Deadlocked 8 (45 page)

Someone was behind him.

My exuberance ended when I saw the flash of a
reflection against steel. The other person in the room was carrying
a weapon, and was about to hit Hero from behind.

I raised my rifle and screamed, “Hero, look
out!”

He moved to the side just as his attacker
bore down on him with what looked like a blade. The figure sliced
Hero’s shoulder, but it was a glancing blow.

I took a shot, and the man was knocked back
as he yelled in pain. His blade clattered on the floor at Hero’s
feet.

I hurried as fast as my back would allow.
Hero knelt down to pick up the weapon and I saw that it was long
and cylindrical, with a sharpened, hollow end. He looked at his
attacker as he tossed the weapon aside. He said, “Man, I fucking
hate needles,” as he massaged his wounded shoulder.

When I got to him, I put my arm around his
waist. I wanted to embrace him, but then I saw that his attacker
was still alive. Every inch of the felled man’s exposed flesh was
scarred. His eyes darted back and forth between Hero and me, and he
was breathing rapidly as he clutched his chest. Blood was flowering
beneath his hand, and I knew that the bullet had punctured his lung
by the way he gasped.

Then, to my shock, he started to laugh. “Look
at this.” He wheezed between sentences. “Reagan’s other pet
project.”

“Who the hell is this?” I asked.

“That’s Richard Covington,” said Hero.

“Look at the three of us,” said Covington.
“The three... The three true sons.” He laughed again, finding some
sick joy in this.

“What the hell is wrong with this guy?” I
asked.

“Man, I don’t know. He’s all sorts of fucked
up.”

“Here, I’ll show you,” said Covington as he
sat up. He was undeterred by the pain as he got up, gasping as he
did, and walked over to the side of the room. “Come here. You might
as well see.”

“Want to get out of here?” I asked Hero.

He shrugged and said, “We might as well see
what the lunatic wants to show us.” We walked further in and
watched as the decrepit, burned man opened a glass case that
contained what looked like a computer tablet. He worked on it for a
minute before pointing to a television screen mounted on the wall
to our left.

“Here, watch,” he said.

A video began to play that documented the
outbreak of the original virus twenty years earlier. It was
uncompromising and graphic, detailing how the virus was spread and
who was responsible. Hero and I watched in stunned silence as all
of our suspicions were confirmed. Then the video explained the
eugenics program, and how the memories of The Electorate were to be
transferred into members of the Dawn program, men and women that
were designed to be perfect human beings. It was a damning account
of the atrocities that Covington and the members of The Electorate
had committed. When it was over, I was surprised by the smug look
on Covington’s face.

“What are you smiling about, you sick fuck?”
I asked.

He was slumped in his chair, his hand over
his bleeding chest. “That video is hidden inside of The
Electorate’s own computer along with all the proof needed…” he
gasped, and I could see that he was in intense pain. “All the proof
needed to link The Electorate to this. They’re dead, and they don’t
even know it. Just like you two.”

“I’m not dead yet,” said Hero.

“No, but soon enough. The Electorate wanted
to kill us to keep us from talking, but even though we’re going to
die down here, they’re still not going to win. That file will be
sent out to every computer in their system the moment this facility
is purged.”

“Purged?” I asked. “What are you talking
about?”

“That’s right,” said Covington with a weak
grin. “We’re going to burn. I already set the system to purge. We
just have to wait for the system to refill, and we’ll all be dead.
Then, when this facility is destroyed, the truth will come out. The
Electorate will pay as we let burn these sons of Reagan.” He
cackled in his throne, like a mad king after his court had
abandoned him.

“Hero, we’ve got to go,” I said. “The
staircase was boiling hot when I came down. I don’t think this
guy’s lying.”

Covington continued to laugh and then said,
“You can’t make it out. You’re going to burn with me.”

“Oh fuck you,” I said as I raised my rifle,
ready to silence him for good.

“No, wait.” Hero placed his hand on the top
of my rifle to stop me from shooting. “Let him burn, just like
Reagan meant for him to.”

I nodded, and then spat on the lunatic as he
wheezed in his chair.

