“John can’t get the rest, Mom. There’s just too many in there now.”
On every single camera within the shopping center the Reborn were either shambling about or hovering over the normal Azrael bodies eating them.
“Damn it, Steph, you’re right.” Danielle spun around and hopped onto the console and landed on her bony ass. She resituated her position and gazed into her daughters eyes. She let out an exaggerated sigh. “I, uh, I have a backup plan. But you’re not going to like it.”
“Okay Mom, spill it.”
“Tomorrow morning Remmie will be escorting you out.”
“What? What are you talking about? Out where?”
Danielle switched one of the monitors to one of the furthest cameras on the light pole at the edge of the parking lot. She moved it to display an empty road to the west. She nodded towards it.
“Away from here…away from Tricon.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m old…too old to keep living like this.”
“Fuck that. Remmie stays with you. He’s the only one I trust besides you.”
“Which is why I’m sending him with you. Just keep out of earshot of Rich and Michael.” Danielle interrupted.
“Why did you bring them?”
“Siggy insisted. Insurance I guess.”
“Let me take John and Savanna too.”
“What?”
“Mom, let me go with them. Maybe I can help their people turn this around.”
“You’re right…”
“I know I’m right, Mom. Tri…”
“We can’t stop Kirk.” Danielle’s face became white with fear. She changed channels on the big screen to show a view of the back sliding door after observing Kirk on one of the smaller screens.
“What is Kirk doing?”
“Preparing for war. He’s found us.”
Kirk and thousands of the reborn Azrael surrounded the back sliding steel doors.
“What’s with the matches and what are the others carrying?”
“A bomb.”
“Huh?”
Danielle’s jaw dropped when she zoomed in on a massive ball being carried by a small group of the reborn. It was a colossal firework shell taken from the storage facility down the road. The local community pooled together a wide assortment of fireworks for the 2016 Fourth of July Celebration but when the outbreak happened it was forgotten about.
“Get out now, it’s going to blow.”
Stephanie sprinted out the room and headed straight for the room that held John and Savanna. Kirk swiped a handful of matches across a matchbox and lit the end of a coiled up wick attached to the shell. Moments later Kirk disappeared from sight. Danielle followed the sparking of the wick with the camera. Quick thinking, Danielle located the interior sprinkler manual override pushbutton. It was beneath a clear plastic safety latch. She lifted it and pushed the button. Nothing happened. The lines were empty. There was no stopping it now.
*
Stephanie opened Savanna’s cell door.
“Now, wait a minute. I’m not going back in there without…”
“Shut the fuck up John.” Stephanie urged. She used a key and unlocked their cuffs. “We need to leave right now. Here, take these.” She tossed John’s keys to him and handed him the bags of medicine. She opened one of the containers in her hand and handed two antibiotics to Savanna.
“What the fuck’s going on? Why should we trust you.”
“I don’t give a shit if you trust me or not. If you don’t move your ass, we are all going to die.” Stephanie explained and sprinted out towards Remmie.
“What’s wrong?” Remmie asked with confusion.
“Grab their weapons, your stuff and meet me outside.”
“Wait, slow down. What are you talking about?”
“Fuck, just trust me and get moving. I’ll explain on the way.”
“Are we letting them go? Danielle said…”
“Jesus Christ Remmie, are we still doing this?” She glared at him.
“Fine, I’ll meet you outside.” He conceded.
Stephanie opened the back door with her weapon drawn. It was eerily quiet outside. Nothing was out there. She urged John and Savanna to move and they darted through the door without pause. She followed behind with her pistol drawn. John unlocked the door of the truck, opened it, and tossed in the bags of medical supplies in the backseat. He walked Savanna over to the passenger seat and helped her inside. She swallowed the antibiotics that were in her hand and followed with some pain killers. Her left hand was applying pressure to the bandage on her neck when she felt it bleeding again.
“You coming?” John asked when Stephanie paused for a moment a few feet from the door.
