The Black: Arrival

by Paul E. Cooley

  The stairwell was around the far corner. There was no carpet remaining and the walls were scorched and smashed. The creature had more or less destroyed the entire second floor.

  He turned at the elevator bank and nearly stopped. The door to one of the elevators had buckled. It shined incredibly bright beneath the overhead lights. So that’s how it got to the first floor, he thought.

  Mike reached the stair well and swung the door open. He stood beside it, gesturing wildly to the others. Hoyt ran past him to the landing. Neil followed on her heels. Bill’s face was flushed and pained. The man couldn’t run anymore. Mike reached out and grabbed him, saving him from face-planting onto the concrete landing. He led the older man into the stairwell, pushed him against the wall, and then slammed the door shut.

  The security locks were disabled, but the door clicked shut just the same. He stared through the porthole in the door. The lights in the hallway clicked off one at a time. Chuckles may have disabled the security, but the eco-systems were still on. He gritted his teeth and turned.

  There was barely any room on the landing. Hoyt had moved a few steps down, as had Neil.

  “Where now?” Neil asked.

  Mike stared into his frightened eyes. He glanced toward Hoyt. She had the same wild look. Bill held a hand to his chest and wheezed.

  “We’re not safe in the foyer,” Mike said through a pant. “We can lock ourselves back in the bio-lab.”

  Neil shook his head. “Are you kidding? That thing busted out of the chem-lab back when it was small! How the hell do you think we’re safe in the bio-lab?”

  “Got a better idea?” Mike asked. He knew Neil was right, but he was angry just the same. There was no place safe. And if they went outside, they might be shot by whoever was running things out there. If Hoyt was right, they were all considered expendable; they were already casualties.

  Neil dropped his head. He looked up at Bill. “You okay, man?”

  Bill nodded, but the movement was weak and barely perceptible. His panting slowed, but his cheeks were too pale. “Will be,” he said. “How the hell did it get into the NOC?”

  Mike shrugged. “Let’s talk about that when we get some place safe.”

  Hoyt turned and took the stairs two at a time. Her left leg had obviously stiffened on her, but she was fighting through the pain. Neil took the steps a little more slowly. Mike put his arm around Bill’s waist and led the old scientist carefully down the stairs.

  Bill cleared his throat. “You think the others made it?”

  “I hope so,” Mike said. “We can’t help them now. They’re on their own.”

  “That poor kid,” Bill said.

  Mike didn’t reply. Kate and Jay were smart, but they didn’t have the flashlights. They were defenseless. He prayed they were safe.

  Chapter 8

  They’d made it to the stairwell without incident, but they could still hear the creature tearing through the second floor. Kate wondered how long it would be before the thing figured out where they had gone. She hoped It would remain confused until they could get the hell out of the building.

  The new building was still under construction. The stairwell led down to an emergency exit that had already been blocked off. The door wasn’t locked, but it barely budged against whatever the authorities had put in front of it. Again, there was no way out.

  Maeve held her arm at an odd angle. Jay stripped off the remains of his contamination suit. The crinkle of the fabric echoed in the concrete stairwell. Kate stared at him until he raised his eyebrows.

  “What?” he asked

  She managed a grin. “I guess we don’t need these after all.”

  “Nope,” he agreed. “Useless. M2 will eat right through it.”

  “Maeve?” Her daughter looked at her. The girl’s teeth were locked together in pain. “Would a sling help?”

  “Don’t know,” the girl said.

  Jay stared down at the remains of his suit and smiled. “Let’s do something about that.”

  The stairwell was silent except for the sounds of movement, sirens beyond the emergency exit, and their own breathing. Jay started to form a makeshift sling out of the suit. Kate stared at the door leading to the first floor interior. She blew out a sigh between her teeth.

  “Jay? I’m going to go scout the lab room. See if there’s anything we can use.”

  He shook his head. “Let me get Maeve situated first. You shouldn’t be going in alone.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m going alone. Take care of her.” She tried to keep the fear from her voice, but knew she had failed. Kate stroked her daughter’s undamaged arm. “I’ll be right back.”

