Downfall

by Michael S. Gardner

  “Probably sitting on their asses.”

  Cole fought off a laugh. “No shit.”

  “Funny thing is,” Jeff leaned in and lowered his voice, “all this probably happened because someone came into work after a long night and just dropped a vial or something.”

  “The end of the world brought on by one misplaced step,” Cole said, toasting the thought with his pastry.

  They shared another moment of levity.

  “What do you think that guy’s last thought was?” Jeff asked.

  “I’m fucked,” Matt answered as he walked into the kitchen. Jeff and Cole both looked up to him. “Morning, gents.”

  ***

  Less than a half hour later, everyone except Tim was in the kitchen. Cole and Mary leaned against the counter beside the sink. Matt had one hand pressed on the stove’s handle, the other holding a joint by the stove’s fan. The rest were sitting at the table, Anna the farthest from the smokers. She didn’t like it, but what other choice did she have?

  “I, for one, think the idea of Facility Six is a little far-fetched,” Mary said. “I mean, what use for us would they have other than target practice? Maybe they’d take Dr. Grant, but our chances would be better here, I think. We’re protected, armed, and ready to fight for what’s ours. Mark my words, we go there, and we’re as good as dead.”

  “You don’t know how wrong you are,” Tim chided.

  Everyone’s attention turned toward the living room, or, more precisely, the foot of the stairs. Dr. Grant stood wearing a sky-blue robe that met with the tips of his socks, which he wore pulled up as far as they could go. Matt had asked Alex to offer his room to the scientist, at least for now, which left Alex, Matt, Angela, and Jeff to share all of the first floor. The boy didn’t mind so much, as long as he didn’t have to sleep near that creepy old man.

  Dr. Grant walked in and poured himself a cup of steaming coffee.

  “Folgers, I hope.” He smiled an old man’s smile, glasses drooping down the length of his nose.

  “Generic.” Cole hit the joint Matt passed him.

  “I guess we all can’t win.” Tim’s smile faded a bit. “Anyhow, back to what I was saying.” He looked right at Mary, still grinning slightly, though his eyes were as cold and punishing as an abusive parent’s. “Allow me to explain.”

  Mary nodded, trying to match his stare.

  “You see, my young friend, what armed forces are left have either gone off the grid,” he nodded to Jeff, “or gone underground. There have been contingencies for such events since the early thirties. We’ve been tampering with the unknown and that which should be left alone for nearly a century.”

  “Why?” Mary asked.

  “If one carries the key to damnation, my dear…” Tim took a sip of the generic coffee and continued with a partial grimace from the taste. “Well, let’s just say that it becomes hard to refuse someone like that.”

  “I don’t understand,” Alex said, breaking away a portion of his toast.

  “There are things you are meant to see, and there are things you aren’t meant to see, young Alex. There have always been wars, many of which—too many of which—you’ll never hear about. The lives of many men and women have been lost to acquire only pieces of a much larger puzzle. The same is true for me, I think you can say.” He raised his mug and took another sip.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Matt said, stealing a glance at the top of what appeared to be a bottle of pills in the side pocket of the robe. He took a closer look at the man’s glazed eyes. The good doctor was stoned.

  Tim shook his head and looked around, almost confused. “What I was saying,” he turned to Matt, “was that they’d much rather have a recruit than a corpse. They could use you even if it meant you were to die—for a cause, that is.”

  Matt mulled over that last part. They were recruiting? It was a very plausible thought. Why kill someone that could further the cause?

  “You people are oh so worried that the government wants you to suffer or needs you dead. It’s all a bunch of babble that should stay in grade school. What good is a government that has no one to run it, or an army with no soldiers? I’m inclined to disagree with your previous statement, respectfully, of course.”

  “It makes sense,” Anna said. “Why would they kill us when they need us, probably more than we need them?”

  Tim nodded and smiled at Anna.

  “When we get there,” he said, “there will most likely be guard posts surrounding the perimeter. It’s bound to be fenced in by now too, something to keep the infected out.”

