They hurried forward while behind them they could hear the gibbering zombies crash into and over the piles of bones. Fifteen seconds later, Cole’s shin barked into something unyielding. He hit the lighter again and saw that he had banged into the fender of a boxy green truck that sat on four flat tires. The path went around it and through a few tanks and then there were more mounds of bones.
Within a minute, the dead were right on their heels. The stench of their breath was hot on their necks. Cole turned on the lighter, blinding an even dozen of them. He killed the closest two and pressed on again as behind him the Dead-eyes went in circles.
There was a brief scrum as the ones in back ran over the ones in front. The gun fire had given them another minute of respite, but Cole was tiring. “I need your sweaters.” What he needed was another diversion. He lit her first sweater on fire, waited until the flame was singeing his fingers, and then threw it off to the side. Like horrible flesh-eating moths the creatures charged it. Uncaring that their fingers were being scorched, they tore it to pieces.
Once again, the tunnel was enveloped in darkness.
Cole and Corrina hobbled on, growing ever more tired. Each hurried with one ear cocked expecting to hear the onrushing horde once again. Their lead stretched and stretched, and then Cole hit a stack of empty ammo crates that had been sitting precariously balanced. The whole thing came crashing down with a great ringing of metal.
Just like that, the chase was on once more. This time their lead was a hundred yards. Cole stripped off the last layer of rags covering his chest. Even though the fastest of the zombies were gaining, he didn’t light it right away. The end of the tunnel was fast approaching and this would be their last chance at a diversion.
Cole’s leg was threatening to give out when he lit the rags. It took four tries to strike a flame with the lighter and it was a feeble little thing that wanted to sputter out. Cole had to slow to make sure it caught and by then a clawed hand was stretching out of the darkness for him.
He threw the rags and the hand seemed to disappear.
Another snarling fight broke out and in the flickering light Cole could see the end of the tunnel and the giant metal door. There were Dead-eyes at the door! They must have followed Hamilton. Cole pulled the Riker once more. He had four bullets left and as ill-luck would have it there were four zombies by the door. Even if he managed to make a kill with every shot, he would have nothing left to fight the horde coming up behind them.
It was too dark for him to try any shot further than three feet, which meant he would have to get within arm’s length before he pulled the trigger. And he would have to be quick. They would rush him, giving him maybe five seconds to kill them all. If he was too slow…he didn’t want to think about that.
“I’ll take out the dead,” he said to Corrina. “You get the door.”
In seconds the door loomed and the dead turned toward Cole and the sound of his harsh breathing. He didn’t wait for them to rush at him, but headed right for the nearest and jammed his gun in its face.
“Cole! Don’t shoot, you dumb fuck! It’s me.”
“Hamilton! What are you doing here? Why aren’t you on the other side?”
Hamilton’s face was red and there was a vein in his forehead that was pulsing madly. “Because you gave me the wrong fucking code. There is no thirty-one or any of the others. The numbers stop at thirty! We’re fucking trapped!”
Corrina pushed Cole aside and darted to the door. “There is no code. That’s what Hagy said. Turn the thing all the way to the right to lock it and all the way to the left to unlock it.” She was already spinning it. “I knew you’d figure it out, Cole. I also knew you’d tell this dufus. There. It’s open. Let’s go.”
It was open not a second too soon. The horde was upon them. Cole shot out the brains of the first when it was inches from his extended hand. The second was even closer and the third he shot just as it was about to take a bite out of his left shoulder. One bullet left. The hardest thing to do as a bounty hunter was to use the last bullet in his gun. Hunters tried to save the last one for themselves—just in case.
“Cole!”
He turned and tried to run with two of the creatures on him. One clinging to his neck and the other with a hold of his left arm. Ahead of him the door was being shut in his face. “Son of…!” he cried and fired the Riker over his shoulder, hitting the beast on his neck.
