Sepulchre

by Jay Harez

  Alonzo whirled, pointing the sub-machine gun at the driver.

  “You’ve had that this entire time?!” Alonzo shouted. Two red laser lights appeared on Alonzo’s chest.

  The driver turned off the flashlight and calmly extended it to Alonzo.

  “Yeah, and you’re welcome to take it and go after that thing if you want,” the driver offered.

  Alonzo immediately lowered his weapon. The laser points of light disappeared from his chest.

  EggHead looked up and could make out the silhouettes of the two guards. They had taken positions opposite each other again on catwalk, silent and disciplined.

  “Is there a way for us to get up there?” the driver asked.

  Fetus considered this. There certainly is a way up there since the guards can’t fly, he thought. The way up to the catwalks was a spiraling set of stairs located at the dark end of the warehouse. The entire staircase was a wrought iron monstrosity that was protected on each side by a fifteen foot high chain-link fence. So, presuming the guards didn’t shoot you while attempting to scale said fence, there was still a great deal of ground to cover. Fetus considered their chances of success in total darkness, with only the aid of the tiny Maglite and contending with that creature.

  “No senor. We are where we will be…” said Leaf. He didn’t have to finish the thought. They all understood Leaf was saying this is where they would all die.

  PERIMETER

  Outside, the Captain surveyed the building. He had been inside the warehouse a hundred times over the past few years, but had never given any thought to its structure. The Captain had taken an abandoned lot adjacent to the building as his Forward Base of Operation. The street running parallel to the west side of the warehouse was blocked at both ends and had the potential to become a kill-zone for the skilled guards inside. Fortunately the two remaining guards in the warehouse had not initiated an engagement. The area occupied by the Captain and his men was flanked on either side by two story buildings. The businesses that occupied them were closed for the holiday.

  The fifty man squad of the GAFE Special Forces unit under the Captains command had cleared the streets surrounding the warehouse in under fifteen minutes. When they had first arrived some poor bastard had thought it a good idea to make a run for it. The Captain lamented the brutality with which he had been slaughtered, but took some comfort in knowing that there was now one less potential problem to address later.

  Not long after that, the ‘supplemental’ forces had arrived. Most were ex-military turned mercenaries from the surrounding states, some from as far as El Salvador, had shown up and made sure their names had been added to the list. If you weren’t on the list, you weren’t getting paid and rumors abounded about the large amount of money to be made tonight.

  If his partner held up his end, and if there were no complications, this would be over quickly.

  “So in short, he’s hungry.” EggHead said, “and we should move back to the brighter area.” he concluded as if his original train of thought had never been interrupted.

  “What’s the difference?” Fetus finally asked.

  “Sitting in the dark that long…its eyes may never recover,” EggHead responded “but really I’m just guessing at this point.” he said.

  Without a word, they all turned and began walking in unison and more quickly than they normally would toward the lighted area at the front of the semi-tractor.

  “It’s three hours until dawn,” said the driver.

  “So?” asked Alonzo.

  “They won’t burn us out…” the driver said making a sweeping gesture around the warehouse “…and they won’t risk trying to shoot their way in either,”

  “So we’re safe?” asked EggHead.

  “Maybe they will wait until we starve or…” Leaf trailed off.

  The off key chimes of the chain-link fence being rattled could be heard. The little group of four turned toward the sound. The guards who had been stationed above them in the lighted area of the warehouse could be heard running toward the sound and away from the light.

  Each man utilized an available bucket or tire and took a seat in a semi-circle facing the darkened half of the depot. The office phone rang and startled everyone. They all looked toward the office then toward Alonzo. Alonzo threw an arm around Fetus’ neck and virtually jerked him to a standing position. He pointed the pistol toward the other three men. He used Fetus as a human shield and began dragging him toward the office and the ringing phone.

  “Take me instead! Please.” Leaf implored.

  “This is a bad idea compadre,” the driver offered.

  Leaf and the driver looked at each other. The guards could be heard shouting from the far end of the warehouse as they tried to find the intruder of their sanctum. Fetus was too stunned at the turn of events to do anything but be stunned. Additionally the chokehold that Alonzo had on him kept him focused on not suffocating.

  “I thought the phone was dead,” said a bewildered EggHead.

  As his oxygen supply began to dwindle, Fetus saw the little black swimmers in his eyes and realization dawned him. No one had checked the phone after Alonzo had. No one would have even thought to question Alonzo. For all they knew, Boss Soberano was still alive and that meant Alonzo was in on the robbery.

  “You two dumb fucks, this driver and his loco EggHead have ruined my plans,” Alonzo growled as he backed toward his office area, easily dragging Fetus. Alonzo was making a mockery of the lifeguard’s carry as his forearm constricted around Fetus’ windpipe.

  “I may have a shot, but I can’t guarantee I won’t hit the boy.” the driver whispered so that only Leaf could hear.

