I felt my Adams apple bob as I gulped, and my breathing picked up, momentarily fogging up the glass my face was pressed against. I simply couldn’t believe it. There was a literal sea of Zs, moving together as one giant horde, and it stretched as far as we could see from the height of the helicopter.
“What…the…hell?”I heard Kyle whisper.
Still staring out of the porthole in awe, I realized what the Hulk had been looking at. It was absolutely breathtaking…in all the wrong ways.
“Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to the Mega-Horde. Impressive, isn't’it?”Gordon called out above the engines.“This little group of creatures is working its way toward my base camp as we speak. They’ll be there in less than a week’s time. We’ve tried all the usual methods to steer them away. You know, like sound, light, etcetera. Doesn’t seem to work on a horde this size. My people don’t think there’s anything we can do to stop them at this point. I’m actually not so sure…but then again, I don’t need much of a push to head back toward Avalon.”
“We’re not helping, you sick twisted fuck,”Kyle finally said from where he stood, moving his hands up the pole ever so slightly. I’d thought he’d kept his mouth rather quiet during all this. Twisted fuck seemed to be about the response I’d have expected from him. If I wasn’t tied up, floating over a sea of the dead, I might have actually thought it was funny.
Gordon nodded over toward the Hulk, who stood up, glaring at Kyle. For a moment, I thought Kyle was going to stand his ground. When the Hulk took a step forward, Kyle let the breath out of his chest and sat down, pulling his wrists tightly against the metal pole once again. Not like Kyle to back down from a fight, I thought to myself.
“That’s much better, Kyle,”Gordon sneered. The Hulk stayed standing, steadying himself with one monster hand holding onto the railing that sat above his head and ran the length of the extended metallic cabin.
“Now why would I have shown you this? Why would I be taking you back to my base camp? Probably lots of questions running around in your minds…”
Jarvis didn’t respond. I got the sense that he was still pretty woozy. His face was pale, and I could see his eyes were bloodshot. Rodgers hadn’t really said jack shit since we were captured. I wasn’t sure if he was holding back, or if his mind had finally cracked all the way. It was strange behavior for him, no matter how I looked at it.
Either way, it was OK. Kyle was ready to do the talking.
“Yeah, Gordon, we’ve been wondering about that. Why don’t you enlighten us,”Kyle said, shifting his shoulders and elbows away from the Hulk and directly toward Gordon.
Pausing for a moment at the unexpected sarcasm, Gordon refocused and said,“I like that. The toughness. I could tell you were a real hard ass back at the Arena. I’m looking forward to when we land, Kyle. You see, I have a whole army waiting and ready to be airlifted over this sea of creatures. We’ll be drop-shipped right into Avalon’s front yard.”
“Big surprise. You already said you’d be attacking-at 8:57 p.m. exactly, if I remember correctly. What the hell does that have to do with us?”
“Oh, yes, 8:57. You probably don’t remember, but that is the exact minute Jarvis here decided to take Avalon from me. I find it only just that we come back for what is rightfully mine at the same time.”
“Yeah, real poetic,”Kyle replied sourly.“You still haven’t told us why you went to all this trouble to capture us.”
“Oh, dear Kyle. You see, taking Avalon back has everything to do with the four of you. You’re the one that set up most of the defenses, aren’t you?”
Kyle didn’t respond, leveling a stone-faced stare at Gordon.
Lifting his hands in the air to make air quotes, Gordon replied,“Oh, you don’t have to answer. I already know that the four of you have the inside scoop, so to speak.”
“We’ll never tell you a thing,”Jarvis finally spoke up.
“I have a few friends back at my base that think otherwise. We came across them a few months back. They were responsible for extracting secrets out of the Saudis during the last Gulf War. So you’re right, Jarvis, I don’t think for a second that you’ll willingly tell me anything. I’ll be letting my two good friends help to guide the conversation.”
The word torture entered my thoughts. I had never been tortured, unless you count having to watch night after night of reality TV with my wife.
