Alive and Fighting: Lost and Found (4 page)

             
"Oh my God! I can't believe it! It's actually here! An underwater military base! Oh God, I hope I didn't startle you, opening the airlock myself!" Vera quickly spouted as the low lights clicked back on.

             
"I know. It…it's incredible. There's power, and I'd bet anything there's so much more waiting inside the base." Lynn agreed, pointing to the large, pressure sealed metal door, opposite the river entrance.

             
"I can only imagine…I guess now we wait for Yancy. Wonder how long he'll be?" Vera wondered, slipping down the wall to sit on the damp floor.

             
"Five, ten minutes? He is a good swimmer, I know that much," Lynn guessed, also sitting down. "Any chance you brought my shirt?"

             
"Oh! No, I didn't even think to, Yancy might though? If it was for my sake, I certainly don't mind." Vera replied, wringing her hair out.

             
"Heh, yeah…" Lynn replied, to which Vera giggled behind her hand. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

             
"Sure, what is it?" Vera answered, looking from her still wet hair to Lynn.

             
"Do you think this is the right idea? I mean, should we really tell the rest of the Grey Klan that we found 'Leviathan?'" Lynn asked, looking at the base's door.

             
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't we?" Vera questioned, still looking to Lynn.

             
"People like Gil…I'm sorry if I scared you earlier, I just had to act immediately." Lynn apologized, meeting Vera's gaze.

             
"Don't be sorry, I was about to do the same thing, but you'd already done it. I can't believe someone like him could get into the Klan…" Vera replied, as Lynn looked away.

             
"I…
always
knew there were people like Gil in our ranks, but we've been limited in resources. A few years back we almost made a deal with the Knights, but it fell through. It took recruiting a lot of…less favorable types to get our numbers back. Now, I'm just afraid that bringing back guns, and ammo, and God knows what else will just give these…savages the tools they need to sway our path even further from protecting the people." Lynn explained, Vera listening throughout.

             
"Do you really think Cooper or any of the others in charge would let that happen?" Vera asked, Lynn still looking at the door.

             
"He's…he's part of the problem. You see, Cooper was spearheading that deal with the Knights, and when it didn't work out, he lost a LOT of clout with our leader. So, Cooper started recruiting anyone who could fight, and now we've got plenty of able bodies, but few capable minds. Sure he feeds every new recruit the 'We're doing this to protect the people, we are a means to the end!' line, and sure they act like they get it. Then I hear all these stories from Gravers about how Klansmen spit that line at people to take things, or hurt people who don't agree with them," Lynn continued, finally looking to Vera. "And I just don't know how long I can put up with it."

             
"I see what you mean, and yeah, I remember Cooper saying that when I was a recruit. I guess I was one of the few who believed him. Maybe all this will help in the end? Hopefully with the tools in the base, we can actually start doing everything we've promised the people. Protect the streets, clear buildings, the whole nine yards." Vera responded optimistically, smiling at Lynn.

             
"God, I hope you're right." Lynn said, as Vera moved across the floor to sit next to him.

             
"I believe that I am," Vera replied, the lights beginning to blink, "What's going on?"

             
"Yancy's here, same thing happened when you arrived, deep breath now." Lynn answered, both of them taking a lungful of air as the water splashed over them. Yancy swam in, eyes open, with his crossbow and both machetes strapped to his back. He looked to Lynn and nodded. Lynn replied in kind before draining the room for the third time.

             
"Stashed the truck in a parking garage, looks like it's always been there, 'cept for all the water." Yancy said, catching his breath.

             
"Good man, now, let's see what we've earned." Lynn said, struggling to turn a massive wheel on the door to unbolt the pressure locks, revealing another antechamber.

             
The three stepped in and the door closed behind them. The lights in this room flashed quickly to the same dull red the airlock had before filling as the sound of a fan was heard above them. A loud metal thunk from behind them made the party turn quickly to look at the door, now completely locked shut behind them. The light flashed several times before turning once more to the previous sterile white that it had been as a voice spoke above them.

             
"Welcome Extraction and Extermination Team. You are…twenty three years, two months, eight days, and seventeen personnel short…Viral and life signs still present within main base…Please remove all Leviathan staff infected with…Weaponized Hominidae Ophiocordyceps… and extract any still uninfected staff before overriding security lockdown in the Admiral's office." A computerized voiced said as the doors to the main base slid open.

