The Great War (Surviving the Zombie Nightmare Book 5) (16 page)

As he spoke the hanger door filled with enough zombies to cause her to think twice about the destined success of this little revenge mission and she knew he had demons waiting somewhere. The fact that he was yet to use them and was choosing instead to use only zombies was quite disturbing but then, she did have previous knowledge of how Bullosky operated thanks to her few missions with him what seemed like forever ago. If that small sample was any indication then he might just be trying to back them into a corner for whatever his big move would be. A
ll the same, they would have to deal with the zombies first. Before she could even draw her sword, Eric charged passed her, moving directly towards the door full of zombies.

**

Bayne thought that his complete inaction since he first left the back of the truck might seem odd to Destiny but he didn't care. After all, she clearly had things wrapped up with the lackey soldiers, so why should he do anything other than stand and build power? All of the power that he had built up during that time rushed forward as he charged towards the mass of zombies.

By his best guess there were about a hundred visible in the doorway, some of every variety. He knew this wasn't Bullosky's end game but why play bullshit strategy games when everyone knew there were big ass demons waiting somewhere for the big ending? He stopped about a dozen feet from the group and pushed his left hand forward. The small push of telepathic power created a slight part in their group and he charged forward again.

When he was close enough that the group started moving towards him Eric flipped into the air and landed in the middle of the small gap he had created. The built up telepathic power he had held at the tips of his fingers was released when his feet hit the ground and his fist punched downward onto the floor. A visible cloud of telepathic energy blew into a large ball that encircled the group and Eric. He ignited the little bubble of energy with a mental force of will and jumped out of the center of the zombies before the telepathic energy became the death of them all. When the smoke cleared there was only one zombie left standing. Eric reached for it and pulled it towards him where it landed skewered on his sword. Disposing of the body, he strutted back towards Destiny and without looking at Bullosky said, “Next.”

“You two are feeling a little overconfident for a pair who are the only two in an entire complex of enemies. I wonder what I could do to shift the tide of your prideful strut?” Bullosky acted like he was mulling over what to do next but Eric knew it was all part of his plan. All he really wanted was for the big fucking demon bastard to walk down here and take a shot himself and finally Eric just got tired of waiting.

Without making the motion with his hand, he sent a telepathic pull in the direction of Bullosky. It looked for a second like the large demon, who was big even in his current human form, was going to fall over the railing and onto the floor below. Eric was already in motion expecting it to happen but at the last moment a few of O.A.'s finest grabbed him and pulled him back. Though there had been a brief moment of shock on the bastard's face, he was settled again and Eric was sure about to try to make him regret the move.

“What an aggressive move for you Mr. Bayne,” Bullosky said with a smirk, “You're abilities are a problem for me and unfortunately for you, I take care of problems the hard way.”

Eric waved his hand, “Come and get it fat boy.”

“Oh, not me,” Bullosky shook his head as he took a few steps backwards, “You aren't worthy of fighting a demon of my stature my friend, but fortunately I have a few little hellions that I think you'll find it very difficult to kill,” there was a brief pause before he finished with a laugh, “Again!”

Eric wondered what the hell that was supposed to mean. If the look on Destiny's face was what he thought it was, she was wondering the exact same thing. It could be another large group of demons, zombie-demons or even a lot of demons. Considering the relatively cramped space they were boxed into, demons could be a problem if there were more than one.

“Who the fuck are they?” Destiny said as three human-like creatures walked into the small hanger with eyes that were equal parts dead and angry. When another being walked in beside them, she looked over at Eric with her jaw slacked open then said, “Eric, oh my god.”

Suddenly all of Eric's world evaporated into a volatile mixture of terrible pain, grief, anger and shock. His knees felt weak but instead of crumbling under the emotional pressure of the situation that Bullosky clearly thought was going to be his ace in the hole, Eric steeled his gaze and said, “You just signed your goddamn death warrant demonic asshole. I'll hold your head in my hands for this.”

“Brave words but your inaction speaks volumes Mr. Bayne. I think I have indeed found the perfect way to kill you.”

Bullosky crossed his arms with a proud smirk and nodded to the door where several of their more familiar foes added to the deck stacked against them. Eric didn't say a word to Bullosky and pledged not to until he proved both to the demon and to himself that the demonic words he had just spoken were false. He charged after Bullosky's secret weapons.

“Where are they?” a soldier yelled from one side.

“Who?” another yelled over the hustle and bustle of the corridors.

The first solder yelled again, “Anyone and everyone! I've heard of a complex going dark before but something bigger is going on here. Not only is the surveillance system down but now the entire complex is out of power.

“Not the entire complex,” a third soldier, one of their best tech guys who was feverishly working over a laptop trying to hack into some part of their network that would give him back control of the complex said. “Hanger One and Hanger Two are fully powered but closed off.”

“Closed off?” a soldier asked, “What do you mean? Closed off from who?”

“Us,” Dr. Cain said as she walked slowly back and forth in the hallway, “They killed surveillance first, got themselves into position then killed all of the power except the hangers they needed.”

“Who is they?” the hacker asked.

“Admiral Bullosky and any soldiers loyal to him and his demons,” Cain replied.

“Why?” Mr. Cornell asked, “Aren't we all on the same side here?”

“No,” Peyton Terry said, “We are not all on the same side Mr. Cornell. I realize you are kind of late to the dance but trust me when I tell you that we have never all been on the same side. As Dr. Cain said recently, Bullosky had his selfish reasons for working with us and we had the same in reverse. It was only a matter of time before we split and unfortunately, Bullosky was smart enough to get the drop on us this time. As far as why,” he shrugged, “It clearly has something to do with Bayne and Destiny.”

