The Dead in River City

by S. A. McGarey

  Alan strode forward across the old green carpet, shining his light, looking for a way to the basement. To the right side of the sanctuary was a wooden door in an alcove.

  “Looks like that leads to the basement.” Alan’s voice echoed in the empty room.

  Kendra moved towards the door with Alan. She turned the tarnished knob and pushed the door, but it resisted. Pushing harder, the door was forced open before quickly falling off its hinges. The heavy oak door tumbled down the stairs, the rotted wood breaking apart with each impact.

  “Open sesame.” Kendra quipped.

  Alan chuckled slightly. “Good job. Let’s go see what’s down there.”

  Descending the stairs and stepping over the shattered door, Alan and Kendra went to the basement of the old abandoned church, curious as to what they would find waiting for them. What they found would never have been expected by either of them.

  The basement of the church seemed even darker and damper than the upper level. Their flashlights revealed the numerous cobwebs in the basement, and the stains on the old concrete floor. Ignoring the long dark hallway that extended sideways from the base of the stairs, they instead elected to walk through the door-less entryway into a large room that took up a majority of the building’s sub-level.

  “I think we found it.” Kendra said, scanning the room with her flashlight.

  “There must be some kind of light. He couldn’t have been working in the dark.” Alan replied.

  No sooner had he finished his sentence, Kendra flipped the large metal switch nearby. “Found it.” She said, smugly.

  Alan feigned irritation before letting out a slight chuckle. He then switched off his flashlight, looking around the room. He saw a small lab set up in the middle of the room, surrounded by the lights that now shined under the power of the generator that Kendra turned on. He walked forward, with Kendra following him closely, examining the tables, and looking for anything useful.

  Most of the tables held beakers of every shape and size; stained with the liquids that once dwelled within. Papers adorned the desks with no rhyme of reason. Neither of them knew what to look for, and it looked as though nothing would be found here.

  “Wait, I might have something.” Kendra remarked, looking over some of the papers on one of the desks.

  “What is it?” Alan asked, hoping for good news.

  “It looks like a research log. It details the experiments involving the chemical compound that he had in that syringe.” Kendra explained, looking over the notes.

  “Anything interesting?”

  “Well, it looks like he tested different variations of the chemical before he ‘perfected’ it.” Kendra began. “It says here that he had test subjects that he experimented on. Many of the initial tests supposedly mutated the X7 and made it worse.”

  “That sounds bad.” Alan stated. “Anything else?”

  “The formula for the finished compound, which is pretty useless to us. We can’t decipher it.” She replied.

  “We may not have to.” Alan said. “I think I found a stockpile.” Alan pulled a stash of tubes containing the chemical out from one of the lower cabinets on a desk.

  “This next part might explain a stockpile like that.” Kendra began again. “Malcolm’s notes state that the control effect over the Dead Ones is only temporary. The chemical must be re-administered every 24 hours.”

  “That explains why I can’t really feel a connection to the Dead Ones now. It has grown faint over time.” Alan realized. “This gives me an idea.”

  “What are you doing?” Kendra turned to look at him.

  “I’m gonna use his own work against him.” Alan replied, preparing a few syringes of the control chemical.

  Kendra was about to ask what he was planning, when they both heard a noise that shook them to the core.

  21

  BANG! BANG! They heard, before a monstrous roar reached their eardrums. A look of confused terror came over both their faces. They didn’t know for certain what made that noise, but they were sure it was Malcolm’s handiwork.

  “…The hell was that?” Kendra reacted.

  “Not good, that’s what!” Alan replied in a panic.

  “Do we run?” She asked him.

  “My instincts say yes, but we need to know what that was.” Alan said, weighing his options.

  “Whatever you say, I’m for it.” Kendra reassured him.

  “Let’s see what it was, then split.” Alan suggested a plan.

  Kendra nodded. “Let’s do it.”

