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Devil Seed

By

Gemma The Ice-Wolf

10

Somewhere in Antelope Valley

Friday 10:30pm

It was getting late when he pulled his motorcycle up to a bar just outside of town. He hadn't eaten since around noon. He really hated the fact that he had to land in another airport but, he didn't let that discourage him. More than anything he loved the feel of the wind in his face, the sights off the highway. The road was his and his alone. He rode on a black 1979 Harley Davidson which he treasured like the woman he would someday meet and fall in love with. Or so he would say to those who knew him. He didn't care what they thought.

As he climbed off his bike he looked at himself in one of the rearview mirrors. He checked his teeth, unfastened the band that held his dark blonde hair in a pony tail, took a comb out of his pocket and ran it through his hair once, and put it back in his pocket using the band to refasten his ponytail. He adjusted his black leather vest, flexing a bicep once for show, then dusted off his fading blue jeans and black cowboy boots. He then took off his fingerless, black leather gloves and slid them into his back pocket.

The bar he was parked outside of was a small two story building. The neon lights above spelled out the name of the bar in bright letters, "Wheelers." There was some music coming from inside but, other than that it was fairly quiet.

"My kind of place." he said to himself.

He walked over to the front door and pushed it open. Stepping inside he let the door fall back into place. The interior of the bar was like an old roadhouse. The wood looked a bit aged and splintering in some places. There was a jukebox in the far corner with two speakers one set on either side of the bar. The tables looked a bit old but had the usual attire of a napkin holder, salt and pepper shakers, ketchup and mustard. The bartender, who was an old ocelot, didn't pay him any mind, but one of the waitresses was waiting for him to take a seat. He opted for a table in the far back. Pulling back a chair he sat down and propped his feet up on the table. The waitress came over with a tray in hand and a weak smile on her face.

"Can ah take yer order?" she asked.

He looked up at her. She was a calico cat about five foot four, slender build, wearing a black tank top shirt, blue jeans, and a worn out pair of gray sneakers. She had an unmistakable southern accent. Somewhere from Oklahoma or Alabama. He wasn't certain. She couldn't' have been older than twenty two. Just a few years older than him. He smiled up at her and nodded.

"What's the cook up for serving tonight?" he asked.

"Weyll, there's the burger or the club sandwich. Either one comes with fries."

"Think I'll have the burger, and a root beer if you've got it."

The waitress nodded and walked to the back of the bar and into the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later with a bottle of root beer and set it on the table then started toward the bar.

"So, how did a girl like you get stuck here?" he asked.

The waitress turned around somewhat puzzled to his question.

"Pardon?"

"You're no from around here, are you?"

The cat sighed.

"No, ah'm afraid ya got me there. Mah home's in Oklahoma. Ah haven't been back there fer four years."

"Why not?"

"You're askin' an awful lot of personal questions here."

At that he grinned.

"I'm curious. I just don't think a girl like you should be in a place like this."

Something about him, the way he was talking to her, she liked it. Very few had ever really spoken to her, let alone wanting to know about her. This guy was different somehow. He was about six foot even, rather masculine for a human, and then there was the warm smile he had. He had this air about him that made her feel comfortable around him. She could trust him. She pulled a chair out on the opposite side of the table and sat down. The human set his feet on the floor and leaned forward listening intently.

"Ah came here three years ago. Ah managed to get into one of the big universities."

"UCLA."

"That's raht. The first two years went pretty weyll but, after that ah lost all mah funding."

"What happened?"

"Ah honestly don't know. All of a sudden everything's been revoked or disapproved. Ah tried to get back home but, ah ended up here and havin' to sell mah car. Ah had to find a place to stay. Pretty soon ah found mahself livin' here and takin' a job. Ah've never been able to get away."

"What about your parents? Can't they help?"

The cat harrumphed.

"No, mah folks barely get by on their own. Ah'm not faring very weyll mahself. What with all the loans ah'm payin' off. It's been hard."

"I bet. Do you ever contact them?"

"Once a week. Ah never forget."

She stood up.

"Ah better go see if your order is ready."

"Just one thing. What was your college major?"

