Zombie Apocalypse Chapter Five
all i can say is i hope everyone enjoys this chapter (hopefully there are no mistakes)
Chapter five: The Root Of All Evil
Time unknown, day unknown.
Ryan awoke with a splitting headache. The last thing he remembered was getting on the military transport helicopter, feeling a prick in his arm, and then nothing. He had no idea where he was, but he figured that he was probably out of the city. The room he was in looked almost like a hospital recovery room, white walls, beds and chairs, the whole entourage. Looking around, Ryan spotted those who had still been alive when they were captured; Joseph and Henry were lying on separate bunks, both were still out cold. Ryan didn't see blood-tail anywhere in the room, and he knew he would likely never see him alive again. He had seen red take at least five or more bullets to the chest, and the chances that he was still alive were slim to nothing. Ryan approached josephs bunk, hoping that he was okay after being shot in the leg. Although he didn't know Joseph swift very well, it was in Ryan's' nature to help those in need. "At least those bastards patched him up a bit" Ryan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the bandages on swift's leg. He went to go check Henry for injuries, and finding none decided to search the room for an exit. As he searched the room, his thoughts turned to what the military (assuming those who had captured them were even military and not just a bunch of mercenaries) could gain by holding them hostage. Maybe they just wanted control of Ryan's pharmaceutical company "no, who ever these guys are, they're well paid and wouldn't go after something like that" Ryan's thought continued to drift farther and farther. He finally found an air vent hidden behind a sofa, but it was much too small for him to crawl though. He would just have to wait and hope that swift or Henry would be able to squeeze into the vent and escape.
***
Third day of the apocalypse, 2:23 a.m. Eastern time.
Sylvr had been dodging the main groups of zombies all day and part of the night. He didn't know why he was heading towards the base in the first place as it would probably get him killed. But, he wanted answers and he hated the unknown. Most of the zombies he had encountered hadn't given him any trouble, just an inconvenience, but the flying ones had been a bitch to hit with a bolt action. Other than that, things had gone fine; he wasn't even disturbed when he stopped to take a short nap. The bright side of everything was that he was almost to the base, but once there he knew it wouldn't be easy getting in. his ammo supplies where dangerously low, so a full frontal assault was out of the question. Sylvr decided to set up camp a few hundred yards outside the base and hope that something would come up that would allow him to sneak inside undetected.
***
Swift awoke with a groan, almost glad that he had been drugged. It wasn't the first time he had been shot, as he worked with the police, but it had been awhile since his last encounter with a bullet. He quickly surveyed his surroundings and spotted the green tiger sitting in a corner, apparently asleep. He hadn't caught the tigers' name, but then again, he hadn't really had the time to learn any of the names of the group of survivors he had found. One of the others that he had been with was also in the room, although the young wolf next to him seemed to be in shock and would probably remain that way for a few hours. Swift decided to get any information he could and went to wake the tiger. His conversation with Ryan was short, but swift learned everything he needed to know, along with the names of the other survivors. He was just about to ask Ryan about his pharmaceutical company when the door to their "prison" opened and two guards with smg's walked in. the guards were in full body armor, wearing so much crap that swift couldn't even tell what species they were. "we've got orders to put you all in another more secure room, please follow us if you don't want to be shot" the taller of the two guards said this with a chuckle, "he'd probably enjoy putting another bullet in me" swift thought as he signaled Ryan to get Henry. The guards led the trio down several stairways and judging by the time they had walked and the distance they had covered, swift guessed that they had covered at least half a mile. He guessed that they were at least two-hundred plus feet underground as the path they had been walking was sloped at about a twenty degree angle. Neither of the guards said anything as they led their prisoners down into the depths of the base. Henry was finally starting to come out of shock, but his current location didn't help. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking, the group reached a set of reinforced doors. Swift felt his blood boil as the doors opened, letting in just enough light to illuminate a figure seated in the room.
***
Ryan recognized the wolf that had shot swift and was most likely the cause of Bernard's death. He kept his cool as the guards ushered the trio into the small room even though the only thing he wanted to do was rip the bastards' arms out of their sockets. He had reasons to cooperate besides the obvious, namely getting answers. "Welcome gentlemen, so nice of you to join me" Higgins's words might have been friendly, but his tone was far from welcoming. Ryan locked eyes with the man who had been the cause of his friends' death, looking for a sign of weakness, remorse, or anything he could use to his advantage. He found nothing to his advantage as Higgins met his piercing gaze. The staring contest was called short by a question from Henry, who had remained silent sense their capture. "Why" the single word was used sincerely, one word that encompassed so many questions about what had happened in the city. Higgins held his gaze with Ryan for a second longer before turning his back to the group. "Power, that's why, and what better way to acquire power then to create an army of super soldiers". Ryan, swift, and Henry all looked at Higgins with confused expressions; not understanding what had just been said. "What does that have to do with what's happened in this city?" again, this question was asked by Henry. "What has happened to this city was a direct result of a new drug we've developed, one designed to create the ultimate fighting machine. A new breed of soldier that would be able to take more damage, fight longer and harder, and be capable of healing instantly". This last part was said with pride, and it sent chills down Ryan's spine as he realized what was being attempted. He was about to respond, when one of the guards radios buzzed to life. The guard answered the call, sounding annoyed, but his demeanor changed as he listened. Ryan heard gunshots over the microphone, along with screaming and orders being shouted. Higgins headed for the door, motioning the guards to stay with the prisoners. Once he was gone, Ryan took the first opportunity to take down the nearest guard while he was distracted, swift following his lead, tackled the other guard before he could raise his weapon.
