Outbreak

by Paul Carberry

  “Backup is here.” Gary pointed to the helicopter approaching from the east.

  “Great. It’s just the distraction we need. We should be able to walk right on to that boat without even being noticed now,” Elliot responded with enthusiasm.

  “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get to the wharf.”

  Gary broke out in a jog, heading towards the wharf with an odd sense of security. Gary knew Elliot was right, all of the guards would be distracted by that helicopter, and they would have free passage to the boat.

  The rocky path that led to the south side of the island was treacherous, and more than a few times Gary nearly tripped and fell flat on his face. He lost his balance several times after stubbing his toes into a protruding rock. Gary watched in awe as Elliot never missed a step, and wondered how he became so nimble. Elliot’s tall lanky frame seemed awkward and clumsy around the office, but out here he was as sure footed as a tight rope walker.

  As the path winded away from the giant brick wall it found its way down over the bank, and around the large jagged rock wall that had blocked their view of the boat. Past the turn the first thing that stuck out to Gary wasn’t the giant boat, but the two men who stood on the ramp. Gary held out his hand and grabbed the back of Elliot’s jacket.

  “Look.” Gary pointed towards the man on the ramp with the assault rifle.

  “Shit!” Elliot put his hands on his hips and tried to catch his breath. “Now what?”

  Gary didn’t know what to do now. The thought crossed his mind that they were the police, and all this sneaking around was unnecessary. They had badges and were officers of the law. No matter what was happening on this island they still had to obey the law.

  “Follow my lead.” Gary walked past Elliot and began to advance towards the ramp.

  The wooden dock creaked under their feet, but that sound was drowned out by the roar of the boat engine. The two men at the top of the ramp were arguing, the man in the suit barked something at the man with the gun, then they turned their backs as they climbed the ramp.

  “Get your gun out Elliot.” Gary reached into his jacket and took out his badge. “We got to get aboard that ship. We have to arrest them.”

  “You sure about this? Eric said these men were dangerous.” Elliot seemed uneasy with Gary’s plan.

  “We are not just going to shoot and ask questions later.” Gary was not about to let this situation spiral out of control. Level heads would be needed now more than ever to figure out this whole mess. As the two men walked up the ramp, Gary’s heart began to flutter like a humming bird. What if Elliot was right and these people did not co-operate? Gary had never been in the line of fire before, and nearing the end of his career he did not want to start now.

  As Gary reached the top of the ramp his eyes were not fast enough to spot the danger that waited for him at the top.

  BANG!

  The shot registered in Gary’s ear drum before he spotted the gunman. A warm sensation filled his stomach, instantly the coppery taste of blood filled his throat. Gary placed his hands over his stomach, but the blood oozed between his fingers at an alarming rate. Gary stumbled backwards back onto the ramp as Elliot passed him with his gun raised and ready for action. There was a whole lot of yelling, but none of it registered with Gary. The only thing he could focus on was the sharp pain that was building in his abdomen. As Gary crawled down the ramp, trying to make it back to the docks, the burning grew more intense, making it harder for him to crawl away. The pain was becoming unbearable, the last thing Gary saw as he looked up at the boat was the butt end of an assault rifle slam into Elliot’s temple.

  Gary made it back to the wharf just a moment before the boat’s engine roared and the vessel pulled away from the dock. Gary’s vision began to fade slowly, as the burning pain in his guts became extraordinarily harsh and started to spread throughout his whole body. Blood from his stomach dripped from the gunshot wound, staining the wooden planks below. As Gary lost more and more blood, his vision drifted into darkness. He was left to die alone, in the cold night, steam rising from the wound as his heart pumped the blood out of his body.

  ***

  Eric ran into the Fox Island Research facilities main door, with his gun already drawn. He was unsure of what to expect, but Eric never imagined an empty lobby.

