Darkness Trilogy (Book 2): Death In Darkness

by Alexander, Lee

  I sat experimentally, and the couch did not sag or creak. I let out a silent cheer at the work, then quickly repeated the process in the bedroom on our bed. I formed extra legs for extra support. I didn't think I was done growing, seeing as I was still insanely hungry all the time. I didn't want to have to repeat the effort of sneaking large lengths of steel around. The bed and couch each received two more legs made from steel.

  I congratulated myself on the job well done, then returned to the storage caverns. I started my first workout in a week by making weights for myself. I wrapped steel around a bar until it was tough to lift. Then I made steel bands out of two inch steel to fit around my wrists and ankles. I was surprised yet again by how little the extra weight affected me. Each bracelet had to be around four to five pounds. Then again, I was constantly carting around at least a hundred plus pounds without registering a difference.

  I started by running wind sprints. I was thankful the cavern I had chosen was so big. All of the supplies were stored in there, meaning it was at least a half mile long. I did sprints, back and forth, until I was winded. The first time I went, I was surprised to find that I did it in less than two minutes. I ran the length six times before I felt the strain.

  I then went to my makeshift barbell and started doing chest presses. I had no idea how much the bar as a whole weighed, but I was careful to add weight equally to both sides when making it. When I lifted it for the first time, the bar made a strange stress noise, and bent nearly two inches under the strain.

  I could only guess how much it weighed without putting it on a scale, however I could guess based on how much steel was on either end. It was four inch bar, like what I had used for the couch, bent around the bar. The 'plates' were three feet across, and had to weigh close to a thousand pounds each.

  I made a bench and stand to hold the bar, then gave it a try. The bar creaked ominously with each rep, but I concluded it would hold after I did ten reps. My mind reeled, even as my body took it in stride. I was facing a massive increase in strength, resilience, and weight, without any of the normal side effects bodies faced. I wasn't sore or in pain. I was simply stronger, faster, and possibly even smarter.

  “Well, this is fucking awesome, but so so bad. I wonder if I could even be called human anymore. Has my DNA changed or something? I don't think this should be physically possible for a human to do. Maybe I'm like part gorilla now.” I continually mused to myself as I finished up the workout.

  Before I left the cavern, I carried and hid everything as best as I could in the cavern, behind a carefully constructed wall of junk. I could easily retrieve the equipment, but it wouldn't be readily found. After I was satisfied, I jogged back to the elevator cavern and took the stairs back to the third floor. I immediately took a shower, because after all of my exertions I had broken a light sweat.

  Linda poked her head into the shower a short time later. I was enjoying the spray over my back, letting the heat seep in.

  “Ow! Holy shit, how hot is that?”

  “What?”

  “Babe, turn it down, you're going to get burned!”

  I turned the tap to allow more cold water in.

  “Better?”

  She stuck a hand through the curtain, hesitantly feeling the water.

  “Much better. Care if I join you?”

  “Wait, you have to ask?”

  She laughed, and joined me. She spent some time exploring the ridges of my back, now that I had no fat to hide the lines of my muscles.

  “What's going on with you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Dante, you've apparently lost a ton of weight, except you're wider in the shoulders and chest, your arms are bigger, and you're taller.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Babe, I know you pretty well. I also could move you on the bed with some effort before. Now, I can't even budge you. How much do you weigh?”

  “I don't know... maybe four-five hundred pounds?”

  “What the fuck?!”

  “What?” I said with panic in my voice.

  “There's no way! You look maybe two-thirty, and that's being conservative. If you weighed four hundred pounds, you would have fat everywhere!”

  “I don't... I stopped using the scale. It uh... doesn't go high enough.”

  “When were you going to tell me?”

  “How do I even talk about that? 'Hey babe, by the way, I've put on two hundred pounds of muscle.' Yeah, that'll go over really well.”

  She was silent for a long moment. Then she wrapped me in a hug. Her hands barely met over my stomach.

  “You're a fucking giant now.” She said quietly.

  “Think anybody else has noticed?”

  “I hope not. We have to figure this out. When did this start?”

  I stayed silent this time. I had a hunch, but what did it mean?

  “Babe?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. Uh, so when I was in the hospital at the start of the week... did you learn anything about that?”

  “Just that there was a security incident, and your boss, Allan? He said there was a chance you were infected.”

  “That's the thing. I think I was.”

  She instantly retracted away from me.

  “Lin, I'm not going to hurt you. Remember Geno? He lost his mind just hours after he was infected. It's been five days.”

  She slapped me, hard, across the face. The water added to the impact, making my face sting.

  “Ow! What the fuck babe?”

  “Thank god,” she breathed.

  “Seriously? What if I had hulked out?”

  “I... I didn't think about that.”

  “Well, good thing. I love you, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hurt you.”

  She silently hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her. Her shoulders started shaking.

  “Hey, don't cry.”

  “I'm not, I just figured something out.”

  “What?” I said with confusion.

  “You broke something, didn't you?”

  “What? No, no of course I didn't.”

