by Cronan, Matt
"Pick up the pace, Doc!" Sam yelled.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Doc shouted back. He turned his head to look back and lost his footing. His head slammed hard into the ground. Cole and Nick slowed, but Sam screamed at them to continue. Nick tried to protest, but Cole grabbed the boy by the shoulder and pushed him up the pathway.
"On your feet, Doc." Sam jammed a hand under his armpit and pulled. The doctor tried to get his feet under him, stumbled and then fell back to the ground. Sam saw a thick stream of blood emerging from the doctor's white hair.
"Go on. Get out of here while you can."
"I'm not leaving you," Sam said and pulled at his arms. He didn't budge.
"You have to get—"
A large rock broke from the ceiling and slammed into Doc's back. He screamed in agony. Sam pushed the miniature boulder off of him and made another attempt to help him to his feet, the path leading back to the mines collapsing before her eyes.
"Take this," the doctor said and slid the leather bag to Sam. "The answers you seek can be found within."
"I'm not leaving you."
"I can't move my legs. Leave me."
Sam grabbed the bag from the floor and hesitated. She had no reason to feel any sort of sympathy for the man. He was as guilty as the rest of them whether he was willing to admit it or not. But she did feel something.
"Thank you," she said.
"Your friend will become one of them."
"What does that mean?" Sam asked.
But the doctor never got a chance to answer. More of the tunnel wall gave way and collapsed around him. A moment later, he was buried in a mound of rubble. His hand was the only thing left visible; extended as if he were reaching for help.
"We have to go, Sam!" Cole shouted from somewhere in the darkness.
Sam didn't need to be told twice and sprinted as fast as she could. She ran until her veins felt like they were filled with acid. Until her lungs burned with each breath. She ran until she felt like she couldn't go any farther. Until every muscle screamed for her to stop. And then she ran faster.
The four of them reached the mouth of the caverns and then climbed the steel staircase. Sam let Cole lead the way and watched in amazement as he carried not only his weight but the deadweight of Alex up the tight flight of stairs at a breakneck pace. They reached the top and exited into the gaudy hallways.
"Do you know the way?" Sam asked to Nick.
Much to Sam's dismay, Nick shook his head no.
Sam wasn't sure if the destruction of the bunker would stop at the mines or if it would extend to the royal apartments. The ground shook violently, and she wasn't willing to find out. She turned left and led the group down the hallway.
They turned another corner and Sam saw a group of kids up ahead of them. She could only assume that one of the girls was leading them to the exit. Sam yelled to hurry, and they picked up the pace.
The labyrinth of hallways seemed to continue forever, and the building shook more and more. Sam was losing hope but then noticed the decorations of the hallway becoming sparser and then they disappeared altogether. The gold and green marble floor changed to smooth concrete and Sam barely noticed that they were traveling up stairs. Her adrenaline peaked and everything seemed to fade into some dreamlike state. She saw daylight up ahead and smiled. They had escaped. She had kept her promise.
Sam reached the top of the stairs and burst into the outside world. The early morning sun felt glorious against her skin and she took a deep breath of the hot, desert air. And then her eyes adjusted and she stopped in her tracks at the foot of the steps. The muffled dreamlike state disappeared, and the screams came through in stereo.
There was blood everywhere. An older lady screamed at a group of children to keep running as a midnight runner lifted her into the air. It was Greta. The woman emitted a short scream and then the beast ripped her head from her body.
"No!" Sam screamed.
The beast shoved Greta's head into its jaw and tossed the woman's lifeless body to the ground where a heap of headless bodies littered the desert floor. The midnight runner chewed once and swallowed. Sam screamed again, and the creature turned toward her, its hulking body glistening with crimson.
This midnight runner was different than the ones in the caves. It bore a resemblance to them, but it was bigger, and even more muscular. The horns atop its head were pointed forward instead of outward and its skin was a murderous shade of red.
