by A. Giacomi
I move his hand away from my chest trying to register all he was saying. “But why me, Doc? Couldn’t any other heart be offered? Why me?”
“It’s because you love her.”
My breath catches in my throat as I slam the back of my head gently into the wall behind me a few times. “That’s not fair,” I say. How is it that loving someone this much could get you killed? I had never signed up for that, and I had never planned to fall in love with Eve. It just sort of happened. I remember the first moment I met her in High School, her smile robbed me of any sort of feeling in my extremities. I knew I would never feel again until I could touch her, hold her. She murdered me then, I just hadn’t known it yet.
“None of this is fair, Cameron, and I’m not about to hand you over to him, but I am also in no position to stop him. He will hunt you until your heart has been offered up to The Fallen One.”
My heart pulses at an extraordinary rate at the sound of that name. “You have got to be shitting me? Satan himself is going to eat my fucking heart? Please tell me this is some sort of sick joke!” I say, barely able to keep myself from fainting.
“Cam, I truly wish I were joking, but there are powers afoot that are beyond me. I can’t help you forever, but I do plan to give you a head start. I’m going to break you out of here.”
It didn’t put my mind at ease, but I didn’t want to stay here and wait for Agent Williams to rip my heart out. I had to at least try, and perhaps by the time I escaped they might have found another poor sucker’s heart to replace mine.
“Follow me,” Dr. August says leading me further down the dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hall, there is a set of metal stairs. We swiftly head up the staircase, at least two flights of them, before reaching an elevator bank. There were four doors, all leading to different parts of the facility.
“Cam, listen very carefully to my instructions. You are to take this elevator.” Dr. August points to the third elevator labeled: Security Post. “When you get there, you will need to use this gun, any guards you find. Kill them. If you hesitate, they will capture you and then there will be nothing stopping Agent Williams from completing his mission.” He placed me in the elevator before continuing. “Once you are up there, there will be a security office, break in and find a yellow keypad on the wall. Punch in 3836, this will open the gates to the facility. There are many guns in the office I recommend taking a few for your travels. I have no idea what the world will look like once you’re out there. I can only imagine it isn’t good. If Agent Williams doesn’t kill you, an entire horde of zombies might.”
“Okay, Doc. Stop freaking me out and get to the last step,” I say impatiently.
“Right, well the only thing after that is to secure a vehicle. They usually have a few ready for quick departures. The keep the keys in the security office too. If you find keys, a car to match them, and punch in the code, you’ll be free and clear. They won’t be able to close the gate without someone in the security tower punching in the code again, and if you kill them all, that won’t happen.”
Dr. August begins to hyperventilate slightly and I hug him into the elevator with me. He had been the father I wished I had. I wasn’t ready to leave him behind. He was family.
“Don’t stay here. Come with me, Doc. They’re going to kill you once they know you helped me out.”
He backs away from me, a clear line drawn between us by the elevators threshold.
“I can’t go with you, Cam. I have some unfinished business to attend to here, and besides, I would only slow you down. You need to be quicker. Think like a track star, my friend.”
He gives me a brief smile and that is the last thing I see before the metal doors slide shut. Shutting out the last familiar face I might ever see.
As the elevator climbs I know I shouldn’t be thinking of her, but Eve jumps into my mind, begging, asking me to save her. I always thought I would be the hero, but she was already dead and I wasn’t. It was me who needed protecting and I wasn’t ready to die for someone who didn’t even give two shits about coming to see me or Alex in the past month. My heart pounds, Oh my god, Alex! I think just as the elevator doors reach their destination and glide open.
Two men stand in the center of the large room. They load something into a large black van and then slam the doors. They look my way and are stunned to see me standing there. I was an unexpected visitor and a dead one if I didn’t do something quick. They both place their hands on the guns at their hip and before they can retrieve theirs, I have mine at the ready and begin shooting frantically. The first bullet finds a shoulder and knocks one of the men to the ground; the next few bullets riddle the second man in the chest. He also collapses. I walk up to them and inspect the situation. The second man was clearly dead, but the other was still breathing. I didn’t want to leave any loose ends so I shoot him in the head. Both men lay motionless beside each other. I wanted to kick something; a killer was not something I planned on being when I grew up. I didn’t like it, but I suppose this was my world now.
I glance around the security tower and there are no other men. The van they were loading already has keys in the ignition and the gate is open. “It must be my lucky day,” I whisper to myself sarcastically. The only thing I hadn’t done yet was grab some weapons. I run toward the security office and search one of the closets. There are so many weapons that I find it impossible to choose. As I stare at the obscene amount of artillery an alarm sounds. “Shit!” it was now or never. I grab a duffle bag and pile in a random assortment of guns, bullets, knives and grenades. I didn’t even know if the guns and bullets matched up, but there was no time to check.
I race out of the room with the bag and throw it into the unlocked van along with myself. I get the engine going and slam my foot on the gas. Just as begin my ascent I notice that I am being chased by people. A few appear in the rearview mirror and soon dozens more follow suit. I look closer into the mirror to find that they are not with CSIS. These were not trained men ready to take me out. These were victims of the Azrael Virus and someone had unleashed them as a farewell present.
