Extinction NZ (Book 3): The Five Pillars

by Smith, Adrian J.

  “Simpson.”

  “SITREP.”

  “Variant signs, but no movement. We have three groups of buildings. No visible hostiles or civilians. Over.”

  “Roger. Move the coach. Out.”

  “Wilco.”

  Jack glanced down at Dee and Boss. Both were watching him. He gave the all-clear signal before making his way to a metal ladder someone had welded to the side of the coach. Jack scanned his immediate vicinity, fearful of the danger that always lurked. He drew a deep breath, waiting for the familiar rotten fruit stench, but the air remained clean.

  The door of the coach hung open. Jack heard a couple of thumps on the ground as Dee and Boss joined him. He held up a close fist, warning them to stop. Using two fingers, he pointed at his eyes and then the inside of the coach. He kept his eyes firmly on the coach, trusting his team. Ben had drummed trust into their heads.

  Without the trust of your fellow soldiers, you have nothing.

  Jack swept his AR-15 over the seats of the coach. Like the rest of the area, it was empty of life. Satisfied that they were safe for now, he started the engine. It caught first try and, engaging the gear, the coach rumbled forwards. He watched in the rearview mirror for the ute as it motored into the property. Once it had pulled up next to him, he reversed across the gate, shutting them inside Hidden Rock Winery.

  Hone, Tama and the Renegades gathered around Simpson. Max sat on his haunches next to Jack, ears pricked, but silent. Jack bent down and scratched behind the dog’s ears, doing his best to reassure him.

  “Listen up, Renegades. I want two teams. Same as always. Alpha and Beta. Hone, you can join Beta with Jack. Tama, you’re with me. We search the house first, clear it, move on. You find anyone, report it immediately. Boss, look for their radio. Chang, I want you up on that coach giving me updates. Stay frosty, Renegades.”

  “Yes, sir,” answered Jack and the Renegades.

  Jack glimpsed Hone shaking his head, but the Maori warrior stayed silent.

  The Renegades split into their two teams. Taking point, Jack jogged up the long concrete drive. Magnolia trees lined either side. The drive ended in a roundabout outside the mansion’s large wooden doors. Whoever had lived here hadn’t been short of cash.

  Beta team approached the doors, sweeping their rifles left and right. Jack took up position directly in front of them, Boss and Yalonda on either side of him. He signalled for Boss to open the door. The wood creaked as it swung open. Boss eased it against the house and looked back at Jack who gave him a nod and moved into the house. Jack gaped at the vast foyer. A sweeping staircase curved up and around to a second storey. A chandelier shimmered in the afternoon light, which refracted off the hundreds of crystals.

  Jack strained his ears, but the giant house remained silent. He edged his way forwards and Beta team followed. They quickly cleared the bottom floor, ending up in the kitchen. Everywhere he looked, he could see recent signs of habitation, but it was as if everyone had vanished into thin air. A plate of spaghetti sat half eaten on the side table, and a half-full glass of water stood next to the sink.

  Jack reached out and tried the tap. Water flowed, clear and cool.

  He thumbed his radio. “Ground floor clear.”

  “Roger. Second Floor clear. Beta team, check the winery. Out.”

  “Wilco.”

  Jack glanced up at Hone, who was leaning against the bench. “All good?”

  “I don’t like it, Jack. My Maori senses are tingling.”

  “Something’s off, that’s for sure. Are you worried about your men back in Paeroa?”

  Hone shook his head. “Nah. They know when to run.”

  “Are you good with Simpson?” Jack shuffled his feet before looking at Hone. “I mean, after what he said?”

  “For the sake of this mission, we are good. It’s hard to believe that there are still racists out there.”

  “I guess it never matters what state the world is in. There will always be hate.”

  Hone rubbed his hand over his mere, flicking off bits of debris. “Tama said on the ride here that he recognises him from prison. Seems to think he was a screw at some stage.”