  Alan led the way to a part of the basement beyond Malcolm’s lab set-up. With each passing step, they heard muffled growls and roars, unlike any human sound, coming from beneath them, accompanied by the sound of metal being impacted by something heavy.

  “It’s underneath us.” Alan confirmed.

  “The basement has it’s own basement?” Kendra said with disbelief. “This is getting ridiculous.”

  “There must be a hatch somewhere. Help me find it.” Alan instructed her.

  They searched for any kind of hatch they could find on the floor, but the floor was fully solid, with no indication of any kind of door.

  “This doesn’t make sense.” Kendra spoke. “Something is down there, so there must be a way down there.”

  “I think there was…” Alan said, noticing an oddity in the floor. Kneeling down, he ran his hand over a part of the floor that was different from the rest. It was rough compared to the rest of the smooth concrete, and was less worn, as if it had been added recently.

  “This part of the floor is new.” Alan affirmed. “I think the way to the area beneath us is under this part of the floor.”

  “That’s solid concrete, we can’t break through it.” Kendra replied.

  “I just don’t understand how he managed to seal it off so easily. Concrete shouldn’t be that easy to acquire.” Alan said, baffled.

  “It’s Malcolm, does it really surprise you?” Kendra asked, knowing full well what Malcolm was capable of. “He’s smart and resourceful.”

  “Fair point.” Alan responded. “Now how do we get down there?”

  “I don’t think we can.” Kendra answered. “We got everything we could get here. Let’s go back to Refuge.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Alan resigned to failure. “Let’s go.”

  Turning to leave, they heard a pounding noise. They paid no attention at first, until the pounding grew louder, and was accompanied by the sound of crumbling concrete.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Alan said, turning slightly.

  “Alan… RUN!” Kendra ordered, fearing that whatever monstrosity dwelled beneath them was breaking free.

  Alan’s tendency to listen to Kendra outweighed his curiosity. He obeyed her, and ran out of the basement with her. They darted up the old staircase, and sprinted through the darkness until they reached the front door.

  The light burned their eyes after being in the dark building and dimly lit lab. Alan darted towards their borrowed car, and quickly jumped into the driver’s seat. Kendra got into the car just as the engine started. It felt as though the ground rumbled as the unknown entity emerged from the old church building. Before Alan could pull out of the parking lot, the church doors were torn open from the inside. Standing where the doors once stood, was a monstrosity unlike anything that either of them ever imagined.

  “DRIVE!” Kendra shouted in a panic.

  Alan was already on it. Slamming down the gas pedal, the car peeled out of the parking lot, leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake, accompanied by the smell of burnt rubber. The monstrosity was unhindered, simply following the car.

  “Is it still on us?” Alan said, focusing on the road ahead of him.

  “Yes, and it’s much faster than it should be!” Kendra said with utter surprise.

  The creature was obviously zombie-like by the looks of it, but it was much bigger and much faster. Where as the Dead Ones shambled on and on, this abomination could run, and move fast eno
ugh to keep the car in its sights as it sped into the distance. This monstrosity of rotted flesh, disfigured features, and mindless aggression chased Alan and Kendra’s car, determined beyond reason to catch them.

  “It’s running…” Kendra said in disbelief. “That huge zombie is running.”

  “I thought that was impossible.” Alan replied, increasing his speed.

  “It should be.” Kendra spoke again. “But this thing was locked away beneath the church. Malcolm experimented on it. Who knows what he did to it? Who knows what it used to be, or what it is now capable of?”

  “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that it’s probably capable of killing us.” Alan said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “Then we kill it first.” Kendra brandished a pistol.

  She reached up to open the car’s sunroof, and then lifted herself up into the opening. She viewed the creature gaining on them, and wasted no time in aiming her gun straight at the monster. She took careful aim, waiting for the right moment to shoot. Inhaling deeply, she opened fire and pelted the abomination with lead.

  By the time she had emptied the clip, she realized that her shots were all but useless against the giant zombie. The creature was durable, shrugging off shots like they were nothing more than mere raindrops. She needed more firepower, and had only one option.

