Dan exhaled sharply. He had subconsciously forgotten to breathe.
He rubbed his gut and self-consciously looked around the room. Nobody was really looking at him, except for that news anchor; Tammy ... something or other. She looked away when he looked back at her. Dan kept looking.
He appreciated beautiful women.
Wow, she is a fine specimen. Those deep, dark blue eyes, that you would expect on maybe some blonde – but with that dark hair ... wow.
He couldn’t help himself and looked her up and down. The t-shirt she wore was stretched at the chest. Dan caught himself when he tried looking too hard for the bump of a nipple.
Fuck! Don’t be such a lecherous bastard! He forced himself to look back out the little window.
What he saw next nearly broke his spirit.
It wasn’t gross or anything. In fact, Dan had hardened himself against any gore. He had already seen enough horrible things over the last week to be truly shocked by anything.
But the young woman, with the remnants of a noose hanging around her neck... Dan instantly started thinking about what her story would be.
This woman probably had seen what the syndrome led to and tried to end her own life. Except she didn’t tie the noose correctly. It didn’t kill her but kept her hanging for ... what? Minutes? Hours? Until she finally did succumb to the syndrome. Her reanimated corpse must have struggled until that hook at the end of the rope came loose.
Is that your future, Dan? You got the syndrome. You know it.
Dan pressed his eyes shut and put his forehead against the little window. Oh man... I don’t want to end up like that.
“Hey. Danny Boy. What’s going on? Are you alright?” Mike had approached, his expression full of concern.
“Oh! Hey Mike. Yeah, it’s ok. I was just watching those things out there.”
Mike frowned. He was suspicious.
Damn. He sees right through me! “Ok.” Dan forestalled any comment from Mike.
Dan looked down for a second. When he looked up and met the eyes of his leader and friend, tears had started to form.
“I got it, Mike. ... The syndrome.” It felt like a switch had been thrown for Dan. He had said it. He had vocalized that he was going to die.
“Are you sure?” Mike asked even though he knew the answer. His eyes had also misted up.
Dan nodded and dropped his head. Mike put his hand around the back of Dan’s neck.
“I’m sorry, Dan.”
Dan kept his head down as he spoke. “I just – I just don’t get it. You guys are all fine...”
“Yeah, I don’t get that either. I figured all of us would be in the same boat.”
Dan looked up at Mike again. “I’m glad. You guys are awesome! You were so good to me. I just ... Thank you, Mike. I wish I had joined your crew earlier.”
Mike smiled and shook his head. “Hey kid, we were happy to have you.” His smile faded when Dan doubled over in pain.
Dan straightened up again once he recovered. He looked at his leader with fear in his eyes. “Hey Mike. I don’t want to turn into one of those things.”
“I know.” He grasped the young man’s hand in his. “I’ll take care of it, if you need me to.”
Dan cracked a smile. “Can you get BB to do it. You’re a terrible shot!” Both men laughed.
“Hey what’s going on?” Abi had approach with an expression halfway between concern and curiosity.
On the other side of the room, Tammy, Breanne and Steve had been sitting in relative silence. They were waiting in dread for the first sounds of zombies outside the door. So far, they had heard nothing. Maybe the zombies would stay away...
The threesome could clearly see that there was still something wrong though. Dan had been quite agitated since they had shut themselves in, and just now Mike and Dan appeared to be arguing in low voices. Too low to overhear, even in the small confines of the communications office.
“What?!” Tammy could hear that. Abi had walked over to the two men and exclaimed her surprise.
Tammy finally let her curiosity get the better of her, and she approached Mike, Abi and Dan.
“Hey guys. What’s wrong?”
Abi was quick to answer. “Oh man, I can’t believe– “
“Abi.” Mike interrupted. “Let’s not create a panic in here, shall we?” Mike spoke calmly. It had an instant effect on Abi, whose mouth clamped shut.
