by JT Sawyer
Now rescuing her is our new priority—when did that happen? Connelly gave the woman a sideways glance as she slung the Tavor around her shoulders and grabbed the remaining mags.
Chapter 29
“Nash, get a fix on the rooftop and see if that’s an option for exfil to meet the incoming helos, then check the security cams for any hostiles in the building. I’m guessing there had to be more than the two agents.”
He patted Connelly on the arm while motioning to the intercom. “Contact Tso and tell him you and Porter are coming down to get him.” He scribbled something on a piece of paper, then folded it in half and handed it to Porter, whispering something to him.
“What about the rest of his staff?” said Selene. “And his wife and children are here too.”
Reisner looked back at Selene, ignoring her question. “Doc, what do you need to get from your lab or office to help with your research?”
“Just my laptop. The blood and tissue samples are all down below in the main lab. But what about Tso and his—”
“Boss, looks like we got four tangos up top,” said Nash, pointing at the image of Chinese agents spread out around the roof near a helicopter. He switched images, which showed the entrance to the stairwell from the roof. “They’ve got the doorway rigged with explosives in case we make it into the stairwell, and then enough C4 at the roof exit to cave in the entire stairwell—we ain’t getting out that way.”
Reisner darted around the table towards Nash, scanning the scene above. He clicked on exterior camera footage from the streets surrounding the building. There were thousands of creatures still moving through the area, picking through the damaged vehicles and dragging the few remaining survivors onto the sidewalk, where they were quickly mauled.
“We could use a gunship about now to clear a path through that jungle of freaks,” said Nash.
Reisner studied the side entrance of the building, then panned out to the parking lot, which was sectioned off with a twelve-foot-high concrete wall covered with razor wire. He didn’t see any signs of movement inside the lot. To the right of the gated entrance were several passenger vehicles that probably belonged to the staff, and a fuel truck. “That just might work.”
“What are you thinkin’?” said Nash.
He ran his index finger along the screen, pointing to the Tamsui River, which ran through the heart of downtown. He rested his finger on a small series of docks on the east side. “I create a diversion with the fuel truck in the parking lot, which will clear the immediate area for all of you to commandeer a vehicle and get down to this boat landing.”
Selene moved up behind them, listening in on the plan. “There must be a few thousand of those things out there.”
“We don’t have the tactical advantage to secure the roof, so this is the only other option,” he said, then looked back at Nash. “Once you get there, it’s all in your hands, my man, to get everyone on a boat and follow the river out to the harbor.”
“That’s ballsy as hell,” said Nash. “And what about you?”
He tapped his finger on the map. “If everything goes as planned, then I’ll meet you at this bridge over the river.”
“You never answered me earlier,” said Selene. “About Tso’s people.”
Reisner stood up, putting his hands on his hips. “The mission is about you now. His staff have enough supplies to hole up here for a long time. Whether Tso wants to come or not is his prerogative.”
“You can’t be serious. You just can’t leave all these people behind here and hope they survive.”
“Technically we can, Ms. Munroe,” said Nash. “They’re not American citizens—only you are.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. None of that matters now,” she said.
“Besides, I don’t even know how many helos the admiral is sending,” said Reisner. “Our communication was garbled—I’ve got the GPS transponder from our helicopter, so he can pinpoint us and I know their ETA—that’s it. What if we get all these people out to the harbor and then have to leave them behind? What will their chances be then?”
Reisner grabbed his Tavor off of the table, slinging it next to the two rifles he’d obtained earlier. “This building is probably the most secure location in the city, so this is where they will stay unless I hear otherwise from Admiral McKenzie about his capabilities.”
He motioned for her to follow him into the hallway. “Let’s go—I need you to collect your belongings.”
She backed up, her cheeks red. “Tso and his people took you in, putting their own lives at risk when you landed. How can you repay them this way? I’m not leaving here without them.”