“Remmie? Remmie, what’s taking you so long?” Stephanie mumbled.
She hurried back towards the door. Seconds later a massive shockwave blasted her off her feet and she struck the side of the truck with her back knocking the wind out of her.
“What the fuck was that?” John spat.
He hurried over, helped Stephanie to her feet, and grabbed her gun. He opened the driver’s side door, pushed the seat forward and assisted her into the back seat.
“I expect an explanation when we get going.” He asserted.
She nodded while groaning in pain. John pulled the seat back and hopped in. As he drove off, naked figures funneled out the back of the Supercenter and immediately vanished as the truck revisited the fog.
Chapter 12: Safe House Survivors
Hiding in the WVON AM Radio building, a few hundred feet from the Paul Simon Highwaymen Center…
“The same one’s still out there.” A man worried in a whisper from another room. He lowered the slat in the blinds and entered the studio where Shannon was working on the radio. Jerrell and Tommy were lying lazily on the couch. “Think it’ll work?”
“I…don’t know, Lester. Most of the original guts in this thing were placed into other equipment at the safe house. If these old circuit cards I found work, and that’s a big if, then we have yet another problem.”
“What’s that?” Lester asked.
“We won’t reach Chicago without the frequency map. It’s on a timer and it changes every half hour.” Her eyes were troubled and she released a heavy sigh. “And it’s back at the safe house.”
“Shit. Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I didn’t want to worry you about it. The map’s pointless if it don’t work. Hell, I’m still not sure if these cards are going to work.”
“They fit. Didn’t they?”
“Yeah, they did. But just cause they fit doesn’t’ mean they’ll work.”
“I saw the labeling on the cards. They matched. Stop worrying yourself.”
“What about the fuel in the generator? Even if it works and we have the map, do we even have enough fuel to run the radio?”
“Only one way to find out…turn it on.”
“Are you sure?”
“The moment of truth.” He gave her a warm smile.
“Cross your fingers.” She spoke.
Shannon winced as she flipped the switch to the generator. The lights in the building illuminated as the generator hummed quietly beneath their feet. It was in the basement. She deactivated her flashlight and worriedly glanced into Lester’s eyes. Jerrell and Tommy sat up in the couch in response.
“We’ve got power!” Tommy beamed while stretching. Jerrell displayed a mighty yawn.
“Do it.” Lester confirmed.
She pushed the On button. It lit up and they were met with white noise. The lights in the building dimmed briefly in reaction to the new power drain.
“Yes!” She praised, produced praying hands and placed them on her forehead. “Thank you, Jesus.”
“I told you it…”
The hum of the generator sputtered to a stop. The room fell back into darkness and the equipment powered down.
“Are you kidding me” She hissed and reactivated her fla
shlight.
“Damn.” Jerrell mumbled.
“It works. That’s one step closer to being rescued.” Lester acknowledged.
“Ugh, true. But now we need the map and fuel.” Shannon worried. She leaned back in the chair next to the studio equipment and massaged her face. Her eyes were red and irritated and she wore heavy bags below them.
“I guess it’s time we deal with the lingerer.” Lester left the studio, walked towards the back window and glanced through a raised slat once more. “Tommy, Jerrell, think you can deal with that one out there and get the map?” Lester asked.
They both exited the studio with excitement. They were ready to do something useful for a change.
“Just one?” Tommy asked and glanced through the window.
“As far as I can see. It’s been out there for a few hours now. There’s probably more out there that I can’t see.” Lester admitted and pointed at a moving figure outside.
“I see it. It’s just under the tower. We should deal with it before it draws in more.” Tommy nodded at Lester.
“On it.” Jerrell answered.
