Part 2
Death in Darkness
Chapter 1
Darkness +15, 2033
Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA
Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris
External temperature: -61°F
0145 Hours
“You're all safe now, I just want to reiterate that. The doors are rated to withstand a nuclear blast. We are so happy to have found survivors on our last trip into the world. Let me be the first to tell you; Welcome to your new home!”
He paused, looking at the gathered people in front of him. I stood at the back of the crowd. His eyes met mine for a moment. The dog barked in the relative silence, causing a few people to chuckle. The General himself chuckled.
“Welcome to Project Osiris. This is Bunker 13, of the Western Division in said project. There are sixteen bunkers in the USA. This project was created in response to a threat we learned of a few years ago.”
The General stood tall and firm, in his mid-fifties, lightly grayed but not stooped by age or stress. Gray eyes stared out from his well-formed face, seemingly piercing through you. His uniform was clean and sharp. He clearly made an effort in his day-to-day life, despite the changes wrought on the world.
I found myself standing slightly straighter, nearly coming to parade rest every time his eyes swept over me. He had a presence that could be felt even in the massive hangar-like garage we stood in. My eyes continued to rove the space as the General pressed on with his speech.
“As you all know, our world has died. It is now a frozen wasteland. Due to our rather... unique circumstances, I'm going to bring you all up to speed with what I know."
Murmurs quietly spread through the crowd as we all listened intently. The general looked about for a moment, mentally preparing himself.
“The cold and dark was caused by alien interference. The aliens have somehow blocked our sun from radiating its light and heat on our world. There was no warning given, no form of communication sent or replied to. The storms that have resulted from the loss of the sun have killed billions, with billions more lost in the days after darkness fell."
He looked somber, as did we all. He was telling us what we already knew, but it was hard hearing it from an authority on the matter.
“Our communication network failed the first day of the superstorms. We have not been in touch with the other bases since. We are certain there are satellites still in orbit around the Earth, but we don't have the hardware to communicate with them.”
Beeping sounded as a forklift moved crates nearby. Nobody spoke as we listened to the situation. It was worse than we had feared.
“We had 700 personnel when darkness fell, and the winds came. With your forty people and one dog, we now stand at 632 personnel. I tell you this, so you understand that you are not the only ones that have lost in this new world."
He paused once more, though this time, the silence was filled with a few shuddering breaths.
“I, myself, had a wife and child. They were not able to get here, or to any sort of safety, in time. We have all lost loved ones. Our rescue efforts were extensive for the first few days, though we lost nearly a hundred personnel out in the savage cold. You are the first survivors we've found in twelve days."
A gasp emanated from all of us. Nobody rescued in nearly two weeks. We had been warm, relatively comfortable in our office. In fact, we hadn't truly lost anybody from our team since the first day. Only Tracy missing for days, and Mark for a scant hour.
“Truth is, we stopped sending out scavenger sorties seven days ago. When the last trip returned, reports came in of a trio standing in a building, shining lights. We had to gather up for a massive assault, determining which building the scout had even seen the trio in.”
I looked at Larry and Jessie, then back to the General. The trio had been the three of us, looking for any sign of life out in the world.
“The delay was my fault. I wanted to ensure we suffered as few losses as possible. The enemy is ferocious. We have codenamed them 'NAGA' due to their appearance. They are incredibly similar to the creature in Hindu mythology of the same name. Our knowledge of them is limited. What we do know is they are hardy, with thick hides that shrug off knives and even smaller caliber ammunition."
The creatures that attacked us in the stairwell and in the store of the tower came to mind unbidden. The first had been a large one, almost twenty feet long, and had filled the staircase. The second had been a monster beyond compare, rearing up over two stories. I relived Thompson's horrific death again.
“Worse still, they appear to be skilled fighters," said General Turner. This snapped me out of my recollection. "They have claws instead of nails on their hands. They heal quickly and are an all-around extremely deadly threat. However, this still isn't the end of it. Their blood is a poison to humans. Anybody exposed will often suffer extreme aggression and psychotic episodes. The condition is like a rapid onset of rabies."
People shuffled around nervously. This was news to them; I had a sick feeling in my stomach.
“These episodes are short at first and can be controlled. However, the episodes increase in frequency and duration, until the sufferer is locked in a permanent sort of blood lust. They will stay that way, hostile to anybody and everything until either their organs fail or they die from injuries. Because of the extremely volatile nature of the condition, I will ask anybody exposed to step forward. We are working on a cure."
I did my best not to look at Geno, but I could tell others were. A short officer with two bars on her lapel stepped up next to Tuner and whispered in his ear. Turner nodded, focusing on Geno as she did so.
A moment later, two soldiers carefully worked their way through the crowd to where he stood. They each took one of his arms, making sure to gently but firmly lock his arms in their grip. Geno immediately began shouting.
“Hey! I'm fine! Fuckin' let go of me!”
