The Demented Z (Book 3): Contagion

by Derek J. Thomas

  “How do we get in this thing?” Abby asked.

  “Blast door. Lock is on the inside.” Tom said. He rubbed his chin a few times and then looked over at Hank. “What if we go Unimog on this thing?”

  Hank stood still for a moment and then began shaking his head. “Oh no, not Unimog.”

  Tom slapped an open hand on one of the cement cinder blocks that made up the wall. “It’ll work.”

  “That’s not what I’m afraid of.”

  Tom slapped him on the shoulder and ran off. “Might want to move.” He shouted as he ran.

  Abby looked over at Hank. “What is a Unimog ?”

  “Long story. Unimog is a type of truck. Tom crashed one through a building in Spokane during the initial days.”

  Abby looked toward the truck and then back at Hank. She began slowly nodding her head. “Ahhh. He’s right, we better move.” As they were all stepping away from the building she added, “What happens if he ruins the truck?”

  Eli stepped forward. “The deuce and a half is solid. Worst case, we walk back to Drexel.”

  The truck rumbled to life. Tom drove straight at the squat building, but before hitting it he turned hard to the side and pulled away from it. The large truck eased to a stop. It sat idling at a slight angle to the building for a few seconds and then the engine revved up and it accelerated in reverse. The large vehicle moved at surprising speed across the pavement. There was an enormous boom like thunder as the rear of the truck’s bed slammed into the cinderblock wall. The heavy steel pierced through the wall, white dust floated in the air, and cement chips flew high. The hard shards clattered back to the ground like hail. Tom jammed the truck back into second gear and pulled forward.

  Hank walked around the side of the building and looked at where the truck had hit the wall. Even through the cloud of cement dust he could see the dark hole that led to the building’s interior. “It worked.”

  Tom was just stepping down from the truck. “You sound surprised.”

  Eli stepped up to the large hole with his gun up. His light bounced off the lingering particles, scattering the brilliant light in all directions. “Good idea backing into it…saved the engine.” He said before disappearing into the opening. Tendrils of swirling white powder chased after him.

  The remaining three glanced at each other and then moved for the opening as one. The cement cloud was suffocating and stung their eyes, but they were quickly through and found Eli standing just inside the building with his flashlight and rifle pointing at an angle down a wide ramp. They all followed his eyes. The ramp led underground to a giant steel door.

  “Good luck with that one.” Hank said.

  “We don’t need luck.” Eli said.

  Before Hank could ask what he was talking about, Tom started down the ramp. “He’s right. It’s not closed all the way.”

  The ramp leveled off, allowing a flat space that led up to the huge door. The massive blast door was dotted with rust and wear, but looked like it would outlast the rest of the planet. At its base were several human fingers barely jutting out from the darkness beyond. They were all that appeared to keep the door from closing all the way.

  Tom grabbed a round bar that acted as the door’s handle. He looked back at the others and when they all raised their rifles and nodded their heads, he gave the door a hefty pull. The well balanced door easily swung outward revealing a grisly scene beyond.

  The owner of the fingers was now visible. His hand and a pair of fingers had been smashed, blocking the door from closing all the way. All that remained inside the door were bones with meaty remnants stubbornly clinging to the gray digits. At least a dozen more lay beyond the rotting body. Darkness stretched out beyond them.

  “Not abandoned.” Abby said.

  Hank stepped up to the man’s hand. “Yeah…almost welcoming with open arms.”

  A loud shriek erupted from somewhere beyond the darkness.

  Chapter 19 - Inside

  All of them raised their rifles, letting the lights cut straight into the darkness; the inky black quickly swallowed the beams. An eerie silence hung in the air. Seconds turned into minutes and then the slap of shoes on cement echoed toward them. It grew in volume until turning into a constant thrum. Their eyes were visible before anything else. The light glinted off of them like tiny mirrors. One after another, bodies filled in around the glowing eyes.

  It took less than a second for all four of them to verify that these were demented. The gunfire was intense and sustained. The cacophony of noise was disorienting as it echoed off the cement walls. Demented crashed to the floor like wheat before a scythe.