“They have a little friend called Sodium Pentothal, which they say will have you whistling Dixie by the day’s end. I’ve asked them to take it easy on you at first. After all, we’re old friends. I need you to know, however, they have the kinds of tools that would have the Pope singing about God being a fiendish lie.”
He paused at this and took a moment to look at our faces.“We’re close now. I can’t wait to show you the medieval shit they’ve built. I have to say, I’m looking forward to seeing how much you tough guys can take.”
He wasn’t the only one…
Chapter 12
Ohh. That’s really good.
Gordon left us there, tied up and stewing on the word medieval. The word brought up all kinds of madness into my thoughts. I thought back to fourth grade. One of the kids in my class had built a small diorama of a dungeon at a time when the class was learning all about the Middle Ages. The small, but detailed, replica built into a cardboard box had a number of medieval torture devices. It showcased an action figure that was being stretched across a table with ropes attached to all four limbs, as well as a metal spiked helmet that was clamped shut over another action figure’s head. For whatever reason, my fourth-grade memory still held them in high regard as the devices that would be used to torture someone.
Gordon was facing forward, with a headset clasped tightly over his ears, chatting it up with the pilot. Briefly wondering if his mouth ever actually stopped moving, I looked at Kyle, Rodgers, and Jarvis, only to realize that Kyle was inching toward the giant sitting across from us. Attempting to pull the Hulk’s attention away from his masterpiece, Kyle clanged his wrists tight against the pole. The Hulk shook his head, as if his attention has been shattered, and looked up from the artistic challenge.
Charles Darwin once said,“It’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”Sitting there staring at the Hulk, I finally knew exactly what that meant. He wasn’t smart; that much was clear. I’d also seen stronger men get taken down by the creatures lurking down below. Yet he’d managed to make it this far. In the end, he’d found the right way to adapt to this world—following Gordon’s every command. He’d found a place where he had a purpose.
Humans are programmed to follow. Purpose is what keeps us alive.
Nodding to the Hulk, Kyle asked,“Whatcha drawing?”with a slight smile growing across his face. He spoke in a low voice, trying to find a middle ground where the Hulk could hear him and Gordon couldn’t.
The giant looked up and quickly shielded his drawing with a hand that could easily have palmed a beach ball. Remaining calm, Kyle kept the smile across his face, looking genuinely interested. After a long pause to let the request sink in, the Hulk slowly shifted his hand to the right, revealing an image of four stick figures. One was much larger than the others were, but they all had smiles on their faces. The largest of the figures had a winding string attached to a massive hand that led up to an oversized balloon.
“Ohh. That’s really good,”Kyle almost cooed as he continued to inch forward toward the carving. Sliding his hands up the pole once more, Kyle started to stand.“Can I see the whole thing?”
The Hulk tensed up and his shoulders shot out, exposing his broad chest. Expecting him to leap forward to knock Kyle down, I instinctively flinched back into my own corner.
Kyle did the opposite. I hadn’t realized what he was doing at the time. It was all the small movements that did the trick. Every time he stood, each body shift - the sly bastard had been chipping away through the plastic binding, wearing the tie around his
hands to the snapping point.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. I watched, just as stunned as Jarvis and Rodgers, while in one single motion, Kyle pulled his hands away from the metal pole and grabbed the railing in the ceiling above us. Swinging slightly, he arched his back and sprung forward, pushing his entire body weight through his legs out in front of him. The hard rubber of his boot connected perfectly with the face of the Hulk. The giant just stood there, expressionless as always. Kyle paused as a dumbfounded look of surprise crept across his own face. Twisting his head from me to Jarvis, he raised one eyebrow and lifted both shoulders with a curious sort of shock. No matter how big the Hulk was, Kyle did still put a foot to his face…and considering who it came from, that usually did the trick.
