Barnes grunted his agreement, “OK then, meet you back here in an hour… that sound reasonable?”
Mercy checked her watch, “That’ll do. Stay safe.”
Barnes, Dimitri and Flynn walked off towards the hangars.
“Probably a good move, seven of us inside the terminal would make way too much noise, four is better—” Tawny said.
“OK, let’s go in. We’ll give ourselves a few minutes for our eyes to adjust, actually Rose… your eyesight is the best in the dark, you go first—” Mercy said.
Rose nodded, “On it.”
They entered the glass fronted terminal building, their guns at the ready. The high ceilinged departure lounge was deserted. Rows of chairs extended into the gloom. A large open space had been cleared and was full of bunk beds and tables.
“Looks like living quarters, bit of a field kitchen thing going on over there in the back—” Rose observed.
“Wonder why there’s no control tower?” Tawny whispered.
“It’s a regional airport, less air traffic, smaller planes… so I guess no need for an actual tower. OK, we’re gonna have to go over this building with a fine toothcomb to find the control room,” Mercy replied.
“We’ve only got an hour so why don’t we split up? We’ll cover ground quicker,” Annalise said.
Mercy chewed her lip, “That’s true. Tawny what’s your take on this place? Old dead or anything new?”
Tawny looked out into the departure area and took a deep breath. “All I can say is right here, this departure area feels old dead to me, nothing recent.”
Mercy racked the slide on her Glock 17 pistol, chambering a round, “OK then, me and Annalise will take the left, Rose and Tawny you take the right. Find me that radio, and keep an eye out for a power source too… any radio is going to need power and airports are supposed to have back-up generators so that’d be a win too—”
They split up, Mercy and Annalise headed left. They moved fast, searching their side of the departure lounge in a few minutes. They found more bunks and empty rifle racks.
“Wonder what happened here?” Annalise said.
“Same shit as everywhere else, bloody chaos. Army trying to get the upper hand on the outbreak… roadblocks, containment, public disorder, looting, panic, shootings, FEMA camps, conflicting orders, desertion, death—” Mercy replied.
“And then the tropes—” Annalise added.
“Yeah, and then the tropes,” Mercy echoed.
They moved into the rear of the building after covering the check-in area.
“Main entrance is over there, let’s have a look,” Mercy said.
They exited through the front doors. The airport entrance was sandbagged and fortified in the same way as the rear of the building. A large carpark stretched out beyond the drop off point.
“This is just the passenger terminal. The next building along looks promising, we should check it out,” Annalise said, moving towards the neighbouring building.
Mercy checked her watch, “Yeah, OK, we’ve got time. Wait, look over there… there’s a few stiffs in the carpark—”
They watched a slowly moving group of tropes that were wandering aimlessly around the carpark.
“Why are they sticking that close together? What’s with them?” Annalise squinted at the shuffling group of undead.
Mercy pulled out her binoculars and focused on the tropes, “They’re tied together at the waist, they’re wearing prison clothes. We’ll keep away from that lot. None of them seem to be taking an interest in us anyway… so yeah, let’s check out your building.”
They walked along the sidewalk to the next building.
“Yeah, this looks more like it, let’s go in,” Mercy said, leading the way.
They stepped through the sandbagged entranceway into a foyer. Mercy blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light. She listened but heard only her own breathing. Annalise tapped Mercy on the shoulder and pointed to two signs on the far wall: AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL was listed beneath AIRPORT COMMAND CENTER.
“That’s it,” Mercy whispered. “Let’s go explore—”
Mercy went down the corridor and stopped at the first room marked AIRPORT COMMAND CENTER. She listened at the door then twisted the handle and entered the room, her pistol at the ready.
Damn, it’s dark, where are the windows?
Mercy pulled out her right-angle torch and switched it on, sweeping the room with light. Empty body bags had been duct-taped across the windows to block out the light.
Thank Christ, it’s empty, we’re good—
“OK, so obviously they were trying to avoid any light giving away their position at night, makes sense I guess. All sorts of people would’ve come flocking to any sign of power once the grid went down—” Annalise said, looking at the windows.
