The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (25 page)

Two men and
a
woman in the uniform of service workers parked outside the station and approached carrying what looked like a food delivery. When the woman fired the first shot into the face of a guard, the smile on her lips was eerie with delight. Systematically, the three people gunned down the guards as they advanced on the station. One of the male cultist
s
was shot and killed on the steps, and the guard who shot him was moving to fire at the remaining two cultist
s
when another guard killed him with a shot to the back of the head.

“Fuck me,” Cruz
’
s voice exclaimed. “One of the guards was a traitor!”

Maria glanced at Omondi. His jaw was set and his eyes were hard. Directing her attention back to the screen, Maria watched the two service workers and the guard kill everyone in the lobby. The door to the workstation was already propped open. Switching to the camera in the room, Maria slid back the timeframe.

They all watched as a guard at the console calmly turned and fired point blank into the faces of his two co-workers. He methodically destroyed the communication and remote access hub. Then he propped the door open and joined the Gaia Cultists in their killing spree.

“An inside job,” Omondi whispered. He rubbed his chin with his fingers as he watched the monitors.

The room fell silent as the squad watched the traitorous guard and his cohorts enter the room they were now standing in and activate the gate. One of the men took out the green paint and gleefully left his claim to glory as the other two laughed and wept with joy. The vehicles entered the valley ahead of the
Scourge
and parked near the guard station. The occupants climbed out and rushed to form a circle. Holding hands, they turned their faces upward as the
Scourge
rushed toward them.

All the screens went black marking the moment when the generator had died.

Omondi leaned against the workstation, his eyes closed as he absorbed what he had seen. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at Maria. “Transmit all the information back to the SWD.”

Nodding, Maria started to compile the data for a full report.

“Holm, give me some good news,” Omondi said, turning toward the tall blond woman.

“They didn
’
t have time to sabotage the gate further. It
’
s not even damaged. Just the remote access was disabled. I should be able to just close it and reactivate the locks,” Holm answered. She had forgotten to take a breath before talking and her voice was ragged. Shaking her head, Holm returned her attention to the workstation. “We
’
re lucky they only had enough time to make sure the city didn
’
t know what was coming and disable the remote access. If they had done anything more to the gate...”

“Close it,” Omondi ordered, his gaze on the live feed. There were only a few
Inferi Scourge
wandering on the road beyond the gate.

“Yes, sir,” Holm answered, her fingers sliding over the controls.

Maria raised her eyes and watched as the massive gate trembled to life on the monitor
s
. The room filled with a loud rumble as the floor vibrated beneath their feet. Behind her there was a scramble to get out of the room and witness the closing of the gate. Omondi leaned over the workstation with Holm and Maria at his side. The three watched the cameras outside record the second closing of the gate. It slid into place
at
an almost languid pace. A few
Scourge
were caught by the door and crushed. Maria felt the room shudder as the enormous door clanged shut and the locking mechanisms whirled.

“It
’
s done,” Holm said in an awed voice.

“Now we kill them all.” Omondi lifted his bolt weapon and headed out of the room.

Maria finished with her download and followed with Holm on her heels.

* * *

Patience was a virtue that
didn
’
t
come naturally to Dwayne. He had learned it over time, but it was still not an easy fit to his psyche. A long day at work had not distracted him sufficiently from worrying about Maria. She was beyond the wall now and far from him. He could no longer reach her, protect her, or hold her.

It was agonizing.

Flipping off the vid
screen, he laid back on his bed. He had tried to watch an old film, but had been far too distracted. Lindsey had been unreachable all day, but that was not unusual for her. She would contact him when she was ready with information.

Checking his wristlet again, Dwayne fought the tug of sleep on his eyelids. He didn
’
t want to sleep until he heard from Maria. Of course, she might not be able to find the time to contact him. That possibility was not something he wanted to consider. He longed to hear her voice.

Sleep had nearly won and he was gently dozing when his wristlet buzzed. Instantly awake, he rolled onto his side and activated the stealth program. The screen remained dark and he worried the call had been disconnected. Slowly, he realized he was viewing Maria in the darkness of the night.