  Leaf simply held out his hand in a steadying motion as Alonzo dragged Fetus the final distance into his office and slammed the door. The office was a thoroughly fortified microstructure within the depot. The walls were two feet thick cinderblock on all sides, under a flat concrete roof and it resembled a World War II bunker. The door was a three inch reinforced steel hatch taken from a submarine. The north and south walls of the office had a two inch wide strip of bullet-proof glass running horizontally five feet above the floor so the person inside had a view of the outside.

  Leaf and the driver heard Alonzo struggling to hold Fetus and shut the door behind him. That was followed by the clang of steel on steel as Alonzo cranked the old submarine hatch-wheel to the locked position.

  “Can somebody tell me what’s going on?” asked EggHead.

  “Alonzo sugared the generator and has crossed Boss Soberano,” said the driver as he sat down and began to look for a cigarette.

  “He planned the whole thing,” Leaf said shaking his head as he sat down next to the driver. “His plan did not include us being here.”

  “So?” asked the driver extending the newly found pack of cigarettes to Leaf.

  “They can’t come in and they don’t think we can get out,” Leaf said and lit the gift smoke.

  The driver looked around. All of the doors were chained or rusted shut with the exception of the hangar doors at each end and one was blocked by the semi trailer.

  “They have several reasons for thinking that,” the driver said fighting the ironic grin forming on his face.

  “Yeah like a million fucking guys with a million fucking guns and a million fucking bullets!” shouted EggHead as he pulled at his hair. The outburst caught the two men off guard. EggHead was showing signs of wear, even more than when Alonzo had threatened him with the machete.

  “They only think that because they have all of the doors accounted for,” said Leaf as he stared blankly at the western wall.

  The three turned and peered into the darkness as they heard something bump against something else in the dark end of the warehouse. That noise was followed by raspy coughing.

  “If you have an idea amigo, now is the time.” said the driver.

  Alonzo sat at his desk staring at the phone and thought. He considered the possibility that the crazy man in the warehouse might
take care of all of his problems. Alonzo refused to believe anything EggHead had said about four-hundred year old mummies coming to life. He was certain that someone had gotten in, perhaps one of the loco homeless people.

  Fetus sat on the filthy floor handcuffed to the plumbing behind a lidless toilet. Alonzo had missed the call and was agitated. Fetus didn’t make a sound because he didn’t want to draw Alonzo’s attention. It was one hour until light.

  The men gathered outside of the warehouse were of two minds. The first group was wide awake. Stimulants were flowing freely among the men standing vigil around the warehouse. Most had arrived with thoughts of the money they stood to make. Rumors had been circulated about the potential millions in US dollars to be made if the warehouse could be taken without resistance. Although their bodies were tense, mental fatigue had begun to set in. Thoughts of a night wasted on an extremely risky venture began to find voices. Wild ideas such as flying over in a helicopter and repelling through the skylights like Navy SEALS or tunneling under, found homes among their already strained psyches. There was even the occasional whisper of burning the place and saving what could be saved of the cargo. The one common thread was frustration and that was giving way to anger.

  The second group of men seemed to know better. They sat at rest whenever they could. These were part of the elite Federales, the ones who had lived long enough to start showing gray. These men knew the forces they were dealing with were Cartel Bosses. They recognized that no matter how this ended the stories of new cars and beautiful women drawn to new money were mostly motivational tools. They were certain they would be rewarded, but that was contingent on one, successfully taking the warehouse and two, living through the experience. These men sat with rifles at the ready, eyes half closed, relying on their hearing and sense of smell to alert them of danger. These men were not going to be the first to charge into the situation. These men planned to talk about this night for years to come.

  The Captain knew that whatever was about to happen had to happen within the hour. He turned and began rousing his men.

  EXODUS

  The driver fired up the engine of the semi-tractor. He looked out at Leaf standing on the running board.

  “Are you certain?” the driver asked Leaf.

  “Yes. There may be another way, but I do not know it,” Leaf said as he stepped down from the cab.

  The driver turned and looked into the sleeping area of the cab. EggHead was curled up in the fetal position. He was clutching his leather bag stuffed full of papers and books to his chest.

  “Strapped in doc?” the driver asked.

  The doctor could only nod. The driver turned to face forward again and make sure Leaf was in position.

  The head of one of the guards struck the hood the rig and bounced away leaving a dent. Blood splattered the windshield and the driver engaged both the wipers and the washers with detached professionalism. Two shots could be heard as the other .308 spent its last two rounds followed by a brief scream from the remaining guard. Apparently the creature had had the same idea as the driver about getting up to the catwalk.

  The driver revved the engine, put the rig in gear and pulled forward blocking the door of the office. Leaf climbed onto the hood then onto the roof of the office. He lay flat directly above the door with his head in position to peer over the edge if needed.

  The driver backed the rig up to the border of the lighted half of the warehouse and shifted into gear to move forward.