"Chemistry. Especially bio-chemistry. It was something ah had an interest in since ah was a kid."

She walked away and headed into the kitchen. Five minutes later she came out with a plate of food in one paw. The human was talking on a cell phone when she arrived. She set down the plate just as he hung up and put it in his vest pocket. As she was walking away he called to her.

"What if I told you that I could get you a job with a big corporation. Not just any big corporation either."

She raised an eyebrow to this.

"Don't tell me. You're some rich corporate CEO and you wanna to hire me."

"Nope. Close though. I work for a big corporation that only takes applications through invitation or recommendation. In other words you couldn't get in without the help of someone working there. It's a very private organization."

"But why me?"

"Let's just say I believe in the old saying "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," and you seem like one of the brightest girls I've ever met."

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh hush."

"Really."

He pointed to either side of his face.

"Does this look like a face that would lie to you?"

"What would ah be doin' if ah took this job?"

"Bio-Chemistry. You said so yourself that it's your interest."

Now she knew this was too good to be true.

"Ah can't do that. Ah never even finished college."

"That's where the company steps in. You'll get full funding for your education in exchange that you work for them. All you have to do is go to the interview and accept the offer. Plus, as a bonus, you'll get ten thousand frequent flyer miles."

"Ah could go home and see mah family."

"Exactly."

She sighed and shook her head.

"This is happenin' all so fast. Ah don't know what ah should do."

"Well, I'll be staying the night here. Why not sleep on it and give me your answer then. Just take into consideration that this is a once in a lifetime offer though, and once you turn it down it won't come around again."

"Ah'll think about it."

"By the way, what's your name?"

She smiled.

"It's Sharon."

As she walked back to the bar several thoughts went through her head. For one there was the possibility of getting away from this bar and seeing her family. On the other hand this could be some kind of trick and he might be working for some drug lord or something like that for all she knew. This was far too good an offer, but at the same time if she didn't take it, she would never get an opportunity like this again. She sat down at one of the tables in the back of the kitchen trying to sort all of this out. It was twenty minutes after eleven when she came back out to the bar. The human had just finished and sat back in his seat drinking the bottle of root beer she had brought him earlier. Just as she was starting over to the table the front doors burst open.

A group of bikers, consisting of humans and furs, stomped inside and started lining up at the bar. Several of them were already laughing and yelling as the group of about ten of them walked in. One of them, a human and obviously the ringleader, yelled to the bartender.

"Beers all around and keep 'em coming!"

The rest of the group cheered at this. The majority of them took places at the tables while two of them stood at the bar counter. Sharon picked up a tray and set down some mugs on it, then got two pitchers of beer from the bartender and started over to the tables. She approached the first table somewhat nervously and set down five mugs and one of the pitchers. She then turned to the other table and did the same with the pitcher and three more mugs. As she was walking away she felt something slap her rear. She turned to the biker behind her, a German shepherd clad in black leather, and glared at him. He chuckled to him self as he reached for the pitcher. With her attention drawn to the shepherd, another of the bikers, a cougar, grabbed her by the tail and pulled her toward him. She felt his arms wrap around her and she gave a short scream as she struggled to get away.

"So what do we have here?" said the cougar.

"A cute little kitty by the looks of it." taunted the shepherd.

Sharon's thoughts went to the human she had been talking to just a short time ago. She looked into the corner of the bar where he sat at his table looking in her direction. Their eyes met and she watched as he picked up the root beer bottle and rose out of his chair. Nodding to her she flattened her ears back and lowered her head. Just as suddenly as she did she heard glass breaking and the cougar lost his grip on her. She stood up immediately and turned around to see the cougar on the floor, cradling his face in his paw. The entire bar fell silent as the bikers focused their attention on their fallen comrade and then to the human who was slowly walking in their direction. He was putting on his fingerless gloves and stopped at the table with the three bikers. The cougar picked himself up and glared at the human.

"What's the big idea you shit." the cougar hissed.

"You were bothering the lady." said the human. "She isn't interested in you. You need to learn some manners pal."

"How 'bout we teach you some manners you kid." the shepherd snarled.

