PRIME

by Samantha Boyette

  “Oh God, Simon,” Alice went on. “I’ve missed you so much Simon. We’re gonna get you out of there I promise.”

  “Not to interrupt lady, but what’s the plan?” Dodge said.

  “Of course, sorry.” Alice sounded flustered. “Rescue One, do you copy?”

  “We hear you,” Quigley said softly.

  “Okay.” Alice sniffed and cleared her throat. “We have a two plane group. We are planning to land near the hospital.”

  “Sounds good to me. How are you going to clear the zombies?” Dodge asked. Tessa reached over and took Simon’s hand as they waited for Alice’s response. Instead, a man’s voice came over the line.

  “We got two small radius bombs to drop which means localized damage only. We’re depending on this cure to get us all out. If that doesn’t work, we’re pretty screwed. These planes won’t hold everyone. Let me talk to whoever is working on the cure.” Without a word, Dodge handed the radio to Tech, all argument gone.

  “Hello?” Tech asked warily.

  “You the one who figured out the machine?” Cale asked, getting right to the point.

  “I found notes with it,” Tech answered. “It’s pretty basic, turn a dial and it emits a noise in a frequency that will fry their brains. Or what’s left of them at least.”

  “The notes said it worked?”

  “The dead zombies in a cage said it worked.”

  There was a moment of silence. “Be ready with it. And I want everyone ready to fight when you let us in. We’re a team of six, and I’m betting more than a few zombies will try to follow us in. Got it?”

  “Yes,” Dodge answered, taking the radio again.

  “Good. We’re getting close now. Another couple minutes and we’ll get directions through the hospital from you.” For a moment the line was silent.

  Dodge let his hand fall. “Simon, you still sure that was your sister?”

  “More than ever.” Simon took off his glasses and cleaned them nervously, feeling very small all of a sudden.

  “Anyone see any reason not to go along with the plan he just laid out?” Dodge asked. Simon shook his head and looked around the computer lab. Besides Dodge, Tech, and himself there was Tessa, Tyson, and Red. After a moment, they all shook their heads and Dodge nodded slowly. “Alright then. We get anyone who can’t fight in here and shut the door. Everyone else in the front room.”

  *

  Air Space Over Haven Medical Base

  The plane was silent as Cale gave the radio back to Alice. She cleared her throat and switched the radio to channel two. “Quigley, are we still looking good for the drop?”

  “We should be good,” Quigley confirmed. “Just getting a view of the base now. I hope those kids aren’t lying about a cure. We got a lot of company down below. Switch back with the kids.” Alice switched.

  “So what’s this cure exactly?” Ian asked.

  “It’s something that the scientists at Haven came up with,” Cale answered from the front. “Don’t really know much but it seems like it’s a sort of sonic weapon. Kills them with sound.”

  “It will work?” Ian asked earnestly.

  “Yes,” Cale answered without a pause. He could only hope that he was telling the truth.

  “Hell yeah,” Ian said with a short nod. He pushed his hair back from his face and slipped on a baseball cap to hold it in place.

  “That’s my boy.” Zero slung an arm across Ian’s shoulders shaking him gently. “I knew we could count on you to be pumped. That’s why I suggested you.”

  Alice rolled her eyes and radioed the kids. “Haven, this is Rescue Two, do you copy?”

  “Yep,” Dodge replied. Alice found herself wondering just how old he was.

  “Rescue One, do you copy?” Alice asked.

  “We’re here,” Quigley answered.

  “Haven, how do we get to you in the hospital?” Alice asked.

  “You’re gonna come in the front door and take the no admittance door off the waiting room. Follow the hall to the end and make a left. We’re the third lab on the right. There’s a door behind a shelf and we’re at the bottom of the stairway.” Dodge gave the directions quickly, but Alice was sure she could remember them.

  “Stay available. We’ll knock when we need in,” Quigley’s voice crackled over the radio.

  “Will do,” Dodge said.

