by M. Lorrox
The cabin area of a C-130 Hercules is gigantic, and up until an instant ago, it was fully pressurized. When the cargo area’s starboard-side hatch blasts open, there’s a massive shear and pressure differential. Aharon and the zombies gnawing on him are instantly sucked out.
Replacing the pulsing alarm is now a constant, high pitched ringing. Charlie holds on for dear life—his fingers white along the Armadillo’s bumper, the suction lifting his feet up off the plane’s floor and pulling him outward into the atmosphere.
Charlie doesn’t yet realize, however, that the suction through the door isn’t his only problem. Above 8,000 feet, the atmosphere is too thin to breathe and stay conscious. At 26,000 feet, a person’s time of useful consciousness is between three and five minutes. After that, without a breathing apparatus, a person would pass out. Also, thanks to their proximity to the hatch, everyone in the cargo area—that is still in the cargo area—experienced rapid depressurization. The forced exhalation of air from their lungs drops their time of useful consciousness down to only two to four minutes.
The plane’s remaining flight crew, who is safely in the still-pressurized cockpit, is well trained. Their instruments show that the cargo area has lost cabin pressure, and they begin an emergency descent.
The mass of zombies is yanked toward death’s door—the hatch having been opened only feet away from them. After Aharon took the two that were enjoying him as an early lunch straight out the door, two more zombies are sucked out in quick succession. Zombie Walker’s body slides sideways and jams at the bottom of the door, and another zombie—ex-Sergeant Davis—grips onto some security webbing near the door on one side, holds onto a ledge with equipment on the other, and is successfully holding itself across the opening.
Tiger seizes the opportunity. He shoves zombie McGee toward zombie Davis. They smash together, and they are both knocked out of the plane. Tiger misjudged the little force needed though, and he overdid it. His momentum, in addition to the loss of gravity due to the sudden altitude change caused by initiating the emergency descent, carries him off his feet, and he too falls headfirst toward the door. “Charlie!”
Charlie turns and sees Tiger flying toward the opened hatch. Tiger’s arms reach out to the sides to grab hold of something, and he grasps onto another zombie—the other specialist, whatever his name was. Charlie twists his head to the other side and sees the straps of his harness extending out toward the breach. It’s still held onto the wall in two places.
Charlie lets go of the bumper and reaches for the strap as Tiger slams his shoulder hard against the wall next to the open hatch. Tiger’s lower body twists and falls out of the plane, and a three-hundred-mile-per-hour wind shear pulls his legs straight back against the side of the fuselage. His grip on the zombie keeps his torso from flying through the hole, at least initially. Tiger lets go of the zombie and instead reaches toward the nearby webbing.
Charlie grabs the straps of his harness as he falls—the force pulls one of the attachments from the wall. The other one is meant to be pulled in the direction Charlie’s body is pulling it, and it holds. He manages to put a foot against the wall and twist his body so he can try and reach for Tiger.
Tiger has the webbing in his hand, and his forearm is pressed against the wall and over the edge of the hatch. His shoulder and head are still inside the plane, while the rest of his body is outside. The zombie he grabbed, then released, slams into his shoulder, and the bones in Tiger’s forearm break. He screams, but he still holds on, and the zombie rolls over his shoulder and out the hatch. Now, only Tiger’s hand—of his broken arm—is inside the plane, still gripping the webbing.
Charlie stretches for Tiger, but he can’t reach him. Damn, need something he can grab…with his other hand. One of the last two remaining zombies in the plane gets up and trips, falling toward the hatch.
“Hold on Tiger!” Charlie pushes off from the wall and releases his hold on the strap, flying briefly toward the falling zombie and knowing that within a second, he too will be falling toward his death. He grabs the zombie and hurls it to his side, toward the aft of the plane as hard as he can. The zombie flies off its feet along a trajectory that will smash its back against the edge of the aluminum-armored cargo hold of the Armadillo.
As the zombie rockets toward its destination, Charlie is pushed in the opposite direction, near the speaker and radio on the forward wall. He kicks off the wall at an angle, pushing himself away from Tiger and toward the port-side wall where the weapons are stowed.
