And, indeed, when I looked, I noticed the attack slowing. The creature’s head bobbed and the eyes appeared almost distant.
Eventually, it staggered away from me and collapsed to the floor.
I sat up, looked at the dinosaur curling up into a blood-soaked ball next to me.
“She’s done,” Megan said. “Poor girl.”
I stood and watched as Megan and Hannah entered the alcove where the vending machines stood.
The Troodon visibly shuddered. It let out a tiny mewl. And even though it tried to kill and eat me, I felt sorry for it. The poor thing should have never been resurrected. Like all the species in that place below the earth. Humans could be complete shits, most of the time…
I dropped to a knee beside it and placed a hand on its neck. It squealed, eyes rolling in their sockets. But when I began carefully petting it, the Troodon’s shivers stilled a bit. It mewled again and appeared to try and lift its narrow head. Its eye rolled, found me, and remained there for a moment before blinking hard like a cat when it’s trying to show its love before looking away. A tear snaked from the inner corner of the eye and down the reptilian beaklike snout.
It gave a violent shake, cried out, then its head plopped to the floor. It didn’t move as the pool of blood around us spread.
“She’s gone,” Megan said.
After a moment, I sniffled back the tears and asked, “You find the files?”
“No,” Hannah said. “We’re going to the fourth floor. It’s on one of the servers, we just need to find the right one.”
“How long is that going to take?” I asked, staring at the dead Troodon. “Because, obviously, some of them are smart enough to open doors.”
“It takes about a half hour to crack the passwords for each server,” Hannah said. “We have nine more floors to go…”
I wanted to shoot them both with my laser and get out of there. Instead, I said, “That could take hours.”
“Yeah,” Megan said. “Good times, right?”
They stepped over the dead Troodon and made their way toward the stairwell door.
A heavy breath blew out of me. Much too heavy to be a sigh. Irritation, maybe? Regardless, I followed them. Again, what other choice did I have?
Besides, I had a feeling they knew how to get out the place, despite claiming early they didn’t. So many lies and half-truths. I should have known better.
My mind swiveled back to the top half of Gerty the Stegosaurus crashing through the trees and plopping at my feet. What did that? With both the tyrannosaurs dead…what killed Gerty and practically taunted us by flinging her corpse through the trees? What else was out there stalking around?
Hopefully, I’d never find out…
13
The fourth floor proved to be a waste of time, as well did the fifth.
On the sixth-floor landing, I said, “Why don’t you two take separate floors?”
“Because,” Megan said. “The server requires two thumbprints.”
I frowned. “There’s no power here. How are you guys powering these servers?”
“The servers are connected to a nuclear generator,” Hannah said. “They’ll be on long after we all die.”
I nodded, though it made little sense to my brain. I didn’t get the point in having the servers on all the time. Wouldn’t that make them easy to access by anyone who cut off former employees’ thumbs?
We entered the sixth floor. Unlike the lower levels, this one was divided up in sections. Glass walls, a couple broken in dusty heaps.
“The splicing labs,” Hannah said.
“Where they tried to play God?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” Megan said. “C’mon. The server is this way.” She led us down a narrow corridor.
Unlike the other floors, this one didn’t have any windows. It was sealed up tight, probably to keep out contaminants. I glanced at the glassed-in sections as we passed. There were tables and strange-looking machines with tubes running everywhere. A strange domed gadget dominated one of the tables. And each section was exactly like the other. A clone of a clone of a clone. The entire floor…and dozens of labs. Labs where the scientists spliced DNA from dinosaurs with other dinosaurs and God knew whatever else. The place felt like a damn crypt, honestly.
Cold. Hollow. Dead…
At the end of the corridor stood a closed, metal door with the word: PIG stenciled on it in red paint.
“Pig?” I ventured.
“Every server has a name. This one is Pig.”
“I…um…okay, why?”