They searched the room. Mercy took a large map from the central table and shoved it into her pack. The radio crackled on her belt and Rose’s voice erupted from the tinny speaker.
Rose here. Mercy do you read? Over—
Mercy held the radio up and pressed the talk button, “Mercy here, what’s your status? Over—”
“We’ve found a generator room, looks as if the army maintained this stuff pretty well. We’re just figuring out how to use it. Tawny seems to know what she’s doing, over—” Rose said.
Mercy nodded, “Copy that. We’re in the admin building, it’s the next building along from you. We’ve found the command room which has nothing, we’re just going to check the air traffic control room. Just a heads up, there’s stiffs in the car park out front, they seem calm enough right now but don’t let your guard down, over—”
“Understood. Out—” Rose replied.
Mercy secured the radio to her belt and joined Annalise at the door, “OK, let’s do this.”
They moved down the corridor to a large set of double doors. A sign above read: AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.
Please, please, please—
Mercy waited at the doors, listening.
Nothing—
She glanced at Annalise who smiled and raised her crossbow. Mercy opened the door and shone her torch into the dark room. A familiar stench wafted out into the corridor.
Christ—
A scream tore through the air followed by a second scream. A figure moved across the torch beam and hurled itself at the doorway.
Alphas—
Mercy squeezed her trigger.
Chapter 40
Deep Blue Dark
Mercy’s rounds entered the alpha’s chest making it stagger. It recovered and charged at the door again. Mercy swore and shot twice more, this time the alpha’s skull exploded as her rounds found their mark. It fell to the floor with a wet slap. A high pitched keening sound came from inside the room.
Shit, there’s another one in there. I can’t close the door, it opens inwards. Deal with it—
Mercy took a step towards the door and shone her right angle torch into the room. Her eyes widened.
A radio… no, two radios, on the far side of the room. Jackpot—
A hiss came from the shadows on the left. Mercy swung the torch around in time to see a flash of pale skin disappear behind a row of filling cabinets.
OK, got you—
Mercy stepped into the room, her Glock 17 levelled at the cabinets. The alpha snarled and burst out from cover on all fours. Mercy fired too high and the alpha slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. She dropped her pistol and brought her arms up to protect her neck and face. The alpha pulled at Mercy’s arms then moved its head in close, to her unprotected shoulder.
A soft hissing sound punctured the air. A crossbow bolt burst out of the alpha’s forehead with a spray of black blood and bone. The alpha slumped on top of Mercy. The bolt tore through Mercy’s jacket, narrowly missing her shoulder. Mercy screamed and shoved the alpha’s corpse off her. She sat up and pushed herself away, her breathing ragged.
“Bastard… oldest trick in the book, they go low when you’r
e gonna shoot high,” Mercy said, her voice angry. “That, that… right there, that shows they’re thinking… they’re not stupid, they’re getting better at this shit—”
Annalise stood in the doorway, “You’re welcome—”
Mercy blinked. “Sorry Annalise, that sly bastard just got to me. Thanks for… Jesus that was one hell of a shot. How did you know it wouldn’t—?”
Annalise stepped over to the downed alpha and pulled the bolt from its skull. “I can judge these things—”
Mercy gave her an appraising look, “I’m so glad you can. That shot saved my life. Thank you Annalise—”
“Don’t mention it,” Annalise replied, shining her torch over at the two large radio sets on the far side of the room. “Well, if one of those suckers doesn’t reach California… nothing will—”
Mercy picked up her Glock 17 and the right angle torch. She swept the rest of the room with the torch then brought the beam back to the dead alpha at her feet. “They’re both wearing military uniforms, they’re probably the radio operators. Let’s check out the merchandise—”
Mercy fixed the torch onto her webbing, walked over to the radios and sat down in the operator’s chair. Her eyes widened and she shook her head, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me—”
“What is it?” Annalise asked, crossing the room.
