Damned Are We
Page 34
With a final shuddering crash, the safe-room door was ripped entirely off its hinges and sent flying
across the room.
What fol owed next was far worse.
Chapter 55
2 HOURS UNTIL FAILSAFE
It sounded like the end of the world.
The safe-room door exploded off the wal and flew across the room with astonishing speed. Jacob
cursed and dodged out of the way.
THOOM.
There it was, standing in the doorway.
The shadowy figure was enormous. Pink and muscle-bound, it took up the space like a gargantuan
wraith. It was huge, at least twelve feet tal , and veins bulged from the muscles that covered every
inch of its upper body.
"Holy s hit! " Samantha cried. "What the hel is that thing?!"
"It looks like the fucking Hulk!" Markus yel ed, his shaking flashlight snapping up to its head.
The monster put up a twisted, swol en hand with an irritable snarl, the light blinding it. For a moment,
everyone was frozen in place, unsure of what the hel to do.
Corvo was the first to react. "Get out of the way!" he yel ed, lifting his assault rifle.
The gunfire was deafening, but he did not relent on the trigger, hoping that an entire magazine of
5.56 x 45mm ammunition would be enough to bring the monster down.
No such luck.
It roared in fury, shaking the room as it stormed forward with intent to kil . Corvo dove out of the way
just as its fist connected with the wall with a deafening crash, smashing completely through.
Jacob' Beretta sang as he emptied round after round into the behemoth, his shots doing little more
than making it mad. "This thing's built like a goddamn Thug!"
"Clear out of the room!" the older man yel ed.
No one argued.
Jacob sent glancing shots over his shoulder as he followed the others out of the safe-room. They
had to get away. "Up the escalators!" he shouted, making his way across the ruined concourse. At
least now they knew what had caused such destruction in the terminal.
With a resounding BOOM of crumbling cement and flying debris, the huge infected beast burst out of
the safe-room in hot pursuit. The biker's eyes nearly popped out of his head when his pursuer put its
fists to the ground, running almost on al fours, like a goril a. Not only was it strong, it was fast to
boot.
Even after the world had gone to shit, there were seldom times when Jacob was scared. But he sure
as hel was now. This monster was not just going to kil them. It was going to annihilate them.
Automatic gunfire from the side caught their attention as Markus opened fire, having looted an M-16
assault rifle from one of the soldiers' corpses throughout the terminal. However, the aptly-termed
'Thug' shrugged off the bul ets as though they were little more than pel ets from a pea-shooter. The
former office worker's mind was screaming for him to run, but he bravely stood his ground.
"Markus, get out of there!" Samantha cried from the landing at the top of the escalators, ice-cold
terror in her voice. She lifted her hunting rifle to her shoulder and lined up a shot at the infected
beast as it thundered across the hal toward her friend. Just as it was about to reach him, a shot rang
out and struck it in the back of the head.
The Thug screeched in pain, but it appeared as though an increased density of its skul prevented
the shot from being fatal.
What it did do, however, was allow Markus to dart around the hulking beast, scooping up another
magazine from a soldier's corpse, and join with the others on the second floor.
"That thing ain't going down," Corvo said, leading the others down a hallway, cluttered with debris and ruin. "We're gonna need more firepower, which I sure as hel hope the army has."
"You want to lead that thing to Captain Wil iams?" Markus asked disbelievingly.
A throaty roar echoed throughout the tunnel.
"If you have a better idea, I'm al ears!" the veteran shot back at the younger man.
He did not.
With that, the four survivors ran for their lives through the darkened tunnel. The sound of screeching metal caused Samantha to spare a glance over her shoulder, and her eyes widened in horror. "Look
out!" she screamed, pushing Markus to the side.
Moments later, a mangled baggage trolley landed where they had been with an ear-shattering crash.
Twisted shards of metal skittered away into the darkness.
"Keep running!" Corvo shouted.
The thunderous roar behind them left no room for argument. His team took off with the beast hot on
their heels. Just as he thought things could not get any worse, the sounds of pounding footsteps
from further ahead drew his attention. The cone of his flashlight showed three dark figures bearing
down on them, obviously attracted by al the commotion.
Passing shots were fired, bringing down a couple, but the third fel upon Corvo. There was a
sickening CRACK as the old man smashed the butt of his assault carbine into its face, sending it
toppling to the floor.
However, the slight delay allowed the Thug to catch up, bel owing its bloodthirsty fury.
"Corvo, look out!" Samantha cried, her pistol unloading a clip into the monster's flank in a valiant effort to kill it. Such an effort was in vain, it seemed. The Infected being's skin was so thick; the low-calibre rounds could do little to pierce its organic plate armour.
The war veteran shouted in shock and threw himself out of the way as the Thug's mighty fist
slammed down where he had been standing, sending up a cloud of dust and debris. Markus' M-16
hammered out a burst of gunfire at its head. It flung up an arm to protect its face, but several bul ets
hit home and it howled in pain. Corvo recovered and added fire from his own Colt M4 to the barrage
of sizzling lead.
