Black Melt

by Indy McDaniel

  Jo looked to Stark. “Can we trust it?”

  “She’s not an it,” Stark growled. “And you’ve not spent as much time around her as I have. Unless this shit is really good at replicating personalities, she’s okay. We can trust her. But the cuffs stay on.”

  “Wouldn’t let you take them off,” Zoey agreed.

  “Fair enough, but we’re not nearly as convinced,” Jo pressed, speaking for Ali.

  “Zoey, what did we do the night we met?” Stark asked, deciding to try to convince them another way.

  Zoey shook her head. “Nice try, Stark, but fungus absorbs all memories, all personality. Jo is right. I could be lying. Could be tricking you. Cannot think of means to convince her otherwise.”

  Stark sighed. “Well, I can.” He turned to the two women. “You saw what happened to Brenda when she tried to make a run for it. Trap or not, we’re safer in a group.”

  Jo thought that over for a little bit. “Fine, we’ll stay.”

  ***

  Ali’s skin crawled as she spotted Zoey’s eyes fixed on her, staring at her like a deliciously fuckable morsel of flesh. “Hey,” she called over. “Quit it. You’re creeping me out.”

  Zoey blinked slowly, confusion and then horror crossing her face. She shook her head clear. “I apologize,” she offered. “Lost focus for a minute. Won’t happen again. Hopefully.” She winced turned her head and coughed up another bubbling wad of obsidian phlegm tinged with blood.

  “I’ve not seen any of the others do that,” Stark said, his concern drawing him a little closer to her than might have been safe.

  Zoey nodded. “Only hypothesis is that my hormonal blend confusing fungal infection. Sees me as both carrier and sustenance. Can’t decide which way to go.” She gasped, nearly doubling over as she clutched her cuffed hands to her belly. “Result is somewhat unpleasant.” She winced again, eyes bulging before crying out. She twisted toward the back of the pew, knocking her forehead against the wood.

  Stark was torn between keeping his distance and trying to comfort her. He remained frozen beside her as she went through her fit, feeling hopelessly useless and hating it.

  As she settled down, Zoey rolled onto her back, blinking tears from her eyes as she panted heavily. “That… was different,” she gasped.

  “What?” Stark asked.

  “Something killing others,” she explained. “Shooting them. Burning them.” She shook her head. “Feels like I’m dying again and again.”

  Stark hated watching Zoey suffer, but news of the other infected being taken out was a good thing. “Maybe it’s the cavalry,” he said. “Hold on, Zoey.” He glanced to Jo and Ali. “We might be getting out of this a lot sooner than we thought.”

  “Don’t fucking count on it, you pricks,” Zoey growled, black foam dribbling from her lips as she fixed angry eyes on the three uninfected. “The cunt hid you from us for a while, but now we can see you.” She fixed her hateful gaze on Stark. “You promised to protect her from us. If you’d done your fucking job, she wouldn’t be dead now. No infection for you, fucker. We’re going to feed you your own cock and drown you in our sick. But first we’re going to rip this whore apart in front of you so you can feel a fraction of the pain we felt when she died.”

  Shattering glass and pounding fists against the church doors echoed through the open chamber. Stark drew his pistol, handing off his revolver to Jo. Ali grabbed a smaller chunk of broken pew to use as a club. The group turned their attention to the horde of infected attempting to break into the church. Zoey continued to spew vulgar threats, thrashing wildly on the pew as she yanked her wrists against the handcuffs, cutting open her flesh.

  The initial assault brought with it utter chaos. Stark did his best to direct Jo and Ali to the points in greatest danger of being compromised. Arms layered in black crud squirmed through the gaps in the boarded up windows, clawing blindly as they tried to pry the boards free with bloodied, broken fingernails. The main doors buckled inwards as an untold number of infected threw themselves against it. The wood held up to the battering rams of flesh and bone, but the lock wasn’t nearly as sturdy. It wouldn’t hold out forever.