Mercy buried her head in her hands, “My rounds… they hit the bloody radios—”
“What? Both radios?” Annalise asked, her voice incredulous.
“Yes, both radios,” Mercy said, she hit the table with her fist.
“For fuck’s sake,” Annalise said.
“Yes, I second that, for fuck’s sake—” Mercy replied, she laughed out loud.
If you don’t laugh, you cry, if you don’t cry… you die—
“After all that,” Annalise said, leaning back against the table.
The laughter was infectious and Annalise’s shoulders started shaking, she joined in with Mercy.
“Shame, I always wanted to go to California,” Annalise said, “I’ve got a good friend out there, up near San Francisco. Big Bear, he used to brew the most amazing dark beer, he has a microbrewery in his back yard—”
Something wet dripped onto Mercy’s hand. She froze. Annalise stopped laughing.
“Mercy—” Annalise’s voice, almost breathless. “Above you—”
I fucking know it—
Mercy threw herself back in the chair and snapped her head up. The right angle torch on her webbing flickered, its battery weakening. The naked alpha dropped down from a gap in the ceiling tiles. It crashed onto the radio table, shrieking. Mercy reached to her thigh holster for her pistol then cursed when she saw it lying on the table beside the alpha’s foot. She pushed the wheeled chair back with her feet and knocked into a filing cabinet. The alpha licked its lips and threw itself at Mercy.
Mercy jumped up from the chair and took a side step, knocking against the wall.
Christ—
The alpha landed on the chair, its eyes glued to Mercy. Mercy’s torch died. She closed her eyes and dropped to the floor with her arms over her head, her heart pounding.
Christ, this is really it—
Movement. Pressure against Mercy’s elbows. A click. Light. Mercy waited, her whole body tense.
Nothing, what the—?
A barely perceptible humming. Mercy opened her eyes, she reached for the knife on her webbing.
Wait. It’s Annalise. What is she doing—?
Annalise was standing in front of Mercy, facing the alpha.
She’s… staring at it. It’s not moving, it’s just staring back at her—
Mercy’s eyes narrowed, she started to withdraw her knife from its sheath. The alpha snarled and glanced at her, flashing its yellowed teeth. Annalise touched Mercy’s arm and squeezed it. Mercy froze.
OK, OK girl, I get it. You’re doing some weird hypnotizing number on this fucker. Let’s go with it—
Annalise was holding her torch between her face and the alpha’s face. The bulb began to flicker.
Shit, hope her torch doesn’t die—
Annalise continued to stare at the alpha. Its dead eyes bored into hers. Her humming intensified and the alpha seemed to calm down even more. It leant back against the chair.
She’s… captivated it. It’s mesmerized… Jesus, this must be her biotech ability…
Mercy pulled a face.
Goddammit. Cramp… hell no, not now—
Mercy closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.
Don’t… move, goddammit—
Severe pain gripped her calf. Mercy breathed in through clenched teeth.
Got to move—
Mercy stood up, her back against the wall. She supressed a groan. The alpha’s eyes flicked to her, its agitation returning. Annalise brought up her other hand, regaining the alpha’s attention. She continued her humming and the alpha lost interest in Mercy.
Mercy swore to herself as the cramp in her leg threatened to consume her. She flexed her foot and counted, the knot in her calf relented and the cramp subsided. A drop of sweat trickled down her brow and into her eye. The sweat stung, making her blink.
We’ve got to break this stalemate. Get a weapon… no, trust Annalise. She’s got this, just be ready—
Mercy’s radio hissed and Tawny’s voice crackled out of the ether, “Got this generator working. I’m gonna flick some switches, tell me if you guys notice anything at your end, over—”
Tawny, not now—
The alpha’s eyes flicked to the radio on Mercy’s belt, then to her face. They locked eyes.
The spell’s broken—
The room’s ceiling lights and air conditioning burst to life. The alpha let out a high pitched shriek and took a swipe at Mercy’s face. Movement, a blur. A hooded figure silhouetted behind the alpha. A slick wet sound. The point of a combat knife appeared from the alpha’s right eye. It let out a soft groan and sank to the floor in a bloody heap.