  Kendra ducked back down into the car, reaching into the back seat. There she found one of Helena’s gifts: a shotgun. “This’ll do nicely.” She smirked.

  “How are you gonna fire that with one broken arm?” Alan put his focus solely on driving, pushing his speed to a maximum.

  “I’ll improvise.” She assured him.

  Kendra rose back up through the sunroof, shotgun in hand, ready for round 2. She pumped the gun and aimed straight for the head of the monstrosity, resting the gun barrel on the car roof to steady it. She fired, and the sound of the gun echoed throughout the air. The creature slowed a bit, but showed no real sign of injury. Kendra was baffled, but continued to fire, albeit, slowly, hoping that something might stop the beast.

  The shotgun blasted away at the monster, but to no avail. Kendra only managed to slow it down a bit, but it was still in pursuit. She had nothing left to use on such a creature. She ducked back into the cabin of the car, closing the sunroof with transparent frustration.

  “The damned thing is a juggernaut!” She angrily shouted.

  “Don’t worry about it, babe.” Alan tried to calm her. “There was nothing either of us could do to take it down.”

  “Then what do we do?!” Kendra asked, frenzied.

  “We lead it to Refuge.” Alan replied, pushing the car to its top speed. “We lead it there and hope that they’re ready for a fight.”

  The minutes that followed seemed to drag on forever. Alan pushed the car to its limits, and it kept them far enough ahead of the impossible abomination. Refuge wasn’t far off. Alan hoped that the watchmen would see them coming, and Kendra hoped that they would find a way to make it out alive.

  Their prayers were answered as they reached Refuge; they heard the eruption of gunfire. Many armed citizens of Refuge were focusing their aim on the Juggernaut, which was now charging straight for the tower. Alan and Kendra rolled out of the car and darted towards the front door, desperately hoping that the barrage of gunfire would hold the zombie at bay.

  Breathing hard and heavy, Kendra peeked out to see the hulking creature still standing, becoming enraged by the constant assault from the citizen’s gunfire. She was dumbfounded. Even under such a heavy barrage, the creature still lived.

  “What does it take to kill you?!” She shouted as it, stepping out of the entryway, brandishing her revolver.

  Before she knew it, she’d put all six shots from her gun into the creature’s face. The monster didn’t drop, nor did it advance. It raised a disfigured fist, and pounded into the concrete, leaving a massive crack in the pavement. The monster didn’t move. It only stayed there, half kneeling on the ground. The rain of bullets had lessened, as the citizen’s guns began to run dry. As the noise faded, monster let out a loud groan that sounded like a foghorn. It slumped to the ground, having succumbed to its injuries. It was then, that the watchmen of Refuge were alerted to a much bigger threat.

  Off in the distance, shambling towards the improvised city of Refuge was a zombie horde, hungry for the flesh of the living.

  22

  “THE HORDE RETURNS!” The message rang through the air. Most of the citizen militia had already noticed the Dead Ones in the distance. It wouldn’t be long before they arrived, but there was enough time to improvise a defense.

  “Where did they come from?” Alan was bewildered.

  “I think it was that… thing.” Kendra answered him. I think it summoned them to this place. It sure wasn’t Malcolm. He hasn’t had an injection of his chemical, so he currently has no control over them. It is the only explanation I can think of.”

  “We need to get up there to him. I don’t want to take on the horde with him still being a possible threat.” Alan remarked. “We have a little bit of time before the fighting begins. Let’s go meet with Malcolm one last time.”

  Alan and Kendra ascended the long staircase as the people of Refuge slowly became aware of the coming horde. Many of the citizens grabbed as many guns as they could find, and quickly moved down to the ground floor, inching closer to their doom with each step. Alan and Kendra ignored them. They had to deal with Malcolm before they could worry about the horde and the citizens.

  Minutes later they reached the top. Luke Jones was currently watching Malcolm, and Alan was thankful to see that nothing had gone awry.