A smile spread over the human's face. He jerked his head to the left causing his neck to pop, then did the same jerking his head to the right. He then outstretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. Finally he raised his fists and took up a fighting stance.

"Bring it on bitch."

The two bikers charged at him, the cougar bounding over the table and the shepherd came around to the human's left bringing out a knife from his pocket. The human stepped back as the cougar came at him, taking a few swipes at him with his extended claws. Raising his arm in defense the human blocked one of the attacks and grasped the cougar by the arm. Rearing back his free hand he punched the cougar directly in the chest, sending him flying back into the table and chairs. He then turned his attention to the shepherd. The dog charged at him making several stabbing attempts and catching nothing but air. The human ducked under the next attack and swept his foot under the shepherd's legs. His feet shot out from underneath him and he hit the floor with a loud thud. The human stood up and gently pressed his boot on the shepherd's wrist.

"Drop it." the human said in a stern, calm, voice.

Reluctantly the shepherd released his grip on the knife and the human plucked it from the floor.

"You really shouldn't play with knives." taunted the human.

He raised his boot off of the shepherd's wrist and looked to the far wall of the bar where a dart board was hanging. After two mock throws he let the knife go. It sailed across the room and into the dart board, directly into the bull's-eye. He then turned to the third biker, a badger, who had gone over to the bar where two others, a rat and another human were standing back and watching their comrades getting clobbered. The younger human looked around to the bikers. All eyes were on him.

"So who's next?" he taunted. "If you assholes have had enough already I suggest you take a hike. Unless, of course, you want to end up like your two buddies over here."

The rest of the bikers, say for the human one, slowly started making their way toward the young man, two of them, a rottweiler and a bobcat drew knives from their pockets. The human gave a short laugh.

"Interesting, usually when I give people the option of leaving they run like hell. This is a first. You guys are either really brave or really stupid. I just hope you last longer than the other two."

Three of the bikers were already within arms reach when he finished talking. The closest one, a coyote, stepped forward swinging his fists. The human caught him by the arm and pulled him closer in a one handed arm lock. The rottweiler, seeing him distracted with the coyote, moved in and was rewarded with a kick to his muzzle. He sprawled back and fell against one of the tables. The human then swung the coyote back and kicked him in the chest. The coyote staggered backward and tripped over the still downed shepherd. The third biker, the badger, was next, swinging his fists. The human stepped forward while dodging a left uppercut and punched the badger three times in the ribs following up with a right cross to the jaw. The next one to come charging was the bobcat. As he approached the human he started passing the knife between his left and right paw attempting to confuse him. The human seemed rather annoyed by this and kicked the knife out of his right paw. The knife flew straight up and embedded itself into the ceiling. He then grabbed the bobcat and tossed him into a nearby wall. The last four started to converge on him just as he turned around. The first to approach was a grizzly bear standing at least a foot taller than that of the human. The bear extended his claws and took a swipe at him only to be met with an uppercut to the chin followed by a roundhouse to the side of the head. The bear teetered back into a table just as the rat and a human rushed in trying to double team him. He ducked the human biker's first attack and stepped to the side when the rat moved in. The rat took another swing at him and the human stepped forward, elbowing him in the back of the head followed by a kick to the lower back. He then turned his attention to the first human biker who had picked up one of the chairs. The young man jumped back as he swung it furiously through the air. As he wound up for another swing the human stepped forward and performed a double kick to the biker's stomach and knocked the chair out of his hands. With a single round house to the head the human biker went down. Looking around the bar only one biker was still standing and that was the leader, another human, who had been standing at the bar with the rat. The two of them approached each other and circled around once. The biker threw a right hook at him and was immediately blocked in the younger man's crossed arms. He tried to pull away but the younger human was too fast for him and he was caught by the arm and pulled forward. The young man brought up his foot and kicked the biker in the face and then returned his foot with a kick to the back of the head. The man collapsed on the floor holding his nose which by the younger human's reckoning was probably broken. The other bikers were all starting to get up. Some of them having difficulty standing.

"If you shitbags have had enough I suggest you get out of here now." said the young man.

