by Jake Bible
“What’s in the water?” Secretary Landis asks. “Why does it look like that?”
“The water is boiling,” Borland replies. “That’s how they found out the volcano was active. It’s far enough off shore that seismic readings didn’t arrive until after eyewitness reports started coming in.” Borland swipes again, and several snapshots start lining up on a second monitor. “Tourists began up-loading these almost immediately. It looks like Instagram is the place for current intel right now.”
“Jesus,” President Nance says. “Why even bother with satellites anymore?”
“New Zealand is still quiet,” Joan says, “but they are evacuating as many people as they can as well. The country will be close to empty by the end of the week.”
President Nance startles at this. “Wait, where are they getting the ships?”
“Yes, well, Secretary Jefferson is working on that,” Joan admits. “He’s none too pleased that the Australians are recalling their ships for their own evacuation. They only have a fraction of our population.”
“But they can evacuate their entire country, along with New Zealand, if they need to,” Admiral Quigley states. “It may take two phases, but they also are commandeering every private vessel and all airliners.”
“American airliners?” President Nance asks. “They cannot do that!”
“No more than we commandeered some of their cruise ships when we had to,” Borland shrugs. “We knew there would be blowback, and now there is.”
“Son of a bitch,” President Nance curses as he pounds a fist on the table. “Does anyone have any good news?”
No one responds.
“Fine,” President Nance says. “Get me Secretary Jefferson now, please. I want a report from him directly.”
“Sir, he’s in a meeting with the Chinese President,” Joan replies.
“Then pull him out of it,” President Nance says. “The only reason we need the Chinese is their Navy. I doubt they’ll be willing to help now that they are experiencing their own disturbances. In fact, start pulling personnel from all embassies in all affected countries. We all know how fast this falls apart; they won’t be able to do anything at their posts, and it’s best we get them to safety now.”
“Sir, that will not look very good,” Joan says. “Most countries will see it as cutting diplomatic ties and a betrayal. We’ll isolate ourselves and be all alone in no time.”
“Joan, if you haven’t noticed,” President Nance scowls, “we’ve been all alone for some time now.”
***
Flashing yellow lights turn the purge shaft into a hallucinatory nightmare, casting everyone in shadows that come and go, come and go.
“Those are new,” Kyle says, looking down the ladder at Dr. Probst as the woman leads everyone into the facility below. “What’s going on, Doctor?”
“Burkhorst must have found out what we are doing,” Dr. Probst says. “The purge protocol has been engaged.”
“Engaged?” Lowell asks as he and Bolton help brace Lu as she struggles to climb down the ladder. “How much time do we have?”
“Maybe ten minutes,” Dr. Probst says. “Dr. Mannering said he could get us thirty minutes at the most. We’ve used twenty.” She looks about at the yellow lights. “He also said yellow, claxons, red, dead. I think I know what that means now.”
“Yellow lights, warning claxons,” Holt says from the top of the group. “Then red lights.”
“And the purge starts after the red lights,” Bolton says.
“Yeah, that’s the dead part, is my guess,” Holt says.
“Pretty good guess,” Dr. Probst replies. “Luckily, we’re almost to the bottom.”
“The air is a lot better down here,” Kyle says. “That’s good, at least.”
A clang from above gets everyone’s attention, and they all glance up, but it’s impossible to make out anything with the constantly swirling yellow lights.
“You think we have company?” Holt asks, looking down at Bolton.
“I’m surprised we haven’t already,” Bolton says, just before the shrieking sounds of warning claxons fill the shaft. “Fuck me!”
It takes everyone’s willpower to hang onto the ladder and not cover their ears with their hands. The claxons echo and reverberate, creating an amplified agony that most feel all the way into their bones.
Dr. Probst looks down and sees the bottom only a few yards away. She looks back up and tries to tell the others, but her voice is lost in the wailing cry of the claxons. Then her eyes catch sight of something above the group and moving fast. She tries screaming again, but still no one can hear her as she watches the glowing shape fall towards them.
Dr. Probst flattens herself against the ladder, despite the protection from the safety cage around it. She can see by the body language of the others that they have spotted the glowing shape as well, and half of them watch it plummet while the other half look down at her with fear and a billion questions in their eyes.