  Jo quickly ran out of bullets and snatched up the hammer they’d used to board up the windows. She hacked the claw end into the arms and faces of the infected trying their best to force themselves through the narrow gaps between the wood criss-crossing the broken windows. Stark’s pistol was nearly dry. With no end to the assault in sight, the necessity for retreat became blatantly obvious. He glanced back to Zoey, still bound but also still thrashing about wildly. Taking her with wasn’t an option. With ammo so dangerously limited, he couldn’t afford to spare any to end her suffering.

  Ali let out a frustrated yell as the infected man on the other side of the window snagged hold of the end of her board. She struggled to pull the makeshift weapon back towards her, but his strength proved greater than hers. It wasn’t until she was yanked against the boarded up window that she saw the potential danger. By then it was too late. She tried to jump back, but the infected man snaked an arm through the opening and hooked around her chest, pulling her back against the window.

  The infected man pushed his face as far through the boards as he could, mashing his puckered lips against the back of Ali’s head. A high pitched scream ripped up her throat as caustic vomit sizzled through her hair and scalp. Her body flailed about as her skull softened and dissolved, allowing the digestive enzymes to spill across her brain. Ali’s face twitched spastically, eyes rolling up as steaming, half-dissolved chunks of brain tissue poured from her gaping mouth. The pressure of the slop dribbling over her rapidly dissolving lips strengthened, creating a fountain of sick that arched several feet across the floor of the church. Her eyes bulged and popped from within, deflated sacks falling down her cheeks.

  The bulk of Ali’s face was gone by the time the infected man released her. Her head had been completely melted through, leaving only the frame behind with a smoking hole bored through the center. She flopped onto her knees, crotch of her pants soaked through with urine, before dropping onto her side in a lightly twitching heap. The infected man barely managed a snicker of aroused amusement before a torrent of flames engulfed his body. He shrieked and twisted towards the new threat, barely lunging towards it before the burning fungal growth covering his body fried him from the outside in, resulting in a messy explosion of gore and viscera.

  Zoey’s tirade of vulgarity shifted into howls of agony as the infected laying siege to the church began to die. The hiss of flamethrowers and the crackles of automatic gunfire filled the air, putting an efficient and brutal end to the assault. The shift happened so fast that Stark and Jo were still coming to terms with Ali’s death by the time the attack ended and the church doors burst open. They spun towards the squad rushing in. Stark kept his gun up, unable to spot any sign of rank or insignia on the black combat armor the squad wore. Jo kept her hammer cocked back, equally untrustworthy.

  Flamethrowers and assault rifles leveled on the pair as the squad leader yelled for them to drop their weapons. His voice crackled through the gas mask he wore, adding a harsh, robotic tone to his words.

  “I’m Special Agent Nicholas Stark,” Stark yelled back. “Identify yourselves.”

  “Lower your weapon, Agent Stark,” the squad leader yelled back.

  “You first, asshole,” Stark growled.

  The squad leader sighed. “You may have noticed we just saved your asses. I figure that should buy a hell of a lot more trust than a couple of dumb shit survivors holed up in a church with…” He glanced to Zoey. “With whatever the fuck she is.”

  “She’s a friend,” Stark said. “She’s just having a worse day than the rest of us.”

  Zoey squeezed her eyes shut, trembling badly as she rocked back and forth. “Stark, they’re all dead,” she said, voice strained but sounding otherwise normal. “The other carriers. Can’t feel any.”

  Stark narrowed his eyes at the squad leader. “You and your
boys?” he asked.

  The squad leader nodded. “Us and other units. She’s infected? How?”

  “Long story,” Stark said. “And before you get all trigger happy, you should know she’s contained and she’s dealing with it far better than any of the others I’ve come across.” He lifted his gun slightly higher, aiming at the squad leader’s head. “Do not kill her.”

  “You keep pointing that pop gun at me and I’ll have to kill all of you,” the squad leader replied.

  “Whoa,” Jo called out. “I’ve got a fucking hammer over here. I’m not exactly a threat. And, for the record, I thought it was a bad idea keeping her around after she got infected.”

  “Goddammit, Jo,” Stark growled.

  “No, seriously,” Jo continued, tossing her hammer down. “I’m with you guys.” She looked to Stark. “Look, man, they did save us. I didn’t go through all this shit just to get wasted over a misunderstanding.”

