Josef, who was as twisted and untrustworthy as Heinrich, had a facility built underneath the original one the military built.”

  “What the fuck?” said Steele, “Are the Schoepke’s goddamn James Bond villains?”

  “Not that far from it,” said Butsko with a straight face. “This family had pretty much unlimited financial resources, and Josef would do anything to keep his grandfather Heinrich’s legacy alive.”

  “The government knew about the other facility,” Wilder said. “They let Josef think he had the upper hand because the research he was doing was beyond anything being done in the military.”

  “The government also had moles on the inside,” added Butsko. “The government always had eyes and intel on what was going on in there.”

  “Uncle Sam,” said Wilder, “just wasn’t good at sharing that info. They were afraid it would get back to Josef.”

  “Do we at least have an idea where the EMP bombs are?” asked Jones.

  “Yes,” Wilder answered. “An idea.”

  “There are three main research areas in the new facility Josef built,” explained Butsko. “One area was the EMP research and the two other areas are unknown.”

  “Unknown?” asked Melvin.

  “Apparently the moles couldn’t get access to any area other than the EMP area,” explained Butsko. “The other areas were off limits to everyone except Josef, his old man Reinhardt, and a very select group of scientists.”

  “What the hell were they doing in there?” asked Megan.

  “Honestly,” said Butsko, “we have no idea, and it’s not our focus. We get in there, find the bomb, and detonate it.”

  “Hold on a second,” said Trunst as he stood. “When you explained what an EMP blast does, didn’t anyone else have a problem with this plan?”

  “How do you mean?” asked Butsko.

  “If those bombs are down in those labs,” Trunst continued, “how the hell are we going to know how strong they are, and if they are even ready to be used?”

  “That’s a great question, Sir,” said Hall.

  “We’ll also be looking for any kind of spec sheet on the weapon,” said Butsko, “a kind of ‘user’s manual.’”

  “Trunst brings up another good point,” Cain said as he stood as well. “How are we going to be able to gauge exactly how much damage this thing will do?”

  “Remember,” Wilder answered, “this isn’t a nuke we’re going to detonate. This is a next-generation EMP bomb that causes no structural damage. There’s no fallout, no radiation, and there won’t even be a crater from the explosion.”

  “But won’t it completely knock out all our communications?” Trunst asked. “We’ll be cut off from the rest of humanity.”

  “There’s a chance that we might save our electronics and vehicles if they are all turned off at the time of the blast,” Melvin said.

  Butsko took a drink of coffee and stood. “Excellent point, Melvin,” Butsko said as he nodded toward the man. Then turning to Trunst. “Yes, Trunst,” Butsko said, “despite what Melvin said, there’s a good chance the EMP weapon will completely devastate all communications, and we have absolutely no idea how powerful that range will be.”

  The others fell silent as Butsko continued. “I’m not gonna lie to any of you,” said Butsko. “This EMP weapon is a last-resort kind of plan. Not only will our communications potentially be destroyed, but so will our vehicles and anything else that works on electricity.”

  “But,” Trunst started.

  “But what, Trunst?” Butsko asked him. “What else is there? We’re up against an enemy that is stronger than us, faster than us, and which seems to be getting smarter.”

  Butsko took another sip of coffee.

  “We’re running out of options,” continued Butsko. “We may not know exactly what’s going to happen after we set that bomb off, but we all know what’s going to happen if we don’t try something.”

  “We know,” said Wilder, “that the infection has a technological basis. We also know the effects an EMP blast has on technology.”

  Wilder looked at the group as he spoke. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Butsko and himself.

  “We have no reason to doubt,” continued Wilder, “that the EMP blast won’t destroy or at least slow down the infected.”

  “We will do a thorough sweep of Spicewood before we even head to the Springs,” explained Butsko. “We know we’re going to be there for a while and don’t want to wind up in a worse situation.”

  “I completely get your concerns, Trunst,” said Wilder. “These are the same issues Butsko and I talked about back at Fort Hood.”

  “Things are really bad out there,” said Butsko, “but they can and will get worse if we don’t try something.”

  Many heads nodded in approval.

  “We’re at a crossroads,” Butsko continued, “and we need to do something before those crossroads disappear.”

  Trunst stood next to the couch and ran his hands through his hair.

  “You’re right, Sir,” Trunst finally said. “What’s the rest of the plan?”

  Over the next hour, Wilder and Butsko went over the finer details of the plan. They talked about who would be in which vehicle and what everyone needed to do once they reached Schoepke Springs. It wasn’t a plan that would rock the socks off of history’s best strategists, but it was the best they could develop with the intel they had. They didn’t know the terrain of the Springs, and they had no idea whether or not the area was overrun with the infected.

  Back at Fort Hood, Wilder and Butsko had talked about the possibility that the Schoepke facility might not even be there anymore.

  Wilder and Butsko hadn’t shared that last concern with the group.

