Night Shade

by Bianca D’Arc

  “I can shoot.” Her tentative words touched him.

  If he’d had time, he would have taken her into his arms right then and there. But he didn’t have time. The creatures moved slowly, but steadily. He had to get out there and keep them away from the house as best he could until help arrived.

  “Thank you, sweetheart, but no. I want you safe.” He couldn’t resist laying a quick, smacking kiss on her luscious lips. He couldn’t linger. He had to drag himself away. “There’s a spare pistol and two clips of darts in the top drawer of the desk. Arm yourself, but whatever you do, don’t open this door. Watch the screens. You can help me a lot by watching the monitors and relaying intel, okay?”

  “All right.” She cringed, clearly unhappy with the situation. “Be careful.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but there was no time. He had to go.

  “Lock this behind me,” he said as he opened the reinforced door. With a last look and so much left unsaid, he headed out, waiting only to hear the door snick shut and the locks engage before he took off down the hall.

  Matt left the house in time to see the first zombie leave the tree line and step into the open area of the backyard. Luckily, this old house had a very large backyard. Matt had a good thirty yards between himself and his former aide.

  Tim looked like shit. His skin was gray and there were dark brown bloodstains all around his mouth and down the front of his shirt. His eyes were flat and somewhat unfocused. His clothing was filthy. Formerly clean cut hair was hanging in long, limp, matted clumps on either side of his face. He moved at a steady pace toward the house.

  Matt didn’t hesitate. He fired his weapon, hitting Tim four times in quick succession, placing his shots in different parts of his body, spreading the toxic darts for best effect. It would take a minute or two for the toxin to take effect. Matt had to keep track of Tim while he dealt with the rest of the creatures behind him.

  “Matt.” Eileen’s voice sounded in his ear. “Tim must’ve made others. There are a bunch of them at the edge of the woods, and one looks more grotesque than the next.”

  “Define bunch. I need numbers, sweetheart, and landmarks.”

  “Sorry. Two are about ten feet behind by the giant oak tree on the left-hand corner of the yard. Then there’s one a little to their right. Two more about midway and a group of three farther out in the woods on the right hand side of the yard. Nine total, including Tim.”

  That sounded about right based on what he’d seen on the monitors before he’d left the house. They were getting closer, their paths still converging on his house. Matt didn’t like that at all. It was as if they’d been sent specifically to attack his home. That would bear further scrutiny later—after this mess was dealt with.

  “All right.” He spoke in a low tone that could just barely be picked up by the phone earpiece. “Keep track of them on the monitors. Alert me of any changes. I’m going to do my best to keep them away from the house.”

  “Don’t get too close. Those claws can do serious damage even if you’re immune.”

  “Yes, Mother,” he teased, even though he knew she was right. The contagion caused otherwise inert cells to grow and harden, giving the creatures strong claws and crazy, long, stringy hair.

  He could see others approaching through the woods. These all had the telltale signs of zombie attack. One was missing both an ear and his nose in addition to other chunks of skin and tissue that had been ripped out by teeth—Tim’s teeth, most likely.

  One by one, they cleared the tree line and headed toward Matt. He concentrated his fire on one creature at a time. The toxin would reduce them to goo, but it took time to work.

  Of the eight other creatures that Tim had probably made after being infected, only two were wearing uniforms. Matt would have to check to see who was missing from their duty stations. The others were wearing civvies. Three were female, dressed in skimpy clothing as if they’d been out for a night of clubbing just before they’d been attacked.

  Now their short skirts and tight tops were shredded and stained with dried blood. Their once pretty faces were a horrid sight. They’d been wearing lots of makeup that was now augmented by a stomach-turning horror show of serious injury, bite marks, missing flesh, and dried blood.

  Poor kids. They’d died too young and in one of the most awful ways Matt could imagine. He took his shots, believing he was performing an act of mercy.

  Matt had plugged darts in six of the nine tangos he’d counted and reloaded twice.

  “There are more of them coming into sight in the woods,” came Eileen’s frantic voice over the phone earpiece.

  “How many?”

  “Too many!” she barked, then seemed to settle down. “I see at least six more in addition to the four that are now on the edge of the trees.”

  As he scanned the huge backyard, zombie Tim finally disintegrated. He’d been only a few feet away from Matt when he went from menacing death dealer to a gooey mound of refuse on the grass. The other five creatures Matt had darted would be going shortly, but there were more to deal with while he avoided the ones he’d already shot. A tricky situation, to be sure.

  Matt tongued the lip mic on the radio that connected him to the team.

  “What’s your ETA, Si?”

  The combat team had been a little too silent in his other ear while he’d been talking on the phone earpiece with Eileen and shooting darts at anything that moaned.

  “Almost there. A minute. Minute and a half, tops. We’re double timing it.”

  “Be advised, I’ve darted five of fourteen tangos. One is down for good and there may be more out of visual range of my equipment. Eileen’s spotting for me.”

  “That’s a lot of targets,” Simon commented noncommittally. He was, like most of the men on his team, nothing if not cool under pressure.

