Sean knew they couldn’t beat all the zombies with what little they had. He needed to think of something else, a plan to kill all the enemies. He searched the control panel, trying to figure out what each switch and button did.
“Yes! Yes!” Dr. Roger Ring happily yelped as more zombies filled the control room.
Ryan leaped over the fallen zombie, meeting the next wave of the enemy out in the long hallway. He used his sheer strength to knock a zombie down, shoving the end of the umbrella into the male zombie’s groin. The fight was taking what was left of his energy fast, and he knew they couldn’t finish the fight with the energy they had left.
“Take that!” he said, exhausted as he sliced down the next zombie.
Ryan pushed the zombie down when a bright yellow light glinted in the corner of his eye. He threw the zombie to the ground and followed the light. The emergency light was flashing inside a small room off the main hallway. He ducked inside to find full protection—yellow and black hazmat suits.
“It’s a nuclear…” Ryan told himself as he felt the rubbery fabric of the closest hazmat suit, “…power plant.” He looked around the room, blinking furiously to make sure he wasn’t imagining the saving grace in front of him.
Sean kicked the oncoming zombie forcefully, and it hunched over in pain. He kicked again, pushing the zombie to the ground. Sean turned his attention back to the control panel and found a switch with an energy warning above it.
“That switch will make this room full of radiation!” Dr. Ring slyly said in Sean’s ear. He was certain his zombies could kill the three men easily. “Press it, and we all die.”
Sean bit his lip. The switch would fill the control room with radiation, and a plan was forming. He scanned the walls for a fire alarm. He’d learned from previous missions in Syria that control rooms, like the one they were in, were rigged so that if the fire alarm was activated, it would be sealed off to prevent the spread of fire.
Nathan finished pulling the elastic out of the zombie’s pant band. He fumbled with the knife as he launched it from the elastic slingshot, hitting another zombie square in the face.
“Woo!” he yelled triumphantly.
Sean spotted the fire alarm above Nathan’s head. He couldn’t find Ryan anywhere, but that was the least of his worries. He picked and kicked his way through the attacking zombies to where Nathan was.
“Nathan!” he said as loud as he dared. “I have a plan!”
Nathan flicked another knife at an oncoming zombie. The elastic twanged as the knife soared through the air, finding its victim easily.
“Where the fuck did you get elastic from?” he asked, both impressed and surprised at the makeshift slingshot.
Nathan shrugged. “They say the Battle of Agincourt was fought pant less because of rampant dysentery. They couldn’t afford the time to go take a sloppy shit, so both sides just didn’t wear trousers,” he replied, not answering Sean’s question.
Sean scrunched his face up. It was an odd reply. “Great, thanks for that,” he said. “I have an idea.” Nathan nodded, and Sean began to outline the plan. “Pull the fire alarm…”
“Why?” Nathan asked, unsure what purpose it would serve.
“It’ll seal the control room,” he said, thinking of a better modification to his plan. “Nathan, can you hit a switch on the control room panel with that thing?”
Nathan looked at his slingshot. “I think so, why?” he asked, nervous.
“Mate, there’s a switch that’ll flood this place with radiation.” He paused, standing exactly what they were here to stop. “If you hit it, I’ll pull the fire alarm. Then we leg it out of here.”
Nathan followed along, nodding. “But that’s what we’re here to stop!” he said firmly. Flooding the room with powerful radiation was not what he wanted to do.
Sean was getting angry as another wave of zombies entered the room. Ryan was nowhere in sight. “Do you have any other ideas?” he asked.
Nathan shook his head. He didn’t like the plan, but there wasn’t a better option than cooking the zombies in the sealed control room with powerful radiation.
“When I say ‘go’… You fire,” he said as Nathan shuffled closer to the control room bay doors.
Sean inhaled deeply. He had no idea if his plan was going to work. “GO!” he yelled as loud as he could, using all his force to smash the fire alarm into action.
