by Jeff Olah
Speaking once again from the back, April said, “Escaping?”
“We didn’t want them out in the population; we realized that most of the planet was affected and we didn’t want to add to it,” Tessa said.
“And what is Stasis?” Mason asked, “You said something about my son…”
With her back to the camera, Tessa laid down the chart she was working through and addressed him directly. “I’m sorry; we should have explained this to you before we took him in. Yes, your son is in a state that we now call Stasis. It’s simply a way to identify those that have been infected and have not turned after a few hours.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” April asked, only half wanting to hear the answer.
“The short answer is, we don’t know. The others weren’t identified and were exterminated during the first week after the infection. We had only one that stayed in this state for three days and then was torn apart by those more aggressive. There is something we’d like to try, with your permission of course.”
April looked to Mason and back at the screen. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure it will do any good and I believe it’s already been mentioned to Mason, although I’d like to infuse your son with a small measure of Randy’s blood. Randy has explained to me about his past experience with the virus, his supposed recovery and he is a universal donor. I was not aware that any of this happened years ago… it may be worth a shot.”
April turned back, “Mason, you knew about this?”
“Yes, I knew. It wouldn’t hurt to try, after all that’s happened.”
“Wouldn’t hurt?” April said. “What if it kills him?”
Tessa interrupted. “April, I realize this is not easy for you to hear, although he will most likely die within the next few days if we don’t do something. He doesn’t have the luxury of time. We need to act now.”
Eleanor took her daughter into her arms. “April, I know it’s a lot to take in and I won’t try to make believe I understand any of this, but I will say one thing, these people are the best at what they do and more than that, you can trust them.”
There wasn’t anything she could do and she knew it, this was out of her hands. She cursed under her breath, not for the decision she was about to make, that was already made for her. She wanted to die for not going after her son back at the stadium… this was her fault. “Do it… Please help him; please bring him back to me.”
39
The musty smell of the damp interior and noisy floorboards told him the shack they were holding him in was very old. Probably built as a fishing cabin near the creek that sat three miles away from Blackmore, he was brought here for interrogation. His wrists being forced down from behind as the ropes were once again pulled tight drew bile up the back of his throat and he started to cough. Clenching down against the blinding pain, his arms began to cramp and the severe arthritis that ravaged his hands began to flare up. The blood soaked cloth tied over his mouth was removed just in time for the contents of his stomach to spill out onto the floor. The last few pieces, he spat in the direction of the person that removed the gag.
A low gravelly voice came from the corner of the room, “You know why you’re here, why don’t you just give up the information and I’ll let you stumble back through these wretched mountains to your lovely wife.”
Major Daniels could sense the man was seated and knew exactly who he was speaking to. This man didn’t have the authority to extract information from him or the right approach. “Son, you’re just embarrassing yourself. If you knew who I was or anything else about me, you’d know that I’ll die long before I give you any information.”
. . .
With Tessa working only a few rooms away, the others continued to discuss the events that took place two weeks ago and how the world broke down since then. Mason explained where they’d been and what it was like outside these walls with no help or protection from anyone. He went through being run out of their own city and how they ended up at the stadium, leaving out some of the more brutal details. Finally he described how they knew to come to Blackmore and the luck they had with having Randy among them, being able to fly them here and also knowing where this facility was located.
As Mason ended his story, from the rear of the room Eleanor spoke. “Mason, it wasn’t all luck that brought you here. Someone was looking out for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say, there were factors in play that go beyond the people in this room.” As Eleanor finished, she began to break down. Her husband was out there and even though she knew it may come to this, she was unprepared.
Figuring it was the ramblings of a grieving woman, Mason didn’t give much thought to the cryptic meaning of what she said. It did remind him of the question Parker had yet to answer. “I’ll ask again, where’s the Major?”
Parker finished typing something into the tablet and set it on the desk next to her. She looked to Eleanor and back to Frank. “They came just before dawn and killed eight of our people to get to him. They came on foot and took out the two at the security gate and then tripped the code knowing a tech would have to come out and manually reset it. When I did, they rushed the building as I made my way to the guard tower. They fired multiple times as I ran, although I wasn’t their main target. They only wanted him. I watched the video feed from inside the tower and could see they only had one objective, to take him alive. I don’t know who they were or why they did this, only that they looked very skilled.”
Mason shook his head trying to make sense of it. Turning to Frank he said, “You got anything to add?”
“No sir…I was only here for a few hours when they arrived and was locked in that room the whole time. I didn’t get a good look at them. Again, I’m sorry.”
Not waiting for him to finish and not knowing if Tessa could still hear what they were discussing, Mason pointed to the television and said, “What about her?”