Tammy frowned. “What do you mean? Don’t you think we have a right to know if there is something wrong?”
Mike gave Tammy a pleading look. “Tammy, we’re trying to deal with things here. We’re doing our best. Just let us do what we can, ok? Let us do our duty.” With that he looked at Dan and Abi with a stern look. They both cowered under his stare.
The conversation ended there, with all three soldiers walking back to their stations.
IT WASN’T UNTIL AN hour later that somebody spoke up again.
There was a flurry of sound and activity, as BB had made radio contact. BB and Mike were fully occupied with the radio, and within a minute they had sent Abi upstairs again.
Tammy could hear a hatch opening upstairs and gasped at the sudden and loud sound of the hatch hitting the roof.
Mike turned to Dan. “Go help Abi. Get that smoke up there.”
Tammy quickly followed Dan as he went upstairs.
“Dan! What’s happening?”
Without turning, Dan replied. “We might have a lift out of here after all!”
He got upstairs and immediately ran to a storage locker in the corner. Tammy followed him and noticed the open roof hatch nearby. Dan rummaged through the storage locker and after a few seconds lofted a tubular object with a triumphant “A-ha!”
He walked over to the open hatch and called up to Abi, then handed the object to her.
Dan went back downstairs, followed by Tammy.
“Smoke is ready to go, chief.”
“Ok good. Exfil in about three minutes. Go tell Abi to hit that smoke in two!”
“Hooah!” Dan replied and turned back towards the stairs.
Breanne and Steve had approached, knowing something was up. Mike saw them, and patted BB on the shoulder.
“Stay on the line with them until they acknowledge the smoke. Then get to the roof asap!” BB nodded and turned back to the radio as Mike turned to the civilians.
“There is a Marine helicopter inbound. They should get here in about two and a half minutes. I need you folks to get on to the roof of this building. Follow me.”
He led them upstairs and towards the hatch. There were metal ladder rungs along the wall under the hatch, which oddly reminded Tammy of a submarine – although she had never been on one.
Mike stood beside the ladder and coaxed Breanne up. “Let’s go! We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Climbing is not my thing!” Breanne exclaimed as she nearly lost her footing halfway up. Eventually she made it to the hatch, where Abi and Dan assisted her up onto the roof. Steve practically flew up the ladder after her. Tammy followed last.
Once she got on the roof, Tammy had a better feel for her surroundings. She could see many figures moving in the distance. She watched as Abi flicked something off the metal tube she had in her hands, then she tossed it to the corner of the roof. Within seconds, a thick purple smoke started to emanate from the device.
Tammy thought she could hear a helicopter in the distance and started scanning the horizon. Sure enough, the steady rhythmic sound of rotors announced the impending approach of a helicopter.
“There!” Steve was the first to see it. He pointed. Tammy could see nothing at first. Then, a shimmer, as the sun’s rays reflected off something. Slowly, the object became visible.
Thirty seconds later, it had arrived. It was huge – the biggest helicopter Tammy had ever seen. She figured that it was as long as a Boeing 737 airplane. The noise it made was deafening.
Everybody had made it to the roof. The helicopter hovered fifty feet above them. A do
or slid open along its side, and a metal contraption swung out the door, a person already tied off to it. Seconds later, that person was being lowered to the rooftop.
“It’s the marines!” BB called out beside her.
“BB get over here!” Mike called. The radioman quickly stepped over to Mike and the team.
The marine touched down and quickly stepped out of the harness he had been strapped in to.
“Sorry folks we ain’t got baskets – you’ll have to get strapped into this here contraption! One at a time, now. Ok kid you go first!” He pulled Steve towards him. Before the boy could say or do anything, he was strapped in.
A second marine had his head poked out the open door of the helicopter. As soon as the marine on the roof gave him a signal, the harness, and Steve, started to rise up.
Tammy wasn’t watching them anymore though. She could see that something was going on with Mike and his team. Abi was crying, and Mike had his hand on Dan’s shoulder.
