by S G D Singh
Ayeeyo. He was determined to think only of her as they returned to the opulent lobby, taking the path they hoped would take them through to the other side of the level—to Dr. Kaiser's hospital of horrors.
Again, the scene that confronted them down the second hallway was not what Nadifa expected. They were obviously not anywhere near Kaiser's lab, but what appeared to be a greenhouse. Rows upon rows of flowers stretched out under UV lighting, creating a cheerful scene of vibrant reds, pinks, yellows, and blues. The scent in the closed space was overpowering, the air thick with sickly-sweet humidity. Nadifa's clothing clung to him at once.
They moved single file down a narrow aisle between white and red roses, stepping around the legs of a man lying dead in their path, a now-familiar wound in his forehead. Nadifa wondered how many infected and terminated guards they would find on their search for Ayeeyo and the others.
It was impossible to believe that everyone was still alive.
Zahi squeezed his hand, giving him a gentle shove as Nadifa realized he'd stopped to stare at the dead man. “Have faith in Allah's will, my brother,” she said.
Nadifa nodded, swallowing his dread.
“There were at least three people from the prison in Kaiser's lab,” he told Luk. “Plus Ayeeyo. And there are the people Adam was held with, too.” Maybe if he kept talking, he would stop thinking about those kids. He glanced at Hanna and remembered instead that her father was one of Dr. Kaiser's experiment specimens.
Hanna's steps faltered. “What? What was that look for?”
Adam answered before Nadifa could come up with a plausible lie. “Father was in there, too.”
“Father is dead.”
“True, but he's still in there,” Adam said. “And if they feed him—which they will, because they're having too much fun with him not to—he'll stay, well, undead.”
“Yeah, unless… ” Hanna said, her voice distant.
Nadifa glanced at Luk, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing.
“Don't do anything stupid, Hanna,” Nadifa told her. “We're getting out of here, okay? They die. The zombies die. We know this now. Problem solved.”
Hanna ran her hand over a row of pink roses, ripping a handful of petals free as she turned to him. “Define stupid,” she said. “Because I'm a little unclear on what qualifies for such a generously benevolent definition under the circumstances.”
“Do whatever the fuck you want,” Luk said, moving to stand protectively in front of Nadifa. “But not with us. Our priority is Ayeeyo and any prisoners with her. Any crazy-shit plan you have gets done once we're out.”
Hanna smiled, and Nadifa expected her to laugh insanely again, but she only threw the petals she held into the air, where they fluttered to the ground like confetti, a few landing on her head and shoulders.
“Deal,” she said, turning to stride down the pathway between tangles of veined orchids and magenta peonies.
Darnell and Kevin hurried after her, Kevin muttering something about crazy honkies. Zahi and then the rest of them jogged to catch up as they turned a corner at the end of the greenhouse row. Nadifa considered asking Luk or Kevin to carry Adam as his shoulders began to burn with pain, then silently asked God to give him strength instead.
As he turned past stacked bags of soil, he heard the clicks of Hanna and Darnell's weapons pulled into ready position, and nearly bumped into them as he slid to a scrambled halt.
A woman straight out of a 1950's period piece stood in front of a wide wooden door. Her hair was held back in an immaculate chignon, stretched away from a face painted with too much makeup. She wore a shiny floral dress, the shimmering material hugging her torso and puffing out to end just below her knees.
She stood still, looking down at her phone as if she hadn't noticed them.
“Hanna,” the woman finally said, almost sang, without raising her eyes. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard.
“Aunt Chastity,” Hanna answered. Nadifa noticed her hand trembled as she reached to steady her weapon, but her voice betrayed none of her nerves. “We're here to retrieve those in your medical facility who are not here of their own free will. Move aside. We won't ask twice.”
“Are you negotiating with me?” The woman's smile was even worse than her voice. “How quaint. You can't win here, Hanna. You're outgunned and outsmarted.”