  “A screw?”

  “Guard.”

  “Oh right. Tama was in prison?”

  “For a short time, yes. Most of my whanau were. For silly things like cannabis.”

  “Huh, I never would have guessed.” Jack glanced around the kitchen, giving it a final sweep. “What do you think happened here?”

  “It stinks of Rewera, and the lack of blood is strange.”

  “It reminds me of this one movie.”

  Hone poked Jack in the ribs. “Everything reminds you of a movie.”

  “I know. I just don’t like it.”

  “Me neither. Stay alert.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow but said nothing further. He adjusted his pack and headed out the kitchen door.

  The winery buildings were two hundred metres to the east. The whole area had been paved with concrete. Stacked next to the tall red building were piles of wine barrels, and the pungent smell of wine hung in the air. Jack wrinkled his nose. It was similar to the smell the Variants exuded.

  Is that how they escaped detection?

  It bothered Jack that the winery was so close to Karangahake. Hadn’t the occupants heard the Renegades all those months ago? He shook the thought from his mind and made his way to the roller door in the middle of the structure. As soon as he got closer, he could see that it had been torn open like a sardine tin. Forklifts, trucks and more cars had been stacked around the building in a wall, and metal plates had been welded to the sides of the vehicles. Hundreds of barrels had been knocked over and now lay haphazardly across the concrete.

  Jack held up his fist and went into a crouch. He clicked his radio on. “I’ve found something.”

  “Receiving.”

  “Looks like a last stand. They’ve attempted to hold them out. Over.”

  “Sit tight, Beta. On our way. Farm buildings clear.”

  Jack turned to face Hone, Boss and Yalonda. “Covering positions.”

  He nudged Hone, indicating right before pivoting and covering their six. He looked out at the vista. The winery backed onto the Kaimai mountains. From his position he could see the vast farmland of the Hauraki Plains. Before the Variants had torn through New Zealand, this had been a fertile dairy area. Long straight roads dissected it, giving the area a patchwork look. He shook his head. Jack feared that this war would never end, that they would be fighting the beasts forever, passing it onto their children. He felt his chest tighten at the thought of the children. Images of George and Leela flashed through his mind. He and Dee loved those kids. But Jack knew that, deep down, Dee was desperate for their own. It pained him too. It wasn’t for lack of trying, that was for sure. He smiled.

  Then he felt the ground shake and a low rumble reached his ears.

  His radio crackled. “Incoming hostiles. It’s those beetle things!” shouted Chang.

  Jack scanned the gate, looking for the cloud of dust. He could see nothing.

  “How far, Chang?”

  Gunfire from the gate answered his question. The ground shook again, stronger this time.

  “Chang! Get out of there!” Simpson shouted as he ran around the corner of the mansion.

  “There’s too many…” Chang screamed and his radio fell silent.

  Jack waved them over. He scanned the gate through his scope, searching for Chang. Two of the beetle Variants smashed through the fence next to the coach, pushing cars aside like they were toys. They wailed and screeched and charged straight towards the Renegades.

  A new rumble shook the ground, closer to Jack. He swung his carbine about, waiting for the beetle to break free of the ground. A hundred metres to his right, the ground burst open in a shower of soil, mud and stones. When the dust settled, the beast that greeted Jack was out of his worst nightmare. His eyes roamed over its bulk. It had mottled black fur and four legs. At the front of it
s body, a tiny, almost comical, head poked out. It looked like a squid was hanging from its mouth. The beast trained its beady eyes on Jack and screeched. He was wrong. Not a squid, but a giant star-nosed mole. The dangling tentacles snapped together, tasting the air.

  Gunfire from the Renegades around him jolted Jack back to reality. He squeezed his trigger, adding his bullets to the storm of lead.

  — 9 —

  Dee gasped at this new abomination and joined the others firing on the strange beast.

  Simpson grabbed her shoulder and pushed her towards the torn roller door. “Fall back, Renegades! Fall back!”