As he began to struggle, the two soldiers grew concerned. He was a large guy, but they had evidently thought they could handle him without too much fuss. He started to break free. I took a step toward them, but a large hand stopped me.
I looked back, following the arm to the massive form of Larry. He quietly shook his head. By the time I turned back to Geno, he was in handcuffs. He grew increasingly frantic. Several soldiers nearby stopped what they were doing to help contain him.
An older gentleman I hadn't seen before quickly walked up to the stage, then stood close to the General. The new man was definitely older than the General, possibly in his late 60s. His hair was mostly gone, leaving a shining bald pate. He and the two officers leaned in, evidently to have a quiet talk.
My attention snapped back to Geno when I heard him roar. He headbutted the soldier immediately in front of him, causing a spray of blood to fly through the air. I started to move closer, if only to see more clearly what was happening.
The group of struggling soldiers continued to move away from our group of survivors. They were making a loose line for the tunnel at the back of the hangar. Geno surged to the side, throwing his shoulder into the sternum of the soldier to his right. The soldier was tossed several feet in the air.
Before that soldier had even landed, Geno's left leg shot out and kicked the soldier on his left. The soldier's leg made a sickening crack as it folded backward. The first soldier only let out a whoomph as the breath was driven from him. The second soldier let out a cry of agony.
Geno charged forward, intent on a group of three soldiers. They broke apart and tried to tackle him. Several more jumped on top of the pile, trying to restrain the clearly berserking Geno.
I could still h
ear cries of pain and agony as he whipped around, headbutting people, and smashing into them with his sheer weight. Then Castillo swarmed past me, sprinting at the group. Geno started to stand again, showing incredible strength as he lifted six soldiers.
Geno seemed to shrug, and the soldiers were scattered all around him. Castillo leaped onto the berserker's back. Then he snaked an arm around Geno's throat. Castillo was visibly straining as Geno thrashed about. Geno's arms couldn't quite grab Castillo as he wiggled around on the bigger man's back.
The elderly gentleman quietly approached from the side and withdrew a needle from his lab coat. During a lull as Geno focused on grabbing Castillo, the scientist darted in surprisingly fast. In a single movement, he jabbed Geno and emptied the syringe.
I was standing only twenty or so feet away, one of the closest people. I wanted to help Geno, but there didn't seem to be anything I could do. The soldiers were all still scattered, groaning in pain. The jab clearly infuriated Geno, and he roared.
Geno swiped at the scientist wildly, causing Castillo to lose his grip for a moment. Castillo's arm slid into Geno's mouth, and Geno bit down hard. Castillo screamed as blood sprayed into the air around the savage bite. He reared back as far as he could, then slammed his helmet down onto the back of Geno's skull.
Both men fell unconscious to the floor. Blood was everywhere, and soldiers lay in heaps. A radio call went out, though I didn't hear exactly what. I stepped into the circle of destruction.
I knelt at Geno's side, gently pulling Castillo free. Both men had blood trickling down their heads. Castillo had a cut on his forehead from the impact with his helmet. Geno was bleeding from a shallow wound on the back of his shaved skull, caused by the edge of Castillo's helmet.
I rolled Geno over, noticing that his pupils were completely blown out, despite being evidently unconscious. I closed his eyes and felt for a pulse. It was strong and fast. I released a breath I hadn't been aware of holding. I checked Castillo over a moment later.
Both men were in rough shape. Castillo had a massive bite torn from his right forearm. I pulled open a first aid kit on his vest, which had a bottle of antiseptic packing foam. I sprayed the foam on his open wound, which caused Castillo to flinch. An off-white foam expanded rapidly, filling the chunk of missing flesh.
Finally, a large squad of soldiers showed up. Each set of two soldiers held a stretcher between them. The groups of men began collecting the fallen. I watched over Geno as he was the last to be loaded. Castillo sat up, dazed but aware.
Which is when I noticed General Turner standing next to me. He met my gaze for a moment, interest showing for a split second. Then he turned to the medics and gave brisk instructions.
“Take the infected man down to One-Delta for containment and care. Make sure you are not exposed to him.”
“Yes, sir,” the four soldiers barked in unison. They hustled off to the tunnel at the back of the hangar.
“Castillo, my office. Going to be able to climb the mountain of paperwork before I'm done..."
Turner noticed me again, then nodded. He raised his voice and addressed the crowd as a whole.
“As you can see, the infection is a grave concern. If you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure everything is in order for those two, as well as handle a lot of new paperwork. Lieutenant Perkins will continue your orientation."
Turner looked at the officer that had alerted him to Geno. He nodded, then turned and briskly left.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, if I can have your attention, please."
Chapter 2
Darkness +15, 2033
Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA
Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris
-61°F
0200 Hours
Lieutenant Perkins stood straight and pretty. She looked almost like a flight attendant in her starched uniform. She smiled as the group slowly started to look at her.
“I am Lieutenant Perkins, and I will be your guide for today. Like the General said, welcome to Bunker 13!”