  Alice clicked off the radio and gazed out the window. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and she could see Grace’s plane flying ahead of them. Below, in the near distance, she could see what used to be her home, Haven. Around the base was a ring of zombies thicker than she liked to think about. Haven must have been the only place for miles with any survivors, the kid’s blood acting like a siren song to attract the undead. As they got closer, she could see the base itself crowded with zombies, a meandering swarm within the walls.

  As they flew over, she saw that the largest number of zombies had gathered outside the hospital, while another large group milled around the rec center. When they were right above the rec center, she could see its doors were open and a few zombies were hunched over something she was sure she’d rather not see. Her stomach dropped as the truth dawned on her. Nothing would keep the zombies away from the hospital except food. Some of the children must not have made it to the hospital.

  Hundreds of zombies filled the base with hundreds or thousands waiting outside the gates for their chance to climb inside. Alice shuddered as they pulled away from the base. They had to give Grace the room she would need to use the J52. It felt like they were on a suicide mission.

  They flew in a slow circle, waiting for the first bomb to drop. Alice watched the zombies. As Grace flew overhead, they stopped what they were doing and looked up at the plane. It chilled Alice to the bone. The things had indeed become smarter. They were noticing things around them, not just shuffling towards the promise of food. The zombies below even seemed to have better control of their bodies. As the bomb dropped, a few of the zombies began to run.

  “Do you see that?” Alice asked flatly. Her mind was numb to what she was seeing, hands shaking as she clasped them in her lap.

  “I see.” Cale nodded, his voice just as emotionless as hers. He licked his lips.

  “Holy shit,” Zero murmured from the back. “If this cure doesn’t work, I’d say we are gonna be in for a world of trouble.” Beside Zero, Ian stared blankly down at the ground below. Like everyone else, he watched as the bomb hit.

  The impact was blinding. Ian shut his eyes at the flash, but opened them in time to see the resulting impact. A lesser white flash spread from the impact site, taking out the zombies and buildings in its path. The zombies were thrown back, torn apart from the pulse or buried under collapsing buildings. Fire billowed in the wake of the pulse, flames licking at the fallen zombies.

  Quigley had chosen the perfect weapon for the job; zombies lay in pieces everywhere. Most would never be able to pull themselves back together enough to be a real threat again. Though the bomb hadn’t landed more than a couple streets over, the hospital hadn’t been affected. The zombies who had been standing in front of the hospital were now moving hurriedly toward the gate.

  Up in the sky, they hadn’t felt even a tiny shock wave from the bomb. Alice marveled at the destruction below, impressed at how localized it had been.

  “There goes the second one,” Cale muttered and as he spoke, the second bomb plummeted toward the earth.

  On the other side of the hospital another wide expanse was cleared, but again the hospital and the main street were still intact. After waiting only a minute for the dust to settle, Grace began to descend. The plane dropped quickly to the ground and made a rough but safe landing. As soon as Grace pulled the plane clear, Cale began to drop.

  “Everyone hold on,” Cale ordered. “This isn’t gonna be gentle.” Alice glanced at Cale, who was pale, obviously more uncomfortable in the plane than any of his passengers.

  The ground rushed up to meet them. Alice shut her eyes, while
Ian and Zero braced themselves for impact in the back. The tires hit the ground once, jarring everyone as the plane bounced once, twice, and then rolled to a stop. Cale let out a nervous laugh and then Ian whooped in excitement, beating on the ceiling.

  The group waited half a second, collecting their nerves before they began to pile out of the plane. The dust was still settling as they gathered in the street beside Grace’s plane. Body parts littered the ground. Zero took Alice’s hand, squeezing gently as they looked around the deserted base. Even without any zombies in sight, the place still felt dangerous.

  “Let’s move out,” Grace ordered. Alice took point, knowing the area better than anyone else and waved for them to follow her toward the hospital. It was a clear run around one corner and straight into the hospital. As they reached the hospital, there still wasn’t a zombie in sight. Alice began to get her hopes up. For a half a second she thought they might make it in easily. She stepped through the open doors.

  And the zombies attacked.