When the zombie that Charlie launched reaches its target, its back smashes against the truck with a loud -CRACK!- Then, its head whiplashes over the angled edge of the truck’s cargo hold and snaps off. The body bounces off the back of the truck and again falls toward the open hatch.
Charlie grabs the last zombie in the cabin, and he throws it behind him to intercept the headless corpse. With the extra momentum, Charlie stretches and grabs the barrel of an assault rifle.
The last zombie inside the plane that still tests the definition of “living”—the one Charlie just launched at the headless corpse—collides with the headless corpse and falls against the wall where Charlie, Aharon, and Tiger had been sitting. Charlie grips the assault rifle’s barrel, the weapon tears away from where it’s stowed, and he starts to fall toward the opening again. He twists around and tries to aim his feet.
He manages to land his toes exactly along the aft edge of the hatch, with his heels suspended over the outside. His back is facing the opened hatch, and as the sheer and pressure draws him out, he pushes hard against the edge and presses his shoulders up against the forward edge of the opened hatch.
His body spans the door’s opening, and the zombies tumble straight toward him. They smack into him, and Charlie grunts as he presses even harder against the edges so that he doesn’t fall out. The air rushing past him tears at his back and violently whips his uniform.
One zombie still isn’t completely dead, so Charlie backhands its head and crushes its skull. Two limp bodies now press against him as he spans the hatch’s opening. Charlie turns and looks out at Tiger.
The zombie of the human specialist somehow held onto Tiger while it rolled past him, and now, it’s eating him. The zombie has one hand clamped onto Tiger’s belt, and the other is wrapped around his thighs. Tiger gasps for breath and tries to squirm and kick the zombie off, but the wind speed, his loss of blood, and oxygen deprivation is preventing him from bucking the zombie off. It bites into his hamstring near the knee, and Tiger squints up at Charlie, pleading.
Charlie locks his gaze, but he can’t move much; he’s blocking two zombie corpses from flopping through the hatch where they might then hit Tiger and make him lose his grip. “Hold still!” Charlie manages to get the rifle into a firing position and aims it at the zombie.
Tiger lowers his head and tries to hold it against the arm that holds him to the plane, giving Charlie a clear shot. Charlie holds his breath and pulls the trigger.
-clk, clk-
What? There’s no magazine. FUCK THIS SHIT! Charlie changes his grip on the gun and throws it like a spear. The muzzle flies straight into the zombie’s eye, and the barrel buries itself in the zombie’s head to where the gun’s front sight juts up. The zombie releases Tiger’s thigh, its hand slips away from his belt, and it falls away.
Tiger’s body feels the release from the zombie, and he squints through the rushing air back into Charlie’s eyes.
Charlie brainstorms. I could extend a zombie leg back for him to grab with his other hand, then I can pull him in. Charlie begins shifting a zombie corpse to execute the plan, but he doesn’t get the chance to enact it.
The aircraft has been on a steady descent since the loss in cargo-cabin pressure, and now, it’s nearing 15,000 feet. It flies into a cloud. Turbulence suddenly rattles the plane and bucks Tiger. His grip has grown weaker and weaker, and his hand slips free from the webbing.
Charlie reaches in vain as Tiger’s body falls away from the doo
r and into the white of the cloud.
“TIGER!” Charlie shakes his head. He’s dizzy. He pushes the zombie corpses that he had been supporting under his legs and through the hole, then looks around the inside of the plane. Why didn’t they make us read one of those fucking safety cards! Shit! He’s still horizontal across the opened hatch. He tilts his head to the left—looking up, above the hatch’s door—and finds what he’s looking for.
He reaches up and pulls an emergency pack off the wall. It has a symbol that looks like a parachute, and Charlie hopes to hell it actually is one. He throws it out the door, alongside the plane. Get it, Tiger! You can do it!
