“You seeing this Noah?”
She paused and watched the television in horror. Noah looked up from his phone and squinted at the screen. A live feed revealed the backs of a handful of people on their knees hovering over someone or something.
“What’d I miss?”
“They’re eating that guy.” She trembled with her left hand covering her mouth.
“Eating the guy? Are you fucking with me?” He asked.
The group of people stopped doing what they were doing at the same time and stood up. Three turned towards the camera with blood on their faces and wads of flesh in their cheeks. Their eyes were gray and they scattered away. The camera zoomed in on the body that was attacked. It was twitching and blood was everywhere. Scrolling words below the screen labeled the footage at O’Hare airport.
“Turn it up.” Noah instructed. Laura turned off mute and a man’s voice broke through the silence.
“….you’re seeing is not a scene from a new horror movie. This is live and in Chicago.” The reporter claimed.
“You were just there. Did you see any of that going on?”
“No, not at all. It’s here already. Fuck!”
“What’s going on Noah? Why were they eating that man?”
“I…I don’t know.”
The recording replayed of the massacre that they just watched. Before it could finish the reporter interrupted.
“Are you guys getting this? Hello?” The reporter added and an image of a man in a suit talked to the screen as he pressed his right index finger on his ear pushing in the earpiece.
“Yes, yes we hear you.” The female news anchor answered.
“It appears that the corpse that those…those cannibals…were eating is moving again. Brandon, zoom in on the guy.” The reporter added.
The image panned back over to the corpse. It was convulsing for a few seconds. Suddenly it sat up. Its head twitched and jerked from left to right.
“Zoom in…see those eyes.”
The camera zoomed in and noticed his eyes. He had the same gray eyes as those cannibals. The man arose to his feet and tackled a woman running by. He bit into her throat and she screamed.
“Holy Christ! Shit!” The reporter covered his mouth. “I’m sorry about that folks. It’s crazy down there.” He apologized.
The camera panned back to the reporter. He was confused and horrified at the same instant.
“So, what looked like a corpse was actually a…”
A man sprinted across the screen and grabbed the reporter. He bit a chunk of meat from the man’s face. The camera dropped and you could see feet running towards the reporter. Three more pairs of feet entered the screen and attacked the camera man. Suddenly the feed was cut to a slack jawed news anchor.
“So it appears we’re having some, uh, technical difficulties.” The female anchor attempted to explain the problems.
“Technical difficulties? Craig and Brandon were attacked. What the fuck are you saying?” The male anchor argued.
“You can’t say that on...!”
The news feed cut to a commercial of a juicy cheeseburger.
“Well, that explains things.” Noah felt a knot in his stomach.
“This can’t be real? Why in the world is this happening?” Laura sat next to Dennis and cuddled next to him.
“I don’t know Laura. Do you think we’re safe here?” Dennis asked.
“How much food do you have?” Noah inquired.
“We just picked up groceries before you got here, so plenty.” She answered.
“Good.”
“How many tubs do you have?”
“Two, why?”
“Fill them with water, now. Do you have any weapons?”
“Kitchen knives…” Laura admitted with a shrug.
“A Glock.” Dennis interrupted.
“A gun? We have a gun? When did you get a gun?” She asked.
“I bought it when I found out we were moving to the city. You never know.”
“That’s fantastic thinking Dennis.” Noah nodded with approval. “Have you had any training on it? Have you shot it before?”
“No, no training and I haven’t shot it yet either. I’ve read the manual. It doesn’t seem too difficult to figure out.”
“First, I’m impressed that you’ve read the manual. Second, you need to practice using the weapon. Muscle memory will keep you alive. Knowing what things are called is informative but…well we’ll fix that soon.”
“Soon? How much time do you think we have before…?”
“Tonight, maybe sooner.” He interrupted.
“Christ!” Laura mumbled.
