Mia nodded, silently acknowledging the small possibility of success. There would be much blood shed if they were to reach the security station. Not to mention that the defense system Connor described to her upon their arrival might kill them all. She hadn’t bothered to consider how they planned to set the system off if they were able to reach their destination in time. With all of the difficulties of the way ahead running through her mind, she was surprised to find herself thinking of Rowan. The notion that they were so close to one another ate at her. Jonah’s brief description of their escape made it difficult to determine if there was any chance of finding him in all of the chaos. Her eyes darted toward the gate and settled on Jonah. Mia excused herself from the council and headed for her brother.
“Are we going yet?” he asked, tapping the end of a makeshift club against the palm of his hand.
“What are you going to do with that?” she asked.
“I’m not a baby.”
Mia nodded. “I know that,” she admitted. “I don’t know what we’re walking into.”
“I’m not afraid.” He puffed out his chest. “I’ve seen worse than this.”
The sight made Mia beam a sad smile. “I’m sure you have.” She brushed the hair from his face. “I need to tell you what happened to the tribe,” she hesitated, “to father.”
His eyes shot up to meet hers. “No you don’t,” he said. “You don’t need to tell me anything.” She tried to continue, but he cut her off. “We found each other, against everything that’s happened and I’m grateful for that.”
His words struck Mia. She watched him fight off tears as his eyes swelled.
“I think about him,” Jonah said, his voice somehow more mature than his years, “and I want to keep the memories that I have.” He shook his head. “I don’t need to know anything else. I’m going to protect you now, because that’s what he would want me to do,” he assured her. “We’ll find Rowan and Garret and then we’ll get out of here.”
Mia stroked his cheek as she bit down on her lip and grinned.
“You’ll stay close to me, won’t you?” she asked. He nodded and she turned and headed back to where the council had gathered. “I feel safer already.”
The plan was quickly set, although there wasn’t much to it. A small group of the tribe checked the elevator and discovered that it was off-line, which suggested that the control station had decided to leave their slave labor for dead. The only remaining choice was to attempt to reach the bottom row of the platforms lining the interior wall of the immense opening above them. Once they started the ascent, they would split the core group into four factions each trying to reach the administration levels. Three of the factions would act as a diversion, while Mia’s group focused on reaching the security station. Armed with little more than scraps of wood and metal, the main force of a couple hundred stood atop the massive caged living quarters that had been their cell.
“We’ll go up with the second group,” Mia said to Jonah. “Stay close to me.” She’d repeated the instructions more times than she could count, but she was too nervous to stop herself. Gunshots from somewhere above said the first of the tribesmen were discovered on their initial assault. “Let’s go.”
She pulled Jonah until she could feel him behind her. They’d lashed serval makeshift ropes to items they fastened into hooks, each hanging down from the lowest of the platforms a few stories above. Mia climbed hand over hand, hampered by a man above her. They were midway up the line when another series of shots rang out, this time countered by the screams of those taking the brunt of the fire.
Mia was up and over the railing, reaching down for Jonah before she ever saw what was going on in the storage area beyond the archway aligned with the platform. Jonah came over the railing holding onto the club he’d tied off to his belt. Climbers continued to pull themselves up behind him as Jonah shoved Mia up against the wall seconds before bullets plunged into the next man up. Blood dotted Mia’s face as the impact of Jonah slamming into her forced the air out of her lungs.
“Get down,” he yelled, positioning himself between her and the archway. “Stay here.”
The boy turned to run and nearly got away. Mia snatched him by his sleeve and brought him to a sudden stop.
“You get your ass down,” she demanded.
Mia stepped around him and peered through the opening at a gut-wrenching scene. Tribesmen lined the backside of a row of crates near an open floor. Bodies dotted the space between the crates and another row on the opposite side. The clothing gave them away, most of which were from the tribe, but some were clad in the black uniforms of the soldiers. Mia’s eyes were on a pair of women and a young boy no older than Jonah. All three lay face down surrounded by a widening pool of blood.
She pulled back then motioned for Jonah to follow. They dashed through the archway at the first halt in the gunfire and were down behind the crates when the next round went off. Some of the tribesmen had acquired guns, but few of them appeared to know what to do with them. Mia guessed the one or two firing back at the soldiers were the only thing keeping them from overtaking the group.
“We’re trapped,” Jonah said. “We’ve got to get to the other side.”
Mia knew he was right. It wouldn’t matter how many tribesmen reached the platform, it was going to turn into target practice. She was drawn to the sight of Agnes rushing toward her in the next wave of figures pushing in from the platform. The old woman ran in an odd crouched position that made her look like she was going to topple over at any moment. Mia ran out and grabbed her as another wave of firing erupted across the room. They slammed into the backside of the metal crates as a pair.
“You’re going to need this gun more than me,” Agnes said holding the weapon out for her. “Take it.”
Mia cautiously picked it up, unsure of the weight. She only knew it was a handgun because the woman said it was. Mia had never actually held one. It felt heavier in her hands than she thought it would. She turned it around to examine both ends and Agnes snatched it away.