“Dwayne, I can
’
t talk long. Everyone is in torpor right now, but I need to be careful,” she whispered.

He could barely discern the shape of her face and the glint of her eyes in the starlight. “Are you okay?” He knew her very well and there was tension in her tone that indicated she was upset.

“Things are worse out here than we thought they would be,” she admitted. “There was an error in our planning and someone died. I doubt the same mistake will be made again, but...”

Dwayne squinted, desperately wanting to see her
face. “I
’
m sorry, honey. You
okay?”

“Yeah
,
I
’
m fine.
It
’
s j
ust...” her voice faded, then he heard her take a breath. “What we discovered today was...
s
omeone opened the gate on purpose
,
Dwayne. The Gaia Cult tried to kill us all.”

“Shit,” he gasped.

There had always been theories of sabotage, but they were considered wild speculation. He felt as though he had been punched in the gut. It was unfathomable that someone had purposely tried to wipe out humanity.

“Somehow a group of survivors led the
Scrags
here and people inside the valley let them in. One of our own guards helped.” Maria
’
s voice was ragged. “I wish I could cry. Maybe it would make me feel better, but I
’
m just...”

“Maria, what
you
’
re
saying is...unbelievable
. I
t
’
s so awful. I can
’
t imagine how it felt to discover that.”

“We
’
re all in shock. We found the trucks of the people who led the
Scrags
to us. It had some of their literature recorded on pads. We
’
ll bring those back to the city. I
’
m wondering if some of the city failures over the years have been the Gaia Cult. Maybe they
’
re still active.”

Dwayne again caught a glimmer of light in her eyes and again wished he could see her face. “All that information was sent to the SWD?”

“Yeah, but shouldn
’
t they tell you? Aren
’
t you in charge of protecting the city?”

“The commandant is very selective in the information she imparts to me. I can only hope that at some point she will draw me into this officially. I am trying to gather information using my own sources.”

Maria sighed wearily.

“Maria, I
’
m so proud of what you
’
re doing. You
’
re amazing.”

“I wish I felt amazing,” Maria whispered. “I feel so lost out here. I didn
’
t think it would be this overwhelming.”

“It
’
s your first night out there. You
’
ll adapt. You can do this.”

She was silent and he strained to see her face. Finally, she said, “You
’
re right. I can do this. The gate is closed. This is the beginning.”

“I love you, Maria.”

“I love you, Dwayne,” she answered. “I need to go.”

The connection ended.

Slinging his legs over the side of the bed, Dwayne accessed the hidden menu again and sent a message to Lindsey. He would need her more than ever if there really was the possibility of a threat inside the city.

C
hapter 18

“Today the killing starts and we don
’
t stop until every
Scrag
in the valley is dead,” Omondi said the next morning.
“There is an estimated four million
Scrags
in the valley.
I know that sounds like a lot when there are only forty of us, but let me show you
something
.” Removing the bolt weapon from his back,
Omondi
pointed to Holm. “Set your wristlet timer for one minute.
The rest of you count
how many I kill
.
Holm, tell me when to start.”

Holm fussed with her wristlet
,
then held up one hand.
“Now!”

Omondi
immediately started to dispatch the
Inferi Scourge
clustered around him.

“One…two…three…” the squad intoned together.

Maria watched, smirking slightly.
Omondi
was putting on quite a show as
Scourge
collapsed like fallen trees. It was quite impressive.

“…twelve…thirteen...fourteen…”

Omondi
pivoted bac
k and forth as his weapon slammed against the skulls of the creatures
. His huge body was impressive among the mangled forms.

“…twenty…twenty-one…twenty-two…twenty-three...”

A few members of the squad began to laugh.

“…twenty-four…twenty-five…”

“Stop!” Holm cried out.

Omondi
grinned, not winded, not tired, and lifted his bolt weapon over his head in triumph before sliding it back in its sheath. “How many was that?”

“Twenty-five,” Jameson said, impressed.

