A World Reborn: The First Outbreak

by Chris Thompson

  Roy was shuffling through a massive ledger of maintenance reports and in his haste, almost missed his first clue to the identity of the traitor in their midst. He pulled out a report dated one month previously, labelled as a security update for the mainframe.

  “Donna.”

  “Yes, Chief?”

  “Who handles the maintenance of the computer system?”

  “We have a group of support staff we subcontract to called Sigma Securities, why?”

  “That’s what I thought, but a month ago we apparently subcontracted it to a different group. They came in after midnight and did some work on the system.” Roy explained, leafing through the report.

  “That shouldn’t have happened. Who were they?”

  “Grove Systems.” Roy answered.

  “That’s very unusual; we’ve been using Sigma Securities for years, why would we use a different contractor?” Donna asked, standing up and walking over to stand beside Roy.

  “It doesn’t say. It just says they were called in for emergency systems maintenance.”

  “Who signed the order form?”

  Roy leafed through to the last page and cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

  “You did.”

  “What?” A stunned Donna exclaimed, looking where Roy was indicating with his index finger.

  “You signed off on them coming in to perform overnight maintenance on the system.” Roy accused as he put the report on top of the cabinet and rounded on her. “Is there anything you want to tell me, Donna?”

  “What do you mean?” She asked; her big eyes filled with a very convincing look of concern. Roy wasn’t about to be swayed from this line of questioning however.

  “Donna, did you knowingly allow someone to come and tamper with the security system? Did you know this was going to happen?” Roy demanded his voice harsh and powerful; a tone he’d used when questioning suspects in his previous career.

  “Roy, I didn’t have anything to do with this, you have to believe me!” Donna pleaded, taking a step back.

  “Do you remember anything about the Grove Systems people? Did anything about them stand out?” Roy challenged mercilessly.

  “I honestly don’t remember signing that or them coming in.”

  “That’s interesting. Were you working that night or was it your night off?”

  “It was a month ago, I don’t remember.” Donna replied in an aggrieved tone. Her face was an interesting read for Roy. Her eyes were filled with surprise, fear and more than a little hurt. Was that because she was shocked to have been caught out or was it because she was telling the truth and didn’t know anything about it? Roy couldn’t be certain, but the last thing he wanted was to be trapped in a room with someone hostile to him. He decided to play it cool and smiled at her.

  “It’s okay, Donna. I didn’t really think you had anything to do with this. I just wanted to be certain.” He assured her, stepping closer and resting his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

  “Really, Roy?”

  “Really.” He confirmed, sounding as sincere as he could under the circumstances. “Even if you did sign off on them coming in, that doesn’t mean you knew what they were going to do. There’s a lot more to this than we can see on the surface. Are you having any luck getting into the computer system?” He abruptly changed the subject.

  “I’ve managed to access the records system without getting locked out.”

  “Good. Let’s try to look at who was working the night Grove came in here and see if we can figure anything out.”

  “Okay. Thank you for believing in me.” Donna imparted, smiling weakly. She returned to the computer and sat down; Roy following behind her to look over her shoulder at the monitor. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and couldn’t help but wonder whether she was involved or not.

  It took so long Melissa’s neck, back and legs burned from being in the same position, but the elevator eventually neared the second floor. She’d tried to stretch a little every now and then while the elevator was in motion, using the sound of the mechanism to muffle any noise she might make, but was so fearful of inadvertently making a louder sound that might cause her to be discovered that for the most part she remained in the stressful position. She knew she would have to time everything just right to avoid getting stuck and going down to the ground floor so, just before the elevator came to a halt, she shifted carefully and quietly to un-stiffen her muscles a little, until she felt confident she would be able to drop through the hatch before the doors closed after the soldiers and the infected disembarked. Once comfortable, she lifted the hatch just enough to observe the occupants below.

