Z-Boat

by Suzanne Robb

  The zombies' bodies were so decayed that they fell apart as they walked. Marcus did his best to keep them away from Ivan, but they came from everywhere. He found himself backed into a corner with no bullets left, using only his brute strength to take them down.

  He kicked out knees and stomped heads. The smell and gore collecting around him nauseated him, but he kept at it, knowing his life was on the line.

  In his peripheral vision, he saw Ivan placing explosives and fighting off the occasional zombie. Then out of nowhere, a voice in the front of the room.

  Marcus was happy to see the captain for once. He watched as Iain made several headshots. In his other hand, he swung an axe. The two men began a renewed effort to kill the damn zombies. Marcus tried to keep away from grabbing hands and hungry mouths.

  ***

  Iain saw Ivan setting charges and knew Marcus was trying to provide cover for him. He took a few more headshots, then used the axe he found in the hallway to cut a bloody path to Marcus. He knew they stood a better chance of surviving together then separated.

  Iain discovered the difficulty in maintaining his balance on the slick floor. He spared a second to look down, and in the red lighting, he made out organs, limbs still moving, and patches of a thick sticky substance, which put off a rancid smell.

  He used the axe like a bat at times, knocking mandibles across the room and scattering teeth across the floor. One particularly rotten zombie fell to the ground in a twitching heap when Iain aimed a bit too high and sent the upper half of its skull and brain flying.

  He glanced over at Marcus to make sure he was still there. The giant man used his softball-sized fists to punch in faces, and kicked out the knees of others. Once they were down, he stomped their heads, leaving a pulpy mess in his wake. Iain made a mental note to never piss this guy off.

  Iain returned to hacking at arms, taking low swings at legs and the occasional decapitation. The short distance took several minutes for him to cover, but he and Marcus finally managed to meet up in the middle of the room. Iain handed Marcus the axe and went back to shooting. He had about ten shots left, and each one had to count.

  The two men, now in the center of the room, fought back to back. This took some of the pressure off Ivan, but not much.

  Marcus noticed Iain was alone. "Where's Kramer?"

  "Probably on the submersible, trying to escape with Maxine."

  Marcus grunted. "Figures. What about Nina?"

  "I have no idea. Maxine said she was going to help her out, but I don't buy it."

  Marcus ducked as one of the zombies lunged at him. "As soon as Ivan's done, we're finding Nina and getting the hell out of here."

  Marcus used the axe, hitting a zombie in the chest so hard it rattled a moment, then all four limbs fell out of their sockets. Iain helped him stomp the moving appendages, gagging he entire time.

  ***

  Maxine walked quietly down the hallway where she last saw Nina. Why did they have to program a password for the submersible? This put her life in danger, and she didn't appreciate it. She couldn't escape now, though she was pleased to know Kramer couldn't either.

  The thought of him sitting in the submersible with nowhere to go made her smile, especially since he would have to explain what he was doing to Ally. She could only imagine what Ally planned to do to Kramer if anything happened to her precious Marcus.

  Kramer ended up looking like an asshole, and she would come off as somewhat trustworthy because she went to get Nina. Then again, if Nina died, they might think she did it.

  Maxine took slow, measured steps, and kept her breathing as low and even as possible. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the frequency jammer. Pushing the button, she allowed for radio communication. It was the only way to expedite finding Nina.

  Tapping the button on the side of her radio, she spoke in a low voice. "Nina, where are you? We need to get out of here. I repeat, we need to get out of here."

  Maxine waited for a response. She went down a hallway leading to crew quarters. She didn't know much about Nina- nothing, in fact. From the looks of her, though, she was the type to rifle through people's things for cash.

  ***

  Nina didn't know what the hell was going on. One minute, she was walking down the hallway towards the rec room, looking for survivors, then there were zombies attacking her. She heard the radio go off about finding survivors, but if they were anything like what she was dealing with, they sure as hell weren't coming back to the Betty Loo with them.

  She fought them off as best she could. There were just so many, but they were slow and decomposing, which made things easier, though incredibly disgusting.

  Knocking yet another zombie in the head with a broken piece of pipe she'd found, she felt herself sprayed with a nasty-smelling goo. Nina tried to shake it off and continued on her way to the diving room. She knew Maxine was up to something and figured Kramer was as well. They reminded her of two evil peas in a pod.

  She saw the collection of zombies on the submersible screen. She knew they were in the diving room. Marcus and Ivan were most likely dealing with a hellish situation, and she hoped they could get there in time. Grimly, she hoped they were still alive.

  Turning a corner, she thought she saw a shadow. Then again, with the damn emergency lights flashing intermittently, shadows hung everywhere. Shrugging it off, she continued around the corner and came face to face with three zombies.

  Swinging the pipe without thought, she knocked one of their heads clear off. For a moment, the headless body stood there in spasms until she hit it once more, sending the body to the floor. The other two grabbed her from the side. She heard her radio crackle; they worked again. The zombies holding her smelled disgusting and kept trying to bite her.

  Letting go of the pipe with her right hand, she hit the button on her radio and declared that she was about a hundred feet from the diving room.