Charlie watches as the pack also disappears into the white of the cloud, and then for a moment longer. He jolts his head when he realizes he was nodding off. Huh? Need pressure. He shifts his position and grabs the same webbing Tiger had, then lowers his torso out of the hatch and into the open space of the door. Half inside and half outside of the plane, with his other hand, he reaches toward one of the pneumatic lifting arms that extend to the hatch. The air slamming against his arm and torso tests his will, and he struggles to reach the arm. He grabs it, then pulls.
He barely nudges it. His vision blurs.
DO IT! He pulls with all his strength against both the webbing and the hatch’s arm, and he’s able to bring the hatch up halfway. He lets go of the pneumatic arm and grabs the metal wheel Aharon spun to open the hatch, and he pulls again. He pulls himself inside the plane, then with both legs pressed up against the walls on either side, he pulls and closes the hatch. He sets a foot on the ground and spins the wheel to lock the door shut.
The buzzing continues as the cargo area is pressurized. Charlie sits near the door and tries to breathe slowly as he stares at the blood, vomit, playing cards, and ripped flesh that surrounds him.
The radio kicks on again:
“Pressure’s coming back up. Someone PLEASE pick up the radio.”
Charlie just stares. Tiger...
Katlyn leads the group of vampire children and their chaperones through a hallway on the ground floor of the museum. They pass by a large cafeteria on their right side and a learning center with many windows on their left. As they approach the end of the hall, Katlyn turns and stops. She holds up her hand and beckons everyone to come and get closer to her.
“Is everyone ready? Now remember, children, don’t lose your adult! We’re going to spend a few minutes in the rotunda, and then we’ll move along to our first exhibit, okay?”
“Yes, Miss Katlyn.”
She smiles and turns around. “Here we go!” She leads them around a corner and up a wide stairwell into the main rotunda. Marble columns circling the space stretch far above to the upper floors. At each floor, railings span between the columns and allow viewers to look down and across.
Skip and Minnie emerge into the space and are greeted by an enormous African elephant on a pedestal near the information desk. Its huge tusks extend more than five feet out from its mouth, and it stands over a dozen feet tall from foot to shoulder. “WHOA.” Minnie points to it and tugs on Skip’s arm with her other hand.
“Isn’t that just amazing?” That might be the biggest elephant I’ve ever seen, alive or stuffed. Definitely a bull, has to be. There’s something odd about it though...
The group circles around the elephant, and while they look up at it, many look beyond it at the large signs and themed decorations that spill from the upper floors’ exhibits into the rotunda along the marble columns and railings. Giant butterflies hang suspended as they fly away from the butterfly exhibit, and a great polar bear looks down on everyone from a perch near the round cap of the building.
A friendly docent approaches Katlyn. “Miss Bergström? It’s nice to finally meet you, I’m Elizabeth Wagner.”
Katlyn turns and shakes the older-looking woman’s hand. “Again, please call me Katlyn. Thank you so much for organizing this with me! We’re ready when you are.”
Elizabeth smiles. “Will you get their attention?”
Katlyn claps her hands. “Children! My group, please look this way! Thank you. Everyone, please say hello to Elizabeth, she will be our tour guide today.”
“Hello, Elizabeth.” The group replies in unison.
“Hello! And thank you all for coming today. I hope you’re ready, you’re about to go on quite an adventure!”
Minnie squeezes Skip’s hand and starts bouncing in her shoes. Skip smiles down at her, then glances to Katlyn, who is smiling at him. She winks. He flushes, then looks back at Elizabeth.
“I see you’ve all met our elephant, isn’t he extraordinary? Let me tell you about him...”
While Elizabeth talks, Skip glances up between the elephant’s legs and chuckles. Ah. He looks back up to the elephant’s face and into its fake, glass eye. Sorry they did that to you—you old stud—but at least you aren’t missing them!
“And if you all will follow me now, we’ll visit some of the land animals that this big guy may have come across while he was alive. We’ll also see fossils of some creatures he may have evolved from. Follow me to the Mammals Hall.” She turns and leads the way across the floor of the rotunda, to the left of the stairwell that heads downstairs.
As the group follows Elizabeth, Katlyn stands to the side, smiling and waving at the children as they pass by. When Skip and Minnie approach, she steps in line with them and takes Skip’s free arm. “Today’s going to be quite the day. I can feel it.”
