Survival Instinct: A Zombie Novel (28 page)

“Become zombies.”

“Become
altered
.”  Mathias could tell he was really starting to piss Roy off, but he couldn’t help it.  Zombie just sounded so much more honest.  “Those altered are going to try to bite more people.  Those just carrying it will carry it all over the world, spreading it through blood and saliva contact.”

“And sex.”

“Yes, yes, and sex.”  Roy rolled his eyes.  “That first batch, who was infected by other humans, will take only three to five days to become altered.  When they do, they will attack others.  Human to human infection also leaves most altered smarter and more violent.  Many will still have the capability to run, and some will be able to perform more complex tasks, like opening doors, climbing ladders, removing obstacles-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know all that stuff.  I’ve seen them.”  Mathias involuntarily shuddered.  Those poor bastards volunteered, thinking it would lead to an early release from prison.  Turned out to be an early release from life.

“Of course.  But that means the attacks will spread a lot quicker.  Especially since the altered will be trying to kill others, making them become altered quicker.  A faster spread.  Also, the further down the human-to-human contact chain someone is, the faster they turn, if they manage to survive the attack.  And all this time, the rats are still spreading and people, altered by the rats, are still spreading…”

“Okay, okay, I see your point.  The shit can hit the fan.  What am I saying?  The shit
has
hit the fan.”  Mathias thought about Danny being alone on the surface.  “Do you know how bad it is up there?”

“No, they don’t tell us much more than they tell you.”  Mathias knew that was a bald-faced lie, but let it go.  “We have a prediction, though.”

“And what’s your prediction?”

“Well, there’s a time we call the ‘boiling point’,” Roy made little air quotes with his fingers
,  “which is when there are enough human to human altered in existence, that the problem can’t be ignored.  It’s almost like an infection explosion where they suddenly seem to be everywhere, infecting more and more people.”

“And when do you think this boiling point will occur?”

“Our calculations predict that it could occur anywhere between two days ago and four days from now.”

“So we’re right in the hot zone is basically what you’re saying?”  Poor Danny, he had to get to him.

“I’m saying, I have no idea what we’ll find out there.”

Mathias didn’t quite believe him, but nodded anyway.  Why would he choose
this
day in particular to go outside?  Surely, it wasn’t for his benefit.  They had almost reached the prep chamber where the others were surely waiting.  Mathias stopped Roy for one last question.  “When I find my brother, will they let me bring him down here?”

Roy looked at his feet and shuffled them.  “It’s highly unlikely.”

“Then where else can I take him to keep him safe?”

Roy shrugged and used the pass hanging around his neck to open the door.  Mathias let Roy step through first.  He always worried about being led into some sort of trap down here and being killed off for some experiment.  If Roy went in willingly, then it must be okay.  Well, that was the hope.

The prep chamber was a large, white, cylindrical room with one door, the door they entered by.  Inside were all the team members Roy had listed off.  Mathias walked over to LeBlanc who was carrying a loaded rucksack like his own, except it had a rifle strapped to the side of it.

“So you’re getting out too, huh?” Mathias spoke to him in a low voice.

“I can’t take this place much longer.  I’ll probably survive longer outside with the zombies.”  LeBlanc sounded Irish despite his French name and Japanese looks.  “You going to look for your brother?”

Mathias nodded.

“Maybe I’ll come with you then.  More fire power has got to equal better odds, right?”

Mathias nodded again.  “Thanks.  What is it that Edelstein is carrying?”

“I don’t know, and he won’t tell me either.”

The always stern and proper Edelstein had a black, hardcase backpack and two metal suitcases.  He kept looking disapprovingly over at Mathias and LeBlanc.  He clearly knew what was going on.  East walked over to them, making their pair a trio.

“Hey guys.”  She didn’t have a backpack or any cases, just her rifle and whatever was on her wide belt.  She was known for having basically zero personal items, just a locket around her neck, and no one knew whose pictures were in it.  Mathais’s money was on her parents.

“Hello, my beautiful East!”  LeBlanc threw his arm across her shoulders.

“Fuck off, LeBlanc.”  East grabbed his arm and twisted it around behind his back.  He was always doing stupid shit with the girls.