For their part, Jacob and Samantha directed fire from their pistols on several more Common Infected
that bore down on them from the shadows, their angered shouts echoing throughout the halls.
Once they were down, Samantha unslung the Winchester from its strap on her shoulder and took a
hastily-aimed shot, but its effect was lost in the chaos.
"I need more ammo!" Markus shouted as his rifle clicked dry.
"That son of a bitch stil isn't going down!" Corvo growled. "This is just ridiculous!"
"How much ammo you got left?" Jacob shouted over to him as they continued running.
"Stil got plenty, but it's not gonna be enough! But I have an idea. We need to lead this fucker into a
tight space."
"Lead the way then!"
The laboured grunting of the monster in pursuit echoed al around them. Even with the adrenaline
and sense of self-preservation coursing through them, everyone's bodies ached, their chests tight
and their joints creaking with abuse. But they had to keep on running. If they stopped, even for a
second, that thing would annihilate them.
So they ran harder.
Samantha clutched the hunting rifle to her chest, tears of frustration stinging the corners of her eyes.
She could not believe it. After everything they had been through, after coming so close to rescue, the
universe had thrown them a curvebal they just could not overcome. Namely because said curvebal
was a fucking Hulk Hogan on steroids.
As fast as their pursuer was, and as exhausted as the survivors were, they gradual y managed to put
some distance between themselves and it. After what felt like an eternity, although in reality, it was
"Down there," Corvo said, motioning toward a smaller tunnel on the far side of the ground floor. "We should be able to trap it."
A number of ambling Common Infected on the ground level turned their gazes up at them, but a
burst of gunfire from Corvo's M4 fel ed several where they stood, while Jacob raised his pistol and
took out the others as they advanced up the escalators toward them.
A sickening slurping sound caught Samantha's attention.
"SHIT!" Markus cried, struggling against a tentacle-like tongue that ensnared him around the waist.
Both of his hands clutched the railing for dear life as he hung over the void, the Smoker threatening
to pul him off.
The fiery young woman traced the unnatural appendage back to its source on the far side of the
second floor void, raised her rifle and lined up a headshot. She was vaguely aware of someone
yel ing that the Thug was catching up, but this was not a shot that she could afford to miss.
BLAM!
The Winchester cracked and a bullet whizzed across the room, sending up a puff of dark green
smoke an instant later.
"Help me!" Markus cried, his grip on the railing slipping fast. "I'm gonna fal !"
Zoeu moved forward, but Jacob beat her to the punch, grabbing Markus arm and hauling him back
over the railing.
"LOOK OUT!" Corvo yel ed.
The biker looked over his shoulder to see a wal of flesh fil ing his vision, a vast hand pulled back for
a bone-breaking punch. He jerked out of the way, the blow missing him by the skin of his teeth.
The Thug howled as its unstoppable momentum was turned against it, sending it crashing through
the railing and over the edge, where it fell to the floor with a chilling CRUNCH.
"Is it dead?" Markus ventured meekly, peering over the edge. No sooner were the words spoken did
the monster stir.
" Thanks, Markus," Jacob spitefully expressed.
He turned and rounded on him. " WHAT?! What the hel did I do?"
" Optimism. You jinxed us."
"Let's GO!" Corvo's solemn command spurred everyone back into action. They barrel ed down the
escalators two at a time and across the concourse. The Thug was almost on its feet, fixing them with
a glare that promised retribution.
The tunnel they flew down was narrower than before, seemingly for the employees of the airport.
That did not matter now. Al that mattered to the war veteran was that the ceiling was lower.
Just a little further... he said to himself.
"Run faster, old man!" Jacob bellowed from further ahead. "It's gaining on you!"
Corvo ignored him and pul ed an object from his belt – the same object that he had picked up back
in the Harbour View Hotel.
The grunting and growling of the beast behind drew ever closer.
"Corvo!" Samantha shouted, her voice fil ed with anxiety.
The Thug was almost upon him.
Now!
Corvo pulled the pin off the grenade, tossed it up against the wal , and then turned and raised his
gun, unleashing hel upon the creature as he backed up. It roared in pain, its thunderous advance
halted momentarily as it swatted at the lightning-fast projectiles in vain.
A moment later, the hal way was lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July.
The grenade exploded, its bel ow deafening as the wal crumbled before it. The groan of the ceiling
was even louder as the stress on the masonry became too much and it col apsed, unleashing an
unstoppable torrent of concrete and steelwork onto the unfortunate Thug.
Jacob and the others shielded their eyes from loose debris as a section of the ceiling caved in. It
sounded like the end of the world. Presently, the chaos subsided, and he looked back to see a wal
of rubble before them. Fortunately, the rest of the tunnel had held up.
" Ha! You did it, old man!"
There was no answer.
"Corvo?" Samantha looked around the tunnel, but the eldest of her team was nowhere to be seen.