Megan sighed. “Because that’s how the techs set it up. C’mon, Han, let’s check it out.” She opened the door and Hannah stepped into the room beyond.
I started to follow when Megan held up a hand. “We need you to keep watch out here, okay?”
“Why can’t I just go with—?”
“Because the scanners will pick you out, label you an intruder, and lock the server down. Nothing against you. Just need that server to stay open.”
“Wen,” Hannah said. “It really isn’t anything against you. We’ll try to hurry. If you have any problems, let us know.”
I rolled my eyes. Even if they couldn’t see it, the gesture made me feel a little better. “Fine.”
Megan disappeared into the room, closing the door behind her.
I blew out a long breath, turning back to all those glassed-in sections. Those splicing labs. There was dust here, but it wasn’t quite as thick as the other levels. The place really was sealed up pretty good. Probably sanitized regularly.
How long did Hannah say it took to look through a server? Half an hour? Something like that.
I strolled away from the door and into the area of glass and dead machines, and tubes of all kinds. At first, most of the sections were like the others. Clean, static, cold. But, the deeper I ventured, the more things changed. Some had a black substance on the tables and floors and broken glass everywhere. Others, the machinery was all mangled. And…
I stopped. “Oh my God.”
One of the last sections, all the glass scattered and heaped on the tiled floor, was a mess. More of that black stuff I spotted in other sections slathered almost everything in this one. The machines were torn apart, the tubes slashed. And…on the table was the sunken, withered severed head of a Velociraptor. No other body parts, just the head.
Then something clicked in my mind. All that black stuff…it was blood. Old blood.
“Wen?” Hannah said. “Everything alright out there?”
At first, I couldn’t respond. I stared at the head with its hollow eye sockets and sharp, curved teeth and wondered what happened here? Why all the blood? Did something break out of this section or…yeah, I just didn’t know. But that gruesome scene was enough to tell me shit went bad in the labs either during the evacuation or not long after. Maybe they forgot whatever they were growing in here. Maybe it woke up and—
There wasn’t any time to react.
Something heavy pummeled into my back, driving me face down into the broken glass on the floor. I felt the pressure of something on top of me, though just barely. Without seeing, I couldn’t tell if it was biting me or not.
“Wen?” Hannah said. “Respond.”
I grunted as whatever was on my back prevented much movement, somehow. Surely the mech could overpower whatever it was.
I managed, “Help.”
“Wen? Wen?”
I struggled to get my hands under me. Mild thuds sounded through the mech and I assumed, whatever it was, was trying to tear me apart. I pushed upward, and even with the help of the mech, I cried out in effort.
Suddenly, the weight was gone. I lifted myself onto my knees just in time to be knocked down again. That weight, it slammed on top of my back again. More thudding sounds. I wondered how much abuse the mech could take before becoming compromised? Because—
“Holy shit,” Megan said. “Wen? You okay?”
“Oh,” I said, getting my hands under me again. “I
’m just lovely. How about you?”
“Don’t move,” she said. “Just try to relax.”
“What? Why? There’s something on my—”
“I know. It’s Project Z.”
“Project…what?”
“Laser,” Megan said. This was soon followed by a whooshing sound.
The weight fell off and I scrambled to my feet. I ran into Megan who shoved me behind her. The thing thrashing on the floor… I didn’t know what it was. It looked like some kind of dinosaur, but I couldn’t tell what. It appeared…very ill…
Megan’s laser had cut it in half and it writhed and thrashed. It made deep gurgling sounds.
“What the hell is that?” I finally asked.
“Told you. Project Z.”
“Yeah, so, that doesn’t tell me what it is.”
“It’s a few things. A splicing experiment before we had to evacuate. Mainly, it’s a Velociraptor, but also has pieces of T-rex and crocodile. They really mixed this one up, though. I can’t remember everything they spliced to create it. But that’s not the problem.”
I waited, but when she didn’t elaborate, I asked, “What’s the problem?”
