Kings of Carrion

by Keri Lake

  “Let’s go find those samples,” he says, slipping his leg over the edge of the hole.

  Rhys follows after him. Then Kenny, Brandon, Tinker and Ratchet, until finally, Cadmus, Titus and I bring up the rear. As I step carefully down each rung, I hear the thump of feet landing against the bottom, and take comfort knowing there is a bottom where Ragers aren’t waiting to catch our fall. The incessant thrum of excitement that beats through me is tamped down by the terror of knowing what lurks in these tunnels. The vindictive beasts that would make play out of my brutal death, should one get its hands on me. I’m assuming that would be after it’s dragged me to its nest and had its way with me first. Though I’d never admit this aloud, I’m suddenly grateful for both Cadmus and Titus, my protectors, who would fight to keep that from happening.

  Once on the ground, we assemble into our groups--five in ours, four in theirs, only because Kenny will need to come with us to access the main computer in the hospital. Otherwise, I suspect he’d opt to stay with Rhys.

  “Keep in contact. And remember, should you become compromised …” With a frown, Rhys lowers his gaze as if the thought of leaving anyone behind is troubling. “Don’t hesitate to give the signal.”

  “That goes for you, as well.” There isn’t a bone in Cadmus’s body that seems willing to play along with the other Alpha, as they stand before each other like two foes.

  I step between them, eyes on Rhys, who’s just as intimidating as the two Alphas that stand at my back. “We’ll all convene in the main hospital at the entrance.”

  And hopefully, all of us, along with Valdys, will walk out of here.

  Assuming Kenny can get the computers going again, he should be able to open the sealed doors.

  Sparing us no more than a glance, Rhys twists away from me, taking the lead in the opposite direction, down darkened tunnels that lead toward the research lab. His three companions follow after him, and I spin around to the four behind me.

  “C’mon. Valdys is waiting.”

  Chapter 20

  Wren

  I have to remember to breathe while I watch from Six’s point of view, as he strides through the dark tunnels. The incessant clomp of their boots against the gravelly floor is the only sound I can make out over his breathing inside the mask, and the thumping of their packs and equipment.

  “They can hear us, right?” I ask Gregor, who sits beside me at his desk.

  “Yes, I can hear you.” Amusement colors Six’s voice when he answers.

  “Good. Then, you’ll hear me loud and clear, when I tell you to ditch this popstand and get out of there, if things go south.”

  “Yes. I’ll hear it. Doesn’t mean I’ll follow orders.”

  “Six.” My voice holds futile warning against the man’s determination. “Remember your promise.”

  “I remember.”

  Through the camera, I see Jed’s back and the long stretch of tunnel ahead of them. To my side, Gregor bites his nails, perhaps equally as stressed as I am right now. Only the halo of light from their flashlights provides a small bit of illumination against the surrounding darkness that I can’t see past.

  The lack of conversation is unnerving, heightening my anxiety, and I sit bouncing my knee, unwittingly hitting it against the desk in front of me. I know they’re trying to remain quiet, to keep from stirring any sudden attack, but the uncertainty in all of this has me rising to my feet and pacing beside the desk, only stealing the occasional peek.

  “How long does it take to reach the entrance?” My whispered voice seems to interrupt Gregor’s trance, and he startles, clearing his throat.

  “About ten minutes.”

  “It hasn’t been ten minutes yet? It feels like an eternity.”

  “You might want to step out of the room a bit, Wren. I have a feeling this will be upsetting for you.”

  Upsetting? He’s already anticipating death before they’ve breached the facility.

  Ignoring him, I plop down in my chair and rest my elbows on the desk, taking a moment to calm the nervous thrumming in my veins. “Jed, can you hear me?”

  “I can, Wren.” He doesn’t bother to turn around as he keeps on down the tunnels. Thankfully, the camera is connected to the comm system they’re linked to, which means, unless they turned the volume up, the sound is muted outside of the suit.

  “These … early Ragers with the R-One protein. Do they respond the same as the current Ragers? Would they fear Six?”