Then the shape passes her and slams into the ground below, a glowing pool of ooze that explodes everywhere. Then the ooze begins to merge and reassemble itself into a shape. The shape grows and then stands there, black eyes staring up at the ladder.
“Oh, fuck,” Dr. Probst shouts, but it might as well be a silent whisper against the claxons. “Toloski!”
The Toloski shaped ooze creature shuffles to the ladder and reaches up with a deformed, glowing, dripping hand, and grabs the first rung. It tries to pull itself up, but the ooze won’t grip, and it keeps slipping back down to the floor. The thing opens its mouth wide and screeches, the only noise that is louder than the warning claxons.
Dr. Probst is frozen in place, and screams as Kyle taps her shoulder with his foot. She risks a glance up at him, and he just stares back, an obvious question in his eyes.
What now?
A shrug is all he gets in response as Dr. Probst looks back down at the ooze creature that was Toloski and is now an enraged shape that blocks their escape.
Then the flashing lights turn red.
The claxons intensify, and Dr. Probst is about ready to lose her mind, when she sees the Toloski monster spin about, rush from the shaft, and out through the double doors that lead into the corridor beyond.
Dr. Probst doesn’t waste a second and continues her descent as fast as she can. She clears the ladder’s safety cage and jumps the final few feet, scrambling out of the way so Kyle can come down, followed by Lowell, Lu, Bolton, and Holt. The group all turn from the ladder, Bolton and Lowell helping Lu stay on her feet, and look into the corridor that should be their final escape.
Except the way is blocked by a warping and thrashing Toloski creature as it tries to fight off three people in full environment suits. The people are spraying the creature with a thick, white foam, and while it is keeping the monster at bay, it isn’t exactly stopping the thing.
“Come on!” Dr. Probst yells as she runs out of the shaft and into the corridor. “We can’t stay here!”
The group follows her, even though there is no way any of them can hear her over the claxons that are still blaring and the screeches from the Toloski creature.
One of the suited figures sees them and starts to move along the wall, angling its foam spray so that the Toloski creature is forced to the side of the corridor, giving the group a clear shot past it. No one hesitates as they sprint past the suited figure and over to the two others that are steadily gaining ground and moving forward, their own foam herding Toloski back to the purge shaft.
A set of double doors is closed at the end of the corridor, and Dr. Probst searches for handles or some type of opening mechanism. She even crouches by the wall next to the doors, but unlike above, there are no hidden panels. Dr. Probst stands and looks at her group with puzzled eyes and a defeated expression.
The Toloski creature lets out one last screech as it is forced all the way back into the shaft. The second it is over the threshold, the doors close on it, and it is lost from sight. The three
suited figures all turn and look at Dr. Probst and the others. One of them speaks, but the words are muffled, and no one can understand what is being said.
Then the double doors on the facility slide open, and Dr. Bennet is there, shouting and waving for them all to get inside the facility and out of the corridor. Dr. Probst nods to her people, and they rush inside, followed right behind by the three suited figures. Dr. Bennet types a code into the keypad, and the doors slam shut. The warning claxons are cut off, and the sound of heavy locks engaging echoes through the new corridor everyone stands in.
“What’s wrong with her?” Dr. Bennet asks, instantly moving to Lu who is still being held up by Lowell and Bolton.
“Severe concussion,” Bolton says. “Be careful she….”
Before he can finish, Lu vomits the small amount of bile and water that makes up her stomach contents. Dr. Bennet steps aside easily and grimaces.
“How long has she been throwing up?” he asks.
“Fucking forever,” Lu mutters.
“Oh,” Dr. Bennet says. “Follow me.”
“Level four, Ryan,” Dr. Burkhorst says as she pulls off her helmet and glares at the group. “They are all under official quarantine.”
“What?” Dr. Probst snaps. “Why? You didn’t quarantine me!”
“An oversight that is being rectified right now,” Dr. Burkhorst replies. “You’ll be joining your friends while we run as many tests as we need to in order to make sure you will not compromise this facility.”