“All right, all right, I give.”  He grinned as East let go.  “Hey, what’s that Edelstein’s got?”

“I don’t know.  Chant and Coombs also have some non-standard equipment, but they won’t talk to me either.  Guess it’s for whatever their mission really is,” East shrugged.

“What do you mean ‘their’?”  Mathias had noticed her self-exclusion.

“Oh, I’m ditching with you guys, didn’t LeBlanc tell you?” East frowned at LeBlanc.  Mathias did too.

“What?” LeBlanc shrugged.  “It didn’t come up.”

“I didn’t know you wanted out.”  Mathias really didn’t know and he thought he kept up with the gossip.  Then again, he had been pretty much out of the loop since the rat hunt.

“I tried not to let it get around ’cause I thought it would improve my odds of escape, but Chant figured it out.  I guess it’s for the best, ’cause it looks like they’re getting rid of the trouble-makers before everyone else decides they really don’t like it down here either.”  East took a stick of gum out her pocket and popped it into her mouth.  “Notice that they got more weaponry than us?  We’re being cut loose with as little fire power as they feel comfortable giving us.”

“Maybe we should leave some behind, eh?” LeBlanc grinned.  “Like in Roy’s big, fat head.”

“Cut it out,” Mathias rolled his eyes.  “We’re getting out, that’s all that matters.  Speaking of guns, I gotta go get mine.”

Mathias left the other two and went over to a small, barely visible panel in the wall.  He held out his dog tags, and a blue light scanned down them.  He was supposed to have dog tags made by the company, but he refused them.  He wanted to keep the old ones that he had before he was dishonourably discharged from the Rangers.  The company didn’t like this, but they gave in and adjusted the system to read his dog tags.  He said it was entirely for sentimental value, but really, it was partly because he knew they built trackers into theirs.  They had to give him his tracker separately, one that he carried in his pocket, and no one would notice if it was missing or not.  The dog tags had to be visible at all times, just like the scientist’s badges.

There was a click of fine mechanisms running for a moment and then a hiss.  Seams appeared in the wall and a hidden panel flipped open.  It held a rifle specially made by the company, a few magazines of their own brand of bullets, and a company side arm.  Mathias slung the rifle against his bag like LeBlanc, then holstered the pistol.  Lastly, he pocketed all of the ammo.  He often wondered how much more Keystone could do if they weren’t so busy making all these fancy rooms with their silent mechanisms.  Their guns and bullets were of really good quality, but what they had just supplied Mathias with was the bare minimum any mercenary was allowed to have when leaving the complex.  At least, when it was a potentially hostile
environment and they weren’t just guarding some formal party nor doing bodyguard duty.  It seemed they really were planning on cutting him loose.  So why did that make him feel nervous?

Another panel near the high roof slid open.  This panel was much larger than the
other was and revealed a glass window behind it.  A man stood up there behind a console.  The guys jokingly referred to him as God because of his position, but in reality, the scientists were closer to that title.

“One at a time, you will enter the spray chamber…” the man in the high room spoke over some hidden speakers.  Mathias tuned him out; he had heard it all before.  Roy was probably the only one paying attention to the instructions.  Unlike the grunts, the geeks didn’t get to go out all that often.  Which was weird because they were allowed to own houses topside while the mercs weren’t.  Someone tapped Mathias on the shoulder.

“Cole.”  Mathias turned to find Chant standing before him.  “Take this.”  She shoved a bulletproof vest into his arms.  “Hide it until you get into the sprayer, then put it on under your shirt.”

“Why are you giving me this?”  Mathias quickly slid it between his bag and his back after he was sure no one was looking.

“It was part of my kit, but you’re going to need it more than I will.”  Chant quickly glanced over at Edelstein, Coombs, and Roy, who were now giving her glances.  “I’m sorry.”

Chant gave Mathias a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried away.  Mathias and Chant had had a thing going for the last week or two, but the kiss on the cheek was out of character.  And what would she be sorry for?

Suddenly, the whole room began to turn.  The entrance was sealed off with a panel and the whole wall swung around so that it was on the other side of the room.  Once there, the panel slid away again to reveal an ugly metal hatch.  The company stopped caring about the aesthetics of anything outside the prep room.