Although it was a grazing shot it shocked the creature enough for it to let go. Cole was out of ammo and was trying get through the doorway, dragging a Dead-eye along with him. He was stopped a foot from freedom when a second and third landed on him. Their combined weight was bearing him down and he went to one knee.
“Aiiii!!” Corrina screamed, jumping through the doorway with a huge rock raised up high. She brought it down on the top of the head of one of the creatures. It sunk an inch deep and the thing fell away. The rock had broken in half and she shoved the smaller piece into the gaping mouth of another of the dead.
Then Cole was through and the door was being swung shut by Hamilton who was putting his back into closing the door once and for all.
But Corrina was still in the way and the door threatened to knock her back outside among the dead. Cole limped forward and snatched her by the back of her shirt and pulled her out of the way just as the immense door thudded closed.
Hamilton fell to his knees, gasping. “We made it! This time we made it.” In the dim light, his smile was that of a child’s and it looked as though there were tears in his eyes.
“As long as Governor Aikens keeps his word,” Cole said from the floor of the tunnel. The heat and the stench of the Infinity Pit combined with his exhaustion and wounds staggered him. He had to will himself to his feet.
“Why wouldn’t he? You heard him. He wants this public. He’s gonna want heroes to showcase. That’ll be us!” Hamilton’s smile dimmed as he took in Cole. He struggled out of one of his sweaters. “Put this on. You look disgusting.” As Cole pulled the torn-up sweater over his head, Hamilton turned his attention to Corrina. “What are we going to do with her?”
Hagy had led them through a strange little portal that only opened from the tunnel side—probably so that the Dead-eyes couldn’t find their way into the city. But they had, which meant there was a tunnel that led out somewhere. The Infinity Pit was too immense for them to think they could simply poke about and find it on their own.
“She’ll hide down here until I can come around from the other side of the tunnel and let her out.”
Hamilton raised an eyebrow. “And when she starts eating people? What are you gonna do then? Look, Cole I’m not going to pretend I understand your little fetish. I just want you to know that she is a danger to the entire city. You remember what happened in Ottawa, right?”
“That won’t happen,” Cole answered. “I won’t let it.” He would kill her if she turned completely, or so he told himself. And yet, his last job had centered around a girl whose father had lacked the guts to kill her when she had turned. Love made people do stupid things.
“You better,” Hamilton said before pushing Hagy and McGuigan on towards the path that led up into the heart of the mountain of garbage.
Cole snapped his fingers in front of Campana’s hooded face and the thing began to follow. Corrina lagged behind. She waited until Hamilton was far enough ahead to whisper, “I’m not going to kill anyone. That’s gross. You know, biting someone, I mean.”
“It is,” he agreed, giving her a long look. She still hadn’t changed and he had to wonder if she ever would.
A few minutes later, they made it to the ambulance with its secret door. Cole went in through the back and tried the door that led out to the winding tunnel, and found it perfectly unmovable. “Wait here,” he told Corrina. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Hamilton gave her a little wave and she flipped him off in response.
“I don’t think she likes me,” he said, laughing. “Oh God, we’re almost done. We just have to
get up a little higher and wait for the inspectors to find us.” Things were rarely that easy and yet it was exactly what happened. They had made it to the level just below the platform when they heard voices and saw beams of light.
“Over here!” Hamilton called. “We found some zombies.”
The inspectors had been briefed on what they hoped to find in the Pit. Radio calls were made and cover stories were repeated, and then revamped for simplicity and plausibility. While they waited for the governor, Cole and Hamilton were given water to wash with, clean jumpers to change into and, best of all, booster shots of the semi-vax.
Hamilton sighed when he got his.
Hagy, McGuigan and Campana were chained properly and hoisted to the next level, where their hoods were removed. It was all part of the show. A pair of photographers came down and took a few pictures of the Dead-eyes, then of Hamilton and Cole. They then turned their attention up to the governor who was coming down the path. He wore a suit of purest white. Compared to the dismal factory and the disgusting mound of trash, he seemed to glow. With him were his security staff, which resembled a rifle company in both numbers and firepower. They were also escorting three Krupp lawyers and Monica Turner who was dressed in a black business suit.