He stepped closer. “Yes, you are, but it will be a helluva lot easier on my people if they don’t have to zip-tie your hands and carry you.”
She moved forward, her balled right fist wobbling like she was going to strike him. “You’re a monster.”
Reisner’s expression remained unchanged. “Gather your belongings, please.”
Her eyes became slits and her mouth hung open. Reisner turned and walked into the hallway, tilting his head slightly over his shoulder to indicate her presence was required. The fact that he had to leave Tso and his personnel behind made his stomach coil in knots, but he had told Selene the truth—there was no option. He couldn’t risk having McKenzie’s rescue personnel approach the roof for fear of them getting taken out by an RPG or having them get into a firefight with the Chinese agents, who could then blow the stairwell entrance, cutting them off from a rooftop egress. The lab had been the most secure option until the agents arrived, but they were clearly after Selene and would probably be sending in reinforcements shortly. Apparently, someone else thinks she’s a high-value asset too.
There were no easy answers in the short run, but he knew that he had to focus on getting her out of here alive. If Runa was right then she was the best hope for understanding the scourge which had just enveloped the world.
Chapter 30
While Connelly and Porter proceeded to sub-level 3 to get Tso, Reisner and Selene, accompanied by Nash and Santos, went to her makeshift office to gather the materials she would need for continuing her studies on the virus.
“Let’s go. I don’t know how long we’ve got before those other agents up top decide to swing in for a visit,” said Reisner. After Selene had filled a large backpack with her laptop and research notes, she rushed out the door, then spun back inside and retrieved her silver timepiece from the corner of the desk.
Reisner realized she wasn’t behind him and turned to see her grab the item. “Leave the damn trinkets behind. We need to move.”
She gave him a stern look, then slid it carefully into her pants pocket. “It’s not a trinket.” Selene thrust her chin out at him. “Why don’t you get a move on it?”
Reisner trotted down the hallway, stopping to clear each intersection with his weapon then proceeding to the first floor. The lobby and windows throughout the entire level had been sealed off with rolling steel doors at the first sign of an imminent attack on the streets. Reisner heard footsteps to the left and saw Connelly and Porter trotting up behind them. He looked beyond them for signs of Tso, but knew the man had made a choice that Reisner himself would have made in the same situation.
He saw that Selene’s posture was sagging, the spirit taken out of her. Reisner knew that he was the last person to give her a pep talk, but he needed her head in the game or all their lives would be put at risk.
“Stay sharp and remember this is about more than just you—more than us. The fate of this world is at stake now.”
Selene held her chin up, a single tear streaking down her face. As Reisner turned towards the side exit, he saw the security monitor on the wall, which flashed between scenes inside the building. He caught a glimpse of Tso sitting in the cafeteria with twelve of his people and several children. Reisner almost froze in his tracks, his throat going dry. He felt like the final remnants of his soul had just been extinguished. He forced his feet
to move forward. God forgive me.
Chapter 31
They walked through a series of three air-sealed doors in the hallway that led to the east emergency exit. Before the door was a keypad and a security monitor, which showed the parking lot. It was nighttime, but the city outside was aglow with burning buildings, and Reisner could see through the tall gate at the entrance that there was an army of creatures moving around on the street.
“Porter, Connelly, and Santos, cover me while I head to the fuel truck and Nash acquires one of the vehicles. Once we start the engines, their attention is going to be drawn to our locations, so be ready to move. I’ll take the fuel truck through the entrance and head east towards the bridge while you guys make it down to the marina.”
Reisner removed an HK rifle and spare mags, handing them to Nash. He retained the other one along with his Tavor and Glock.