Abi made her way over to Tammy, just as the harness was being lowered again.
“What’s going on, Abi?” Tammy asked.
Abi shook her head at first, struggling with something. “We’re all fine. So how did he get it?”
“What do you mean, Abi?” Tammy tried to keep her voice calm. Behind her, Breanne was about to be lifted. Just then the helicopter dipped a few feet, and Breanne lost her footing and smacked the roof hard. In the next instant she was pulled up as the helicopter overcorrected. The marine had held on to her and also got lifted a couple of feet in the air.
“You feckin’ EMU!” He yelled.
“I think I broke my ass!” Breanne screeched.
The next moment, the helicopter had stabilized, and Breanne ascended.
Tammy turned back to Abi, who almost had a grin on her face. Tammy was sure it was nervous energy and not malicious sadism. Heck, Tammy almost felt the urge to laugh as well.
“Abi.” Abi looked up to meet Tammy’s eyes. She looked over her shoulder at her team. All of the sudden she blurted it all out. “He’s infected. Dan. He knows it, too. He says it’s getting real bad. He’s not coming with us.”
“Oh no...” Was all Tammy could think to say. She looked over and saw BB say his goodbye, leaving Dan alone with Mike.
Tammy watched Mike wrap Dan up in a bear hug. She watched both men cry. Then she saw Mike hand his sidearm to the younger man.
She was in a daze as the marine man-handled her into the harness and she lifted up into the air. The first thing that she registered was that their building was surrounded by dozens of zombies.
Another marine helped her into the helicopter with well-practiced efficiency. She made her way to Breanne and Steve. She thought about Dan, and his friendly disposition. How he had saved her life, and then helped save the lives of the two people sitting beside her. She thought about what was going to happen to him. She recalled the pistol that Mike had handed to him.
Before she knew it the three radio operators were on board, and the last marine was being lifted up. The helicopter did a couple more dips and jumps, and even over the incredible noise of the aircraft she could make out some swear words and that word ‘Emu’ again.
Then it was over. The mechanism swung back into the fuselage, and the door slid shut. It was still noisy, but decidedly better. Tammy stepped back towards the door and looked through the little window.
She couldn’t see straight down, but knew Dan was down there, looking back up at them. She looked around and was stunned at the sheer number of zombies. Of course, they had all come over, drawn by the noise of the helicopter. The numbers were overwhelming. There were hundreds of them approaching the radio building. She looked outwards and saw zombies everywhere.
Tammy wondered if there was anybody left alive in the camp. She hoped that people managed to find secure buildings to hide out in.
But then what?
The helicopter jerked into motion, almost knocking Tammy off her feet. She watched as they passed over the central area of the camp. The open area was also swamped with zombies. Tammy stared down as thousands of wide-open eyes stared back up at her. Arms flailed as the undead reached up to the evening sky in uncontrolled rage.
What makes them hates us so much? Tammy wondered, as the helicopter cleared the outer fence and continued over the darkened city on its way.
To where? She contemplated.
To safety. She hoped.
If there is such a thing. Tammy pondered as the helicopter sped away from the setting sun.
Chapter Thirty-four
Christine
October 30, 6:00 P.M.
The group had finished an early supper after a long, hard, but relatively uneventful day. All the materials from the gym had been organized and redistributed, and people had a chance to get their rooms in order. What that mostly meant was moving and stacking countless desks and chairs out of the way. John had hosted a couple of weapons training sessions already. Christine had attended both of them but was disappointed that she hadn’t gotten to handle a gun yet.
Both classes were all about gun safety and theoretical stuff.
Bla bla bla. Christine decided that she would not go tomorrow. She’d have Ethan let her know when the more exciting stuff started, at which point she’d drop in.
Surprisingly, she got a lot more out of the aikido class taught by Keith. Surprisingly also, he was a pretty funny guy. The class was all about stretching and warming up and some core strengthening. Keith demonstrated a few moves for the class and Christine could not wait to learn some of that stuff.