  “Wait,” Alex said, turning to Cole and Mary. “Infected? You guys call those things zombies.”

  “They are, Alex,” Cole answered. “They’re the dead that won’t stay dead.”

  “Until you shoot ‘em in the head,” Alex said.

  “Right. So they are zombies.”

  “It is the virus that makes them so.” Tim smiled.

  “So they’re both, you see,” Cole said. “Infected’s an easier term than zombie for most.”

  Alex nodded in agreement.

  “May I continue now?” Tim’s smile faded.

  “Uh-huh.” Alex looked away.

  “The only problems we’ll have are when the journey to Mount Airy is made. The road is a treacherous place, and it belongs to them now.” He nodded outside. “It will be a sacrifice worth its weight, however. How long do you think it’ll be before you encounter one of those Titans here?” He looked around. “You think this place could hold one of them out?”

  “We’re more of a day by day group, Doc,” Matt admitted.

  “I offer you more. I offer you all more.” Tim set his coffee down and clapped his hands. “We just need to get there. That is all, I promise.”

  “What makes you think that there’s anyone there, though?” Matt said. “Shit went down fast, you know.”

  “There are contingencies for things like this, as I’ve said. We always have people underground, running tests and simulations and whatnot.”

  “Not to mention that most of our deployed troops were ordered back,” Jeff added.

  Alex focused on the soldier.

  Jeff continued. “I don’t think they’d just send our boys to the streets to die—”

  “Already did that,” Mary said under her breath.

  “They’ll surely have had some of them transported to one of these facilities Dr. Grant speaks of.”

  “My dad could be there!” Alex nearly fell out of his seat. “Are you serious?”

  The smile that played on Tim’s face rubbed Matt the wrong way. Deep down, he thought this all could be a callous manipulation. They all knew it was likely that the boy’s father was dead, except for Alex. Matt passed the joint to Cole.

  “I’m not saying your father will be there,” Tim said, “but there may be a possibility. There’s always a possibility until you know for sure.”

  At this point, Matt wasn’t sure if he and Cole had made the right decision about saving these three newcomers, or at least bringing them back to the house without knowing more about them. Something about the “good doctor” seemed… off.

  “Doc,” Angela joined in, “I’ve gotta say that your plan sounds inspiring, but you’re forgetting what we just went through. It’s not just the dead that we have to worry ‘bout. The world’s full of Persiuses, and they’re all the same. Chances are we’ll get killed on the way there.”

  “That’s unlikely,” said Tim.

  “Yeah, you go tell that shit to Carrie, William and Harry,” Angela said. “I vote we stay here until we no longer can. We can build this place up like a fortress.”

  “And what would you do when you’re overrun?”

  “If that happens, Tim,” Angela looked right at him, “we’ll make sure to have an escape plan.”

  “A little redundant, don’t you think?” Tim challenged.

  Angela leaned over her coffee cup and said, “It’s all redundant, Doc. We’re fucked ei
ther way, so why don’t we just enjoy our lives while we still can?”

  “When did you plan on leaving, Tim?” Cole cut in.

  “As soon as we possibly can.” He looked to Jeff, who was trying to get a read on Angela’s face. “Isn’t that right, Jeff?”

  The soldier drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know, Tim. Maybe we should wait until the government gets a little control over the situation.”

  “Control?” Tim said. “Control! Are you serious? Their form of control was to bomb Chicago, Los Angeles, and countless other major cities.”

  Matt dropped his head. “So they did drop nukes?”

  Jeff nodded.

  “Oh my god,” Kristin said, cupping her mouth.

  Cole put a hand on Matt’s shoulder and told him that he was sorry. Matt nodded and forced the tears back. He took a few breaths and composed himself.

  “They bombed New York,” he said. “Just like Han told us.”

  Mary gasped and hugged Matt. “I’m so sorry.”

  “What’s in New York?” Alex asked.

  She looked to the kid, who shrank in his seat. “Matt’s family.”

  Everyone’s eyes went wide.

