What Remains (Book 1): The Outbreak

by Barrett, Tyler

  The entire front of his suit caked in blood. It was dried and had been for several days, but that wasn’t the most disturbing thing. His skin was pale and almost translucent, his veins could be seen running all over his body but were black, and the worst part was the eyes. The eyes were completely black, and the pupils weren’t visible. Shortly after the man in the suit appeared, four more men showed up.

  “Stop right there and identify yourselves!” shouted Captain Lewis.

  The men kept moving towards the soldiers, ignoring the command.

  “Stop, or we will open fire!” Captain Lewis shouted again.

  The men still didn’t stop. Captain Lewis fired a warning shot at their feet, but they kept coming. The next shot hit the first man in the suit in the chest, the force of the shot knocked the man off balance. He stabilized himself and kept moving towards them. Now they all started to open fire on the group of men, aiming at their torso like they had been trained to do. It was not doing anything to the men, though, so Captain Lewis ordered them to aim for their head.

  The bullet to the head ended their advance, and within a few seconds, it was over. Muller moved towards the bodies kicking the closest one to make sure it was dead. The heavy smell of gunpowder clung to the air, along with a sickening smell from the bodies of the men.

  Muller spoke covering his nose, “Clear, they are down.”

  As if he had said it too soon, a voice called out from down the hall, “Hello?”

  The soldiers moved down the hall that the men had come from, rifles ready for more unwelcome visitors. The only thing that greeted them was a door barely open with a face trying to peer out into the hall. Once the person saw the soldiers, they slammed the door close with a small yelp.

  Captain Lewis shouted through the door, “US military! Identify yourself.”

  The door cracked open again, and the voice spoke again, “We are scientists, we work for the government.”

  “We are here to help you and bring you back to safety.”

  At that, the door opened all the way, and two men and a woman stepped out into the hallway. They looked around cautiously, shaken by the gunfire. Captain Lewis stepped out from his cover and greeted them.

  “Hello, we are here to bring you to a safe location and get you out of the country. First, we need you to grab all your data or research that is vital. How long will it take you to grab your material?”

  “I…I don’t know…a few minutes, maybe more. Are they all gone? None of you touched them did you, no cuts or bites?”

  “They are all gone, it’s just us here. Blake, Ethan, you two go with the scientists, and Muller and I here will go back to the bunker door. Let’s move; we only have a short window before we are missed.”

  Captain Lewis and Muller moved back towards the heavy door. It wasn’t long before they were back at the door, but the light from the bunker made the already dark hallway even darker. The fluorescent lights hummed, and they decided that the hallway needed to be lit up, so they threw some glow sticks down the hall. Nothing had moved in the hallway since they had entered.

  It wasn’t long before they heard the noise, and it was hard to pinpoint its location, but they surmised that it was coming from the floor above. It was becoming louder and louder as if a mass of objects was dragged across the floor. Captain Lewis started to move down the hallway, moving slowly ready for anything. At the halfway point of the hallway, he stopped and listened, trying to see if he could tell what it was.

  Captain Lewis had shoved down his night vision goggles, hoping to see more clearly in the mostly dark hallway. He couldn’t see anything yet but didn’t dare approach the door leading upstairs. It was a simple push to access door, which worried him more. He started to back up, with a wholesomely dark feeling tingling up his spine. He shoved his night vision goggles back up and started to sprint towards the bunker door screaming.

  “Muller! Close the door, close it NOW!”

  As he made it back to the door, Muller attached his small handheld computer again to the door, tapping away on the screen. Captain Lewis slid on his knee pads, turning around to crouched position, aiming his rifle down the hall. He held his microphone down and called for the other two soldiers, Blake and Ethan. A few seconds after, the door at the end of the hall burst open; several shadowy figures stood at the end, shuffling towards the bunker.

  The infected flooded into the room, drawn by the sounds of the vault door opening, as well as the gunfire minutes before. The first thing people had done when the government started to lose control was head for anything that resembled authority, the closest being local police stations. It was apparent that a mass of people had flooded this one only to become trapped and then infected. More figures burst through the door until it was impossible to distinguish them apart and blackness enveloped the hall.

  The bunker door was heavy and slow moving, the door moved in slow motion while the infected shambled forward as fast as they could. Captain Lewis started to line up targets and fire at them, he tried to take careful aim but missed several shots. His effort was not enough to stop the endless horde of infected that were converging on them. Even when Muller and the other two soldiers joined in there just wasn’t enough firepower to keep the waves of infected from advancing.

  Several infected, lacking proper coordination, tripped and fell over the bodies of the dead. It slowed the infected for only a few seconds before another would push it out of the way. The bunker door was only half way closed; however, the infected were only ten feet away. The soldiers began to fire sporadically into the crowd aiming high, scoring a few shots but most just dazing the infected. They were trying their hardest to give themselves enough time to make sure the door closed in time.