A loud, blaring noise erupted from the alarm, piercing Sean’s skull with a vibration. The door began whirring as it slowly slid downwards. He vaulted over the closest zombie, eager to reach the door before it closed. He managed to slide through the opening with time to spare.
Nathan released the elastic, backing up quickly as he did. He didn’t have time to waste because the door was closing fast. The knife soared through the air, flying closer to the switch.
Four feet.
Three feet.
Nathan was close to the door, and it continued to whir on, about to close him inside.
Two feet.
One foot.
The knife pushed the switch into action, and Nathan let out a satisfying breath, throwing himself to the floor. The door was almost shut, so he rolled across the floor, slipping just under the door as it finally sealed shut. The muffled fire alarm had caught the zombies off guard, trapping them inside the control room.
Sean offered Nathan his hand. The tired soldier pulled his friend up as the snarling screams of the zombies could be heard through the heavy protective door.
“Well, mate,” Nathan said, standing beside Sean. “We’re alive.” He let his voice fade away as they stared at the door.
“About bloody time!” Ryan emerged from the locker room, unaware of their daring plan. “I have an idea!” he happily exclaimed.
Nathan chuckled shaking his tired head. “Let me guess,” he said. “We pull a fire alarm, distracting and attracting the zombies to the control room before closing the door at the same time? Then I fire a projectile using an elastic band to push the switch to release radiation which will cook the zombies so they all die?”
Ryan paused, thinking. “That plan is better than mine!” he said enthusiastically.
“Check that off the list,” Nathan muttered under his breath.
Sean smiled. They were alive, and his insane plan had worked. “What is the plan, Ryan?” he asked.
“Hazmat suits,” he said proudly before ushering them into the locker room.
Sean smiled to himself. They could still shut down the power plant. “This is perfect!” he told Ryan and Nathan excitedly. “We put these on, go back in there, and turn this damn thing off!”
Ryan tried to put the ends together. “How do we get back in?” He saw the sealed bay doors. Nothing was going to open them.
Sean thought for a moment. There was no easy way back through the sealed door. “I don’t know.”
“I do,” Nathan said, pulling a small grenade from his vest. “It’s uh… handmade,” he said nervously. “I’m the explosive expert, and I just wanted to try. I’ve had it for years now so it may not work.”
Sean looked at the lump of explosives in his hand. “Well, it’s better than nothing!”
Sean, Ryan, and Nathan pulled on the hazmat suits as fast as they could. The material was warm, and the completely sealed suit made them sweat even more. They made their way with large, clumsy strides towards the door.
Nathan crouched down, lighting the rough fuse with his clumsy gloved hands. The fuse fizzled for a moment as the three of them watched as the explosive fuse faded out. Sean sighed.
The small, handmade explosive did not react. Nathan sighed to himself. He’d hoped it would work, and he felt like a failure as he looked at the small explosive. In an instant, the small grenade popped and erupted into a large noise.
“Yes!” Nathan triumphantly pumped his fist in the air as metal began to crumble to a molten hot pile on the protective floor.
Sean led the way back into the control room. A mountain of zombi
e corpses took up every inch of the floor, making it an even slower journey to the panel. Nothing remained alive in the control room, not even Dr. Roger Ring.
Sean looked at the control panel, frustrated all over again. “How do you turn this stupid ass thing off!” he cursed, trying to find the right controls.
Ryan chuckled. It was so obvious, and they had completely missed it. “The big red button,” he said, pointing to the center.
An obvious large red button sat surrounded by an assortment of switches and levers. Sean couldn’t help but laugh at the stereotypical design of the power plant control panel.
He inhaled deeply. This was it, and this was his moment to save the world. Slowly, carefully, he pushed the red button. The plant around him revved and spluttered as it closed down the main reactor, quickly followed by the two back up reactors.
Chapter Sixteen
Harrison howled into the empty concrete parking facility. The zombies stopped when they heard the noise. Harrison howled again, hoping to draw the zombies to where he was, far away from the minibus.