“That thing’s loaded,” she said. “I’ve seen enough of these over the years to show you how to keep from killing yourself.” The crash course that followed left Mia more scared of the thing than she had been when they started. “It only has eight rounds.”
Agnes handed it back to Mia and she took it with a bit more confidence. She reassured herself that she wasn’t going to blow her head off, but it didn’t help her nerves. She’d much rather have a bow or a knife, but the barrage of gunfire hitting the wall behind her told her that neither would help her at the moment.
“That’s most of our group,” Agnes said, peering down the line of figures positioned behind the crates. “We’re going to have to make room for the next wave.”
Agnes motioned at the closest man across from them and gave the signal to pass along. He swallowed hard before returning an uncomfortable nod. Agnes pulled Jonah back from the edge and took a long breath for herself. Mia felt the woman’s hand tremble when she placed it on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. She found an unusual comfort in their shared fear.
“If you lead,” Agnes said, “they’ll follow you.” She turned her attention to Jonah before Mia had a chance to give it a thought. “And you, young man, stay with me and move when I move.”
Mia gave her brother a silent affirmation and forced him to return it before he looked away. Satisfied with Jonah’s relative safety, she skirted around him and took up a position at the side of the crate. She waited for the faces across from her to lock onto her. Mia tried to convey her determination in a single stare. The first group of wide-eyed men, women, and children gave her a reassuring nod and readied themselves. Mia waited for the next break in the gunfire then made her move.
She was up and out in the open before her brain could process what she was doing. A yell erupted from her gut as she released the panic playing havoc on her nerves. An echoing cry washed over her as the multitudes rushed out from their hiding positions behind
her. Mia raised her gun and fired at the first sign of the enemy.
The gun went off, missing the target by a wide length. She fired again, closing in, but her aim was no better. Several soldiers followed the first man up, each coming over the top of their positions, leveling their barrels on the tribesmen running wild out in to open space. Rounds whizzed by inches from Mia, but she never stopped moving. Both friends and foes fell, littering the way with bodies and blood. Mia reached the midway point when her eyes found movement at the exit. A figure stepped through from the other side and the sight brought her to a dead stop.
♦
“This is completely insane.”
It was apparent that Himu didn’t approve of Rowan’s plan, but he didn’t care. Garret was fading fast. Rowan had to find a way to get them to the surface or all hope was lost. He had it in mind that Jonah would try to use the elevators. Most likely the boy was already dead, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept it. His world was closing in around him and any chance of survival was lessening with every heartbeat.
“Tell me when you’re ready,” Rowan said to Himu, ignoring his objection. He put out his hand for Garret. “You got anything left?”
Garret sat motionless, his back against one of the countless terminals. He opened his eyes and the black voids stared back at Rowan with little resemblance to the tribesman clinging to his soul.
“Not much,” he said then reached out and took his hand. “You know what that means.”
The vague reference to what Rowan would soon be forced to do shook him to the core.
“Not yet,” he countered. “Stay with me.”
Garret grimaced then nodded. Rowan pulled him up to his feet. Garret swayed, but managed to stay up right, using the top of the terminal for balance. He motioned at Himu when he was sure of his footing.
“Keep your focus on him,” Garret said. “Don’t worry about me.”
Rowan’s initial plan was quickly shot down. Himu assured him there was nothing he could do to open the door to the safe passage. Even more so, he insisted there was nothing Doctor Olric could do to open it from the other side. As a failsafe mechanism, the tunnel was set to begin collapsing on itself shortly after the door locked in place.
Rowan had no reason to trust a single word Himu said. Threatening his life didn't produce any teetering in his stance. It was left to Rowan to figure out another way, but there wasn’t much left for him to work with. He reconfirmed his new set of directions to Himu and shoved him from behind to get his point across.
“How close?” he asked.
“Two floors,” Himu said as he worked through the key pad on the console.
The assistant let it slip that he could monitor the elevator positions and it created the spark that led to Rowan’s plan. He maneuvered the undead boy to face the direction of the stairs at the opposite end of the row running down the middle of the cages. The billowing moans of the dead crammed in the cells around them were a glaring reminder of how bad his plan might be.
“Open the main door,” Rowan said.
Himu did as he was told and the entrance to the containment area slid open on the far side of the room. Rowan helped Garret, still holding on to the pole connected to the zombie boy’s leash. He sat Garret down in a narrow space between the last terminal in the row and the wall beside the safe passage door then turned his attention back to Himu.
“Don’t move until I say.”
Himu’s face twitched before he bobbed his head in confirmation. Rowan backed himself into the space with Garret and crouched down, forcing the boy directly out in front of them.
“You know this will never work,” Himu said without bothering to turn around. “We’re going to die one way or another.”
Rowan pressed himself further into the cramped space until his head was hidden from view. He held the undead boy out close enough to Himu that the creature could wrap his hands around him if he let go of the leash.
“Remember,” Rowan shot back, “you’ll die first.”