  “It’s hard to say. They’ve not been exposed to Alphas in quite some time. If at all. As their strain of the disease tends to be far more virulent, I suspect not. But then, I’d welcome the error of my predictions. Particularly now.”

  Ahead of Jed, I can make out a silver wall, doors that seal off the entrance of what I presume is the laboratory. Coming to a halt before it, the men run their flashlights up and down its surface. There doesn’t appear to be any way of opening it. A seamless wall of steel with no hope of getting inside.

  “You tried. That’s what matters, Six.” The humor in my voice is buried beneath real relief.

  Jed reaches into his pack off the side of the camera’s view and tugs out a pair of black glasses, a thick pair of gloves, and two long, handheld objects, which he sets on the ground.

  “What’s this?” The camera lowers as Six kneels beside the objects that I can’t even begin to identify.

  “Thermal erosion cutting torches. Each of these sends a blast of flame--a blade, more, or less--that reaches over five-thousand degrees farenheit. It was used by military and law enforcement to breach barriers.” He twists back toward Six, lifting one of the sabers into his hand. “You might want to step back.”

  The camera moves away from the door, while Jed lines up the first saber along the frame of it. The sound of forced air accompanies the bright orange flare of light, which Jed slides down the edge of the door. He then grabs the second torch and does the same to the other side, signaling for Six to approach. The camera draws near, and Jed jerks his head. “One good kick oughta do it. Figured you pack more power in your legs.”

  Bracing his hands at either side of the frame, careful to avoid the charred edges that might still be hot, Six lifts his leg and slams his boot against the center of the door. Once. Twice. The seemingly impenetrable door tips backward like a fallen opponent, and a crash echoes through the tunnel. I slap my hands to my ears with the sound of it, my heart picking up its pace at the thought of all those mutations rising out of their slumber with the ruckus.

  The men pause for a moment, not bothering to rush inside.

  The hallway stands dark, but with an arc of the flashlight, I can make out the surrounding destruction.

  “Fucking reeks down here.” Tinker’s voice somewhere beyond the camera’s view feels unfitting for the unsettling view ahead--a breath of familiarity in the bowels of hell. “It’s like … rotted meat.”

  “Please be careful.” My whisper is so quiet, I wonder if Six even hears it.

  Light from the flashlights bounce over stained white walls that’re streaked in a deep crimson red I’m certain is dried blood. A door hangs from its hinges, and beyond it, lies the destroyed remains of a laboratory. Equipment scattered about the floor mingles with broken glass and tattered papers. Errant drops of deep burgundy is undoubtedly more blood. The camera latches onto feet sticking out from the side of a bench, and approaching it reveals the skeletal remains of a body. The labcoat bears a nametag, and Jed kneels down beside it.

  “Marcus Turner. I didn’t see him in the evacuation group. Wondered if he had gotten out.” He clambers back to his feet. “C’mon. The samples we’re after are in the lower levels. We need to find them as quickly as possible.”

  The group exits the room, and once again, the dark hallway lies ahead. Every nerve in my body is flaring with the fear that pulses through me in waves, twisting knots in my stomach. My muscles are as poised as if I’m walking alongside them through those halls.

  The sound of distant screechi
ng brings the group to a halt, and Jed turns around to face the screen, eyes wide, the light from the camera illuminating his face.

  “There’s something I failed to mention earlier.” He glances over his shoulder, as if he senses something behind him. “Unlike the Ragers we’ve come to know, these more primitive species hunt in packs. They will share the spoils of their kill, which means you will be torn apart alive, if they get their hands on you.”

  “Fucks sake, man. I’m already on the verge of pissing myself over here.” The camera swings to Tinker standing alongside Ratchet, whose eyes scan over his surroundings.

  As the camera’s view turns back toward Jed, it catches movement, and my heart leaps into my throat.

  Silvery eyes watch them from the darkness beyond.

  Chapter 21

  Cali

  There’s a chill on the air, the kind that penetrates beyond the skin and down to my very bones, like death trailing our footsteps. Titus leads the group through the tunnels, which stand eerily quiet and empty. I recall the story Cadmus told us a while back about being sent down here.