  Stark kept his gun up. “I am not lowering my weapon until you tell me who you’re with. You’re not military. You’re not FBI.”

  “We’re CyberWolfe security,” the squad leader told him.

  “The fuck?” Stark muttered. “Seriously?”

  The squad leader chuckled and lowered his rifle. “Let’s just say your little meeting with our boss created a bit of a moral crisis. When it became clear that your people couldn’t handle this infection, we were dispatched. Never let it be said that the private sector doesn’t know how to handle its shit. Now, c’mon, we need to get you both into quarantine and confirm the infection is contained.”

  “What about Zoey?” Stark asked.

  The squad leader gave her another look. “Well, if she’s already infected, quarantine wouldn’t make much sense. I’ll have to check in with the boss and see. I can’t promise you what he’ll decide, but there’s no way I can talk to him if I’ve gotta worry about you shooting me. If it’s good news, great. If it’s bad news, we can get down to trying to kill each other for real. Deal?”

  “Fuck off,” Stark replied.

  “Stark,” Zoey called.

  He chanced a glance back her way and saw just how badly she hurt. Her skin was pale, eyes a murky grey. She struggled to breathe normally. Black goo dribbled from her ears and nostrils. “I’m the last one. Terminating me ensures end of infection. Makes most logical sense. Barely holding on. Too many minds in here. Don’t sacrifice yourself for me.”

  Even with Zoey’s wishes clear, Stark struggled to lower his gun. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing the tenseness out of his muscles. He lowered his gun. He turned away from the squad and moved over to Zoey. “I’m sorry,” he told her, dropping onto the pew beside her. “I really fucked this whole assignment up.”

  Zoey forced a weak smile onto her face. “Nonsense, Stark. Did best you could with what you had. Predicting future under best circumstances nearly impossible. These were not best circumstances.” She lifted her bound hands and Stark saw just how tattered her wrists were. The skin was flayed open in deep gouges beneath the steel of the cuffs. She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. “Regret not having chance to get to know you better.” She sniffled, tears creeping down her cheeks. “Glad we had time that we did.”

  After reporting in the situation, the squad leader listened to the response. “I understand, sir,” he said before turning to Stark, Zoey, and Jo. “A chopper’s inbound for pickup. As for her…” He nodded to Zoey. “It’s kind of one of those good news, bad news situations. Good news is, we’re not gonna kill her.” Without hesitation, he pulled his rifle up and squeezed the trigger, blowing a hole through Stark’s forehead and sending his brains spraying from the back of his head. His body jumped before slumping in the pew, slowly sliding onto the floor. The squad member standing nearest to Jo spun on her and put a round through her temple. Her wide eyes stared with blank shock as she stumbled sideways and fell to the floor. Both of them were dead within moments. “And there’s your bad news,” the squad leader said.

  Zoey’s breath quickened, staring down at Stark’s corpse with horror. Her already taxed mind threatened to rip apart entirely. She screamed, unable to look away but knowing she had to if she wanted any chance to keep fighting back the cacophony of voices pounding in her head. Zoey forced herself to look to the squad leader. “Why?” she gasped. “I’m infected. Dangerous. I can’t live.”

  The squad leader pulled out a small tablet, tapping at the screen before flipping it to show her. Bryce Wolfe’s face filled the screen, looking her over with amused smugness. “Ah, Dr. Green. Aren’t you just full of surprises?” His face darkened into a scowl. “I didn’t much appreciate the embarrassment you caused me during your visit. It’s only fair that you make it up to me.” His smile returned. “So here’s a deal you have no choice but to accept. I will ensure that you are never a threat to humanity, and in exchange, you’ll become a guinea pig. No one else has been able to handle this infection and maintain their individuality. With your help, we can research this life form properly.”

  “Bastard,” Zoey gasped, fighting against both her own anger and the tidal wave of rage the fungus possessed.

  Wolfe chuckled. “See you soon, Dr. Green.”

