by A. R. Wise
Ben nodded.
“Why didn’t you say something before?” asked Laura.
“Kim told me that Annie always thought it was her father’s spirit that saved her,” said Ben. “I guess I liked her version better.”
“He saved Annie,” said Harrison, expecting Laura to be ecstatic with the revelation.
Laura furrowed her brow and looked as if she wanted to step away from Ben. “So you’re the one that killed everyone in that room? You sliced all those men up like that? When you were just thirteen?”
Ben nodded.
“I don’t know what to say.” Laura put her hand over her mouth and then wiped sweat off her cheeks as she contemplated what Ben had told her. “I guess I’m thankful that you protected Annie, but I just can’t imagine a thirteen year old doing the things I saw in that room.”
“I know,” said Ben. “That’s why I wanted to just let Annie think it was her guardian angel instead of some psychotic assassin.”
“And now you end up here,” said Laura. “That can’t be a coincidence. Can it? That doesn’t seem plausible.”
“I’ve been trying to track down the people in those files, and it led me here. My whole life has been about revenge.”
“That’s a hard way to live,” said Laura, and she looked at Billy.
“Yes it is,” said Billy.
“And yet here you are,” said Harrison. “Stuck in the basement of a church while the whole world burns above you. If you can come up with a better phoenix metaphor than that, I’d love to hear it. Time to rise up, kid. Forget the sins of the past and be reborn. Am I right?” He looked at the others. “Baptized by flames. If we survive, let’s get out of this place and find the folks we love, and grow old with them. If life’s taught me anything, it’s that when you go looking for a fight, you end up getting beat to hell.”
Laura squeezed Billy’s hand. “I agree, Harry. We’d all be better off if we tucked tail and ran. We’d live a lot longer, and be a hell of a lot happier if we could just forget what happened here.” She looked at Billy and then at Zack. “But I’m no saint, and there’s a piece of shit out there that killed Kim and nearly killed Annie. And he’s going to pay for it. If nearly burning to death in the basement of a church is your idea of a phoenix metaphor, then Jerald Scott had better be damn scared of the bird that’s rising from these ashes.”
A whistle started to emit from the pipe near the bottom of the cell. It grew in intensity as the group stared down at it, and then Billy screamed out, “The tanks!”
They tried to take cover, but there was nowhere to go. The oxygen tank that was feeding the cell finally succumbed to the heat and exploded. It was located somewhere in the wall, but the blast sent concrete and wood careening through the room along with a resurgence of flame, now fed by fresh oxygen and burning like an inferno outside of their door.
The reinforced glass of the cell was undamaged by the explosion, but the momentary relief of that was swiftly forgotten as black smoke began pouring in from the pipe below. Billy tried to cover the opening, but the smoke was too hot and he had to pull away. Zack pushed him aside and pressed his gloved hand to the pipe to stop the flow of smoke.
“Well now look what you guys did,” said Harrison. “All this talk about revenge went and got the Devil all riled up. He’s getting all excited now, trying to blow us out of our cage.”
Ben saw the old man clutching his pocket in the chaos, protecting whatever he was hiding in there. Ben took the old man’s wrist and pulled his hand away. Harrison was startled, and then scowled at Ben, but stayed silent as the others were focused on the explosion and how they were going to get out in the midst of an inferno.
Ben reached into Harrison’s pocket and found a vial of black liquid. The old man trying to pry the vial away, but Ben’s grip was too tight.
“Come on, Ben,” said Harrison. “I need that. You know I need that.” His whisper sounded like a pleading snake, quiet but furious. “You know I need that. Don’t take it away.”
Ben held the vial in his fist and then put his other hand on Harrison’s shoulder. “Rise up, brother. We’re going to get out of here, and you’re going to leave this behind. Got it?”
The others were debating how to handle the fire, and whether they should leave, but Ben focused on Harrison. He gripped the old man’s shoulder and then pulled him in for an embrace. “I’ll leave my past behind if you’ll leave yours. Deal?”
