What followed for the next several minutes was suspenseful walking through darkness, despite the night vision scopes. Because of the absence of light, the longer we stayed down there the more my mind became convinced that the already-cramped quarters were smaller, the walls of the sewer always closing in. Still, while I could describe every second of tension that crept through my nerves and nestled in the back of my thoughts, it wouldn’t really make for good reading. Suffice it to say that we couldn’t see a damn thing and Jessica’s normally-calm demeanor was beginning to crack, as was mine. The paranoia of hearing things was ever-present, at one point becoming so intense that I had to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. The sewer air tasted awful, even through the filter of my mask, but the breathing forced my pulse to slow and relax again.
Unable to communicate verbally, which would have given away our presence to anything in the tunnel with us, Jessica and I kept each other sane with simple physical touches. Periodically, Jessica would touch my arm to let me know she was there and I would reach behind me to brush her hand. It helped put perspective back on the shrinking walls, reminding us that it was all in our heads.
I had lost track of time, but it had been maybe twenty minutes when I thought I heard a sound ahead. Sinking to a crouch, I brought up my rifle and looked down the tunnel. Reaching back, my hand found Jessica and I patted her leg, letting her know to stop. I saw nothing in the grainy green, ahead or behind, and I couldn’t be sure that the sound had been from either, but I was sure this wasn’t a mental trick. Patting Jessica again, I stayed in a low stance and started moving up.
The steady dripping of water down the tunnel continued to echo, creating a false sense of comfort. Every three seconds, another drop fell and masked the sound of our steps. Keeping the stock pressed into my shoulder, I kept one eye trained on my scope and watched the picture resolve with each step. Every few feet, I would stop and wait for the green to clear up, allowing me to see further down the tunnel before continuing forward.
Sweat trickled down my forehead, both from tension and the heat under all those layers in the already-humid depths of the sewer, but I resisted the urge to wipe it away. I already had a minor concussion from trying to do that earlier, unfortunately. Still, after walking another thirty feet down the tunnel, my alarm bells were screaming and I stopped in place. Knowing that any sudden movement would make sound in the water, which was the only real variable in giving away our position, I sank into a crouch and listened.
The echo of the water remained the same, a droplet landing every few seconds, until I caught the off-beat sound of water to my immediate right. Jessica must have been hanging back, because the Geiger counter suddenly went off as she approached from the rear. Sensing movement, I sidestepped left while shifting my rifle to the right, my scope taking in a horrendous visage.
A zombie, bloated from all the sewage water, practically fell toward me, giving me a close-up view of everything I didn’t want to see. Even in the dull green of my night vision, I could tell how deadened the skin was, cracked and faded from how long the host had been undead. The stench of sewage must have masked it before, but being up close and personal with the thing, I could taste the putrid scent of the vomit and feces that covered the zombie. As if that weren’t disgusting enough, though, burnt skin was flaking off in several spots and lesions marked the parts of its body that were visible in that half-second.
Hope you weren’t eating, reader.
With Jessica’s counter screaming behind me, I fired a single round into its skull and ran past it, moving quickly until the clicking calmed down and stopped completely. Mills and I were both breathing heavily when my radio went off, but I took a moment before responding.
“Eric, we’ve got a junction down here. If you can follow your tunnel, we think you’ll meet us at the head. The rest of my team is having to back-track, because they found a pocket of radiation blocking their path. Any problems on your end?”
“You could say that,” I joked. “We got a zombie with a surprise inside, chock-full of radiation poisoning.”
“Sounds…horrid. Douglas says you should be fine, so just head down the tunnel and intersect with us. I think we’ve found something worth looking into.” He signed off and I glanced to where I thought Jessica was.
“I really hope this is worth it,” I panted, a sentiment that could have described the last few years of my life.
Chapter 34
We remained cautious the rest of the way down the tunnel, monitoring the Geiger closely for any more surprises. Apparently, there were enough nooks out of sight that every corner could be hiding an irradiated zombie, which was something I didn’t need to see twice in my lifetime. Moving quickly to avoid spending more time down there than necessary, we eventually followed a half-pipe to meet up with the rest of the team.
Gabriel nodded toward an arrow on the wall, painted in a refractive coating that only night-vision picked up.
“Looks like someone had on their thinking cap when they left that.”
“Do you think they’re still down here?” Douglas asked, though he sounded reluctant at the idea of meeting other humans after hearing talk around the camp about ferals.
“I’m sure, if they are, they’re just dying to meet some of the military chaps that didn’t come to their rescue,” Gabriel mocked, grunting a laugh before pressing forward. Douglas shook his head, but stayed with the group as we continued following the arrows.
“Eric,” Douglas whispered, pulling my arm from behind, “I know he was joking, but it’s a good point. Anyone left down here might not be too happy to see us, especially if the radiation has affected them at all.”
We turned down another pipe, when Gabriel held up a fist and gestured toward the ground. The group crouched as one, and Gabriel examined a new symbol on the wall. He looked over his shoulder to me, so I moved up to join him, when a sudden strobe lit up the sewer. We all shielded our eyes, but I could hear the sound of movement ahead, despite being unable to see a clear target.
