He turned to Linda, confusion more than rage evident now.
“Is that true? Has he been tested?”
She and I nodded together. He seemed to relax a little, but his hand remained on his pistol.
“Fine. But I'm going to keep an eye on you. You seem to be up to your neck in shit every time I run into you.”
“Cool, I've never had a bodyguard before. Anyway, that's true. I seem to have the shittiest luck in most things. Except one, obviously.” I reached out and took Linda's hand into my own. She smiled at me, and I marveled at how small she was compared to me. He huffed in indignation, then turned and left the little room again. Linda sighed.
“Why are you such an ass?”
“Ha, you love me.”
“Sometimes I wonder at that. In any case, is there anything you want to tell me?” She looked down at my chest.
I shook my head, mouthing the word 'later' to her. She nodded back, then opened the curtain.
“Well, Mr. DeWisr, you're free to go. Rest up for the next 24 hours, then you can return to work.”
Chapter 15
Darkness +33, 2033
Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA
Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris
-65°F
0900 Hours
Linda took the day off, staring down her supervisor when they tried to object. For such a small woman, she could be terrifying. We walked back to the suite together. My head brushed the door frame, and I had to duck. I was just shy of seven feet tall. I thought I was as tall as Larry now, definitely taller than Brandon. I hadn't seen either of them in weeks.
As soon as the door to the suite closed, Linda turned on me, arms folded across her chest.
“Talk.”
“Fuck, you're scary. And I just fought a monster that tore a woman in half⸺”
“WHAT,” she half shrieked.
“Woah, easy babe. Let's sit on the couch and I'll explain everything.”
I caught her up on Castillo's condition, thankful she already knew about my own. I explained that he had been fading, and bringing in Tracy because she was the new base Chaplain. How in the middle of the night the alarms had gone off, Castillo going crazy, and the resultant fight. I told her that Bazua had shot me. Her face drained of all color when I told her that. I continued. Talked about punching the monster so hard he cratered the cement wall. Watching her reactions was entertaining in its own right.
“So how do we make you look sick?”
“Do we need to? That foam stuff you talked about sounds pretty cool.”
“Yeah, I'm going to have to find and use up a unit to cover you. This is so complicated.” She absentmindedly rubbed her stomach.
“It'll be okay babe. Well, we have the rest of the day to ourselves. What do you want to do?” I waggled my eyebrows at her, and she immediately fell to laughter.
“I don't think that does what you want it to. That is not sexy.”
“Who said I was trying to be sexy? I got exactly what I wanted from that.”
She smiled warmly at me. We spent the rest of the day cuddled on the couch, watching dumb movies. Mid afternoon I needed a stretch.
“Hey Lin, I'm just going to go check on the lab, make sure everyone is okay. Maybe help with the cleanup. I'll be back in an hour or two.”
“M'kay. Seriously, stop getting into trouble. No more getting shot.”
“Ha, ha.” I laughed sarcastically at her. I ducked as I left the suite. The walk to One-Delta was quick and quiet. When I opened the door, I saw chaos and destruction.
Then I actually paid attention. Most of the chaos was the normal lab. Documents had gone everywhere, and equipment had spilled from the tables. Someone had shut off the alarms, leaving a surreal scene behind. I started tidying up the lab, puzzled as to why I was the only one cleaning up. The hallway was an absolute mess, covered in debris, bullet casings, and blood. I decided to leave it for last.
I found a broom and dustpan, and set about tidying the debris that was safe to come in contact with. I relived the fight in my head as I worked. I couldn't blame Bazua for shooting me, it had to have been scary to watch me punch a larger creature twenty feet, cratering him into solid concrete. By the time Denny and Karen returned to the lab, I had mostly cleaned up.
“Hey, welcome back guys.”
“Dante, what are you doing here? Weren't you badly injured in the fight?” Denny sounded beat. Karen just started working on the piles of paperwork I had put to one side.
“No, just a scratch really. It's a little sore, but nothing a night of rest can't take care of. How are you guys doing?”
“We got hit pretty hard by the gas. A lot of it came out of the hallway when Bazua opened the door. After that was just a lot of noise and screaming.”
“Well, unless we have some bleach or something, this is as far as I can clean. I'm not gonna mess with the blood.”
“No, custodial will take care of that,” said Karen from the side.
“Then I guess we're done for the day. How is Allan?”
“He's recovering. It was quite the scare for all of us, but he took it pretty hard. He should be back tomorrow.”
I nodded, then got an idea. I sat at the monitoring station, which had received very little damage during the whole event. I pulled up the video from the night before. I sped through the footage, watching as Castillo went from comatose to raging monster over and over again. The video went to snow at o-three-hundred exactly, and nothing after was recorded. It seemed whatever had caused Castillo to change had also destroyed the cameras and mics.
I leaned back in my chair, running my hands through my hair. My thoughts whirled, unable to gain ground. The events that had occurred in the lab were beyond explanation.
“It's like fuckin' magic,” I muttered to myself. Denny perked up.
“What is?”