“I hate you, Chinaman,” said Harrison, but his soft tone let Ben know he was joking. “You’ve been nothing but trouble since the minute I met you.”
Chapter Twenty-One – Couldn’t Save Any of Them
Two years after the apocalypse
Billy and Reagan are trying to escape the facility in Nederland.
The pain in his back was excruciating, but Billy continued to carry the girl through the hall. The smoke had thickened, blinding him as he went. He knew the stairs were close, just straight ahead a few more feet, and then he collided with them. He fell forward, the girl’s weight dragging him down, and his shin struck the concrete stair first. He almost steadied himself, but then the pain in his spine surged and he collapsed the rest of the way. He dropped the girl and she cried in agony as her back cracked against the stairs. She bent back at a horrific angle, and her scream turned to a gasp. She started to convulse, and her scream turned to a gurgle before she started to cough up blood and phlegm.
Billy stood, the pain in his spine searing him as he did, and picked the girl back up. Her body folded in half like a sack of grain, her arms dangling below her head as he held her. It was a grotesque image, made worse by the sensation against his arm of the upper half of her spine sloshing about, detached from the lower. Her body dangled like a wet towel over his arm, and blood was dripping from her face.
“No, no,” said Billy as he set her down on the stairs. “What happened? Oh my God, what happened?” He set her head down flat on the stair, but she was clearly dead. Blood and saliva wet her lips, and her eyes were rolled back, rimmed with fresh crimson. He felt helpless as he held her face. He felt for a pulse on her neck, but knew it was a useless attempt.
He could hear the sound of a struggle behind him, but the smoke was too thick to see anything. Reagan had stayed back to fight the creatures that appeared from the rooms, and was now stuck in the smoke and flames, continuing to try and help Billy save the girl.
Billy didn’t know what to do. The girl was clearly dead, but he didn’t want to leave her on the steps. The truck was backed up to the stairs, only a few yards up. There were a few feet between the entrance to the underground hall and the back of the truck, just enough to allow the smoke to pour out and let a sliver of daylight in.
He lifted the dead girl back up, sickened by the feel of her broken body in his arms, and started to climb the stairs. He glanced back just in time to see a figure appear in the smoke. Whether it was Reagan or a zombie was uncertain, so he continued up the stairs as he watched.
“Get in the truck,” said Reagan as he emerged from the smoke.
“She’s dead,” said Billy. “The girl’s dead.”
“What happened?” Reagan bounded up the stairs two at a time.
“Her back just broke in two. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.”
“Not your fault, Billy.” Reagan put his hand on Billy’s shoulder.
“I fell, and I dropped her. Her back just broke in two. I don’t know what happened.”
“Not your fault, kid,” said Reagan. “They did this to her. Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”
“I dropped her,” said Billy, shaken by the experience as he gripped the dead child. “My back gave out and I dropped her.”
“Let’s go, Billy. We need to get out of here.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” said a soldier at the top of the stairs.
There were three men, each pointing rifles down at them from behind the truck. Reagan only had his knife, but was about to throw it when the soldi
ers started firing.
Billy bent down and closed his eyes as he prepared to die. The cacophonous blasts from the rifles echoed through the large hall, but Billy wasn’t hit. He looked back and saw that the soldiers had been aiming at zombies that were coming up the stairs.
Then he saw Reagan’s knife on the stairs and he heard the old man growl.
“Mother fucker,” said Reagan.
Billy saw that the old captain was clutching his hand, but didn’t see any blood. Apparently one of the soldiers had been able to shoot the knife out of his hand.
“You’re lucky we didn’t kill you. Now get out of there before the zombies do our jobs for us.”
“Why don’t you just get it over with,” said Reagan. “If you’re here to kill us, stop fucking around and do it.”
“Believe me, old man, nothing would make my day better than putting a bullet in a terrorist’s head,” said the soldier. “But Covington wants a few words with you first.”
They heard the desperate cry of a burning corpse behind them, but Billy and Reagan stayed standing on the stairs. Billy looked at the old captain for guidance.