  After the plan was laid out and the second pot of coffee was gone, the group decided to gather their equipment to make their early morning departure easier.

  Everyone assembled their personal things and weapons and walked out the VIP lounge into the clubhouse’s dining room.

  All of them peered nervously through the large windows into the darkness.

  We wouldn’t even know it if those bastards were out there, Wilder thought, but then shook the thought from his head.

  They each left an MRE on the large dining room table for the morning and walked to the secured front doors.

  “I’m sorry if I was out of line back there,” said Trunst as he ran up to Butsko. “I guess I’m being overly scared.”

  “Nothing to apologize for,” Butsko said as he met Trunst’s gaze. “You’re right to be concerned about the blast and the damage it will cause.”

  “I’m not seeing any movement out there, Sir,” Mears said to Butsko as he looked through the peephole in the front door.

  “I don’t hear any movement right outside the door,” added Vasquez, her ear pressed against the door.

  “To be honest, Sir, I don’t know if I’d be able to see anything even if the front of the building were teeming with t
hem,” said Mears as he laughed nervously.

  The heavy marble and wooden furniture used to barricade the door was moved aside, and the sound of the iron latch echoed through the main foyer as it was pulled back.

  “I can’t wait to get some shut eye,” Trunst said as he stepped through the doorway,

  As the others agreed with him, Trunst was yanked forward through the doorframe as the sounds of the infected filled the foyer.

  “Noooooo!” screamed Hall as he reached for Trunst.

  “Stop!” shouted Wilder, but he was too late. A new set of hands appeared out of the darkness and grabbed Hall.

  Hall screamed as he was dragged into the darkness.

  The soldiers finally reacted as they saw the infected run towards the door, hands extended.

  Mane slammed the door and felt ten severed fingers bounce off his boot.

  “Holy fuck!” yelled Jones. “They’re all over the fucking place!”

  “Where the hell did they come from?” shouted Steele.

  “Get that furniture back against the door!” ordered Wilder.

  As Vasquez, Cain, Fisher, and Mears grabbed the furniture, Wilder heard the noises on the roof.

  “They’re on the fucking roof!” Wilder yelled.

  “They’re everywhere!” Wallack cried out.

  After the furniture was pushed against the door, everyone checked their weapons.

  “Lock and load,” Butsko ordered, “but hold your fire. No shooting out the windows.”

  Wilder noticed the windows looked a little thicker than your typical glass. He suspected it was thick and well insulated in order to help keep the clubhouse cool during the brutal Texas summers.

  As she cocked back the hammer on her carbine, Fisher looked over to the others.

  “What the fuck are we gonna do?” she asked no one in particular.

  “Get ready for war,” Butsko finally said.

  Chapter Six

  1

  Will to Power Center

  Spicewood, Texas

  Walt and Cheryl took a final deep breath and slowly left the pharmacy. Cheryl looked for signs of the infected in front of them while Walt scanned behind them.

  The sudden appearance of the infected outside the kitchen had them both concerned and on edge.

  Have they learned to be quiet? Walt thought. Are they now able to hunt us?

  Walt shook his head and returned his focus to the task at hand. He searched for them but saw or heard nothing. Yet that didn’t make him feel any better.

  “I liked it better when they made noise,” Walt whispered to Cheryl.

  “No shit,” she said. “This stillness and lack of noise is killing me.”

  Walt and Cheryl cut through the dining room and saw the results of their previous battle. Walt glanced toward the hole in the wall that saved his and Joe’s lives. Walt hoped the others were safe. Over the last two years they had all become a big family. It ripped his heart out when Walt saw one of his own as an infected, reanimated monster.

  “The main entrance is right down the hallway,” Cheryl whispered to Walt.

  “Yeah,” Walt said as he looked down the hall toward the common room. “Down a long hallway with a lot of doors.”

  Cheryl knew what Walt was worried about. Between them and the main entrance were seven doors that led into various purposed rooms. Any one of them could have an unwanted surprise.

  In another part of the house, Walt and Cheryl heard the unmistakable sounds as someone, or something, walked around. They both looked at each other and knew their time was running out.

  “We’ve got two choices,” Walt whispered as they crouched down against the wall. “We can play it safe and slowly make our way down the hallway and check every door…”

  “Or?” Cheryl asked.

  “Or we run like hell and hope there’s no surprises in any of the rooms,” Walt said.

  “I wanna get the fuck out of this house,” Cheryl said.

  Walt checked to make sure the duffle bag was secured on his back and gripped Stevie tight in his hands.

  Noises began popping up all around them, but they still couldn’t see anything.

  Walt watched Cheryl as she stood and knew she was getting that rush of adrenaline she loved. She told Walt on numerous occasions how much she loved that initial rush as the adrenaline flooded into her. She told Walt stories about her MMA fighting days, and how the adrenaline would begin coursing through her as soon as she entered the ring. Walt knew some people couldn't handle the adrenaline and became unfocused and jittery.