  She fired a couple more rounds, then followed the sergeant through. Tama gave her a nod, holding his taiaha out from his body.

  Dee spun around, covering the door as Jack, Boss, Hone and Yalonda filed through. She scanned the place, looking for something to barricade the door with. A tumble of metal crates lay on the floor, twisted and torn apart. Next to them was a forklift, lying at an angle.

  “The forklift! Help me!”

  Jack, Hone and Tama ran over and helped push the forklift in front of the hole just as the metal shuddered and bulged inwards. Frantic, she searched for an escape.

  Barrels were stacked to the ceiling, and at the end of the room a metal platform hugged a mezzanine level. Two sets of stairs led up to it. Both had gates welded over them, and both had been torn open.

  Dee shivered. The poor souls trapped here had held out for so long. Searching out Jack, she found frightened eyes looking back at her. She didn’t think she looked any different. She glanced over at Boss, sweat glistened on his brow.

  Finally she looked at Simpson. “Sir? We need to get moving.”

  Simpson flicked his eyes to Dee. “Boss. Report to the Colonel. Tell them we need immediate evac. Caro. Get up high and see if you can take that ugly bastard out. We keep searching in the meantime. Understand?”

  The roller door screeched as the mole beast slammed into it again.

  Dee glanced around the framework and prayed it would hold until a chopper could be sent for them. She gritted her teeth, struggling to keep her temper. She agreed with Jack and Boss: this whole distress call seemed like a trap. Now they were trapped, with a raging mole and beetle Variants outside.

  Sighing, Dee grasped Boss on the shoulder. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  She searched his eyes. They flitted from side to side, only looking at her momentarily. “Just remember your training. Stick with Jack or me. I’ll always protect you, Boss.”

  “I know, Dee. Thank you. Thanks for everything.”

  “You saved me too, Boss. Saved my sanity down in the basement with your Monty Python jokes. I’m sorry this madness happened. You should be having the rest of your childhood, not running around killing monsters.”

  Boss focused his eyes on Dee and smiled.

  The metal roller door shrieked and groaned in protest as two bone-rattling thumps caved it in.

  Boss looked at the door then back to Dee, grinning. “You haven’t given us time to hide yet.”

  Dee barked out a laugh and pushed Boss ahead of her. “Report to HQ, smartass.”

  She took Jack’s offered hand and stepped onto the landing with Hone, Tama and the Renegades.

  The roller door gave one last metallic shriek as the beasts crowded to get through, screeching as they thrust their bodies into the gap. They smashed their way into the building like a crash of irate rhinos. The wine barrels next to the door shattered, spilling thousands of litres of wine and filling the air with a pungent stench that made Dee’s eyes water.

  “Everyone. Grenades. Now!” Simpson’s voice screamed over the ruckus.

  Dee reached into her vest and pulled a couple of the explosives free. With a quick look down, she launched them into the air and ran for the office.

  5…4…3…2…1…

  A series of explosions echoed around the winery, bouncing off the walls. Bits of wood, metal and gore flung out, coating the office’s window. Then Dee felt Jack’s hands grab her and shove her to the floor as the fragile glass window shattered from the shockwave, showering them in glass. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the dust to settle.

  The pained howls of the injured Variants below reached her before the office shook. Dee sprang up and raised her carbine. She peeked over the edge. The mole creature lay still, a large part of its body torn open. Hunks of gore and flesh dripped off the walls of the shed.

  The two beetles, however, were unharmed, their shiny exoskeletons protecting them. The floor shuddered again. The beetles were attacking the support structures. The Renegades had no choice but to head deeper into the building.

  Dee checked Jack and Boss’s positions: they were holding the back door open for her. Max was hovering, barking madly, teeth bared. With one last look behind her, Dee ran from the beetles.

  “We’ve got more company!” shouted Yalonda.