Sam lifted her gun but before she could squeeze the trigger, the midnight runner sprung a foot to the right and then leapt at her. Everything went blurry as the gun was violently ripped from her hands. A second later, she flew through the air. She had just enough time to put her hands up before crashing head first into the hot, desert sand.
There was a moment of pitch-black and then somewhere there was screaming. Sam forced herself to open her eyes. The blinding sun burned her retinas, and she realized she was on her back facing up at an angry sun. She managed to turn her head and saw the beast on top of Cole. It pinned Cole's massive arms with ease. It opened its enormous mouth revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Sam screamed but her voice seemed distorted and muffled. From her vantage point, she could see the fear in her friend's eyes and could see him screaming for help. She had failed him. Sam choked back tears as she watched helplessly.
Use the remote, Jordan whispered.
She pawed desperately at the pockets of the khaki cargo pants and cried aloud as her fingers touched the metal casing of the device in her pocket. She extracted it and flipped open the protective glass cover. At the very least, her friend wouldn't have to feel the pain of his death. That was one thing she could provide him.
"Goodbye, Cole."
She mashed the center button and Cole's eyes closed immediately. Sam took a breath of relief and then screamed as the creature lowered its head, slamming it into Cole's face. She waited for the creature to lift its head and reveal a half-eaten face but the midnight runner lay motionless.
Sam looked around, searching for an answer. Huddled by the door leading back to the bunker were Nick and Alex, who was now awake, but neither of them had any sort of weapon. Sam rolled over to her stomach, despite the pain raging inside of her. She eyed the horizon and saw groups of the children, those that had been lucky enough to escape the collapsing mine and then the midnight runner. None of them had weapons either. None of them had caused the beast to stop.
"What the hell?" Sam said.
The remote.
Jordan's words.
She stared at the device in her hand and then to Cole. She forced herself to her feet and walked towards her friend. A slow, deep panic bubbled in her stomach. She was terrified of what she was going to find as she approached the beast.
You know what you'll find.
She did know. The realization washed over her that when she had woken Cole up in the dining room, she had also awoken the monstrosity that lie atop him now. Sam reached the two of them and her heart sank as she saw the small metal device embedded in the back of the creature's skull.
"No," she said in disbelief.
Adrenaline flooded her veins, and she pulled the hulking beast—450 pounds of solid muscle—off of Cole with ease. Her friend was breathing and looked unscathed aside for a handful of scratches and scrapes. She held her breath and rolled Cole to his stomach. Slowly, she lifted a portion of his hair to expose the silver device that she had felt in the dining room. It was a mirror image of the one that was embedded into the beast.
"No!" she screamed.
Red lights flashed in Sam's eyes as she screamed out. She was drunk with rage and anger. Her eyes scanned the sandy surface until they locked on a jagged rock the size of a softball. She picked up the stone and smiled as it burned her palms. The pain felt good. It felt real. She hoped it would wake her up from this horrible nightmare. But this nightmare was as real as the pain.
She stumbled back to the midnight runner and dropped to her knees. The
creature's chest raised and lowered rhythmically as its lungs filled with air. She looked to Cole who was breathing in and out in the same rhythm as the beast.
Sam choked back tears and lifted the sharp stone in the air, high above her head. She swung it down with a primal scream and buried it deep into the creature's neck. Dark red blood poured from the puncture wound. She pulled out the stone and lifted it again. Her arms trembled fiercely and she let out another scream. She swung again and crimson splattered onto the hot, yellow sand each time she did. She lifted the stone over and over, each time digging it deeper and deeper into the creature's neck. Each time screaming inaudible profanities and cursing whatever god would take away everything that she loved.
Over and over.
Faster and deeper.
She had swung the rock until every muscle burned within her arms and chest. Until there were no more tears to cry. Until she was coated with the blood of the midnight runner and its head severed from its body.