It was actually sooner. Within the hour, Noah and Laura were sprinting down the hall of the apartment building with Dennis and a mob of Azrael chasing a neighbor in the opposite direction. He disappeared to pick up the mail from downstairs while Noah and Laura were packing things in bags and filling the tubs with water. On his way back up he was attacked by a group of children running at him. He realized too late what they were. When Laura heard his screams down the hall, she hurried to the front door. Noah stopped her from opening it. She gave him a dirty look but he wouldn’t let her leave, even if she tried. She looked through the peephole and saw her husband being eaten by those monsters. Noah instructed her to bring what she packed and to bring Dennis’ gun. She disappeared and returned without the gun with glassy distant eyes.
“Couldn’t find it.”
“Shit. Okay, we’ll make a run for it once it clears up.” A woman screamed down the hall and the Azrael hurried towards her. “Now!”
They sprinted out of the apartment towards the maintenance elevator.
“There will be less traffic in here. It will be a bit before we lose power so it should be safe to use for now.”
Noah pushed the button and waited. Ten seconds passed. Thirty seconds passed. A minute passed. Ding. He stood in front of Laura just in case. The doors opened revealing a tool cart and no one inside.
“Get in, hurry.” He instructed and she complied without a thought.
The doors closed slowly and he pressed the lowest garage floor.
“Why G4?”
“Less people and better chance to steal a car without alerting those things.”
“Steal a car? Is that what happens to an advanced society in crisis? We steal things?”
“The odds are highly in favor that whoever owns these cars no longer need them.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Trust your older brother.”
“By two minutes.” She hit him in the arm.
“I wish you got that gun.”
“We haven’t needed it so far.” She speculated.
“When we do need it, we’re going to die or turn into those…freaks.”
“Like Dennis.”
“Yeah, like Dennis.”
“Do you think there’s a cure?”
“I don’t know Pearl. I don’t know.”
A beeping noise followed by a scratchy voice withdrew Noah from his thoughts.
“Gunny, we’ve got Azrael two streets over. A fuckton, sir.”
“Are they coming this way?”
“That’s affirm. Should I engage?”
“No. Keep eyes on them. Best thing we can do is keep quiet and keep our scent hidden. You reapplied the new masking agent?”
“Yes. Can’t tell I’m wearing anything.”
“That’s good. Keep me posted. I’ll make sure everyone in here reapplies the agent.”
“Copy.”
Without alarming anyone, he instructed his team and trusted medical personnel with applying a fresh coat of the masking agent on the citizens inside.
Chapter 18: Rooftop Conversations
The thick scent of a massive Azrael herd heading back towards the main gates caused Janice to quickly escape into a building nearby. She stepped over dead bodies and through a syrupy sheen of blood. Her new boots stamped red footprints across the floor as she searched
for the stairs to the roof. After a few minutes of nervous exploring, the building was found free of threats. Janice kept her pistol aimed towards the unknown as she opened the door to the roof of the building. Although the roof was safe from the Azrael below, their aroma caused her to gag. She took a knee and controlled her breathing. Why was it so rancid up there? She thought.
The sound of a quiet moan, chewing and grunting were leaving a dark corner to her right. She stood, lowered to a crouch and aimed her pistol towards the threat. She walked slowly and quietly to her left and away from the danger. The sound of whatever it was ceased. She heard sniffing in the air.
“I can smell you.” A throaty voice followed and swallowed whatever was in its mouth.
Janice didn’t bother saying anything. She wondered what was in the shadows with curiosity and fear. It bit into its meal once more. A slurping noise followed when the sound of liquid escaped its feast.
“Mmm, you wouldn’t taste this good…woman. I can smell your sour odor in the air. Is that…pepper spray?”
“I will shoot and kill you if you attack.” Janice confirmed.
“Ah, you’re a feisty one. It’s too bad you missed my friend behind you. He had a bit of attitude as well.”
Janice glanced over her shoulder quickly and noticed a pile of bones with the head placed on top of them. Its eyes were missing.
“Why…why are you doing this?” She stammered.