  The front reception desk was vacant, the lights were dimmed to their lowest setting. The giant map of the island displayed on the wall showed all of the offices on the two main floors and the labs located in the basement. Eric scanned the map quickly for the security room. It was just four offices down from Mr. Purchase’s office at the end of the hallway.

  Eric took off as fast as he could towards the security office, his gun firmly gripped in his hand. As he reached the door he found that it was left ajar. David Steele’s name was on the plaque below the word security. Nudging the door open, Eric was hoping to find David sitting in the chair, unaware of his presence.

  Eric peeked into the room, but it was empty except for all of the security monitors. They were all turned off except for one with a horrific scene displayed.

  “Jason!”

  Eric watched in disbelief as Jason pressed his weight against the door, determined to keep the relentless, flesh eating ghouls out. Eric took notice of the location that was displayed in the top left corner of the monitor. Basement level 3. That was two floors below the labs, but according to the official maps, there were no floors below the labs.

  “Hold on Jason!” Eric yelled at the monitor, hoping his friend could hold on just a little longer. Eric took off for the stairs in an effort to rescue his friend. When Eric put his hand on the doorknob it wouldn’t turn, it must have been locked.

  “Fuck!”

  On the left hand side of the door was a key reader. A red light taunting him, Eric would need to find a key card to enter the stairwell. Eric turned and entered the office at the end of the hall in hopes of finding one.

  ***

  Jason didn’t know how long he had been trapped in that cell, amazingly he still had enough strength left to hold off his pursuers. The adrenaline coursing through his system must have had drastically increased his stamina. Jason knew that at some point, he was going to have to make his move. Sooner would be better than later. Jason looked up at the cold dead eyes staring back at him. Fixated on tasting his flesh, jaws snapping at him trying to bite him through the glass. A yellow spittle was rolling down the glass door as the zombie relentlessly pressed his mouth into the door. The greenish grey skin tone made the creature look diabolical, the creature’s skin was tightly drawn, tiny red cracks over the surface of its flesh. Its eyes were sunk deep into their sockets, exaggerating the zombies face.

  In a last ditch effort to make it out alive Jason decided the time for action was now. The only plan he could think of was to suddenly open the door, hoping the zombies would fall into the cell. Once they were down, Jason would try and make it past his captors and grab the baton that he left down the hallway. Whatever adrenaline Jason’s body had left was building up. Ready to spring into action, Jason gathered his courage, dropping his head down to stare at the zombies’ feet, trying to determine if they were leaning against the door. Hoping they were pressing their body weight against the door, Jason thought maybe they would fall into the cell giving him the opportunity to make a dash for the baton.

  THUNK!

  A disturbing, sickening thud shook the door. Jason looked up just in time to see the cause of the sound.

  THUNK!!!

  Jason couldn’t believe what was happening. The zombie’s skull had been smashed into the glass door, the thunderous blow bursting open the zombie’s head like a ripe tomato being squished. Blood mixing with brain fragments and splinters of bone ran down the front of the glass door. The blackened blood mixed with the fluid surrounding the brain, creating a slimy mixture that turned Jason’s stomach. The massive hand had grabbed a handful of hair, holding the creature up. Its limbs dangling, ready to collapse at any moment. All
of a sudden with great force the man drove the face into the door again.

  THUNK! THUNK!

  The head was nearly crushed flat. The hand let go and the corpse dropped to the floor. Now what was on the other side of the door was much worse than being trapped inside by those two zombies. Jason thought he had a better chance against those two creatures than the monster that now stood in front of him.

  “MR. COOK! Come out so we can get this over with!” David Steele boomed at Jason as the two zombies lay at his feet, with their heads caved in. The crooked smile on David’s face made Jason recoil in fear. As Jason looked into David’s eyes, the only thing that looked back was pure evil. Hatred and rage flowing out in a violent wave of danger.

  Chapter 21

  Near Death

  Father Jon had taken a taxi to the hospital. Usually Calvin would have driven him there, but tonight would not be one of those times. The ride over was a quiet trip as most of the city was already asleep. Very few of the houses that they passed still had their lights on, except for a few who had left their porch lights on. The taxi driver did not say much, and the only thing that broke the calmness was the chatter over the CB radio.