He grabbed a box of 9mm rounds from the weapons cache in the makeshift armory and tossed them in his backpack. His G17 magazine could hold seventeen rounds with one in the chamber, but he lacked any extra magazines. He hoped that he didn’t have to fire more than eighteen during one fight and had been lucky so far. Tommy owned a Smith & Wesson Governor. He had a speed loader so he could take 12 shots before he needed to start reloading individually. His revolver packed a punch, so he didn’t actually need to use the speed loader often. He had two boxes of 45 caliber rounds in his backpack as well. After what happened at the Paul Simon Safe House, they knew better than to travel outside without the appropriate amount of firepower.
“Jerrell!” Shannon hollered over to him before he left.
“What’s up Shannon?” He asked and peeked into the studio.
“Don’t do anything stupid. If it looks too dangerous, forget about it. I can’t have my little brother dying over some squatters. You hear me?”
Jerrell was all she had left in this world. Those monsters had taken everything else from them. She thought about their older brother Bryan. He was the reason why they came out there in the first place. He was working on the engineering team tasked with designing the underground infrastructure since his blueprints were selected by Simon back at Chicago. When the outbreak happened at the Paul Simon Safe House, they split up. She didn’t even know if he was alive or…one of them. Knowing her brother’s intelligence, she hoped for the best but it didn’t show on her face.
“Got it sis. Hey, I’m with Tommy. We’ll be aight.” He walked in, kissed her on the forehead and left the building in a slow trot to catch up with Tommy. He had attained a mild case of cabin fever over the past few days and needed some fresh air. However fresh that may be is in question. Tommy was already near the tower travelling at a slow jog keeping his posture low in the tall grass that had grown almost to his chest. “Hey wait up.” Jerrell whispered over.
“I see it under the tower.” Tommy whispered back. He was aiming towards an Azrael eating something.
“Hey, slow down. I’m coming.” Jerrell mumbled and aimed his pistol towards the potential threat.
“Moving to that small shack over there.” Tommy mouthed.
“Okay. Wait for me there.” Jerrell whispered. Once Tommy arrived behind the building, the Azrael beneath the tower noticed him eliminating his element of surprise. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” He added, dropped to a knee and aimed his pistol at it.
“What are you doing Jerrell?” Tommy whispered over. He cautiously glanced around the corner and noticed five Azrael scattering out towards Jerrell in a low but quick crawl. Once they entered the grass, their presence was hidden from him. “Fuck! There’s five and I can’t see them anymore. Jerrell, run back! Run!” Tommy yelled.
Jerrell didn’t waste any time questioning Tommy’s instruction and sprinted back towards the Radio building. Three of the Azrael arose from the grass in pursuit of Jerrell at a much quicker pace. Tommy was too far away to get back to the Radio building and decided to hold his ground. The only problem was that he couldn’t see where the other two went. Jerrell reached the back door and banged on it frantically. It was locked from the inside and he didn’t have a key.
“Let me in.” He banged harder. “Fucking let me in, Shannon.”
The sound of the lock disengaging brought a grin to his face. The door opened. He barged in, shut it behind him and locked it. Moments later, the door shook from its hinges when the Azrael struck it at a full sprint. Jerrell just stared at the door in shock. They continued to attack the door violently. It wouldn’t be long before they broke into the building, he thought.
“Where’s Tommy?” Shannon asked.
Jerrell didn’t move. He didn’t say anything.
“Jerrell! Where’s Tommy? Did he get bit?” She continued.
Ten seconds passed without a sound.
“Tommy…I…don’t know.” He murmured.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
Jerrell turned around quickly.
“I don’t fucking know. He told me to run, so I ran. He…he was hiding behind that shack near the tower when they noticed me. I…don’t think they saw him. But when he yelled, the other two…”
Lester hurried in after he heard the commotion.
“The other two what?” He asked.
“They didn’t follow me. He said there were five.”
Shannon silently moved over to the back window and peeked through the blinds.
“There’s three at the door.” She surveyed the rundown shack near the tower. “I don’t see Tommy or anymore of those things. Are you sure?”
“Did you hear any gunshots?” Jerrell quickly walked over to the blinds and peered through them.