She sat in the sand for a long time and silently sobbed and stared at the creature's blood soaking into the sand. Alex remained slumped by the doorway of the bunker, Nick tending after her. From time to time, the ground would shake violently as echoes of the underground city collapsed underneath them. Sam wasn't worried about the ground beneath caving in. She wasn't worried about anything anymore.
After a long time, Sam hit the middle button on the remote again and Cole stirred from the catatonic state. He woke confused and gawked at the grim landscape stretched out around them. The bodies and blood. It made her sick to her stomach.
"What happened, Miss Sam?"
"Nothing," Sam said. Her words were cold and reproachful. "You passed out. That's all."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes." She didn't look at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I reckon a thank you is in order."
"For what?"
"Saving my life."
Tears stung at her eyes. She hadn't saved anyone. They had all died or soon would die. She shook her head but didn't say anything. After a few minutes, he retreated to the doors of the bunker where Alex and Nick were resting.
She stared into the distance as the sun beat down on them. A few minutes later, Nick joined her. He took a seat next to her but didn't speak at first. He picked at the leaves of a brittlebush.
"You should come over in the shade," he said after a long time.
"I'll be fine," Sam whispered.
There was another long moment of silence as Sam eyed the horizon. A great road stretched out in front of them, the blacktop faded and crumbled. Sam could only guess where it would lead. There were no maps in the binder or the bag. She would have to rely on Cole to lead them to Concordia. She assumed Holden had told him the way. Assumed they were heading in the right direction when the truck had flipped. And she assumed the worst about what would become of him. The thought brought a fresh round of tears to her eyes.
"What now?" Nick asked.
Sam pointed to a blue and red metal sign sticking up near the road. The paint was faded, and the sign was cracked down the middle but the number on it was still legible. It read 'EAST' and underneath '15' although the words were extremely faded.
"We head east. That's what."
"How far?"
"I don't know."
"And your friend?" Nick asked.
Sam looked over at Cole. Alex had laid her head in his lap and he stroked the young girl's hair. The other giant hand rubbed the back of his head and his face twisted into puzzlement. As if he could sense Sam was watching, he looked up at her, and she turned back to the sign. She made one last assumption. Nick had put two and two together. He knew what would happen to her friend. And that scared her most of all.
Finally, Sam whispered, "When it happens, I will deal with it."
Nick nodded. Sam eyed the boy and met the cold-tempered stare in his hollowed eyes. She knew what the nod meant. It was an understanding. It meant that when the time came, if she didn't take care of things, he would.
If Nick were as adept as she thought he was, then he could see the same cold stare in her eyes. Her stare that echoed his. When the time comes, I'll kill him myself. They stared at each other for a moment longer and then Nick retreated back to the bunker entrance where the tiniest bit of shade could be found.
Sam held her spot, baking in the hot heat of the sun and continued to plot out their next move. They would stop in the city on the sign and gather whatever supplies they could scavenge, kill whatever monstrosities lie in wait, and then continue to the bastard city.
She knew that one if not most of them would die along the way to Concordia…but not her. She would keep going until things were right in the world again. Until she had saved it. Because that's what she had been designed to do. After a long time, when her shoulders started to turn pink and she could no longer bare the heat, she decided to join the group.
They decided to wait until sunset before moving out. They scavenged the dead bodies and pieced together clothing for Alex and Nick. They would look for more clothes along the way.
The temperatures grew bearable and the bright red blood had baked into the sand and turned it black. The sun idled on the horizon casting the last rays of orange and yellows across the skyline. The four of them took their first steps forward. The escaped children of Lost Angel had fled shortly after Sam had killed the beast, or maybe during, she didn't know…she didn't care. All she knew was there were only four of them now.
They had no food and a limited amount of ammo, but Sam had a purpose. She would carry on until she reached Concordia and then she would claim vengeance for Jordan's death. For Rebecca's death. She would get retribution for the citizens of New Hope and those of Lost Angel. And when Cole Porter turned into one of the midnight runners and she had to take his life, she would get revenge for that as well. The sign under the interstate marker was a green one. The white letters barely legible, but Sam could still read it.