Skip smiles at her, then gives her a peck on the cheek as they enter the exhibit hall.
Sadie is finally free of the Pentagon. She walks over to where a line of black sedans for hire are waiting, and she waves at the driver in the car at the front. The strongly built and professionally dressed driver gets out of the car with a spring in his step. “Good day, ma’am, where can I bring you?” He opens the door for her.
“Thank you.” She gets in, and he closes the door for her. Then he slides back into his seat in the front and closes the door in one smooth motion. “Where to?”
“A coffee shop please, something near the Pentagon City metro would be best.”
“Very well, I’d be happy to.” He reaches to start the car, but it’s already running. He adjusts his hand up to his rearview mirror. He angles it to see her directly. “You know, the Pentagon City station is just one stop away from the Pentagon station, which is just over there.” He points to a structure next to a bus station about a hundred yards away. “Would you like me to just bring you to the metro? It’ll be less expensive.”
Sadie smiles. “No, but thank you. I’d prefer to just ride.”
“Yes ma’am.” He shifts the car into gear and starts driving. “There are always so many people coming and going, it’s hard to know who could use some friendly advice.”
Sadie opens her purse and turns on her phone. “Well, thank you for trying. I have to say, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of everyone here in the city. I’m from near Asheville.”
“Oh, welcome, and I hope you continue to meet excellent people on the rest of your trip. I will say that since the zombies, people have gotten nicer... Mind if I ask if you’ll be staying around here for a while? I could suggest some other things to enjoy while you’re here.”
There’s a tone in his voice that’s a little different now, and Sadie smiles. “Are you flirting with me?” She looks at his identification information displayed behind the front seats. “Mr. Diamond?”
He glances in the mirror and sees her smiling at him. He smiles back. “I wouldn’t dream of being so presumptuous... But now I feel like you’re flirting with me, so I may have to respond in kind so you don’t feel embarrassed.”
She laughs. “To answer your question, I’m not sure how long my husband and I will be in town.”
He nods. “I see, well I hope he’s having as nice a trip as you are.” He pulls onto the road with Sadie’s hotel and the Pentagon City metro station. “So, a coffee shop, let’s see... Oh yeah, Potomac
Cafe. It’s just a block or two from the station.”
Sadie nods. “Sounds perfect. Thank you.”
He pulls up in front of the cafe and puts his flashers on. He hops out and opens her door. He’s blocking traffic just upstream from a green light. A car pulls up behind them and starts honking. Without turning to the car, he flips the driver the bird with one hand while helping Sadie out of the back seat with his other hand.
She steps out, and the car keeps honking. She glances at the inconvenienced driver, who is temporarily caught by her gaze.
He stops honking and sighs; the light has turned red.
Sadie extends her driver, Mr. Diamond, a ten-dollar bill. “Will this be enough?”
He smiles. “That’s plenty, let me get you change.”
“No, that’s alright. Thank you for the ride, Mr. Diamond.”
He tips his head to her. “It’s been my pleasure. Stay safe now.”
Stay safe? That seems like an odd thing to say. Maybe because I’m from out of town? She walks into the coffee shop, orders a cup of drip coffee and a muffin, then glances back out the window. The car is still there. Mr. Diamond sets his phone up as a GPS on the dash, then drives off.
Dr. Melgaard finally gets June, Beatrice, and his research assistants, Dr. Candace Baker and Michael Turner, to his lab. They had entered through a secret access point that leads directly to the transformed old bunker. When the security personnel balked at the doctor for bringing visitors with him through that entrance, again, he pulled an orange security card from his wallet and handed it over to them. He then said the magic words; “Matter of national security.”
Once inside the lab, Lars pauses and pulls Michael and Candace off to the side. He speaks quietly, but he doesn’t whisper, and both June and Beatrice can hear him. “I want to dismiss the rest of the staff. I don’t want any unnecessary attention while we perform the tests.”
Michael furrows his brow. “That might be a hard sell; everyone is working on producing more vaccine.”