Kevin and Lukango strode forward then, moving straight at the woman, and her eyes widened in unmistakable fear as she tried to stand her ground and ignore their existence. She had no choice but to step out of their path before they ran into her, though, flushing red as one heel wobbled.
Hanna burst into laughter, shaking her head as she moved to follow Lukango toward the door, but the woman recovered quickly. Her hand struck like a snake, pale fingers wrapping around Hanna's arm and pulling her around. Without a word, she slapped Hanna's face with such force Nadifa winced.
Kevin and Luk swung around and took one synchronized step toward Hanna, but Nadifa saw Zahi stop them with a shake of her head.
The woman started to say something, but Hanna raised her weapon, cutting her off. “Don't.”
“Your father should have killed you right along with your useless mother,” the woman hissed, her venomous sneer more terrifying to Nadifa than any infected person could ever become.
Nadifa felt Adam flinch against his back, his metal arms tightening reflexively around him, and Zahi moved forward swiftly, gently lowering Hanna's weapon before she could use it.
“Leave her,” Zahi said. “She's not worth it. She's not worth your soul.”
Hanna yanked her arm free of Zahi's grip and shoved her weapon beneath the woman's chin with a snarl. “What are you people so terrified of, huh?” Hanna asked. “That you'll lose what? Money? How many billions of dollars is enough? Power? What exactly do you think will happen if equality existed in the world?”
The woman ignored the weapon, smiling as if disappointed in the stupidity of a small child. “Equality?” she said, her blue eyes like ice. “There is no such thing.”
Hanna pulled her weapon back as if she would smash the woman in the face with it, but stopped. “You are worse than any monster you helped create.”
Luk and Kevin glanced at each other, and Nadifa felt Adam shift, struggling to see his sister, and he turned sideways to provide a better view.
“No,” Zahi said. “She's ordinary. And as long as there are people like her there will always be two Americas: one of greed and privilege that serves only the oppressor, and one full of the pain, poverty, and struggle of the oppressed. This system brings people like her joy. It's a story as old as time itself, Hanna. Those who love power are not happy unless others are being marginalized. Enslaved. Incarcerated. Stealing is sport for them. Cheating is victory.” Zahi spread her arms wide. “But look—they hide under the ground like insects, lying about their activities to their own children, secretly planning crimes that would sicken most of the world. Because in their hearts they are ashamed and afraid. People like her deserve your pity, Hanna. They are not worth losing your humanity over. Leave her.”
Nadifa watched the woman's perfect composure crumble at Zahi's words, her features folding in on themselves until she resembled a snarling dog more than a human.
“You? Dare to pity me?” The woman was shaking with rage, and Darnell moved to intervene if she attacked Zahi, who remained completely calm. Her attention never wavered from Hanna as she led her to the door, ignoring the woman even as Chastity's fury continued to rise.
“Goodbye, Aunt Chastity,” Hanna said. “I'll see you in hell.”
At that moment, the irrigation sprinklers in the ceiling turned on with a soft hiss, showering the group in a fine mist, and the woman screamed, rushing blindly at Hanna as if to choke her. But her high-heels slipped beneath her on the wet cement, and before Nadifa could even blink in surprise, and even as Kevin actually reached out reflexively to steady her, it was too late.
The woman's falling body slammed against
the side of a planter filled with soil and knocked a hand cultivator into the air, where it landed, its metal claws perfectly placed to puncture the side of Chastity's head a split-second later as she fell, impaling her through the temple and puncturing one of her eyes. She was dead before she could make a sound, a look of surprise frozen on her painted face.
Everyone stood silent for a long second.
“Damn,” Kevin finally said. “That's some Final Destination shit right there.”
“What are the odds,” Adam added. “Mother and daughter demon spawn dead in less than half an hour.”
Hanna snatched a rose from the nearest plant and threw it onto the woman's chest, her expression unreadable, then turned on her heel, leaving the room.
“We're running out of time,” Lukango said, pushing through the doors behind her. Glancing at each other with raised brows, the rest of them followed.