  From Leaf’s vantage point he could see the entirety of the illuminated half of the warehouse. Leaf was hoping that when the time was right Alonzo would open the door. Leaf also hoped that he could attack Alonzo from above, the very last place Alonzo would look, kill him, then slip into the office and set Fetus free. He hoped to accomplish all of this while that creature was running around in the darkness and the military was robbing the depot. The idea sounded beyond farfetched. Leaf estimated there were just over thirty minutes left before daybreak.

  Leaf watched the driver expertly maneuver the tractor backwards as the creature descended from the catwalk. Leaf knew the distance was far too great for it to have jumped but there it was carrying the headless body of the guard under one arm like a sack of flour.

  When Alonzo heard the semi’s engine he stood up and peered through the bulletproof glass strip from the office. Years of diesel fumes and cigarette smoke combined with dust, dirt, and sand created a thin film over the once transparent surface. The thickness of the glass had a magnifying effect that further hampered his view. Alonzo could only make out blurry objects and some sounds. However he had no way of knowing what was happening and when he heard the report of the .308 and he began to panic.

  Alonzo had demanded half of his pay for robbing his employer up front. While he waited for the next call he began counting the quarter million dollars in the backpack under his desk. Once he had dealt with these new complications, his partner in this caper, the Captain, would arrange for transportation and security on the way out of the city. It wouldn’t do to have his hard stolen goods stolen in transit. Alonzo hated the way his country had been corrupted by thieves and criminals. Fetus sat quietly and watched Alonzo unfold and refold the stacks of US one-hundred dollar bills.

  The creature landed squarely on the hood of the semi. The once desiccated corpse was now sinewy and broad shouldered and its flesh was taking on a more human shade of brown. The scrawny neck was now muscled and veined. Its biceps were bulging and much of the bandaging was now torn. The strips that still clung to its frame dangled and fluttered behind like macabre streamers. The metamorphosis was so miraculous that one could almost overlook the blood splatter covering the creature. However, its most startling characteristic was still in its eyes. The eyes that were once closed to the world or milky were now alive and afire with animal rage. This was neither the silent corpse they had seen earlier that night nor the famed Spanish doctor EggHead had talked about. This was something altogether different.

  The driver gunned the engine for all it was worth and the vehicles tires squealed as it surged forward. The driver kept the truck on a straight line and at an intersecting angle with the west wall of the warehouse. The creature tossed the lifeless body of the guard aside like a toy and leapt clear of the accelerating rig. The truck hit the wall of the warehouse at the midway point between two of the doors. With the exception of the doors, the entire warehouse was made up of corrugated metal held in place by sheet metal screws. Given the age of the structure, it was a wonder no one had accidentally driven through one of the walls before. The semi had reached almost twenty-five kilometers per hour when it smashed through.

  Many of the men outside were milling around in the street talking, smoking and some were even still drinking. The semi bore down on them, losing no momentum as their bodies were crushed and ground into the street. A few men opened fire while others began to cautiously approach the truck-sized gap in the sheet metal wall. As the Captain had anticipated, the pill poppers and meth-heads that made up the smaller part of his force charged into the opening. Although impaired, the first group managed to hold their fire as they entered. At first all that could be heard were a few shouts to surrender and the boots of the men…at first.

  Leaf watched the truck burst through the wall and saw the creature leap clear just before impact. Leaf hadn’t known for certain if that would work. There could have been a vehicle parked on the other side of the wall or someone may have had one of those big .50 caliber mounted machine guns pointed right at the building. Instead the truck punched through the thin ribbed sheets of metal with little or no resistance. The noise was horrendous and probably scared the daylights out of the small army assembled outside. The thought of that brought a slight smile to Leafs weathered face.

  The driver relentlessly pursued the few soldiers and mercenaries who panicked and fled ahead of the speeding semi-tractor. He stopped counting after the fifth one. A few shots managed to crack the windshield of his rig. Another punched through th
e passenger side door and terminated in the Igloo cooler in the center console. He had lost both side mirrors and a lot of paint but all told his truck was in fine working order. EggHead had begun to rock back and forth like an autistic child. The driver thought he was hearing crying sounds from EggHead but had no time to investigate as he poured on more speed. The driver hoped he had bought Leaf and the boy some time. He would probably never see them again and couldn’t dwell on their fate. Right now he had to get his passenger delivered.

  Alonzo could see clearly enough to watch the truck crash through and leave a truck-sized hole in the wall of the building. The noise made Fetus try to stand up, only to be stopped short as he reached the maximum length of the handcuffs. Alonzo turned and looked at him.

  “Your friends have left you.” Alonzo sneered “I go now to make sure these animals do not destroy the cargo. Do not get any ideas about escaping. If you play your cards right you will live. If you play your cards right and help, you may get a little of this,” he concluded gesturing towards the backpack. Alonzo then turned and began unlocking the door...He paused as he remembered that a crazy person was still out there.

  Three of the mercenaries moved into the breach, looked around quickly, and cautiously began moving in separate directions. The creature stepped from the shadows of one of the trucks parked along the wall and wrenched one of the mercenaries arm out of the socket at the shoulder. The man screamed and the other two turned and ran in the direction of the sound.