***
3:40 a.m.
Sylvr had finally been granted a break in this shit storm, coming in the form of a large group of at least twenty hunters. From his vantage point, he had thrown rocks and anything else he could find in the hunters' path. It had been easier than expected, as all he'd had to do was throw debris a few meters ahead of the hunters, ultimately, the noise lured them right towards the base. The plan had been farfetched, but it had worked. As expected, once the hunters spotted the base, they had gone into a killing frenzy, creating chaos though out the complex. To help the pandemonium, Sylvr had fired several rounds at a cluster of fuel tanks, the resulting explosion shook the entire base, but more importantly it cleared out a bunker full of soldiers who were trying to make a stand. After taking a few more well placed shots at a couple of high ranking officers, he climbed down from his sniping perch and sprinted though the shadows towards the base. Luckily, none of the panicked soldiers spotted the running form in the shadows as they fought for their lives. He reached one of the smaller buildings in the complex, almost getting spotted by a uniformed wolf exiting the building. Recognition dawned as he realized who he was looking at. It was the same wolf who had captured the group of survivors he had come looking for. Sylvr stepped out of the shadows; the other fur looked startled, especially upon seeing the Ruger P345 pointed at his chest. "Who the hell are you?" "I could ask the same about you" Sylvr replied. "Fine, since you hold the cards, for now, I guess it's only polite to introduce myself. My name is Joe Higgins, commander of this fine outpost, not like it matters whether or not you know my name". Sylvr cocked his head at this last part, almost missing the subtle motion of the wolfs' paw as it reached into a back pocket. He took no chances and emptied his clip into the wolf. Even if Higgins was wearing Kevlar, it wouldn't matter against the .45 caliber rounds he had just put into it. "Don't worry Higgins, I'm sure no one will miss the OIC" Sylvr muttered to the corpse as he dragged the body behind the building. Stopping for a minute to conceal the body, he reloaded his handgun and headed back towards the front door. Checking to make sure no one saw anything, he dashed inside the building. It didn't take long to find an elevator; Sylvr almost blew a gasket when he saw all the buttons. "Holy shit, how deep does this thing go" there were over thirty floors labeled on the panel, and several others were locked. "This...could take awhile" Sylvr thought as her randomly punched one of the buttons.
***
The fight had been over before it started. Ryan had manhandled one of the guards into shooting himself in the chest, while swift had kneed the other in the groin several times before snapping the guards' neck. They had confiscated the two UMPS' that the guards had, and were now searching for an exit. Henry had finally recovered from his condition and had taken a sidearm from Higgins's desk. Ryan knew what the kid was going though, as he was no stranger to lose and the pain it brought. Still, discussing what had happened, along with the crying and hugging would have to wait.
***
Swift couldn't help but feel like they were going to hit a shitstorm. He could feel it in his gut, a cold sense of dread that filled every pore of his body. He just couldn't figure it out, nothing had happened yet, and no one had spotted them, so why was he on edge? He decided to put his worried thoughts out of his mind for now and concentrate on escaping this underground complex. Spotting what looked like a door a few meters ahead, he signaled Ryan and Henry to cover the sides. Once they were in position, he eased the door open a crack, SMG held at the ready. After a few tense seconds of expecting hundreds of rounds to rip though his body, swift opened the door the rest of the way. Ryan walked up, "whoever designed this place must have been a roadrunner fan" he muttered as he examined the blank wall behind the door. Swift couldn't figure it out, what kind of idiot would put a door on a blank wall? His musings were interrupted by a faint beeping sound, his heart jumping into his throat as he thought up countless possibilities of what kind of trap they had triggered. Ryan heard the beeping too, and grabbed Henry by the arm, pulling him away from the door. Henry flicked a few light switches as they jogged away from the door, darkening the room. Rushing back to a defensible position, they all aimed at the doorway, "better safe than sorry" swift thought as he continued to stare down the passage.
***
3:48 a.m.