  “Hold!” Tom shouted.

  There were a couple final shots and then silence. The stench of cordite hung in the air. Thick smoke obscured their view.

  “Anyone got anything?” Tom asked.

  Despite the flashlights hitting the smoke like headlights in a snowstorm, there was a resounding “clear” from the others. A deep silence followed. Nobody moved.

  Tom slowly lowered his rifle barrel. “Let’s move up and finish them.” He slung his rifle and grabbed the Kabar at his side. “Hank, help me out. Abby and Eli, keep your rifles ready just in case.”

  As a group they moved into the dark tunnel. Once through the haze of smoke they could see bodies scattered from wall to wall, sometimes two or three deep. A few of them feebly moved arms and legs, but nothing threatening. As their flashlights hit on individual faces, Tom’s worst fears were realized. The lifeless eyes of women, children, fathers, and sons stared back.

  “They were using this as a bunker.” Eli said.

  “Something went south.” Hank grumbled as he moved over to the nearest body. He looked down at the tiny, pigtailed girl, and slowly shook his head. Her fingers on one hand slowly opened and closed, life still clinging to her brain. He sighed heavily, bent over, and thrust his knife through her eye socket. The sound of Tom joining in on the grisly task could be heard just to his side.

  Abby stepped over to Eli. “Hear that.” She said while pointing her rifle further down the dark tunnel.

  Eli nodded his head. “Yeah, I’ve been trying to decide what it was.”

  Tom and Hank finished their task and then all four of them stood listening to the splashing noise.

  “I’m not getting any younger.” Hank said.

  “That’s for sure.” Tom jabbed.

  “Hey, you’re not either.” Hank replied.

  Eli started moving forward, carefully stepping between bodies. His eyes and rifle remained trained down the tunnel. His light slowly revealed large blue barrels lining one side. They were stacked two high in a neat row, extending beyond the flashlight’s piercing beam.

  Tom stepped over to the nearest one and rapped on it with the back of his hand. He listened to the solid thrum and then said, “Water storage.”

  As they moved further along the line they discovered the source of the noise. A stray bullet had found its way to one of the upper barrels and the last of its contents still flowed in a trickle to the cement below. They continued past the ruined barrel, following a stream of water that slowly flowed down the tunnel.

  “Thought we were moving downhill.” Abby said.

  By the time Eli’s flashlight hit on bare cement wall, Tom had counted thirty-four barrels. He did the quick mental calculations and figured it was enough water to supply fifty people for more than a month. Could there be that many down here? There are maybe twenty dead in the tunnel behind us.

  “That’s a lot of water.” Hank said.

  “There will be more.” Eli said. He glanced back at Hank. “They would only keep extra way out in the tunnel like this.”

  Tom couldn’t argue with that logic. If the kid is right, then there could be lots more inside, which could also mean lots more people…infected people. “Ours now.” He said while starting forward again.

  They didn’t have to go much further before the tunnel widened into a large room. Garbage and chunks of splintered
wood littered the floor. The stench of decay, feces, and mold hung thick in the air.

  “Ah man, what died in here?” Abby said.

  Hank pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “They did.”

  Tom shifted across the floor, kicking at various items. “Just junk…garbage.”

  “Looks like tables that got smashed to pieces.” Hank said, holding up a broken length of wood.

  “Eating area maybe.” Hank said.

  Two sets of double doors stood closed along opposite walls; bland gray faces giving away nothing. Their paint was chipped and bore large scratches. Tom stood near the center of the room, looking back and forth between the two sets of doors. Neither of them gave off better vibes than the other.

  “Any idea on the layout of these things?” He asked, turning to Hank.

  He shook his head. “They’re all different. Big, small, and everything in between.”

  “Gut say anything?”

  “I’m hungry.”

  Tom sighed and turned to Abby and Eli. “You two?”

  Eli started for the doors on the left. “Let’s clear it room by room.” He grabbed a handle and gave it a pull, but the set of doors only rattled loosely. He turned to Abby. “Check those.” He said nodding toward the other set of doors.

