What Remains (Book 1): The Outbreak

by Barrett, Tyler

  As Knight closed his eyes and gently massaged his head, Ramirez spoke, “I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but now seems like as good as a time than ever. I think you have been pushing yourself too hard. I understand that you want us all to make it out of here alive, and get out of this shithole, but if you push yourself too hard, you are going to make mistakes. We both know from experience in our line of duty that all it takes is one mistake, just one, and you and everyone else could end up dead.”

  Ramirez paused letting that sink in, “I just don’t want you to make a mistake and lose anyone else. I know that we have been doing everything from when we landed on the fly, and not sticking to protocols and the mission. However, I don’t think taking a quick breather before we leave the city might not be a bad idea. We all could use the rest, and I know that all of us from the mission are on edge as it is. We all have lost teammates, friends, and it's taking its toll on us. Even if it doesn’t show, eventually it will.”

  Knight stopped him, “It’s not that easy, and you know it. I’m the only one willing to lead all these people to safety. This is our mission, and we dragged these civilians out of their safe building. I’m responsible for all of you, and it’s not easy. All I can think about is how I was helpless to save anyone; nothing I know or have trained for could ready any of us for this. I feel blind, leading you all to your deaths. If not now, then eventually.”

  He took a breath and continued, “I just don’t know what to do and that scares me. We plan for days for these missions, and none of that planning has worked. We are stranded in a sewer right now, cut down to less than a fourth of the original team. We have no support coming, along with no way to contacting anyone outside the quarantined zone. I’m tired, worn out, and damn it I feel like I got the shit kicked out of me.”

  It was at this point Knight moved his leg, trying to get some feeling back into it and put some pressure on it. A sharp pain jolted through his leg. He winced in pain but did not cry out.

  “On top of that, I think my leg is either broken or fractured as you said. I have a sharp pain when I put pressure on it. This day is already off to a bad start, and we aren’t even out of the city yet.”

  “I understand how you feel. I just keep hoping that this plan of ours works. Part of me wants to go back to the base we had set up and try to stick it out,” replied Ramirez softly, “But, I know if we stay things would be just as bad. We have been in bad shit, barely getting out with our asses still on fire from enemy fire, but that doesn’t even come close to seeing a mob of those infected closing in on us.”

  Ramirez leaned in closer inspecting Knight’s leg, tenderly pulling back his pant leg and flashing his light at it. Both stopped speaking looking down at his leg, which had swollen slightly about a third of the way up from his ankle, knowing that what they both feared, that his leg was broken. They both had unloaded what they had been keeping to themselves; now they had a more pressing matter.

  If Knight was going to keep leading him, they would have to find a way to make a stint for his leg or have someone be his crutch. Neither option was good for the upcoming trek they had ahead of them. Knight sat back almost defeated, realizing that his fears kept becoming a reality, the further they went on their journey. He grabbed his leg feeling around where his leg had swollen; it felt sore but didn’t bring any pain.

  He could already feel himself beginning to dull the pain out as he had been taught so long ago, if you did not feel the pain it would not hold you back, that was the saying drilled into his mind. Ramirez dug into his pack, finding some rubber surgical tubing he tied a metal pipe that he grabbed earlier, to Knights leg. Knight felt the cold metal being placed on his leg, enjoying its cool touch against his swollen skin.

  Ramirez looked up from his work at Knight, “This should help ease the pressure a bit, but that doesn’t mean you won’t feel any pain. I would give you something, but we need you awake and alert in case something happens.”

  Taking a deep breath and gathering his strength Knight replied, “It will have to do, we have already wasted too much time. Have Carter come back here and help me, you go ahead and tell the others we are moving ahead.”

  “Sure thing,” said Ramirez as he stood up and walked towards the rest of the group, looking for Carter in the darkness. The echoes of conversations from the group carried far, and it concerned Knight, but he knew if they were in immediate danger the infected would have been on top of them already. Normally Knight would have scolded them all for not having noise discretion, but it was clear they were safe where they were; after all, no one wanted to go into the sewers.

  However, right now Knight wasn’t feeling like doing much. It wasn’t too often he had that feeling, but right now he had it; his mind was telling him to leave them be. Knight sat silently, waiting for Carter to make his way to him. He tried to keep his leg straight, and mind focused on other things, like how much time they had wasted on his account. He wondered how far they had made it into the city if they would find a subway entrance soon or not.

  Carter approached the group wearing a face of unhappiness; it was clear he did not enjoy helping Knight around. Ignoring that thought, they both worked together to bring Knight into a standing position, his bad leg in the middle. They started off down the damp, dark tunnels once again, continuing their trek to find a way out of the city.

  Chapter 38

  The way out

  After a long time, slowly making their way through the city’s sewers; they came to what they had been hoping to find, a direct access door to the subway tunnels that snaked their way through the city. This was the first good news they had for quite some time, and it brought the groups moral up. The door was locked, but they quickly kicked the door handle, snapping the rusty bolts that held it in place. They slowly opened the door which creaked open, echoing loudly into the empty tunnels beyond.

