by Tim Moon
Gavin sat on the stairs with an arm around Dari's shoulders. She leaned into him, sobbing.
Officer Bailey came down from upstairs. "Too smoky up there."
He thumped down the stairs past Gavin and continued down to the next level which led to the basement, or outside, depending on which way they turned.
"We need to get out of here, like way the hell out," said Mac. "This place is a deathtrap with the fire and so many infected; there's no way we can stay and search for survivors."
Gavin nodded. "We should go to my brother's house."
Mac looked at him curiously.
"Liam was in the Army, remember? He has guns, training and a big truck," said Gavin while rocking Dari. "We can go to our cabin. All of us. There's plenty of space."
"That's a great idea. Get isolated." Mac nodded.
"The hall down here looks empty," said Officer Bailey. He stomped up the stairs and looked at them all. He ran a hand through his dirty, sweat-soaked hair. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry for your loss."
Dari shot him a tear-filled glare. "You killed him. You, you-" She choked back a sob. "You stupid bastard."
She turned and slumped back down on the stairs.
Mac mouthed, "What the fuck?"
Gavin shrugged at him. Seeing a co-worker be shot was undoubtedly traumatic, but it's not like they were close friends. Gavin had never even heard Dari talk about him, so he was just as surprised as Mac that she was so upset by it.
Gavin sat down and tried to put his arm around her shoulders again but she shrugged him off and turned away, leaning against the cinder block wall. He stood back up.
"I deserve that." Officer Bailey frowned and adjusted his belt. There was a moment of silence and then he cleared his throat. "We really should go. We all need some medical attention and some goddamn safety."
"Roger that," said Mac.
"Babe, we need to go. C'mon. It's not safe here."
Dari squinted up at him then nodded slowly and stood up. She flinched away when he tried to hold her hand. He frowned and stepped away, focusing on getting them out of the airport.
Gavin was the one with the most experience working downstairs in baggage and on security patrols, so he led the way. He swiped his badge against the card reader and pushed the door open, leading the group deeper into the bowels of the building. Inside, the hallway was quiet. Gavin saw that two recessed hallways branched off the one they were in. He led them past the first one.
Mac shouted in surprise.
Gavin spun around, expecting something awful like his friend being attacked.
"Don't move," Officer Bailey's voice boomed.
Someone was hiding in the hallway.
"S-s-sorry," said a man's voice.
Gavin recognized him as the newsstand guy he told to close up and leave.
"What the fuck are you doing down here?" Gavin said. "How'd you get down here?"
"Does it really matter how?" the man said. "I saw what was happening up there."
"Answer the question," Mac said, stepping closer to the man.
The man cringed and held up his hands. "Fine, fine. I needed to get to a safe place so I paid a baggage handler to get me out of there, but the bastard left me locked in this stupid hallway. Piece of shit took my money and ran." The man’s lower lip stuck out when he frowned like pouting child. He looked at Officer Bailey who held his hand up and shook his head.
"What's your name?" said Mac.
"Andrew Jameson," he said.
"Okay Andy, you're coming with us. Stay quiet and don't cause any problems," said Gavin.
"Let's go," said Officer Bailey lowering his gun.
"Thank you so much, you guys have good hearts. God bless you," Andy said.
"Better save those prayers, Andy," said Mac. "Because the shit out there is more fucked up than you can imagine."
"We'll go to the baggage claim area and exit through there. We can get to my car in the employee parking lot," said Gavin, gesturing with his hand.
"Shotgun," said Mac, raising his hand in the air.
They all looked at him.
"What? I'm not taking the chance that one of you fuckers will call it."
The basement of the airport was a maze of conveyor belts, baggage trucks and secured hallways. They didn't run into anyone, which was fine with them. Their party was already at maximum capacity.
When they reached the door that opened into the baggage claim area, Gavin warned them to be quiet.
"Keep your eyes open for infected," he said.