Sylvr was almost starting to miss elevator music. He'd been descending rapidly for several minutes, and figured he must be at least two hundred plus feet below ground. Still, it felt nice to rest for a few minutes without having to worry about getting mauled by zombies. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open, immediately his calm demeanor disappeared as he surveyed the room beyond. It was dark, but there was still enough light to see down the empty hall. Something wasn't right; he felt eyes on him but couldn't see anyone. Sylvr spotted the glint of metal down the corridor, his thoughts racing as he calculated his chances of surviving a firefight. Instead of shooting, he decided to take a necessary risk, setting down his rifle, he stood ramrod still, waiting and hoping that his hunch was correct. It didn't take long for him to spot movement, and then a shape moved out from behind a group of boxes. He recognized one of the survivors; the green tiger he'd seen was even bigger than he first thought, standing at least a foot taller than him. The tiger walked up to him, offering his hand in what would most likely be an alliance, both participants knew that if neither of them had fired a shot, it meant they were on the same side. The tiger introduced himself as Ryan den, waving down the hall, another figure appeared, one of the other survivors Sylvr had spotted, a young wolf. Sylvr told them his name, and with the pleasantries over, talk of escape routes began. Sylvr noticed another figure step out of the shadows once a conversation had started, "good, at least they were competent enough not to send all their firepower out into the open at once" he thought to himself while he listened to Ryan's explanation of what had happened since their capture. An explosion rocked the underground complex, interrupting the conversation. Sylvr yelled to be heard above the noise "I think we should seriously consider getting the fuck out of here". The other member of the group that had been concealed came running up, nearly out of breath. "We need to get out of here" swift said in a rush. "Yea, we know, this whole place could come crashing down on our heads any second" Sylvr snapped. "that's not our only problem, I went' back down a few of these hallways and found an abandoned survaillance room while you two were chatting, several hunters broke though the militaries defenses and are currently heading in our direction" swift replied hastily. "Shit" Ryan muttered, "Sylvr, do you have any spare weapons?" "Just one" Sylvr replied as he pulled out the 9mm glock he had confiscated from Higgins. "Thanks" Ryan replied as he took the weapon. Swift walked up, looking at the gun "how come I don't get one" he asked. "Only got one, sorry" "what about that P345?" Sylvr looked at his Ruger, then back at swift, then to his Ruger again. "Fine, you can *borrow* it for now, but I want it back as soon as we get another weapon". Swift looked like a kid in a candy store as he was handed the gun. Heading back to the elevator, everyone piled in. it was a tight fit, as the elevator was probably only designed for two to three occupants. As the elevator doors closed, Ryan started fidgeting. "Something wrong?" Sylvr asked. "No, I've just had some bad experience with elevators" Ryan replied. Sylvr was about to press the button for the top floor when the elevator started descending. "I thought we were going up" Henry said. "Shit, someone must have called the elevator" swift muttered. Sylvr looked up and found just what he needed to see, an emergency hatch. The hatch was locked, but one .50 caliber shot later, the elevators occupants were climbing out to relative safety. The elevator finally stopped just as Henry climbed out of the hatch, Ryan quickly shut the hatch behind him. All they could do now was shut up and hope that no one noticed the blown out lock. Judging by the voices, there were two furs in the elevator, both males.
***
Ryan strained to hear above the noise of the elevator, he could just make out a few words. "How did subject 208 do on his tests?" "Very well, I think we may have found the perfect subject for PROJECT REAPER" "we'll begin the next stage of testing in about an hour" "do you think Higgins and his men can hold out?" "Doesn't matter, we're five hundred feet below ground, not even a nuclear warhead could punch though all the steal and lead lining in this place". Ryan couldn't tell who had said what, but as the elevator came to a grinding halt and the occupants stepped out, he knew he had to stop whatever was going on in this complex. He might still be able to acquire a sample of the virus, giving his pharmaceutical company a chance at concocting an anti-virus. Ryan whispered to Sylvr "take Henry and swift to safety, I've got something I need to do". Sylvr nodded, but swift didn't care for this plan of action. "No way you're going alone, I'm coming too" swift said. Ryan thought about this for a second before nodding. Stepping out into the empty hall, Ryan turned around and watched the doors on the elevator slide shut. Swift stepped up beside Ryan, "let's get some payback and give these bastards hell". He knew how swift felt, and he was just as anxious to make those who had killed his friends and so many others pay with their blood.
***
4:30 a.m.
Lights flickered on, a lone scientist stepping into a room the size of a football field. The room was lined with tanks, all occupied by a single comatose form. The scientists' radio buzzed with static as he checked the status of several of the tanks.
*bring in test subject #208 and begin stage two evaluations*
i know, it was short, a few hours of writing and thinking about a storyline only amounts to about a five to ten minute read lol (hopefully i'll be able to make these longer once i have more time). as always, i hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it didn't have many zombies in it. rate and comment...or i'll send the zombies to eat your brains ^.=.^