Barry gripped the handrail tightly. “Lena…” he breathed. He could hear the zombies surrounding the minibus, and he feared they would break the glass and invade. “Can you drive?”
“The engine won’t start!” she repeated angrily. She felt powerless at the wheel. “It will not move!” she angrily spat.
Barry felt like he was stuck in his own game. “Fuck. Of course it is,” he said, staring out of the dark window.
Harrison howled a third time, but the zombies refused to move. The werewolf growled, baring his teeth before he quickly dashed across the tarmac and jumped onto one of the zombies, ripping his throat out.
“What are they doing?” Levi asked Claire. This had never happened in his video games or in Dwindling Fire.
Claire fumbled with her words. “I don’t know, honey,” she said nervously. She pulled Levi and Kate closer, kissing them each on the tops of their heads.
More zombies appeared, slouching and dragging themselves towards the stranded minibus. Harrison saw the hordes of zombies coming closer, but he couldn’t take them on his own. He effortlessly picked up two zombies and hurled them into the oncoming crowd of grey figures. The zombies fell into the crowd, knocking some down.
But Harrison was losing the fight.
In desperation, he howled faintly into the dark night, and the zombies surrounded him ready to begin eating their hairy, fulfilling meal.
“No!” Lena yelled as she watched helplessly.
Barry stood in front of the minibus doors, knowing they were safer on the bus. “For now, we’re safer here,” he told Lena firmly, refusing to budge.
Harrison slowly closed his eyes, not wanting to see his attackers feast on him. He batted his arms, trying to push them away, but a faint howl came from the far distance, urging him to continue on. Harrison fought hard through the zombies, trying to find where the distant howl came from, but he was met with silence.
He howled, hoping to draw the distant wolf to where he was. With hope giving him newfound strength, he began defeating the zombies with ease. He wasn’t going to lose to the gnarled, grey inhumane figures, but he knew the energy wouldn’t last forever. The zombies kept coming, and he kept thrashing, kicking, biting, and doing anything to finish off the oncoming enemies.
The tall zombie stumbled clumsily on his feet, and the zombies crawled all over him. Their weight pulled him down, but Harrison fought hard to remain standing, knowing that if he fell, there was no hope.
Another smaller, nimbler zombie jumped onto his leg, scampering up and onto his back. The zombie stuck on like a fly on flypaper. Harrison tried to shake the little zombie off, but nothing was working.
A large, hairy paw snatched the zombie from Harrison’s tired back. Harrison turned to face another werewolf with bright green eyes and a menacing smile. A small army of werewolves stood behind the newcomer, each of them snarling and ready for action.
Sergeant Terry Turner hurled the zombie towards the roof of the parkade, and it crashed straight through the concrete, yelling as it landed. He nodded at Harrison. The newcomer dove right into the swarm of zombies, picking them off one by one and ripping their throats out.
“Now that wasn’t what I was expecting,” Emily said, looking out the window. She was impressed by the arrival of new werewolves.
Lena leaned forward, looking out of the windscreen better. “Barry! It’s him!” she yelled happily.
“Who?” Barry called back, crouching beside Lena and watching the werewolves easily rip through the attacking zombies.
“It’s my dad,” she said, smiling to herself. All her doubt and fear of her werewolf father vanished as she watched him push his foot through a zombie’s chest.
“He’s the real Bruce Willis of this situation.” Barry cheered, watching the sergeant tear through more zombies.
Lena looked at Barry. She could see his sadness behind his enthusiasm. “What’s wrong?”
Barry was caught off guard. He thought he was hiding his emotions well. “Nothing, I’m fine,” he said. He was used to saying the same three words repeatedly to avoid talking about his past.
Lena raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “You don’t have to tell me, but my dad would always say that he who saves a life, saves the world entire.”
“Schindler’s List,” Barry automatically said, recognizing the phrase from the movie.
Lena nodded. “Yeah, and, in case you were wondering, I think you’re the Bruce Willis here.” She smiled as she spoke.
