by Olah, Jeff
“Well?” Savannah continued.
“Anything is possible. The government has had their hands in things that even scared the hell out of me and I’ve seen plenty.”
Mason’s ears still rung as the elevator approached ground level. He checked his weapon one final time as they touched down and glanced over at Randy as he continued.
“We all just better pray this isn’t related to Project Lockwood.”
“Randy, I’m sorry… did you say Lockwood?” Mason asked.
Before he could answer the doors began to open and they could tell why the upper floors were so quiet. The ground level of the apartment building was crawling with Feeders. There must have been at least fifty filling the lobby like a restaurant giving away free food. They went unnoticed for a few seconds, which gave Savannah time to open her bag and withdraw a gargantuan pistol that looked like it was made to hunt dinosaurs.
Randy turned to her and asked, “You good with that one?”
“Yep.”
Savannah checked the magazine in her gun and within seconds the army of three was in position, arms raised and ready to do battle with the horde whose full attention had been turned to them.
Mason took the lead, as Randy brought up the rear. Savannah took out anything that came from either side. “Aim for the head and stay close!” Mason barked over the rapid gunshots.
The trio moved in unison to the exit like a fine-tuned engine laying waste to the numerous Feeders as they approached from all sides. As they cleared the exit, Randy and Mason pushed the heavy concrete bench in front, drastically slowing their attackers. The trio reloaded their weapons and moved away from the building.
They ran into the alley and Mason realized this was where he had almost lost his life only hours earlier. He gave Randy a quick pat on the back, both men knowing the significance.
“Thanks.”
“You’d have done the same for me.”
With the sun now filtering through the many buildings in the area, Mason checked his watch and realized he should have already been standing in Williams’s driveway. He wondered if April and Justin would have left the house and ventured out to rendezvous with his friend or if they were holed up in the house still waiting for him. Either way, he needed to speed things up.
“Hey guys, I think we should head through the park to save some time. I don’t think my family will actually leave us behind, I just don’t want them out in the open having to wait for us.”
As they continued to walk, Randy said, “I agree and we should probably pick up the pace.”
Mason and Savannah broke into a light jog with Randy bringing up the rear. They noticed that a couple of large groups of Feeders were headed in their direction as they made their way into the entrance of the park.
“Mason, let’s go in over by that wooden platform,” Randy said.
“Sounds good!”
They came to a stop just inside one of the entrances that possessed a large wooden gate which was once used as a way to keep vagrants out of the park at night. It was only six feet tall, but most of the homeless never bothered climbing it and moved on to other areas.
Savannah watched for any approaching Feeders while Mason and Randy moved the gate into place. They slid the clasp over the lock just as the horde approached from the other side, narrowly finishing before they were confronted.
“That wasn’t too bad. How much farther?”
“Once we get across the park, it’s just a few more blocks. Let’s go!”
The crack of a gunshot sounded from the far end of the long grass field and they all hit the ground. The top rung of the wooden gate behind them exploded, wood fragments rained down all around them.
Out in the open, they had nowhere to go and nothing to hide behind. Panic began to set in as their attention turned to where the shot originated. Savannah squinted through the daylight now blanketing the area and was the first to recognize their new adversaries.
“They’re here, they found us.”
“Who found us?” Mason said.
“It’s Jason and Lance.”
36
Hundreds of ravenous Feeders were only yards away as the group of five gathered in the middle of the empty lot that was the size of four football fields. Only hours before, they were strangers that probably wouldn’t have spoken to one another if they passed on the street. Thrown together by fate, they now needed the support of one another to face what came next.
The gate would only hold those things back for so long. These beasts lacked the most basic cognitive skills, including the ability to navigate around anything over five feet tall. Unfortunately they more than made up for it in sheer brutality. They would eventually obliterate anything they came in contact with even at the expense of their own bodies. Nothing seemed to slow the pace at which they pursued human flesh.
William, April and the others made their way through introductions quickly. They discussed what their next steps would be, including where they thought they might find Mason. William explained there was really only one safe way to exit the vacant lot and that was at the far end which led directly into the park. They weren’t sure what the open areas inside the park might look like and needed to be sure it didn’t lead straight into a large crowd of Feeders.
William asked everyone but April to get back into the vehicles and prepare to leave. He wanted to run down the plan one last time.
“April, you’re going to follow me to the top of the hill and once we cross over into the park, we will cut the engines and take a look from up top. We can easily see the entire area from there and plan our route through the main greenbelt.”
“Yes, then from there we can cross the field… if it’s clear. Mason’s building is only a few minutes past the park.”
William continued, “That’s perfect. We can stop at the other end and reassess before we drive up to his building.”
April reached into her bag and handed William the gun Mason left for her. In the past ten minutes, she learned about his past experience as a military medic and figured he would be the best choice to carry it.