  As soon as the doors opened the two soldiers began ushering the infected forward. They were at the back of the elevator herding them out as though they were nothing more than animals, and those who became stuck were grabbed and shoved roughly through the doorway. Melissa lifted the hatch a little more to get a better view. She urgently needed to know when they had moved far enough away from the elevator for her to make her move. Hearing many shuffling footsteps as well as the sound of heavy boots receding, she risked everything by lifting the hatch away and sticking her head through, her muscles hurting as they reminded her about the cramped conditions they had recently endured. Melissa saw it was clear, so quickly swung down into the car. The doors dinged and began to close, but she managed to get her hand to the edge of one of the doors, which triggered the safety sensor to reopen them. She waited to see if there were any voices of alarm or curiosity over the elevator remaining but heard nothing, so decided to peek out, while holding herself ready to move quickly back inside.

  As she had noted on a previous, more leisurely visit, the second floor housed a huge shopping mall filled with stores of every conceivable type to encourage tourists to spend, plus cafes, bars, gambling spots and a large gift shop. It also housed stores selling necessities, such as a drug store, where Melissa wanted to go to in order to get some medical supplies for her arm. The drug store was on the walkway to the right of the hallway housing the dual banks of west elevators. Getting there was going to be a challenge, however. There could easily be additional soldiers on the second floor; the helicopter could have held a dozen people or more, and, as one of the soldiers in the elevator had mentioned multiple teams, they had obviously split up. Melissa carefully craned her neck out of the elevator to check the hallway, and saw it was clear of both the infected and the soldiers. To the best of her ability from her position, she peered beyond the hallway; disappointingly, she could see very little. The sounds of movement were still relatively close, so she resolved to advance as slowly as possible, but it was risky. As soon as the elevator doors closed, she’d be trapped on this floor, for better or worse. This, however, was where the answers were. Steeling herself, Melissa slipped out of the elevator car and into the hallway where she followed the wall closest to her; sliding against it, while making herself as small as possible as she moved in an almost ghostly silence. She could hear the soft groans and heavy, military boot footsteps getting further away as she approached the exit. At the corner she paused and looked left, scanning for any signs of a soldier or an infected person to ensure she wouldn’t be seen from that side when she eventually stepped out. From what she could see amidst the mass of shops and venues it seemed clear, so she came as close to the corner as she could and took a deep breath before leaning out. Immediately, Melissa retreated around the corner, and took a couple of steps back. The infected and the soldiers weren’t as far away as she thought, having only advanced to the first turn of the railing that traced the perimeter of the gap which permitted a view of the ground floor. From what she had seen, she needed to conceal herself, as there was a chance a soldier would be able to see her as they followed the walkway all the way around to the Grand Staircase. Melissa quickly assessed her options. Ahead of her, directly across from the hallway was a small foyer; a space with a few seats and some fake plants that was designed for people who wanted to have somewhere grand
to sit and view the spectacle of the casino floor below or wait for someone coming down in the elevator. It was also an out of the way spot to stand if the hallway was busy, until they could board an elevator. For Melissa, it would be risky to try and get to it, as she would pass directly in their line of sight. Maybe they wouldn’t see her. But equally, maybe they would. It seemed her best bet would be to go completely prone in the hallway, and crawl up to the corner and observe them from the best vantage point she could. There was no way to know for certain if she was doing the right thing, all Melissa could do was make a choice. A moment later she was lying flat on the ground, crawling forward using her elbows, towards the corner where, once she had reached it, she peeked out.

  Her minutes of waiting and assessing her options had given the soldiers the opportunity to move further ahead. They had made it past the second turn of the railing, and had begun passing by the drug store. The two soldiers were now herding the group of infected towards the right turn which would lead them to the south Grand Staircase. The infected seemed to be moving more easily, but Melissa had barely acknowledged this when the composure of the infected unexpectedly collapsed. They had started to move past some kind of branded toy store, which had a cut out of an animated character, some kind of animal, that featured a motion sensor triggering a piece of dialogue.

  “Oh boy! Let’s have some fun today!” It declared.

  It caused a huge disturbance amongst them, and the two soldiers had to struggle to control them. Plainly, the kind of fun on offer in the store was not to the taste of the infected. Only when they resumed their slow advance did Melissa move forward a little more. Looking around from her new vantage point, she could see the entrance to the large gift shop at the far end of the walkway, which was roughly over the lobby area, to see with mounting horror the huge swathes of blood and gore across the floor leading out from its doors. She was momentarily stunned and needed to shake her head to clear her thoughts; after a few moments to compose herself, she refocused and checked the position of the infected and the soldiers. The soldiers were still fully occupied in keeping the infected under control after their encounter with animated character, and so Melissa took her chance and began to move. She got up into a hunched over, almost crouched position and hurried towards a planter on the right, getting behind it and the fake greenery it housed. It was now, however, that she could see the full carnage the infected had inflicted on this floor.