Mercy looked up.
Rose—?
“Rose—” Mercy gasped.
“Aye, the one and only. I thought I’d come over and see what you guys were up to. Tawny was giving me grief for bugging her over the generator. Glad I came—” Rose pulled her knife from the dead alpha’s skull. She wiped the blade on the back of the chair.
“That works for me Rose. I’m glad you were bugging Tawny,” Mercy replied.
Annalise slumped back into Mercy. Mercy caught her, stopping her from falling. “Hey, hey Annalise, are you OK? That was some stunt you pulled there… what was that?”
Annalise brought a hand to her head, “Sorry, I feel a little dizzy. I need to sit down for a minute.”
Rose dragged over a chair and they helped Annalise into it.
“Yeah, I saw a bit of Annalise’s action from the door. Looked like some weirdy beardy shit you were pulling there, Annalise. It was like you were holding that torch under your chin telling it ghost stories or something—” Rose said.
Annalise rubbed her eyes, “Yeah… no, I mean I’ve done it once before, back when the NSA held me in Richmond… after they’d put the biotech into me. They forced me into a room of tropes with some other kids. I was the only one with the biotech and I just stared the tropes down… it worked for a minute or two, then my concentration went and the tropes got to the others—” Annalise stopped and put her head in her hands. “I couldn’t save them—”
Mercy caught Rose’s eye.
Rose put a hand on Annalise’s shoulder and shook her head. “It’s OK Annalise. We get it Annalise, we sure as hell get it.”
“You did good there sister, you saved our lives,” Mercy said.
Annalise sniffed and rubbed her eyes, she sat back in the chair and stared at the dead alpha on the floor. “What’s that?” Annalise pointed at the alpha.
“What?” Mercy asked.
“The pouch… on its belt, it looks like—”
“A sat phone,” Mercy said. She went to the fal
len alpha and opened the pouch. She took out a satellite phone and pressed the power button, “Battery’s flat, but the charger’s in here too… and now we’ve got power courtesy of Tawny—”
“Barnes is going to be over the moon with that thing,” Rose said.
Mercy stared at the satellite phone.
Maybe he’ll go back to Constantine—
“Yeah, well, at least we’ve got comms again. And even if we can’t contact California—” Mercy broke off.
“We sure as hell should be able to contact Constantine,” Rose finished.
“Precisely,” Mercy replied.
Mercy’s radio crackled and Flynn’s voice filled the room, “Flynn to Mercy, over—”
Mercy took the radio and pressed the transmit button, “Mercy here, go on, over—”
Static then Barnes’s voice came through the tinny speaker, “We’ve found a plane, a good one… and fuel. Dimitri is checking it over. It looks promising. What about you guys? What’s your status? Over—”
Mercy gave Barnes an update.
“Copy that. I’ll be right there. Out—” Barnes replied.
Mercy looked up at Rose and Annalise.
“We have a plane,” Rose said.
“And a satellite phone,” Annalise added.
We have the keys to the fucking kingdom—
Tawny and Dimitri went to update Brody.
Mercy attached the charger to the satellite phone and plugged it into the mains. “How long does it take to charge one of these things anyway?”
“Two or three hours,” Barnes replied, “but I can make the call before that, once we have enough juice.”
Mercy paced the room, “So, tell me about the plane. What type is it? Does it look airworthy?”
Barnes sat back in one of the control room chairs and put his feet up on the main desk. “Yeah, it looks fine, Dimitri is giving it a good going over. Flynn found it in the third hangar along, it was probably linked to the National Guard, there were some military papers in it, dated to about six months after the Fall—”
“Figures,” Rose nodded, “the Fall hit the cities hardest. Out here, in the country, things took longer to go to pieces. They were probably co-ordinating some kind of last ditch regional resistance to prevent the spread of the infection.”
The Survival Chronicles (Book 7): Hard Mercy Page 24
