The Dark Rift: Redemption (19 page)

"We have to find out what happened to you, Chuck . . . and, we have to find out where they've taken Mei. Then, we have to make sure that Gypsum doesn't go through with any more plans. We need to go right into the center of this installation, the part under Area 51 where all the Gypsum people are probably walled off. Somehow, we have to get to them."

Chuck looked at her with an intensity she hadn't seen before. She understood that his expression was also a product of his deep feelings for her. His frame began to glow ever so slightly.

"You'll have to tone that down a bit, Rudolph. We don't want any more of Santa's helpers to find us."

Chuck looked down at his body. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Sure," he said, his bones fading to a cool steel blue. "Let's go."

Isaiah wedged his body between Evan and Christy and pointed the weapon Jodie had given him at the front of the elevator. He found himself wishing he’d had the time to go up and clear the area before sending so many unarmed people into an unknown situation. Regardless, he knew they needed to move. With only one automatic weapon left, the likelihood of Chuck being able to protect all of them with so many creatures lurking in the vents and stalking the hallways was very remote. In his heart, he knew getting out of the installation as quickly as possible was their only option.

The lightning fast upward motion of the elevator was making him progressively more nauseous with each passing moment. Feeling his forehead, Isaiah could tell he had a fever. The flu, he thought. Just what you need when you’re already fighting for your life. He was looking forward to finding somewhere to lie down.

"Only a little while longer," Isaiah said, turning to glance at Nick. "I don't know what we'll find when the doors open, but try to stay behind me as best you can."

“You okay, buddy?” Nick asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“Yeah. Probably just worn out from all this, or something.” Isaiah knew it was worse than that, but there was nothing he could do about it until they got out. Until then, he’d just have to hang on. He felt a shift somewhere deep inside, like something was moving in his gut. It came on him in waves, nearly bringing him to his knees at times. After the second episode, Isaiah was starting to feel less and less confident that a normal illness was responsible for what he was experiencing.

“Isaiah, you’re really sick, aren’t you?” Nick asked. He moved sideways, setting Hunter on the floor next to Noah. “Look after him, okay?” Nick said to Noah.

“Sure,” Noah said, trying to crouch and reach the dog in the cramped elevator. Hunter whined softly as Noah tried to soothe him.

Isaiah felt Nick’s strong arms holding him up. For a moment, he realized it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. Then, the sick sensation passed as quickly as it had appeared and he stood on his own. “I feel okay now,” he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Thanks.”

“Sure, buddy,” Nick said, releasing his grip.

Feeling the downward sensation pushing on his body, Isaiah realized the elevator car was slowing. "Okay, it looks like we're almost there." Suddenly, the car came to a jerking halt.

“Why are we stopping?” Christy asked, the tension in her voice apparent.

The elevator lights flickered for several seconds, finally casting them into darkness until the overhead safety lamps began to glow red.

Isaiah looked at the panel on the wall, which still shown green, and pushed the button, nearly losing his balance as the car jerked a foot lower and stopped.

“What’s happening?” Fester asked.

“I don’t know, but---” Isaiah stopped and looked at the ceiling as the noise of something moving echoed in the shaft far above them. “Nick, we’re going to have to take a look. Can you hoist me up?”

“Last time I did that, it didn’t work out too well for us. Sure you wanna look up there?” Nick asked.

“Yeah. I don’t think we have much choice. Give me a boost.” Isaiah handed Christy the automatic weapon. He thought she looked terribly uncomfortable. “Just for a minute … until I get up on top, okay?”

Christy nodded. “Never held one of these before.”

Isaiah pulled his flashlight out of his pocket and stepped and shuffled past Nick, directly underneath the escape hatch.

Nick crouched and grabbed him around the legs. “Ready?”

“Yeah. See if you can push me up to the access panel.”

“Got it,” Nick said, lifting Isaiah toward the ceiling.

Reaching the panel, Isaiah flipped the lid back. He could hear movement above him and switched on his flashlight. Long shadows filled the elevator shaft, making it difficult to see anything. Shining his light back and forth, he was just about to give up looking when he noticed a cable next to the wall swaying back and forth.