  “You’re coming up behind, so I’m only firing once they clear the trees and I can identify them with certainty.”

  “Thanks. I’d really rather not get a dart in my ass tonight.”

  Simon’s sarcastic reply made Matt grin even as he took more shots in rapid succession at new targets when they emerged from the tree line. The toxin in the darts disintegrated tissue on a cellular level. It was as destructive to live human beings as it was to the zombies, so darting one of his own people meant certain death. This was one case where friendly fire would be one hundred percent lethal. They all had to keep their wits about them.

  Matt had to readjust his position in the yard to avoid the creatures he’d already darted who hadn’t disintegrated yet, but he had the situation under control for the moment. More creatures emerged from the trees and Matt reloaded again. He was going through his stock of toxic darts quicker than he’d anticipated.

  “Matt, three more just showed up on my screen,” Eileen said in his other ear.

  Matt turned off the mic on the combat radio earpiece and replied to Eileen.

  “You should be seeing Simon and the other combat troops showing up on the perimeter shortly. Keep an eye out. They’ll be moving normally, so they should be easy to spot.”

  “Thank God.” He could hear the relief in her voice. “I’ll let you know when I see them.”

  True to her word, Eileen let Matt know the moment she saw the cavalry show up on her monitors. She watched in awe as they coordinated their movements and took out the creatures one by one. It was really amazing how they worked together.

  She watched the events unfold on the screens like she was watching an action flick. Only this was real and the stakes were high—life and death—you couldn’t get much higher than that.

  Eileen breathed a heavy sigh of relief when the last of the zombies disintegrated. The men searched the area looking for more, but none were found. After about a half hour, Matt came back to the house after setting up the combat troops in a protective attitude on the perimeter surrounding the entire home.

  She met him at the door, finally disconnecting the call that had been her lifeline, her link to him whi
le she was in the safe room and he faced the danger outside. She rushed into his arms for a much needed hug as adrenaline continued to surge through her body. The last hour had been a little too exciting and the night wasn’t even half over yet.

  Matt gave her a passionate, lingering kiss, but he broke away before she could get too attached. He turned to the monitors and took a quick look before motioning her toward the door.

  “Simon’s in the kitchen. I want to discuss a few things with the two of you before we decide where to go from here.”

  Eileen was surprised she was going to be consulted on a safety issue but went with Matt as he walked down the short hall to the kitchen. Simon was at the window, peering out from the darkened room.

  “I won’t put on the lights, Eileen. Is that okay with you?”

  “It’s fine.”

  She figured he didn’t want anyone who might be somehow peering at them from the outside to know exactly where they were in the house. Eileen didn’t understand how anyone could be spying on them with all the combat troops spread out over the property, but security was Matt’s bailiwick. She’d do whatever he believed would keep them all safe.

  She leaned against the kitchen table, which was just visible in the ambient light from the small night light left burning in the hallway. Simon leaned against the counter and Matt stood between them.

  “Eileen, I don’t want to scare you, but by now you have to realize that you’re being targeted much more persistently than we expected. Do you have any idea why?” Matt’s tone was grim and she hated the idea that he might doubt her loyalty. Especially after last night.

  “Other than the fact that Dr. Rodriguez is a complete jerk who can’t take no for an answer, I have no idea.”

  “Matt, do you think this welcoming party being sent to your house tonight is because of her?” Simon asked. Eileen couldn’t see his face but thought his tone held suspicion as he nodded toward her.

  “I can’t think of any other reason for a mass attack on my home, can you?” Matt turned the question back on Simon.

  “I can think of a few reasons the bad guys would want you out of the way, Commander, but the most likely scenario given what’s come before is that Eileen’s being targeted.”

  “Question is, how did our enemies know she was out here? How’d they get that intel so fast?” Matt wondered.

  “The obvious answer is that she’s being followed.” Simon shrugged. “Maybe they followed your car when you brought her out here.”

  “Possible, I suppose, but unlikely. I’d like to believe my skills aren’t so rusty that I wouldn’t have noticed a tail.” Matt frowned in the dim light.

  “Nobody’s perfect,” Simon reminded him. “Still, I know your skills, old friend. Even though you’ve been riding a desk the past few years, I don’t think you’d ever let yourself get that rusty. So we’re back to the question—how’d they find out Eileen was here so fast?”

  “And how do they always seem to know where to target her?” Matt’s brows drew together in a frown. “There have been too many attempts on her that were too close for comfort. They always seem to know exactly where she is. Why is that, Eileen?” He turned questioning eyes on her.

  “I swear, I don’t know.” She didn’t like the way he was looking at her. Correction: the way they both were looking at her. She could make out their features, even in the dim light, and they both looked at her with clear suspicion.

  “Maybe she doesn’t.” Simon offered the unexpected olive branch.

  “How so?” Matt asked quickly.

  “I’m not sure but I think we should let Mari have a look at her. I remember her telling me about the original research team and their various specialties. I think one of Rodriguez’s previous experiments involved really small subdermal implants. Maybe there’s some kind of tracking device under Eileen’s skin.”