Hanna didn't take her eyes off Lukango's back as she passed through rows of more plants, trees in various stages of growth. Then some kind of office, the walls filled with drawers and computer monitors, screens she refused to look at. Next came another hallway, this one lined with doors with windows in them. Windows Hanna knew she really, really didn't want to look through. If fear was a smell, this would be it.
Her mind was like a flashing slideshow of the horrors of the past twenty-four hours, playing on an endless loop. Father lying dead at the banquet. Zombies lunging at her through the shadows, their rotting teeth bared, their skulls disintegrating with the force of a giant bolt. Children staggering toward her with bloody eyes, their rotting skin torn open. Aunt Chastity's startled face clawed through with metal, her smile stilled forever. Katelyn getting fucking eaten. Sounds of agony and terror. Gunshots tearing through the darkness, shredding her nerves.
Lukango peered into the first room's window and flinched back.
“What?” Kevin asked, but Hanna noticed he didn't look himself.
Lukango ignored him, turning to Darnell instead. “MIT. You think shooting this control panel will open all these doors?”
Darnell handed Nadifa his air gun. “Or it'll lock them for good. Turn around so Adam can help me with this. There's gotta be a way to open the doors and get the restraints off.” He looked around. “It's just a question of figuring out how. Preferably before whichever psychos work down here come back.”
Kevin stepped reluctantly toward the nearest door, then, glancing around at the others. “Restraints? What kind of restraints are we talking about… ?”
“I recommend not looking,” Zahi told him, even as she strode down the corridor, searching each window. She was looking for her grandmother, Hanna knew, or at least for survivors. At the end of the hallway she turned, shaking her head at Nadifa, and he looked stricken.
“There's another section through that door on the end.” Adam called, holding up his maps and pointing a metal finger. “She could be in there.”
Zahi rushed forward to study the page, then rushed out. Hanna considered following her, feeling useless, but her body felt rooted to the spot and she could only stare stupidly at the floor.
“Motherfucking Nazi motherfuckers,” Kevin breathed as he looked through a window, quickly turning away. “Luk, man, I don't think that dude's alive.”
“What about this?” Darnell asked Adam, pointing to something on a page he held. “Looks like if we—”
“Incoming,” Adam said in reply, and they all turned to see two women step into the far end of the corridor wearing matching nurse uniforms with The Resort's logo on the right arm. One of them touched her ear and spoke too quietly for Hanna to hear, while the other addressed the group, perfectly calm and cordial.
“Excuse me, you kids cannot be in here. This medical facility is a restricted area.”
“Medical facility?” Lukango looked as if he would shoot them both in the face. “That's what you call this shit?”
“Security has been notified of your presence,” the second one said with a smile. “I advise you to leave.”
Lukango rolled his eyes. “Leave? And go where, exactly? Or didn't you notice there's a fucking zombie apocalypse going on down here.”
“Ha!” Kevin pointed at Lukango. “So you do think they're zombies!”
Lukango ignored Kevin. Darnell and Adam both continued to work on the control panel, while the two nurses stood still, watching them with calm confidence, like they were absolutely positive the boys could never open the doors. Zahi still hadn't returned.
Hanna whispered to Adam, “You have the codes, right?”
“There are a lot of fucking codes here, Hanna,” he murmured, turning a page for Darnell as the other boy's eyes darted down the paper and back to the control panel. “It's not exactly clear which is which and what is what, okay?”
Dr. Kaiser's voice filled the corridor then, coming from speakers hidden somewhere.
“Welcome, Hanna Taylor,” he said. “I'm so glad you could join us at last. Your father was a great man, as you know. A wonderful man. But a painfully shortsighted. In the end, he proved himself a timid man. And in our line of work, in our great duty, there is no place for timidity, yes? But please don't fret, my dear, wise Hanna. Under my expert care—and with your help, of course—I have full confidence that he will come to his senses eventually.”
Lukango spun, meeting Hanna's eyes with unmistakable distrust, and Hanna felt sick. Kevin and even Nadifa were watching her with alarm, too, Kevin's weapon held ready.