  “Shitty liar. What was it, the couch?”

  “Yeah. How did you know?”

  “You just told me, you oaf.”

  “Fuck. Yeah, I broke it today. Why are you laughing though?”

  “Because your fat ass broke the couch!” She said as she slapped my chest and laughed loudly.

  “Rude.”

  “Gah, shower's going cold. Let's get out.”

  “Really? Feels fine to me.”

  I stepped back and she shrieked as the water hit her full force.

  “It's freezing! I'm getting out!”

  I laughed, and stepped out with her. We toweled off, then dressed and went to the living room to relax before Eddie got home. I sat, and Linda watched me with suspicion.

  “I thought you broke the couch?”

  “And then I fixed it. Look underneath.”

  She crouched down, and saw the metal.

  “How did you manage that?”

  “I built it. By hand, actually... uh literally, I guess.”

  We sat and continued to talk about my newly gained abilities. Before long, we heard the door locks click, and the door opened. Linda was leaning against me as we watched the TV. She quickly hissed out one side of her mouth before she stood to greet Eddie.

  “Nothing to him right now. To anybody, I think.”

  I nodded, and stood with her. I could see Eddie noticed something was off. I think I stood closer to six-six than my previous five-eleven. He joined us for dinner, and I once again had to get dispensation for my dinners. At this point, it was practically business as usual, but I still drew a lot of stares.

  Chapter 11

  Darkness +29, 2033

  Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA

  Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris

  -64°F

  1725 Hours

  I was first home again. I found the house empty and dark. I turned on
the TV, and settled in for mindless entertainment. Work was still at a stall, because we couldn't isolate the virus in any meaningful way. It would either immediately die, or suddenly change and have whole new properties we couldn't target anymore. Frustration boiled off of the entire team, myself included.

  The door locks clicked. Then the door flew open.

  “You're home! YES! BABE!”

  “Woah, what's up?”

  “I HAVE THE GREATEST NEWS!”

  “Uh, okay. What is it?” I asked in confusion.

  “I'm late! Well, I was, so I got checked.”

  “Late for what? Wait, got checked?”

  “Late, you oaf. Late, late.”

  “Yeah, uh... not really picking up what you're putting down.”

  Linda groaned, then shut the door and stalked in to me. She planted a giant, fierce kiss on me.

  “I'm late for my period. After my shift, I went to go get checked by a friend at work. Did the blood draw and everything.”

  “How late? Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?”

  “I'm pregnant!”

  I stopped dead. She was straddling me, beaming. I sputtered for a moment.

  “Uh... you're... pregnant? Is it mine?”

  She slugged my arm, then winced.

  “Ow, I need to remember not to do that. Yes, you giant oaf. It's yours.”

  “I'm⸺ I'm going to be a dad!” I roared. I picked Linda up and tossed her lightly in the air. She squealed with delight at the sudden weightlessness, and I gently caught her. I held her in my arms, spinning in place. She laughed as I shouted again.

  “I'm going to be a dad!”

  In all the excitement, I had missed the door locks clicking again. A small voice stopped our celebrations in place.

  “What?”

  We turned to find Eddie standing in the doorway. I put Linda down on the couch, then waved him in. He let the door fall shut behind him, then approached us.

  “It's true honey. I was letting Dante know first, but I was planning on keeping it quiet for a while.”

  “You weren't going to tell me?” He said with a whine. I kept my mouth shut, this was not something I needed to get in the middle of.

  “Of course I was, baby. And, well, we have, I guess. But sometimes these things don't work out. But we will tell everybody, when the time is right.”

  He looked up from the ground. Something sparkled in his eyes. I had an inkling of his next question.

  “Will there be a party?”

  I laughed with Linda. We both knew he wouldn't pass up a chance at a party.

  “Of course there will be⸺” Linda started, only to be interrupted by a suddenly very excited Eddie.

  “With CAKE?!”

  “Of course there will be cake,” I said with a look at Linda. We would figure it out, there were plenty of supplies in the kitchens. “But that's not until after we announce. You've got to keep this to yourself, bud. Let your mom decide when is the right time, okay?”

  He started to grumble, kicking ineffectually at the ground. Linda hid a smirk behind her hand, then cleared her throat.

  “I'll tell you what, we can have a tiny private party this weekend. But only if you don't tell anybody just yet. I'll let you know when you can tell people, okay?”

  He nodded, then plopped down on the couch. “Can we watch something cool?”

  Linda laughed, then said yes. We watched an old movie about a man that was frozen for his crimes, only to be released to catch another criminal.

  I quietly stepped out of the suite and went to the mess hall. I grabbed food for the three of us, carefully balancing their trays one on arm as I carried mine with the other. I had to knock on the door to get Linda to open it for me. We ate together on the couch, laughing at the cheesy movie. Once again, Eddie was completely asleep before the credits rolled. I carried him to his room.

  I returned and carried Linda to our room, where we talked for hours. We both suggested names, then realized it was far too early to worry about that. She told me her concerns, I mentioned a few of mine. We were both worried about bringing a child into this cold, dead world.