“The appetite is great when you are like those creatures down there. The food is plenty here, locked away for a rainy day.”
Janice walked over to the ledge and glanced over. There were thousands of Azrael packed onto the streets in a fleshy mass. The stench billowed over the ledge and nearly suffocated her. She winced and a tear escaped her left eye. They hurried towards something in the distance. It was a massive bald Azrael.
“He’s leading them away. Another one from the lab. His dominance drives them…those stupid beasts.” The man spoke in the shadows noisily eating somebody and gulping its blood.
“What happened here? What lab?”
The man swallowed what was in his cheek and sighed.
“Why ask these questions? Who will you tell when you are dead?”
“Believe what you want. Let’s figure it out together.” She taunted and deactivated the safety.
“Cocky little bitch.”
An assault rifle slid towards her feet from the shadows.
“Can’t figure it out?” She laughed.
“No, this guy shot all of them at me. Check the mag. It’s empty.”
“I’m not falling for it. The moment I lower my weapon you’re going to attack me. Fuck that!” She spat.
“You would be dead already if I willed it, you stupid girl.”
“So much confidence hiding in the shadows.” She continued to provoke the man.
The man stopped eating, tossed a corpse of an armored man ten feet away and into the light. He exited the shadows in full SWAT armor, a ballistic helmet, and stood about six foot three. He was much larger than Janice and his eyes were like the Azrael’s. The man wiped his mouth off with his forearm and lunged at her.
“Here I am bitch. Shoot me.”
She shot him, right in the throat and followed with several more in the face and neck. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop the man from grabbing her by the throat. His other hand wrenched the pistol from her hands and tossed it down below.
“No…you monster.” She gasped for air.
“The name’s Brock, from Tricon.” He sneered at her and dangled her over the ledge towards the hungry mouths of the Azrael below. “I’m kind of full. Those guys look hungry.” He laughed.
“No, please!” She wheezed.
“Weak humans. This is what we all will become. The strong will eat the weak.” He spoke through grinding teeth.
The wounds on his face and neck started to close up and scab. Several holes decorated the vest from the rifle shots. This was impossible, Janice thought.
“Then what?” She spat kicking her feet while her hands clinched around the man’s hand holding her up.
“More questions in the face of death? So much heart. You could have been a great…monster, as you called me. But the thing is, this don’t work on the ladies. I can’t give you what I have. It’s a different strain. Too bad, huh?” Brock spoke with arrogance. His stomach growled. “Maybe there is room for you.” He licked his lips.
A group of Azrael stormed onto the roof and headed for Brock and Janice.
“Fuck off!” He shouted and tossed Janice at their greedy mouths. Her eyes grew wide as she struck them. The stench of the pepper spray turned their noses and they ignored the woman. Brock noticed. “So your little trick worked. It don’t matter. Once they lose me, you’ll be back on the menu.”
Brock grinned and leapt over to the roof of the next building. It was about fifteen feet away. He landed into an acrobatic roll. He resituated his helmet, smiled and disappeared around the corner of a brick wall. The Azrael followed, leaping over to the other building. Two made the jump but the others fell into the crowd of Azrael below. Janice stood up and searched for a way across to the building on the other side. More will come into the building. The man was right. She wasn’t safe there anymore.
Luckily, the roof of the other building was a floor lower than the building she was on and she was hoping that she could make the jump. As she motivated herself to get to the other roof, an external motivating factor exited onto the roof carrying a sour aroma of Azrael. Her legs moved without thinking and she jumped down onto the roof of the next building. She attempted a roll to mitigate the forward momentum and banged her knee on the textured roof. Janice paused for a moment, held her knee and brought in a few deep breaths. Movement in her peripheral vision urged her to get moving as two Azrael leapt onto the roof with her. She reached for her pistol and realized that it was tossed to the ground below by Brock. That asshole.
“Shit!”