  “Welcome back, guys.” Luke said with a slight smile.

  “No time for pleasantries, Luke. We have a problem.” Alan said.

  “Problem? What problem?” Luke replied, confused.

  “The horde is back.” Kendra chimed in. “We indirectly caused them to zero in on Refuge. The citizens are mounting a defense now. They’ll need you down there with them.”

  “And here I thought we were done with fighting for the moment.” Luke uttered with a hint of cynicism. “Guess I’ll get down there then.”

  “Luke, wait!” Alan said as Luke was heading down the stairs. “Take this.” He tossed one of the syringes from Malcolm’s lab to him.

  “What’s this?”

  “Malcolm’s creation. It will allow you a degree of control over the Dead Ones. I doubt you can turn them away entirely, but you may be able to slow their march.”

  Luke nodded. “You got it, boss.”

  Luke ran down the stairs, determined to reach the bottom in record time. Alan watched as he descended, hoping that the chemical would help stave off the slaughter. He turned to Kendra and inhaled deeply.

  “This is it. It’s time to end this.” Alan spoke softly.

  “We’ll do it together.” Kendra assured him.

  They took each other’s hands and entered the room. Malcolm was still bound to the chair. He was no longer unconscious, as he was when they left. Now he was wide-awake, and he watched with a sickening smile as they approached him.

  “Did you find my little surprise?” He asked with a smirk.

  “We did.” Alan replied. “Wanna tell me more about it?”

  “Well since you asked me so nicely, I’ll tell you.” Malcolm’s apparent kindness dripped with sarcasm. “As you can guess, there were 6 versions of the chemical before X7 was created. I had to test each one, and wasn’t crazy enough to test them on myself.”

  “Could’ve fooled me.” Alan interjected. His voice sounded venomous.

  Malcolm simply ignored him and continued. “I had acquired a few test subjects; unwilling ones, of course, but they still served my purposes. I tested each variant of the X chemicals on them. Most of them died within the first few tests, but there was one subject who proved highly resilient. He survived, but was heavily mutated. His brain ceased to function normally, and devolved into something truly primal.”

  “Y
eah, we noticed that.” Kendra cut in. “However, I don’t understand how it was so strong and so fast.”

  “I suspected such a tiny mind wouldn’t quite grasp that.” Malcolm quipped. “The chemicals mingled with each other, making abominable mutations in the host body. He grew in size, and his strength was boosted tenfold. He never seemed to grow tired, and his increased strength and stamina is likely the explanation for how it could keep up with your car. He is simply able to cover more ground in a single stride than any human.”

  “We never told you that it chased us back here.” Alan said. “How could you possibly know that?”

  “I’m a scientist, not a kindergartener. I am capable of putting 2 and 2 together.” Malcolm shot back with offense in his voice. “I knew you couldn’t have killed it on your own, and I knew its savagery would cause it to chase you here. I can only assume that it would eventually fall under the assault of the cretins that live here. I would also assume that the extra chemical I synthesized has allowed it to bring another army of the undead to the base of this tower.

  “You know, your condescending attitude is really making me wish I’d killed you back at the library.” Alan responded angrily.

  “If you were a better shot, you might have.” Malcolm mocked him.

  Alan whipped out his gun in a flash. “This time I won’t miss.” He muttered gravely.

  The room fell silent. Malcolm made no sound, and Alan failed to pull the trigger. Kendra looked on, wondering why Alan was hesitating. They’d both waited for this moment, and now he restrained himself from killing him. She was sure he had something on his mind.

  “Alan, what’s wrong?” She asked.

  Alan ignored Kendra’s question, instead asking one of his own. “One last chance, Malcolm. Is there a cure for the Dead Ones?”

  “No.” Malcolm replied flatly.

  “Then your fate is sealed.” He stated. “Kendra, get downstairs and tell Luke to stop using his control on the Dead Ones. I have a plan.”