Fear Mercy

by Fergal F. Nally

  “We’ve still not found the Professor. I’ve got a feeling she’s the real prize here, judging by that meth lab back there—” Rose said.

  “Yeah, looks like some of Riker’s people got out this way before we arrived. He’ll have a back-up plan, these guys always do—” Mercy replied.

  “Rats always survive,” Rose rubbed her neck.

  “And cockroaches,” Mercy added.

  “Fire in the hole,” Billy-Ray’s voice came from the other room.

  Three seconds later a loud explosion erupted at the end of the corridor.

  Rose winced, “Billy-Ray has his uses—”

  “Yeah, everyone’s got a history,” Mercy paused, looking down the shaft. “Let’s do it then,” she entered the rough-hewn recess and stood astride the shaft. She bit her lip and turned off her head torch. “I’m going in dark.”

  Rose nodded.

  One more time—

  Mercy lowered herself using the rope ladder, after twenty feet she emerged into an open space. The breeze was stronger, she stopped, the rope ladder twisted slightly. The sound of running water came from the darkness below.

  Shit… I need to see—

  Mercy reached up and switched on her head torch. Understanding washed through her.

  Sewers, makes sense—

  She descended the rope ladder to the water channel below. She flashed the head torch at Rose giving the all clear. Rose started to descend. Mercy stood in the waist deep water scanning the open space.

  Of course, all that heavy rain—

  Mercy followed the water course to a junction and looked left. A shaft of daylight lit the tunnel ahead, two figures were moving in the distance. Mercy gripped her pistol.

  Got you—

  She switched off the head torch and pushed on through the water.

  Rose will catch up—

  Mercy reached the lit area and glanced up; an open manhole lay above, shadows jerked on the wall of the shaft.

  Tropes, shit. Some of Riker’s people must’ve used that manhole to escape—

  Mercy checked behind her, Rose and Billy-Ray were following.

  Focus on Riker—

  She pressed on, after the two retreating figures.

  They’re going slow, looks like Riker and a girl… maybe that woman’s daughter? She’s leaning on him… must be wounded—

  Mercy took another step, a splash echoed behind her. She spun around, a louder splash, this time nearer. Her heart sank. She looked up at the open manhole.

  Fuckers are falling in on top of us—

  Her eyes went to Rose and Billy-Ray.

  They won’t go for me or Rose, but they’ll go for him—

  Two tropes burst from the water and stood, dripping. One, a young man the other an older woman, both emaciated, both hungry. Both sensed Billy-Ray at the same time and began thrashing through the waist-high water towards him.

  Shit—

  Mercy glanced back at Riker and his companion.

  OK, they’re slow, deal with this, keep it silent—

  Mercy waded through the water to the nearest trope and brought her silenced SIG to the back of its head and squeezed the trigger. The trope collapsed with a sigh. Rose side stepped the second trope and plunged her knife into its temple. It crumpled and disappeared beneath the water.

  Mercy nodded at Rose, “They’re ahead, Riker and someone else, possibly wounded. I’m going on, you hold back a bit, otherwise we’ll make too much noise—”

  Rose pulled a face then nodded, “Got your back sis.”

  Mercy turned and moved down the tunnel. She kept her head torch off and followed Riker’s bobbing light. Cold water pressed against her legs, her boots slipped on the slimy ground. She started to gain on the two figures, the sound of the flowing water masked her approach and a few minutes later she was within range. Riker’s companion was leaning against the wall in obvious pain.

  It’s a girl, she’s wounded. He’s armed, take him out, centre mass—

  Mercy raised the SIG and took aim, she squeezed the trigger twice. Riker jerked forwards, sprawling into the water. Mercy kept her gun trained on him until she was sure he was dead. She approached the wounded girl, her gun raised.

  “Hands where I can see them,” Mercy barked.

  The girl looked up, her face contorted with pain. She raised her hands but slumped back against the wall.

  “My leg, took some shrapnel from your grenade back there, hurts like a pig,” the girl said.

  “You’re… you’re the Professor,” Mercy lowered her pistol.

  The girl looked up, wary. “What if I am?”