Janice hobbled over to the door that entered the building below, thanked God that it was unlocked, and closed it behind her. She removed her belt and wrapped it around the door handle and to the handrail. As she inserted the tongue through the punch hole, the Azrael collided into the door. Janice yelped in response and clumsily staggered down three steps worried that the belt was going to snap. She only had enough belt to loop it once and hoped that the leather was strong enough. She descended into the unknown darkness below. Her only solace was in the stagnant aroma of mildew in the air. There weren’t any Azrael or dead bodies down below. Presented with a sobering reality of her impossible escape, her knee pain returned in throbbing waves.
She retrieved a small LED flashlight from her pocket that she acquired from the van and used it to help navigate through the building. She exited onto the second floor from the stairwell. Janice listened for movement and sniffed the air for something Azrael. Again, she found nothing threatening and searched the hallway for a place where she could inspect her injury. A female restroom sign directed her into a moldy smelling room. She entered, investigated the room for dangers, and locked the door once she discovered it empty.
Janice climbed onto the sink and braced her back against the wall and feet against the sink while pulling her butt off the counter. She unbuttoned her pants, slid them down to her ankles and then sat back down on the counter. The cold granite caused her to flinch against the exposed leg and lower butt not within her panties. Unfortunately, they were a bikini style that she packed to feel sexy again. She had already worn the other pairs that she brought with her when she left the Paul Simon facility. Janice also realized that her legs were in dire need of a shaving. She rubbed her hand across the hairs and groaned in response. Her hand eventually found the scrape on her right knee. It was extremely tender and a flap of skin rolled up into itself. She didn’t have her backpack or her gun. Her wound didn’t appear infected. Yet, she needed to dress the injury and wrap it up in some type of bandage so it didn’t rub against her pants when she walked irr
itating it further. She gracelessly hopped to the floor, waddled over to a stall and retrieved some toilet paper. She folded over several sheets, applied it to the injury, tore a piece of her sleeve and wrapped it around the wound. That would have to do for now. She thought. She pulled up her pants, sucked in her stomach and buttoned them.
She hopped back onto the counter, sighed and leaned her head against the mirror. She deactivated the flashlight and sat in darkness. She activated her watch light. It was almost 8:00p.m. That’s why she was so damned tired. She thought. She had been slowly travelling the streets for almost twelve hours. She needed a break. Her watch light deactivated and within a minute she was fast asleep.
Several hours passed and Janice pressed her watch light. It was nearly six in the morning. She actuated the flashlight once more and squinted as her eyes adjusted. She hopped off the counter and commenced to stretch. She unlocked the door to the bathroom and entered the hallway. Her leg was a bit stiff, but the injury wasn’t rubbing anymore.
“Alright now, let’s get out of this place.” She whispered to herself.
Janice casually walked over to the stairwell and entered. There was a deafening silence inside and the echo from the door shutting was eerie. Had they made it inside? She thought. She didn’t smell them or desired to go up there to find out. She studied the dark silhouette shadows of the stairs with doom. Glad to be alive, she tolerated the unidentified resolution to her question at the moment. With a renewed spirit, Janice jogged down the steps. She exited onto the lobby floor. The glow of the sun momentarily blinded her. She shielded her eyes with her left hand and blinked several times. Once her eyes adjusted, she marveled at the beauty of the architecture. The floorplan was gorgeous. Everything was decorated in expensive granite and trimmed in an aesthetically pleasing gold trim. The breeze from outside whistled past the broken glass and the metal frames of the doors and windows. The stench of the Azrael faintly carried in the air. Her nose twitched but it wasn’t as bad as earlier. No shadows accompanied the glow of the outside. She had escaped the Azrael threat. She wondered if anyone else survived the night and cautiously headed towards the Highwaymen Station. Would there be anyone left alive? Who was Tricon and what was Brock? This had been the strangest few days of her life and she needed a taste of normalcy. She wondered if the Highwaymen even controlled the Station anymore.
The Azrael (Book 5): Prisoners Page 12