  33

  Haven Medical Base

  “Those sounded close.” Tech was pale as he stared at the ceiling in the computer room. “They just said there would be two right?” He swallowed hard.

  “Just two,” Dodge answered. “You ready? We need to get out by the door.”

  “Yeah. Crap. Yeah, I’m done.” Tech shut the notebook and followed Dodge out the door. Once he was through, Dodge leaned back into the room. He looked around at the group of frightened children, few of them older than Simon. “You stay in here,” he told them. “Don’t come out until we come for you.”

  Dodge slammed the door and prayed they would listen. The last thing he needed was for them under everyone’s feet as they fought. He had no doubt it would be a fight. There was no way they could let Alice and the others in without also allowing some of the zombies to gain entrance. He walked down the hall, closing doors as he went. Better to keep the zombies in one room if possible. Contain the danger.

  He stepped into the main room and shut the hall door for what felt like the last time. The others glanced up at him, then back down to Tech as he knelt by the machine. Simon and Tessa stood side by side. Dodge wasn’t surprised to see they were holding hands. Those two had something special going on. However, in the past couple days their eyes had started to take on the look of soldiers, a look he knew well from the mirror. It had shown up in his eyes the day he killed his parents and he hated to see it in Simon. The kid had so much more going for him.

  Beside them stood Tyson, Red, and a ten-year-old girl, Ellie. The three youngest kids looked more dangerous than any of the others in Dodge’s opinion. They held guns half as tall as they were and had an uneasy look in their eyes that let you know they would be quick to use them. Zhi, Grant, Elliot, Jay, and Harold completed the small circle around Tech. They were all between fourteen and sixteen and were the finishing touch to Dodge’s small army. All of them looked ready. Dodge hated the fact that their lives had come to this.

  “We got a problem?” Dodge asked, casually checking to make sure the radio was still on. He had it clasped to his belt.

  “It says you gotta charge the thing, but I don’t see how,” Tech answered. His hands slid over the machine.

  “What?” Dodge asked. He pushed into the circle to face Tech. “How come we didn’t do this before?”

  “I didn’t read that part.” He found a small indent and worked his fingers under. A panel opened, revealing two buttons and two lights. “I got it, no worries.” He pressed one button and a low hum started from the machine. A red light lit, but the green stayed dark.

  “How will we know if it works?”

  Tech glanced up at him. “I’m thinking the dead zombies will be a good clue.”

  “Right.” Dodge wiped sweat from his upper lip. “Will we be able to hear it?”

  “Maybe.” Tech nodded. “We’ve had the virus, so our senses are probably heightened too.”

  “What if it kills us too?” Simon asked softly. Tessa squeezed his hand.

  “Then we don’t have anything else to worry about.” Dodge clapped Simon on the back and forced a grin. Everyone be ready,” Dodge ordered. “This is going to get messy.”

  *

  There were a dozen zombies in the entrance way of the hospital and another five in the waiting room. Alice and the others cut through them quickly. It wasn’t until they reached the hall behind the no admittance door that they ran into problems. The hallway was too narrow for the guns to be much use except in the most desperate situation. They took the zombies on hand-to-hand as they forced their way down the hall.

  “Ian, duck!” Alice cried and the boy dodged the hands of the zombie, leaving them to close on empty air where his throat had been. Ian stood and dug his knife into the side of the zombie’s head. There was a sickening crunch as its skull caved under the impact. It crumpled to the floor, and Ian brought the knife down into its skull a few more times for good measure.

  Alice kicked the leg of the zombie that was trying to tear her throat out and heard the satisfying snap of bone. It fell to one knee, giving her a chance to jam her knife into its eye. She pulled out her knife and moved forward without looking back. Another one reached for her, and she dug her knife up through its jaw before he had a good grip. She didn’t see the third coming from the side. Its dirty nails tore her shirt and got her into a bear hug. Up close it reeked like weeks old trash. It brought its mouth towards her throat; teeth snapping for a bite of flesh. In a panic, she head butted the thing. It backed away, momentarily stunned. She saw a hand wrap around its neck. A blade flashed in the dim light, slicing through its throat and severing the spine before letting the thing drop.