Her voice was melodic, soft and assured. It had a bubbly quality that gave a little pep to everyone after the long day.
“If I can have all of you fine folks follow me, we'll get started!” She quickly descended from the platform, skirting the mass of the party and leading on toward the back of the cavern. She would turn her head to speak, projecting well even in the open space.
“This was originally a natural cave complex. Ten or so years ago, an earthquake revealed the entrance to this cavern. The US government already owned the property, so we swept in and shored it up. Earthquakes are no longer a concern.”
I chuckled at the dark humor the comment had. Of course earthquakes weren't a concern anymore, the planet was dying.
“The Army was given remit of the land, and construction began. Tunnels were widened, then the blast doors were erected and concealed. The initial purpose of the facility was storage. This facility housed both classified and non-classified material and equipment.”
I gazed over the massive cavern as we walked through. We had been relatively near the fifty foot tall blast doors when we started. It took a solid five minutes to cover the distance to the tunnel at the back of the cavern. Some basic mental math told me the cavern had to be a quarter of a mile long.
“Three years ago, the purpose of the facility changed to emergency shelter. In the event of a nuclear attack, this facility would be safe and would continue to provide for its staff for six months.”
I snapped back to attention, noticing the time frame. It was too close to when I had been in the military, to when Project HORUS had discovered something in the skies. I didn't have time to mull on the though as Perkins continued her tour though.
“Last year, the directive changed to long term solutions. I'm proud to say that as of earlier this year, our facility can hold up to 2000 personnel for ten years without external resources.” She beamed as she said this. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. The government was prepared, and hardly done anything to save the people of the world.
Grumbles of discontent echoed off of the rock walls as they closed in. The doors at the back of the hangar opened fairly quickly, despite their size. Nobody shouted however. I could understand, the day had been absolutely exhausting.
I felt like I had cement shoes on, dragging my feet as I walked down the long corridor. Lieutenant Perkins' chipper tone never faltered, even as we failed to respond to her questions.
I only half listened to her as we continued walking. The tunnel was smooth bored and lined with doors and windows. Each window peeked into offices at first. In the distance I could see another cavern, though nowhere near as large as the hangar behind us.
The offices slowly transitioned to supply rooms. Eventually, just before we reached the cavern, the final windows opened to warehouses. They ran off into the darkness. Most rooms were unlit, likely to save on unnecessary expenditure of electricity.
We emerged into the cavern at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel hadn't been exceptionally long, perhaps another five minute walk. Three other tunnels radiated from the cavern at 90 degree intervals. I gazed down the opposite tunnel. It ran until it hazed with distance.
The bunker was truly enormous. I was starting to understand why she said there could be 2000 personnel, but I thought with the space available more than five times that many could live comfortably in the bunker.
In the center of the cavern stood a tall latticework of iron beams, firmly attached to the ceiling. They were the bones of a freight elevator, which sat waiting patiently on our floor.
“Ordinarily, we would use the passenger elevators for each area as it was needed. However, due to the size of your group, we will be using the freight elevator today. Please stay clear of the sides, to prevent falling or getting caught in the structure of the elevator.”
I looked around for passenger elevators, and noticed one just inside the tunnel to the right of where we had entered the cavern. The left side tu
nnel had one as well. I couldn't see one in the tunnel opposite from where we had entered.
The group slowly boarded the freight elevator through the front gate. It was lifted up and out of the way to allow cargo to be loaded. Most of the group huddled toward the center of the platform.
The elevator was enormous, and could have easily fit two M35 deuce trucks. It was at least forty feet on a side. Perkins stayed near the front gate, at a panel I had missed before. I watched as she pressed a button that lowered the gate, then touched one marked '3'.
The elevator started with a lurch, though no noticeable noise. I marveled at the fact that such a large elevator could work so silently. We descended through rock initially. Approximately fifteen feet of rock later, a new cavern opened up.
I blinked several times as I tried to take in the size of the space we were descending through. I heard gasps from the group, even as I wandered the outer perimeter of the elevator platform. Steel girders blocked my view periodically as we continued to descend.
The two closest walls had to be more than a hundred feet away each. I carefully looked over the edge to the ground, then back up to the ceiling. There had to be nearly fifty feet of height available. Several trees grew to within ten feet of the roof of the cavern.
I switched my gaze to the far walls, trying to determine the distance. Green and brown faded together until it was all a blur.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is our Greenhouse cavern. The plants here help regulate temperature, as well as providing the food and fresh air for our facility. We have apple trees, tomato vines, potatoes and other roots, as well as a lemon tree that will be reaching maturity soon. This is the heart of our facility, and we are proud of the progress we have made in the last three years. This is a twenty-four-seven operation, producing food year round. Many of you will be asked to work here, since this is where the bulk of our work lies.”
Many people just stared in awe. I tried to take it all in. Soon, the elevator descended into rock again. Lt. Perkins continued to narrate our journey.
Darkness Trilogy (Book 2): Death In Darkness Page 1