  “No,” Maeve said. “Don’t go.”

  Kate cleared her throat. “It’s upstairs. And if something happens and we have to move, I can’t carry you. But Uncle Jay can, right?”

  Jay nodded. He looked less than happy about the situation. “I can. I will.”

  “Just stay here until I come back. If that thing comes through the stairwell, get your asses into the lab area, okay?”

  “We will,” Jay said.

  Kate bent down and kissed her daughter’s cheek. She managed a smile. “I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

  “Isn’t that what all the stupid white people say in horror movies?” Maeve asked.

  Kate giggled. “Don’t worry, daughter of mine. I’ve seen them all.”

  She turned from her two companions and faced the inner door. Kate took a deep breath, and swiveled the handle. It moved easily beneath her hand. She pushed it open and headed inside.

  Darkness. Pure, uninterrupted darkness. No windows. No way for ambient light to even think about coming in. The door swung closed behind her with a bang. Kate jumped and then chuckled. She didn’t know how it was even possible, but the first floor was somehow even darker. She pulled her phone from her pocket, turned on the flashlight mode, and swept the light in front of her.

  The floor was strewn with tools, sawhorses, stacks of sheetrock, metal supports, and bundles of wood. Just like the old building, the room had a wide hallway that faced the labs. Unlike the old building, there were four different lab areas instead of two. The two new chem-labs had already been piped. Drains leading god-knows-where sat in the middle of each room. The metal gleamed dimly in the wan light.

  The workers had yet to put up the glass enclosures or even put in the electrical cabling. She glanced around as she searched the floor. Debris crunched under her feet.

  At least it hasn’t been here, she said to herself. Or the floor would be completely clean. That was a good sign. Maybe M2 didn’t know there was a first floor. A shiver ran up her spine. What if—

  She killed the thought as she raised her light to point at the ceiling. In the less than bright light coming from the phone, she could still see unfinished air ducts and pipes. “Fuck,” she said to the empty room. Even at a whisper, her voice echoed off the concrete walls.

  It could get in here. It wouldn’t have to bother with doors or stairs. If it found its way into an adjoining duct, it would just pour into the room. The thought of the black ooze raining down upon them made her sick to her stomach.

  She pointed the phone to the far wall. Was that what she thought it was? A tripod?

  Kate walked forward until the shape solidified. A grin spread across her face. A large rectangular light-head stood atop the tripod. Light. The workers had to have light to work in here. She looked for a switch on the tripod, but didn’t find one. Cursing, she followed the extension cord leading out of the light-head.

  The cord led to a portable transformer against one of the walls. She knelt down and studied it. Four red, rocker switches stared back at her. She looked at the labels. One was marked “Master” and it was in the off position. Kate took a deep breath and flicked it.

  The world exploded with light. She shut her eyes and waited for the retinal afterimage to fade. The room hummed with the buzz of electricity through the heavy halogens. When the afterimage
dimmed, she slowly opened her eyes to slits.

  The incredibly large room was lit in each corner. The area for chem-lab 1 was the brightest. The construction crew had put up several halogen tripods to illuminate plumbing and piping they were still connecting.

  She turned off her phone’s flashlight mode and studied the ceiling. Ductwork stretched from the walls to the building interior. There were a number of exchanges leading upward. If the creature somehow entered the main vent, it could drop on them from anywhere.

  But if it tried to get to chem-lab 1, it’d be burned alive. Kate grinned. That was the answer. They could sit in the middle of the lights and they’d be safe for as long as there was power and the lights didn’t burn out.

  Best option, she thought. Kate turned and walked to the stairwell entrance. Just for giggles, she looked at her phone. “No Signal.” Well, that was as expected. With the heavy stone walls, insulation, and half of the floor beneath the actual ground, cell phone reception would be shit. She already knew Mike had planned to put a repeater on the building.

