“There’s a freight elevator over in the back of the room—let’s see where it goes!” Timothy shouted as they all fell back to the rear of the room.
They got onto the freight elevator and seen that the control panel required a key in order to operate.
“Grab that body—there’s a key around its neck that looks like it’s needed for this thing.” Timothy shouted as he opened fire sending several rounds into the gorilla creatures’ upper torso knocking it back into the obstructions.
Hugo and Desiree grabbed the body that had the key around its neck and carried it over to the lock on the panel and Timothy used it to power up the elevator and then they tossed the corpse off to the side as the elevator started its descent downward—the gorilla creature could not follow and the sounds of whatever else was up there faded out as the five remaining members of Covenant One continued down the long and drab elevator shaft; somewhere up above in the upper levels of the hospital Mohammed Aziz ran through the hallways scared out of his mind—he had lost most of his gear and weapons and his only thought was escaping from the place that resembled hell itself. He had gotten almost to the exit of the hospital when he ran right into a mass of zombies that had come in from the street—they tore into his flesh with hungry teeth and jaws and quickly killed him ripping intestines and other large chunks of flesh and internal organs from his mangled corpse. Back below Timothy and the other three had arrived at the bottom of the shaft and were now making their way through the storage rooms that seemed to go on one after another—these rooms were piled high with crates that sported red biohazard symbols on the sides and there was no doubt in their minds that these containers held mutagenic toxins that had been meant to be shipped out throughout the world.
“This is it…there’s a hallway with an electronic door that requires a password.” Timothy reported as Beau, Amy, Hugo and Desiree followed after him.
“Any idea on what the password is?” Beau asked as he glanced at Timothy with a skeptical look.
“Our intel suggests that the password is a combination of the two original developer’s last names—meaning Nicolas Bowman and Jeff Connor; so, I’m guessing that we should put in BOWMAN-CONNOR and the door should open.” Timothy answered as he went over the notes and documents that they had been looking over earlier.
“I’m gonna wait out here…I have a bad feeling about this.” Beau stated as he gripped his assault rifle nervously.
“Suit yourself…let’s move on people.” Timothy answered as he gave Beau a displeased look before imputing the password into the control panel and leading the others inside of the massive room once the door had slid open.
Beau glanced inside and seen that there was a huge red biohazard symbol on the white floor and in the center was a strange looking black octagonal structure that no doubt held some sort of creature inside—there were scattered documents on the floor that Hugo bent down to look at but that was when something shot out of the black octagonal structure and snared Timothy as he was fiddling with another set of controls on the far end of the room; he was yanked into the middle of the octagonal structure screaming and seconds later blood shot up out of the opening and splattered on the floor and far wall.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here—now!” Beau shouted as Hugo, Amy and Desiree turned and ran back out of the room rejoining him as sounds coming from inside of the room could be heard.
Hugo hit the controls and the door shut tightly and they turned to Beau who they seemed to look on as their leader now even though it was technically Amy’s command now.
“How are we going to get out of here?” Amy shouted in a panic-stricken tone.
“There’s a drainpipe in that wall—it must lead to the surface!” Beau shouted as he ran to the end of the hallway and led the way up into the pipe.
The others followed and within the next thirty minutes they managed to make it to the surface where a large field stretched out before them—the main part of the city was off in the distance and they caught their breath before glancing around the area.
“We lost the whole fucking team down there…what was that thing that killed Atkins?” Hugo asked as they got into a circle.
“I don’t know…but it would have killed all of us if we hadn’t climbed up and out of that drainpipe.” Amy answered with a distant expression.
“I don’t know what was down there or where that black jackal Bowman went to, but I intend to find him and make him pay for the death of my family—my daughter was only eight years old…she didn’t deserve this.” Beau answered with a look of deep rage.
“That’s understandable but where will you go?” Amy answered as her gaze fell on him.
“I don’t know…but I’ll keep fighting and one day that asshole will pay for this.” Beau answered as he slung his assault rifle over his shoulder.
“Good luck in your search—maybe our paths will cross again one day.” Hugo answered as he offered his right hand for Beau to shake—which he did.
Beau nodded and turned to look at the other two one last time before heading off in his own direction, he was determined to find the black jackal who had destroyed everything that he loved—he would have his revenge…
[Ashes Falling]
He woke late for work knowing all too well that he already had two strikes against his attendance at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia where he worked—scoffing to himself he glanced into the mirror across from the bed that he shared with his girlfriend Laura, who was stirring awake.
“What time is it?” She asked as she glanced his way.
“Going on 10am…” He answered casually as he started putting his clothes on.
“Nicolas—you’re going to get fired at this rate!” Laura scolded as she rose to a sitting position as the sheets fell off of her revealing her naked breasts.