“Silvia Chant, you’re first,” God spoke.

Chant quickly disappeared through the hatch.  Mathias walked over to LeBlanc and East.

“What was that about?”  LeBlanc tapped his own cheek.  He had seen the kiss, although apparently not the vest.

“I have no idea,” Mathias shrugged.  “East, you’re with her more often.  You know what it was about?”

East shook her head and shrugged.

Mathias looked at the door Chant had disappeared through and scratched the back of his neck, just below his dark stubbly hairline.

“Mathias Cole, you’re up,” spoke God.

Mathias headed toward the door, which slid open.  He stepped through and it slammed closed behind him, sealing out all light and sound.  Trapped.  A blue light came on ahead of him, the only illumination in the room.  There were three doors that looked like they belonged on a submarine.  Each of them had a light above it, but only the one on the left was on: the blue door, as it was called, because of the blue light.  The middle one was the green door and the right side one was the yellow.  You never wanted to see red; red was always very bad.  Each door led to its own spray chamber and allowed for the processing of three people at once.  Mathias walked over to the left side door and opened a hatch that reminded him of a garbage chute.  He guessed it was symbolic, saying all his stuff was garbage.  He dumped his pack, rifle, and the body armour into it.  A conveyor belt inside started up and took everything away.  He then began to strip off of all his other gear and clothing and dump them onto the conveyor as well.  The only thing that stayed on him was his dog tags.  He closed the hatch to the conveyor, shivering slightly from a chill that perpetually clung to the metal chamber.

Standing there naked always made Mathias feel very uncomfortable and vulnerable.  He always expected some jackass, like LeBlanc, to pop through the door behind him yelling ‘Surprise!’ although it never happened.  Today he felt especially uncomfortable knowing what could be going on topside.  He didn’t have to stand there very long, maybe only a second or two, but it always seemed so much longer.  There was a loud clunk and the door visually popped backwards somewhat.  Mathias pushed it open and stepped through.  He shoved the heavy metal door closed behind him and it sealed itself with a hiss.

This new chamber was tiny and even colder.  The sides and ceiling were made of solid metal, and the floor of old-looking tiles.  There was a sprinkler set into the centre of the ceiling and a drain in the floor directly beneath it.  Once the door was sealed, the sprayer was turned on.  Freezing cold disinfectant spray poured out of the sprinkler, making the tiny room fill with a torrent of rain.  It wasn’t supposed to irritate the eyes, but it stung anyway.  Mathias naturally shivered more and curled his arms to his chest on reflex but then relaxed and turned, making sure he got completely covered.  Thankfully, the spray-down never lasted too long.  When it stopped, another hatch popped open, and Mathias hurried through it, being careful not to slip on the slick tiles.

The next small room was just like the last, but without the drain in the floor, and with heaters in the ceiling rather than a sprinkler.  A towel rack hung from one wall with fresh towels.  They wouldn’t be fresh by the time everyone went through, but that was the advantage of having a last name that started with a C.  The guys further down the alphabet hated it when large teams went out on missions.  Mathias dried himself quickly under the heaters and then moved into the final chamber before it got too hot.

This final chamber was slightly bigger than the last two.  The conveyer belt ended here and dumped everything into a bucket.  Mathias had no idea what kind of decontamination his stuff went through, but everything always smelled like cheese.  Whatever it was, nothing ever came out damaged and it was always dry.  He quickly got dressed, making sure to put on the vest Chant gave him underneath his black T-shirt.  It was a little itchy, being directly against his skin, but he didn’t mind.  He was more concerned about how hot it would get.  Thankfully, Keystone was on the cutting edge, and their vests breathed more than the standard kind did.  They were slimmer too, so it was likely that no one would notice.  He put his pack back on and slung his rifle over his shoulder once more.  He thought it stupid that you were issued the rifle, and then sent it through decontamination.  It was so pointless.  Why didn’t you just get it on the other side?  He had never known the mercenaries to need guns inside the complex, even during the rat hunt.  They were given heavy gloves and cages for those because the company wanted them captured alive.  Mathias often wondered how the other rats had gotten out.  The place was supposed to be completely sealed against everything.  So far, no one had given him a sensible answer to that