  They waited to make sure that no moans came from any infected, and once they heard nothing, they went through the door, crossing the threshold into even greater darkness. It was genuinely unsettling, but they all knew that they would be able to hear the infected if they headed towards them. Gravel covered the bottom of the tunnel to help absorb the vibrations of the trains as they passed but also turned each footstep into a crunch.

  They had all turned on their flashlights realizing that the sound of them walking would alert the infected before the light would. After about thirty minutes of not seeing any infected, they started to feel better about their plan and tread with a less light foot on the gravel. It felt weird to them all, knowing that if the world around them hadn’t gone to the shits, then they would be on a fast track to getting run over by a train moving faster than most the cars in the city.

  Several minutes later they came upon their first subway station, which is where they had decided to leave the train at instead of a depot. The train blocked most of the tunnel, and looked fiendish in the dark, hiding some dark intent. The light from the flashlights cast oblong shadows through the windows and onto the platform beyond. There was barely enough room for them to walk alongside the train.

  However, they stopped once more; if they wanted to get out of the city, the group would first have to figure out which stop they were at along the subway. Ramirez and Kenji volunteered themselves to scout the station and find a map. The rest of the group stayed in the tunnel beside the train, nervously looking around. Together they climbed up the ledge onto the platform.

  The station was dark, devoid of sound or movement, which was a good sign. It was a very unusual thing, Kenji had become so used to seeing the streets above, littered with trash, carnage, and bodies that it was weird to see something from his old life as average looking as it was then. Kenji carefully moved up to one of the columns supporting the ceiling and several tons of earth above them. Human instinct told him to hide behind it and peek around the corner to see if anything was lurking in the darkness, despite the station's pure look. Ramirez silently moved up next to him; they both stood in comp
lete silence, just observing the abandoned platform around them.

  Kenji preferred the bus, mainly just because they tended to be less packed since they were slower than the subway. He had only ridden the subway a few times before; he just preferred not to be crammed into a tight space with lots of other people he didn’t know. Now that the station platform was utterly devoid of its routine, of people lining themselves up together only to be shoved in and wait to get off at their stop and continue about their lives, it made him feel odd and out of place.

  He was now an oddity, a fading memory of all things that were once normal. Kenji spoke softly to Ramirez, “In all the chaos…The government, at least, had the foresight to shut down public transportation when the infection started. The subways, buses, and most road travel shut down when the Yokai finally showed up in the city; it didn’t matter in the end.”

  Ramirez nodded, “If we get out of here, then it will have mattered a little bit. All that matters now is we get back home…Well as close as a home for us. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean anything by that.”

  Kenji was using the beam of light from his flashlight to inspect every inch of the area, but replied, “Don’t be sorry, you have nothing to be sorry. Even if this was my home, it isn’t anymore. I have nothing left here, and neither does anyone else,” Kenji paused, his flashlight illuminating what they had been looking for, a map of the subways, “Hey, look! There is the map, but let’s be quick, I don’t want to be here too long.”

  Together they slowly crept up to the map, studying it, finding they were closer than they thought to the central subway hub for the city. They had to keep heading the way they were already going and then take the tunnels south and out of the city. Providing there were not any infected in the tunnels or at the stations, because of the government shutdown, it would be easy, but a long walk. Both Kenji and Ramirez looked at each other, knowing and enjoying a small moment of luck.

  A loud, resounding metallic noise interrupted their moment, causing them both to jerk into action, turning towards the source of the sound. It came from within the offices towards the back end of the station. They both had their weapons at the ready, and stealthily approached the door leading into the offices. Kenji looked through the small window on the door, peering into the hallway beyond.

  He flashed his light through the glass, shining it deep into the dark hallway. About two-thirds of the way down the hall they spotted what had caused the noise. A small metal trashcan had been knocked over; trash was strewn across the otherwise clean area. The taint that was the infected had apparently somehow found its way even into the closed down subway tunnels. They both looked at each other, and Kenji reached for the door handle.

  Kenji turned the door handle, finding it locked, unwilling to turn. A loud bang shook the door ever so slightly; Kenji and Ramirez jumped back in surprise. Ramirez flashed his light at the window again, only to be greeted by a pale dead face with black eyes. Again, the infected on the other side thrust his hand awkwardly at the door, creating a sickening smack that echoed through the door.

  “I wonder how he got down here,” stated Ramirez.

  “He was probably closing the station down, got bit before retreating down here, only to be either trapped or too sick to leave,” Replied Kenji.

  “Do you think it’s safe to leave him in there?” asked Ramirez.

  “I don’t think he’s going to be getting through that door anytime soon. We should just leave and keep going. I don’t want to waste time getting in there,” replied Kenji sorrowfully.

  “Fine with me,” said Ramirez, lifting his shoulders in agreement, “Let’s go back, staring at him is creeping me out.”

  They started to walk back; Kenji asked, “What about them creeps you out the most?”

  Ramirez took no waste of time to give his reply, “The eyes. The eyes freak me the hell out. I’ve seen battle wounds, and I mean shit that would make anyone lose their meal, and still, it doesn’t even come close to that. What about you?”