  Kicking up her feet, she pushed against the wall to free herself from the zombies holding her. Turning around with only her hands as weapons, she swung a fist, lodging it in the chest of her nearest assailant. Unfortunately, this left her wide open for an attack from the other one. She tried to dislodge her fist from between two rotten ribs while using her other hand awkwardly to hold back the salivating mouth of the other zombie.

  The third zombie got free of her hand and latched on to her neck, making moaning noises as it chewed on her flesh. She felt herself getting dizzy, then heard a loud noise before falling to the ground.

  ***

  Maxine saw the bite mark on Nina's neck. A perfect opportunity to test out the vaccine and bring back a possible specimen. Whatever infected these people was likely transmitted via contact with fluids, and a bite was good enough in her book.

  Kneeling down next to Nina, Maxine wrapped the wound with some gauze from her bag. She had the basics in case something like this occurred. She pulled out one of the large syringes with the glowing fluid and injected Nina in the arm. Seconds later, Maxine watched transfixed as the greenish fluid began to seep out of the small hole the needle left in Nina's arm.

  Unsure what it meant, Maxine gave Nina a sedative. Keeping her asleep was now a priority. The organism needed to grow. Maxine debated if she'd made the right decision, then decided it didn't matter. If something happened to Nina, they would suspect her.

  Touching the button on her radio, she spoke. "Captain, this is Maxine. I found Nina. I think she injured herself. She's unconscious. I'm getting her back to the submersible ASAP."

  Maxine grabbed Nina by the arm and began to drag her down the aisle way. She stopped every few feet to catch her breath and make sure no zombies were sneaking up on her. She sure as hell hoped her bosses gave her some sort of additional bonus for this. Then again, if they didn't, she could always find another buyer.

  ***

  Ivan set the last charge in the engine room. It was a short flight of stairs down from the diving room, but he ran into several zombies on the way. He took out each on
e quickly and efficiently, then set to the task of setting the final charges.

  As he went back up the stairs, he found Marcus and the captain fighting side by side. There were at least thirty zombies left, a never-ending massacre. More and more seemed to be coming in, a parade of the damned.

  Ivan jumped into the fray and fired off several headshots. For every one he put down, five seemed to crop up. He recognized the uniforms they wore, and he cringed when he realized this had happened to people he knew. He might even have put a bullet into the head of someone he once called friend.

  A zombie off to his side lurched forward, and Ivan reached out instinctively to protect himself. He missed being bitten by less than an inch. There were too many of them. If they stayed any longer, they would likely die.

  "We're getting out of here. Let's go."

  Ivan ran out of the room, followed by Iain. Marcus exited the room behind the others, but stopped to try to shut the doors. Iain glanced back to see where Marcus was and saw what he was doing.

  "Marcus, you can't. If you shut the doors, we risk not sinking this damn thing when the charges go off."

  One of the zombies reached out and grabbed Marcus by the arm. He pulled away, and the result was a large gash down his forearm. He wrapped it with a rag and ran after the captain.

  ***

  Up ahead, Ivan saw Maxine struggling with Nina.

  "What happened? Was she bit? Has she been infected?" Ivan needed answers now.

  If she was infected, they would leave her here. Ivan was not going to let the crew of the Betty Loo face the same fate as the people here.

  "Not that I can tell, just looks like a scratch." Ivan stared at the so-called doctor and hoped she was not stupid enough to want to take a live specimen back to the Betty Loo.

  "Let me check the wound." Ivan reached for the bandage on Nina's neck.

  "It isn't necessary; she's fine." Maxine was too defensive. Ivan didn't like it.

  "Figure it out later. We got company." Marcus pointed at the approaching horde of zombies behind them.

  Looking back, Ivan saw the undead mob and agreed. He hefted Nina over his shoulder and made a dash for the control room, Marcus and the captain taking out the zombies blocking their way as they moved forward.

  Ivan hit the button on his radio. "I set the timer for five minutes; we must move fast."

  "Why didn't you set a remote switch? You gave us less than three minutes to get onto the submersible and get out of range of this tub." Iain was angry. "After all this, we're going to blow ourselves up."

  "I did it in case we all died and no one was left to push it." Utter silence after Ivan's comment.

  Ivan hoped Kramer got his message. They didn't have time to bicker when they arrived in the control room.

  ***

  Ally ransacked the research lab and kept glancing over at Tom, still out cold. Looking through the shelves and drawers, she found a case Kramer had brought on.

  Opening it she saw slots for several containers- most likely what he went over to collect on the sub. Pulling out the padding, she decided it was perfect for her needs.

  Racing down the stairs, she bumped into Dutch. He was getting ready for when the submersible returned and needed to dock. She smiled as she sped by. She had only minutes left to get the G-Tex into the case, close up air tank fifteen, and then find a suitable way to get rid of or secure the explosives.

  She jumped into the below deck area with the case and carefully loaded it up. When she finished, she let out the breath she had been holding since she jumped down there.

  She made quick work of closing up the air tank, then grabbed the case at her feet. Placing the case on the upper floor, she closed the air tank, pulled herself up onto the lower deck, closed the grate and secured it.