She rushed forward, pointed the laser barrel at the mixed-up creature’s head, and squeezed her hand. The head exploded from the laser burst. Bits of flesh and dark blood splattered everything, and I was glad as all hell the mech masked any foul odors. Otherwise, I’d probably be blowing chunks everywhere. I could only imagine the stench…
Megan faced me, and I wished I could see her expression through the mech. “Do I really have to explain this to you?’
I shrugged. “Well, yeah…”
“Well, fine, then. So, there was this new experiment going on just before the evacuation. They were trying to resurrect their little mutations. Because, control, or whatever. Anyway, looks like Project Z succeeded.”
I let that sink in a moment, then gasped. “You mean…they created zombie dinosaurs?”
“Yup. They must’ve left this one still incubating when evac was called.”
“So,” I said after a bit, “there aren’t any more of them?”
Megan didn’t answer right away. But when she did…
“I don’t think so. As far as I knew, they were only giving a trial to one specimen.”
That eased me a bit. At least we didn’t have to keep looking over our shoulders for any dino-zombie abomination horde coming at us.
“Okay,” Megan spouted. “I’m going back into PIG with Hannah. You think you’ll be okay out here?”
No, but instead I said, “I guess.”
“Call if you have any other problems., okay?”
“I will. Thanks.”
She turned and walked back to the server room, and once again I stood alone. Well, not technically alone. I had the dead undead monstrosity to keep me company. I snorted, almost laughing at my idiocy.
Zombie dinosaurs…
What could even possess a person to think that was a good idea?
The dead were meant to stay dead. Why couldn’t people get that through their heads?
I shuddered and returned to the narrow corridor leading to the server room’s door. Which was shut. Pig, they called the server. I still didn’t get it.
A few minutes passed, and, out of boredom, I decided to check out the opposite end of the narrow corridor. Not that I was particularly interested in what was over there, just bored.
So, I strolled up the corridor, glancing at the glassed-in sections, though not really interested in them anymore. After getting attacked by a mutant zombie dinosaur, everything else felt…meh in comparison.
The sections soon gave way to a dusting of small cubicles, however. No cobwebs on those. Just to the other side of the cubicles was a thick wall. Straight again, stopping me, was another closed metal door. No red painted letters on that one.
I tried the knob, but it wouldn’t turn. Locked. I was about to shrug it off and return to the PIG door when a muffled thump from the behind the door sounded.
The thump was soon followed by, “Help me.”
I staggered back a bit, frowning. Someone was in the next room? Still alive? But how…?
“Help me.”
I about rammed the door with my shoulder, but paused. How could someone still be alive after all that time since the evacuation? Especially locked in a room without access to food and water?
“Help me.”
Unless someone missed the evacuation shuttle or whatever was used, stocked the room with as much food and water as they could get in there and locked themselves in. There was a problem with that, of course. People needed to shit and piss. Where was all that going? On the floor? If so…that could be bad. Not only because of the stench, but the bacteria and mold and whatever else grew in and around the waste. The person behind that door could be very sick. Possibly lurching toward Death that very moment.
“Help me.”
I heavy breath blew out of me. “Hold on.” I backed away from the door, drew in a breath and ran, slamming my right shoulder into the metal door.
Clunk.
It left a dent, but the door remained intact.
“Wen?” Hannah called. “Is everything alright?”
I backstepped a couple yards. “There’s someone behind this door. I’m going to get them out.”
“Wait,” Megan said. “What door?”
“Laser,” I said, pointing my arm and the barrel as the door.
I squeezed my hand into a fist and sliced the door open. Straight down the middle. I cut an oblong hole large enough for me to step through. The metal cut out of the hole clanked to the floor. Really thick. Solid steel, by the look.
Nearly breathless, sounding on the verge of panic, Megan said, “Wen…what door?”
“The one at the other end of the corridor,” I said, stepping through the hole I made in the door.
“Wen,” Megan said. “You didn’t open it, did you?”
