Richard said nothing.
“Do… you even care?” Mathis asked.
Richard slowly nodded, as if digesting the thought.
“I do. I do care about Andy. I’m going to save him,” Richard muttered. “But first, I am going to sleep.”
Richard leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
The sun was rising.
Mathis frowned and stared outside as they flew out of Raleigh’s city limit and skirted the edge of Durham. In the distance, he saw what remained of Durham’s plastic-draped skyline. The entire city had an orange glow as the flames devoured entire neighborhoods and leveled forests. Duke University’s campus was awash in flames.
Evidently, Raleigh was not the only city that had been firebombed.
With the whimsical hopeful illusions of rescue and safe passage dashed, reality suddenly became frighteningly real to Mathis. A part of him was relieved that he didn’t have long to live in the ruined world of fire and teeth and he started to welcome death’s eternal peaceful prospect.
The irony that the only hope that the United States and quite possibly the world had left rested in the hands of an infected army colonel and a broken civilian teetering on the abyss of insanity was not lost on him.
Mathis erupted into a coughing spasm.
In truth, he didn’t know what to do, or who to call. All he could do was fly until he couldn’t fly anymore and hope that he made it far enough to deliver Richard to safety.
In truth, it all started to feel hopeless.
From his vantage point, the whole world appeared to be burning against the rising sun.
Mathis watched, and Richard slept.
30
Wake up.
Richard’s eyes shot open on Andy’s command.
The morning sun momentarily blinded him.
He found himself still sitting next to Mathis in the helicopter. The helicopter had left the city behind and was flying over dense forest and the vehicle-clogged remnants of Interstate 85. The trees below were green and unscathed, meaning that they must have passed the radius of the fire bombardment. He saw a large lake in the distance.
That’s Falls Lake, Richie.
Richard heard the voice come from behind him and felt spooked. He spun around but nobody was there. Andy’s scent lingered, though.
Mathis was struggling to maintain consciousness let alone maintain control of the helicopter as he battled the infection coursing through his veins. Snot dribbled out of both of his nostrils and his lips were swollen. Each breath was labored and came out in raspy spurts.
Your sister and I were talking. We decided that it’s time.
The sound of the female voice that Richard heard inside his head earlier suddenly became very familiar.
“Stacy,” Richard murmured.
A flash of violent images passed before his eyes.
He closed his eyes, shook his head, and pushed the horrific images away. He started to wring his hands in his lap, methodically popping each knuckle.
We’re almost at the lake, so we have to do it now, okay Richie? Butner is close just a few miles north of the lake and a very short drive along the interstate.
Richard took a nervous swallow and clinched his fists in his lap. He looked over at Mathis and saw that he was very sick. It would be easier to catch him off-guard.
Just punch him in the throat, reach for the pistol on his lap, and kill him. As soon as you do that, I’ll take over flying this thing.
Richard looked down at Mathis’ lap. He didn’t see a gun.
Look again.
Richard looked down at Mathis’ lap again and saw that a handgun had materialized. His eyes widened with fear.
See? He was going to use that pistol to shoot you as soon as he lands at Falls Lake. He’s sick. He knows that he’s not getting out so now he’s going to kill you and take you with him! Kill him first!
Richard bit down on his bottom lip with slight trepidation and then drew a fist back.
Outside, there were two blinding flashes of brilliant white light, brighter than a thousand suns.
Richard quickly shut his eyes and turned his gaze towards the floor. All sounds stopped as his ears rung with tinnitus.
Slowly, his vision returned and the ringing in his ears subsided.
He heard what sounded like a rapidly approaching freight train.
Richard threw a panicked glance outside.
A vicious shockwave ripped across the forest below and bent every tree against the ground as if they were mere saplings caught in a breeze.
Richard looked over at Mathis, who appeared equally terrified.
Mathis mouthed two words, but Richard couldn’t make them out over the roaring outside.
Before Richard could utter a response, the shockwave struck the helicopter. The windows shattered, the electronic gauges fried, and the craft went spiraling towards the forest floor below.
In the distance, two massive mushroom clouds blossomed high into the sky and blocked out the sun
One of the clouds formed over the remnants of Raleigh and the other one formed over a desolated Durham.
31
Richard regained consciousness several hours later.
Even though it was only noon, the sky was dark and it was raining, leaving him cold and soaked. His whole body ached and his head throbbed. He smelt burning hair.
His eyes slowly fluttered opened.
The mangled wreckage of the helicopter was suspended in-between two oak trees. His body dangled out of the craft’s shattered windshield, suspended in his tangled-up seat harness, swaying side-to-side.
The left side of his body, the side facing the distant blasts, was badly burnt and covered in painful pus-filled welts. While the right side of his body appeared relatively unscathed.
Hanging there, he stared down at the ground below.
Splintered branches and small pieces of wreckage littered the muddy forest floor as torrential raindrops pelted the ground.