  The air got thinner. Colder. By the time I reached the bottom, I swore I fell into winter. I unhooked the line and turned the brightness of my light up. At either side of me were long stretches of dark concrete tunnels that just seemed to go on forever.

  Seems an accurate description for the long corridor that appears to stretch well beyond my flashlight, making me wonder if he really was sent down here. I thought it nothing but a mind trick, more of Calico’s mental torment, but perhaps it was all real. Perhaps the new scars on his body really were put there by something that lurks down here.

  I twist just enough to catch sight of Cadmus bringing up the rear. He still seems lucid, as he casually strolls along, eyes wandering the tunnels. Although, his sudden nonchalance doesn’t make sense. Surely, just being in this place would act as a trigger for him. I didn’t even see the things he’s seen, yet walking these tunnels makes me edgy and uneasy.

  A relentless tremble vibrates beneath my skin, the deeper we venture, and if not for the two Alphas boxing us in, I’m not certain I’d have the nerves to keep going. A constant thread of anxiety hangs on the air, threatening of death and agony, or perhaps it’s just the overwhelming scent of rot clinging to my nose. There’s something down here, though. I can feel it.

  Titus comes to a stop beneath a long silver shaft, connected to the ceiling about six feet overhead, and from his pack, he removes one of the flares. Jed gave us some minor instruction in their use, and Titus goes right to work, snapping the cap off one end and striking it against the end of the stick. A bright light illuminates the dark tunnel on a hiss of flame, which soon becomes white noise as he props the flare on the ground by its steel prongs.

  Inside the shaft above us, metal rungs stick out along the inner surface of it--a ladder--but getting up to them seems to be the challenge. Titus waves Cadmus over. “Give me a boost, will ya? I’ll find some rope, or something, to send down.”

  “What’s above us? Do we even know?” I peer up into the endless silver abyss that darkens to blackness beyond.

  Scratching his face, Cadmus snorts and walks past me, toward Titus. “Depends. You could take this shaft all the way to the roof. There’s a big ass vent in the specimen storage room, though. That’s where they sent me down from.”

  I focus on him, taking in the air of humor in his words, this sudden strange behavior in him, as if he’s completely unaffected by our surroundings.

  Beside Titus, he locks his fingers together, on which Titus plants his boot, and Cadmus hoists him up into the air. Reaching out for the bottommost rung, Titus pulls himself up into the wide shaft, and as it swallows him, we watch his feet disappear beyond the ceiling.

  Over the hiss of the flare, a sound comes from the left, reminding me of those screeches we heard from the mutations locked in the cages.

  Heart in my throat, I swing my attention toward the noise and the long, ominous tunnel. “What was that?”

  “The monsters. What else?” Cadmus flicks his fingers toward Kenny. “C’mon, I’ll hoist you up there, too. Might as well get a head start before whatever’s down here finds us.”

  I take hold of his jaw to make him pause. Large, black pupils stare back at me, the usual creases of worry all but gone from around his eyes. “You’re high, aren’t you?”

  He snaps his head to break my grasp and chuckles. “You’re crazy.”

  “I can see your eyes. They’re dilated. You took peyote before we came down here? Where the hell did you even get it?”

  “Swiped it from the medicine woman’s tent, while Titus was passed out. You think I’m going to jump back into a fucking nightmare without something to dull it a little?” His tongue runs across his lips, and he sniffs. “Only took a little bit. Just enough to take the edge off.”

  “You better be here for us, Cadmus. This can’t be like last time, where we had to rescue you from the marauders who would’ve slaughtered you. This isn’t about you.”

  “I said I’ll be fine. What’s that word you taught me? Verisimilitude? See? I said it. Now step back.” Linking his fingers again, he hoists Kenny up next, who struggles, arms trembling to pull himself up. Cadmus snorts again, watching the kid’s feet dangle and kick while searching for purchase that isn’t there. “Fuckin’ pansy. C’mon, Brandon. Show this computer nerd how it’s done.”

  At last, Kenny manages to pull his bodyweight enough to gain his footing, and a rope falls down from the shaft, gathering on the concrete before us.