“Each and every one of you can do that number or better. With the
Inferi Scourge
packed so tightly together, it makes killing them easier.”
Omondi
rejoined the group.
“There are forty of us. Multiply that twenty-five by forty.”

“One thousand,” Holm said, clearly startled.

“We can kill a thousand
Scrags
in one minute. One thousand. Let that sink into your minds. A thousand
Scrags
. In one minute. How many can we kill in one hour? In one day? In one month?”
Omondi
laughed heartily. “I
’
ve stunned you. Of course, not every situation around the valley will give us a prime killing ground such as this where
they
’
re
packed so close together.
Also, we have to salvage what we can from the bodies and burn them. So our numbers decrease significantly. But we can clear this valley in a matter of months.”

The grins and nods of the squad
coaxed a smile out of Maria
.
Omondi
was quite good at stirring up good solid morale. The soldiers stood around him as he rolled a screen out on the ground and the holographic display of the valley appeared.

“We work each grid until they
’
re cleared. We will start in this area since
it
’
s
closest to the gate.”

Maria listened as Omondi continued to lay out their mission. She knew it by heart, but she feigned attention. Soon the valley would be dotted with
collapsible bins
filled with anything of use they discovered on the bodies
. They would
be
stacked neatly for later delivery to the city.

The dead moaned and swayed. In the distance the howling
Scourge
were still assaulting the personnel carrier. And beyond them, the city walls rose
,
impenetrable and imposing. There was no going home until the mission was done.

Her conversation with Dwayne the night before
still haunted
her. She was bothered by the constant breakdowns in the city
in
the years since the gate failed. Yes, the city was aging and so w
ere
the mechanisms that kept it running, but Maria wondered if people were still actively trying to find a way to
exterminate humanity. She couldn
’
t even begin to fathom why humans would actively seek to destroy other
humans, yet she had witnessed that very act
. Even more disturbing was the realization that after the last known pockets of humanity had been airlifted to
The Bastion
, other humans had remained alive outside.
Was it
possible that there were yet humans in the world beyond the valley struggling to sur
vive against the
Inferi Scourge
?

Gripping her weapon, Maria refocused her attention on Omondi as he finished detailing the plans.

“We have a long day ahead of us. Let
’
s get moving. Next break is in four hours,” Omondi finished. He deactivated the
holographic
projection and folded up the screen. Tucking it into his jacket
,
he gave the squad a brief nod before walking over to Maria. He was taller and more powerfully
-
built than any of the other soldiers, yet there was an unexpected fragility in his gaze. Maria was learning to read his moods and this morning she suspected he was deeply troubled by their discovery
of the gate
’
s sabotage. She had transmitted the recordings
to the SWD, but they had yet to respond. At least not so far as she knew.
Omondi
had not said anything to her if they had.

“Ready for the day, Vanguard Martinez?” Omondi asked.

“Absolutely, Chief Defender
Omondi
,” she answered.

“Then let us begin.” Omondi pulled his bolt weapon from its holster on his back.

“I
’
m right behind you.” Maria echoed his actions and
tailed him
to a cluster of
Scourge
.

The first few kills were jarring. Maria hadn
’
t expected to feel anything but relief at dispatching the creatures that had killed humanity. Instead, she almost felt as though she were betraying them. The creatures were docile when not riled to frenzy by the presence of humans. Their vacant eyes and soft moans gave them the appearance of bewilderment. Their eyes tended to roll about as the bolt weapons were fired, seeking the source of the sound. Maria wondered if they understood in any capacity that they were in danger. Though their eyes shifted in their sockets and a few
Scourge
looked around in confusion, none attacked.

Gradually, Maria was piecing together the truth about the
Scourge
. When in a
n
overexcited
state, any activity that could be associated with humans was enough to provoke them to attack. The squad had been speaking in very low voices to avoid activating the
Scourge
into hunting mode. The
undead
in torpor didn
’
t even register the squad
’
s presence. Maria strongly suspected th
at
those
attacking the carrier
wouldn
’
t
respond in the same manner. She was certain they would attack anything they suspected was human. Hearing a human voice would draw the attention of the rampaging
creatures
, but not those in torpor.

