Decay | Book 1 | Civilization

by Spitznogle, D. L.

  “Yeah, just a rough night I suppose.” He looked at the clock to see it was almost four in the morning. “Did I wake you?” Jonathan stood up and reached for the blanket as he realized he was still in his boxers. The other guys would be waking up soon. They would be leaving in a few hours.

  “No, it was a rough night for me, too. I wanted to thank you for letting us stay here. Then I began to feel bad when I realized you had nobody to say goodbye to. You’ve done so much for us. I hope you know that.”

  “Do not worry about it. Thanks though, for coming,” he said awkwardly. She smiled at him, causing his nerves to shatter. “I have a lot to do before we leave,” he said nervously. “I should probably get ready.”

  “Oh, ok.” She sounded somewhat hurt. “Well thank you for everything. Good luck.”

  Before he could say anything else, she had closed the door on her way out. His arm outstretched in a failed attempt to stop her. No words came out of his mouth, yet he wanted so bad to say something else before she left. There was no response from his legs as he tried to run to the door. He just let her walk out and missed his chance to hold her close to him. It was too late now. He began to prepare.

  Deacon and Guillermo were both waiting in the kitchen as Jonathan left his room. The sun had yet to rise, but its light was filling the sky. Sophia held onto Deacon tightly, he kissed her forehead and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Jonathan and Guillermo stepped outside to give them a few minutes alone. Roger was waiting by the gate.

  “How is it looking out there?” Jonathan asked as he approached. The soft rustling of leaves was carried on the gentle breeze.

  “A few fiends are moving about, but it’s pretty clear. Looks like luck may be on our side this morning.” Roger never took his eyes off the streets.

  The two heard the car start in the garage. Deacon backed it out, turned around and drove toward them. Roger and Guillermo both climbed in the back of the car while Jonathan took the passenger seat. The four sat in the car in complete silence before Jonathan picked up the remote for the gate.

  “Thank you, guys . . . for coming along. I could not do this without your help. You are, however, free to change your minds now and I will not think any less of you,” Jonathan said while staring out the side window of the car.

  “I have your back until the end,” Guillermo confirmed. “As I know that Bradley will be watching over us.”

  “Same here,” Deacon placed a hand on Jonathan’s shoulders.

  The silence from Roger seemed to carry on before he too agreed that he was in this to see it through. He didn’t seem too convincing, though.

  Jonathan held the remote for the gate in his hand, rolling it in his fingers. The thoughts of whether this was the right thing to do nagged at him. It was not too late to turn back. My father did not turn back. He pressed the button firmly with his thumb.

  “Probably should have oiled that, mate,” Deacon commented as the large gate clunked and rattled.

  Jonathan panicked at the thought of blowing the plan due to a rusty gate. It had been over a year since it was opened. He neglected to even think about the gate as he planned this out. The BMW rolled through into the gentle light of the early morning. There were only a few fiends in sight. They may have been a block away, but they were making their way toward the group.

  “Hurry up and shut the gate,” Guillermo urged.

  “I pushed the button,” Jonathan said. He held the remote up so everyone could see as he pressed the button even harder.

  “Ugh,” Guillermo sighed. “I know a few brands of gates need to open completely before they can shut. It’s supposed to be a safety feature, I think. What a stupid feature that turned out to be.”

  The fiend stepped out away from the wall and pounded on the car window that Guillermo was looking out of. The short man was bloated. His gray skin was wrinkled in some spots and stretched in others. Each time he slammed his thick arms into the window his skin jiggled, a slimy liquid oozed out of gashes in his body. One eye was rolled back in his head.

  Two more fiends approached. They seemed to come from out of nowhere as the group watched the fiends down the street. The closest of these fiends stood a little taller than the first. His short black hair was patchy, as most of it looked to have been ripped from his head. Half his black tongue flopped around in his mouth where it had been bitten halfway through.

  A tall black woman was the third fiend that reached the car. She punched wildly to break through. Her long black hair was matted to her face, covering most of it. She turned to walk around the car, and Roger could see a large strip of her back had been ripped away, the skin hung down like an open flap.

  None of them wanted to leave with the front gate wide open, and the sound of the gate stopping prompted Jonathan to press the button once more in hopes that it would close quickly. The fiends turned toward the house and began to move away from the car.

  Guillermo was the first one out, driving Kadavre through the head of one of the men with all the force he could summon. His blade was stuck as the fiend toppled awkwardly to the ground. The two remaining fiends turned to him.

  “You stay in the car and be ready to move,” Roger said to Deacon as he climbed out. He let the heavy desk leg slide through his hand, tightening his grip as the leather covered handle reached his palm.

  Dead Breaker’s once whittled hook on the end had been carved away completely. In its place, a small stainless-steel pipe had been driven through and sharpened at an angle. Resembling a large needle used for body piercing, the desk leg was now much more menacing.

  With the gate halfway shut, and fiends moving through it, Roger held up Dead Breaker and swung at the woman. This weapon quickly found its target. The pipe pierced her fragile neck, severing the spine in the process. The woman dropped to the ground and began to convulse violently.