“William, you just don’t give off that military vibe. I should know, I grew up around it,” April said.
“Yeah, it’s been quite awhile.”
The pair made their way back into the vehicles and buckled in for the ride to the top of the hill.
. . .
Randy was the first to stand and locate his weapons. With the bag he was carrying still draped over his shoulder, he moved toward the two handguns he dropped. Bending over to grab them a voice came from the distance.
“Leave it right there Randy! BACK AWAY!”
Randy left the weapons on the ground and took a step back. As they got closer, Randy knew this wasn’t going to end well. His two cousins would want everything they were carrying in the bags and they weren’t going to leave empty handed, even if it meant killing them.
With only thirty yards left between them, Mason stood and also helped Savannah up. As she got to her feet, Mason slid the pistol he was holding into the back of her waistband and gave a slight nod. She looked back and winked at him.
“You guys ok?” Randy asked. He then leaned in and whispered to Savannah. “I’m going to kill them. I don’t know how yet, but they’re already dead.”
The men, now only ten yards away stopped. The bigger of two, Jason, looked all three up and down, shook his head and smiled.
“Savannah, what did you think would happen by leaving us stranded? You should have put a little more thought into your plan. All you did was piss me off. I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
Mason interrupted. “Guys, if you’re looking for weapons we have plenty for everyone.”
Jason turned his focus to Mason. “Exactly who are you? Never mind, I don’t really care. That’s mighty nice of you to offer up what doesn’t even belong to you. Yeah, we know that beautiful stash belongs to our good old cousin here. We only missed you by a few minutes at the apartment, but here we a
ll are now.”
Randy, beginning to seethe, looked over at Mason and shook his head. “Mason, don’t give these scumbags the time of day, they’re not worth it.”
“Scumbags? Really… is that all you got? Even after everything we’ve been through.” Jason raised his gun, pointing it at Mason. “How about I shoot your friend here in the head, will that change your opinion?”
. . .
As they came to a stop next to the camping area that overlooked the park, April and the others exited the cars. The field below was free of Feeders as far as the eye could see. It was as if the events of the past day never happened and they were just a group of friends out for a day of fun.
“Mom, is that Dad?”
“What, where?”
“Look over there, way down at the end with those other people.”
April could tell, even from as far away as they were that the groups below were in conflict. “William, I think that might be Mason down there, but… he was alone when he left.”
William rushed off to the back of his truck and started digging through boxes, while April continued to keep an eye on the people below.
“Found it,” William said.
“What?”
“Binoculars, I knew these would come in handy.”
He handed them to April and watched over her shoulder as Justin stood by patiently. She brought the lenses to her eyes and dropped her arms almost as fast as she raised them.
“It’s him.”
“It’s Dad?” Justin said.
She turned to William and handed him the binoculars.
“Look… We have to do something,” she said.
William looked and could see right away that it was Mason. He appeared to be arguing with the men directly across from him.
William leaned back against the hood of the car silently thinking of what to do as April continued to watch. She began to tremble as the thought of what she might witness filled her with fear.
“William, one of them just pointed their gun at Mason. I can’t hear what they’re saying. We need to get down there and help him.”
“I don’t think all of us charging down there is the best idea; it may spook them into doing something irrational.”
William walked back over to the truck and withdrew the handgun April had given him.
“I’m going alone.”
“I don’t think so,” Karen said as she grabbed her husband’s face attempting to get him to look her in the eyes.
“Honey, he needs our help and I’ll have the element of surprise on my side. Nothing is going to happen anyway, or it already would have. I’m sure it’s just a pissing match. Here are the keys, just be ready to drive down when I signal.”
Karen hugged William and took the keys. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this am I?”
“No, and trust me, it will be fine.”
37
The grass under their feet was still damp from the morning dew as they now stood face to face with two men, who only hours before had murdered their own family members just for a few guns. Mason couldn’t see an easy way out of this, short of giving up everything they were carrying, and even then they may not leave this park alive.
Savannah stepped forward and pulled the gun from her lower back and in one motion pointed it at Jason. She had seen these two monsters cause enough destruction for a lifetime.
Lance now also pulled his gun and pointed it at Mason. “Savannah sweetie, put it down. You’re not ready for what comes next. You’re soft and I’ve about reached my limit with you.”
“Lance, you weren’t that kind of person either, Jason has turned you into something less than human. You two aren’t any better than those things behind us!”
“I’ll bet I’m a better shot,” Jason said. He turned his head to the side, slid the safety off and fired one round.
The bullet entered Mason’s left side just above his pectoral muscle sending him reeling backward and onto the ground. The bag he was shouldering opened and the contents spread across the wet grass. He was surprised it happened so fast and watched as blood began to pour out of the wound.