“Lower your weapons or be shot,” a female voice called out, followed by the sound of multiple weapons being armed for effect. From the sound of it, we were outnumbered by at least twenty.
“Guess we’re about to find out,” I muttered to Douglas, calmly putting him behind me. Trying to see was pointless, as the strobe continued to pulse and blind us, but I stared down at the sewer floor and cracked my eyes open for them to adjust to the light.
Jessica and Gabriel were on either side of me, doing the same to at least have the option of a chance, with Gabriel clearly toying with the idea of fighting back. He glanced over to me and I shook my head, gritting my teeth and hoping I was making the right choice. He seemed to come to the same decision, calling for his men to put down their weapons.
“Good,” the voice said, “now kick them forward.” This was met with protests around me, but we were in no position to argue.
“Do as she says,” Gabriel yelled, setting the example by kicking his M16 away. His right hand still hovered near his sidearm, but he kept his body turned to conceal that part. I did the same, as did Jessica with her rifle. Once all of the rifles and submachine guns were well out of reach, the strobe ended and a separate light came on, this one’s glow softer.
With my eyes already mostly adjusted, I looked up to find a slim woman in her mid-thirties, a fierce look of determination set in her features. She wore layers, but the outer-most outfit piqued my interest, as did the outfits of the three figures hunkered further back in the shadows, their weapons trained on us. Knowing what I had heard, I looked around the walls of the sewer, seeing a chain of small speakers that ended at the tape recorder in her hand.
“If you’re here for our medical supplies, you should’ve thought twice before taking the mission. If you’re here to kill us, you’re welcome to try, but I can assure you the outcome will not be in your favor. So,” she set down the tape recorder and picked up my M4, “which one is it?”
“Actually
, neither,” I offered, fielding the question. “I’m sure you won’t believe us, but we’re here to help.” She smirked, raising an eyebrow.
“I appreciate the new tactic, but it won’t get you much further than the last ones.”
“Look, if you don’t want our help, we’ll leave, but I’m telling the truth. My name is Eric, but, more importantly, the man behind me is Douglas.” I reached back and stepped aside, gesturing to him as if he were a display. “He’s a scientist that we’ve brought from the central military outpost in San Antonio.”
“Oh, okay. Well, my name is Christie and I’m a plastic surgeon from Hollywood.” She dropped her head, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose in an irritated movement. “Last chance, Eric, if that’s really your name.”
“It is. I don’t know much about this shit and Douglas’ specialty is not in radiation, but we came here to replace the coolant in your nuclear reactor in an attempt to avoid a meltdown.” I looked around, sighing. “Clearly, we were a little late and I’m sure you’ve lost a lot. I understand that, believe me, and I’m sorry. We’ve all lost someone we care about, but we’re trying to make sure more don’t die without a fight. If you still think I’m lying, shoot me, but if not, let us help you. If you are what I think you are, you’ll do the right thing here.” Christie rested the crosshairs over my skull and considered my words, her eyes squinting in the dull lighting as she thought.
“Alright,” she lowered the rifle, “let’s say you are who you say. How did you plan to help?”
“Honestly,” I looked to Gabriel, who shrugged, “we were kind of hoping you could tell us.” Christie glanced over her shoulder at the cloaked figures behind her.
“Watch this tunnel. Don’t let anyone or anything through.” Turning back to us, she cocked her head. “Follow me.”
Jessica patted my shoulder as I exhaled a long, slow breath, feeling the nerves that were shaking beneath the surface.
“See, I knew you’d get better at talking to women.” She laughed, stepping forward and picking up both of our rifles. I followed, hoping we weren’t being led into a trap.
Chapter 35
“The reactors went off a few months ago,” Christie began as she led us through the sewer. Glow sticks and other light-producing objects were strung along the left wall, doubling as a path to follow if you got turned around. I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if we had been able to get the coolant sooner, and I wasn’t the only one thinking it judging by the look on Jessica’s face. “We had been able to cut out a little piece of real estate for our community, a defensible position that we used as a base of operations up top. Luckily, our operations extended underground, since we encountered a lot less resistance, so as soon as we heard the blast, we packed up shop and went deep. We made sure to set up far enough away from the central blast zone to avoid exposure as much as possible.”
“You said ‘community?’ How many of you are there down here?” Jessica had hope in her tone, and Christie welcomed it.
“If you’re referring to a security presence, it’s just me and my boys. Two are…were L.A. S.W.A.T., and one’s the human half of a K9 unit from Santa Monica. As for the rest of our group,” she slipped under a low-hanging pipe and opened her arms, “we’re more than meets the eye.”
Angling underneath the pipe, we emerged in a larger room with a huge drop in the center. While I’m sure the hole used to be full of waste and sewage, it was instead filled with supplies ranging from canned food and bottled water to medical kits that were displayed on plastic sheeting. There were several portable generators along the ground, with wires strung to the ceiling where they branched out. One ran to the pipe we had come from, explaining the operational speakers, while the rest crisscrossed throughout the room. Along the left side of the walkway that lined the hole, bedding and makeshift tents had been erected. From what I could see, more than a few were vacant.