  Roger stepped over her body and swung at the remaining fiend. Guillermo swung his own deadly weapon at the same time. Each weapon connected with the dead man’s head. Guillermo’s blade cut deep into the skull in the back of her head, while Roger’s sharpened pipe was driven through the eye. As the man collapsed to the ground, his brain oozed from both openings.

  “The gate is shut, we can go!” Jonathan ordered through his open window.

  As they drove away, they looked back at the house. No one knew if they would be coming back or not. They knew before leaving that there was a chance they would be the one not coming home, and they accepted that. For the greater good of the world they would willingly die.

  The Biological and Chemical Research Corporation building came into view over the rolling hills east of town. The parking lot appeared to be the final resting place of many of the employee’s automobiles. Most of the windows were broken out in what were surely attempts by survivors to take anything useful.

  “When I first started at the news station, I sent a news team out here to do a report on the cancer research they were doing here. I seem to remember this building only having four floors. Where is the fifth floor you told us about?” Roger asked.

  “I’m also only counting four floors,” Deacon said.

  “The building is designed in a way to hide the fifth floor from outsiders. Some low-level employees don’t even know about it. I would not even know about it if it was not for my father’s reports. He was strict when it came to company secrets, so he never even told me. The windows on each floor are offset to make the floors look taller than they really are,” Jonathan explained.

  They rolled slowly through the parking lot toward the building. Blood stained the concrete in the front of the building, and the main entrance was open. The sun was just coming up over the hills. They were enveloped in the shadow cast by the building as they turned to pull up along the front.

  “Cops are already here,” Deacon laughed, pointing to the police cruiser parked in the front of the building.

  “Poor bastards,” Jonathan said. “My father called them after making his way out of the building.” T
he passenger side door was still open on the police cruiser. Dried blood was splattered up the door and all over the seat, but the body that once held that blood was now gone.

  “Lobby looks clear. Let me out of here and I’ll run in and look. Be ready to take off with or without me if something goes wrong,” Guillermo said.

  “I’m not leaving without you, mate,” Deacon replied. “No arguing.”

  The BMW came to a stop in front of the entrance, and Guillermo stepped out. Leaving the car door open, he cautiously made his way through the entrance and looked around. He disappeared inside the dark building as he walked off to the left. When he came back to the entrance, he signaled that it was all clear and stepped back inside.

  Deacon turned the engine off and they all climbed out. The air was warm despite being in the shade cast by the large building. Jonathan double checked himself to make sure he had everything he needed. Deacon and Roger did the same. Before walking into the building, Jonathan stopped to look at the sky for what he knew may be the last time.

  Inside, they found Guillermo, who had taken out a fiend that had been wandering around. “The only one I could find on this floor. Went down easy. It seems like most of this place is dark. Good call on the flashlights, Deacon.” He held his up in a kind of salute.

  “Ok. We are going to head for the top floor. That is where we can expect to find the information I need, if there is anything to find, of course. Luckily it looks as if the windows are clear.

  “Certain chemicals and processes can be damaged by the sunlight. To keep complete control over the environment in the labs, the windows are made to turn black when an electric charge is sent through them. With no electricity present the windows should all be transparent,” Jonathan explained as the group walked together through the dark lobby.

  The lobby looked like a battlefield. Body parts littered the floor along with dried chunks of flesh, muscle, and entrails. Luckily, the only smell that remained was a moldy, dusty smell like that of an old basement that hasn’t been cleaned in a decade.

  “You guys want to take the elevator?” Deacon asked. He smiled as he pushed the call button. “I’ll meet you guys at the top.”

  “Yeah, good luck with that,” Guillermo responded. He smiled at Deacon’s joke.

  “I think we should split up. Deacon and I will check out some of the other floors. There may be something useful,” Roger said.

  “Sounds good to me. What do you guys think?” Deacon chimed in as they approached the door that led to the stairwell to the second floor.

  “Ok but keep your eyes open and watch each other’s backs. On our way back down, we will check the floors for you.” Jonathan was nervous about this plan, but there may be plenty of usable items here. “I guess I am not really sure what to ask you guys to look for. If it looks useful grab it, I guess.”

  The men remained quiet as they walked through the open door to the stairs. There was blood on the steps and handrails. A smell of decay lingered, but it wasn’t overwhelming. As they moved up, however, the smell became slightly stronger.

  Deacon and Roger walked out into the second floor. Jonathan watched for a few seconds as they moved down the dark hallway. Feeling more anxious than ever, he turned to Guillermo to see he was just as nervous. Jonathan and Guillermo watched as the two others turned into the first room in the hallway before continuing to the fifth floor.

  The second floor was the cleanest in the building. By the time the workers heard about the attack they had time to move down to the lobby. Unfortunately, with the exits locked, they could only await their slaughter. Some light was starting to flow into the laboratories through the windows, but the hallway was still dark. Despite the lighting situation, Deacon moved through the labs swiftly. He was not entirely sure what to look for, but he was sure something would stand out if it would be useful.

  Roger stayed behind Deacon. Deacon felt that perhaps he stayed a little too far behind, and this made him nervous. He was aware of Guillermo’s concerns of Roger, yet he tried not to judge him based on what he believed was “unfounded”. He thought Roger was a little odd, however, and this kept him on his toes when it came to the man.