Her eyes widened in the horror of understanding a moment later.
" CORVO!"
Chapter 56
1.75 HOURS UNTIL FAILSAFE
" CORVO!"
Samantha's cry echoed throughout the pitch-black tunnel, her flashlight darting wildly to and fro in a
desperate effort to find him. Rubble filled the length of the tunnel.
"Did he get caught in that...?" came Markus' small voice.
She didn't hear anything else, crawling on her hands and knees and scooping up rocks with both
hands and tossing them aside. The clunking of the rubble echoed throughout the darkened tunnel as
the two other men stood there, not quite sure what to do.
"Fucking help me!" the young woman yel ed.
That seemed to snap them out of it, and they helped her to move aside the rubble at an agonisingly
slow pace. No words were spoken between them as they worked, just an unspoken agreement that
no one would be left behind. They would not leave the man who had gotten them al so far to be
buried and forgotten.
They could not.
Samantha's heart skipped a beat when she felt something soft brush up against her palm. Her hand
came away sticky. Her heart pounding, she let out a soft gasp when the beam of her flashlight fel
upon a battered Corvo. Stil partial y buried in the concrete, she could see deep cuts al over his
face, including a long and jagged one going from the corner of his eye across his left cheek. The left
side of his face was covered in blood.
"He's over here," she choked out, feeling her world unravelling around her.
With help of the others, the old man was gently pulled out and laid on the cold, hard floor of the
tunnel before the cave-in, his eyes closed fast. Markus gently moved her aside and set to work
checking him over. There was an agonising silence.
"He's not breathing..."
Samantha froze in terror at Markus' words. She looked on helplessly as he began chest
compressions on Corvo, softly counting out loud in the darkness. Jacob' gloves creaked as he curled
his fists, absolutely furious at what was happening. He looked around and spied the green beret and
Colt M4 lying amidst the rubble.
"One... two... three... Come on, Corvo," Markus pleaded softly.
The counting continued on into the darkness, but there was no change. Their leader lay stil and
lifeless on the cold, hard floor of the darkened tunnel. Samantha could see Markus getting more and
more worn out by the minute, his voice strained as he appeared to be on the verge of giving up.
But she absolutely refused to al ow this horrible tunnel to become Corvo's tomb. Knocking Markus'
hands aside, she pushed down on his chest with both hands, bending over and giving him mouth-to-
mouth at the end of each compression sequence. Corvo's chest rose and fell with the resuscitation,
but never on its own.
Samantha felt her strength slipping away, but refused to give up. She would not just let him go.
To that end, she struggled and fought when she felt hands pul ing her away. "Let go of me! Don't
fucking touch me!" she shrieked, her voice bordering on hysterical.
"Get her off him," Jacob said sternly, kneeling down and taking her place at Corvo's side as Markus pried her off his body.
For a moment, she thought he was going to get up and order for them to move on, but gratitude
flooded through her when she saw him continui
ng her efforts to resuscitate Corvo. However, the
feeling was soured when she saw the stiff, monotonous manner in which he was doing it. Jacob was
just going through the motions.
He had given up on Corvo.
Time continued to march on relentlessly, yet no one knew how much had passed. It could have been
two minutes, five or ten. No one knew the difference.
"We've done everything that we can," the biker final y announced, his voice low and sorrowful.
Samantha's arms hung loosely down by her sides as she was held there by Markus, her body
trembling as she felt the tears spill over. Suddenly, she threw her arms up, knocking him away.
"FUCK YOU, JACOB! WE'RE NOT LEAVING HIM BEHIND!" she screamed.
She col apsed to her knees and started the chest compressions again, breathing her life force into
him. He had done the same for her when she lay on that dark beach, on the verge of death after the
Slaters threw her to the river. She owed him the same and more.
She did not realise that her compressions had turned into beatings as she pounded Corvo's chest in
despair, tears running freely down her face.
"Samantha, stop it!" Markus yel ed as he grabbed her from behind. He was fighting tears of his own
as she fought back against him. Corvo's body needed to be laid to rest.
The young woman fought with her entire being as she was pul ed away. They did not understand.
They could not understand. To them, they had lost a friend, a comrade.
But to her...
It was like losing him al over again.
She eventual y crumbled and buried her head into Markus shoulder, at that moment wanting nothing
more than to pass on into oblivion. Corvo had been the light to guide them in this horrible new world.
What would they do without him...?
"We need to keep moving," Jacob said, his voice thick and heavy, and Markus nodded dumbly, stil in shock over what had happened.
"We can't just leave him..." Samantha whispered. Their flashlights were no longer on Corvo's body,
but she knew it was stil there, lying on the cold, hard floor of this dark tunnel.
"He won't be left to rot here," Markus murmured, gently guiding her away. He did not like it anymore than her, but... "Soon, the airforce is going to arrive, and this place will be set ablaze. Corvo wil be given a hero's funeral."
Samantha felt nothing but emptiness, and numbly al owed herself to led away. One step, two steps,