The Demented Z (Book 3): Contagion (17 page)

“Movement near the floor.
  I think one is wounded.”
  She said, her voice cracking a bit.

Tom could feel the tension and fear in her voice.
  “You okay?”

She hesitated for a while.  
“Yeah…just different with people.
  Infected are one thing…but this…this is
different.”

“I know.”

Hank remained prone.  
He left his flashlight off, instead using
Abby’s light to keep a visual. Never
looking back, he said, “What in the world were they doing?
  Idiots didn’t need to attack us.”

“Wonder if they had been pinned in down here for quite a
while…paranoia, fear, claustrophobia…eats at people.”
  Tom said.

Eli joined them.  
“Supply storage. Three
people…rat’s nest of beds in the corner.  
They had been there for a while.”

Tom nodded his head and waited for Hank to get off the floor
and join them. “Good work everyone.
  Let’s keep moving, room by room, clear this
place.” He looked around at each of
them. “I wasn’t ready for
non-infected. Now we know so stay sharp.”

Tom was stunned; there it was, right in front of him.
  They had spent the last couple hours moving
room by room, dropping deeper and deeper into the earth.
  A few stray infected were found stumbling
around, all of them easily dispatched. To
this point they had not found any more weapon toting attackers.
  What Tom now stared at wasn’t quite the light
at the end of the tunnel, but it was the scent of fresh air.

“Seattle.” Eli said
with a deflated voice.

Tom’s eyes scanned the address next to the words, “Echo
One.” The paper was yellowed from age,
but the words were as clear as if they were fresh off the press.
  “How old is this thing…any chance they’ve
moved the facility?”

“Ha, the government?”
  Hank said.  
He slapped Tom on the back.
“Takes Congress and the President to move a copy machine from one
office to another.”

Tom tore the page from the book, folded it, and stuffed it
in his pants pocket. He looked around
the large control room, tracing his flashlight across the old computer
equipment and broken out displays. Eli
was near the front of the room, flipping through various books he had found.
  “Eli, how well do you know Seattle?”

“Abby is your better bet there.”

Tom turned back to Hank.  
“You okay? You don’t look so
well.”

“Leg hurts, but I also –“

Before he could finish Abby came rushing through the
doorway. “Something’s coming!”
  She said in a panicked voice.

Tom didn’t like the word “something,” “somebody” would have
been much better. “What do you mean
something?”

“Just get out
here.” She stammered.

Everyone stood still for a moment and then all of them
rushed for the door, knowing it must be serious.
  Before Tom got all the way out into the hall
he could hear it. “Something” was
right. He couldn’t make out what it was,
but it sounded like a herd of cattle. He
was surprised to find that it did not come from further down into the tunnels,
but instead echoed in from the entrance, the direction they had already
cleared.

“See…what is that?”  
Abby said.

It was a constant
thrum
that they could feel in their chests.  
All their lights shone down the hall, disappearing into the dark.
  Abby took a slow step backwards.
  The sound was getting louder.

“This can’t be good.”  
Hank said.

Tom followed Abby’s lead and took a slow step
backwards. “Be ready.”

Out of the darkness appeared faces; hideous, angry
faces. Many were bloody and deformed
with grisly wounds. They filled the wide
tunnel, row after row emerging into the light.  
The stomp of feet and bodies rubbing up against one another was causing
sound to rumble and echo around the cement tunnel.
  They stumbled forward, toward the bright
lights, seemingly in a daze.

Tom started stepping backwards.
  In a whisper he said, “Move back…
keep the lights on them and move back.”

All of them began slowly walking their way backwards.
  They were entering into the unknown.
  Tom and Hank had glanced over a map they had
found in the control room, but not enough to know what they would find.

One of the infected in the lead suddenly unleashed a bone
chilling
shriek
.
  He had picked up on something and began a mad
sprint down the hall. Others followed
suit and the hall was suddenly filled with angry growls and sprinting demented.
  The noise alone was terrifying and to see so
many rushing their way in the confined tunnel was nearly overwhelming.

“Go for the legs.”  
Eli shouted as he started firing rounds into the oncoming horde.