  Up on the fourth floor, Jonathan stepped through the open door from the stairwell and was astonished to see the amount of blood as he moved the light around. It was dried to everything in sight. The air was stagnant and thick, making it hard to breath. It was like breathing in swamp water. Across from the stairwell they had come out of there was a security station. Behind that was an open security door that led to the emergency stairway to the fifth floor.

  “Make this fast. I dislike everything about this.” Jonathan moved out into the hall.

  “Yeah, I hear you there. We should search this guard station for anything useful.”

  Jonathan opened each drawer at the desk while Guillermo watched his back. He tried to open a metal cabinet in the corner quietly, but the bottom corner stuck. The loud clunk echoed down the hall as the door came free. Jonathan grabbed hold of it to stop it from vibrating.

  As the sound faded away, the two men could hear a new sound that didn’t come from either of them, and it caused them both to hold their breath and listen as close as they could. The shuffle of feet was undeniable. Soft moans followed, but nothing could be seen. When the noises died down, Jonathan checked the cabinet, once again he found nothing.

  They decided to check the fourth floor first, hoping to remove the source of the earlier sounds. Moving through the bloody hallway, they entered the first lab. Guillermo stood guard at the entrance of the lab where he watched the hall. Jonathan quickly picked up some research notebooks and stuffed them into his pack. He knew it wasn’t what he was looking for, but there may be something to learn, and he hated to pass up an opportunity to learn.

  After double checking the lab, the two moved back into the hall and down to the next room. Two fiends turned as they heard the duo enter. The lab was dimly lit, but the fiends didn’t seem at all hindered by the lack of light.

  Neither of the fiends were employees here judging by their clothes and backpacks. A group of scavengers must have made the mistake of entering this forsaken building. One looked younger than the other, and the blood all down the front of his shirt was fresh. The other man was also covered in fresh blood.

  They both moved toward Jonathan and Guillermo. Guillermo grabbed hold of Jonathan and stepped protectively in front of him. He advanced toward the fiends with a flashlight in one hand and his lawnmower blade in the other. Moving slowly, the fiends would prove easy enough for Guillermo to take on his own.

  Guillermo swung his blade hard into the younger fiend’s neck, the boy’s head rolling on the floor before his body fell. The next fiend continued forward with his arms outstretched to grab hold of Guillermo. With his powerful arms, Guillermo swung upwards, splitting the fiend’s face in half from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.

  The undead man moved forward without any notice, so Guillermo swung one last time. This time Kadavre entered the side of the fiend’s head, stopping halfway through. Pressure from the impact caused the right eye to bulge out. All the way to the floor, the fiend continued his attempt to reach the two men. At the moment the dead man hit the floor his body went limp.

  “Looks like it’s all clear.” Guillermo turned to Jonathan, who’s amazement at how Guillermo handles the lawnmower blade was evident on his face.

  “Thanks. You are like a lawn mowing ninja. These poor guys were definitely here to find whatever they could to survive; this backpack is full of stuff. Look at this! These Doritos expired nine months ago. Bottled water, are you thirsty?” He handed one of the bottles to Guillermo although they each brought water with them. “The other one is empty, however. I am ready to get out of here,” Jonathan said as he stood up with his new pack of supplies. “What is it?” he asked, noticing the look on Guillermo’s face.

  “Step slowly to me and don’t turn around. Quietly.”

  A knot formed in
Jonathan’s throat, and his muscles tightened. He managed to move forward, more with a slide than a step. Once he was beside Guillermo, he turned to see the naked boy standing in the hallway just outside the door. The boy’s gray eyes were beaming into Jonathan’s. His skin was pale where it wasn’t stained brown with the dried blood of what were surely his victims.

  “Oh god,” Jonathan said. “I know who that is. Uh— Sam. Sam is his name.”

  “Did you know him? I hate to see the little ones like this. It’s never easy, but I’ll take care of him,” Guillermo said stepping forward, blade in hand.

  “I did not know him. He was the first one to come back, according to my father’s notes. My father and another scientist brought him back to life, but they did not expect what happened next.”

  “Oh. Well I need to do this. I would recommend you look away if you want to.”

  Guillermo stepped slowly toward the young boy. His hair was very thin, just a few strands remained on his head. Skin hung down off his sunken face just above his left eye where it looked as if he had been hit with something hard. His dirty, stained skull could be seen, and it was cracked slightly. Guillermo figured from the looks of it, the boy had been beaten by one of his last victims.

  Before Guillermo stepped through the door, the boy took off down the hall. Neither had seen one of the fiends run so fast. The boy’s bare feet echoed as they slapped against the floor.

  Guillermo just stood there, shining his light up and down the hall. “Where did he go?” He looked back at Jonathan with a bewildered look on his face.

  Jonathan tried to speak, but no words were found. Instead, he just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. From what he understood of these people, they were dead. His research on the girl in the yellow tank top told him that they didn’t have the muscle required to move quickly.

  “I guess we get back to work,” Guillermo said as he turned back into the room. “I wonder why he ran and didn’t attack us.”