  She then reached down and carefully grabbed the case. She was going to see about dumping the G-Tex in a trash release, but the display panel lit up.

  Ally, it's Kramer. Ivan just said the timer was set for five minutes, Nina's down, and they aren't here yet. You need to give me those codes.

  Ally hesitated. He sounded scared, but she wasn't about to just leave Marcus. Walking over to the panel, she responded.

  "Give them time, Kramer. They'll make it back."

  She had to get into the control room now. She took the case of G-Tex, deciding that, for the time being, it was safest with her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ivan struggled with Nina. She was dead weight and slowed him down. Marcus and Iain fell to the rear, trying to hold back the zombies lumbering after them. Maxine kept the way forward as clear as possible.

  Once they entered the control room, Marcus shut the door to buy them time. Ivan started swearing.

  "Damn it, Kramer's in the submersible and has the hatch closed." Ivan pounded on the hatch.

  Iain spoke up. "Not that we need more pressure right now, but we have less than a minute thirty to get out of here."

  ***

  Kramer sat in the submersible, trying to figure out what to do as Ally yelled at him over the communications system. Open the damn hatch, you bastard!

  Kramer clung to the verge of hysteria. He hid his bags and started to put on one of the diving suits. He wasn't going to die in this thing. He knew Ally was lying to him. No way the others made it to the control room alive.

  He heard the pounding again and decided to take one last look at the camera view of the control room. All of them were there, and they looked very angry. He figured he would put on the suit and swim back to the Betty Loo. Then he heard, We have less than a minute thirty.

  Snapped out of his temporary insanity, he reached down and pulled the release lever for the hatch. He was greeted by a very annoyed-looking Ivan.

  "Grab her arms and pull, you useless..." Ivan handed up Nina.

  Kramer, not very strong, struggled, but finally got her aboard. The rest of the crew got on in record time. They shoved him to the back, and he tried to look casual in the diving suit.

  "Let me guess. You were going to swim back to the Betty Loo? Good thing you didn't; you have the air compressor on backwards. You would've been pulverized in seconds." Marcus smirked. Kramer felt sick at the comment.

  He watched Ivan slide into the pilot's seat and Iain slip into the co-pilot's. With lightning-fast movements, Ivan initiated the launch sequence, and they were on their way. Iain lifted his wrist to read his watch and start the countdown.

  "Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and..."

  A huge explosion behind them. The shockwaves rocked the tiny submersible. Alarms went off, a crack began in the view window, and one of the bolts shot out, nearly taking off Kramer's head. Freezing water began pouring in.

  "Damn it." Marcus moved to the back and lifted up a hatch on the floor.

  He pulled out an emergency toolkit and opened it, rifling through the tools. He grabbed an emergency seal gun, popped the top on it, and stuck it into the hole gushing cold water. He used all his strength to keep it in there, the force of the water unbelievable.

  The longer he kept in in, the better chance the seal would work. As he watched, the sealant came out and closed in around the hole. It seemed to take an eternity, but thirty seconds later, the hole was sealed.

  "We need something for the window, Marcus. It's splintering." Ivan sounded calm, but Marcus knew that wasn't the case.

  Picking up the toolkit, he went to the front of the submersible. Iain got out of his way, and Marcus pulled out a large piece of clear plastic. He unwrapped it, peeled it in two, and stuck it to the window. It was a special poly-plastic glass blend meant to hold the window together and prevent further splintering until they could get it properly taken care of.

  "Marcus, the hole is starting to leak again." Iain's voice was raised with fear.

  Marcus went back to the hole he'd sealed and took a tube of epoxy out of the kit. He squeezed out a large portion and wiped it over the leaking hole.

  The alarms turned off, but it was obvious the su
bmersible had taken some severe damage during the shockwave.

  "Do we have communications? Is the Betty Loo okay? Did the shockwaves reach her?" Marcus bordered on full-blown panic.

  Ally wouldn't have any help if things starting popping or leaking. Ivan hit a few switches and spoke. "Betty Loo, this is submersible. Do you read?"

  The silence stretched on until a crackling noise was heard.

  This is Betty Loo. Read you fine, submersible. Come on home.

  Marcus sighed in relief.

  "The window's not holding..."

  ***

  Maxine looked at everybody around her. While they were occupied with their own pathetic worries, she gave Nina another sedative when she noticed her starting to twitch. She made sure to triple the dose. Whatever she was dealing with was very resilient when it came to medical intervention.

  Nina grew paler by the minute, and her breathing seemed to be getting more and more shallow. Maxine wondered how long she had. As much as she hated to admit it, if Nina turned into a zombie, she would need Kramer's help. She loathed the idea, but he was the specialist.

  ***

  Ally hoped no major damage had been done to the Betty Loo. The aftershock was minor, but she feared the docking arms for the submersible might have been affected. She knew it would take at least fifteen minutes for them to get back, so she got Dutch on the communications panel.

  "Dutch, this is Ally. I need you to run a check on the submersible's docking arms. Make sure everything is okay for them when they get home."

  Ally didn't wait for a response, as Dutch rarely bothered. She hoped he was up to the task, because there was nothing she could do from the control room if something actually went wrong mechanically.