Jason’s stern look turned to a grin. “I was going to try to explain to you how serious I was, but I figured I would just show you instead. Set the other bags on the ground or the next one goes into his temple. NOW!”
Savannah looked back at Randy terrified at what she was about to do.
. . .
“Was that a gunshot?” April cried out. “We need to get down there.” She started the car, put it in gear and started down the hill. She could see William now in a full sprint toward the two groups of people less than fifty yards in front of him.
William could see that Mason was down and his assailant was standing directly in front of him. As he continued to run towards them, he raised his weapon and took a wild shot hoping to cause a distraction.
He had no other plan beyond the action he had just taken and hoped Mason wasn’t alone in this group.
Grass exploded less than twenty feet away from them. Jason flinched and pointed the gun at Savannah. She instinctively fired on him, making contact in the chest. Jason went down hard, but not before firing back, striking Savannah in the leg and tearing out a good size chunk of her right thigh.
Lance began screaming something unintelligible and started toward Savannah.
Randy slowly picked up the weapon he had dropped earlier and turned it on his cousin now standing over Savannah. She was crying and begging him not to kill her. She said she was sorry and didn’t mean to do what she did.
“I’m sorry too,” Lance said as he chambered a round.
“Lance, you don’t have to do this. She’s family,” Randy said.
“Not anymore.”
Lance quickly turned and fired on Randy, narrowly missing his right ear. Randy didn’t even have the time to react before Lance was hit from behind by the second shot fired from William.
Randy quickly made his way over to Savannah and Mason who were both lying on the ground next to one another. As William ran over to them, April and Karen stopped the cars only a few feet away. Mason was the more critical of the two with obvious internal injuries. Savannah’s wound was only superficial, although they needed to control the bleeding for both of them as soon as possible.
April jumped out of the car and ran to Mason as fast as she could with Justin right on her heels. She began to cry as she reached him and saw the pool of blood. William had removed his own shirt and placed it over the injury and asked April to keep pressure on it.
“William, is he ok?”
“He’s going to be fine, we just need to get them somewhere safe. Mason is very lucky, the bullet went straight through. No fragments.”
“Sorry, I was running late. I’m kinda havin’ a bad day,” Mason said.
“I see that, by the way who are these others?” asked William.
Mason quickly gave them all a rundown of what happened to him after he left the house last night. From being attacked in the alley, their escape from the building and the confrontation with the two men that were now badly wounded and writhing in pain only a few feet from them.
Randy took their guns and added them to what was left on the ground and put the three bags into the back of Williams’s truck. He then walked back over to his cousins, leaned over and whispered something only they could hear. Lance spit in Randy’s face as he finished.
William left Mason with his family to check on Savannah. He pulled back her jeans to reveal a fairly large chunk of flesh missing. Karen came over and knelt alongside Savannah. She used a towel from the truck as a makeshift bandage.
“You’re doing great, what’s your name sweetie?”
“Savannah.”
“William and I will get you somewhere safe and back on your feet in no time.”
Karen had no idea if that were true; she just thought this girl needed to hear those words.
They quickly loaded Mason and Savannah in the car; A
pril drove and Justin jumped in the backseat, taking April’s place applying pressure to his Dad’s shoulder. William went with them to monitor their injuries and look for somewhere safe to continue to treat them.
William stopped April before she got in the car to leave. “Do you know that huge sporting goods store down by the freeway?
“Yeah, Sportmart… why?” April said.
“Just get there as quickly as possible.”
“Are they going to be ok?
“The girl will be fine. She has plenty of time, although Mason has lost quite a bit of blood and I need to get him stabilized and sewn up.”
“Alright let’s go.”
Karen and Joe got in the truck and started the engine. William went over to the driver’s window and told Karen about their plan. He told her he loved her, to stay close behind and to flash her headlights if she needed anything.
Randy told Mason to hang on and he would be in the truck with Karen. Mason began to feel light-headed and as the car started his thoughts ran back to their brief conversation in the elevator.
“Randy…”
“Yeah bud?’
“You mentioned something about Lockwood earlier?” Mason said as his grimaced in pain.
“Sure, Project Lockwood.”
“Does that have anything to do with that nutcase Doctor Lockwood?”
“Doctor Lockwood? No Project Lockwood was named after a military base, not a person.”
“Oh, Ok there was someone online that said this virus was caused by the military trying to create some type of super-soldier. I figured he was crazy.”
“Who?”
“This guy who called himself Doctor Eugene Lockwood. He said he was part of the team that created what eventually became this virus.”
Randy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This couldn’t be true. How would Mason have so many details about a government-funded initiative that only a handful of high-ranking individuals were aware of. If Project Lockwood was responsible for all of this mayhem Randy prayed the antidote was still out there and being protected. If it was destroyed in all of the chaos of the past day, humanity faced certain extinction.