We did our best to hurry, but neither of us
were in very good shape. We supported one another as we staggered
down the hall.

“Look at us, man,” I said with a chuckle.
“Two old men, barely able to walk anymore.”

“Old?” asked Hero. “Shit, I’m Han Solo’s
age.”

I laughed as I held his waist while we
walked. He was so thin now. I could feel his ribs under my palm. It
saddened me to see him like this, but I was overjoyed to be with
him again.

“How far is it to the surface?” asked Hero.
“Think we can make it?”

I wanted to lie to him and say that it would
be easy, but I shook my head and said, “It’s a long way up.”

We got to the stairs, and it was even hotter
than before. Hero cursed when we walked in, and compared it to a
Georgia summer. I agreed, but insisted we keep moving. “Let’s
try.”

“Wait,” said Hero as he paused on the
stairs.

“No, we can’t wait. We’ve got to keep going.
If we stop, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get back up again.”

“No, man, I remember something that Beatrice
told me.”

“Who?”

“Beatrice, she was this old bitch that was in
The Electorate. She told me how these places were designed to
purge, but that the Dawn’s rooms would be safe. She said they made
it so that the girls would live through a purge.”

I remembered the thick doors that led away
from the cubicles on the Dawn’s level. “Hero, we can make it there.
I know where that is.”

“All right, brother! We’re gonna live, man.
We’re actually going to make it through this.”

“There’s bad news though.”

He deflated and said, “Great. Of course there
is.”

“The Dawn’s floor is filled with
zombies.”

He shook his head and said, “You know, one of
these days you’re going to give me some good news. I don’t know
when it is, but goddamn it, you owe it to me.”

A smile as wide as I could make spread across
my face. “Hero, I’ve got good news.”

“Good! You owe me. What is it?”

“Come on, let’s get moving and I’ll tell
you.” I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and together we started
to climb the stairs.

“All right, we’re moving. What’s the good
news?” he asked as we took each step carefully.

“Hero, earlier today I was at Jill’s side,
holding her hand…” I stopped, overwhelmed with emotion while
simultaneously racked with pain.

“That’s it? You were holding my wife’s hand?
What the hell sort of good news is that?”

“Let me finish.”

“Well hurry up, I’m starting to worry that
your good news is that you got it on with my wife.”

“No. I held her hand as she gave birth.”

He was stunned, and didn’t respond.

“She gave birth to a baby boy, Hero. You’re a
father.”

His voice was as quiet as I’d ever heard it
and I could feel his body quivering as he asked, “A baby boy?”

“Yes! You’re a daddy, big guy. I’m here to
take you to meet your son.”

“A baby boy! I’m a daddy? I’m a daddy!”

“Yes.”

He hugged me, and then started to scream out
in joy. “What… Man, I don’t know what to even… A baby boy? Did she
name him Mark? Tell me she named him Mark. Man, she promised…”

“She did.”

“What’s he like? Is he healthy? Is he big?
Dude, does he have a big dick? I bet he’s got a monster dick.”

I laughed and said, “He’s healthy, although
it was a close call. When you see Clyde, you owe him a
handshake.”

“For real? What happened?”

“Mark wasn’t breathing at first, but Clyde
did his thing. He saved that kid’s life.”

“And what about Jill. Is she okay?”

“Of course she is,” I said. “You know her,
man. There’s nothing that could take that girl down.”

“Holy shit, ain’t that the truth? I’m a dad!
Billy, I’m a dad!”

“I know.”

He embraced me again, this time with tears
streaming down his cheeks. “And look at you, man, risking
everything to come and get me. Shit, brother, you’re not so bad
after all. You know that?”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I said as we reached
the door that led to the Dawn’s level. “We could still burst into
flames or get eaten by zombies any minute now.”

“That’s my Billy, always looking on the
bright side. Next thing out of your mouth is going to be some
insane plan that I think will never work, but somehow it does.
Right? So what’s the plan?”

I looked at the door, and then at him and
said, “We’re gonna run for it.”

He gave me a sideways frown, and then said,
“That’s it?”

“Yeah. The doors to the Dawn’s area are to
the left. Let’s run in here, I’ll blast any zombies that get in the
way while you focus on getting the door open.”