Then he badged the door, the lock clicked and he opened it quietly.
Officer Bailey went first. Gavin had passed Vasser's gun to Mac, who went second followed by Andy, Dari and finally Gavin.
A few infected were there, downstairs, but they were at least forty yards away and hadn't spotted their group yet.
"Shit, man, look at that," said Mac. He pointed outside.
A quick count revealed that eight infected were milling about just outside the doors. Beyond those eight, were at least another dozen in the road that they could see. It was possible that a concrete staircase, a smoking shelter, and several nearby structures could be blocking others from view.
"We can take them. But you have to be precise with your shots," said Officer Bailey, looking at Mac. "Take carefully-aimed head shots only. Nothing else will stop them."
Mac nodded.
Officer Bailey looked around and let out a heavy sigh. "Make sure you guys move fast. Don't stop. No matter what, keep moving."
"I've got this," Mac said. He ran at the closest door before anyone could react.
The man on the other side pushed up against the glass, clawing at it. His face had been bitten and was gnarly looking. Mac kicked the door open, smashing it into the ugly guy's face. The force knocked him over.
“Fucking idiot,” Officer Bailey said as he rushed out behind Mac. He shot three times, taking down two of the closest infected.
Gavin and the rest followed them outside staying close together. The cold early winter air took Gavin’s breath away for a moment. He noticed fat lazy snowflakes drifting down in the streetlights. They were still covered by the departures’ roadway overhead so the ground wasn't too slippery but it would become more so once they left the cover.
Andy was too slow getting outside. An infected woman had closed in on the doors and came at him from the right side. The man Mac had knocked over was crawling toward Andy's legs.
"Help, help!" Andy held his hands up in defense and walked backwards right into the man crawling toward him, trying to avoid the woman on his right.
His scream split the air. Ugly man bit into his legs. Andy turned and batted at him with his fist. The woman walked right into him, latching on and biting him on the side of the face.
Gavin felt the burn of stomach acid in his throat.
Dari groaned and began crying again.
Mac turned and fired at a young woman who had a pink Hello, Kitty backpack on. She stumbled and fell near Gavin.
"Go, go, go," said Gavin as he dodged her flailing hands.
Everything seemed to slow down even as they all ran out into the parking lot.
Officer Bailey and Mac shot a path through the remaining infected ahead of them. When the last four infected between them and the car dropped, spilling their dark blood and brains onto the snow-covered pavement; their path was clear of any immediate threat.
Gavin and Dari followed close behind the others, running along in their wake. Behind their group, the remaining infected had formed into a group and followed, ignoring the bodies on the ground and sending up a chorus of groans that chilled their blood.
The sounds followed them all the way out, through the snow, to Gavin's Subaru WRX. Its bright blue paint helped it stand out in the snow, like a beacon of safety and comfort. At that moment, Gavin was especially thankful for the WRX's all-wheel drive and powerful engine.
He reached into his pocket for the keys, pressed the button and unlocked the car.
The infected were far behind them but it was cold and they all wanted to get far away, as soon as possible.
They climbed in. Gavin started the car without even checking to see if everyone had buckled up. The twin-turbo engine growled and hissed like an angry cat.
"Shotgun scrapes the windows," said Gavin.
"What the fuck?" said Mac. But he grabbed the window scraper off the floorboard and jumped out to clear off the windshield.
Can't drive if I can't see, Gavin thought.
"Scrape faster, grandma. Let's go." Gavin couldn't help laughing at the sight of Mac scraping furiously with a gun in one hand, glancing nervously at the small horde slowly approaching them.
When the windshield was sufficiently cleared off, Mac climbed back inside. Gavin threw the car into reverse, spun around and sped out of the employee parking lot.
He felt happy as he watched the burning airport recede in his rear-view mirror.
Chapter Twelve
Gavin raced down Airport Way. Snow blanketed the road and continued falling slowly. The large flakes drifted lazily, belying the urgency that Gavin and his group felt.