Richard weakly fought against the restraint straps that were tangled around his chest, struggling. One of the straps started to loosen just as Mathis limped out from behind one of the massive oak trees.
Mathis’ left leg was badly broken and his femur bone jaunted out through his bloodied white-suit. He limped underneath the helicopter, dragging his broken leg behind him, and reached up towards Richard, snarling and groaning. Half of his body had been burnt beyond human recognition.
The strap wrapped around Richard’s chest loosened a little more, and dropped him closer to the ground.
Mathis started to claw at the air towards Richard, making guttural gurgles of excitement as his prey dangled closer.
The strap started to loosen more…
Richard grabbed the strap with both hands, desperately attempting to keep it wrapped around him.
The strap tore loose from Richard’s grasp and he tumbled towards the ground.
Richard landed hard on Mathis and sent him sprawling onto the ground.
Richard rolled off of Mathis’ corpse and crawled a few feet of distance while struggling to catch his breath, trying to ignore the excoriating pain that radiated throughout his body.
Mathis slowly stood back up, now covered in mud. He limped towards Richard, dragging his fractured foot through the muddy water.
Richard struggled to his feet and started walking backwards, away from Mathis. He slipped in the mud and landed on his back.
Mathis lurched forward, reached down, and grabbed Richard’s right ankle with both hands. He pulled Richard towards him through the mud.
Richard drove his left foot into the center of Mathis’ chest with all of the strength his feeble body could muster.
Mathis lost his grip on Richard and went tumbling backwards in the mud.
Richard quickly got up, turned, and sprinted into the tree line without looking back, panting.
Mathis struggled back onto his feet and slowly limped after Richard, trudging through the mud, making guttural gro
wls.
Richard ran in-between the twisted trees, leaping over fallen branches and swerving around fly-ridden burnt animal carcasses. Many of the trees had fallen during the earlier shockwave but it was still a struggle to maintain even the barest of visibility in the thick foliage. Thin saplings slapped against his face and thorny weeds tore through his tattered jeans as he ran. He was terrified, lost, and consumed by pain. He heard things shuffling in the woods all around him, shuffling towards him in the dark.
Worst of all, however, he had no clue where he was headed.
“We’re going to Butner. That’s where we’re headed,” Andy said, running beside Richard.
“Yes, I know that! Goddamnit! But how?!” Richard shouted between exasperated breaths. He couldn’t even remember the last time he ate. He was already dizzy and he knew that he would never make it to Butner on foot. “We’re in the middle of the woods, its pitch-black, and I am about to pass out!”
Andy stopped running, reached up, and slapped Richard hard across his face.
Richard stumbled backwards and caught his balance against a tree.
“Don’t you EVER talk to me like that again! Not after what you did1! Do you fucking understand me?!” Andy shouted.
“I’m sorry,” Richard muttered, massaging his reddened cheek. “I’m-I’m just frustrated, is all.”
“That is not my fault now, is it? Getting me out of Butner is the least you can do for me,” Andy said, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I just don’t know how to get–”
A squirrel ran out from the weeds on the forest floor and leapt onto Richard’s leg.
Richard startled and kicked it off.
The squirrel landed on its back, immediately righted itself, and ran towards him again.
Richard stomped down on the squirrel and sent its innards shooting out from every orifice. He grimaced and stepped back, resting against a tree.
Andy narrowed his eyes and stared at him.
“Interesting… killing a rodent makes you wince, but you didn’t blink twice when you killed our sister, did you?” Andy asked.
Richard looked away.
“Butner is north, so start walking,” Andy said, pointing towards a lake that was barely visible through the trees. “I’ll be there in my cell, waiting for you to set me free.”
Richard nodded, staring at the ground. When he looked back up, Andy was gone.
A grey flake slowly fluttered down from the darkened sky and landed in front of Richard. Soon, another fell, and another.
Richard held out his hand and caught one of the falling flakes. He mashed the flake in his closed fist, opened his hand, and stared at his ash-stained palm. He wiped the smut off and walked through the dark forest towards the lake whilst irradiated ash continued to flutter down from the sky all around him.
32
Richard stumbled out from the tree line and found himself at the edge of a barbwire-lined picnic area situated next to a large lake. He had arrived at the Falls Lake forward operating base. The dirty snow covered everything in sight under a thin layer of grey soot.
An armored battered trailer adorned with the Homeland Security seal sat in the center of the picnic area. The diesel generator next to the trailer was still dutifully churning. Toppled halogen lights, wrecked military vehicles, and hundreds of ash-coated human and animal carcasses littered the area. Three unscathed armored personnel carriers sat parked next to the trailer.
Infected meandered throughout the picnic area, most wearing combat fatigues. A few deer and raccoons staggered amongst the ranks of the infected, twitching and moving erratically.
One of the infected soldiers spotted Richard standing at the edge of the encampment. He stopped pacing and let out a guttural cry.
The rest of the infected stopped walking and turned towards Richard, staring.
“Fuck,” Richard muttered.