An instant later, the Hulk’s eyes rolled into his head, and he began to fall backwards. Kyle, not wanting to let the thud of his body hitting the floor alert Gordon and the pilot, dove beneath him, trying to prop him up. It was a mistake that quickly found Kyle pinned between the wall and the unconscious giant. Snapping my gaze to the front of the chopper as Kyle struggled to break free, I watched in horror as Gordon started to twist back slowly to check on us. We all froze as if thinking Gordon’s vision was suddenly based on movement, much like the T-Rex in that movie, Jurassic Park.
In the same instant, the pilot lifted his free hand above the instrument panel, pointing out through the windshield, grabbing Gordon’s attention. I don’t think I took a single breath as Kyle quickly but cautiously nudged back and forth before finally pulling himself free.
A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek as Kyle jumped up with the Amigo’s knife in hand. While he slid the blade through each of our plastic cuffs, we still continued to hold the metal poles, appearing captive, while Kyle used all of his might to prop the Hulk back up on the seat.
After leaning the giant’s back against the cabin wall, with his face away from the front cockpit and toward where we were sitting, Kyle pulled a nine-millimeter handgun from a holster on the Hulk’s hip. Looking between Rodgers and Jarvis, both holding out their hands for it, he threw it to Jarvis, who quickly lifted his ass and sat on it.
Kyle then moved back over toward where we were sitting, and reached his hands up to wrap around the pole.
Shifting his focus to the three of us, he said in a stern but low voice,“We need to move to take Gordon and the pilot out. We’ll need to do it quick as hell. I’m not sure if I can get into the cockpit before we cra...”
My stomach lifted into my chest as the helicopter started its descent. We all looked toward the cockpit as Gordon called out merrily,“We’re here!”He seemed to be admiring his base from the sky, and even appeared to be waving at some of his people on the ground.
“Shit!!”Kyle cursed. Looking around the cabin for just a moment, he then said“OK, change of plans. We need to take the pilot the second we land, before he turns the engine off. With any luck, we’ll be able to pull right back into the sky before anybody realizes what the hell has happened.”
Rodgers peered toward the cockpit, then toward us. There was a look on his face that I couldn’t place at the time. Fear, concern, madness…I wasn’t sure, but looking back on it, it told a lot more than any words could have. I knew one thing for certain, the guy that had faced off against countless terrors alongside us suddenly looked like he was questioning what we were about to do.
My eyes were wide as we made our descent. I had the very real thought that our lives, the lives of our friends, and the life of my son depended on us being able to pull this off. We were going all in, and we didn’t have a hell of a hand to play with. However, with any luck, we’d be giving Gordon the hard goodbye.
The back wheels touched ground with a thud. I watched as the Hulk rolled from side to side. Just as he was about to tip back to fall off the bench, the front wheels hit, throwing the Hulk forward just enough to keep him upright.
“Thank you,”I whispered too loudly to myself.
Shooting my attention to the cockpit, praying Gordon hadn’t heard me, I realized he was busy pulling the headset off and unbuckling his harness. At nearly the same moment we landed, a noise came from the side of the cabin as the door on the front side of the helicopter started to open. I found myself wondering why we hadn’t made a move yet. My blood was boiling, but I was waiting for Kyle to lead the charge.
“Hold. We have the element of surprise,”I heard him whisper below the slowing roar of the propellers above.
A man wearing a set of headphones pulled the door open and poked his head in, looking back at us, and then toward Gordon, who had already stepped out of the cockpit and toward the door.
“Well my friends, this is the last stop. I think it’s time to see what you have to say now that you’re getting ready to meet the full team.”
“I say, who’s the tough guy now?”Kyle yelled out as he lowered his hands and pulled the knife out from behind his back.
Gordon’s face went pale as Kyle jumped up, followed by the three of us. While Kyle darted toward the door, which was surprisingly far away from us, Gordon kicked the man with the headset out of the way and leapt from the helicopter.