“Best to go along with it,” Dr. Mannering says as he pulls off his helmet. The third figure pulls of her helmet, and it is Dr. McDaniels. She just nods in agreement.
“Smartest thing you’ve said in days, Clark,” Dr. Burkhorst sneers.
Lowell raises his hand, and all eyes fall on him.
“Yes, Mr. Lowell?” Dr. Burkhorst asks.
“Uh, you know my name?” he replies.
“I do,” Dr. Burkhorst says. “I know all of your names. What is your question?”
“Where are we?” Lowell asks. All eyes leave him and turn to Dr. Burkhorst.
“That’s classified,” Dr. Burkhorst smiles. “I say that so you understand that I will not be explaining anything to you anytime soon. I also say that to remind my staff that they are not to say anything to you either. We’ve had enough insubordination and sedition for one day, in my opinion. Any more will not be tolerated and dealt with severely.”
“So spankings all around then?” Lowell smirks. “I like your style, lady.”
“Doctor Glenda Burkhorst,” Dr. Burkhorst growls. “You will never call me ‘lady’ again, Mr. Lowell.”
“Unless I want a spanking, right?” Lowell chuckles.
“Lowell, stop,” Dr. Probst warns. “She’s serious.”
“Deadly serious,” Dr. Burkhorst states.
“No offense, Dr. Burkhorst,” Bolton says. “But if you expect us to go willingly to your quarantine, then we’ll need some answers.”
“The only thing you need to do is understand that my word is final down here,” Dr. Burkhorst says.
“You still haven’t said where here is,” Lowell interrupts.
“Shut up, Lowell, let me handle this,” Bolton says. He pats the pistol on his hip. “Dr. Burkhorst, I am going to have to disagree with you. We are under orders from the President of the United States to help provide answers to the catastrophe happening above. If you have any answers, then you are required, by Presidential decree, to cooperate with us. Now, we will comply with your quarantine request, but you will also comply with my request for answers.”
“No,” Dr. Burkhorst says. “You will comply with my orders because I do not make requests. Dr. McDaniels will show you the way.”
“I don’t think you understand what I’m trying to communicate,” Bolton says. “The President of the United States needs answers. I am asking on behalf of him.” He looks about at the corridor and the bright lights that illuminate the space. “If you have answers, which I know you do, and a way to communicate with him, which you might since you somehow seem to have power, then by law you are required to cooperate with me and with Sergeant Holt here.”
“You are under some impression that I answer to the President,” Dr. Burkhorst replies. “I can assure you that I do not. There is one person I answer to and one person only. Until I get word from that person that President Nance needs answers, then he does not get answers. You? You get nothing either way. Now, follow Dr. McDaniels or face the consequences.”
“Cheryl, tell them to listen,” Dr. Mannering says.
“We’re done listening,” Bolton says, and starts to draw his pistol. Instantly slots in the walls slide open all up and down the corridor. Automated guns protrude from the slots and take aim on the man. He slowly takes his hand off his gun and then raises both in the air. “Okay. I guess we’ll listen.”
“Yes, Sergeant Bolton, you will,” Dr. Burkhorst says. “You most certainly will.”
***
The asphalt shatters next to Dr. Hall as a giant crab claws comes crashing down. He barely scrambles away in time before half the street starts to collapse into the sewer system below. The massive crab that comes at him isn’t so lucky and tumbles over the edge into the darkness. Dr. Hall gets to his feet and leans forward, trying to see the fate of the monster.
Two long eye stalks poke up above the surface of the road and fix their attention onto Dr. Hall. Slowly, the crab monster starts to rise from below, and Dr. Hall realizes it must be standing on the debris from the road.
“Move!” Alvarez shouts as he shoves Dr. Hall out of the way.
One eye stalk is pulverized and then the other as Alvarez swings his nine iron with all his might. The giant crab shrieks and its claws grab onto the street’s edge as it tries to pull itself from the sewers. Alvarez raises his golf club over his head, then brings it down on one of the claws, cracking the shell just enough for green ooze to leak out. The monster stumbles, then falls back into the sewer, blind and wounded.
“Oh, fucking A,” Dr. Hall says as he covers his nose and mouth with his arm. “That’s the worst thing I’ve smelled yet.”