  “You got a battery of shots before they’d let you work on the experimental team, right?” Matt looked at her, and she thought maybe she saw a little glimmer of hope in his eyes. Or was she just fooling herself? She wasn’t sure.

  “Yes,” she answered, thinking back. “As a matter of fact, Dr. Rodriguez administered them. Son of a…Do you think he implanted some kind of tracking device without my consent?”

  “From what Mari told me, it’s possible,” Simon answered.

  Eileen shot to her feet. “Get me to the lab. I want it out!”

  “Calm down, Eileen. We’ll go when it’s safer. In the morning.” Matt’s tone was gentle and reassuring. “For now, we hunker down here until we’re sure the woods are clean.” He reached out and took hold of her hand, drawing her to his side. “Si,” he looked at the other man but didn’t let go of her hand. “Set up a perimeter. We’re holding position here for the rest of the night. I doubt, after that display, that there could be many more zombies elsewhere on base. I think they must’ve sent them all here. Let’s make sure there are no stragglers.”

  “Yes, sir.” Simon straightened and headed toward the door. “Should I call Mari and give her a heads up for the morning?”

  Matt squeezed her hand and sought her gaze before answering. “Do it.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.” Simon went out the back door and shut it behind him.

  The silence stretched as Matt held her gaze.

  “You don’t trust me, do you?” Eileen had always believed the direct approach was best in most situations. “Do you think I called Rodriguez or something, to tell him where I am? Do you think I’m playing you?”

  “I know you didn’t call him.” The look on his face was inscrutable, but resolution and belief resonated through his tone.

  “You believe me?”

  “I believe you didn’t call him. As for the rest?” He let go of her hand and sighed. “I know you’re still hiding something from me, Eileen. Can’t you trust me enough to tell me what it is?”

  Oh, God. There it was. He wanted a truth that she feared would change his mind about her for all time. Men had died because she’d allowed those first creatures to escape the lab that awful night. Chances are, some of those men had been Matt’s friends. She couldn’t forgive herself for her cowardly mistake, so how could he?

  Matt watched her face carefully. Panic flashed in her eyes and his heart ached. He knew she was telling the truth about not calling Rodriguez because he’d watched her all day. He wouldn’t tell her that. He wanted her complete trust first before he gave his.

  Perhaps that was a bit selfish, but Matt couldn’t be too careful given the dire nature of this mission. He’d given her more leeway than he should have already. He was tempted to give her everything after the sweet way she’d given herself to him. He had to fight against his instincts. He wanted to trust her. He really did. But he needed to know what she was hiding. At the very least, he needed to be certain it wasn’t something that could blow up in their faces before this was all over. He needed to be confident that whatever it was that she didn’t want to tell him, it wasn’t as vital as she was making it out to be.

  “I’m not hiding anything.” Her answer was too fast to be true.

  “Try again.”

  He held her gaze and dared her to lie to his face a second time.

  Two loud thuds sounded on the back door before Simon poked his head in. Spotting Matt, Simon made his report.

  “Perimeter’s secure, Commander. And I gave Mari the heads up.”

  Eileen scampered out while Simon talked, and Matt saw her close herself in the bathroom. The lock on the door sounded with a faint click. Matt sighed. She was running from him. Running from the truth. He’d let her run a little longer, but a showdown was coming and they both now knew it.

  “Very well.”

  Matt decided to give Eileen space. He went into the safe room and checked in with the various units of the team. The combat unit was all around the house. The cleanup team was already on alert. They’d have a big job to do after the All Clear had been sounded to clean up the remains of all those creatures Matt and th
e rest of the combat squad had reduced to steaming piles of goo earlier.

  The members of the science team were accounted for. Simon had just checked in with his fiancée and Eileen was currently holed up in his bathroom. Just one more group to check.

  Lew Kauffman had been charged with keeping an eye on the prisoner. Matt had left orders for Kauffman to call when the prisoner woke up, which he probably should have by now. Matt dialed Kauffman’s number and waited while the call connected and rang. And rang. And rang.

  “Shit.”

  Matt stuck the combat earpiece back in his ear and opened the mic.

  “When’s the last time anyone heard from Kauffman?” he demanded without preamble.

  “Archer here, Commander,” came the snappy reply. “I spoke to him just before we got your SOS. All was clear at that time, sir.”

  “How did you contact him? He’s not answering his phone,” Matt reported. “It’s not even going to voicemail. It’s just ringing off the hook.”

  “That’s not good, sir. Kaufman’s solid about comms. Something’s wrong,” Simon added.

  “I was afraid of that.”

  Matt set about contacting the remaining combat-trained members of the team who weren’t immune. There were a couple of Special Forces guys in support positions in addition to Kauffman.

  The report came back almost immediately. Not only had their prisoner escaped, but Lew Kauffman had been left for dead. They were taking him to the base hospital where Mari would meet him and take charge of his treatment. They’d do everything they could for him, but it was difficult to say at this point if he’d make it.

  Matt disconnected the call with a heavy sigh. A slight movement at the doorway alerted him to Eileen’s presence.