His shots caused some of the demented to fall to their
faces, others to drop to their knees, and some to stumble awkwardly.
  Tom was impressed by the technique.
  Rather than killing them outright, it caused
such chaos and disruption to the lead that it slowed the entire mass.
  They continued to topple over one another,
creating a seething wall of arms and legs.  
Both Tom and Hank joined in, firing low shots into horde.

“Too many.”
  Hank said between shots.

Tom was thinking the same thing.
  No matter how many they took out, more
continued to pour over and around the fallen.  
He stopped shooting. “We
gotta roll.”

No debate was needed; as one they all turned and began a mad
dash down the dark corridor. None of
them knew where they were headed, but the growls and screams that chased them
were plenty to just keep moving. They
passed several intersections. The fear
that they would get pinned inside some tiny supply room was enough to avoid
turning off the main tunnel.

How long is this
thing?
Tom wondered.
  It seemed to just keep going, like they were
in some nightmare where they would be chased by demented into endless darkness.
  He was lost in his thoughts when there were
several bright flashes ahead of them.  
Even with the loud booms their source did not immediately register with
Tom. It was the unmistakable
crack
of bullets passing very close that
finally brought Tom to full awareness.  
“Shots fired.” He shouted.

Abby suddenly screamed and went down.
  Eli was ahead of her and never noticed.
  Tom dropped to a knee next to her and glanced
back to see Hank, hobbled by his wounded leg, a dozen paces back.
  Gunfire continued to fly over his head.

“Get low.” He yelled
to Hank. He quickly checked on Abby and
she was grimacing in pain. “Where are
you hit?”

She was already starting to get back up to her knees.
  “Shoulder.
  I’ll be alright.”

Eli’s voice echoed down the hall, muffled by the gunfire,
but still audible. “Cover…I’ve got cover
up here.” As soon as the words were out
the sound of his rifle raking the attackers with cover fire erupted.

Tom was just getting Abby to her feet when Hank caught up
with them. He was crouched low and
running awkwardly, favoring his bad leg.  
“Slow pokes.” He said as he
passed the two of them.

From just ahead, Eli shouted, “Reloading!”

Hank stopped, shouted, “Covering,” and began firing past
Eli.

Tom stole a quick glance behind them and was horrified to
see the massive wave of demented less than fifty feet back.
  They needed more than cover.
  It was only a matter of seconds before all of
them would be swallowed up. Both of them
rushed past Hank and caught up to Eli.  
He was squatting behind the cover of a small row of steel drums,
reloading his rifle.

As they ducked in next to him he charged his rifle and
pointed behind them. “We have a hall
that way.” He then rose above the
barrels and began firing toward the gunmen.  
“Covering.”  
He shouted to Hank.

Tom shone his light down the narrow side hall, revealing a
large steel door frame. It looked like
the bulkhead door straight out of a battleship.  
If that was the case it would be the perfect defense to hide behind, but
it could be a one way trip. It was their
only option. “This way everyone…let’s
go.” He said while ushering Abby down
the hall.

Hank slipped past Eli, tapped him on the shoulder, and said,
“I’m good.”

Eli dropped below the barrels.
  “Go, I’m on the way.”
  After spitting out the words he turned his
rifle on the rushing demented and let loose.  
His gunfire raked at their legs, dropping a huge swath to the
floor. He turned a raced after the
others.

Tom was relieved to find the door was a thick blast door,
capable of withstanding more than the demented could possibly throw at it.
  This was quickly replaced with dread when he
saw that the door was made to seal and lock from the outside.
  The inner side of the door was flat except
one small steel handle. He stood to the
side so the others could get past him.  
“Go, go, go.”  
He shouted as they streamed by.

Eli brushed past him and said, “They’re not far back.”

Tom could already see their hideous faces making the
turn. Several slammed into the
barrels. The wave of infected continued
to hammer into the backs of their leaders, pushing them down the main hall out
of sight. Others careened around the
corner, coming straight for Tom. Using
the small handle, he pulled the heavy door closed and held it there, hoping the
weight of shoving demented would pin it closed.  
It would only open if they backed up and allowed it to swing toward
them. Tom knew from experience that they
would figure it out eventually.

Boom
.
  The wave of demented slammed into the door
with tremendous force. They continued to
pound into it, but the massive door didn’t budge.

Tom held tight to the handle, not ready to trust fully in
their stupidity. “Someone find a metal
bar…anything to wedge in this handle.”  
The door shook as they pounded into it.  
Muffled growls were barely audible through the thick steel.