  Abby moved across the room and tested them, but found they were locked from the other side as well. She turned back to Eli and shook her head.

  “Cover me.” Eli said while slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

  Tom stepped forward with a hand held out. “Wait…let me. You cover.”

  Eli hesitated for a moment and then unslung his rifle and stepped away from the doors.

  Tom bent down and shined his flashlight through the narrow gap between the two doors. Halfway down the door he could see the thin metal hasp that held the pair together. He stood up, took a step back, and said, “Here we go.” Tom sucked in a deep breath, stepped back with one leg, and then using every bit of strength he slammed his boot into one of the doors, right next to the locking mechanism. The door made a loud crack, but did not give. The gap between doors had grown and they now sat at a slight angle. Tom’s foot tingled with pain.

  Muffled noises erupted from beyond the doors. It sounded distant, maybe beyond more doors, but Tom couldn’t tell for sure. He looked back at the others, nodded his head, and then took another hard kick at the doors. There was a loud pop and the doors swung wide. Beyond, a square tunnel split into an intersection, straight ahead disappearing into darkness. All four lights sliced at the darkness, revealing stacks of boxes lining the cement walls.

  Eli brushed past Tom, sweeping forward with his rifle at the ready. Abby followed behind in a low crouch. Their flashlight beams looked like light sabers cutting at the inky blackness as they swept them back and forth along the hall.

  “Come on old man.” Hank said as he limped past.

  Tom unslung his rifle and stepped gingerly on his foot. His toes tingled with pain from kicking at the door. The angry sounds were louder now and caused his heart to race. He tightened his grip on the rifle and took a steadying breath. Focus and stay sharp, he thought to himself.

  Most of the boxes were cases of canned food. It only took Tom a few quick tests to decide they were all full. As his light stretched on into the darkness he realized that there had to be thousands of cans. Just ahead of him, the other three had stopped in the center of the tunnel intersection.

  “This could turn into a maze, let’s stick to left turns in case it spiders on us.” Tom said as he made his way up to the others.

  The noise quieted as they made their way away from the intersection. It was barely audible by the time they reached another set of double doors. These had a pair of small square windows centered partway up each door. Eli moved up to the doors, hit a quick release on his flashlight, and held it up close to the window, peering through the glass. His eyes squinted trying to get a good look at the interior.

  Boom. Glass exploded outward, hitting Eli in the face and raining to the floor. He twisted sideways and collapsed to his side on the cement. Bright light flashed from inside the room as gunfire raked the doors. Abby dropped to a knee next to Eli.

  “Cover rear.” Tom shouted to Hank while sucking into the corner between the door and wall. “Friendly, friendly!” He shouted toward the broken out window. Silence. He looked down at Abby and Eli. In a whisper he said, “He alright?”

  She turned back. “Yeah, cut up but he’ll be fine.” After she finished the two of them scooted to the other side of the hall.

  “Think they heard you?” Hank said.

  “We mean you no harm.” Tom shouted toward the window.

  “I’ve got movement.” Hank whispered.

  Tom looked down the tunnel and could just make out something shifting in the shadows beyond the reach of Hank’s flashlight.

  Hank shouted, “We mean you no harm.”

  Tom had an uneasy feeling. They were pinned in with no cover. “We have to move.” He whisper-shouted to Hank. “Go dark everyone.”

  In an instant the area was blanketed in deep, impenetrable darkness. The level of black was disorienting. People were used to the lights being off at night, but even then there were trace amounts of light. Whether it’s the street lamp outside, the digital clocks in the house, or the distant moon, there would be light. Normally a person’s pupils dilated, allowing them to at least pick up on their surroundings. Underground, in a bunker, things were quite different. With no ambient light it was pure darkness. It was the inky blackness of an underground tomb.