  As Father Jon walked into the entrance of the hospital, a tired looking woman sat behind the reception desk. Her jet black hair was messy and covered her face, she used her hands as a pillow for her head, her elbow propped up by the arms of the chair.

  “Hello my dear.”

  “Hello father. They are expecting you in room 206.” The receptionist sounded as tired as she looked.

  “Thank you my child.” The elevator was just ahead and he was too tired to take the stairs. As he turned into the tiny corridor where the elevator was located, two nurses were pushing a stretcher out of the doors. A blanket was pulled up over the body that laid beneath. Another soul had passed on to heaven, a pity he thought to himself. Father Jon stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to head to the second floor. The hallway on the second floor wasn’t as empty as the first. Nurses and doctors hurried along the hallways on their rounds. Most offered a friendly smile, but were either too busy or too overworked to stop and have a chat with him.

  As Father Jon opened the door to room 206 he saw Kathy Payne sunk into the chair at the end of the room. Tears streaming down her face, her eyes burning from the pain. Her long grey hair covered her face, she was sobbing uncontrollably, almost gasping for air. Father Jon looked to the bed as the nurse pulled the blanket over Officer Payne’s head.

  “Kathy… I am so sorry.” Father Jon offered his deepest apologies. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks, the only sound she could muster were loud, heaving sobs. The nurse unlocked the wheels on the stretcher and began to wheel Phillip out of the room without a word spoken.

  “Is there anything I can do my child?” It was times like this that Jon questioned his beliefs. How could God take away such a great life? Officer Phillip Payne was a great man and did not deserve to die so young, but this was often God’s way. It was to test his children’s faith, a harsh lesson, that at times made no sense. Often, it would take years for the family to understand, sometimes a lifetime would pass and the hurt would still remain.

  Kathy looked up through her fingers at Father Jon. “Just sit and pray with me Father.”

  Father Jon walked over to stand beside Kathy. He reached into his pocket and took his bible out, he started to pray before being interrupted by the nurse.

  “Sorry my dear, but we are going to need you to sign the death certificate when you get a chance. Dr. Winston will be waiting for you in the morgue.” The nurse’s voice was soft and comforting, she must have had a kind soul to work such a demanding job.

  “Just… give me a few minutes to gather myself,” Kathy managed to say in between sobs.

  The nurse turned and left the room slowly. “Kathy let me help you.” Father Jon reached out his hands and covered Kathy’s hands and lowered them to her lap. “Let me come with you.” He pleaded with her. She was in no state to go down by herself.

  “Ok father.” Kathy did not seem to care, but he knew she would need a helping hand. It was the least he could do for a member of his church. Kathy stood up and they walked out of the room together, and headed down to the morgue.

  Gary felt the cold breeze blow across his face. The sweat that was rolling down his face quickly cooled as it began to soak into his shirt. His abdominal region was burning up, he placed his hands over the bullet entry wound and felt the vital fluids spilling out. He tilted his head to the side to watch the vessel pull further out to sea. Gary wondered what fate was in store for Elliot on that boat, as it navigated further out into the ocean.

  Gary tried to sit up, but he did not know if he could suffer the pain or if he would have to submit to it, and bleed out on this godforsaken wharf. His solar plexus strained as he managed to sit up. Gary lifted up his shirt to reveal the dark, red mess of blood that covered his belly. There was too much blood to tell just how bad the wound really was, the true extent of the damage hid underneath the warm blanket of gore. Gary could feel the strength wavering as more and more blood found its way out of his body. When he tried to stand up, he felt faint and feeble, but he pushed his body to the limits. Somehow, Gary managed to find his way to his feet. More perspiration rolled down his face as the fever began to rise against the strain he was putting on his body.