Kyle reached the exit, peering out after Gordon, and I swear there was a moment where he almost jumped out after him. However, he quickly came to his senses and shot his attention to the pilot, who was hitting a bunch of switches on the control panel, getting ready to shut the helicopter down, oblivious to what was happening behind him.
Running toward the front, Kyle reached both arms over the pilot’s shoulders and violently yanked him out of the chair. Throwing the man back for the rest of us to deal with, Kyle slid into the pilot’s seat, and in the same motion, was flipping all the same switches in reverse order.
Jarvis had the nine-millimeter drawn. Keeping his composure, he looked down at the pilot, who was curled up in the corner by the door. With the tone of a father reprimanding his son, he asked,“Do you know what kind of maniac you’re linked up with, boy?”
The pilot shook, not saying a word as his crotch turned dark wet, and the familiar smell of urine permeated the cabin.
“Jesus Christ!”Rodgers yelled out.
“Get out!”Jarvis finally said, keeping the firearm locked on the piss-wet pilot’s face.
Rolling out through the opening, the pilot hit the ground with a thump as I leapt over toward the door to pull it up. Glancing out to the airfield, I couldn’t believe what I saw. There were at least five more of the same double-blade helicopters we were riding in, which I later learned were Chinooks. There were some tents in the distance. I could see a number of men running toward our ride. Guns drawn, they were getting close enough to fire.
Yanking the door shut, my voice nearly cracked as I yelled over to Kyle,“Now is the time!”
He didn't respond, but I could hear the blades on our helicopter going at full speed. I saw him pull back on the yoke, causing my knees to buckle. Tipping over, I found myself rolling through the piss puddle that the pilot had left behind.
Ducking down, I heard repeated clings as bullets pelted the exterior of the metal-plated chopper. I expected to see holes the sizes of grapefruit appear in the sides and the floor. To my surprise, I didn’t see a single one. The sucker was well armored.
Once in the air, I pulled myself from the piss puddle, wiping some of it from my face with my one dry sleeve.
As we rose further into the sky, the gunfire ceased and the clings that I heard rattling into the floor below stopped with it. We were pulling away quickly, high into the cloud-filled heavens. I found myself standing at one of the portholes. Gordon had a hell of a compound set up down there, I thought to myself. There were a countless number of tiny men below, surrounded by buildings, aircraft, and a bunch of large wooden boxes stacked atop each other. Lowering my shoulders, I realized that if they were coming at Avalon with all of that, then our little world…our safety would be put to the truest test it could be. The test for all our lives.
As the base turn
ed into nothing more than an impressive set of toy soldiers, I turned my attention to the front of the cabin and walked up to join Kyle. While my nerves had my hands shaking like a hooker’s vibrator, he appeared composed, focusing on navigating the giant helicopter.
Noticing me, his nostrils flared as he scowled.“You smell like piss.”
Yes, I did, but we were alive.
Kyle's plan had worked…for the moment. Now we just needed to figure out which way was home.
Chapter 13
Patience wins wars.
Taking a moment to breathe, I pulled myself into the co-pilot chair. The shadow of the helicopter was visible, but just barely, against the overgrown landscape and various small lakes and ponds below. The sun was beginning to go down, but I could still make out small packs of creatures roaming through the fields. I had no idea how far away we were from Avalon, but Kyle was quickly working on trying to figure it out. We seemed be in the middle of bum-fuck America.
Glancing out through the front window, I quickly realized we were coming back up on the giant Mega-Horde of the dead we’d flown over on the way to Gordon’s base. Absently twisting my wedding ring around my finger, I thought about our fate should something happen to the chopper while flying over that deadly mass. Even at a distance, the horde was massive, slowly crawling across the earth with the same relentless force of lava down a volcano—annihilating what was left of the land.
Trying to shake the thought, I glanced over to see Kyle sorting through the navigation, when my eyes were drawn to a radio switch. It appeared to work through a set of speakers as well as the headsets, hung in place above the seats.
900 Miles (Book 2): 900 Minutes Page 9