“Go on,” said Reagan to Billy. “They won this round.”
Billy walked up the stairs while still carrying the dead girl. When he got to the top, one of the soldiers ripped the corpse out his arms and threw him to the ground. Billy cringed as he hit the cement, and watched as one of the soldiers pulled the girl’s body aside.
“You guys are nuts,” said the soldier that had taken the girl’s body. “Why are you dragging a body around with you? She’s going to be a zombie any damn minute.” He aimed his rifle at the child’s head. Billy closed his eyes before the soldier shot, and heard the sickening sound of the child’s skull split.
“You sick fucks,” said Billy.
“What’s that asshole?” asked one of the soldiers. “I didn’t hear you.”
Billy was going to curse at them again, but then the butt of a rifle slammed against his head. He felt his cheek bounce on the pavement and saw a flash of white, but didn’t pass out.
“I said you’re a sick fuck.”
“Oh shit,” said the soldier. “Listen to this guy! He says he needs another.” The rifle hit Billy again, but he still didn’t pass out.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” asked Billy and a mouthful of blood spilled as he spoke.
“Look at that,” said one of the other soldiers. “Dean can’t knock the kid out. What a puss! I knocked out that black kid with one shot.”
“Fuck you,” said Dean from over Billy. “This kid’s got like a steel skull or something.”
The butt of the rifle hit Billy again, and this time the white light that flashed was followed by a ringing in his ear before he finally lost consciousness. He dreamed of dead girls with broken backs, crawling in a field of roses that dripped their crimson to the grass below. He couldn’t save any of them.
* * *
August 24th, 20 years after the apocalypse
Laura and the others are desperate to escape the church.
“You’re going to wear my jacket, Laura,” said Zack as he crouched in front of the pipe, his hand pressed against it to prevent the smoke from pouring in.
“No,” said Laura. “I’ll just…”
“No arguing,” said Zack. “You’re wearing the jacket and that’s all there is to it. You’re making it out of here if it kills me.”
“How much air do you think we have?” asked Harrison.
“No clue,” said Ben. “We should all calm down and conserve oxygen. Let’s try to wait out this fire for as long as possible.”
Stubs barked as if the pug was trying to take part in the conversation.
“There’s no telling what it’s like upstairs,” said Laura. “We could be running into a firestorm up there.”
“We don’t have any other choice,” said Zack. “We sure as hell aren’t going to lie down and die with the rest of the corpses in here. When I came through, the church was still standing. It was on fire, but hadn’t collapsed. We aren’t going to be able to wait here for much longer before we run out of air. My vote is we just go out as fast as we can, right now. We’ll hold hands and just run.”
“Why not wait for the fire to burn down some more?” asked Billy.
“Because if the church collapses, it’s going to bury us. We’ll never get out,” said Zack.
“Why didn’t we run out earlier then?” asked Billy.
“Because we thought we had oxygen pumping in here,” said Zack, growing frustrated with the debate. “We could’ve dug our way out.”
“Guys, stop arguing,” said Laura. “Zack, leave your glove in here so we can keep the smoke from getting in, and you head out to see what it looks like. You’ve got that suit to protect you. Go out there and see if the church is still standing and then come get us.”
The condensation on the glass had turned to rivers, streaking down the walls as if fleeing the heat. They were soaked with sweat, their hair pasted to their foreheads as they baked in the cell. It looked like it had been raining on them as they contemplated their escape.
“Stop sitting there staring at me,” said Laura. “Get moving.”
“Fuck, okay,” said Zack. He was perturbed, but recognized that Laura’s plan made sense. “Here, Billy. Take the glove.”
“Ben, you do it,” said Laura. “I don’t want Billy crouching down like that with his back giving him so much trouble.”
“I can handle it,” said Billy.
Laura glared at him. “Let Ben do it.”
Ben handed Stubs back to Harrison and moved through the muck to stand beside Zack. Billy knew it wasn’t worth a fight to argue that his back was okay and relented. Ben and Zack tried to exchange the glove without letting in too much smoke, but a good amount still spewed in.