  A little late now, she thought. If they stayed in here, they’d be safe, but cut off. No internet. No cell. Nothing. But at least they’d have light.

  She knocked on the stairwell door. “Jay? Maeve? Come on in.”

  Someone murmured through the heavy metal door and then the door handle turned. The image of a tentacle tearing open the door flashed in her mind. She knew it wasn’t in the stairwell, but her heart was off to the races anyway.

  The door opened wide. Maeve stood next to Jay, her left arm wrapped and slung. Jay grinned at Kate. “You like my ER skills?”

  Kate sighed. “Maeve? Is it better?”

  The girl nodded, but said nothing. She walked past her mother and into the room. Jay shrugged and followed her.

  Kate closed the door behind them and tested to make sure it would stay closed. She blew a sigh between her teeth and turned to watch Jay and her daughter.

  Jay studied the ceiling much as she had. Maeve walked directly to the intersection of light in the unfinished lab.

  “Sufferin’ succotash,” Jay said. “This is one big ass room.”

  “Shut up, Sylvester,” Maeve muttered.

  Jay made a farting noise with his lips. “Kate?” He pointed to the ceiling. “Those ducts lead out and up, am I right?”

  She nodded. “I think so. If I remember correctly, they’ll be positively pressurized so air only goes out, not in.”

  “Right.” Jay shook his head. “Too damned bad all this isn’t ready. But hey,” he clapped his hands, “at least we have light.”

  Maeve put her back against the wall near the lights and slowly slid down. She used her good hand to steady herself, but still managed to make a dull thud when her ass touched the floor. She let out a small cry of pain.

  Kate looked at Jay. “We need to see if we can find a med-kit. They have to have one around here somewhere don’t they?”

  Jay blinked. “Only if you think illegal immigrant labor follows OSHA rules.”

  She glared at him. “Let’s look anyway.”

  He shrugged and moved off to the far wall. Kate watched him go and then headed to Maeve. She knelt next to her daughter. “You going to be okay?”

  Maeve’s head rested against her chest. “Really hurts.” She looked up at her mother. “Next time? Get a babysitter.”

  Kate’s mouth opened and then closed. She giggled and stroked her daughter’s hair. “Stay still. I’ll try and find something to make you more comfortable, okay?” She rose to leave.

  “Mom?”

  “Yeah, hun?”

  Maeve stared at her with level eyes, but the girl’s lower lip trembled. “How long do we have light?”

  “As long as we have power, baby.”

  “And what if…it…decides we don’t need power?”

  Kate fought to keep her expression level, but the flesh on her arms prickled. “It’s not smart enough for that.”

  Maeve sniffed back a tear. “How do you know that?”

  “I don’t.” The words were out of her mouth before she thought about them. She shook her head. “I don’t, baby, but if it was that smart, I don’t think we’d be standing here.”

  Maeve put her head back on her chest. Kate watched her for a moment and then began searching the unfinished labs.

  *****

  It took both Mike and Neil to get Bill through the doors and into the chair. He slumped in it like a tired kid, but his breathing was an old man’s wheeze.

  Hoyt had managed to get herself into a chair. She stared at the wall as though it was something interesting. Neil was sure she was in shock. He didn’t know what to do for her or if there was anything that could be done.

  Mike stood next to the computer. When he cleared his throat, Neil looked at him, eyebrows raised. “What?”

  “Can you get on this thing and see if we have network?”

  Neil rolled his eyes. “If the old NOC was destroyed, I’m not sure we’re going to have anything.”

  “Try.” Mike’s voice was a low growl. His expression was flat, but his eyes were full of panic and anger.

  “Yes, sir,” Neil said. He marched to the computer desk and brought up the interface. He typed in his username and password. The computer thought for a moment and then a red dialog box appeared. He sighed. “Can’t authenticate. No network, boss.”

  “Goddammit,” Mike hissed. He slammed a fist down on the computer desk. The monitor jumped and so did Neil. “We have to—” He stopped and then turned to Hoyt. “Dr. Hoyt?”