  Dee glanced over her shoulder. Yalonda was running full tilt at her, shooing her through the door. Once they were through, Jack and Boss slammed it shut and rolled some barrels across. Plates of metal had been screwed to the door and square bars had been welded on, forming a barricade. On either side of the doors, there were gaping holes in the sheetrock walls where the Variants had found an easier route through.

  Dee’s mind flicked back several months, remembering a similar scene in the dam when she had been looking for Jack. Sweating from the exertion, she strained to roll a barrel in place, blocking the holes.

  “Hurry!” screamed Yalonda.

  Hone, Tama and Simpson dragged sacks of grain over. Grunting, they added them to the makeshift barricade.

  Just above the noise the beetles made, Dee could make out the familiar shrieks of Variants.

  Took you bastards long enough.

  The doors and their barricade shook from the impact of Variants slamming into it, but thankfully it held firm. Black arms and hands snaked through the small holes in the wall, seeking out the flesh of the humans. Shrieks and screeches filled the room.

  Dee unsheathed her katana. Growling, she hacked off any limb that came through. Yalonda, Jack, Boss, Hone and Tama joined her, chopping and stabbing with their various weapons until the Variants retreated, shrieking their piercing screams. With the threat over for now, Dee let out a breath and turned.

  A cavernous room spread out in front of her. Eight stainless steel vats took up most of the space, four on each side. Metal walkways wrapped around the walls and tanks, giving access to the tops of the tanks. Several sets of stairs descended to second and third levels of walkways. Everywhere Dee looked, she could see pipes. Pipes of all different sizes and colours. With her adrenaline plateauing out, she became aware of the rotten fruit smell that hung in the air.

  She jolted her AR-15 up, searching for the Variants. The other Renegades had adopted the same stance.

  Simpson split the group into two teams again, using hand signals: one taking left, the other right. The door behind Dee shuddered again as the Variants continued to thump into it.

  Just a few more minutes.

  Max trotted in front of her, his nose hugging the walkway. As always, he was sniffing out any Variant threat. Dee frowned as Max’s ears perked up and he tilted his head to one side. She rubbed the back of his head to try and calm him.

  With a growl, Max took off. Dee gave chase, keeping her rifle up and eyes in front. She ran down the upper left walkway, watching for any pipes criss-crossing in front of her. Sliding around a corner, she found Max in front of a large grill screwed to the back wall.

  Dee looked out the window. Large pipes spanned the gap to a shed twenty metres away. She reached down and pulled on Max’s collar, pulling him away from whatever had him excited. As her head came level with the grate, a pair of small brown eyes stared back at her.

  Dee wasn’t sure if the eyes belonged to a little girl or boy. It was difficult to tell through all the dirt and grime. Matted brown hair framed the bony face.
/>
  Dee crouched down and held out her hand, mindful of how scary she must look dressed in army fatigues, combat vest and weapons. “Hey. I’m Dee. What’s your name?”

  The child stared at her with no response.

  “Come out of there. You’re safe now.”

  The child shook its head and skittered back into the maintenance tunnel.

  Dee activated her comms. “Ah, guys? I’ve got a child here. Over.”

  “Repeat that, soldier?” said Simpson.

  “A child. I’ve found a child. Back wall, on the left. Over.”

  Dee thought she heard the sergeant curse.

  “Hold position. Renegades, follow me.”

  Dee stared into the dark passage. She did a quick guess of its size and figured they could all fit down it. With the shrieks of the Variants getting louder, she knew they had very little time left.

  The thumping of boots on the walkway alerted her to the approaching Renegades and Maori warriors.

  Jack reached her first and gave her a quick smile. “Where’s the kid?”

  Dee pointed into the tunnel.

  Jack reached out and shook the grate, springing one side open. Dee caught a waft of human excrement as she leant down, peering into the gloom.

  The sound of the office doors tearing was followed by hollow booms as the wine barrels bounced off the landing and smashed onto the concrete floor far below.