  “They only bombed heavily infected areas,” Jeff said. “At the time, that’s what was best.”

  “Do you know how many people died from those bombs?” Tim raised his voice, walked over to the table, and placed both hands on it.

  “A lot of people died, Tim.”

  “My family was killed by those bombings just as Matt’s!” He pounded his fist, barely missing Jeff’s hand. “And you call that government control?”

  Jeff stood up, hands balled and face red.

  Tim backed away with a little assistance from Cole.

  Alex looked at Anna, then Angela.

  Kristin shot a glance to Mary, who said, “You two need to calm the hell down. Now. This is our house, not yours. Respect it or get out.”

  “With all due respect, that’s what I’m trying to do.” Tim turned to Jeff. “I just don’t understand why the soldier’s changed his mind.”

  “What about us?” Anna jumped in. “Are they gonna bomb us?”

  Both Doctor Grant and Jeff shook their heads.

  “There was only one mission, and from what I’ve heard only a few of the pilots actually followed through.” Jeff still hadn’t taken his eyes of Tim. “Those left in charge felt it would be best to level selected cities with the highest populations.” He now looked at Matt and shook his head. “Reports of New York and the other cities were terrible at best. It’s likely that annihilation was the more humane thing to do—and I hate to say that. My brother lived in Rochester, so I feel your pain.” He turned to Tim. “Both of your pain. But the only thing we can do now is move on.”

  A few moments passed with the survivors looking to one another.

  “Based on the shit we’ve just gone through,” Jeff finally said, “I say we wait it out, at least for a little while. I like the idea of rest and relaxation.”

  “That’s not necessarily what life’s like out here,” Kristin offered.

  “Compared to out there, it is. Believe me.” Jeff turned back to Tim. “Give it a while to let the weak die, both dead and alive.”

  “The longer we wait, son, the more I am delayed from my work.”

  “You know,” Mary said, “you’ve put yourself on quite the pedestal. What makes you think that there aren’t a dozen other yous that were already stationed underground? You said yourself that you don’t know the exact happenings that caused this, so maybe all this was planned and you’re as expendable as the rest of us. Ever think about that?”

  Tim simply went back to his coffee and took a long swallow. He waited a moment before responding, calming himself down. His face had grown a few shades redder, which was fading rapidly now. There was an uncomfortable silence as Jeff sat down, meeting the eyes of the rest of the survivors, who eventually looked back at Dr. Grant.

  “Look,” Tim sighed. “I know I’m not the easiest to get along with, but you all have to realize that I speak only the truth. No one’s coming by to save you the way you saved us. By all means, we three should be dead and lying in the street being torn apart by the infected.”

  “Zombies,” Alex said.

  “Zombies,” Tim agreed perfunctorily then continued. “We’re dealing with a virus that’s got a one hundred percent mortality rate. There’s no surviving it, only avoiding the inevitable. These things, the zombies, the runners, the screamers, and the Titans, are eventually going to find you out here. We’ve moved down a couple spots in the pecking order. Can’t you see that?

  “Maybe they have others working on this; maybe they don’t. There is always a possibility, just like I said before. But when it comes down to it, I don’t want to put the fate of mankind on a maybe. In order for me to get to Mount Airy, I’ll need help. Look at me. I’m an old man who’s barely used a gun before. I’d die within a day or two, if I was lucky.”

  Though his eyes were glazed over from whatever pills he’d taken, Matt saw sincerity in the man’s face, heard it in his voice. Who was he to judge someone for wanting to take the edge off? Matt eyed Cole passing a newly-lit joint to Mary and stole a glance at all the alcohol they had stored around.

  “Look,” Tim said. “Your pit is a stroke of creativity that most wouldn’t have thought of…”

  Matt waited for Alex to jump in and take credit, but the boy maintained his silence with a smile.

  “Eventually, however,” Tim continued, “it will be overrun with zombies. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even a month from now, but it will happen. If it can happen, it will happen; that’s just how it is. These walls are sturdy, and I’m grateful for you letting me occupy the space between. However, it’s unlikely you’ll keep them out forever, and if you do, you’ll just end up trapped eventually.”