  The woman kept staring at the far wall. She hadn’t even twitched at his words.

  Mike walked to her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gently squeezed. “Melanie?”

  Hoyt blinked. Her head swiveled toward him as if it were on rusty hinges. She blinked again. Her eyes glittered a little. That was something.

  “Do you still have communications with your people?”

  “My people?” she asked in a dreamy, far away voice. “My people are dead, Mr. Beaudry.”

  Mike winced. “Can you communicate with the CDC? Your radio?”

  “Radio.” Dr. Hoyt stared down at the floor.

  Neil walked forward and knelt in front of her. “Can I have your radio, Melanie?”

  Hoyt raised her head and stared into his eyes. “They won’t talk to you.”

  He forced a gentle smile. She was cracking up, but anything he could do to humor her might bring her out of her daze. He hoped. “Maybe they will. I’d like to try.”

  “Okay.” Dr. Hoyt pulled the radio from her belt and offered it. “Control won’t be happy.”

  “I’m sure they won’t be,” Neil agreed. “But I will be. And I’m going to get us out of here.”

  “You are?” She sighed and stared again at the floor. She finally spoke in a whisper. “We are going to die here.”

  The words hung in the air. Neil glanced up at Mike. His face was pale, but his eyes still glittered with energy. Mike nodded at the radio. “Do it.”

  Neil stared down at it. He turned the volume dial until he heard static and pressed the talk button. “Control. This is HAL. Over.”

  The static continued. Beneath the layer of white noise, barely audible excited voices wavered in and out. Neil blinked and tried again.

  “Control. This is HAL quarantine area. We have an update on our situation. Over.” He depressed the talk button. The room seemed to hold its breath.

  “HAL. This is quarantine control outside building 2. What’s your status? Over.”

  Neil grinned at Mike. That was good. They were talking to the folks just outside the walls. Fifty feet from where they sat was freedom. Now if only they could get there.

  “This is Dr. Neil Illing from HAL. We are trapped in the lab on floor 1 of building 1. We need help. The creature is roaming freely through the building and there is no place to hide. Over.”

  There was a pause. Neil’s heart pounded in his chest. He was sure he heard Mike’s doing
the same.

  “Dr. Illing? Where is Dr. Hoyt? Over.”

  Neil took a deep breath. “Dr. Hoyt is indisposed. She is unable to communicate at this time. Over.”

  Another pause. The seconds dragged out like minutes. Neil suddenly wanted to scream at the radio. What was taking so goddamned long?

  “Dr. Illing. We have the buildings surrounded. There is no way out, no way in. We cannot assist you until the biological entities are contained. Over.”

  Finally, blessedly, he lost it. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he shouted into the radio. “We have no weapons! We are unable to hide, let alone fight! At least give us some fucking weapons! Over!”

  Pause. Pause. Pause.

  “Dr. Illing. Your situation is understood. We cannot take the chance any of you are infected. Ben Taub is a war zone. The biological entity there has killed most of the hospital personnel and patients, as well as many military resources. We have it contained for the moment. We cannot risk another entity escaping. Over.”

  The radio’s plastic cover creaked beneath his grip. His white-knuckled fingers trembled. “Control. Have you tried halogen light? Anything besides bullets and bullshit?”

  Pause. Pause. Pause.

  “Dr. Illing. Can you update us on your entity? How large is it? What are its characteristics? Over.”

  Neil felt like he was going to explode. He took in a deep breath to scream at the asshole on the other end of the radio, but stopped himself. He exhaled through his teeth and waited until he felt like he was in control of himself.

  “Control. Our entity is large. It has consumed all the carpet, most of the sheetrock, and other non-metallic, non-glass materials. It has also killed at least three people. Probably more. But we haven’t seen it fully formed. It is large enough to easily fill a hallway. It sprouts tentacles and legs and is becoming increasingly fast. Over.”

  Pause.

  “Dr. Illing. Do you have any samples of M2? Over?”