Dead Calm (25 page)

“Or I'll send your ass back downstairs and Tick-Tock
and I will finish up,” Steve tacked on.

This threat got Brain's undivided attention. In fact,
it frightened him more than if he had to face a legion of the dead
armed with only a feather duster. All his life, he’d been an
outcast. Even though he knew that much of it was brought on by the
condescending way that he treated people, he didn't feel like it
was his fault. People were just idiots. They had started it. Since
attending elementary school, he wanted to fit in but just didn't
know how or wasn't allowed to since he was overweight and not very
athletic. After being excluded for so many years, he found it was
easier to treat others with contempt and be a loner. He claimed he
didn't need others in his life, but it was a lonely world he'd
created.

When the dead started coming to life and Steve told
him he could lock down inside the bank building with him and some
other people - actually after Brain begged to be let in to escape
the coming onslaught of the living dead - the main condition was
that he quit being such a pompous ass and get along with everyone.
Despite his initial reaction that it wasn't his fault and that it
was other people constantly trying to put him down that caused him
to look at them with contempt, he agreed. This capitulation was
brought about by the fact that the thought of being killed and
eaten by the dead appealed to him less then getting along with
people.

Barely.

Despite his promise, at first he was hesitant since
he didn't want to have to kiss up to a bunch of people he knew were
going to treat him like shit on their shoe. The alternative was
certain death, so he went along despite his reservations. It wasn't
easy, since most of the people seeking shelter in the radio station
knew him and didn't believe he was actually going to change, but he
stuck with his end of the deal. He worked hard at his social
skills, cleaned himself up and in just a short time was amazed that
he was accepted for who he was. For the first time in his life, he
felt like he belonged. He even felt like he had become friends with
Tick-Tock, a man who he actually despised when they had worked
together at the radio station before Dead Day. After this, Brain
decided he never wanted to go back to being the person he had been.
It was too lonely.

With the threat of being sent below hanging over him
and fearing that this would be the first step back into exile,
Brain almost pleaded when he said, “No, no, I promise I'll pay
attention. I won't think of Connie and I'll do exactly what you
say.” Seeing Steve hesitate, he added, “Please. I promise.”

With a doubtful expression, Steve seemed to think
about it for a few seconds before reluctantly saying, “Okay, start
checking doors.”

Not believing he was being given a second chance so
easily and sure that he was going to be sent back downstairs, Brain
could only stare dumbly at him. Not trusting what he thought he
heard, he shook his head and said, “What?”

“The - doors - Brain - start - checking - them,”
Steve enunciated each word.

Snapping out of his trance, Brain pulled his pistol
out of its holster and picked up the ring of keys from where he had
dropped them on the floor. Cautious of his newly returned status,
he asked tentatively, “You guys ready?” Receiving a curt nod in
return, he turned and started off.

He came across another unlocked door a short distance
down the hall. Exaggerating his movements to show that he was
paying attention to what he was doing, he secured it. Finished, he
turned to his two solemn faced friends with a raised eyebrow. Steve
motioned with his rifle to move on and Tick-Tock nodded. Relieved
he had received at least that much recognition, he turned and
continued down the passageway.

He’d only taken a few steps though, when he swore
that he heard both Steve and Tick-Tock making purring noises.
Thinking all was forgiven; he turned around to smile at them but
was met with hard stares. Without a word, Steve gave him a stern
look and motioned for him to move on. As soon as his attention was
back on the task in front of him though, he heard the purring
again. This time he also heard a meow. Whirling around, he found
both Steve and Tick-Tock smiling at him. Relieved that his two
heroes had forgiven his screw-up enough to make light of it, he
gave a warbling meow in return and went back to checking doors.

Coming to the passageway that paralleled the one they
had used to enter the starboard side crew's quarters, Steve halted
them.

Brain pointed to the last few doors at the end of the
corridor and said, “Got a couple more to check.”

“We’ll get to them in a minute,” Steve replied. “Take
a break.”

Unlike the crew area where they had first entered,
most of the doors they came across on the access corridor had been
unlocked. Having to deal with each one as a potential threat,
tension was high in the trio. Steve wanted to take a break to let
some of the adrenalin that was pumping through them dissipate
before moving on.

He was just about to explain this to Brain and
Tick-Tock when the banging of a door and voices coming from the
passageway they were about to enter interrupted him. Steve's first
thought was that someone had heard the shot he’d fired and come to
investigate. When he heard the conversation though, he realized it
was just bad luck.

“- and that's why the fuck we have to come down here
and switch full power back on to deck five,” an angry male voice
answered an unheard question.

“This sucks,” a second man's voice commented. “Now
all the good looking broads will be taken. By the time we get back
up to the party, we'll be left with a bunch of Stank Ho's.”

The voices grew louder as the two men fed into their
anger and continued to complain that while everyone else was up on
the pool deck stripping off their clothes and getting ready to get
down, they were stuck with shit duty.

Steve lowered himself into a crouch to minimize being
seen at eye level and risked a quick peek around the corner. He saw
two men coming toward him, both armed with bolt-action rifles. Even
as he pulled his head back, dozens of options started running
lightning fast through his brain on how to deal with the
situation.

Kill them?

They're carrying weapons, so chances are they're two
of the Head Ushers Tim told us about. If we kill them, they'll
definitely be missed. That means Ricky will have to do something
about it. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out we had something
to do with it. The question is, what'll Ricky do? Attack?

Not wanting to start a war before he was ready to
start it, Steve dismissed the idea of killing the Head Ushers.

Take the two men hostage? Same result as killing
them.

Show ourselves?

Then Ricky will know we’ve been down here, and the
first place he'll check is the electrical switching room. It's too
obvious that's the reason we’re here. They might not shut off the
power to the gas pump when they find we switched it, but it'll let
him know what we’re doing.