The remark was enough to keep Himu quiet. Rowan focused on the door. He was sure soldiers would soon come pouring through the opening. Himu boasted about the alert Dr. Olric set off prior to his cowardice retreat. Rowan wasn’t as confident that anyone would respond under the circumstances. In the end, the numbers wouldn’t matter, all he needed was one soldier.
“The elevator is on the ground floor,” Himu announced then positioned his finger over a single key on the panel. “Get ready.”
The soldiers moved in formation, the first appearing in the open doorway with rifles sweeping across the room. Their arrival brought the undead prisoners to a crescendo. Rowan waited until the first full squad was in the entryway before giving the order.
“Now.”
Himu hit the key then spun around.
“Get this thing out of my face.”
His shout was enough to draw the attention of the soldiers to their hiding spot. They did not, however, notice the full effect of Rowan’s plan until it was too late. Rowan maneuvered the boy out of the way, allowing Himu to slip past it. The assistant forced himself uncomfortably close to his captors before Rowan positioned the zombie directly in front of them.
The soldiers neared the stairs leading down into the room’s central row before realizing that all of the cells were open. The dead stumbled out of their prisons in mass and the firing started soon after. It was difficult to tell how many soldiers entered the containment area, but it was easier to count the ones falling to the ground as they attempted a retreat. It wasn’t until the dead in the cells on the far side of the area moved beyond the stairs that Rowan thought his plan might actually work. The horde followed the soldiers out into the hall, leaving only a handful to feed on the men who’d been overwhelmed. Rowan waited as long as he could before forcing Himu out into the open. He got to his feet and helped Garret stand.
“We’ve got to move,” Rowan said.
Garret grabbed Himu by the arm and Rowan gave him his knife.
“Don’t leave me with him,” Himu complained. “He’s going to turn.”
Garret sent his fist directly into the assistant’s ribs and the shot put him down on his knees.
“And whose fault is that?” Garret asked. “I’m going to eat you first.”
Rowan didn’t like the sound of that nor did he like the hint of truth hidden behind the words. The screams of the soldiers were silent by the time Rowan and the others reached the stairs. Half a dozen zombies knelt over a body, ripping him to shreds. His guts were spread out over his chest, handfuls pressed between crunching jaws. Blood covered the walkway, dripping down the stairs and onto the floor of the central row. Another body lay a few feet away from the first, it in worse shape. The arms had been torn away and a pair of hungry mouths bit into thick, meaty thighs.
Himu pressed in close to Garret, suddenly wanting his protection. Rowan shoved the undead boy up the stairs in front of them. They were all on the walkway heading for the entrance to the containment area when the first of the feasting groups took notice. Rowan jabbed the pole and slammed the boy into a zombie trying to stand. Garret stuck his knife into the back of the head of another before it ever reached its feet. Rowan took a chance and reached over the boy as he fell, trapping a zombie against the floor. He snatched the access card slung around the dead soldier’s neck and pulled back a blood soaked hand. They were running, all the while Himu screaming that they couldn’t leave the boy behind.
The central hall leading back to the elevator was alive in a chaotic skirmish. The dead littered the floor from the entrance of the containment area to the bend in the hall. Bodies of soldiers lay in between the dead along the way. Rowan had his eyes on the door midway down the passage. He kicked Himu in the back to keep him going then rushed ahead as fast as he could get Garret to run. They reached the door, but not before receiving a number of admirers along the way. A small section of the dead turned back toward them and a quick look proved that most of the feasting groups had fo
llowed them out into the hall, trapping them in the center.
“Give it to me.”
Rowan gave into Himu’s demands, sliding the dead soldier’s access card into his hand. Himu made quick work of the card and the door slid open, revealing a wide, ascending staircase. Rowan managed a single breath before the sound of gunfire drew his attention to the opening at the top of the stairs. He led them up, catching sight of a flurry of moment beyond the landing.
The gunfire came in waves, first from a group of soldiers positioned inside an expansive storage room. Rowan was on the landing before he realized that the second wave of fire came from someone shooting back at the soldiers. He reached the storeroom entrance and caught a glimpse of the opposing force. A single figure led the charge against the soldiers and the sight of her brought Rowan to a dead stop.
25
“Rowan?”
A round clipped Mia above the hip a moment after she put a name with the face. The force of the impact spun her around like a top and left her face down on the ground. She felt Jonah’s weight as he laid himself over her. Even as the burning pain rose up from her wound, Mia’s mind was trying to determine if she could trust her eyes.
“Help me up,” she said, squeezing Jonah’s side.
He slipped his hands under her arms and pulled. They were up, side-by-side, and moving again. Mia ignored the sting on her side, pressing one hand against the bloody wound while still holding on to her gun with the other hand. The wave of tribal assault was out in front of them and the conflict had turned into hand-to-hand fighting.
Mia searched the opening beyond the fight for a confirmation of her sighting. She found Rowan pushing his way through the brawl and the scene overwhelmed her. She’d convinced herself that she would never see him again, or her brother for that matter. To have them both so close was too much to bear.
“Mia, Jonah.”
The Decaying World Saga (Book 1): Tribes of Decay Page 22