  In the small hours, she grew quiet. I caught the somber mood immediately.

  “What is it?”

  “Well, was it before or after the... uh... incident?”

  “Wouldn't you know?”

  She punched my arm, then winced and shook her hand.

  “Ow! It's like you're made of stone. I really have to stop doing that. Anyway, you would know as well as I would. It's been a busy few weeks.” She made an attempt at a smile. It looked haunted. I gathered her into my arms, and we laid down. She was fast asleep shortly after that.

  I listened to her breathe, feeling the tension ease out of her. Her presence comforted me. I tried to relax as well, but one question continually battered at my mind. I couldn't let it go. I fought with the question all night, and the lights never came.

  What if the baby was infected like me?

  Chapter 12

  Darkness +30, 2033

  Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA

  Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris

  -64°F

  0546 Hours

  “You want me to do what?” I asked Allan.

  “You are being loaned out today, my boy. An email was sent out to administrators and team leads this morning. It seems there is an important project that is going on, and they needed warm bodies, so to speak. I have nothing for you to do here today, so I volunteered you.”

  “Doc⸺”

  “Allan, as I have told you many times now.”

  I sighed. “Allan, why did you volunteer me?”

  “It is as I've said. You are surplus today. We have few experiments ongoing, and I believe a change of pace will be good for you. Some fresh air, so to speak.” He smiled wide and gave a wink.

  I sighed again. “Fine. Where am I going? What will I be doing?”

  “You're to go up to the access tunnel on the first floor. You'll be meeting up with one or two other personnel, and getting your assignment. Before you ask, I've been informed you will recognize the personnel. Unfortunately, I have no further details for you. I'm sure you'll do just fine, my boy.”

  “Yeah, sure. Is that it?”

  “Yes. You should be able to finish everything today, so I expect you back here first thing tomorrow.”

  “Got it. Later, guys.”

  Denny and Karen replied absent mindedly. I wound back through the hallways and out to the elevator cavern, then made my way up to the first floor. Standing in the middle of the cavern, near the elevator, was Larry.

  “Larry! Holy shit, how are you man?”

  “Dante? Been eating your Wheaties?”

  I laughed, and shook his hand in greeting.

  “Something like that. I'll explain later. Who else is coming? Actually, what are we even doing?”

  “Ah, yeah. Nobody else. Didn't realize when they said I was only getting one person that they meant you. Oh well, should be fine. We are going up to the surface and doing some routine maintenance.”

  “Is that what you do now?”

  “Yeah, base maintenance. Mostly just keeping the lights on, to be honest.”

  “You feeling alright? You've said more words in the last five minutes than you did in an entire month back before the darkness.”

  “Not so stressed now. I determine my own hours, and only work the projects I want to. Mostly scut work, so I'm left alone.”

  “Nice. Well, let's get rolling. No time like the present, right?”

  Larry nodded and led the way. We made small talk, catching up on the daily goings-on. He evidently caught my reluctance to speak about my physical changes, because it didn't come up as we walked. A few minutes took us through the tunnel and across the hangar. There was a door set far off to one side. Larry opened it and ushered me inside.

  Suits of various sizes hung from the walls in individual lockers. A few different designs we
re obvious, with some being fur lined coats and others appearing more like spacesuits. Larry nodded over at a cubby and stopped at one that had 'MASON' emblazoned on it. He stripped down to his boxers, then rapidly dressed in form fitting long underwear, followed by fleece pants and shirt. Then he donned an insulated vest, wind-proof pants, two pairs of insulating socks, and a balaclava. He finished the whole outfit with goggles, a breath mask, a large hooded jacket, thin gloves, and mittens over them. I noticed the mittens could split to allow his fingers to do dexterous work. Finally, he stepped into a large pair of boots with plenty of gripping surfaces.

  I followed his example, and was dressed a moment later. He eyed me, noting that the clothes I was wearing shouldn't have been able to fit. I felt like I was about to burst into spontaneous fire, due to being so warm. He checked me over, then nodded and led the way to a set of doors at the other end of the locker room. Along the way, he grabbed a large tool box, hefting it in one hand. Beyond those doors was another set. The second set were crusted with ice. Large hydraulic cylinders were positioned at the top and bottom of the doors. Larry smacked a button, then stood back. The doors emitted a groan, and thick ice cracked ominously.

  A moment passed, then the doors popped open. They swung outward, allowing the cold air in. My goggles fogged, and I used my mittens to clear them. I saw Larry doing the same. He nodded at me, then leaned over and grabbed a flashlight from the wall. I did the same, then turned and saw as he stepped out and waved me to follow him. Beyond the doorway was a small tunnel that wound through two double backs before emerging from the hillside. It was a clever bit of deception, and had the plants nearby still been alive, would have been invisible.

  “Nice setup.”

  “Yeah, they do alright here. Let's get moving, we've got three access ports and two towers to check today. You're mostly along as a safety measure. Buddy system and all that.”