She wore a self-satisfied smirk. So far, the inspection had turned up nothing, exactly as she had intended. Then she saw the three Dead-eyes and her smirk fell away. She stopped in her tracks and began shaking her head. “No. No. No. No. This is not real. These are obviously plants. Governor, I will not stand for this! My lawyers…”
“Your lawyers will do nothing,” the governor said, speaking over her. His cold as ice smile was as white as his suit.
Chapter 37
“Your lawyers don’t make the law,” Governor Aikens said. “I do. The only thing lawyers are good for are to help you wriggle off the hook. You wriggled off last time with a little video magic. It sure is hard to argue against video evidence. I wonder, do you happen to have any more footage that might prove your innocence? We both know that harboring illegal, uh, creatures carries the stiffest penalty.”
Monica’s lips were drawn into the tightest smile Cole had ever seen. She turned to the closest lawyer and glared over the smile. The lawyer could only shrug. Ever since they had received the leaked rumor of the inspection, every surveillance camera had been watched with two sets of eyes. As well, a half dozen teams had been sent down into the bowels of the Pit to kill off the last of the Dead-eyes. And there had also been Malachi’s outreach across the river. It seemed impossible that there were zombies in the Pit.
The lawyer cleared his throat, then cleared it again. “Miss Turner does not need video evidence to prove her innocence. How these, uh, creatures got here is not her concern. She doesn’t personally oversee the Infinity Pit. There are managers who do this for her. They will be dealt with and turned over to the proper authorities.”
“Indeed,” Monica said, recovering from her initial shock. “Trust me when I say that heads will roll. And truly, Governor, I should be thanking you and your men for rooting out this…this filth. They have no business being down here. Maybe it would be proper for me to reimburse the city for the cost of the inspection and another, I don’t know, thirty percent on top? What do you say? Should I make the whole thing a campaign donation?”
“I would say that would be pure justice,” the governor replied, grinning. “A check is a good thing. No, it’s a proper thing, and it’s a hell of a good start.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Start?”
Aikens faked a pained expression. “Yes, I’m afraid that my advisors are insisting that for the safety of the city, we’re going to have to shut down Krupp.”
This rocked Monica, who had hoped the usual bribe would have cleared things up. “For how long?”
“Indefinitely,” was the cryptic reply. “Probably not more than a year or two.” She went instantly numb. He was taking her out at the knees, she realized. There was no way she’d be able to hold onto her position if the factory closed. He laughed gently at her stricken look. “I’ll send some of my boys around tomorrow for that check.”
By boys he meant his rifle company. “Of course,” she whispered. She wanted to scream but that would be the wrong response. An assassin slitting his throat would be the right one. She spun on her heel and walked away, plotting revenge.
The governor watched her go, wearing a smile. He turned and, if anything, his smile brightened. “Look at you two,” he said, clapping his hands. “You made it. What about the others? Shamus?” Cole pointed at McGuigan the zombie, causing the governor to shrug. “Too bad, but too good for you, Younger. What better reward than taking his position? And you, taxman. The Seventh Precinct is in need of a captain. It’s a choice position. What do you say?”
“Yes sir,” Hamilton said. Once more, it almost looked like he was going to cry.
“Excellent! Now let’s go make all of this official with the press. Nothing’s ever official without them, right?”
Although they had just come back from a fantastic adventure, the governor didn’t want to hear about it. In fact, the only thing he wanted to hear was the sound of his own voice. He carried on and on as they trudged upward. Hamilton was weaving from exhaustion and loss of blood. Cole limped along behind them, barely able to keep up.
By the time they had reached the mid-level of the Pit, his leg was screaming for a break. The elevators were not far off. Squinting ahead he saw a group of men heading their way. There were eleven of them pushing a cart along the path. They were soldiers and the thing on the cart looked a lot like a giant bomb of some kind.