He looked over to the bartender and nodded to him. The bartender started for the door and opened it looking at the whole group of bikers very sternly. All of them slowly shuffled their way out and got on their bikes. As soon as they had driven away the bartender finally closed the door. He looked over to the young human who had just taken down ten bikers and shook his head as he headed back toward the counter.

"Sorry about the mess." said the human.

The old bobcat got out a few towels and tossed one to him.

"Think nothing of it. I should be thanking you for teaching those lowlifes a lesson. If you hadn't intervened when you did it could have been a lot worse. I don't even want to think about what they might have done to poor Sharon."

The human laid the towel on the floor where the beer had been spilt and started soaking it up. The bartender came over with a bucket in his paw and set it down at their feet.

"Speaking of whom, where did she go?"

The bartender picked up one of the towels and started wringing it out over the bucket.

"She ran into the kitchen right after the fight started. Just where the hell did you learn to fight like that anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"I spent fifteen years in the army son. The only time I ever saw anyone do anything remotely similar to what you did is in the movies."

The human shrugged with a laugh.

"I had a couple of good teachers. I took up Tai Kick Boxing and Silat when I was a kid. What you saw was just an example of both. If I had actually meant any harm those bikers would still be lying on the floor. Possibly in need of an ambulance or ten."

The bobcat wrung the towel out again and picked up the bucket.

"Well whatever it was you did, I have a feeling they won't be coming back."

The bartender started for the kitchen. Just as he entered Sharon came out with a broom. The human was picking up the broken mugs from the floor and setting them on one of the nearby tables. As she started sweeping he leaned up against one of the posts.

"Thanks for helpin' me out of that." said Sharon. "Ah didn't really want you to get involved."

The young man nodded.

"It's no problem. I just couldn't stand by and watch something like that go on. One thing I learned is that you never ignore a lady in distress."

Sharon stopped and smiled at him.

"And they say chivalry is dead."

The bartender came back in. Looking around he started reevaluating the mess. He saw Sharon sweeping up the broken glass and the human standing nearby. He shook his head with a sigh.

"Sharon?"

She looked over to him.

"Why don't you leave that to me and you head on home for the night. I think I'll close up early and deal with this in the morning."

"Are you sure? Ah won't be long."

He nodded.

"Yeah, get out of here. Get yourself some rest and take the day off."

Sharon wasn't sure how to react.

"Oh, um o-okay."

She set the broom on the table and went back to the kitchen. She came back out with her purse and worn red sweater.

"How 'bout I give you a ride home?" said the human.

She stopped for a minute to think about it.

"Ah don't live that far. Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's no problem."

She nodded.

"Alright."

The two of them walked out of the bar and headed to the young man's motorcycle. He climbed on first and started the engine. She then walked up and climbed on behind him, putting her arms around his waist.

"Bah the way, I never got your name."

The human looked behind him with a warm smile.

"It's Spike." he said.

The two rode off without another word.

West Los Angeles

Saturday 5:33pm

Twenty minutes ago an emergency call had gone out for the hazmat teams to assemble and move out. The emergency was a hotspot that sprung up early in the morning. Aaron, Terry, and Cain were called immediately and a truck was dispatched to pick them up. They were almost to the site of the hotspot now.

Aaron and Cain were just finishing putting on their combat suits while Terry sat in the front seat with his crutches. He had to stay off the wounded leg for at least a week before he could be on active duty again. After putting on their masks Aaron put on a headset and adjusted the microphone. Turning it on he started testing out communications.

"This is Alpha Leader reporting in. Calling for spotter confirmation."

Static rang through the earpiece and a male voice came in.

"Roger that Alpha Leader, I read you loud and clear. It's good to hear you."

Aaron grinned as Cain put on his headset.

"Hey Zero, how have you been?"

Zero laughed.

"Been training rookies in the art of spotting. Terry called me right after his little mission Thursday night. He wasn't too happy about it."

"I can't really blame him." said Cain. "You're the best spotter we have."

"Hey there Cain. You're there too huh?"

"Yup. How's the Mrs.?"

"Carrying twins right now."

"Really? Congratulations. How far along is she?"

"Four months and counting."