“No, I haven’t heard any shooting.” Shannon admitted.
“Maybe he hid somewhere?” Jerrell speculated and worriedly searched the landscape outside for his friend. Lester disappeared into the next room.
“Maybe they got to him before…”
A gunshot fired outside. It sounded subdued. Three more followed. An eerie silence followed when the banging ceased at the door. Lester hurried back into the room pushing a desk.
“What happened? Was that Tommy?” Lester asked.
“I’m not sure, Les.” Shannon answered and scanned outside for anyone. Still there was nothing but the three Azrael scouring the field for the creator of that sound. The largest was leading the other two towards the shack.
“In the meantime, I’m going to put this here.” Lester slid the desk in front of the door. “We’re going to need more weight behind the door than this.” He admitted, once he placed it, unsatisfied with the desk as the sole supporting brace to the door.
“There’s an old fridge near the studio. I think it’s out of refrigerant. So it’s pretty much useless.” Shannon speculated.
“Wanna help me out with that Jerrell?” Lester asked.
“Sure…” Jerrell slouched and walked with Lester out of the room. Lester patted him on the back.
“He’ll be fine, Jerrell. Don’t worry. He’s got his daddy’s gun.” Lester comforted and casted a worried look at Shannon over his shoulder. She shook her head with concern.
Shannon returned her gaze through the window. The Azrael had no clue where the gunshots came from either. She watched them disappear behind the shack towards the Paul Simon facility.
*
Tommy heard Jerrell banging on the door.
“Let me in.” He banged harder. “Fucking let me in, Shannon.”
Seconds later, he was inside and the door shut. Tommy sighed and was glad that his friend made it back safely. However, he didn’t have a clue where the other two were. He slowly backed up and scanned the area pointing his hand cannon in a 45 degree fanning motion. A few seconds later banging on the door from three of the Azrael caught his attention.
He quickened his steps. The ground inclined a bit and felt bouncy. After a few more steps the rotten boards beneath his feet collapsed from his weight and he tumbled down a flight of concrete steps into a dark damp cellar. He collided into a tall stack of moldy soft cardboard boxes full of old records. They tumbled and split spilling their contents onto the cold concrete below. Several black discs shattered on impact creating hundreds of tiny plastic shards.
“Shit.” He grumbled and pulled himself to his feet awkwardly. He had a death grip on his revolver and was glad that he didn’t shoot a hole in his leg when he fell. He could still hear the banging on the door outside, but it was muted from the insulation of the cellar. He aimed his revolver towards the hole that he fell through and waited for the Azrael. A throbbing in his right shin amplified as he leaned into it.
Suddenly, a sound behind Tommy startled him. He quickly turned and an Azrael leapt at him. He managed to fire off a point blank shot at its face. Splinters of bone and blood splattered another group of boxes nearby. Before he could gather his wits another Azrael entered the hole he fell through. Again he had to turn his body to shoot it. His first shot clipped its arm and the second and third sent it on its back from the rounds placed in its chest. It collided into a table that had boxes of old brochures about the Paul Simon Job Corps Center. The Azrael disappeared into the darkness and Tommy couldn’t see where it was. He didn’t want to waste the last two bullets he had left shooting wildly and wasn’t sure if he could retrieve his speed loader from his pocket in time. He waited patiently.
As if reading his mind, the Azrael exploded out of the boxes and knocked the gun from his hands. Tommy instinctively stepped back. Due to the injury, the Azrael took a knee clutching at its chest. His weapon dropped into a large cardboard box with hundreds of random items. The Azrael collapsed on the floor wheezing through its damaged lungs. It was having a hard time breathing.
“Fuck!” He hollered and reached inside to retrieve his gun. He could hear the Azrael hissing whilst its respiration faltered. It was healing. He was running out of time. He needed to kill it or at least locate his weapon before it got back up.
The Azrael (Book 5): Prisoners Page 8