Following it upwards with his light, he finally saw it. The creature, climbing down toward him. Half man, half reptilian, its massive head seemed unnaturally large for its body. Inky black eyes stared down at him. It made a clicking noise with its mouth, looking almost like it was chewing air. For a moment, Isaiah felt as if he knew what the creature was thinking. He could hear its voice in his head, telling him he wouldn't be hurt, telling him he should just move out of the way.

Isaiah shook off his thoughts and hoisted himself up on top of the elevator. “Nick, if you can make it up here, I could use a hand,” he whispered.

“What’s going on?” Nick asked.

“No time to explain. Just get up here, if you can, and bring the gun.”

Evan stepped forward, visible through the escape hatch. “I’ll help,” he said.

Christy moved to the other side of Nick. “Better let me help, too,” she said. Christy passed the gun to Isaiah and together, she and Evan helped Nick up through the access port and Isaiah pulled him on top. Christy handed Nick a section of pipe Chuck had procured earlier.

“What’s going on?” Nick asked.

Isaiah pointed, running his flashlight up the cable until he found the creature again. It seemed disoriented for a moment and clung to the steel bracing lining the walls.

“Shit. That’s one piece of ugly, isn’t it?” Nick said.

Isaiah redirected his light along the walls, finally finding what he was looking for. “I don’t know what stopped us from going all the way up, but I think we need to find a way to get out from here. It looks like we’re between floors.”

Nick shook his head. "I thought this elevator only went to one floor."

"Maybe that's what the handprint reader was for," Isaiah said. "You know, access to different levels depending on the level of security clearance."

“Well, we'll have to crawl up there, next to that thing, first" Nick said. "We’d best dispose of it.”

Isaiah found himself confused, feeling sympathy for the creature that would likely kill them if it had a chance. He shook his head, dismissing his thoughts and wondering what could compel him to think that way. Feeling unsteady on his feet, he swayed toward Nick, who grabbed him as he started to fall.

“What’s wrong, Isaiah?” Nick asked.

Isaiah felt Nick’s hand on his forehead.

“Man, you’re burning up. You’d better sit down.” Nick helped him sit on the elevator car. “Lend me that flashlight for a minute, okay?”

Isaiah handed the flashlight to Nick. He felt a sudden flash of anger course through his body, images of flesh tearing and carnage filling his mind. Isaiah remembered the creature screaming in his face, its saliva blasting into his eyes and mouth. In that instant, he knew he was infected. Soon, he would be like all the other creatures wandering aimlessly through the installation. He would lose his humanity altogether and become a danger to his friends.

Nick shined the flashlight up at the creature, who clung to the wall next to the elevator doors on the next floor. “He still hasn't moved,” Nick said.

Isaiah tried to stand, feeling his skin tear ever so slightly. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself up.

“Whoa, pal. You gonna make it?” Nick asked, reaching out to steady him.

“I think we both know the answer to that,” Isaiah said.

Nick looked at him with a pained expression. “What do you mean?”

He had asked the question, yet the look on Nick’s face told Isaiah that he already knew the answer. Nick looked away, turning his face back toward the creature hanging on the wall above them.

“There’s has to be something we can do for you,” Nick said. “You can hang on until we get out of here and we’ll go straight to a hospital.”

“You know I can’t leave, Nick.” Isaiah rubbed the back of his neck. His joints felt as if they would burst any moment. “I could infect everyone up there. Maybe I could even infect you, if I stay here with you for too long.”

Nick shook his head. “There’s no way that I’ll let you turn into that,” he said, motioning toward the creature.

Isaiah peered down into the space between the elevator and the shaft wall, seeing the vast distance to the bottom. He stepped behind Nick, grabbed onto the wall bracing and reached up to gain a handhold.

“Where are you going?” Nick asked, his voice shaking. “You’re too sick to climb up there.”

“What’s happening, Nick?” Christy called from inside the elevator car.

Isaiah kept going. “You’ll have to get them all out of here by yourself,” Isaiah said as he reached down and handed Nick his weapon. “I’m going to knock that thing down and you climb as fast as you can.”