“In typical fashion, that plan sucks,” said
Hero.

I shrugged and said, “That’s all I’ve
got.”

“Then let’s do this, brother, because I’ve
got a son to meet.”

I counted down, and then eased open the door.
I was expecting a horde to greet me, but the group that had
attacked earlier had dispersed, leaving only my overturned chair on
the floor to greet us. I could see some of the zombies further into
the room, inside of the lines of cubicles that they’d demolished in
their first attempt to devour me. I motioned for Hero to move, and
he did his best to go fast. We were both addled with injuries, but
determined to survive.

The Greys saw us, and cried out in hunger as
they eagerly climbed over the felled partitions, tables, and
computers. I waited to start shooting in fear of attracting more.
Hero was struggling with the door as I backed up to him. Finally, I
couldn’t help but shoot as one of the Greys got within a few feet
of us. This alerted every zombie around that we were here, and they
came running.

“Hurry, Hero!”

“I’m trying. This door’s jammed or
something.”

I fired off several shots, splattering brains
and blood across the far wall. “Unjam that mother fucker!”

“I did,” said Hero. “It’s spinning. Here,
here, it’s open!”

The horde pressed in on us as Hero opened the
door. Just then, red lights began to spin all around us. I wasn’t
sure if it was because Hero had opened the door or if something
else was going on. He screamed at me to hurry, but I was walking
backward as I continued to spray bursts of bullets at the horde
that had surged into the administrator’s room.

“Where do we go?” asked Hero.

The door opened onto a grey hall that led
straight with multiple passages turning off to the side. “I don’t
know,” I said. “Just go somewhere.”

I couldn’t close the door behind us. It
opened outward, and the horde had already massed there. I continued
to fire, and the bodies piled up, choking the entrance and giving
us a momentary relief.

“It’s a dead end,” said Hero as he looked
down the first hall.

I glanced down there and saw red light
reflecting on what looked like glass. “There’s a window there. We
can break through it.”

The noise of the horde pushing their way
through the entrance echoed down these thin, grey halls. We made
our way to the glass and I aimed the rifle, intending to shatter
it. I fired, but the glass didn’t break. Instead, the bullet passed
through, leaving just a small hole and a flower of cracks.

“Oh great,” said Hero.

“We’ve got to break it,” I said as I started
to bash at the glass with the butt of my rifle.

“Really? I woulda never guessed that,” said
Hero as he started to push at the glass, causing the cracks the
spread.

“Stop being a smart ass and get to work.”

A zombie turned the corner and staggered our
way, issuing forth a characteristic moan as its mouth drooped. I
fired at it, and my gun clicked uselessly.

“Oh shit, I’m empty.” I had another full
cartridge in my pocket, but not enough time to load it. The zombie
was already only a few feet away. I swung the rifle butt out to
smash it into the creature’s face. It connected, but not hard
enough to silence the zombie for good. The force knocked it back,
and then I shoved it down to the ground. I placed my boot on its
head and stomped as I started to reload. The head crunched under my
foot, and fetid liquid sloshed up all the way to my chin as if I’d
smashed a water balloon instead of a human head.

“Here, come on,” said Hero. He’d broken open
a sizeable hole in the glass.

“You first,” I said as I aimed down the hall,
ready for my next victim to climb over the mound of dead.

“No, you,” said Hero.

“Damn it, stop arguing with me. Get in
there.”

“No, man, you first. Give me the gun and
go.”

“Hero, for fuck’s sake, get in there.”
Another zombie came into view, and then a second. They turned the
corner that led to this short hall and rushed at us. Two quick
shots took them both out, and I prepared for more.

Hero grabbed the gun from me.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m dead anyways,” he said as he wrestled
the rifle out of my hands. “You get in there first.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Would you shut up and get in there already?”
Hero pushed at me, and then focused on the zombies that continued
to make their way in here.

I didn’t know what else to do other than
crawl in through the hole in the mirror. I moved as fast as my back
would allow, and my arms were quickly sliced open by the shards of
glass all around me. Hero continued to kill the Greys as I climbed
over the counter that was mounted under this two-way mirror.