Reisner opened the thick door and darted out to the fuel truck, sixty feet away. He climbed inside and did a hasty search for keys, hoping luck would be on his side, but then leaned under the steering column and began applying his vehicle acquisition skills. After hotwiring the old truck, he hopped out and ran around the rear, opening the fuel outlet on the tanker. With the gasoline leaking out, he trotted to the gate entrance, hovering his hand over the red knob that controlled the mechanical gate. He saw the rest of his team sprint for a blue Acura that Nash had commandeered. Once everyone was in the car, they backed up and got in line near the truck, and Reisner gave the thumbs-up and slammed his fist on the release button for the gate.
He darted back to the truck and climbed inside, spinning the wheels as he took off through the entrance. Reisner blasted through a small cluster of creatures near the intersection, crunching over their remains as he raced down the road that paralleled the Tamsui River.
He looked in his sideview mirror as he saw the creatures pouring into the street, away from the hospital. Now, if we can just avoid Murphy, this might actually work.
Chapter 32
Nash waited a few minutes after Reisner departed, then sped out of the parking lot, making a sharp right turn and slamming the accelerator. He had to swerve around a maze of abandoned vehicles for two blocks, then took another right turn and raced towards the marina ahead. Nash could’ve sworn he saw the faces of people staring out the second-story window of a high-rise apartment, but then noticed their translucent skin and realized their resemblance to the creatures on the Atropos.
He drove the Acura through a wooden security barrier, bouncing along several speed bumps that sent everyone’s heads into the padded ceiling. Nash brought the vehicle to a screeching halt before a guard shack near the entrance to the docks below.
Everyone hopped out and trotted to the first set of docks while Porter kept Selene near his side. They took up a defensive perimeter, their weapons pointing out towards the sloped entrance to the street above while Nash kicked in the door of the guard shack and began rummaging for keys.
“Contact,” said Santos, who began firing at two creatures sprinting down the entrance ramp. As soon as they crumpled to the ground, four more appeared, then fifteen, then a massive horde flowed into the streets above.
“We could use that jet boat to the Promised Land about now, Nash,” snapped Porter as he unleashed a controlled volley of rounds to his left. The creatures were slinking in from all directions now, moving in a crude formation towards them. Several of them stood up on the wall, emitting a shrill sound and acting more like they were spectators watching the battle unfold.
“Anytime, hillbilly,” said Porter as he and the others unleashed a hailstorm of bullets which appeared to do little to stem the growing tide of beasts.
***
Nash bolted from the shack with his fist clutching a keyring. He grabbed Selene by the arm. “Follow me—I’m gonna need your help while the others hold them off here.”
Nash trotted down the dock past twelve boats while glancing at the numbers painted on the sides of each mooring station. He backpedaled when he came to the eleventh one, and hopped inside a 24-foot Lamrider jetboat and made his way to the console. Nash could hear shrieks coming from the parking lot, followed by a cacophony of gunfire. He inserted the key and cranked up the engine. A billowing cloud of exhaust poured out the rear, and he yelled back at Selene to untie the vessel.
Nash searched the highway in the distance and saw the speeding fuel truck weaving in and around abandoned vehicles as Reisner made his way to the bridge. Hold on, brother. We’re on our way.
Chapter 33
Reisner had wrecked the front bumper and grille, and he saw steam funneling upward from under the edges of the hood. He hoped the fuel tanker would make it for one more mile as he wove around derelict vehicles towards the looming four-lane bridge. In his sideview mirror he could see a torrent of creatures behind him, their figures having blurred into a white-and-yellow river that resembled an albino python. Amazingly, the creatures weren’t clamoring over one another but moving in a steady pattern, like a team of horses under one master.
As he neared the turn for the bridge, he saw that it was littered with smashed cars and an abandoned tank resting in the center. It looked like the defenders had tried to block the roadway with vehicles, and the pavement was streaked with blood and severed body parts. He slowed slightly, then scanned the river to the right for any signs of Nash and the others.
“A river trip about now sure sounds good.”