He wasn't surprised that it was snowing; this was Anchorage after all, but it was more snow than they usually had this early in October. Streetlights made the thick snow glitter and sparkle like the shit-version of a vampire.
There was a surprising number of infected wandering the streets, apparently impervious to the chilly night air. They'd only just passed the first intersection and they'd already driven past at least twenty or thirty infected. None of them had come close to the car but not for lack of trying; they were just so slow in the deep snow that it wasn't difficult to dodge them.
Blood and shit stained the snow where the infected walked, leaving a putrid trail behind them that looked like wet tar. Gavin gagged a little and quickly looked away.
Officer Bailey tried to radio in to his dispatcher. No response. He even tried calling the station on his phone but couldn't get through. The whole city must be under attack. Of all places, Anchorage should have been among the least likely. Yet here they were dodging flesh eating crazies, dripping blood and feces in the beautiful snow.
"Officer Bailey, do you know what caused all this?" Gavin asked, glancing in his rear-view mirror.
"Not exactly, no. The only information we received was focused on signs and symptoms, so we could avoid getting hurt," said Officer Bailey. "The feds shared the information nation-wide. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they were somehow behind this problem."
Earlier, Riley had informed them over the radio that TSA Headquarters had sent some information down the line. They were also basic warnings to avoid the infected but there had certainly been nothing to implicate the government as the cause of the problem.
"The government sometimes screws up, but something like this? That's too much even for them," said Mac, echoing Gavin's thoughts.
Gavin nodded at his friend. "Exactly."
"What's your plan?" asked Officer Bailey. "Where are we headed again?"
"My brother, Liam's place. He's an Army vet. He has guns and a big truck so we can carry supplies with us," said Gavin. "We can all go up to our hunting cabin and hide out. The place is mint. It's not a shitty little shack like you're probably imagining. We'll be safe out there."
"Hey, at this point anything remote sounds great," said Officer Bailey.
"Do you have family or anyone...you know, at home?" asked Mac. “Anyone we need to help?”
Officer Bailey shook his head. "No, I moved up here from Michigan a few years ago to join Anchorage P.D. and as you may know, dating options are kind of limited up here." He smiled.
Mac twisted in the passenger seat and looked at Bailey. "Right? If I meet an unmarried woman, then she's either divorced with kids or too ugly to consider."
Officer Bailey grinned and nodded.
Gavin rolled his eyes.
Mac turned and stared out the window, a satisfied smile on his face.
Gavin reached back between the seats and patted Dari's leg. "You okay, babe?"
Dari glanced up at him and nodded. She hadn't really spoken since they left the airport. Strange behavior for her since she usually talked up a storm.
"I'm going to try the radio," said Mac. "See if we can get some information on this madness."
"Good idea." Gavin had forgotten about radio the day he bought his first iPod.
The snow was ridiculous. Gavin did his best to stay in the tracks on the road. However, in most places they were the first to drive through the snow. Gavin was worried about getting stuck, not because it ever happened but because he didn't want to risk it. No one would help them and they'd be sitting ducks for the infected if they couldn't get unstuck.
"Another car," Gavin said as if he'd spotted a unicorn.
It was a truck headed in the opposite direction. Still it was good to see evidence that other people were still out there, alive.
Gavin made a left turn onto the highway and was happy to see that it wasn't as snowy as the other roads.
A dark shape on his left caught his eye and Gavin hit the brakes just in time. The car slid a dozen feet on the icy road, while a big, dumb moose ran across the road right in front of them.
"Are you kidding me?" Mac said, laughing.
Gavin let out a breath and steered the car back into the lane.
A couple of cars passed him on the other side of the road, driving south. Gavin was headed north across town because Liam lived close to downtown.
Mac finally found a radio station with news on it. Not surprisingly they were sharing information about the infected. It wasn't new information though. Just what they'd already heard from Riley's radio message and from Officer Bailey.