Barry smiled faintly. He was far from the kickass hero she was talking about. “Thanks. I’m bald enough, too, right?” he said jokingly.
“Is that what it is?” Lena acted surprised. “I thought your bald patch was a solar panel!” she said, laughing at him.
“Ha,” he replied, rolling his eyes at her teasingly.
Lena continued watching the heated battle going on in front of them. “Is this giving you ideas for a new game?” she asked, remembering the video game that Barry had originally been playing on the airplane.
He nodded. “Sunshine was a good bad guy.” He remembered the fat zombie on the flight. “I wonder how this all started,” he added, recollecting everything that had happened in the past day.
Lena looked behind her at the minibus full of passengers. “I wonder how much of humanity is left.” She’d mumbled the words. The zombie virus was spreading quickly, and it was hard to imagine what the rest of the world looked like.
“I wonder where Roy is and if he smells like oranges still.” Barry scoffed at the thought of Roy and his hand cream habits.
Emily pushed her way to the front of the bus. “Lena, this is urgent, but—” she pointed through the front windscreen “—we should go help them!”
Lena and Barry focused on the action between the werewolves and the zombies. The zombies were overpowering the small huddle of werewolves because they kept coming from every direction. There were just too many of them.
“The engine won’t start!” Lena protested again. She was used to driving big vehicles, but she had never had to hot-wire them to work.
Emily pushed Barry out of the way and crouched on the floor. “I can hot wire it!” she excitedly exclaimed, grabbing the two hanging wires.
Barry regained his balance and scrutinized Emily. “I don’t want to know how an air hostess knows how to hotwire a minibus,” he said, impressed at her skills.
Emily worked quickly, forcing the two wires together, and a spark sprung out of the connection. The engine rumbled into life.
“WOW… that was fast!” he said even more impressed.
Emily smiled and curtsied a little, moving away from the minibus’s systems. Lena turned the minibus toward the fight and floored the accelerator. Barry toppled to the floor with the momentum.
“Yippee…” he huffed as he tried to regain his standing position. “Ki-Yay…” He couldn’t stabilize himself. “MOTHERFUCKER!” he yelled from his cur
led-up position on the floor.
Lena laughed at Barry as she pushed the vehicle toward the zombies. “POWERSLIDE!” she screamed as she pulled the steering wheel wildly to the side.
The minibus squealed and skidded into a perfect slide as smoke billowed from the wheel arches. The minibus ran into the zombies with a powerful force, squashing them like bugs on a windscreen. The werewolves howled with enthusiasm as the minibus finished sliding.
Lena panted as the adrenaline powered through her veins while gripping the steering wheel. She had never actually succeeded in power sliding a vehicle before. She was impressed that her first time was in a minibus.
“Nice driving!” Barry congratulated her, not bothering to get up from the safety of the floor.
Lena looked down at her friend. “Nice position over there!” She laughed at him. She thought he looked like a human pretzel coiled up in a painful position.
Sergeant Turner looked through the windscreen of the minibus and smiled at the sight of Lena. He was proud of her for protecting the passengers and for keeping everything under control.
Lena looked up at the green-eyed werewolf. It opened its huge mouth, showing off his large teeth, not in a menacing way, but in an accomplished sort of way. Lena recognized her father’s eyes. Even as a werewolf, he had the same unique shade of green in his large pupils.
The snarling of zombies made Sergeant Turner return his focus to the darkened inside of the concrete parkade as another wave meandered closer to the humans.
“Of course, there’s a fight in a concrete parking block!” Barry stated from the floor.
Jonny Wray heard Barry’s humor. “Watch out, or a zombie will slide out from under a car shooting a gun!”
Barry peered above the piece of metal in front of the front row of seats. “Then we would all be certainly screwed,” he told Jonny.
The werewolves descended on the line of zombies. The grey figures put up a last fight, but the werewolves were stronger. The remaining zombies fell to the powerful paws of the heroic hairy werewolves.
Pandemic Z | Book 2 | Pandemic Z 2 Page 15