“I’d like to see those pricks try to fire me…none of them have the stomach for what I am working on…none of them can even begin to be as intelligent as I am.” He answered with an arrogant laugh.
“Are you sure that you’re doing the right thing with these viruses…?” Laura asked abruptly.
She knew better than to question his motives or reasons for doing the things that he done but sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder.
“Listen to me…the day of reckoning is coming—not right away but soon; you can be there with me as long as you don’t question me again.” He answered with a menacing look.
Not wanting to argue she got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower as Nicolas headed off to work. Hours later a commotion erupted in the research area of the CDC building when what looked like several of the higher-ups stormed into the area where he was working.
“Nicolas Bowman—what in the hell do you have to say for yourself?!” One of the men who he recognized as being the Director of the facility demanded.
He turned to stare at them but not once did he speak up—several security officers stood behind them and they had their hands on their weapons.
“You have a lot to explain—for starters we have found evidence that proves you have been using this facility to develop mutagenic toxins; these actions are strictly forbidden at this facility and any other…I’m going to have to ask you to pack up your things and vacate from these premises.” One of the other men stated folding his arms.
“You’re fired—get the fuck outta my building!” The director screamed as he got up in Nicolas Bowman’s face.
Still not speaking a word, Bowman grabbed a handful of files from his work station as well as several floppy disks and he left the building and the days following his termination from the CDC criminal charges were brought up against him but when the authorities raided his apartment they found nothing—not a trace of Bowman, his girlfriend Laura Cobb or anything related to the research he had been developing; the investigation was thrown into a stalemate and it stayed that way for over a month and i
t wasn’t until police and federal officials arrested Laura Cobb outside of a motel in Harrisville, New York that things started to look like they would wrap up and a dangerous criminal would finally be caught.
Cobb was placed inside of a police car and taken to an undisclosed location not far away—some of the arresting officers on the scene at the time claimed that she kept looking off into the woods toward the back of the motel as she was being taken away; Nicolas Bowman was nowhere to be found however and she refused to talk or cooperate with authorities. Hours later Laura found herself confined to a metal chair inside of a blank room that was dimly lit by a light fixture that was hanging from the ceiling above the center of the room—the walls were made of cinderblocks that had been painted a dull gray color and as her eyes adjusted to the lighting she seen that she was surrounded by dozens of men who looked like they were top government officials.
“We know that you’re involved in Bowman’s work, Miss Cobb—you can either cooperate with us and help us bring him in or you can be on the other side of the line—it’s your choice.” The male interrogator in the center of the others stated as he stepped toward her.
She remained silent and that was when something happened that she wasn’t expecting—he struck her across the face with his large grubby fist busting her lower lip and causing blood to pour from her nose; this continued for hours, back and forth—by midnight her entire face was bloodied and bruised and both of her eyes were swollen shut due to the trauma of being beaten. She had also suffered moderate to serious cuts and lacerations from her captor’s efforts to interrogate her—that was when the male figure who had begun the interrogation stated something that she couldn’t understand and then to her shock and dismay several of the other figures in the room started spraying gasoline onto her and then she watched in horror as the man who had been beating her struck a match and flicked it at her. Her body ignited and she screamed in terrible agony—so much that the other figures nearby seemed weary of how much noise she was making and it was then that the man who had been interrogating her pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her head pulling the trigger; after that she heard no more. Many months later in December of 1999 the agents and others who had been involved with the interrogation and murder of Laura Cobb were put to trial and found guilty by a jury—several of them committed suicide while in prison and the hunt for Nicolas Bowman had seemingly been postponed at that time.
…Months Later…
“The formula is finished and the tests have been successful—soon the world above will know what true agony and pain is all about…Laura will be avenged and I will have armies of loyal followers…judgment day is almost upon us.” Bowman stated as he stood over a sample of what he had recently perfected—a viral strain that he called “T.H.C.A.I.A Toxin”.
“Mr. Bowman—I have a question regarding the Antitoxin Sample 3…” A dark-headed bearded man stated from off to Bowman’s right.
“What is it, Connor?” Bowman asked turning to glance at him.
“I just noticed that the name of the sample in our computer data files had been changed to the ‘Redeemer Strain’…and I was wondering if that was some sort of a mistake…?” The man named Connor asked as he came to stand beside of Bowman.
“No—it’s not a mistake, the title of ‘Antitoxin Sample 3’ is merely a guise should someone eventually find their way down here; I’ve programmed the Entity to guard the sample although I have a suspicion that when someone does find their way down here it’ll be a group that is worthy of the challenge to the Entity was well as what the sample really does.” Bowman answered gleefully.