Without turning from her work, Tessa also indicated her lack of any useful knowledge as she’d been on a self-imposed lockdown working through the night when they came in. “They moved through so quickly, I didn’t realize anything had happened until they had him blindfolded and were rushing out the back.”
“When did this happen?” Mason asked.
Eleanor chimed in once again. “Almost an hour before you arrived. I remember the exact minute they pulled him from my arms and out that door. As they came into the room, he asked me to stay calm and to not fight them. He said it had to happen this way.”
Without waiting to see if Mason had another question, Frank stepped in. “The Major knew this was going to happen, how is that even possible?”
“He knew who they were and that sooner or later they’d come for him. He knows what they want and said he’ll die before giving it to them.”
“Eleanor, who are they and what could they possibly want from him?” Mason asked.
“He told me BXF Technologies would attempt to get to him. He wasn’t initially concerned because this place was so well secured that it would be nearly impossible for them to get in. Once the infection broke out, he figured they’d come.”
Still somewhat confused, Mason slowly began putting the pieces together. “The whole world has gone to hell and their main objective was to kidnap Major Daniels? That doesn’t seem worth the trouble. What do they want with him?”
“They don’t really want him or even need him, although he’s the only one who knows how to begin to fix this mess,” Eleanor said.
“How on earth could anyone ever fix this?” Mason asked.
Looking out the corner of her eye at Parker as she nodded in approval, Eleanor sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. “Richard is the only one who knows where to find Dr. Lockwood.”
Both rooms went silent as the gravity of what they just heard washed over them. Almost ripping the needle out of his arm and ruining the last few minutes of Tessa’s work in the process, Randy sat forward and looked i
nto the camera. “Mason we have to go after him.”
40
Every inch of his six foot frame added to the force with which he crashed to the ground. The rear legs of the chair were kicked out from under him, which caused a chain reaction of pain that he was sure was caused by his hands being bound as he hit the floor. He cursed and bit into his lower lip, blood dripping into his mouth and out onto the pitted oak flooring. Remaining calm, he breathed slowly as it took two men to get him into an upright position once again. Major Daniels wondered how long before they brought out the big guns or if they’d simply use time and physical manipulation as their weapon.
“I’m sure you felt that… you ready to start a conversation?” said the man sitting ten feet across the room.
“Boy, I already know your name, your strengths, your weaknesses, hell your entire file reads like a kindergarten bully who never graduated. How about you take off this silly blindfold, untie my hands and then we can have a conversation?”
. . .
Tessa grabbed Randy by the shoulders, forcing him to lay back. “Easy boy, you need to rest and let me do my thing. We’re almost finished with what we need from you and then you need to get some food in you and lots of rest.”
“It’s been less than two hours, and if they’re on foot we can catch them. Mason, Frank and I need to go now. Is there a video feed of them leaving the area?”
Parker moved back to the computers and sent the images to the television at the front of the room. Flipping between feeds she came upon the camera at the rear of building six and rewound until the four men appeared. The two larger men looked to be dragging Major Daniels as the third led the way and took down any Feeders they encountered. Quickly dismantling the rear gate with some sort of handheld explosive, the men then disappeared into the thick wall of trees and underbrush.
Stopping the recording as the images left the screen, Parker looked to Mason with eyebrows raised. “What’s the plan? Are you actually thinking about going after them by yourself? That’s most likely a suicide mission… you know that right?”
Pulling Frank out of his chair by the arm, Mason had made his decision. “Can you track these guys? Is there a chance we’d catch them if they have to drag him the entire time?”
“Yes and yes,” Frank said.
“Good,” Mason said. “Show me to the men’s lounge and the kitchen, we’re leaving in half an hour, be ready. Oh and if you ever try anything like you did earlier, I’ll kill you without even thinking about it and will find my father-in-law alone.”
Moving toward the door, Frank didn’t make eye contact with anyone in the room. “Fair enough, I’ll be ready.”
Separating as they entered the lounge, Mason headed for the showers. More resembling a five star hotel and looking quite a bit less like a military compound, the men’s area held five separate shower stalls. Each with its own glazed glass door and floor to ceiling Italian hand carved travertine tile, the warmed water pounded his bruised and bloodstained back. With little time to enjoy the first normal minute since he walked into Tom’s office at the gym two weeks ago, Mason exited the shower area and drying himself, stretched his neck and arms finding the fit of the sand colored fatigues that were laid out almost right.
Frank must have pulled together the gear for him, guessing at his proportions. The boots were stiff and one size too big, although they’d work for today. Wondering who these must have belonged to; he slipped on the pressed white t-shirt and tightened the body armour around his torso. He pulled on the matching jacket and stuffed the rest of the supplies into the backpack including the night vision goggles, which seemed like an odd choice given the time of day.