  The video communication ended. The rhythmic thumping of a helicopter’s blades could be heard just outside. A couple of the security team took hold of Zoey’s arms, hoisting her out of the pew and dragging her between them out of the church. The squad leader turned to one of the squaddies with a flamethrower, telling him to torch the bodies. A plume of flame streaked through the air, setting Stark and Jo’s corpses ablaze.

  Zoey lacked the strength to struggle as she was pulled towards the chopper. When the team’s medic injected her with a sedative, her strength waned even further. She was pulled into the vehicle and strapped into a seat while the medic attended to the gashes on her wrists. Zoey stared at the squaddie through half-lidded eyes, drooling slightly as the drugs threatened to steal her consciousness away. Her stomach lurched as the chopper took flight.

  The further she dipped towards sleep, the louder the voices in her head grew.

  Let us in, one growled.

  These fucks killed me, another voice – Madison’s – chimed in. They killed Felicia. They deserve to die.

  We can make that happen, a third voice assured Zoey.

  We can make them pay, a fourth agreed. And then we can finish with this miserable planet.

  Zoey blinked slowly, fighting the urge to give in but finding it harder with each passing moment. Revenge poor excuse for obliteration of entire planet.

  But it will taste so sweet, several of the thousands of voices told her. Glorious suffering and unity for all. Vengeance for some, a gift for others.

  Stark would not want it, Zoey thought. She knew there were better reasons for not accepting the fungus completely, but her frazzled mind could not formulate proper arguments. Thinking of Stark helped give her the mental fortitude to keep fighting, so she focused on him. She found some small sliver of hope in that strength.

  You think you’re the first entity to resist us? There have been many before you and there will be many after. We will feed upon this world. You can do nothing to stop it.

  Zoey’s body twitched in her seat, continuing to fight even as the sedative pulled her into a deeper sleep. The darkness flowing into her mind frightened her, unsure if she would awaken just as resistant or if the fungus would claim her while she slept. Just before the voices faded completely, she caught a soft whimper, recognizing it as Madison.

  They lie. I remembered the code wrong.

  SPREADING THE BLAME

  The blame train rolls on!

  This time around, you’ve gotta blame a whole slew of awesome people for helping me create the trippy cover. Without their generosity and – specifically – their faces, none of it would have been possible.

  So blame Erich Gamache, Morgan Wilson, Sebastian Godin, James Bronson, Michael Martin, Donovan Robinson, A.D. Sams, Cheryl L
ilith, PJ Tuesday, Mara Dawn, Amanda Bouldin, Brittany McDaniel, TheSanctusNex, bakura, Sprintingfish, kettleontocoil, and peachysakura24.

  Blame Britt for throwing down an ultimatum that helped me decide where exactly to take the story.

  And, as always, blame yourselves for continuing to follow me down this gooey road.

  - Indy McDaniel

  2/8/2018

  FACE TIME

  Brittany McDaniel - twitch.tv/nefariousnerdette

  TheSanctusNex - twitch.tv/thesanctusnex

  Sprintingfish - twitch.tv/sprintingfish

  Kettleontocoil - twitch.tv/kettleontocoil

  Peachysakura24 - twitch.tv/peachysakura24

  A recovered meteorite from the heart of the Atlantic Ocean proves to be far more interesting when extraterrestrial fungal life is found growing within. Dr. Madison Davis, a medical mycologist, is brought in as part of a team to investigate the new-found life and determine what secrets it holds and what dangers it might present.

  Descending a quarter of a mile underground to a top secret research laboratory, Madison discovers that sometimes the smallest things can be the most deadly.

  Pick up a copy of Black Melt today and GET MELTED!

  Things move pretty fast in Nadya Valentina’s world. Staying one step ahead isn’t just a good idea; it’s the only way to stay alive. When one of her employer’s crews is brutally slaughtered, Nadya is tasked with finding who’s responsible and enacting some payback. But the road to vengeance is a twisted one as Nadya finds her job growing increasingly complicated. She’ll have to fight her way through heavily armed goons, a pack of werewolves, and one sadistic vampire if she wants to see another sunrise. Step into Nadya's world. And get ready to run.

  After being abducted by a psychopath working for a nefarious corporation, Nadya is made an offer she can't refuse.