Alvarez stumbles back to Dr. Hall and tries not to throw up.
“No shit. Ammonia and rotten seafood,” he agrees, and then sees three more monster crabs come around the corner of the street and race towards them. “Come on!”
He grabs Dr. Hall by the shoulder and turns him away from the broken street, then pushes him down the cracked sidewalk. Dr. Hall doesn’t resist at all, and lets Alvarez steer them along. They get to the next corner and turn left, then skid to a stop as two more crab monsters run at them from two blocks up.
“Shit. We’re boxed in. We’ll have to cross the Mall for sure,” Alvarez says. “Which means we’ll be exposed and without cover for a long time.”
“Then they’ll see us,” Dr. Hall exclaims.
“They see us already, doctor!” Alvarez snaps. “And we don’t have much of a choice!”
The sound of dozens of crab legs clacking on pavement mixes with the sounds of the shrieks of the wounded crab monster from behind them. Dr. Hall starts to waver and sway, and Alvarez gives him a hard, sharp slap to the face, knocking the man’s head back and to the side.
“Thanks,” Dr. Hall says as he shakes it off. “You see that in movies and think it’s stupid, but it works.”
“Yeah, that’s why I did it,” Alvarez says, and shoves Dr. Hall in the back as he points into the dark and the silhouettes of several large buildings. “Go. Now. As soon as we hit the open part of the Mall, we do not stop for any reason. If I go down, you keep running. Do not wait for me. You go until you get to Pennsylvania Avenue. Turn left and head for the White House. You have the key card and code sheet if guards aren’t there.”
“Okay,” is all Dr. Hall says as he runs with Alvarez, and the two men sprint across D St and up 12th.
The clacking of crab feet and fresh roars as the monsters catch sight of them fills the night. D
r. Hall whimpers, but doesn’t slow down. Alvarez takes a quick glance, and almost wishes he hadn’t as he sees the crab monsters converge into a group of five, which quickly becomes a group of eight as three more monsters join the pursuit.
The men race up 12th and pass the Smithsonian Metro Station, then burst onto what is officially called the National Mall—a long expanse of land that is home to everything from the Washington Monument, to the Smithsonian Institute, to the Lincoln Memorial, and capped at the end by the Capitol Building. They pass the Sackler Gallery, cross Jefferson Dr., then find themselves in completely open territory as they hurry past barren oak trees and out onto the brown grass of the wide greenspace between the Smithsonian Institute and the National Museum of Natural History.
“You have got to be fucking joking,” Alvarez snarls as he starts to turn them east towards the Washington Monument, but changes their course as he sees close to half a dozen crab monsters clattering towards them from that end. He looks over his shoulder and nearly pisses himself as the pursuing group of crab monsters begins to gain.
“We won’t make it,” Dr. Hill says. “They’re going to catch us!”
“I know,” Alvarez replies, calculating the distance between them and the other side of the Mall, with the distance between them and the crab monsters, both to their side and behind them. “We’ll need to take shelter again!”
“What?” Dr. Hall yells. “But I thought…!”
“We don’t have a choice!” Alvarez shouts. “Even if we make it up to Penn, we’ll still get cut off by those fuckers!” He points at the crab monsters coming from the Washington Monument. “We need to hide and let them pass, or we wait until we can figure out a way to slip by them!”
He shoves Dr. Hall harder, almost knocking the man over, and points to the Museum of Natural History.
“We go there! It’s big, it’s solid, and if we can get down to the basement, it’s secure!” Alvarez yells.
Dr. Hall doesn’t argue and just keeps running, his heart about to explode out of his chest from the exertion.
The clacking behind them stops as the first group of crab monsters get to the grass and dirt of the Mall. But even with the muffling effect, Dr. Hall and Alvarez are very aware of the creatures as the things shriek and screech, seeing their prey so close to capture. The ground shakes from the impacts of dozens and dozens of monstrous, impossible legs, and Dr. Hall reaches out to steady himself. Alvarez grabs onto the man’s arm to help with the Doctor’s balance, but to also make sure the man doesn’t dare slow down. They only have fifty yards to go before shelter is theirs.