The kitchen was well stocked and had more non-perishable food than this group could eat in months. This place was here to support hundreds and with less than ten lives left, Mason felt comfortable taking what he needed. The room was a stark contrast to that of the lounge. The food prep areas were as sanitary as any hospital he’d been in and the cupboards neatly organized by type of food. Mason quickly downed two large pieces of beef jerky and chugged a sixteen ounce bottle of water. He also grabbed two more protein bars, tearing one open and eating it as he walked. He stuffed the other bar into his backpack as he made his way back to the others.
Stopping in to see Randy and his son, Mason told his friend to keep the others safe, kissed his son on the head and watched his chest rise and fall one last time before heading for the rear exit and saying goodbye to April. She realized he needed sleep, although she also knew he wouldn’t listen. Mason left the weapons provided and took two fully loaded handguns from Randy’s bag. He didn’t trust Frank, although at present he still needed him. He’d come back to that situation once they found Major Daniels, although he wanted to put a bullet in Frank’s head the minute they opened the door.
“Stay close and eyes on me. No wasted rounds, especially on Feeders, unless death’s imminent,” Frank said. “Otherwise, avoid and deflect.”
Amused to see that Frank had cleaned up and was wearing a matching uniform, Mason shook his head, chambered a round in each pistol and pushed through the door. “Let’s go.”
As Frank raced for the open gate at the rear of the compound, Mason struggled to keep pace. He stopped at the nearest spruce that would conceal his shadow, looked in every direction and headed back to the gate, propping one side against the other. It wouldn’t keep out a large horde, although it may deter them if the breach wasn’t in full view. Turning he saw that Frank hadn’t stopped when he did and was beginning to draw a small crowd of Feeders. Mason took off in a full sprint, although by the time he reach him, Frank had dismantled the five Feeders with nothing more than the large hunting knife they both carried on the side pouch of their packs.
Wiping the mess from his knife, Frank slid it back into its sheath and dusted himself off. “Do not leave my side, this mountain is tricky enough without all those things running loose and remember, no wasted rounds… OK?”
Mason grinned at the stocky little spark plug of a man, slapped his pack and looked down the mountain. “Let’s go.”
Trees lined the mountainside and if it weren’t for the random half decomposed body they came upon every few minutes, the area would have actually appeared tranquil. Snow dusted the ground in areas not shaded by the massive spruce branches reaching out to one another. The terrain, steep in areas with fractured trails that moved off into the beyond, must have been used for training runs. No one else occupied this mountain for miles.
Letting Frank take the lead, Mason stayed within five paces watching his every step, his right hand wrapped tight around the nine millimeter and his left clutching the eight inch stainless steel hunting knife. He watched as Frank came upon three Feeders struggling to make their way up the mountain and dove into the first two, knocking both to the ground. Mason sprinted the short distance and pushed Frank to the side, knifing the first Feeder through the temple. Eliminating the second Feeder in a similar fashion, he watched as Frank fought from an awkward position on his back with their last nemesis and appeared to be struggling. It brought its decaying teeth in numerous times, getting closer to his carotid with each attempt.
“Mason, I’m gonna need some help.”
Noticing Frank’s right arm was snagged on an exposed root, Mason stood over him unblinking and still seething with anger. He simply nodded and took a step back.
This thing bearing down on Frank barely resembled anything human. The decay was extraordinary in that only shards of skin still clung to its body and in the places it didn’t, organs spilled out and drug along the ground. Its left eye hung out of the socket and touched Frank’s cheek as it pushed harder to devour him. “MASON, I’M BEGGING YOU… PLEASE HELP ME!”
41
The room was bright and as the seconds ticked away it began to burn. He could only see the twin lights above and the ceiling tiles beyond. He tried without success to turn his head to the side. The voices grew louder and the words slid into their proper pla
ce. He recognized the male, although with all the other thoughts rushing in, he couldn’t place it. The other voice was strange and distant. He couldn’t place it and felt frightened. The smell of antiseptic hung in his nose and his teeth felt like wet sandpaper. Every joint in his body was stiff, as if coated in a thin layer of cement. A tiny bead of sweat ran from his brow to the corner of his right eye as he struggled to make a fist. The voices in the room grew into shouts and battered his eardrums. He could feel the chaos coursing through the room.
Scrambling to get to the monitor, Tessa began to shake. “April, your son just opened his eyes.”
. . .
Boot to head, Mason kicked the Feeder away as Frank pulled free and got to his feet. Neither man said a word as they checked the area and continued down the mountainside, Mason keeping his distance. Less than an hour in, the pair came to a sheer cliff. One hundred feet below, three Feeders were tearing apart one of the men sent for Major Daniels, his black fatigues the only thing holding the body together. Rock fragments broke off the ledge and fell to the ground below, skipping off the group of Feeders attacking the lifeless body. Unfazed, they continued to feast on the dead man.