The governor risked the whiteness of his suit by pressing against the wall as it passed. “I wouldn’t get too close,” he said, with a quick uncomfortable: ha-ha!
“Why? What is…” Cole started to ask. He stopped when the radiation meter buzzed in his pocket. His insides froze. “Is that a nuke?”
“Well, yes, in a way it is,” the governor said, “It’s not a big one. It’s more like a giant bug-bomb with an attached nuke to give it some oomph.” He pointed up at the mountain of trash. “The bomb part will settle all this and then the radioactive gas will get in all the nooks and crannies. That way nothing will live down here for years to come.”
Hamilton grinned like an idiot. “Smart thinking, sir.”
Cole didn’t think it was smart at all. In fact, after his trip into the Rad Lands, it seemed like lighting off a nuke in the city was insane.
The governor saw the doubt in his eyes. “I know what you’re thinking. You think we might crack the earth open or set the city alight. I worried about that sort of thing, too. At first. My science guys have convinced me that it will be perfectly fine and perfectly safe. So safe that we’ll be detonating it from across the street. It’s important that the other city states know that we’re taking this seriously. And nothing says serious like a nuke. Am I right?”
“Yeah,” Cole said when the governor turned cold eyes toward him. He couldn’t believe they were really going to do this.
“Yeah?” the governor mocked. “Setting off a nuke needs more than just a simpleton’s ‘yeah.’ If you’re going to try and fill Shamus’ shoes, you’re going to need to come up with better answers than ‘yeah.’ It’ll be okay. Yes, it will be. The nuke isn’t just for the Carolinas’ sake. It’ll put the vamps on notice that you do not fuck with me. I’m going to have a camera on Turner when we let her rip. I can’t wait to see her expression.” He laughed and looked like he wanted to slap Hamilton on the back, but then curled his fingers in.
Grinning he stomped on, heading for the elevators. Cole glanced back the way they had come. The cart had already stopped and the men were strapping ropes around it, working with precision and speed. They were going to lower it down to the midlevel and from there…one switch would bury Corrina forever. If the governor’s science guys were correct, she’d be buried alive only to be cooked down to ash by the radiation.
Cole
had to get to her but with the soldiers following and the governor right there, he didn’t know how. He tried pretending his leg hurt too bad to walk, however the governor simply told two of the men to carry him. After that, he couldn’t simply just walk away. There’d be too many questions asked and the answers would be obvious. There were only two reasons to go back into the Pit and risk being blown to bits: money or love.
He tried hanging back at the elevator, but the governor was insistent that his two “heroes” be seen coming out of the elevator with him, so it would seem that he had something to do with the discovery of Dead-eyes in the city.
When they stepped off the elevators, a dozen cameras went off, blinding Cole.
“Thank you! Thank you!” the governor boomed. “Hi there, Willy. Glad to see you could make it. I’m glad to see that you all made it.” All was an odd word. The building was virtually empty save for twenty or so people standing in the main lobby. “This is a sad day for our beloved city. The saddest day in quite some time. It’s sad when a corporation puts profits over the safety of our citizens. The…” Behind him the second elevator dinged. “Everyone step back!”
The reporters held their breath as the door slowly opened, then, as if on cue the three zombies hissed and charged from the elevator only to be brought up short by a chain that stretched from within.
The crowd gasped in horror, amazement and, if it can be believed, enjoyment. Within seconds they were grinning in embarrassment and whispering about how badly they’d been frightened.
“This is why I brought you here tonight,” the governor boomed, pointing at the creatures. The reporters had been given their own secret briefings and had known what to expect, though nobody could truly prepare themselves for the living dead. “Sadly, those in charge at Krupp have failed their city and have endangered us all. I have taken matters into my own hands by sending an intrepid team down into the very depths of the Infinity Pit to discover the truth. And look at what they’ve found.”
Dead Eye Hunt (Book 2): Into The Rad Lands Page 36