  It was too late, the infected were now only four feet away. The gap in the door was smaller, giving the soldiers a much-needed kill box, but it still was not enough. They were at the door now, reaching through the gap. A hand grasped Ethan and pulled him towards the infected, but the man used his rifle to knock back the infected man. He succeeded but was quickly grabbed by another infected; this one had a stronger grip. The soldier disappeared into the writhing mass of infected at the door legs first, fighting each other to get a chance at the soldier.

  Muller and Captain Lewis rushed forward and tried to pull the soldier back into safety. Another half minute and the door would close, and they would be safe from the infected. Together Muller and Captain Lewis pulled as hard as they could, but there were too many infected pulling on the man, who was about to be stuck in the door. The stronger infected sunk their teeth into any spot they could find available, tearing the man’s flesh open.

  As the door closed, it cut off more and more infected from being able to get a hold of the man. Slowly, Muller and Captain Lewis were gaining ground, bringing the man back to the bunker. The door had only a foot left until it was close, which finally knocked the last infected away, freeing the man. Together they quickly pulled Ethan back into safety and set him down. His wounds were bleeding; chunks were missing from his legs.

  The last of the gunfire echoed in the bunker, fading, signaling the end of the engagement. Captain Lewis set down the man gently, reached for his pack, pulling out a medical kit. He opened it up, not finding enough material to cover all of Ethan’s wounds. He grabbed a medical powder designed to seal up wounds, and stop the blood flow, but found he was too late. Ethan had died, from blood loss; Captain Lewis threw the supplies against the wall in frustration.

  “Shit” he muttered under his breath.

  Muller put his hand on Captain Lewis’ shoulder, and he shrugged it off. Standing Captain Lewis grabbed a discarded lab coat on the ground and gently laid it over the man’s body. One of the scientists moved over towards Captain Lewis pausing hesitantly before opening his mouth.

  “He is infected with the virus; we need to make sure he doesn’t turn.”

  Muller looked at the man, giving him a look of mistrust and hate. Captain Lewis turned and looked at the scientis
t, not understanding what he meant.

  The scientist continued, “He’s bitten, and now has the virus inside him, probably already making its way to his brain. He will reanimate, as an infected and try to infect us.”

  “So, what you are saying is that the infection spreads even when the person is dead? How is that possible?”

  The scientist took a deep breath and let it out, “We were researching it, trying to figure out what makes it bring a dead person back to life. All we know is somehow once it reaches the brain, the virus sends out an electrical jolt to the brain, reawakening it. The infected don’t have full brain capabilities and lack basic motor skills, and only seem to be driven by the need to infect other people and hunger. The only way we have found once they reanimate is to damage the brain, cutting off the nerves that are sending the signals keeping the body going.”

  Captain Lewis looked back at the coat covering the body, “Are you completely sure that he will reanimate? I don’t want to desecrate a soldier’s dead body, especially not one under my command.”

  “Yes…we are sure; it is what we had to do…that is why we are the only ones here.”

  The scientist looked down at the ground, where several corpses lay. Muller realized they hadn’t been the ones to kill them either. The scientists had fought to stay alive in the bunker, killing several of their friends in the process because they had become infected. Captain Lewis noticed what the scientists were referring too as well and took out his sidearm. Muller stepped forward and spoke to the Captain.

  “No, I will do it, sir. You don’t need his blood on your hands; you have more important things to worry about.”

  Captain Lewis shook his head, “No Muller, he died under my command. I will be the one to make sure he stays at rest.”

  He aimed his pistol at the man’s head, hesitating conflicted about shooting an already dead man in the head. Captain Lewis slowly started to pull the trigger, but released it again, looking one last time at the sheet. He tightened his grip and quickly pulled the trigger, the small caliber bullet creating a hole in the sheet covering it with more blood and brain matter.

  Captain Lewis took a few shaky steps back, backing his way into the wall. He allowed his legs to give out and slid down the wall until he was sitting. He held his head in his hands, trying to clear his head, and get back into the game. He was finding it hard to believe that the mission had gone so far south that he didn’t know where they were. He was in command but did not have the slightest idea what to do.

  He couldn’t contact anyone outside the bunker for help; the walls were too thick for the radio signal to penetrate. The Fire team was now down a man, who had been killed, under his command. The only feasible way out of the bunker was surrounded by countless infected. The government officials they had been sent to collect were most likely dead.

  The odds weren’t in their favor, but he knew they needed to find a way out of the bunker and to safety. Without support, it would be suicidal to even think about opening the main bunker door. What choice did they have? It was a bunker, designed to keep people safe from the outside world. It was evident that a virus crippled the Nation, the reanimated dead coming back to infect more, wasn’t part of the design functionality of the bunker.

  Captain Lewis looked up. Everyone in the room was staring at him, expecting him to lead them. Tell them what to do; give them an order. He had to get these people moving, focused on a task, something to keep them busy. He got up and looked at Blake, ordering him to clean their rifles and count their ammo. He assigned Muller to help the scientist gather their data while Captain Lewis looked over the map.