Zack put his right hand in his pocket and then gripped the door’s handle with his left. He looked at Laura and said, “I’ll be right back.”
“Be careful.” She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him.
Then Zack pushed the door open. Blood gushed out as heat and smoked flowed in. Billy clenched his eyes shut as the heat seared his face, and he worried that even with the suit, Zack wouldn’t last long out there.
“And so, we find ourselves here,” said Harrison as he stared absently up. “The valley of shadow and death turned out to be the basement of a church on fire. That’s a fucked up sense of humor you’ve got up there, big guy.”
“Harry,” said Laura. “I don’t think the man upstairs has much use for us down here anymore.”
“Don’t say that, darling,” said Harrison. “He’s the only reason we’re still standing. I bet he’s got a few more miracles up his sleeve for us. God’s got his eye on us.”
“This is what we get for hauling a preacher around,” said Billy. “Sermons when we need saving.”
Laura wiped more liquid from the glass so she could see into the smoke filled room beyond. “I think you can forgive me for being on bad terms with the man upstairs at the moment. If he thought he needed my girls so damn bad, then he should’ve taken me first.” She refused to look at the other three in the cell as she thought about her daughters.
“He keeps trying to grab you,” said Billy. “But us Rollers wouldn’t let you go. We need you too much.”
Laura and Billy had been at odds for so long, it felt good to be his friend again. She turned to him and smiled, but her expression was a weak mask of her pain and sorrow.
“The Rollers need you, Laura. They always have.” He stepped closer and put his arms around her. “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve gotten them all killed a long time ago. You’re our den momma, our matriarch. We’re just a bunch of rowdy kids without you keeping us in check.”
“I’m going to need your help, Billy,” said Laura. The agony of her loss continued to torture her, despite how she tried to hide it.
“I’ll be here for you, and so will all the rest of us. We love you, Laura.
And after we get out of here, you and I will figure out a way to go take care of this piece of shit that did this to us. Okay?” They were both crying as Billy held his forehead against Laura’s. “And then we’ll build the biggest damn shrine to your hero of a daughter that the world’s seen in two decades. Okay?”
Zack slammed into the door of the cell, startling everyone inside. He pulled it open and squeezed in, along with a swell of smoke, before closing it again. He took off the plastic mask and gasped, then coughed before taking a deep breath. “You’re not going to believe this.” He looked hopeful and his white teeth were revealed as he broke into a smile. His shaggy, soot covered beard looked like a chimney broom that had suddenly sprouted teeth. “It’s raining.”
“Are you serious?” asked Laura.
Zack nodded and laughed. “Big ass thunderstorm outside. I wasn’t sure what was going on at first. I just kept hearing these big loud cracks that I thought was the church falling down, but then I heard all these pops and sizzles. By the time I got up the stairs I knew for sure. It’s raining. Can you believe it? It’s not even that hot upstairs anymore. There’s a lot of smoke, but once you get out of this hall it’s clear sailing. The fire is concentrated on the front end of the building.” He motioned to the left of the door of the cell. “We can go back the way we came and get out the rear exit. We’re going to make it out of here.”
“Well what do you know about that?” asked Harrison. “Here we are wondering if God forgot about us, and suddenly it starts raining in the middle of a drought, right when we need it the most. “
“Let’s not celebrate hopping out of the frying pan until we know the stove’s off,” said Billy.
“We should probably get out sooner rather than later,” said Zack. “The rain helped put out the fire, but the building is still in bad shape. No telling how long we’ve got before it starts to fall down.” He started to take off his jacket. When Laura protested he hushed her and continued unbuckling his gear so that she could wear it.
Then a rumble from above shook the cell. The noise started as an ominous roar, distant but alarming, and then it strengthened. Laura was about to comment when the noise ended with a calamitous bang that cracked the ceiling of the cell. The flickering flames in the hall intensified as the church shuddered from whatever had just given way within its structure. The group glanced at one another, unsure what had just occurred.
