Deadlocked 7 (12 page)

“And what about your third point?” asked Hero.

“Climate change,” said Bea. “We’ve known about man’s effect on the global climate since the late 1800’s, but it wasn’t until the sixties that climatologists first started warning of the impending catastrophe. Of course, the hope was that the warnings would give us pause, but just like with the atomic bomb, man’s bloodlust just got worse. This time, instead of blood, corporations were hungry for money, and they pushed to sell as much oil as possible, turning it into the most valuable commodity on the planet, despite the warnings about climate change. It was almost like mankind wouldn’t be happy until we destroyed the planet in one way or another. That was when we knew there was no turning back. To save the human race, we had to purge it.”

Hero sneered at her in disgust. “Do you even recognize the hypocrisy in all of that nonsense?”

“We saved the world, Levon. Like it or not, that’s the truth. Without The Electorate, the human race was doomed.”

“You talk about how humans have this bloodlust, and that that’s why you had to kill everyone. You said they created the atomic bomb, and then just kept making more of them. Do you even real
ize that you did the same thing?”

“What do you mean?” asked Bea.

“You created a weapon to kill six and a half billion people so that no one would ever need a weapon like that again.” He pointed his pistol at the floor, to the facility located below. “And then immediately set about creating a virus even stronger than the first one.”

Bea looked like she was ready to reply, but then stopped and relaxed in her seat as she smoked. She nodded, and savored the taste of the cigarette. “That’s an interesting perspective.”

“Then help me stop it,” said Hero. “Tell me where the rest of the facilities with this virus are located, and let’s do the right thing.”

She shook her head. “Levon, there’s no stopping it now. The Noah Initiative isn’t a local thing, it’s worldwide. With the original virus, we hit the reset button on the human race without thinking about the ramifications of leaving the rest of the planet’s creatures untouched. It’s not that we’re worried about other animals evolving to be competitive with humans, but rather t
hat the diseases within them could do it. To ensure the world doesn’t become replete with new strains of viruses that we can’t cure, we have to wipe out the majority of mammals on the planet. That’s the only solution.”

“You know you’re sitting there right now telling me that you’re willing to kill ev
eryone I love to make your future better. How can you possibly think that’s going to make me see your point of view?”

“Levon,” she leaned forward and stamped her cigarette out on the wooden armrest of the couch. “I told you that I could take you with me. I can bring you and your friends and your family to paradise. I’m offering you salvation from this.”

“No thanks,” said Hero. “I’d rather be dragged kicking and screaming into hell than sit comfortably at the Devil’s side.”

Seven months after the apocalypse

Reagan, Hero, and Clyde head down to confront the people climbing out of the underground facility in Estes Park.

“Stop right there!” Hero advanced across the street between the apartment complex that he’d been hiding in and the military building that they’d been watching. There were three people trying to escape that they’d watched emerge from the debris. Billy was still in the apartment while Reagan, Clyde, and Hero had gone down to confront the three people when they tried to run.

“Leave us alone,” said a woman, one of the three that had emerged from the hole that had been blown in the building. She was dressed in the
same blue uniform that the guards wore, and was carrying an assault rifle.

“We don’t want to have to kill you,” said Reagan from far off to Hero’s right. “Stop where you are.”

“Fuck you!” The woman’s southern accent was unmistakable as she ran through the parking lot outside of the building. “I’ll die before I go back in there.” She took a shot at Hero and he fell to the ground.

He aimed and took a shot, but she managed to duck behind the guard shack on the other side of the fence. The other two with her scattered and Hero saw Clyde run off to the left to try and flank them. Hero was stuck in the middle of the road, an easy target for the soldiers.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he whispered as he tried to crawl backward. He saw the female soldier look around the corner, her scope aimed at him, and he fired to keep her at bay. “Cover me!” He knew he had to either retreat or run forward, to the cover of the bushes beside the fence.

Reagan let loose a staggered burst of fire as Hero
ran forward. He slid across the pavement and into the ditch on the other side of the street, falling hard into the muck.

“Run!” The woman was screaming to the other two. “Just get outta here, ya’ll! I’ll catch up with. Just go.”

“Wait,” said Clyde, but Hero assumed he was trying to pacify the situation. Clyde didn’t enjoy violence, always trying to find a peaceful solution whenever possible. Hero tended to get fired up by the adrenaline rush that came in moments like these, and while he preferred killing undead, he had no reservation about taking out a few of the soldiers that were behind the apocalypse.

“You’re going to die, bitch,” said Hero. “Hope you know that.”

“Come get me, tough guy,” said the stranger. “I’m ready for ya.”

Hero aimed up the hill, toward the fence, the lower half of his legs deep in the sludge of the ditch. Reagan was far to the right, beside the fence, and whistled to Hero while pointing at their vantage point where Billy was still hiding. Hero understood that he just had to get the woman to step out of cover so Billy could get a shot.

“I’m right here,” said Hero. Then he took a shot that struck the side of the guard shack and pretended to be out of bullets. He jiggled the rifle, making it sound like he was trying to reload.

“We’re not soldiers,” said Clyde.

“What?” asked the woman, but she was already moving around the corner to shoot at Hero when Billy took his shot.

“Stop shooting!” yelled Clyde.

Billy’s bullet struck the guard shack and the woman fell backward. Hero bounded from the sludge, which was thicker than he thought, and crawled up the short ditch while screaming orders. “Get down. Get your dumb ass on the ground!”

She screamed back. “Fuck you, asshole!” She pointed her military grade rifle at him. It was hard to see her features in the dark, but he thought she had dark skin.

“Everyone stop shooting!” Clyde was desperate to calm everyone.

“I’ll kill you,” said Hero. “Don’t be fucking stupid.”

“I’ll kill you first!” She was on her rear, the gun aimed through the fence at Hero’s head.