“Try this.” Eli said,
running up with a length of flat metal.

“Looks like it’ll work.”  
Tom took the bar and angled it through the handle.
  With a bit of manipulation he was able to
wedge it across the door and into the metal frame surrounding it.
  “Should hold.”
  He said with a slap on the door.

He followed Eli down a short hall.
  Abby sat at the end, resting against the wall.
  Hank leaned down, checking on her wounded
shoulder.

“Bad?” Tom asked.

Abby looked over at Hank and then up at Tom.
  “I’ll be good as new.”

Hank patted her on the leg and stood.
  “Caught her high on the
shoulder. Not much meat on her
bones, but missed anything vital…she’s right, she’ll be fine.”

“Good.” Tom
said. He turned, looking for Eli, but
the kid had already moved further into the room.
  His flashlight glowed in the distance,
bouncing around as he walked. Tom was
surprised how far away he was. Using his
own flashlight, he took a look at the room they were in.
  He shined it upwards and the beam disappeared
into the darkness far above.  
“Whoa.” He said, moving the light
around the huge space.

Hank stood next to him, following his light.
  “This would be perfect for a remote control
helicopter.”

“Yeah, just what I was thinking…or not.”

“Missile bay.”
  Eli said as he approached.
  “ICMBs.”

“Any way out?”
  Tom asked.

Eli gave his head a shake.  
“Not that I saw.”

Tom took a few steps across the cement floor.
  He shone his light on the bland wall and spun
a slow circle, his light disappearing into the dark on the far side.
  “Let’s spread out and see what we can
find. We have to find a different way
out or this will be our tomb.”

******

“Seriously?”
  Abby said while staring at the large round
tube.

Tom used his light to trace the giant tube up the side of
the wall until it disappeared far above them.

Eli banged on it with his fist.
  “Has to be a vent.
  It’ll either reach the top or another
room.” He leaned down and began removing
the wingnuts that were holding a metal grate in
place. “We spider climb it out of here.”

“Hank won’t be able to with his leg.”
  Tom said.

Hank pointed to Abby.  
“And what about her?
  I don’t think she is in any shape to make a
climb like that.” He said while looking
far up into the darkness, tracing the path of the tube as it disappeared above.

“I can make it.” Abby
said.

The sound of metal clanging to the floor caused all of them
to turn back toward the entrance door.  
The door banged loudly. The
growls of demented slipped through the opening between bangs.

Tom turned back to Eli.  
He was hunched down, working rapidly on the grate.
  Tom bent down next to him and began
frantically working on the wingnuts as well.

“Hurry.”
  Abby said while shining her light to help Tom
and Eli see.

The large space was suddenly filled with angry growls and
wild shrieks. A hurricane of teeth and
death was descending upon them. The
demented had gotten the door open and were now streaming into the cavernous
room. Their intense roar made the hairs
on everyone’s necks stand on edge.

Tom was freeing the final nut that held the grate in
place. “Kill the lights.”
  He said.  
The area was immediately dropped into inky blackness.
  Tom stood and reached out to where he
remembered Abby to be. When he felt
fabric he whispered, “Go, go, you first.  
Hank, you follow.”

The hollow
thuds
of Abby getting her body situated inside the tube were barely audible over the
demented. This was quickly followed up
by rapid
thumps
making their way up
the tube. Tom remembered her saying she
used to train for high end obstacle courses and this showed.
  She was making quick work of the tough
climb. Hank brushed past.

“Here goes.” He
grumbled.

“Just hurry up.”
Tom whisper-shouted.

He made his way inside the tube and began spider climbing
up. Loud
thuds
and
grunts
of pain
marked each push upward.

“Hurry, get inside.”  
Eli said to Tom.

Tom didn’t argue, quickly following Hank into the tube.
  The space was tight, but he was able to
scissor his legs, using pressure on his feet and the palms of his hands to
begin climbing after the others. From
above, Abby clicked on her flashlight, bathing the tight enclosure in white
light.

Growls and the sounds of feet scampering on concrete were
incredibly close. Eli scrunched in under
Tom, pulling the grate back in place as he did so.
  No sooner had he pulled it in than several
demented slammed into the outside, shaking the tube with their force.
  Hank hollered out and began to slide down.