“So, everything is in order?” Connor asked raising his right eyebrow inquisitively.
“Yes—tell the others to step up the production of the T.H.C.A.I.A Toxin…I want it to be administered to the bodies of the dead in the morgues of the target hospitals; I’m leaving for Moscow within the hour to see if I can’t get things started there as well as other parts of the world—you are in charge here while I am gone.” Bowman stated as he left the laboratory area and headed through a set of double doors.
Over the next several days Bowman made his trip to Moscow to try and get things started there but was met with rejection as the Russian president denied his offer and threw him out of the country—he continued on throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and finally the Pacific countries unaffected by this rejection and he succeeded in peddling his viral samples on the black market. It was already middle September of 2000 when he was on his way back to Oklahoma City when we received a phone call from Connor.
“Everything has progressed as you wished—according to the recent news broadcasts as of late, your creations are starting to appear all over the countryside in and around small towns and woodland areas…the authorities are baffled and don’t have a clue as to what is going on.” Connor stated on the other end of the line.
“All is going according to plan—but be warned, I have recently received word that the foolish American president has sent in his special forces team known as Covenant One to apprehend me and retrieve the Antitoxin Sample; if they arrive before I get back you are to let them get down there to the sample…I want field data on how well our Biological Super-Weapon functions against them.” Bowman stated with a sinister expression.
“What of the sample…do you want them to take it?” Connor asked over his end after several seconds had passed.
“The sample being found and claimed at this point is inevitable—the title of the sample will lull whoever claims it into believing that it is a cure to the T.H.C.A.I.A Toxin—the plague that the reanimates carry and they will live with that sense of false hope when in the end the Redeemer Strain will force them into a collective mindset—they will serve me…everything is going according to plan.” Bowman stated laughing into the phone receiver.
“Yes…” Connor answered on his end.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“We’re about to exact revenge on them for everything that they have done—you’d better not be wimping out on me now.” Bowman stated with a dark look as he shifted in his seat.
“No sir…” Connor answered on his end.
Moments later the conversation ended and within the next few days Bowman arrived back at the hidden underground facility beneath the Oklahoma City Memorial Hospital where he had been doing his work over the past several months since the death of Laura—he entered the laboratory area and met up with Connor who seemed distracted as Bowman followed up with him on everything that had been going on; not really worried about Connor’s lapse in judgment, Bowman retired to his quarters to rest up from the long trip abroad. The next morning Bowman woke and dressed heading out to the lab, the other workers were still working as usual but he didn’t see Connor—not trusting that he had simply overslept, he walked down the hall to Connor’s door and rapped on the door several times, there was no answer and the door was locked; Bowman took out his electronic master key and swiped it through the card reader causing the door to open, after stepping inside Bowman came upon the scene of what could have only been a suicide. Jeff Connor was dead—a revolver was clutched in his cold, dead right hand with his finger still wrapped around the trigger; the entire upper portion of his cranium looked to have severe damage as a large bullet hole could be seen in his head. Further examination revealed that Connor had placed the gun into his mouth seconds before pulling the trigger—Bowman stood there looking at the carnage with a gleeful expression before speaking out loud to himself.
“Fool…I figured you would crack sooner or later; you didn’t have the testicular fortitude for this kind of work from the beginning—all that cheap talk about being on my side and wanting to help me rid the world of those fools…nothing but talk.”
“Still…I can’t pass up the opportunity that this presents…hmm…I think that I will make use of his body, perhaps I can put it to some use against the interlopers t
hat I know are soon to come.” Bowman stated with a loud laugh.
Bowman soon after fetched a stretcher from nearby and loaded Connor’s corpse onto it wheeling it out of the room and down to the lab—over the next several hours he conducted a series of experiments which upon completion had turned what had been Connor into a Bio-Weapon that bore a striking resemblance to an ape; its guts and intestines had been pulled out and stapled down as they would drag the floor behind it as the creature moved around, manacles were also placed on its wrists and ankles as well as a metal blinder that covered its eyes. Bowman locked the creature away for the time when it would be needed next to a large cage that contained another of his bio-weapons that was labeled ‘T-M10 Cerberus’ and then continued on with other work the rest of that day—a few days later on September 28th Bowman finished the sample that he had been working on and stashed it away inside of his bags.
“This new strain will be my last resort should I be attacked and bitten by my own creations—it’s strong enough to destroy the infection and properties of the T.H.C.A.I.A Toxin and it has the potential to create a new order—time will tell…no one will know where I am going, I must prepare for the second stage of what is to come.” Bowman stated to himself as he grabbed his bags and headed for the door.
[HGB] Humanity Gone Bad: The Dead Chronicles Page 101