  There had been a defiant, but futile, struggle against the surging infected on that side of the floor; broken windows and bloody skeletal remains were strewn here and there. Trashcans were tipped over, and objects were splattered with blood - as though someone had tried to defend themselves with a chair or a fire extinguisher, just as Melissa had. It seemed like the fighting had been intense, brutal, and ultimately those fighting for their lives had been torn to shreds. Melissa tried to ignore these details for now, and focused on what she needed to do. Seeing she might be able to reach the drug store without incident, Melissa checked on the infected and the soldiers heading away. They’d just about reached the turn at the next corner, which would lead them in a straight line towards the Grand Staircase, and so she waited. One minute ticked into two, then three. It was good distance for her to travel before she would be out of their line of sight if they happened to turn back, so she waited a few more minutes until she felt confident she would be safe. With her nerves steadied, Melissa continued in her hunched over, low profile stance and crouch walked, hurrying towards the gift shop, using whatever she could for cover.

  As she passed by the railing, she took a hasty look through the gap to the ground floor below, checking in case a soldier was looking in her direction. She saw nothing, and so followed the railing around to the drug store; across the blood spattered, glossy, stone floor. The drug store was indicated by a large green, glowing, plus sign which reminded Melissa of health pickups in the video games she’d played with her ex-fiancé before her time in Africa. It was nestled between a jewellery store and some kind of fashion boutique, both with neon signs in their windows. Melissa, however, ignored them and remained focused on her objective. As she approached the door to the drug store, she passed by what remained of a person, and couldn’t help but pause for a few moments to look down at the sad ruin of a human body. The remains were almost entirely skeletal, with fragments of cloth and slivers of meat clinging to the bones that the infected hadn’t picked clean before moving on to another victim. There was no way for Melissa to tell whether they belonged to a man or a woman, as the few pieces of remaining scalp had hair that was short enough for a fashionable unisex cut, but the outstretched, skeletal arm that was a couple of feet away from the majority of the remains told a brutal, horrifying tale of the individual’s final moments. Briefly, Melissa wondered why the infected hadn’t been incensed by all the blood and the partial remains of the bodies, and then it occurred to her that maybe it was because there wasn’t anything to sustain them here – the infected were only interested in living flesh. Looking down at the skeleton, Melissa was sickened by the implications of her thoughts. With intense pity, and a fervent hope that it wouldn’t end that way for herself, Melissa shook off the distressing distraction, and continued to the drug store.

  The door opened easily and quietly, and she shut it as fast as she could once she was inside before taking a look around. The interior of the drug store had been the site of a battle; blood streaked down one of the aisles, with products spread around in disarray on top of it. Near the checkout, a large, presumably arterial, spray of blood reached from the pharmaceutical shelves to the ceiling. There were no bodies and Melissa hoped the soldiers had collected the injured if they’d been turned into the infected. She reached for the pistol tucked into her belt and held it at her side, just in case. She definitely didn’t want to fire it with the soldiers so close, but she wanted to be eaten even less. She passed along the front of the aisles and scanned them one by one, making sure they were all empty before returning to the one with the gauze. She grabbed a package before moving on to the aisle displaying different types of antiseptic, where she pulled down a brown bottle of liquid. Melissa went next to the prescription counter and, staying clear of the blood, put the gun down and took off her jacket. She opened the bottle and poured it onto the wound; cursing under her breath when the liquid touched the cut. It burnt and it hurt, making her grind her teeth to stifle the groan of pain that wanted to escape her lips. The liquid ran down her arm, carrying with it some of the blood. Next, she opened the package of gauze pads and used the first one to dry up the liquid, then she peeled the sticky part from a second pad that was big enough to cover the wound; applying it awkwardly to her arm. With her wound dressed, she slipped her jacket back on and reached for the radio before she scooped up the gun.