He brought the fuel truck to a stop before an overturned school bus near the entrance to the bridge. Hopping out, he grabbed his Tavor and ran, hopping over the red-streaked hood of a white Subaru. The flood of creatures that had followed him were almost a quarter-mile away, their trotting having slowed to a march as they scanned the street ahead. He panned his head to the left towards the river, but still didn’t see any signs of a boat approaching.
With the mass of predators swarming towards the bridge, he took aim with his rifle and sent a round into the belly of the fuel tanker.
Chapter 34
Selene removed the hitch and then turned around and jumped into the boat. Nash pushed the accelerator lever forward, nearly knocking her off balance. The propellers thrust the boat into the harbor, and Nash swung to the right towards the loading ramp near the parking lot.
All Selene could hear was the sound of gunfire and the piercing screams of creatures. Then she heard an explosion behind her and saw a fireball ignite a few miles to the south. A ribbon of flame spread along the street all the way back towards the hospital, igniting the creatures in its path.
Tso, my friend. She wanted to run back to get him and his people, then she thought of the fury she felt towards Reisner. Selene understood his logic, but it still didn’t make it right.
The once magnificent city skyline with its billion-dollar high-rises was the backdrop to the surreal sight before her, and it seemed like such a bizarre contrast to the waves gently lapping at the side of the boat.
She pulled her eyes away and helped the others climb on board. Porter had just unleashed his last volley of bullets when one of the creatures sprang from the dock, landing on the side of the boat. It clutched the fabric on Porter’s sleeve and he started to lose his balance. Selene rushed forward and kicked the ravenous beast in its face, its nose crumpling as it fell back into the water. She grabbed Porter and pulled him back to the center as Nash spun the boat around and headed back into the harbor towards the flaming ball in the distance.
Chapter 35
The explosion and stream of fire engulfed many creatures and temporarily broke their formation, but within minutes they were beginning to regroup. The smell of burning flesh was overwhelming, and Reisner pulled his shirt collar over his nose as he slowly backpedaled along the bridge.
He stared at the inky waters forty feet below and hoped that Nash and the others had made it to the marina. Reisner had left the GPS tracking device from the Huey with Nash so the inbound navy helicopter pilot could locate their position, but he knew there were a
lot of elements involved in something as precarious as his hastily assembled plan. Reisner knew that combat was always fluid and that you couldn’t control most of the variables despite the best-laid plans. Now, as he saw dozens of creatures starting to pour over the bridge barricade, he realized he controlled nothing except the way in which he would die.
He only had three firearms left and around 150 rounds between them all. He swallowed hard when he saw the throng of beasts moving methodically towards him. Reisner glanced at the waters below and then to the distant shoreline on either side, but knew that locating a watercraft and being able to start it while fighting off an army wasn’t an option.
He moved to the edge of the guardrail and clutched his Tavor. Last stand indeed. The creatures approaching from the bridge entrance near the flaming tanker were moving in a formation that was sixteen wide and at least four rows deep. Behind them were several others who walked apart from the rest. A shrill sound began piercing the air, and Reisner readied his weapon.
As the first creatures moved into range, he began unleashing a methodical burst, aiming for the head but taking any shot he could get. When one dropped, another translucent figure stepped forward to fill its spot. They acted like there was no rush, nor did they seem to mind sacrificing their own as the bodies stacked up.
Reisner replaced the magazine on his Tavor and ran it dry, then dropped it and removed the HK and continued sending rounds downrange, his heart rate intensifying with each blast. He knew he would go down alone in the end, but only on his terms, not being infected by parasites that destroyed his mind and claimed his body. Above the din of gunfire and screams, he thought of his sister Jody and of Runa. Next to his team, they were the people who mattered most to him in the world, and he wondered if he would see them again, in either this life or the next.
Dozens of dead bodies littered the bridge now as he backed up, dropping the spent HK rifle and withdrawing his Glock. Reisner didn’t know why the creatures hadn’t swarmed him and torn him to pieces, although he suspected that many of the faster-moving ones had perished in the explosion.