  The sound of screeching echoes from the left once more, and I catch Cadmus looking on, his brow furrowed.

  “Shouldn’t Cali go next? Get her out of here first?” Brandon asks, handing me the rope.

  Cadmus seems distracted for a moment, not bothering to answer as he continues to stare off toward the long stretch of tunnel.

  “Cadmus?” Irritation simmers inside of me, and I’m certain this entire expedition will be spent snapping him out of his haze.

  Blinking himself from the trance, he turns to me, then Brandon, shoving the rope back toward the soldier. “If I gotta bring up the rear, I’d rather be staring at her ass than yours.”

  With a smirk, Brandon jumps up onto the rope, as if he’s done this a hundred times before, and climbs up into the shaft.

  I follow after, struggling a bit more, but with a boost from Cadmus, I manage to get my feet up onto the rung and begin my climb up the surprisingly spacious shaft. I feared being claustrophobic in here, but there’s enough room to climb piggyback if one were so inclined. Twisting around, I watch as Cadmus takes the rope, but his attention snaps toward the end of the tunnel once again.

  “Cadmus …” My voice carries an echo in the open space.

  “You think she’s down there? Think that’s her?”

  “No.” I don’t like the way he’s so fixated on something right now, as if he sees her. It’s hard to tell if it’s from the drugs, or his state of mind. “Grab the rope. C’mon, we don’t have much time.”

  He shoots me a dubious glance that steels my nerves, and at the sound of screeching, closer than before, I shake the rope to get his attention.

  “Let’s go, Cadmus!”

  With reluctance, he hops up the rope, nearly at the mouth of the shaft, and grabs onto the rung, pulling himself up, and we continue our climb. A ticking, or scratching, sound piques my curiosity, and I pause a moment to listen. About ten rungs above me, Brandon climbs through the vent, leaving only Cadmus and I in the shaft.

  The rope quivers.

  The ticking stops.

  I look down, beyond Cadmus, who half-heartedly climbs along, to see a white claw enter the halo of light from the flare. My heart pounds in panic when the rest of the creature steps into view. A faceless mutation, the likes of which I’ve never seen before.

  “Oh, God!”

  Cadmus looks down, and two more of them step into view. “Fuck! Grab the rope! The rope!”

&n
bsp; As I twist to grab it, I lose my footing and fall against the opposite side of the shaft. Screaming, the world feels light, tickling my stomach as I slip past Cadmus.

  Something grips my arm.

  As the creatures shift on their feet, awaiting my fall, I dangle in Cadmus’s grasp, halfway out of the shaft. One of them jumps to grab my feet.

  Hysterical, I kick at it. “Pull me up! Oh, God, Cadmus, pull me up! Don’t let me fall!”

  My body is lifted away from them, and the second I’m close enough to reach the rung just below Cadmus, I grip tight.

  “Climb over me!” he commands, hand outstretched, but my body is paralyzed with fear. I can’t move. I can’t even will myself to look down. “Cali! They’ve got the rope! Go!”

  Through shuddering breaths, I reach out, and I dare a glance down. Below us, they jump at the rope, but slide down before they’re able to climb. Stealing the opportunity, I climb over Cadmus, and with panic tightening my muscles, I keep my eyes on the wall of the shaft and scramble up the rungs to get away.

  “Fuck! They’re climbing!” Cadmus yells below me, and I grit my teeth, determined to reach that vent. “Titus! Cut the fucking rope!”

  The vent cover swings open, and Titus peers down, only a few rungs above me now. With a knife, he saws at the rope.

  “It’s too fucking thick! C’mon!” He reaches out for me, and the sharp metallic edge of the vent scrapes across my belly as he pulls me inside.

  “Hurry, Cali!” Cadmus’s shouts echo from within the shaft, as I tumble through the vent in the wall to the floor, rolling onto my back.

  There’s a hard thump and grunting. Titus throws back the hinged vent, where the top of Cadmus’s head comes into view, before he slides back down into the shaft, disappearing again. “Fuck!”