Mutation: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction (12 page)
Read Mutation: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction Online
Authors: Norman Christof
Out The Front Door
Christa held the door open while Alex and Chaz built a barrier of furniture behind a semi-conscious Judith Montgomery. Soldiers at both ends of the hall poked their heads around the corners alternately. Nobody fired a weapon. Christa let the door close, and all that was left in the room was the three of them and a few tacky pictures of Tennessee mountains.
"Alright, guys, here's where we go. As soon as that fire starts smoking, it's going out into the hall. Christa, stay close. Alex, get out your lighter and sprinkle a bit from your water bottle into the basket. Let's get those papers damp; we want lots of smoke."
"My water bottle's empty, Chaz. We'll just have to light it dry."
"Geez, son, do I have to do everything myself? Christa, turn around."
Chaz moved the waste basket to the corner and unzipped his trousers. Turning his back on the other two, Chaz urinated judiciously over the papers in the basket.
"Jesus, Chaz, is that really necessary? That's gonna smell horrible once we light it."
"I don't hear any great plans coming out of your mouth, boy. If this all works, we'll be well away from the smell, and only Judith will be left to enjoy a little aromatherapy." Zipping himself back up, he turned to Alex. "Light the damn fire."
Within a few seconds, the oversized waste can was a urine-reeking ball of fire and smoke. Chaz pushed the can out into the open, right next to Judith. Semi-conscious now, she rolled away from the heat and smell.
Chaz ordered the others. "Let's go. There's enough smoke to partially fill the hall, but it won't last long."
Chaz led the way, followed by Christa, then Alex. Three abreast, they moved down the narrow hallway. Alex and Chaz took turns firing their weapons at the ends of the hall to keep the soldiers pinned down. The smoke blocked enough of the view from behind so that no shots were fired from behind. The soldiers in front of them weren't so accommodating. Every second that Alex and Chaz couldn't fill the smoky hallway with gunfire, the soldiers fired at them. Trying hard not to hit the doctor veiled in smoke, or Christa, they only managed to graze Alex's shoulder. Pumped with adrenaline, Alex barely noticed the flesh wound. They advanced far enough to force the soldiers to retreat behind desks and tables in the lobby. Now, Chaz and Alex had the luxury of cover behind the corners.
"Alex, we can't stay here long, our smoke screen is dissipating. Once they get to the doctor, there'll be no protection from behind. I'll cover you while you make for the desk across the way. We've got to keep pressing. I can see the door from here."
Chaz sprayed the lobby with a hail of bullets long enough to allow Alex to get behind a post. Alex then returned the favor by laying down enough gunfire to allow Chaz and Christa to move behind a stone pedestal. Seeing they were losing the advantage, the soldiers started to fall back further down the far hallway. Chaz took out a soldier with a shot to the leg. His partner grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging him to safety. Everyone stopped firing. Chaz and Alex now had a clear view of the front doors.
Two soldiers were out of the game down the hallway, but Chaz couldn't be sure if there were others hiding in the lobby. Chaz and Alex moved swiftly and systematically across the room, alternating between covering each other and moving to the next position capable of hiding an enemy. Christa stayed close, hiding behind Chaz as they moved. Finally, there were only a few steps separating them from the front doors.
Alex looked at Chaz, then at Christa, and back to Chaz.
"We're sure about this, right? You know what's out there. There are ten times as many of those freaks as when we came in. We have no idea how they're going to react to her. We may not make it past the front steps."
"We passed the point of no return a while ago, son. Besides, I only have three options in mind, and they all start with us walking out that front door. Christa, what do you think?"
"Guys, I'm with the grumpy old bastard on this one. There's no way I'm going back into the laboratory dungeon. I need to know what I am, and the only way to find out for me is outside those doors."
The three of them stood and walked to the exit doors. Chaz and Alex both made sure their clips were full. Alex unlocked the door and pulled on the handle. Looking to Christa, he held out his hand and said, "Ladies first."
Right According To Plan
The general looked down at Judith as the medic wrapped her leg. "It smells like piss in here. What the hell happened in that room, Doctor?"
"Those jackasses happened is what. Where the hell were you and your men? You’re supposed to be keeping this place secure. How did you manage to let two men under your command run amok and damn near kill me?"
"I suppose, Doctor, since you’re co-commander then you're also responsible for this mess. It seems you've lost your primary test subject. I suppose that puts your research at a standstill and gives you another excuse to miss your next deadline."
"Hell, no. Jesus, my leg hurts like hell. We have enough research data to synthesize a solution. The girl had to be released into the wild at some point anyways. The mutation has to be free to spread. I would have liked another battery of tests over the next few weeks for confirmation. Now that you've botched things we'll just have to go with what we have."
"Science and combat aren't so different after all, Doctor. Neither is an exact science. You have your setbacks, and I have mine. We'll talk again when you've regained your composure."
The general turned and headed back down the hallway to the elevators, followed by the sergeant. "Sergeant."
"Yes, sir."
"Did all three make it out the front door yet?"
"They're just about to, sir."
"Any casualties on our side?"
"No, sir, just a few wounded. They'll recover."
"Excellent. Keep a camera on them the entire time they're outside. I want everything recorded. I'll need evidence of how far they actually get."