  The only way out of the bunker was through the door they had just sealed up. He didn’t enjoy the idea of shoving his way through several dozens of infected, just to reach the street. Fire team four had been sent to check on the base, so he couldn’t ask them for help. He decided to inquire the scientist about the bunker and its facilities.

  He walked down the hall, where Muller was with the three scientists, all huddled around a setup of computers. They were transferring enormous amounts of data to external hard drives; it would be the easiest way to move all the data without having a satellite feed, which they didn’t have.

  Captain Lewis interrupted them, “I need to ask one of you about this place,” and he motioned to the bunker.

  “I need to know its facility capabilities, like any other possible escape routes, or anything else that you think important to know. We need to figure out a way out of this place.”

  Again, the older scientist stepped forward, “Well this bunker is extensive, and can house close to fifty personnel. The main entrance is where you came in. I don’t think there are any other ways in or out of this place. Not that we wanted to get out of here when we first got here anyway, so we didn’t ask. The only advantage we have in here is we have food, running water, and electricity. The only thing I can think of that would be helpful is down the hall and to the left there is a security center; anything useful would be in there.”

  Captain Lewis turned and left the room, called back, “Thanks.”

  Muller had excused himself from the scientists since they busy moving their files. He jogged to catch up to the Captain, “Hoping to find some blueprints or a map?”

  “Yes, anything that tells us there is another way out of here. If not then we will have to fight our way out, or at least, die trying. That data needs to get somewhere safe; command can use that data to help prevent this infection elsewhere. And I don’t find this place a fitting place to live for the rest of my life.”

  “I agree,” said Muller, “But what if we don’t find another way out of here?”

  “As I said, we would have to force our way out of here, kill as many infected as we can, and get the hell out of here.”

  They both reached the security station the scientist mentioned and opened the door. The room seemed untouched by the infection, with all the computer systems still running. An alert was flashing on the main screen, but neither one of them could read it. It didn’t matter; they were looking for blueprints, anything that would present itself as a way out.

  Muller rummaged through the security stations desk, which held the monitors scouring through the papers on the desk. Captain Lewis opened a locker and found what they were looking for. He took out the blueprints, unfurling them on a nearby table, pushing things out of the way. Together they scanned the designs hoping to find a way to the surface.

  They found their way out after looking over the blueprints, but it wasn’t what they were hoping. It was a small service tunnel, located in the residence quarters. It was small, only five feet high and four feet wide, running a block and a half until it met with a more extensive public works tunnel. From there they would be flying blind but, Captain Lewis was sure they could find a way out from there.

  “Look, see there? That is our ticket out of this tomb, and back to base. We just have to go slow and take caution. Otherwise, we are fine.” said Captain Lewis.

  Muller retorted, “Hey whatever means we don’t have to go back through all those infected at the entrance is fine by me. Even if I would like to kill a few more for Ethan’s sake.”

  “As I’m sure we all would, but that’s not the task at hand. Go check on those scientists and see how much longer it will take. I’m going to tell Blake the plan and round up the rest of the ammo we can find. Report to the lobby when you are done helping them with the data.”

  Muller walked back down the hall and rejoined the scientists, who were still bustling around the room, trying to collect anything they thought useful. “How much longer is going to take to back up the data?”

  The older scientist looked up from the computer screen, pushing his glasses up as he did. “It will probably take close to an hour at least; there is an extensive amount of data we collected about the virus. We are trying to make this as fast as possible, although did you find a way out?”

  Muller replied, “Yeah, we did, although it’s going to
be a tight fit, and possibly a little dirty. But I mean you can’t complain since option two involves opening the bunker door open. I don’t know about any of you, but I would rather not face a horde of infected.”

  The scientist shook his head agreeing but focused on the computer screen in front of him.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  An hour later they had the hard drives secured in Muller’s pack, and the scientists rounded up in the lobby. As they walked into the lobby, Blake sat up and walked over to meet them. Captain Lewis was sitting in the corner looking off into the distance, pondering something.

  Blake spoke as he approached, “Captain already filled me in on the plan, and I did a little recon of the residence area. I found some food and water, I figured it might not be a bad idea to take a small amount, and on top of that, I gathered the weapons from the security room. The area is clear, no infected in sight, and the tunnel entrance is in a maintenance closet towards the back of the area.”

  “Alright,” said Muller “is Captain Lewis ok?”

  Blake looked over his shoulder at Captain Lewis, who still hadn’t acknowledged them being there.

  “He said he was going to lay down for a bit, but he has been like that ever since. He didn’t even say anything when I went over to scout out the residence area.”

  Muller walked over to Captain Lewis, “Hey, Captain, you alright?”

  Captain Lewis replied, “Huh…Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just you know, zoning out.”

  Muller looked back at Blake, worried for Captain Lewis. He turned back to talk to Captain Lewis once more, “So, are we ready to head out then? The scientists are done uploading the data.”

  “Uh…yeah take five to eat something and prep, then we will head out.” Said Captain Lewis.