The sun was setting outside, and folks were preparing for their second night at the Ren. The day really had flown by, Christine realized, as she walked out of the library and towards the stairs.
Surreal.
The thought came to Christine’s mind as she got to the stairs and started descending. It did feel surreal. What with the locked doors and most windows being shuttered. It had given her a sense of detachment from the outside world. The way everybody had thrown themselves at tasks and classes had made the day fly by, but Christine felt that it was a rather futile and pathetic way to ignore the real world.
Well, you did too, so...
She got to the main floor and turned towards the cafeteria. It was the one place always buzzing with activity. The lights were on in there. That had been another lesson. Lowering those storm shutters meant the school was always dark, so they were forced to turn on certain lights.
Turns out the undead didn’t care about lights. It certainly did not attract them. So, the entire school was lit up merrily – until that Craig character warned people about using too much electricity. Something about straining the system and the threat of plunging them all into darkness. Christine wasn’t really listening.
So now, only a few lights were on. The essential ones.
Christine was pulled out of her daydream by the sounds of commotion. As usual, she heard her dad and mom’s voices in the middle of it all. She followed the noise into the cafeteria.
A small crowd was gathering. As she neared the group, she could see her dad and Craig in a heated argument. Jack was standing a few feet back, his mom standing directly in front of him as if to shield him. They were flanked by John, the hot guy with the prosthetic hand.
It looked like two groups were forming and facing off.
“Now hold on! We shouldn’t jump to conclusions!” Craig was saying.
Christine’s mom wouldn’t have any of it. “I will not endanger my babies for your sick son!”
Oh mom, you’re such a bitch!
Christine sidled up to track suit girl, who was watching the scene play out from a distance. What the hell was her name again. Ah who cares.
“Hey, what’s going on?” She prompted.
Track suit girl looked over at Christine. There was no emotion visible on her face. She turned back to the fracas before speaking.
“Sounds like Jack is having stomach problems. Your mom thinks he’s infected
.” The inflection on the words ‘your mom’ made Christine’s temperature rise.
My mom is a bitch. Yes. But she’s my mom! “Well, if he is infected, he’s a danger to us all!” Was all she could think to say.
Track suit girl merely looked at Christine and opened her palm towards the argument, as if to invite her to go join the quarrel. Christine took the hint and walked towards her parents.
I didn’t want to hang out with the stupid dyke anyway.
“He is Celiac! I bet you he probably just ate something containing gluten.” Craig was saying.
“I know what Celiac is! Don’t treat me like I’m stupid!” Joe responded angrily. “What if it isn’t? We can’t be taking any risks here!” He continued.
“So, what do you propose we do?” Craig was still managing to hold on to his composure.
Huh. Respect. Dad usually can get anybody riled up. Christine could see her mom getting ready for a blast though.
“Get him out of here! Make him stay outside or something!” She was acting as if just being around Jack would infect the rest. Christine felt a bit sorry for the young man.
Jack looked in obvious distress. He had a slight sheen of sweat, and involuntarily kept clenching his jaw. His right hand would shoot to his stomach every few seconds.
Christine hoped that Jack wasn’t infected. She thought that he was kind of cute. For a white boy.
Christine glanced over and could see Claire crying again. Nancy was holding her with those chubby granny arms of hers. Ern had had enough and barged in between Joe and Craig.
“This stops now!” He yelled.
Emily, the British bus driver, and the oriental dude stepped in as well, creating a barrier between the two groups. Violence hung in the air for a couple of seconds as the groups faced off.
“Well?” Joe stated, waiting for somebody to provide a solution to the stand-off.
“Erm. Maybe I can help.” The rich guy had spoken up.
Patrick. Christine remembered. He had been standing on mom and dad’s side of the confrontation, along with his wife.
Apocalypsis Immortuos | Book 1 | Syndrome Page 22