             
The room Lynn, Vera, and Yancy looked out on was a massive warehouse, stacked high with military crates and lit with both LED and UV lights. The crates formed four distinct and clear rows, with doors at the end of each. Several forklifts were scattered throughout the room with one sitting right next to the antechamber doors, and several hum-vee's and two tanks were suspended on platforms above the warehouse floor. Also on the warehouse floor were no less than fifty zombies, all in varying amounts of military battle armor. Even at a distance, blood webs were clearly visible on what exposed skin the zombies had. However, the sound of the doors opening must have been the first noise any of them had heard in years and in unison, all turned to face the party. Letting out the blood gurgling, fear filled shriek that everyone living in the Gulf Graveyard knew to fear, the zombies began quickly advancing towards the group.

             
Before Lynn or Yancy could act, Vera leapt into the closest forklift and drove it towards the stacks of crates. Snapping out of their surprise, Yancy began firing bolts into the ghouls as best he could. Unfortunately for him, crossbow bolts could do little to breach military grade helmets, and anything but a headshot would do little to slow the undead. He continued fitting bolts and firing, at least drawing some attention from Vera who had gotten to a large stack of crates, while Lynn had begun doing what he could with his wrist blades and complete lack of upper body protection.

             
"Look out!" Vera called, reversing the forklift quickly. Lynn and Yancy looked up to see the stack of crates falling quickly. They landed against the base floor without breaking, and thankfully without landing on Yancy or Lynn. The fallen crates formed a wall around the antechamber doors, providing some defense and breathing room free of the armored zombies. Vera parked the forklift in the small gap in the wall of crates, to keep the reanimated military out, before running to Lynn and Yancy.

             
"This was unexpected," Lynn began, biting half his bottom lip, "But nothing we can't handle. The airlock has us sealed in, so unless we can make it to the admirals office, it'll stay that way."

             
"Then let's start clearing the base out, we'd have to anyway. I'm sure these crates are loaded with supplies that can help us." Yancy stated confidently as the zombie's began to beat rhythmically against the crates.

             
"I agree, but there's one thing we do need to worry a whole lot about," Vera said, drawing both men's undivided attention, "This base hasn't had non-infected in it in almost twenty five years. That means, these are first gen zombies, probably none have died since the infection."

             
"What are you getting at Vera?" Yancy asked, clearly concerned.

             
"There's a very good chance that at least one of the zombies in this base is a Zero." Vera answered, the color draining from Yancy's face. The rhythmic sound of the zombie's fists colliding with the metal crates echoed around the room in a haunting cadence.

             
"She's right. Without anyone killing them off, only time would stop a Zero, and even if it's been long enough to do that, another would take up the role. I say we be completely prepared to face a Zero." Lynn added, draining yet more color from Yancy's pale face.

             
"But…they…how can they be killed? By just three people?" Yancy managed to ask before slipping to the ground in terror.

             
"It's been done. The Pyres are trained to kill Zeroes, granted they work in teams of six." Lynn said, doing nothing to bolster Yancy's hopes. Occasionally breaking the steady sound of flesh on metal was a lone screech from amidst the pack.

             
"Hell, I've seen one person kill a Zero. I was fourteen, my parents took me to the Prime8 and I saw Craven kill a Zero single handedly." Vera chimed in, this actually making Yancy look up with something other than fear.

             
"The tournament the Great Apes hold in Tiger Stadium? You saw that Gunsmith Craven kill a Zero?" Yancy inquired, trying to stand.

             
"Yep, and the announcer said it was the first time since that Security Chief from the Life Raft killed one three years back that someone killed a Zero alone in the Prime8." Vera assured him and helped him to his feet.

             
"What I suggest, is that we bunker down for a bit, the crates are made of steel, they won't break through and there are too few for them to spill over top. So let's open one of these crates and see what we can use, they're probably full of guns and ammo. I know we aren't exactly safe as houses here, but we need to rest some, we'll take sleep shifts and stay safe. One thing's for sure though, and I promise, we are all making it out alive." Lynn swore, looking into Yancy's eyes, then Vera's. She met his gaze and nodded as the horde behind the crate wall continued to shriek and batter their defenses.

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Also available in the Alive and Fighting Series

Alive and Fighting: New in Town

Alive and Fighting: Every Sin a Saint

Alive and Fighting: Lost and Found

Alive and Fighting: Revelations

Alive and Fighting: Heroes in Blood Oak

Alive and Fighting: Addictions
Alive and Fighting: Carrion
Alive and Fighting: Broken, Part 1

Alive and Fighting: Roads Walked

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Alive and Fighting: Parting Gifts (Coming November 2013)