Aaron reached into one of the weapons cabinets and took out a twelve gauge assault shotgun and took out a satchel full of shells. He put on the satchel and loaded six rounds into the gun. He pumped the lever under the barrel once and put his revolver in his side holster.

"Just so you know Zero," he started. "you'll be working with Terry."

"And what did I do to you to deserve this?"

Cain started chuckling in the background.

"Nothing. Terry just can't go into combat because of his injury from yesterday."

"Great, guess I'll have to bust out a bottle of Mountain Dew."

"So what are we dealing with?"

"Readouts show a mass of carriers inside an old apartment building. Most likely the majority of them are homeless people."

"Terrific." said Cain. "A zombie hunt. That's all we need."

"Alpha and Bravo squads are standing by and waiting for you just outside." said Zero.

"This is the part of the job I hate." said Terry. "Eliminating carriers is one thing but, these are civilians."

Aaron nodded to him.

"No one said this would be easy Terry. We can't afford to allow this virus to spread. Even if the ones carrying the virus are people. We either sacrifice a few or lose the whole populace."

Terry shook his head.

"It's just sick."

The truck pulled up to an old, abandoned, apartment building. Most of the windows were boarded up, parts of the outer walls were in disrepair, and the front door looked ready to crumble. Four larger, armored trucks were already at the scene when they arrived. A total of sixteen armored, fully equipped, Guild troopers were standing by. Aaron and Cain jumped out and Terry took out his crutches and moved to the closest truck. He tapped on the back door with one of the crutches.

"What's the password?" came a voice.

"Just let me in you asshole." Terry spat back.

The double doors opened and a masculine Siberian husky climbed out. His fur was a mixture of silver and white and he wore a black tank top shirt, black pants, and a pair of black shoes. Terry was slightly puzzled.

"Joseph? What are you doing here?"

The husky smiled.

"I got promoted. To field work in communications. Administrations was just a temporary position until something came up. From now on I'll be working with you guys."

A grin spread across the leopard's face.

"Sounds good to me."

Joseph helped him inside the truck and closed the doors. Terry sat down in a chair next to a red squirrel who was still laughing to himself after getting under Terry's skin.

"So Zero," Terry began. "where's the bottle of Mountain Dew you owe me?"

Zero turned to him adjusting his headset. He was wearing a camo vest over a white tee shirt, camo pants and a pair of combat boots. He grinned a Terry and gave a light chuckle.

"It's in the cooler behind you." he said. "Just don't chug it all down at once."

"Don't worry, I learned my lesson last time. Hey Joseph, you want some?"

Joseph smiled holding up a coffee mug.

"This is all I need right here. Thanks for the offer though."

Terry shrugged.

"Eh, your loss."

He twisted the cap off and put the bottle to his lips. He took a few swallows and put the cap back on.

"Ah, nectar of the gods."

Zero rolled his eyes and handed Terry a headset.

"You're going to need this."

Terry took the headset and put it on adjusting the microphone to his mouth.

"Alright," he said. "it's show time."

Aaron and Cain met up with the two squads standing outside of the building. They were all lined up in single file and were awaiting orders from the squad leaders.

"All right boys," Aaron started. "listen up. This operation will be unlike anything you've faced or trained for. There will be civilians this time, most if not all of them are likely to be infected. They will attack you just like a normal carrier, don't be fooled by their appearance. You will be facing zombies in there and they are nothing like the ones in the movies. These things are fast and are just as contagious as the carriers themselves. If they appear infected but do not attack you, they are to be secured and brought to the medical team for treatment. They will be sent to Guild headquarters for further observation until they either change or recover. You are to keep your distance from them at all times. It's going to be tight quarters in there so I advise all of you to either use your shotguns or if you have a machine gun to fire in short bursts. Don't be afraid to fire on them, they wouldn't show the same kindness to you."

He looked at both squads.

"Bravo squad, while we are inside you are to secure the area around the building. That means nothing goes in and nothing gets out. Your squad commander will be giving orders through a communications channel. Do you understand?"

The Bravos held their guns at the ready.

"Yes sir!" they all said.

Aaron nodded to Cain. Cain waved the Alpha squad to the doors.

"Move out!" he shouted.