“Someone was calling for help,” I said, more than a little irritated. “So, I’m—”
I turned to face the room fully and froze. At first, my brain couldn’t comprehend what my eyes were seeing. The metal bars, the hole in the far wall, which appeared to lead into another, well-lit room. But it wasn’t those which stole my attention and made all the air slowly leak out of my lungs.
It was what stared at me through the metal bars with green, glowing eyes.
“Wen? Goddamn it,” Megan said, and she sounded both terrified and pissed off.
I couldn’t find air enough to respond. All I could do was gape at the thing.
It was a dinosaur, at least in some proportions. A long, sinewy tail lashed back and forth behind it. Its long claws clinked against the bars as it shifted back and forth. Its head wasn’t like anything I had ever seen. A misshapen conglomeration of various species, perhaps? All I knew was the eyes glowed green and it had a lot of long, jagged teeth in its mouth.
“Help me.”
The voice…it didn’t come from its toothy maw. No. It came from…
“Oh,” I managed. “Oh God…”
Protruding from its chest, just under the bottom jaw, was the face of a woman. Her eyes shifted back and forth. Her mouth frothed with yellowish foam, which she would lick away using a black tongue.
The monster slammed its claws against bars, startling me so bad I stumbled backward, coughing on a bit of saliva when I gasped.
“Help me,” said the face sticking out of the creature’s chest.
I’d been tricked. It heard me out there and lured me in here. But, it was caged in. What, did it think I’d feel sorry and release it? No one in their right mind would…
It made an odd chuffing noise, shook its large head and moved on all fours to the left of the cage (my right), toward the hewn, stone wall.
“C’mon,” Megan said, and pulled me backward. “Time to go.”
“Wh-what is it?” I managed.
“Later, hun. We need to get out of here right n—”
It’s only in that moment I realized the bars didn’t go all the way the wall. There was a large gap at the end and through it, the creature moved into the open room where we stood.
“Shit,” Megan said. “Laser.”
She shoved me back as she stepped forward, pointing the laser at the thing. It lowered its misshapen head. A low growl rumbled through the room.
“Help me,” the woman’s face in its chest said.
“Laser,” Hannah said. “Wen, go to Megan’s left flank. I’ll take the right.”
Laser still activated, I somehow worked up the courage to stand beside Megan. Hannah stood on the opposite side and aimed her arm at the creature.
“On three,” Hannah said. “Cut it down.”
“One,” Megan said.
“Two,” I said.
“Three,” Hannah said.
I squeezed my hand into a tight fist, extracting a full beam. All three of us, at the same time, cut our lasers into its deformed body.
The creature shrieked, spun, and before I knew it, I was knocked off my feet, laser cutting into the ceiling. I unclenched my hand to stop the laser and sat up in time to watch that sinewy tail wrap around Megan’s legs and yank. She fell hard on her back. Her laser flickered out, then she was dragged away from us to the monster.
“Cut it down,” Hannah shouted.
I rose to one knee, pointed the laser at the creature’s tail, and made a fist. The blue beam sliced through the thin tail, severing it. Megan scrambled to kick away the remaining tail, which still writhed, and got to her feet just as the creature swiveled around and swept her up in its toothy maw. It shook her, and in my speakers, she cried out. I shifted the laser at the body of the thing. It screamed, dropping Megan. She wasn’t moving. Hannah joined, and together we managed to sever the bastard’s head.
I started toward Megan as the monster collapsed, when something knocked me off my feet again. A series of gurgling groans filled my hearing. I rolled onto my side…
Four of them. All pale, scaled, and feathered. All a mongrelizing of different dinosaurs. And all were similar to the one before.
Zombie dinosaurs…
They staggered and lurched. One of them snapped up my head in its mouth. Its jaws could produce enough pressure to get through the mech. I shoved it away and shot a laser burst at its head. Its body dropped, twitching until finally falling still.
Below The Earth Page 14