“What would a demon want with a couple of dead bodies?” Mr. Cornell asked.

Dr. Cain spoke up, “Have you met your predecessor, Abel Nichols?”

Cornell nodded, “Sure, I studied with him for years.”

Cain rolled her eyes, “How about seeing him after he died? Have you seen him after his death, reanimated for specific reasons as a monster?”

“Sure,” Cornell said and suddenly his face showed his realization, “Oh, right, I get it.”

“The larger question is not what they plan to do with the bodies,” Terry said, “But rather how we can get to them, get inside whatever hanger they are in and stop them.”

“You might not want to plan on doing that,” Dr. Cain said, “Destiny and Bayne are still alive.”

“Shit,” the soldier said, “This just keeps getting better.”

“I knew it,” Terry said, “Goddamn-it Genesis.”

Normally Cain would reprimand even someone as highly ranking as Peyton Terry for using her first name around soldiers but the fact was that he had a point. She had screwed up in assuming that they would be able to rely on Bullosky's forces and their own to kill the two warriors. Now Bullosky had the chance to kill them all for himself but that didn't strike as a sure thing as long as they both were fully functioning. Something suddenly occurred to her after that thought. Among the ragtag bunch she had gathered with her after rushing from her quarters earlier, her attention fell onto the tech guy, “Are you in far enough that you can check certain security doors?”

Without looking up he said, “Yes, ma'am.”

“Check top security holding cell D-24 through D-26.”

“Opened about fifteen minutes ago,” the tech soldier said.

“Son-of-a-bitch is using my plan for his gain!” Cain slammed her palm against the window and turned towards the man who was still crouched over the laptop. “We need to find the quickest way down to the hangers they are operating in and find a way to get them open. I don't care if we have to burn down that section of the facility; we have to get in there.”

“Why?” Terry asked, “Don't we want Bayne and Destiny dead? Why do we care if he does our dirty work for us?”

“Because Mr. Terry,” Cain shot a sideways glance at him, “He is going to take control of their bodies and then he will be the one who can bring them back as reanimated monsters to fight his battles for him. That was my plan, my idea and worst of all, he is planning to do it with my secret weapons nearly guaranteed to nullify Bayne for at least a critical few minutes.”

“Nullify Bayne?” Terry asked in a shocked tone, “What the hell secret plan do you have to do that and why are you just coming up with it now?”

“That's a complicated and top secret answer Mr. Terry, one you are privy to but not in current company.” The soldiers looked up at her after the comment and she only glared back, “Don't act like you all don't know that things go on here you don't know about. If I die today it will be with my top secretive and highest security information intact.”

Most of the soldiers simply looked back towards the corridor to ensure they were prepared in case something tried to attack them but one looked back at her, “I understand that ma'am but I do have a question. If Destiny is still alive, then that means she did not die in a final stand while killing Bayne. If that is so then why is she being hunted and why now do you want her dead? Some say she is a traitor, I heard it through rumors swirling but that doesn't sound like the Destiny I knew. What is the real story there?”

Dr. Cain spared the soldier a glance, “You don't expect me to answer all of those questions do you soldier?”

His head dipped slightly, “No ma'am.”

“Look,” Dr. Cain said after a thought of what Dr. Isaiah had told her in her room about the soldiers possibly trusting Destiny over her, “Her time here did not end in the way you were told it did but rest assured I didn't simply kick her out. She chose to leave and did not plan on returning. Some soldiers knew different truths because some were in the detail that escorted her out of O.A. the final time with force. Some were not. Just make a decision and pick someone to trust but if you are not going to trust me and my decisions as the president of this operation, find a door and walk the fuck out of it.”
              All of the soldiers seemed to take a minute to think, likely comparing what rumors they had heard about Destiny's leaving to what she had just said, and then they got back to their respective jobs. Dr. Cain went back to her current job which happened to be trying to figure a way out of this situation with her reputation intact. As the soldiers with her clearly began to question her motives and her word, she realized that it might not be as easy as it had been in the past. Still, what she had told them about Destiny was true, just not complete in nature. It should at least serve to keep them on her side for a time. For the first moment since Dr. Isaiah walked out, she regretted doing something to hurt him so, though not because of his ability as a doctor but because he claimed to have a plan to keep the soldiers from trusting Destiny. Now she would likely never know what that plan was and at least part of her had the general idea she might need it.

“Dr. Cain,” the tech soldier said as he stood while still carrying the laptop, “I have a way down there but there could be problems along the way.”

“What kind of problems?” Cain demanded.

“I cannot say for certain ma'am,” he replied, “Its just that this is the only path still available to us which leads to about a ninety-five percent chance of it being a trap. Still, it is the only way. Should we go?”

Dr. Cain shook her head at how Bullosky had swiftly moved to take charge of the operation. Now she would have to battle her way through her own fucking facility if she hoped to salvage some of the hard work she had put into this entire final stage of action against Bayne and Destiny. It could get them all killed but the thought of not only not being able to bring Bayne back as a monstrous but obedient soldier for her but of Bullosky doing it instead, made the risk worth it. If she died, she died. She pulled out her weapon and started walking in the direction the tech soldier had pointed, “Have your highest caliber weapons available people. We are likely going to have to fight through demons and zombie-demon hybrids to get through to where we need to be. Let's move!”

As a unit they all moved out with most of them in front of her but still leaving a couple behind her. After glancing at the way they had to take, Cain had no doubt that this was Bullosky's plan and that it was a damn good one. Still, she had the best soldiers left on the planet and if anyone could get her there in time to stop Bullosky from getting away with his power grab, they could. Either way, it was well worth the risk.