Las Vegas – 266.
It would take at least a week to walk there…perhaps longer. Maybe months to make it to Concordia. But she would persevere. There were questions that had to be answered and more importantly retributions that needed to be paid. And in-between this forsaken place and their goal was a world full of the infected. A world full of halfways waiting to bring them down.
PART THREE: CONCORDIA
1
Steel skeletons stretched from the desert floor and kissed the dawn sky. Piles of rubble and mortar lay at their feet like shed skin. Las Vegas was nothing more than a forgotten graveyard nestled in the wastelands of a godforsaken world. Sam glassed the city gates from afar, counting the halfways near the entrance. There was at least a dozen. Maybe more. The government had walled up the city in the same way as New Hope, but the gates hadn't held.
The remnants of the city provided a sense of relief for Sam. It shot a giant hole in the General's millennial theory and she guessed that Holden's assessment of 300 years was closer to the truth. Although the thought of three centuries passing without her knowledge didn't give her the warm fuzzies.
She focused the lens on the rotting corpses as they trundled near the pyramid's entrance. A man in a frayed business suit hobbled across the boardwalk with his neck canted at a 90-degree angle. He stumbled past a woman wearing a pink show costume as she gyrated her hips in his directions. A dozen others seemed to be following similar ritualistic routines from their old lives.
Sam shifted her weight, and the scaffolding groaned underneath her. She had perched herself on the edge of a billboard, fifty feet in the air. The metal creaked again, and she inched back from the edge. The wind picked up, and she grabbed the railing. The entire sign swayed, and her heart climbed into her throat. Coming up here wasn't the brightest idea, but it had been necessary. She shoved the telescope into her pocket and made her way back to the service ladder. Carefully, she climbed down the rungs where Cole was waiting.
"What'cha think?" he asked as s
he reached the ground.
Sam shook her head.
"We gots to do something, Miss Sam. Those kids are gonna die soon if we don't get 'em some real food. Hell, we all will."
"I know," she whispered.
She looked to the west and her eyes fell upon the two refugees from Lost Angel. Nick and Alex, two skeleton-thin effigies of their former selves, huddled together in the middle of the sand-swept road. They hunkered against the concrete divider and Nick suppressed a harsh cough with the crook of his arm. Blood spattered the sleeve of his shirt and Sam looked away.
He was dying. They all were.
It had taken them a little over two weeks to walk to Las Vegas. They had been fortunate with the water supply and had filled their jugs on three separate occasions. But food had been limited to a few handfuls of mesquite beans and banana yucca fruit. They'd need protein if they expected to make it across country. Sam's stomach rumbled, and she looked back to the city.
"We can't risk it. One of those halfways gets a whiff of us and they'll swarm faster than we can run away. There aren't enough bullets to fight off a horde and I couldn't swing a weapon if my life depended on it. Hell, I can barely carry this bag anymore."
Cole nodded.
"How much water do we have left?" Sam asked.
Cole examined the two gallon jugs hanging around his neck. "A day's worth," he said. "A day and a half if we cut back."
"We can't afford to cut back."
"Then a day's worth."
They found the jugs in a junkyard outside Lost Angel. They spent a full day scavenging for supplies and ended with an ancient metal pot, a Bic lighter, half a binocular, some string, a couple rusted knives and a duffle bag. Cole had tied the jugs together with the length of string and worn them around his neck without complaint.
They lucked out for the first dozen miles of their trip and hiked through the foothills of a lush mountain range. Sam had spotted a stagnant pond from the road and they had made camp for the evening. They emptied the canvas duffel bag, filled it with rocks and dirt and they filtered the water through it. Then they gathered some limbs from the brush, lit a fire and boiled the water. Sam made everyone drink as much as they could stomach before leaving and then they filled the jugs to the brim.