“There used to be more of us,” she added quietly, catching my eye, “but there are still around forty or fifty at last count. The next room is our medical wing, mostly used for those we couldn’t get down here fast enough. Some suffer from radiation poisoning, some malnutrition, others…well, others can’t be treated.”
“They’re infected?” Gabriel asked softly, trying not to be hurtful. Christie took a deep breath, and in that brief moment of vulnerability I could see the toll that leading this group took on her, but it was gone as quick as it arrived, replaced with a hardened look.
“Like I said, they can’t be treated.” Moving on without another word, she led us through an opening to the right, as dozens of eyes stared behind us.
“I thought that room was filled with sewage at one point?” I tried shifting the topic to something lighter, without many options. Not missing a beat, Christie accepted my subtle attempt.
“We had a few teams in shifts that came down and moved the waste for a year, preparing for the worst situation. The hope was to never actually use it, but here we are. And there,” she pointed down the tunnel ahead, a span of darkness and dripping water that could house any number of threats, “is where we’re going.”
“Where does that lead, exactly?”
“Away from here,” she stated proudly. “I promised these people I would get them out of California, and I’m damn sure going to. I don’t know how far that tunnel goes, but it’s the right direction, and that’s enough for me. There are just a couple of problems, though.” She turned back to us. “Once we get past the toxic radiation zone and can head above ground, I have no idea where to go. The other is the group of raiders that have been hounding our position for weeks. Some people came to us from other parts of the sewer for help, and we welcomed them, but others aren’t so…respectful about it. Rather than join our group and work together, they want to run things and own all of the supplies under some kind of post-civilization dictatorship.”
“I know a thing or two about those kind of people,” I muttered, my eyes quickly going to Jessica as I thought back to the arena.
“They’ve been really getting bold in the last few days, taking random shots down the tunnel, trying to send “survivors” to lie their way in.” That explained why she was so mistrusting at first. “We’ve held our ground this long, but we’re running low on ammunition and our bluffs will only work so long, especially since we’re running out of ways to get creative.”
“Well, then, I think we’ve found how to help you,” Gabriel proposed, stepping up next to Christie with a smile. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he liked her, but who knows? “While you’ve been doing a damn fine job down here, we’ve been topside, setting up outposts of survivors across the states. Even if I have to order up a few transports, we’ll get your people to safety. As for the raiders,” he looked over at me, “I’m sure we can help in that department, as well.”
Suddenly, several of the lights on the wall began to rapidly blink from the soft yellow to a deep red, a flickering that painted the claustrophobic confines of the sewer in an eerie crimson. Christie immediately changed from whatever emotion she was feeling to the stern woman we had met earlier, rushing back through the tunnels.
“Come on,” she shouted behind her, and we followed. I didn’t have to ask to know flashing red lights meant something bad, so I prepared for a fight. As we emerged into the open room that had been calm only moments before, I regretted how right I was.
Chapter 36
People were staying organized, trying to get to safety in an orderly fashion, as panicked screams came from the medical wing. Gunfire suddenly filled the tunnel, emanating from the left where Christie’s security team was, and sent any calm minds spiraling into fear. Chaos erupted in seconds as the civilians broke into a run, clearly forgetting anything that Christie had instilled in them amidst the rising terror around them.
“Christie,” I yelled, trying to be heard over the echoing cacophony. Her focus was elsewhere, watching what they had worked so hard to build come undone so easi
ly. Before us, a man tripped over the heel of someone in front of him and he was trampled over in pursuit of safety. I stepped in front of Christie, blocking her vision and forcing her to focus. “I need you to trust us. We’ve got this. Get control of your people and take them somewhere safe.” She nodded, hesitating for only a second before springing into action. I understood the pause, as she weighed the options, but she must have concluded that inaction was unacceptable. With so many problems at once, she had no choice but to trust us.
“Eric, take the medical wing!” Gabriel shouted, not waiting for a discussion as he commanded his team toward the defensive front. Without another word, he ran to reinforce the assault point. I drew my Sig and faced Douglas, whose eyes darted from one side of the room to the other.
“Have you ever fired a weapon?”
“What?” he yelled. I pointed from the handgun to him and he held up his hands. “Oh, no! I’m okay!” Against my better judgement, I slapped the metal into his palm and held it there until he took it. While he wasn’t an expert in the field of nuclear reactors, he was certainly one of the best assets they had in San Antonio, and he seemed like a good guy, so I wanted him to be able to defend himself if the time came.
“Point this at a threat and pull the trigger. Try to aim for the head.” I almost turned to leave, but stopped myself. “Oh, and don’t point it towards one of us.” With that, Jessica tapped me on the shoulder and we headed for the medical wing, having wasted enough time.
Pushing through the mass of people, I took a moment to help the man that I had spotted earlier get to his feet. Behind us, I heard a single gunshot, followed by Christie’s commanding voice, and grinned. I knew what it was like to watch your world crumble, but I also knew the satisfaction of rising to the occasion and moving forward.
A Broken World (Book 3): Fractured Memories Page 13