  “Deadstick sent us, to get you and Billy-Ray, this is your lucky day,” Mercy put her SIG away and took Riker’s head torch. A draft brushed her face from a nearby side passage.

  Rose appeared out of the gloom, “There’s more tropes falling from the street, they’re after Billy-Ray, we’d better move.”

  Mercy looked at the Professor and pointed to the side passage, “Riker was taking you down there, wasn’t he? Is that the way out?”

  The girl shrugged, “I don’t know, I guess… shit—” she grimaced in pain. Her forehead was beaded with sweat.

  Billy-Ray arrived, concern on his face. “We gotta go, those things—”

  Mercy jerked a finger at him, “You… help her and follow me.”

  Mercy plunged into the side passage, her head torch on, she followed the breeze. A series of turns later and they emerged into a pumping station illuminated by daylight from an open manhole above.

  Mercy turned to the girl and nodded at the ladder leading to the street, “You think you can make it up that?”

  Billy-Ray shook his head, “No chance, I’ll carry her.”

  Mercy looked sceptical, “Do it… now. Me and Rose will watch the rear.”

  Billy-Ray lifted the girl in a fireman’s lift. He climbed the ladder slowly with his free arm until he reached the manhole. Mercy and Rose watched, concern on their faces. Billy-Ray manhandled the girl through the hole and hauled himself out onto the street above.

  “Impressive,” Rose nodded.

  “You got that right,” Mercy echoed.

  The stink of dead flesh became oppressive.

  “Time for us to vacate the premises,” Rose said, wading over to the ladder.

  “Shame, I was beginning to get used to this place,” Mercy muttered as she followed Rose.

  They emerged onto a street littered with rusting cars. A large building loomed behind them. An ambulance and police car at its entrance.

  “Hospital. Side entrance,” Billy-Ray said. “I know where we are—”

  Mercy looked around, unease on her face.

  Tropes will come for Billy-Ray and the Professor. We’ve gotta keep moving—

  “Billy-Ray can you take us back to Deadstick? It’ll be dark in a few hours… he said he’d have eyes on us but we’ve surfaced away from Riker’s compound, so we’re probably on our own—” Mercy hunched her shoulders and unslung the Winchester 1300.

  “Yeah, Deadstick’s got spotters all over the city, mostly to keep tabs on the NSA and a few other gangs, there’s nothing he don’t know about. There’s a safe house a few blocks from here, should be a spotter crew there. They can bring us in—”

  “OK then, we’ll let you carry your friend here, lead on, we’ll watch for trouble,” Mercy’s eyes drifted up to the tall buildings on all sides.

  Small buildings equals small numbers of tropes. Tall buildings equals shitload of tropes—

  “Come on, let’s go—” Rose glanced at the alleyways between the buildings. “I’m not feeling the love from this place. Hospitals give me the creeps, too many dead people—”

  Billy-Ray led the way through the streets in the fading light. The Professor groaned as he carried her. Ten minutes later they arrived at the back of an old, grey building. The ground floor windows were barricaded.

  “It used to be a library, there should be someone here,” Billy-Ray explained.r />
  He took them to a reinforced door at the rear of the building. He knocked on the door and waited. He knocked again, this time louder.

  Rose looked around, “No one at home then—?”

  “I don’t get it, there should be someone here. Deadstick keeps a spotter here, there’s a good view from the roof over to the naval base. He likes to keep an eye on what those NSA bastards are up to—”

  “OK, so it’s getting dark, what’s plan B?” Mercy demanded.

  Billy-Ray laid the Professor down and looked at the overgrown wall on the right. “The fire escape there, under the ivy, it leads to the top floor. We can access the roof from there, that’s where the spotter crew should be.”

  “Come on, let’s do it,” Rose said.

  Billy-Ray reached up into the ivy and found the fire escape.

  “It’s kept well oiled,” he pulled the lower section down. It descended silently to street level. “I’ll go first and give the all clear from the top.”

  Mercy nodded. Billy-Ray started climbing. Mercy’s eyes drifted to the Professor, slumped on the ground.

  Shit, she looks rough. I hope she makes it—

  Billy-Ray reached the top floor and disappeared through a window. Five minutes passed, then ten.

  Mercy checked her watch.

  Rose gave her a dark look, “What’s the delay—?”