“Are you sure?” Nick asked, his eyes full.

“If I can’t control myself . . . if I come after you, don’t hesitate, okay?”

Nick shook his head and groaned.

“Promise me,” Isaiah said.

Isaiah stared at Nick for a moment, feeling his blood growing hot. If he was alone, he would've jumped to his death through the gap next to the elevator, sparing himself from what was to come, but there was no choice now. He had to save his friends. He had to kill the thing standing in their path.

“I said, promise me.”

Nick looked down at his feet for a moment, as if he was trying to decide what to do. He looked up and nodded.

Isaiah grabbed the next bracing and pulled himself up toward the creature.

* * *

Jodie pulled a plastic plaque from the wall and slipped the paper map out. “This shows evacuation routes,” she said, holding the map for Chuck to see. “Over here,” she pointed, “is the restricted area. It must be where the access to the Area 51 property is.”

“You’re sure you want to do this? I could go by myself and try to find Mei,” Chuck said. “What if we run into a big group of those things?”

“Well, then, you’ll need my help, won’t you?” She looked up at Chuck, seeing the concerned expression on his face. Or, was it something else? Not having eyelids or facial muscles made him very difficult to read. Regardless, she wasn’t leaving until she found Mei and after that, after her friends were safe, she’d find a way to blow the Area 51 installation to smithereens.

“Okay,” Chuck said. “I know better than to argue with you. Let’s go.”

Jodie walked as quickly and quietly as she could in front of him, following the route leading to the restricted area, concerned that the map didn't show the location of elevators or stairs. All around, she could hear the sounds of non-human feet skittering down the hallways and scraping in the vents above. It felt as if the entire building was alive with movement. She stopped and examined the map. “We have to go up at least two floors to get out of the medical wing and it doesn’t appear that there’s an elevator anywhere in the vicinity.”

“At least, none we know about,” Chuck said. “There has to be one somewhere. Otherwise, how would the people who worked down here move back and forth?”

"It must be somewhere we can't see on this drawing." Jodie pointed to a symbol on the map. “That’s the symbol David showed me for access to the utility shafts. There’s one in the next corridor.”

“Utility shaft?” Chuck asked. “I don’t know if that would be such a great idea with all of those things crawling through the vents.”

“We don’t have much of a choice. It’s either take that route or go back up on top and drive through the gate to Area 51,” Jodie said. “It’s not likely they’ll welcome us with open arms.”

“No, not open arms. More like automatic weapons,” Chuck said.

Jodie found herself thinking the same thing, almost at the exact moment the words came from Chuck’s mouth. “I do believe your sense of humor is improving, Chuck,” she said, feeling like she didn’t know this Chuck at all. At the same time, she felt as if she’d known him all of her life.

“That symbol you pointed out,” Chuck said, gesturing at the far wall of the corridor. “It’s there.”

“Let’s go,” Jodie said. Chuck followed her as she ran toward the sign, thankful that her injured knee was allowing her to move again. She stopped, out of breath, and reached for the handle to the access panel. “Wish me luck,” she said. Chuck’s hand clamped down over hers.

“Let me,” he said. “Just in case it’s not empty.”

Jodie pulled her hand back. “Yeah. Okay,” she said. “Thanks, Chuck.”

Chuck turned the handle and slowly opened the access panel, far enough to put his head inside. A blue-green glow emanated from the shaft, reflecting off Chuck’s metal skeleton. He pulled his Hello Kitty bag over his head and handed it to Jodie. “Can you hold this for me?” he asked.

“Sure,” Jodie said, taking the bag of candy bars and slipping the strap over her shoulder.

Chuck slowly stuck his head into the utility shaft and looked down. He shifted his body and turned to look up. “Nothing in here that I can see,” Chuck said. “There’s a ladder. Should we give it a try?”

Jodie was about to answer when one of the things turned the corner and saw her. It looked like it had been a lab assistant at one time. Dressed in a white coat that was saturated in blood and vomit, and pants that Jodie cold hear tearing as it crouched, the creature appeared to be disintegrating before her eyes. What remained of its skin was covered in pustules that oozed a greenish slime.