  Gary quickly began to lose his balance, the dock beneath his feet seemed to be spinning, he reached his hand out and leaned against the post that kept him from falling into the icy cold water down below. The burning in his abdomen was reaching the pinnacle of human tolerance. As if by some miracle, he unintentionally placed his hands on a shirt wrapped around the pole. Gary seized the fabric and placed it over the gunshot wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. The pressure he put on the wound caused tremendous agony, but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to make it through this ordeal. His strength began to falter, but he lumbered towards the building, trying to keep the faith that he would find a medical kit inside to patch himself up. An almost utopian feeling came over him as the door to inside was unlocked. Gary pushed his way inside in search of a miracle.

  ***

  Jason stared at his adversary through the plain glass door of his cell. David was more of an abomination than a man. His gargantuan size made Jason feel insignificant in comparison. David was not wearing a shirt and his physique was nothing but muscle and sinew. His skin was stretched so taut over the top of his muscle it looked painful. Jason was about to be in the fight of his life. David was like a predatory animal awaiting his prey outside of the cell, but Jason grew tired of being restricted inside that confined area. He was ready to step outside and face this behemoth.

  Jason let the door swing open and deliberately stepped outside. He guardedly stepped to the left hand side, knowing that his best chance was to reach the baton that he had dropped onto the floor earlier.

  “I hope you’re ready to die” David said, indignant.

  “I’m not going to die today,” Jason retorted as he slowly backed away from David. Desperate, Jason manoeuvred himself in an attempt to try to get close enough to make a lunge for the baton.

  A diabolic look spread across David’s face like a contamination of pure evil. Something maniacal infested his mind. “Looking for this?” David presented the black baton and offered it to Jason. As if it were some wisecrack, David let loose a diabolic howl.

  Jason tried to snatch the baton out of David’s clutches, but he wasn’t quick enough to grasp the baton before David sluggishly moved it out of Jason’s reach. David discarded the baton behind him, and dared Jason to come get it.

  “You freak!”

  Jason expressed his hatred for this man. A madness overcame Jason, and with it an unforeseen action, he took the offensive.

  Jason’s fist landed a strike square on David’s chin and knocked the giant back a few steps. Before David could recover, Jason landed another blow underneath with a violent uppercut
that knocked David’s head back in a violent jolt. David stumbled to the floor, smashing his fist into the cement floor in a tantrum.

  “Well, this should be fun.” A devious look came over David’s face as he looked up at Jason just before he was on the viscous end of Jason’s knee smashing into his mouth, knocking him clean on his backside. The ground seemed to tremble as David crashed onto the cement floor.

  “Fuck You!” Jason blared.

  For once in his life Jason’s advantage was not his size, but his speed. His opponent was sluggish compared to Jason, and this was his only chance to beat this goliath. While David struggled to his feet, Jason drove his foot into the gigantic rib cage with all of his force he could muster. Determined not to let the man catch his breath Jason rapidly closed the gap and drove his foot into the man’s abdomen, driving the wind from David. David’s stomach felt like a stronghold made of rocks. Jason tried to kick David once more, but this time his foot got snagged by the massive hands of his opponent.

  With unconscionable strength, David wrenched Jason’s leg out from under him and hauled him to the ground. Jason’s back made a thunderous thud as he landed with a hard smack on the cement. Before he could requisition the strength to get to his feet, he felt David’s massive hand grab a hold of his other leg and dragged him underneath his immense frame.

  “Now it’s my turn.” David slipped his forearm onto Jason’s chest and pinned him to the floor with ease. David raised his clenched fist and brought it down with a forceful blow that nearly crippled Jason. Another immense blow landed, and Jason could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness quickly. David continued to pound away on Jason’s face, almost mechanically.

  Jason felt his nose burst into a sea of crimson as another clenched fist smashed into it. A stream of blood continued to discharge from his nostrils like a tide. The coppery liquid ran into his mouth. Another blow seemed to shatter the bones in his cheek.