  “I’ll go and see,” Mercy stepped onto the fire escape and started climbing.

  Billy-Ray appeared at the top window and waved her up. Two minutes later she had reached him.

  “What took you so long?” Mercy demanded.

  Billy-Ray looked uncomfortable, “There’s no one here, the spotters are gone. There’s a shelter, a stash of food and water… and blankets on the roof. I checked the top floor and the roof, it’s clear of tropes. The ground floor’s boarded up so we should be OK here for the night. We can head out again in the morning. I’ll bring the Professor up. The roof stairs is half way along the corridor.”

  Mercy looked at the late afternoon sky, “Yeah, looks like we’ve no choice. We’ll have to stay here tonight. I’ll wait here until everyone’s up.”

  Billy-Ray nodded and descended the fire escape. Twenty minutes later they were all on the roof. The light was fading. Billy-Ray brought them to a lean-to shelter and laid the Professor down.

  “She’s not doing so well. Rose, can you check her out? Me and Billy-Ray here will see about locking the stair door—”

  Rose nodded and bent down to examine the Professor’s leg. Mercy and Billy-Ray went over to the roof access door and secured it with a length of discarded TV cable.

  “Hey guys, over here,” Rose called.

  Mercy and Billy-Ray returned to the shelter.

  “She’s losing blood, her wound is seeping. Probably a piece of shrapnel in there. Don’t think it’s arterial but all I can do is apply pressure. If you can tear a blanket into strips we can bandage her leg. She needs proper medical attention—”

  “Shit,” Billy-Ray swore. “They could’ve left a radio here—”

  “Hey,” Mercy said, “we’re here now, deal with it. You heard Rose, help me with this blanket.”

  Mercy and Billy-Ray tore strips from one of the blankets. Rose used all the strips to make a pressure bandage around the Professor’s wound.

  Rose slumped back when she was finished, “What’s her real name anyway?”

  Billy-Ray looked up, “Helen, Helen Bradbury… she told me she was a biochemist for some big pharmaceutical firm back in the day.”

  “So… she made crystal meth for Riker?” Mercy asked.

  “Yeah, she was forced to… and other drugs. Big demand for the stuff, trade is good, even with elements of the militia and recently the NSA’s underbelly—” Billy-Ray said.

  “Wherever there’s people there’s alcohol or drugs. Ever since the first cave man, the human race has wanted to get high—” Mercy said.

  “Escape this shit reality,” Rose said. “So, Riker stole you and Helen from Deadstick?”

  “Correct, we were ambushed on a supply run to a chemical warehouse. I reckon someone tipped off Riker, he seemed to know exactly where to find us—”

  Mercy opened four cans of food with her knife and passed them around. They ate in silence. The Professor remained unconscious, her breathing shallow.

  Billy-Ray stirred, “That bandage isn’t working, blood’s showing through already.” He stood up, “This used to be a library, there’ll be first aid kits downstairs. We should go down and take a look—”

  Mercy jumped up and put a hand on Billy-Ray’s arm, “No, look… it’s dark, we’ve just made it here, we’re safe for the moment. We’ve no idea what’s downstairs, me and Rose are in no fit state for another fight. If we stir up trouble we’re fucked—”

  Billy-Ray glared at Mercy, then the anger drained from his eyes, “Yeah. You’re right—”

  The unmistakable sound of a vehicle engine came from the street below.

  “What the—?” Rose went to the edge of the roof and looked down.

  Mercy and Billy-Ray joined her. The outline of a flatbed truck was just visible. Four men left the truck and went to the rear door, a few seconds later they had entered the building.

  “That could be a good sign, they’ve got keys, maybe they’re Deadstick’s people,” Rose hissed.

  “Well—” Mercy said, glancing back at the Professor, “this changes everything, we’ll have to take a chance. She turned to Billy-Ray, “We’ll open the door and you call out to them, see if they’re friendly. Worst comes to worst, we’ll just have to give them a hard time. We’ve got the high ground,” she patted her Winchester.

  Billy-Ray nodded and helped Mercy to re-open the roof door. He shouted down the stairwell, “Hey there, you guys, up here, we need help. Hey, hello—?”