“Oh, just the crazy shit that keeps happening. We can't identify the virus, because it changes seemingly just as we narrow it down every time. Then Geno goes crazy at the same moment Castillo does. Geno dies, and we can't really determine why. Castillo goes crazy again, but this time from a drug-induced coma. Somehow gets over that and causes unbelievable amounts of destruction.”
“Don't forget about your sudden growth.”
“Noticed that, huh?” I said. The kid was sharper than he appeared.
“Hard to miss the fact that you have to duck to go through the door now. You were only an inch or two taller than me when you started down here. You're like a foot taller now.”
Karen stood in the background, calmly observing. I had noticed she rarely talked unless she had something she felt was important.
“What about you, Karen? Any input here?”
“Nope. It's like you said, nothing makes sense. Might as well call it magic for now. What's that quote... 'sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic'? Seems as fitting here as anything else.”
We all fell silent, watching the footage play for the dozenth time. It went to snow, hissing static pumping from the speakers.
“Look, I don't think we're going to get anything else done today. Definitely not without Allan. Let's call it a day. I'd like to spend the rest of it with my family anyway.”
They agreed, and we filed out of the lab.
On my way back home I kept turning over one thought: why was Tracy so unbothered by everything? She didn't even seem surprised when Castillo killed her. I made a mental note to investigate her further, but decided the next day would do just as well as right then. She was dead, and she wasn't going anywhere.
When I got home, Linda and Eddie were on the couch, watching another mindless comedy. I joined them, thankful for a decent way to unwind. When Eddie fell asleep, I carried him to his room. He woke just long enough to mumble something.
“Thanks Dad.”
I came to a complete stop for a moment, not even breathing. He smiled, and tucked himself into his bed. I returned to Linda.
�
��Well, that was unexpected.”
“What now? You are just a fount of the unexpected.”
“I'm not sure what he meant by it, but Eddie just said 'thanks, dad'.”
She mulled it over. After a time, she took my hand and snuggled in tight.
“He does love you. It's been a difficult couple of years, for both of us. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.”
I stayed silent. I loved both of them, they were my family now. I was glad Linda was so supportive, especially with the insane changes going on with me.
Soon enough, Linda was asleep as well. I shut off the TV and carried her to bed. She also muttered something as I lay her down.
“Thanks, dad.”
“Oh, that's hilarious.”
She burst out laughing, then kissed my forehead.
“You'll always be my giant oaf. Don't forget that. You're just extra giant now. Made for the extra oaf you are.” She gave me a little wink, then went to sleep.
I lay in bed next to her, watching the lights. The hideous purples and blacks were gone, as was the vortex. The normal storm clouds hovered around. I felt relief, knowing that something had gone back to normal. Well, normal for our new life in a dead world.
Chapter 16
Darkness +34, 2033
Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA
Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris
-65°F
0900 Hours
I stood in front of the door to Tracy's room. It hadn't taken long to track down the number. Bazua had tagged along, and I felt myself actually glad. I had no idea what we would be facing in there, and his presence was reassuring. While the rest of the hallway had institutional gray pain on the doors, hers was a faint brown. It almost had a haze around it, like a cartoon representation of a stench cloud.
“So how do we get it open?” I asked our little group. Denny and Karen stood behind me, with Bazua at my side. I felt Bazua's stance change, and I looked over at him. He avoided my glance, looking at the door intently.
“Why do I have the feeling you have a solution?”
“I'm security team. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but yeah, I can get in there.”
I grunted. I had nothing to add, instead just watching as Bazua closed the last foot of distance. He pulled a badge out of one of his pockets, notably one without his face. He swiped it across the reader. A moment later, a phone started ringing nearby. He sighed, then stepped across the hall to an apparently blank wall. He waved his card over a certain spot, and a panel opened up. He lifted the handset concealed underneath.
“Bazua.”
The other end of the line was incredibly faint. I could barely hear it.
“Explain why you are attempting to enter a female domicile.”
“Investigation. Occupant deceased. With a team, seeking answers.”
“What investigation?” asked the voice on the other end of the line. It was tinny, modified by the transmission. I couldn't tell if it was male or female.
“Pertaining to yesterday's... event, with Castillo and the civilian.”
“Granted. Resources?”
“Cleanup crew. We need to empty and catalog the room.”
Bazua hung up the phone, and the panel closed again. It was so flush I couldn't tell where it was. He returned to the door to Tracy's room and swiped the card again. This time the light turned green and the locks clicked. He nudged the door open, and immediately recoiled. The air that rolled out was redolent with filth and decay. My stomach flipped, trying to empty. I caught the retch before it went any further.
Denny was not so lucky. He stumbled to the side and yakked all over the wall and floor. Karen and Bazua looked on in disappointment. I felt pity for him. The smell was among the worst I had ever dealt with. I had no idea how either of them were so stolid. The door swung shut, causing another small gust of wind to batter us with the stench. Bazua returned to the panel and picked up the handset. A moment passed, then he started speaking.
“We need hazmat. Bring extra suits, and work lights. This will need level three containment. We need to close off this section of hallway. Bring extra trash cans too.”