  Tom slowly lowered to one knee, continuing to peer where the movement had been seen. He could hear soft whispering and the shuffling of feet on concrete. Time ticked by in the eerie dark. His heart pounded in his chest, audible only in his ears, but it sounded so loud he was sure it could be heard by the others. With the patience of a stalking cat, Tom and the others laid in wait.

  The whispering died down. Tom tensed, knowing it was coming. His finger tightened on his trigger as he continued to aim his rifle into the dark.

  The attack came with shocking ferocity. Brilliant flashes exploded in the dark tunnel; instantly followed by ear splitting pops and booms. Bullets slammed into the concrete above Tom, showering him with chips and debris.

  They had all been waiting for the shots and took advantage of the rifle flashes. Using them like bull’s-eyes they began firing at bright strobes. Both groups exchanged gunfire for several seconds.

  “Cease fire!” Tom shouted.

  His group immediately stopped shooting. Soft groans could be heard further down the hall. Behind Tom, on the other side of the door, a clatter of items fell to the floor.

  Unseen to anyone, Eli felt his way up the door, stuffed his rifle through the broken out window, and began blindly firing into the room. The bright flashes lit his face with each trigger pull.

  Tom stood and backed a couple steps from the door. “Breach.” He shouted.

  Eli pulled his rifle from the door, returning everything to inky blackness.

  In a single fluid motion, Tom clicked on his flashlight and kicked into the door as hard as he could. The door split wide, slamming into the interior walls with a loud bang. Tom rushed forward with his rifle at the ready. Eli clicked on his light and swept forward directly behind him. The two of them split directions as they entered.

  “Down, down.” Eli shouted.

  Tom stayed focused on his own field of view. His light caught on movement beyond a long row of boxes. Someone’s leg had just slid out of view.

  “Down!” Eli shouted again.

  Boom…boom…boom…

  Rifle fire erupted from Tom’s right. He resisted the urge to turn and check on the kid. With determined focus he kept his rifle trained on the boxes.

  “Clear.” Eli shouted.

  Tom felt relief flood over him. “I’ve got one in the corner.” He said.

  “Circling.”

  Tom took a slow step forward. “Come out. Hands up
. We won’t harm you.” He stole a quick glance to Eli and saw him working his way to the far side of the room, using a long shelving unit for cover. “If you –“

  The figure leapt out from behind the boxes, pistol raised. Pop. The shot went wide, ricocheting off the cement wall behind Tom.

  Tom squeezed the trigger and dropped the man. “Clear.” He shouted.

  Eli’s flashlight bounced around, creating shifting shadows around the room as he continued to the back. The light spun and remained perpendicular to Tom’s as it shone behind the boxes where the man had hid. The light remained unmoving for several seconds and then Eli shouted, “Clear.”

  Tom spun around and headed back out to Abby and Hank. She was crouched in the doorway with her flashlight directed down the hall. He tapped her on the back and said, “Anything?”

  “Movement near the floor. I think one is wounded.” She said, her voice cracking a bit.

  Tom could feel the tension and fear in her voice. “You okay?”

  She hesitated for a while. “Yeah…just different with people. Infected are one thing…but this…this is different.”

  “I know.”

  Hank remained prone. He left his flashlight off, instead using Abby’s light to keep a visual. Never looking back, he said, “What in the world were they doing? Idiots didn’t need to attack us.”

  “Wonder if they had been pinned in down here for quite a while…paranoia, fear, claustrophobia…eats at people.” Tom said.

  Eli joined them. “Supply storage. Three people…rat’s nest of beds in the corner. They had been there for a while.”

  Tom nodded his head and waited for Hank to get off the floor and join them. “Good work everyone. Let’s keep moving, room by room, clear this place.” He looked around at each of them. “I wasn’t ready for non-infected. Now we know so stay sharp.”

  Chapter 20 - Pinch

  Tom was stunned; there it was, right in front of him. They had spent the last couple hours moving room by room, dropping deeper and deeper into the earth. A few stray infected were found stumbling around, all of them easily dispatched. To this point they had not found any more weapon toting attackers. What Tom now stared at wasn’t quite the light at the end of the tunnel, but it was the scent of fresh air.