Her bolt weapon discharged and an old man crumpled to her feet. Stepping over him, Maria pressed the end of her weapon against the base of the skull of an adolescent boy and fired. The boy fell and she moved on to a middle-aged woman. All around her
Scourge
fell to the ground in final death. They didn
’
t fight back. They didn
’
t run. They just died. For so long the
Scourge
had been the monsters of her nightmares, but seeing them this close, she now
also
saw them as the sad victims of a devastating virus.

Yet, these were the same creatures that had killed Ryan and her father. Pity and hate struggled within her as she continued the gruesome task.

Eventually, the squad relaxed into thei
r chore. Conversation started
. It was stilted at first, but gave way to warm camaraderie. Maria found herself smiling despite their terrible task as the morning wore on. Jameson and McKinney were quite adept at a witty remark or two. Their chatter made the task easier whenever she had to stop and clean her weapon and wipe off her gloves. Holm and Mikado heaped the bodies into piles after doing a cursory search on each
Scourge
. It was surprising to see that there were actually items to salvage. Old communication devices, a few weapons, jewelry made of stainless steel, copper, silver and gold.

Maria began to note the little things about the
Scourge
: the diamond
earrings in one
’
s ears, the tie still clipped to one
’
s shirt, the scissors still clutched in the hand of another.

“Got a nun over her
e
,” Jameson called out. “I
’
m not going to get in trouble with God if I kill her, right?”

“She
’
s already dead. God won
’
t get mad,” McKinney answered.

“We
’
ll have to bury her,” Cruz said somberly. “Catholics don
’
t believe in cremation.”

“I
’
m sure God will overlook it in this case,” McKinney said, his tone a bit dismissive.

“I don
’
t believe in gods,” Holm grunted, dispatching the nun in question. She hooked the dead woman and dragged her away.

“What if you
’
re wrong?” Cruz called out after her. “What if God is out there?”

Holm hurled the nun onto the pile. “I
’
ll be surprised and God can have a chortle over it.”

Maria rolled her eyes, slightly shaking her head.

“I mock no one
’
s gods.” Omondi trudged past the squad lugging four bodies after him. “Just in case...”

“Sounds like a good policy,” Cormier decided. “Playing it safe.”

“Sometimes playing it safe gets you into the worst of trouble,” Denman answered the young woman with a sardonic smile.

Maria glanced at him curiously. His words had held weight and underlying meaning to them.

“I
’
d rather play fast and loose and get in trouble that way. Fuck playing it safe.” McKinney high-fived Holm as Cruz rolled her eyes.

The day wore on.

Though they had no need to eat or drink, the squad took a break after a few hours.
Omondi
walked away to report into the SWD, leaving the squad to their own devices. Most pulled out small pads to play games, watch vids, or read. They weren
’
t able to communicate with friends or family, so most ignored their wristlets. Maria wished she could call Dwayne, but instead amused herself with a game on her pad. Holm decided to sunbathe and stripped off her heavy armor.

“Can we get tans?” Jameson wondered aloud
,
watching her disrobe.

Denman cast a look over his shoulder at the nearest
Scourge
. “I doubt it.
They
a
re
n
’
t even sunburned. The virus keeps them in stasis, exactly how they were when they died.”

“I
’
m going to try,” Holm said, closing her eyes under her sunglasses. She looked very pale against the dry-packed black earth of the valley.

“Shouldn
’
t you keep your armor on?” Jameson asked.

“
You
should,” Holm quipped.

Laughter rippled through the group and Jameson made a big show of stripping off his armor to lie next to the tall blond.

Maria watched over the top of her pad, amused, but not concerned. She was toying with the idea of taking off her armor, too. They were far from the
Inferi Scourge
that were frenzying near the carrier. She wondered if Omondi would make Holm and Jameson put their armor back on when he was done with his report. Returning her gaze to her game, she tried to keep her gnome that was riding a dinosaur alive as it
traveled
through a medieval setting.