  A male voice responded a few seconds later, “That Billy-Ray? Stay where you are, we’re coming up—”

  Billy-Ray’s shoulders relaxed, he turned to Mercy, “I recognise his voice, we’re good, they’re Deadstick’s people.”

  Seconds later two armed men appeared in the stairwell and ran up the last flight of stairs.

  The lead man took in Billy-Ray and Mercy, “We had a shortlist of places you might head to if you got out of Riker’s compound, this was last on the list. Glad you made it. Come on, we gotta bail, there’s a lot of unhealthy trope activity. You sure stirred up trouble back there, this sector’s crawling with biters—”

  Billy-Ray pushed the roof door fully open, “The Professor’s wounded, can you get her down?”

  The two men carried the Professor to the stairwell.

  “Billy-Ray… you go first, your friends next, me and Rose will take the rear,” Mercy ordered.

  The men nodded their agreement, they picked up the Professor and followed Billy-Ray down the stairs. They reached the ground floor and were joined by the other two men from outside. They carried the Professor and lifted her carefully onto the back of the truck. Billy-Ray joined her, his face edged with concern. The truck’s engine revved, the driver switched on the headlights.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Billy-Ray shouted, banging the side of the truck.

  Mercy waved Rose through the door. A noise came from behind, Mercy swung around. Two super tropes lunged at the door from a dark corner of the room, their teeth bared. Mercy fell back through the door, “Rose, on me—”

  Mercy brought up her shotgun and squeezed the trigger. The slug round spun the trope around, blasting its left arm off at the shoulder. The second trope reached the door, it grabbed Mercy’s Winchester. Rose shoved her shotgun under Mercy’s arm and into the trope’s chest. She pulled the trigger blowing a hole in its body, the blast threw it across the room.

  The first trope came at the door again, reaching out to Mercy with its one remaining arm. Mercy was ready, she lifted the Winchester and fired. The slug round tore the top half of the trope’s skull away, it fell to the ground at her feet, twitching. The truck’s engine re
vved, the men’s shouts on the edge of Mercy’s consciousness.

  Mercy’s eyes fell on the fallen trope’s chest, its torn shirt splayed wide. She spotted the tattoo on its chest, the number, the bar code. The NSA insignia.

  Fuck, they’ve done it, they’ve really done it—

  Rose dragged Mercy out of the doorway towards the truck.

  Chapter 31

  High Stakes

  Mercy clambered into the truck. The driver put his foot down, the truck lurched away.

  “Gunfire’s stirred the critters,” one of the men said. “Let’s see if Axel can get us out of this one—”

  Mercy let the conversation drift over her head, her mind elsewhere.

  They’ve really done it, they’ve weaponized some of the tropes… these alphas. They’re faster than the freaks back in the New York subways and more intelligent. Christ, was I part of that programme? Did they use my blood, my DNA to achieve this?

  The truck swerved as the driver avoided tight knots of tropes emerging from the surrounding buildings. They took a circuitous route to Deadstick’s compound, passing through a series of manned barriers. Finally they reached the fortified hotel. Mercy closed her eyes, her shoulders relaxed.

  I’m in their hands now, there’s nothing more I can do—

  The truck passed through the shipping container gateway into the compound beyond. Armed men with torches stood outside the hotel entrance, Deadstick in front. The truck stopped. The Professor was lifted carefully and taken away. Billy-Ray jumped down followed by Rose and Mercy.

  Deadstick stepped forwards and embraced Billy-Ray, “Good to have you back Billy-Ray, thought I’d never see you or the Professor again. Go and rest up, you deserve it. We’ll talk later. I’ve got work for you to do—”

  Billy-Ray jerked his thumb at Mercy and Rose, “They nailed Riker. I saw it with my own eyes. He’s gone boss—”

  Deadstick turned to Mercy and Rose, beaming. “You actually pulled it off, how about that? That’s the most badass thing I’ve seen in quite some time—” he paused, “thanks to you two I’m back in business. I’ll keep my word and help you out, don’t worry. Forgive me, but I’m going to watch over our medic and make sure the Professor gets the best care. Magenta here will look after you. Go… rest, eat, sleep, relax. We’ll talk in the morning—”