“We’re not soldiers!” Clyde walked into the lot from Hero’s left side, his hands in the air.

Hero heard Reagan mutter, “What the fuck are you doing, Clyde?”

“Neither are we,” said the woman.

“You’re wearing the wrong damn clothes and walking out of the wrong place then,” said Hero.

“And you’re wearing the same damn clothes, asshole,” she said.

Hero and the others had stolen military uniforms from a supply depot a week earlier. “Yeah, but I know I’m not a solider.”

“And I know I’m not one neither, fucker,” she said.

“Hero, put your gun down,” said Clyde.

“Hell no,” said Hero. “I say we just kill this bitch.”

Clyde moved to stand in front of the stranger. “No.”

“God damn it, Clyde,” said Hero.

Clyde turned to the woman, whose gun was pointed at his chest, his hands still in the air. “You said you’d die before you went back in there, right?”

“I’d rather kill t
he lot of you instead of dying, but I’ll die before I go back in that place,” she said, her southern twang as thick as any Hero had heard back in Georgia before the apocalypse.

“That’s how I knew you weren’t a soldier,” said Clyde. “Guys, these three aren’t with the military.”

Hero looked to Reagan, who glowered at Clyde, but then shrugged as he moved through the hole in the fence that they’d cut earlier. Hero climbed the rest of the way out of the ditch and then scaled the fence, easily clearing its six foot height in a couple of moves.

“Who are you guys?” she asked.

The woman was taller than Clyde, with dark black, African skin. She was thick, but not overweight. She had an athlete’s build, and Hero puffed his chest as he approached. “We’re survivors looking for a bit of revenge,” said Hero as he pointed the rifle back at the woman.

“Put the gun down, Hero,” said Clyde.

The woman scoffed. “Hero? Is that really your name? You should be called Chicken-Shit Dough Boy, trying to lure me out so your pigeon up there could take a shot. Fuck you.”

“Fuck you,” said Hero.

“No, fuck you,” she said back.

Hero was about to respond when Clyde yelled at them both. “Enough. Everyone calm down.” He held his hand out to the woman. “My name’s Clyde, that’s Reagan, and you’ve already met Hero.”

She shook Clyde’s hand. “My name’s Jill.” She walked over to Reagan and shook his hand, and then went to Hero. He lowered his gun and held out his hand, but she slapped it away and then punched him hard on the chin.

“Mother fucker!” Hero staggered back from the cheap shot.

“You deserved that, asshole. Don’t fuck with me again,” said Jill.

Reagan chuckled and shook his head.

*   *   *

August 24
th
, 20 years after the apocalypse

Hero is speaking with Beatrice in the cabin above the transfer facility.

“You’re stubborn,” said Beatrice. “I’ll give you that, Mister Levon.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell my wife you said so.”

“What do you think your wife would say if she knew you were refusing my offer? Do you have children? Are you ready to let them die as well?”

“No kids,” said Hero. “And if my wife were here, she would’ve knocked your ass out a long time ago. Trust me.”

“
I guess you two are a couple of brutes then.”

“Not quite,” said Hero. “Jill’s a nurse, sweetest woman you ever met, but when you cross her she’ll knock you on your ass in no time flat. It’s what I like best about her.”

“Then tell me, where do we go from here?” asked Beatrice as she sat on the couch across the coffee table from Hero.

“Wish I knew, Bea. Truth is
we’re stuck here for the time being.”

“Where are the guards? Did you murder them?”

“Not me,” said Hero. “Jerald took care of that part for me.”

“Are you serious?” She uncrossed her legs and sat forward. “Tell me what happened.”

“I was unconscious at the time,” Hero took off the military cap that he’d put on to complete his disguise and revealed the bandages on his head. “Got the shit kicked out of me by his men. From what I’ve been told, he brought us here and then killed the guards. He was planning on kidnapping you when you got here.”

Beatrice shook her head, her eyes wide as she placed her hand over her mouth. “I don’t believe it.”

“Well, believe it sister. That’s what happened. Your boys down below forced him to evacuate by releasing the zombies that were infected with your new strain.”

Beatrice gasped. “No, please no. Please tell me you’re lying.”

“Nope. It’s a bloodbath down there.”

“And what about Cobra? What about my daughter?”

“Celeste,” said Hero. “She calls herself Celeste now.”

“Where is she?”

“With Jerald.”

“Oh no, no, no. This is a nightmare.”

“Don’t worry,” said Hero with a wide grin. “It gets worse.”

“How?”

“Jerald might be on his way back here right now, and we can’t go anywhere.”

“Why not?” asked Beatrice. “We should leave as soon as possible.”

“No can do, Bea.” Hero lifted his blue camouflage pants to reveal the wound on his leg. “I’m infected with your new super disease.” He winked at her. “I’m like the walking embodiment of the Fourth Horseman.”

“Well then,” said Beatrice as she relaxed back in her seat. “I guess you have quite the quandary on your hands here.”

“What do you look so damn smug about?”

“You’ve been sitting there giving me this whole speech about how righteous you are; about how you’re the good guy and all that crap,” said Beatrice. “Yet here you are, standing outside of our underground facility, risking exposing the whole world to the virus you were so indignant about. If you were truly as righteous as you pretend to be, you’d go down there and let us purge the entire facility with you in it. But that’s not what you’ve done, now is it? You’re as desperate to survive as the rest of us, no matter the risk.”

Hero laughed as he stood up. “Damn woman, you really are queen of the bitches aren’t you?” He took a pair of handcuffs off his belt. “Willy’s down there working on a cure, because he’s infected too. We’ve already agreed to purge the place if he comes up empty. I just wanted to make sure I had the chance to bring you to the party first.” He blew her a kiss and laughed again as he motioned for her to stand up.