  Tim spoke the truth that no one wanted to hear, including Matt. The man offered a possible solution, a solution that required a great deal of faith—something Matt found to be, more often than not, disappointing. He glanced to Kristin. Their eyes met, and he smiled. She returned a shy grin before looking back to Dr. Grant. He wasn’t sure, at the moment, how he felt about it. Hell, he wasn’t sure about much right now.

  “Look,” he said. “Why don’t you let us think on it?” He addressed the room. “We are all capable of making our own decisions, and now it seems that one will need to be made: leave or stay.”

  “That’s plenty fair, young man.” Tim smiled, drinking the last of his coffee.

  CHAPTER 21

  The house was divided for the remainder of the day. This was something that not only bothered Matt; it also struck a nerve with Mary and Cole as well. The three convened on the front porch sometime in the afternoon. The silence that had fallen over the house left a sour taste in the air.

  “You know.” Cole lit up another joint. “Something about all this stinks to high hell.”

  “It’s the fact that he was right,” Matt said, leaning against the siding.

  Cole passed the joint to Mary and eyed the .22 rifle resting between them.

  “We’ve been going on day by day since this outbreak began.”

  “Well,” Mary said, “we haven’t been doing badly, if you ask me. We’re alive, we’re armed, and we do a have a few supplies, though we’ll need to go out for more since you brought survivors instead of what we needed.”

  Matt put his hands in his pockets. “You know, before all this went down I’d be the first to tell you to let the survivors go. I mean, how many times have we all seen what happens when people do that in the movies? Now, though, when you see those who actually need help, it’s hard to turn them down. I don’t know what I’d have done if I were one of those three.”

  “Aw, look at you,” Mary said as she passed the joint to him. “All growed up now, aren’t we?”

  The three laughed, and Matt restarted the cipher after hitting the joint two quick times.

  “Yeah,” he sa
id as he exhaled. “Well, that doesn’t change the fact that I spied a bottle of pills in Tim’s robe pocket. I think our new buddy’s got a little bit of a drug problem.”

  “You know,” Cole said, “that reminds me; Tim was a little out of it yesterday. When I was sniping Persius’s friends, he kept babbling about this and that, like he was working some problem out in his head. I just thought it was a way to keep his mind off what was going on around him, but maybe he was high.”

  “If that’s the case, do you really want to take him at his word?” Mary received the joint, realizing how hypocritical a statement that was.

  The front door opened. Jeff and Angela stepped out. Tim could be heard in the background, presumably talking to Kristin, Alex, and Anna.

  “Hope you three don’t mind company,” Angela said. “It gets tiring hearing about Facility Six.”

  “He’s still talking about it?”

  “He’s always been like that, Mary,” Jeff offered. “Ever since I met him, that’s pretty much been all he’s talked about.”

  “Has he always been taking those pills too?” Matt inquired.

  Jeff eyed him. “How’d you know?”

  “He doesn’t seem to care much about discretion,” Matt answered.

  “Ain’t that the truth?” As he finished the sentence, Jeff had a pistol drawn.

  Matt followed the barrel, as did everyone else; it led straight to an ambling creeper—a woman dressed only in the rotting flesh remaining to her.

  “Calm down, soldier,” Mary said. “You shoot it and you’ll only draw more to us.”

  Jeff reluctantly placed the firearm at the small of his back.

  “She’s more Matt’s type anyway,” Cole teased. “It’ll get caught in the pit. We’ll dispatch it then.”

  “What if more show up?” Jeff asked, keeping an eye on the naked zombie.

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.” Matt tossed the finished roach into the yard. “Probably just a straggler from what they dealt with here yesterday.” Matt turned back to Jeff. “So tell me, how long’s that guy been on pills? And what kind of pills?”

  “He’s been taking them since we left D.C. I think they’re OxyContin, but don’t quote me.”