"Oh Christ," said Gavin. He slowed down and changed lanes.
Two cars had collided. Their smoldering husks sat blocking two lanes. Nearby was half a man. Half of an infected man; he'd lost everything from his waist down. His intestines had frozen to the asphalt behind him, anchoring him in place. His fingers clawed at the icy road, feebly trying to drag himself forward.
Gavin couldn't help but wonder where he was trying to go.
Dari gasped and turned away, covering her face with her hands.
Mac leaned over Gavin so he could see. "Un-fucking-believable."
The car veered toward the shoulder of the road as they stared.
"Shit," Gavin said, swerving back into the lane. He sped up and drove off, leaving the half-man frozen in the middle of the road.
They were getting close to downtown. The street lights changed to red. Gavin hated that there were intersections on the highway. He glanced both ways and kept driving. No way was he stopping.
"You just ran a red light, sir." Officer Bailey leaned forward between the seats. "I'm going to have to write you a ticket."
They all laughed.
Everyone except Dari, anyway. She sat quietly with her head against the window and tears in her eyes.
"We're almost at my brother's house, you guys." Gavin smiled. He couldn't wait to see Liam.
Chapter Thirteen
Gavin pulled up close to the curb and rolled to a stop.
"Here we are." He pointed to the dark blue house that looked almost black in the darkness. None of the outside lights were on.
"When you get out don't slam the doors shut," said Officer Bailey. "The infected are attracted to noise."
Gavin nodded in agreement. Memories of the people banging on the doors at the airport and their subsequent screams played in the back of his mind.
They piled out of the car and closed the doors quietly behind themselves. Dari stayed inside the car. Gavin opened her door and stuck his head in.
"Do you want to stay here?" he asked.
Dari nodded and stared of out of the window.
"Okay, just stay quiet. But if you see anything sneaking up on us, give a warning okay?"
Dari glanced at him and attempted a smile but it quickly melted away. He leaned
in to kiss her but she turned her head. So he kissed her on the forehead and closed the door.
The guys were waiting for him.
"She's staying?" Mac said.
"Yeah, but its fine," Gavin said. "Let's go."
Gavin led the way across the yard. They were on the porch before Gavin realized the door was slightly ajar. Dark blood was smeared on the edge of it.
"Oh shit. No, no, no," he said. He pushed the door open and rushed in.
"Wait-" said Officer Bailey. He drew his gun and followed Gavin inside. Mac followed behind them with Vasser's old gun.
Gavin ran around looking for his brother. He muttered a prayer that he wouldn’t find his brother's body. Mac grabbed at him to slow him down but Gavin was having none of it. He wrenched out of Mac's grip and continued his reckless search.
"Liam, you here man?" Gavin shouted as he went through another empty room. He went to the hallway and flicked on the lights.
"Liam?"
He saw a large pool of blood on the carpet and a trail leading down the hall to the bathroom. He ran forward and plunged into the bathroom expecting to have to fight off an infected, but no one was there. Blood was smeared on the edge of the empty bathtub.
Gavin's stomach churned at the idea of his brother becoming one of the infected. It'd crush him to have to put down his own brother. He wasn't sure he'd have the strength.
Officer Bailey walked past Gavin and cleared the last two rooms.
Gavin stepped out of the bathroom into the hallway. "Anything?"
Officer Bailey shook his head.
"What the fuck?" said Gavin, slumping with his back against the wall.
Maybe he went looking for me, he thought.
"Well there are no bodies and that's better than finding him dead," said Mac with a serious look. "He probably had to go fight off some of those fuckers. Liam's tough as nails, man. Don't worry about him."
"Thanks," said Gavin. He patted Mac on the shoulder in appreciation. "You're right. I'm sure he's fine."
"Let's get Dari in here and get some food," said Mac. "I'm starving. We should keep up our energy right? We can kill time waiting to see if Liam shows up." He held his arms out wide. "Multitasking, my friend."