Ricky's up to something, Steve decided, so the less
he knows about what we're up to the better.

Hide?

He considered this as he looked at the numerous doors
in the corridor. Anything could be behind them. The one compartment
they were sure was clear was the one with the dead Z in it but it
was at the far end of the hall. He knew they'd never make it that
far before the two bozos heading in their direction came around the
corner and spotted them.

Then he noticed a familiar sign above the door
directly on his left. Making a snap decision, he motioned for the
others to go through it. Of his limited choices, this one seemed
the best. They had come across two similar rooms and would know the
layout of what they were walking into. He was aware they were
taking a huge risk since they hadn't searched this particular space
yet but they didn't have a choice. The two Head Ushers would be on
them in seconds. It suddenly flashed through his mind that the
downside of his chosen hiding spot was that the door couldn't be
locked.

He followed Tick-Tock and Brian. Once inside, he saw
that only a single emergency light burning at its far end
illuminated the bathroom. Dark shadows were cast over everything in
the narrow compartment, making him squint to see in the low light.
Motioning Brain to cover their rear, since they didn't know what
else might be in there with them, and Tick-Tock to cover the
entryway from behind him, he put his foot against the base of the
door to keep anyone from getting in. It wasn't the best solution
but it was all they had.

The voices in the passageway grew louder as the two
men turned the corner. One man was extolling the physical
attributes of a certain female passenger he wanted to get with,
while the other kept interrupting him to say the woman in question
was a dog, flat-chested and had the clap. Hearing their voices fade
as they went further down the corridor, Steve let loose the breath
he'd been holding. They were going away. He waited a full minute
without hearing anything and was about to crack open the door to
take a look when he heard a voice which sounded like it was right
outside “I won't be a minute, so hold on.”

Shit, Steve thought as adrenalin surged through his
body. One of the Ushers decided he needed to take a piss and came
back. Now he's going to come in, and I'll have to take him out.

Steve readied himself for the door to be pushed
against his foot, then changed his mind and moved it out of the
way. He decided he was going to let the door swing open instead of
stopping it. He would shoot the first man in the chest before
jumping out into the passageway and killing his buddy. He just
hoped he had a clear shot at the second man and it didn't turn into
a standoff.

Seconds passed as he waited in anticipation for the
door to swing open. Instead, he heard a familiar clicking noise
from beyond the door.

A faint voice called from down the corridor, “Hurry
the fuck up.”

“Screw you and the horse you rode in on,” the man
outside the door replied. “You know I can't smoke in the electrical
room. It'll set off the smoke detector again.” He laughed abruptly
and added, “Last time that thing went off, you almost shit one big
brick. You thought the ship was sinking.”

“Screw you, too,” came the terse reply from his
partner. Then in a conciliatory voice, he added, “At least you
moved down there so I don't have to smell that stink. You're gonna
die from those things. They smell rancid.”

Steve exhaled a quiet sigh of relief at these words.
Now he knew what was happening in the corridor. The clicking noise
was the man outside the door using a lighter to fire up a
cigarette. He wasn't down here to use the facilities, he was taking
a smoke break. Realizing that if the Head Usher were coming in, he
would have done it by now, he relaxed slightly.

We just have to give him a few minutes to finish his
butt and then he'll haul ass and we can go, Steve thought.
Patience. All we have to do is stay cool and we're home free. We're
doing good.

He’d just convinced himself that they would come out
of the situation unscathed when Tick-Tock leaned forward and
whispered in his ear, “We're not alone in here.”

Instantly on alert, Steve's eyes narrowed as he spun
and looked for any potential threat. He gave the bathroom a once
over and noted the simple layout. Sinks lined the wall on his left
with stalls on the right. No row of urinals since it was a women's
room. Nowhere to hide except...

“Which stall?” He asked in a voice barely above a
whisper.

“Second from the last,” Tick-Tock replied in an
equally quiet voice.

Then he heard the all too familiar high-pitched
keening noise the dead made. It was quiet enough that it might not
be heard outside the toilet but he knew that would change. Once the
dead smelled fresh meat, they got louder and louder until whatever
incited them went away or they got to eat it. He could see Brain
with his pistol held at arms length, pointing it at the second
stall. He knew the Z was covered since there was no way the tech
could miss from that distance, as long as he didn’t drop his gun
again.

The zombie in the stall made a slightly louder whine.
Any second, the man in the passageway would hear the noise and open
the door to investigate.

Now we have no options, Steve thought. We’ll have to
kill the two men and hide their bodies. This'll be a bitch since
the two Head Ushers will be alerted by the sound the Z's making and
be ready for something to go down. The only thing going in our
favor is that they won't expect to be confronted by something like
us. Still, the element of surprise was gone.

Deciding to take the initiative, he whispered to
Tick-Tock, “I'm gonna pull the door open. I want you to waste the
guy in the corridor. Make it two quick shots to the chest because
I'm gonna be moving out in the hallway to nail his partner. Let
Brain deal with the Z when it comes out.”

Tick-Tock stepped back and shouldered his rifle,
aiming it at the door as the zombie in the toilet stall let out a
long, loud whine. Steve grabbed the door handle and prepared to
yank it open. With the sound of the Z echoing off the metal walls,
there was no way the Ushers could miss it.

And they didn't.

A harsh voice from the other side of the door called
out saying, “Shut the fuck up Delores or I'm gonna come in there
and braid your tits.” This was followed by harsh laughter.

A faint laugh came from the man down the corridor
before he said, “Someone should go in there and shoot that old bag
in the head. Put her out of her misery. She's been locked in that
crapper for months now.”

The voice from outside the door grew distant as the
man standing there walked toward his partner saying, “Fuck that
dead bitch.”