I hit the gas harder, going as fast as I can up the only ramp that can lead me home. I begin to panic as I realize a few of the infected are gaining on me. I can’t go much faster. Vans weren’t built for top speed, but apparently, zombies were. This had to be some sort of unholy joke, death is literally chasing me. “Come on!” I yell in exasperation.
There is a large bang at the back of the vehicle, I see a few fully rotted out faces smashing against the glass baring their teeth. They seemed hungry alright; perhaps that’s what cause them to run. Dinner on wheels or no dinner. I suspect most would run for it if they were truly starving.
I hear a few more banging sounds above me. “Shit!” Some had found a way to climb on top of the van. I try to swerve as I drive in order to throw them off. One rolls off with a loud thud and lands behind the van rolling away and taking a few other zombies down with them like bowling pins crashing to the ground. There is a smashing sound above my head and when I look up I can see a dent growing bigger and bigger with each thud. The fucking zombie was trying to punch a hole through the roof. I continue to swerve, but it doesn’t help. Soon the zombie’s arm bursts through the roof of the car and its decomposing hand is slithering through my hair and pulling at it trying to suck it through the opening. I scream as hair begins to leave my scalp. What I needed was a weapon, but the bag in the passenger seat seemed so far away. My hands leave the wheel for a moment to try and get the zombie’s hands off of my hair so I can move to reach the weapons. The hand won’t budge; it was vice grip hold that couldn’t be moved. I place my hands back on the wheel just in time to steer away from one of the tunnels walls.
I had been left with no choice, it seemed that I would die, or go bald at an early age. I decide that a new look couldn’t be half bad. Taking a deep breath and both hands off the wheel once more, I use one hand to hold
my scalp and the other to pull away with the zombie’s hand. The tearing sound as hairs rip away from my scalp is horrendous, but not as god awful as the pain searing through me, making my eyes water and my muscles shake. The pain makes me blind for a moment, but I am forced to snap out of it when I hear metal grinding against the cement wall. I had to steady the vehicle and grab a weapon or all of this would be for nothing.
The first weapon I grab is the handgun Dr. August gave me. I press it to the roof of the car and blast it several times, leaving holes in it. When blood begins to pour through the holes I know I succeeded. “You bastards rot in hell!” I yell as I stare out the rearview mirror. They were still running at me, but I was glad to see they were at least a few paces behind me.
The tunnel looks to be coming to an end and before I know it I am shot out into the open air. Trees line the open road. I slam the steering wheel with sheer bliss. I had made it. I look at my gas tank and see that it’s full.
“Well let’s keep driving until we’re running on fumes,” I say to myself.
The zombies couldn’t chase me forever, eventually, they would wander off and find other food or I would lose them in my travels through towns, at least I hoped I could lose them.
***
Three hours of driving and four townships later, I am pleased to see the roads empty behind me. There is not a soul in sight, just a few abandoned cars along the way. It was exactly as the zombie apocalypse looked like in movies, except this wasn’t a movie and it was damn near impossible for my logical mind to accept, all of this felt like total and utter horse shit. I kept praying that this was some rather elaborate prank that someone was filming for television and that soon they would do the big reveal, the whole ha-ha jokes on you, and then I could laugh it off and go home and everything would go back to the way it was.
I slam on the breaks.
This was the first time I allowed myself to break down. I had tried to be strong for myself, for Eve, for Alex, but there was no one to be strong for right now.
Placing my head on the steering wheel, I allow all the fear and panic out of my body. I just needed a moment to breathe. For the first time, I notice the van has a foul smell to it. I roll down the windows to let in some fresh air, but my curiosity gets the best of me and I hop out of the vehicle to see what kind of cargo I was transporting. I ready my pistol and throw open the doors to the back of the van. Nothing jumps out at me and so I find it safe enough to tuck the gun into my waistband and hop on inside.
Inside I find a first aid kit and a rather large body bag. I sit next to the body bag for a long while wondering if another zombie lay inside, but when the bag doesn’t move, I figure it’s safe enough to unzip it and find out who’s inside. I wanted it so badly to Agent Williams lying in there, but men like him wouldn’t fall easily. Most likely some poor sucker was in there, some newbie working for CSIS, hoping to be serving our country, but instead got stuck serving Agent Williams and his hidden agenda. I refused to believe all of CSIS supported Williams, perhaps they were waiting for the right moment to take him down. Wishful thinking again, I have to quit that terrible habit.
Fidgeting with my fingers I contemplate dumping the body on the side of the road. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to see another dead body today, but against my better judgment I find the zipper and begin to open the bag. Blonde strands of hair poke through. I gently stroke the long strands. I already knew the truth, but it was like ripping off a band-aid eventually you have to let the wound breathe if it was to heal. I unzip the bag the entire way and let out a cry of agony. It was a sound only a wounded animal could utter or someone who had watched someone very important to them die.