“Steady,” Adam said, not taking his eyes off his task.
“Don't look at me like that,” Hanna told Lukango.
“Like what?” Lukango tilted his head, shifting his weapon to his shoulder. “Like you're the daughter of a man who runs a death camp?”
Hanna turned to the nurses, who she saw were now regarding her with renewed interest, even awe.
“You heard Dr. Kaiser,” she snapped, reaching for her best Aunt Chastity imitation. “Open these doors. Immediately.”
“That is not advisable, Ms. Taylor,” the taller of the two said, actually bowing slightly. “The patients are restrained for their safety. And ours.”
“Dr. Kaiser informed me of exactly what is required here,” Hanna said, louder, ignoring Lukango's horrified stare. Of course he would think the worst of her, and why shouldn't he? She couldn't think about that now. “You heard him. He knows why I'm here. Your ignorance of classified procedure is not my problem, and is frankly becoming a colossal waste of my time.”
“That panel you are allowing those… boys to interfere with, releases only restraints,” the other nurse said, no longer smirking. “The doors only open individually. As per procedure.”
“Fine,” Hanna said. “Open them.”
“All of the doors?”
“Did I stutter, woman? Yes! Open all of the doors!”
“The patients' restraints must remain—”
“Now!”
The women stepped forward and held their hands up to the screens in the walls, moving along the eight doors in the hallway, glancing nervously at Hanna as their prints were scanned before they stepped back, awaiting further orders.
Hanna tried the first door without looking through the window, confirming it was unlocked as she pushed it open, and Kevin rushed inside.
“Good,” she snapped, and turning, smashed the first nurse in the throat with her weapon. She fell to the floor in a heap, gasping and barely conscious. The second nurse lifted her wrist to speak into a device, but Hanna's weapon slammed into her temple before she got a word out.
“You can stop looking at me like that now,” she told Lukango, but he simply turned away, disappearing into one of the rooms just as Zahi appeared at the end of the corridor.
“Nadifa, I found her, she's down there,” Zahi said, breathless, adding something in rapid Somali.
“Almost there,” Darnell said. “It's just this one… last… ”
“The doors only open with one of their handprints,” Hanna told Zahi, pointing at
the fallen nurses and Zahi was already dragging the smaller woman out by the arms before Hanna even finished her sentence.
“Kevin!” she barked. “Luk! Give me a hand!”
Hanna started laughing again, and she couldn't stop even when Adam and Nadifa looked at her as if they seriously worried for her mental health.
“Adam,” Nadifa said, clearing his throat as Hanna struggled to get herself back under control. “Shouldn't we—”
“Got it,” Darnell announced, hitting a few more keys. “Restraints. Are. Open!”
From somewhere beyond the corridor, a scream pierced the air so deafening Hanna almost dropped her weapon to cover her ears. She ran toward the sound, her feet moving forward against all rational thought. Hands pounded against the glass, and Hanna skidded to a stop, Darnell right behind her, to look through the window into a room designed after a mad scientist's autopsy set.
Bile threatened to choke Hanna as Dr. Kaiser himself appeared at the window. His screaming face appeared at the blood-smeared glass. He was surrounded by the hungry infected, who had lurched out of their shackled beds, and converged on the one living being left in the room. Some were decomposed almost beyond recognition, but she recognized what remained of her father.
Hanna didn't know what she felt as warring emotions flooded her mind, leaving her dizzy.
She saw one of Father's golf buddies, a man who talked constantly about his two grandsons. His torso was held open like a dissection specimen as he staggered forward, reaching for Kaiser's flesh. The doctor screamed again, disappearing from their sight as he was surrounded.
“Holy fuck,” Darnell said.
Table after table. Infected freed from their restraints. Monsters ravenous for human flesh.
What have we done?
“Shouldn't we… ?” Nadifa said at her back.
“There's nothing we can do,” Darnell said.
“Even if we wanted to,” said Adam, his eyes closed, refusing to look.