  “Roy.” Melissa said quietly, turning the volume on the radio up, but only enough to barely hear Roy’s response.

  “What’s happening out there, Melissa?” Roy returned urgently a moment later.

  “They’re gathering up all of the infected and herding them down the Grand Staircase. Strangely, the infected don’t seem to notice them, they’re completely docile. They’re also gathering uninfected people up for something called ‘conversion’, and they’re planning on broadcasting it.”

  “That’s really weird.” Roy exclaimed in disbelief.

  “Yeah. There’s something else. They’re executing people who aren’t complying.”

  “God.” Roy whispered. “There’s nothing you can do about that, Melissa.”

  “I know. I just... hate to think of it.” Melissa answered carefully, not wanting to expose too much emotion.

  “Where are you now?” Roy asked, changing the topic, much to Melissa’s relief.

  “Drug store on the second floor.”

  “Gertrude’s?”

  “Maybe, I didn’t see the name. It’s near the big gift shop.”

  “Okay. Did you see where they were moving the uninfected people to?” />
  “They said they’re taking the uninfected down to the ground floor using the elevators, something about not wanting them and the infected to cross paths, at least not before the broadcast occurs.”

  Roy mulled it over for a few seconds before speaking again. “Well, there’s plenty of open space on the ground floor, especially around the Money Pit. But according to what I heard from one of my security guy’s before he stopped communicating, the ground floor, especially the casino, is packed with thousands of the infected. Maybe they’re going to separate them out down there. Before ‘conversion’, whatever that might be.” Roy explained.

  “It’s as good a theory as any. I’ll get back to you when I find out more.” She informed him.

  “Be careful, Melissa.” Roy unnecessarily warned once more. Melissa turned the volume off on the radio and slipped it back on her belt.

  She returned to the door and slowly opened it before peeking out in the direction the soldiers had gone, and then she gave the immediate area a quick scan too. Seeing no obvious signs of danger, and gripping the gun tightly in her hand, Melissa slipped out to unobtrusively pursue the soldiers. She hugged the wall and followed the path they had taken, advancing forward first to the recessed doorway of a jewellery store. Using the glass door, she checked to see if anyone was inside, at least, where she could see, but it was empty.

  Melissa continued this pattern of moving up from doorway to doorway, managing to duck below the motion sensor of the animated character so she didn’t trigger its greeting message. She would stop every now and then to listen carefully for any sign of a soldier or an infected nearby. She came to a stop at the corner the soldiers had turned and paused to peer around it carefully, exposing as little of herself as possible. She saw the soldiers and infected had progressed some way towards the grand staircase, where a much larger group of infected guided by six soldiers were about to descend. It would be too dangerous to try and get too much closer, but Melissa saw an opportunity to gain some ground in the form of the turn off to the south elevator bank. She took a few deep breaths, staring down the walkway at the backs of the soldiers and infected, looking for any sign that either group ahead might turn and look back the way they had come. She also stood on tiptoe to check as much of the ground floor as she was able. There was no sign of soldiers, but she did glimpse something that looked like a barricade that had been erected around the casino. However, she decided now wasn’t the time to examine it in any detail. She had an opportunity and needed to take it. Melissa darted around the corner and half ran to the hallway housing the south elevators, pausing briefly to check it out before ducking in as quickly as she could. Crossing over to the opposite wall, she snuck up to the corner and peeked at the soldiers again. Both groups were still advancing, and seemed to have no idea she was behind them. Moving further up at present, however, would prove difficult. It appeared that in the bloody struggle of the initial outbreak, someone had broken the window of a second boutique store up ahead from the inside, scattering glass all along her path, making Melissa wary of trying to cross it as the chunks of crunchy glass beneath her boots would make a very distinct noise. There was also no way around it, unless she decided to double back and pursue the soldiers from the north side, but that would take time, and she would be more visible on the opposite side of the floor too. She knew further on, to the right of the Grand Staircase, was a kind of courtyard, dotted with brightly lit game machines playing the usual jingles, with an avenue leading off filled with more stores. She figured she should wait at the elevators and then move up when they were on the casino floor, as this would allow her to observe them from relative cover; that is, if they continued moving in the direction of the Money Pit, as Roy had suggested.