  Not Cheryl.

  Cheryl had told Walt how much she thrived on it and how it helped her focus as she beat down her opponent.

  Walt knew it was time as Cheryl glanced at him and nodded her head.

  Cheryl raced as fast as she could down the hallway and ignored the doors as she ran past them. Walt saw how focused she was as she set her sights on the common room.

  Walt watched as Cheryl slowed down as she approached the common room. She didn’t want to run into a room full of those bastards.

  With the wooden legs raised up, ready to strike anything in her path, Cheryl jogged into the common room. She spun around to make sure nothing was behind her. When she looked up she saw the hole in the roof the infected made in their earlier attack.

  Nothing stirred in the room.

  Walt anxiously waited until he saw Cheryl give him the ‘thumbs up’ sign.

  “Guess I’m up,” Walt whispered to himself out loud.

  Walt saw Cheryl’s thumbs up and knew the common area was safe for now. He dug his right foot behind him as he readied himself. He gritted his teeth and tore ass down the hallway.

  Walt couldn’t help himself and looked through the windows of the doors as he ran by. He saw nothing moving in any of the rooms.

  As he passed the fourth door he caught some movement ahead. Before he could adjust his direction, a door on the left flew open and one of the infected jumped out of the room and tackled Walt to the ground.

  Walt lost his grip on Stevie from the impact and hit the floor hard, knocking the breath out of himself.

  Stevie landed on the floor with an audible ‘thud’ as its nails dug into the floorboards. Walt reached for Stevie and got his hand around it, but he didn’t have enough leverage, and couldn’t pull it free from the floor.

  The zombie that tackled Walt was thin but strong as an ox. Walt gave up trying to pry Stevie out of the floorboards and slammed his right forearm under the zombie’s neck and pushed upwards. This allowed Walt to keep the creature away from his body and also kept his arm away from the bastard’s throat.

  He knew Cheryl was on her way to help him, but he was worried he wouldn’t be able to hold the creature back much longer.

  As Walt rolled from side to side, he felt the syringe of Haldol he put in his pocket when they were in the pharmacy. He pushed against the zombie as hard as he could, and with his free arm pull the syringe out of his pocket.

  Walt pulled off the syringe’s cap with his teeth, and as he spit the cap away he jammed the needle into the creature’s shoulder and injected the drug into the bastard.

  The zombie felt nothing, but after a few seconds, Walt could feel the creature begin to spasm.

  Cheryl ran up to Walt and kicked the zombie in the ribs. The monsters flew off of Walt and bounced against the wall.

  “That was easier than I thought,” Cheryl said as she helped Walt off the ground.

  Walt pried Stevie out of the floor and heard Cheryl gasp.

  “What the fuck is happening to that thing,” she said as she watched the zombie spasm and tremble uncontrollably.

  The zombie tried to stand up but was unable to control any of its muscles.

  The creature stared at Walt and Cheryl with death in its eyes. It felt the compulsion to eat and infect, but it had no control over itself anymore.

  The zombie watched as Walt brought Stevie down on its head and crushed its skull.

  “What the h
ell happened to that thing?” Cheryl asked.

  “It had no control over its muscles,” Walt said as he smiled.

  “So it worked?” Cheryl asked.

  “Yes,” Walt said. “It looks like we have a new weapon to fight these pricks.”

  They both knew they were far from being safe. They heard as the noises in the house grew louder and more aggressive.

  “We’ll celebrate later,” Walt said as he secured the duffle bag on his back. “Right now, we need to get the fuck out of here.”

  “Let’s start making our way to the gas station,” said Cheryl.

  Cheryl was ready to leave the house but saw Walt unsling the duffle bag and remove several syringes and vials.

  “Help me,” he said to Cheryl. “Let’s fill up a few syringes.”

  They each filled five needles with various antipsychotic drugs and were ready to go.

  Walt fixed the duffle bag back on his shoulder and grabbed Stevie.

  “Ready?” asked Walt as he nodded towards the front door.

  “Nope,” Cheryl said with a slight grin on her face.

  “Me neither,” Walt said as he opened the door, and without looking, led the way.

  Walt and Cheryl fled into the darkness of the night and the cover of the woods.

  2

  Lago Vista Golf Club

  Lago Vista, Texas

  Trunst’s and Hall’s screams died out long before the soldiers locked down the clubhouse. Everyone stood silently with their weapons ready.

  No one dared breathe.

  Wilder stared at the ceiling and listened to the infected running back and forth across the roof.

  “Those bastards are looking for a way in,” Wilder said.

  “Let’s make sure we don’t give them one!” Butsko fired back.

  Mears ran towards the front door.

  “It sounds like they’re ransacking the trucks, Sir,” said Mears.

  “Nothing we can do about that right now,” Wilder said.

  “Mears!” barked Butsko. “Take Vasquez, Cain, and Fisher and head over to the pro-shop. That room has the most windows and doors leading in and out of it.”