The infected horde started to shuffle towards Richard, making guttural moans. Most of them were no longer moving with the same speed and ferocity they had been hours ago, but a few infected soldiers near the back of the horde still had vigor in their joints and sprinted towards Richard, screaming, pushing their slower moving comrades out of the way.
Richard, mustering what little strength he had left, ran towards the command trailer for shelter.
Two infected soldiers staggered in front of Richard’s path, snarling, and reached out to grab him.
Richard shoved his way through them and pressed onward, unable to handle the stench of rotting flesh.
The horde started to close-in on him from all directions, threatening to drown him in a sea of teeth and nails. His only salvation would be to take refuge inside the trailer.
Richard shoved through the besieging corpses and slowly fought his way towards the trailer.
Infected scraped their nails across his skin and bit him repeatedly like rabid animals.
Richard screamed out in pain and forced himself to keep going, just a few yards away from the trailer’s door.
One of the sprinting infected, a man wearing a tattered uniform with lieutenant’s insignias, finally rammed his way through the horde and pounced on Richard’s back, screaming.
Richard fell and slid across the ash-covered ground with the lieutenant latched onto his back. He slid to a stop a three feet away from the command trailer’s main door.
The lieutenant flipped Richard over on his back.
Richard drew back his fist and delivered a vicious blow to the young man’s face, snapping the man’s nose askew.
The lieutenant, momentarily stunned, let out a shrill cry and tumbled off of Richard.
The rest of the horde surrounded Richard and grasped at him with their boney hands, moaning, while more sprinters jostled their way through the horde towards the trailer.
Richard fought his way back onto his feet, pushed the clawing hands away from him, and lunged towards the command trailer door.
The steel door was sealed shut.
He started to panic and banged against the door, screaming for help. In the center of the door there was a biometric handprint reader and a small screen that read ‘Security Lockdown in Effect – Access Restricted to Command Line Staff’.
The lieutenant got back on his feet and lunged towards Richard again, broken nose bleeding profusely, screaming.
Richard sidestepped just in time and let the lieutenant crash into the door.
Thinking quickly, he grabbed the lieutenant’s left wrist and pressed the man’s palm against the door’s biometric reader. The lieutenant snarled and tried to pull away, but Richard held a firm grip.
The lieutenant bit into Richard’s burnt arm, but the painful lesions covering his skin masked the sting of the bite.
The biometric reader beeped and the screen read ‘Access Granted – Welcome LT. HAWKINS’. The locking mechanism disengaged and the door opened.
Richard shoved the lieutenant back into the growing horde of infected and ran inside the trailer, slamming the door shut behind him.
The pressurized locking mechanism automatically slid back into place.
Richard backed away from the door as infected pounded against it. Even through the beaten trailer’s thick armor, he heard the horde’s guttural moans and cries. He turned and slowly started to walk towards the front of the trailer, compulsively scratching his neck.
The computer consoles that ran along both sides of the narrow trailer were splattered with dried droplets of blood. Each console was manned by soldiers handcuffed to their chairs. Each of the soldiers was gagged and had been shot pointblank in the forehead. They were slouched back in their chairs with their expressionless faces fixated on the ceiling.
Richard glanced at the blood-speckled monitors as he walked past the consoles. The monitors were all speckled with static.
Richard focused his attention on the door ahead of him that read ‘Operations Commander Maj. Gen. Yates’.
He slowly opened the unlocked office door and stepped into t
he dark office.
The commander’s desk drawers had been rummaged through, his laptop lay shattered, and his desk lamp was toppled onto the floor. A red rotary DSN satellite phone sat at the corner of his desk.
Opposite of the door Richard entered, behind the commander’s desk, there was another door labeled ‘Armory’.
The armory door had a leather office chair propped underneath the handle to prevent it from opening.
Piles of dried human feces and puddles of stale urine sat in the far corner of the office, reeking.
Major-General Yates sat slumped in the corner of his office still wearing a gasmask, motionless. An emptied pistol lay by his side.
Richard carefully maneuvered around Yates’ corpse and went towards the armory door. As he walked past the desk, he accidently brushed against the red phone and sent the receiver flying off of the cradle. The receiver dangled from its red wire off the side of the desk.
As Richard rolled the office chair out from the underneath the armory door latch, he heard a small voice coming out of the phone’s receiver.
“Hello? Hello? Hello, Falls Lake, this is CENT COM, can you hear me? Hello? What is your status?”
Richard turned towards the desk and picked up the red phone’s receiver, cradling it against his ear.
“Careful,” Andy said, leaning against the wall in the corner of the room.
Richard was startled by Andy’s presence, but his curiosity was too aroused by the sound another human voice to stop what he was doing.
“Hello? Hello? Falls Lake?”
“H–hello,” Richard said weakly into the phone.
“Falls Lake, it has been over six hours since your last update. We thought that you were overrun. Report immediately. What is the status of the immune civilian you promised? Is he or is he not in your custody yet?”
Degeneration Page 28