I scoop Alex’s lifeless body out of the bag and hug it close to me. I wanted the embrace to save her, to bring her back to me, but all it does is prove how cold her skin had grown. I cry into her blonde, blood-soaked hair. Why had god brought her back to me only to take her away again?
“Why?” I scream out of the open van doors.
I scream it, again and again, asking the skies to answer me. If demons and all this darkness could exist where was the light? I needed it so badly right now.
When my tears had dried out and I had nothing left but hate in my heart, I exit the van. Alex is in my arms as I head toward a nearby field. I didn’t have a shovel to bury her, but I do spot a pond. I didn’t want the animals to chew at her, so a water burial would have to do.
I lay her on the ground, her eyes still wide and staring up at the sky as if to say, “I’m coming home.” I really wanted to believe that that’s where she was going, that heaven would open its pearly gates and reunite her with her sister and her parents. If I had been smart enough to love her, perhaps this would have all turned out differently. I would have much rather died in her arms knowing that someone loved me before I went, rather than spend the rest of my days running from someone trying to steal my heart. It just didn’t seem right. Maybe my heart deserved to be ripped out; I clearly wasn’t any good at using it.
“I’m sorry, Alex,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to make this all about me. I’ll stop sulking now.” I hang my head as I choke on the next words. “Alex, I hate myself for letting them hurt you. I wish I could have saved you. None of this is right, and if I could trade places with you right now. I would.”
I draw her lids closed and hug her one last time. “Alex, say hi to everyone up there for me. Tell them I’ll be coming soon, but I’m not going down without some fight. I didn’t have a hard life just to have an easy death right? I will see you again, I promise.”
There is growl in the distance and I know my time with her is up. I take one final glance at her angelic face and then slowly push her body into the water until every last inch of her is immersed. I watch as she sinks out of sight. The distance between us feels so much further now. Like life and death were a billion light-years apart.
My heels are dragging as I head back to the van. I know I should be running, but it was becoming very difficult to care about living any longer. What was there to live for now? Not dying didn’t seem like a good enough reason.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
DR. AUGUST
The alarms sound throughout the facility and since they would already know my part in all this, it seemed futile to hide. Why delay the inevitable? I sit in my lab and wait for them to find me, which isn’t long at all, my lab is the first place they decide to look.
I am not surprised to find that the first person to enter is none other than Agent Williams. Oddly enough, he wore a surgical mask that covered his mouth and nose. He storms in with a murderous look. I only prayed he would kill me quickly rather than have me succumb to torture.
“Doctor, you have been a very, very bad boy,” he says with an evil laugh
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say with my arms crossed. “I have done nothing wrong.”
He slaps me so hard across the face that it feels as though I may never see straight again, I did, however, deserve it; I was being quite the smart ass at the moment.
“You let him escape!” His yelling is slightly muffled by the surgical mask.
“I didn’t let him do anything, Sir. How was I to stop an armed man with his mind made up? My job here is providing information and conducting research; I believe it’s your henchmen’s duty to secure prisoners. Am I correct in that assumption?”
Another slap against the other cheek nearly flings me out of my chair. Also deserved, I decide now would be the time to shut my mouth.
“Listen to me, vermin. Your job is to obey me, follow me, and when you don’t, the only job left for you is to die.”
I close my eyes and wait for him to shoot me, but after a few moments, I realize that he might just let me live. I reopen my eyes to find him sitting across from me. If he wasn’t going to kill me, what did he want?
“Doctor, I know you’re well aware that
I will find him, and shortly I will set off to retrieve him. You will remain here with Eve. I have decided to keep her on ice. She’s on her last legs and I want to keep her around until I get back. You and I both know that shutting down the freezing machines would only shorten her life. Leave her be, and for heaven’s sake, don’t try to kill her like you did with Doctor Engel.”
My eyes grow wide. “What do you mean by ‘try’?”
“I mean just that August, a failed attempt. You missed his brain by a few centimeters and luckily you had turned on the machines before you checked to see if he was fully dead.”
I had failed to grant Vincent his final request and that did not sit well with me. I would have to right this wrong, but I had a feeling reaching Vincent, this time, would not be as easy.
“Where are they?” I ask Agent Williams desperately.
“They’re sleeping,” he says smiling with his eyes and then lowering his mask to reveal his sunken nose along with a twisted grin.
The sight of him leaves me feeling nauseated.
“You don’t like my new look I take it? The nose job is courtesy of Eve. The other changes are courtesy of something else. I assume you might know who you’re talking to by now, Doctor? Am I not familiar to you yet? You’ve spent a long time studying my kingdom. I thought you would be pleased to meet me, perhaps show some hospitality, but instead when I search your mind I see you only wish me harm.”
He shakes his finger at me as if I were a child behaving badly.
“It can’t be,” I say in terrified astonishment.
“Oh, it can,” he states, sending chills down my spine.
“While I’m gone, Doctor, you get to play a little game. Somewhere in the facility are two very precious things, find them and save them if you can.”
He stands and bids me farewell. I can only watch as the former Agent Williams departs. This was a whole other problem. The Dark King had a body now, and a powerful one at that. I had to warn our government, I had to prepare them for whatever plan he was about to put in motion.