  Kenji was silent for a moment, and they reached the ledge leading down into the tunnel. “The only thing that haunts me at night…The only thing that goes through my mind when I kill one of the Yokai...What if somewhere inside their mind the person we once knew is still there, watching their body attack and devour people. Friends, family, and they are helpless to do anything about it until one of us comes along and puts an end to it. Part of me wants to say that is the justified thing to do, wanting not to become a monster. Then the other part of me tells me that even though they are freed afterward, they would still be afraid to die, again.”

  Ramirez turned towards Kenji, “Jesus man, that’s fucking dark. I mean I know the world isn’t all rainbows and kittens…But, wow. Just wow. I think you just get numb to that feeling, or, at least, numb to wondering about it. I have shot and killed many people before, and it admittedly gets easier, and eventually, you just don’t question things, it just becomes instinct.”

  After pausing for a moment, Ramirez continued, “Look, after a while, you just become grateful that you are still alive no matter what. The trivial things in life start to seem more important. The hardest part is reminding you that you are still human after crazy stuff like this happens. Sorry to bring this conversation to an end, but let’s go before the others start to get worried.”

  Kenji looked away towards the tunnel, “Yeah, okay, let’s go.”

  They climbed down the ledge, landing each with a crunch in the gravel below. Together Kenji and Ramirez walked around the side of the train, finding the group still standing there, looking around. Many of them froze and turned quickly at hearing the crunch of the gravel as Kenji and Ramirez approached.

  Ramirez spoke before Kenji could, “Looks like we are heading the right way, everyone! Next station is where we start to head out of the city.”

  The group smiled, and a few shared that same feeling Kenji and Ramirez had shared minutes before, looking at the map. The joy of everything going right was boosting the group’s moral. Carter helped Knight up again, and they started off down the tunnel once more.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  The central hub of the city’s subway was massive, holding many stations and tunnels for several trains to meet up. The group quickly found the tunnel the group needed and did not waste any time setting off down the tunnel. After what seemed like several hours, they came to the next stop along the subway, another station. Again, it was devoid of any hint that the city above had been ravaged by an infection, killing almost all the population.

  They rested for about ten minutes at the stop, eating small snack foods and drinking water, before continuing. Again, the group set off at a decent pace, making sure to allow the wounded Knight ample time to make his way through the tunnel without injuring himself even more. They passed another station, which started to look just like the other two, but the group didn’t stop at this one and instead kept going.

  By the time they got the third station along the line they had stopped, after checking his watch, Ramirez realized that it was now late in the night. The sun had Risen and set since they had made their trek through the sewers and subway tunnels. Ramirez came back to Knight, “I think we need to rest for the night. I need to tend to those wounds as well.”

  Knight spoke in-between steps, “I hate to…admit it, but…I could do with…some rest.”

  “I’ll tell the group we are going to rest at this station then. Kenji and I will clear the station, make sure it’s locked down before we fully decided to get settled in,” said Ramirez with a hint of relief.

  Ramirez ran back up to the majority of the group, grabbing Kenji and Cooper, “Hey, we are stopping here for the night. We need to make sure it’s clear and secure. You two are coming with me to check it out.”

  The three men moved ahead of the group, jogging through the tunnel to the station, the rest of the group stopped and waited for them to give the signal that it was clear to keep moving. Kenji, with the help of Ramirez, climbed up the ledge, qui
ckly flashing his light around the platform. This one was slightly smaller than the one they had checked the map at earlier. It was newer, though; nicer benches, a few small shops, but still, that did not mean anything to Kenji.

  Sensing no danger nearby, Kenji reached down and helped the other two men up. All three of them quickly fanned out scanning the entire platform, circling to where the shops were on the right end of the platform. The metal pull-down grates that covered the shops were pulled down, but not locked in place. Kenji and Cooper pulled the grate up together, opening it slowly to minimize the sound; despite their effort, it was still quite loud.

  Nothing from within the small shop, which was only big enough to allow about ten people inside at a time, had moved. They went in the shop which contained with snack food, magazines, and over the counter medicine; each one of them wanted to grab what they could, but knew they needed to check the other store, and then move on. They left and walked to the next store, finding the grate not locked as well, and opened it.

  This store was a small coffee shop, which also sold other kinds of drinks, but there wasn’t anyone making drinks today. Again, there was nothing important to note, so they moved on.

  “Do you think we should check out the offices next or the main entrances?” asked Kenji.

  Cooper looked at Ramirez, who spoke, “Let’s check the main entrances first, make sure there is no way the infected can get down here first. No point in making sure everywhere is safe if the entrances aren’t.”

  “I agree, let’s go, and be extremely careful if they are open. Infected could be inside those rooms,” replied Kenji nervously.

  Fanning out again, they moved on back to the other side of the platform and moved towards the stairs leading up to the surface. As they ascended the stairs, they found no sign that anyone had traveled down the stairs in quite some time. Halfway up the stairs a metal gate, it was luckily closed, completely shutting out the world from the station below. Kenji checked to make sure that it couldn’t be pushed open by accident, leaning into, and shoving it.