  “Come on.” Zero took her arm and pulled her forward. They caught up with Cale and Quigley, heading for the lab.

  “We gotta move,” Ian said to Grace as Alice and the others disappeared around the corner.

  Grace nodded and started sprinting after them. Up ahead, Quigley rounded the corner, returning for Grace.

  “We’re good,” Grace called. “Keep moving.” Quigley nodded and turned the corner again just as there was a crash behind Grace. She turned back.

  A door leading to another hallway had just crashed open, spilling a half dozen zombies into the hall right beside Ian. His eyes widened as hands gripped his shoulders and tugged him back. Grace lifted her gun without worrying about ricochet and fired two shots down the hall towards him as she ran to help. The two zombies who had a hold of him fell back and Ian took a few steps before one of the fallen zombies grabbed him around his ankle. Ian crashed to the floor, crying out as teeth dug into his calves.

  “Ian!” Grace reached the boy and grabbed his hands, trying to tug him free. She let out a scream of anger and frustration.

  It was no use; the zombies had swarmed the moment Ian fell. They covered his body, tearing through his skin. His screams blended with the liquid squish of teeth and nails through flesh until blood filled his mouth, cutting the sound off in a gurgle.

  One of the zombies was reaching for Grace before she could get back on her feet.

  Grace’s scream brought the others to a halt. They rushed back the way they had come. Quigley was in the lead as they rounded the corner. Grace was on her feet, a zombie pulling its way up her body. She beat frantically at it, trying to free herself. Either she had lost her weapons or forgotten about them. Quigley skidded to a stop and lifted his gun just as the zombie tore into Grace’s arm below the shoulder. He took aim and squeezed the trigger once.

  The zombie fell back, taking a chunk of Grace’s arm with it. Grace stumbled backwards in shock, staring as blood flowed freely from the wound. An apple sized piece of her upper arm was gone. Quigley grabbed Grace before she could sink to the floor and pulled her towards the others.

  “Go, go, go!” Quigley yelled. They turned and ran back the way they had come.

  The hallway in front of them was blessedly free of zombies, and they hurried to the third lab. The door was wide o
pen and welcoming.

  They ran into the lab, and stopped short. The room was thick with zombies. Alice couldn’t shake the feeling that these zombies had known they were coming. They’d waited for them. It was worse than Cale had described. The zombies weren’t only functioning, they were planning. Any fear the realization might have brought was trumped by a desperate need to fight for her life. The others were a blur. Alice felt Zero let go of her arm. She pushed the zombie in front of her, shoving it off balance so it tumbled backwards. The thing fell to the ground, pulling another zombie down with it. Without giving herself time to think, Alice lifted her foot and brought it down on the first zombie’s head. It took two tries. The feeling of its skull cracking beneath her foot sickened her..

  She stomped on the other one the same way and moved towards Zero as he jammed his knife into the soft jaw of a female zombie and shoved it away. He lost his grip on the blood slick handle of his knife and it fell away as Zero, now weaponless, turned to face another zombie. It lumbered toward him and Zero backed up, hands flailing for a weapon. Alice moved quickly, putting herself between the zombie and Zero. It was Alice’s height with tangled hair to its shoulders. She wrapped her hand in the zombie’s long hair and yanked. It fell to the ground and she brought her foot down on its skull.

  “We gotta get down now,” Cale called from the top of the stairway. He had shoved the door open as far as he could, and at the moment there was a clear path from them to him. Behind Alice and Zero, Quigley was doing his best to fend off the zombies without letting go of Grace. He was failing miserably. Alice looked for Ian, but didn’t see any sign of him. She hoped he was already heading down the stairs with Cale.

  “Go.” Zero shoved Alice toward Cale and hurried back toward Quigley. He grabbed a pen from a desk and punched one zombie in the cheek with it, and then again in the eye. The thing stumbled backwards, blinded. He took Grace from Quigley. Together they hauled her toward the stairway as the zombies followed behind them. Zombies poured in from the hallway, picking their way over the fallen.