Then he hung up. He leaned against he wall, casually watching us. I joined him, just watching the door. The discoloration of the paint made sense.
“How do you suppose she managed that? It's only been like two weeks since we arrived.”
“With hard work and dedication, you can achieve anything.” He replied in a complete deadpan. The man was a mystery to me.
“How can I get access to that panel?”
“You don't. Security team need to know. You're not security team, you don't need to know.”
We waited in silence, passing the minutes in reflection. Soon, the sound of a set of synchronized feet came down the hall. I watched as four people rounded the corner in a light jog. All four wore full hazmat suits, white fabric covering them from head to foot. A plastic shield completed the hood, allowing them to see where they were going. They had tanks on their backs, presumably to provide fresh air.
They brought two carts filled with gear and tools with them. One cart had lights, extra suits, and various tools. The other cart was full of chemicals for cleaning. Two more people arrived from the other direction, with another cart. When they got close enough, I saw what their cart had. Bags of all sorts of sizes. They were trailed by two trash cans each. Bazua immediately began issuing orders.
“Those won't be enough. Bring at least four more cans. Hazmat team, set up lights and fans. We want to keep the air contained in that room as best we can. We will be doing an initial inspection, with photographic evidence. Anything of note will be bagged for evidence. Once the inspection is complete, I want the room gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Down to the sub flooring.”
“Copy,” said all six of them simultaneously. They immediately set to work, revealing all sorts of panels all over the hallway. The base had clearly been built with containment in mind. Barriers came out of nowhere, blocking the view into the room from the hallway in general. Fans were set up to blow air in, as well as work lights, giving us a good look into the entrance hallway of the room. I donned a hazmat suit, surprised it fit me at all. It almost seemed to stretch to fit me, appearing just as baggy on me as it did with everybody else.
Once I was dressed, I looked around.
“Hey Bazua, which one are you?”
My voice was muffled by the suit, but one of the suited figures turned toward me. I saw his face through the plastic viewport on his suit.
“What's up?”
“You ready?”
He nodded, which was mostly lost in the massive suit. When he realized, he gave a thumbs up instead. He grabbed a camera off of the evidence cart, and we walked into the room.
I stepped in first, and nearly retched as my feet sunk into the carpet. The squelch alone was horrifying. The residue that stained my suit left it a disgusting brown. I tried the light switches. I could hear how badly they stuck as I flipped them a handful of times. The lights did not come on, as I had feared. Bazua handed a work lamp to me, and I walked further in. The bathroom door hung at an odd angle. Straight back, I saw what had been the bed.
The walls almost looked alive, glistening with muck. Clumps of what appeared to be hair stuck out from globs of goo on the walls and ceiling. Rainbow streaks reflected the light in sickly ways, like an oil slick on every surface. The brown liquid that permeated everything ran down the walls and into the carpet. I held my breath, even though I had clean air being pumped in from the tanks. I almost felt like I could smell the room even through the closed suit.
I nudged the bathroom door, and the lower hinge gave way. The upper hinge had already disintegrated. The door fell in and sagged across the toilet. Shit was smeared on every surface, including the ceiling. It was done in strange, offensive whorls and characters. It hurt my eyes to look at them. I stepped back into the hallway, and signaled back to the waiting soldiers to come in and photograph the bathroo
m.
“Get everything, every surface. Move the door, see if there's anything on the toilet. Get the shower too. I want pictures of every single character and drawing. They could mean something.”
I got a thumbs up, and turned back to the room. A few steps carried me into the room itself. There was no window on the far wall, like I had subconsciously expected. The TV was completely destroyed, sagging in the middle like it had been dipped in acid. The bed was against the left wall, and a closet backed the bathroom wall. I opened the closet, and was surprised to find clean clothing hanging neatly. It was like the closet was unaffected by whatever had happened to the rest of the room. I didn't see any characters on the walls of the closet.
“We need to make sure to get everything photographed in here too. For some reason, the closet is clean.”
“What?” Said Bazua as he stepped next to me. I couldn't see through his hood, but I registered the minute movement of his hood. I guessed he was shaking his head in confusion. I certainly was. The ugly characters and drawings continued in the bedroom, covering the walls and ceiling. As I approached the bed, I realized the depression I saw in the middle wasn't a depression at all.
A hole was dug straight through the fabric of the bed, with shredded sheets, blankets, and towels lining the walls. When I stepped up to the bed, I could look down to the floor. Pillows and blankets lined the bottom, providing a forgiving surface. The bed itself was also free of the disgusting liquid, as well as the strange semi-solid clumps that were everywhere.
“It's a nest.” The revelation hit me like a truck.
“What?”
“She made a nest, like a snake. Look, I bet most of the clumps on the walls and ceiling are foam from the mattress.”
I continued to search, but her dresser was destroyed by the liquid. There was nothing of use in it. Nothing on the desk nearby either. Bazua and I concluded our search at the same time.
“The only thing of value here is probably the writing on the walls.”
Darkness Trilogy (Book 2): Death In Darkness Page 10
