Zombie Theorem: The End Game (21 page)

He spoke into his radio, “Apache, Vic, and Cupcake, leave your teams in position and get your butts in here. We need to do some door kicking.” They answered back quickly.

Doc was standing by and heard the radio call. He dropped his pack and ordered his team to stack up at the hallway for support and Kuppers’ team would be on the outside door to protect our rear. Soon Apache, Cupcake, and Vic appeared at the door. We dropped our gear and checked pouches to make sure we had plenty of ammo. I handed my M4 over to a soldier standing nearby and swung my trusty shotgun around to my front. I checked my load out and pumped a round into the chamber. We moved quickly but smoothly to Brian’s held position.

We broke into two teams to handle a door on each side of the hallway. Apache, Cupcake, Vic, and Doc formed one team. While Brian, Kuppers and myself formed the other. We took the right side, and moved down the hallway to our first door. Our back up team moved up and sighted down the hallway to protect us as we cleared each room.

We stacked up at our first door with Kuppers on the left side of the door and me on the right. Brian stood in the middle, waiting for direction from Kuppers to take the door down. I raised my hand, stopping him in his position. I reached out slowly for the door and turned the handle. I smiled at Brian, and then slowly pushed the door open. Brian moved past me and Kuppers followed him. I slipped in behind them and moved left to cover my area of responsibility.

Brian stood in the middle of the room as Kuppers moved in to the right. I scanned the room over the sites of my shotgun. I saw a set of beds on the side of the wall, that had one man asleep on it. I moved forward and retrieved my zip-ties and prepared to restrain the man. Brian moved in and grabbed the man’s elbows and pulled them in close together. I slipped the ties on and tightened them. Kuppers had stepped in and shoved a pair of socks into the man’s mouth, then wound duct tape around his head to hold the socks in his mouth as a gag. We checked the room and withdrew, but as we did, I saw a security badge sitting on the desk. I picked it up without thinking and slid it into one of my vest’s numerous pouches.

The other team met us in the hallway and Brian shared with them that we had one prisoner. They explained to us that they had killed two. We moved down the hallway, taking down rooms as we went. We had cleared two more bunk rooms and one room done up as an entertainment room with a TV, Xbox, and a pool table. We had run up against no other guards or persons, but the other team had taken one prisoner and had found the kitchen, which was loaded with fresh food, and a coffee machine. Guess who was going to brew himself a nice hot cup of coffee?

We brought the rest of the troops forward and checked with our teams outside. They reported back no movement, but were staying vigilante none the less. I radioed back to Delta and ordered them to run a patrol route one mile around the facility and check for other entrances or for Ridder patrols.

We checked the oversize door at the end of the hallway, and found it to be locked.

“I’m going to need some plastic explosives to get this bad boy open.” Doc muttered as he examined the door.

I coughed loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. As one, they turned and looked at me. “Why do you Neanderthals always think of only brute force?” Doc stood up, smoothed down his mustache, and gave me his best cowboy stare.

He turned sideways, and bent over, with a flourish I was not sure he’d ever done. “Well, Cowpoke why don’t show us morons how you are going to open that door?”

I reached into my vest pouch and took out the security card I had taken from the guard’s room, pushed my way to the front and slid the card into a small reader, installed close to the jamb and painted the same color so as not to be seen. The door clicked quietly and popped open an inch. I grabbed the edge and opened it slowly, but made sure my barrel was pointed in front of me. The door opened onto a small room that ended with a flight of stairs going down. Brian produced a wedge, I think he had kept it from the tower so, so-long ago, and shoved it under the door to keep it open. I called more soldiers up and stationed them at the door. Brian looked through them and picked out a couple of men he had used as night guards and trusted. One, was the man that he had a relationship with. 

Apache took point with Vic behind her and I behind him. Brian took up the rear with his handpicked men in the middle along with Doc, Cupcake and Kuppers. We crept down the stairs slowly. Un-like back in the tower, I gave Vic at least six steps of cushion between us. If we came under fire, clumping up would be the worst thing we could do. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel for the bad guys.

Apache raised her hand and made a fist. I was sure that meant stop. I dropped to a knee and brought my shotgun to my shoulder, I couldn’t remember what had happened to my MP5. Apache waved Vic forward, so I moved down two more steps and then back to my knees. I tracked what I could see down the sights of the shotgun.

I waited in place till Apache moved forward again, slower this time. Vic waited till he had a good space cushion, then followed. I did the same and took it one step at a time. The stairway was weird, there were no doors on the landings, it just led us down, deeper and deeper. I was sure we were entering one of the circles of Hell.

We just kept climbing down and down. We stopped after what I counted was ten floors. My nerves were crackling and driving me slightly insane. I needed to stop and take a breath. I kept waiting for my wounds to hit me hard, but except for a small twinge in my gut and being out of breath, I felt fine. Then my dream came back to me, the Angel who wasn’t Angel.

I shook my head clear, knowing that I had to get my head back in the game. No one spoke, we took a knee and listened to our surroundings and caught our breath. I heard a whirring sound and turned my head up and left to right, trying to track in on the sound. Brian tapped my shoulder and made a shrugging motion. Asking me what was up. I pointed to my ear and up. He took his helmet off and cupped his hands around his ears, trying to isolate the sound.

Brian tilted his head up then down, listening as best he could. He stopped suddenly and stayed still for a bit, then looked up and tapped my shoulder. He motioned downward and then gave me a thumbs up. I tapped Vic’s shoulder and mimicked the same motions that Brian had done, trying to relay the message. He waited a second then slowly, an understanding dawned on his face. He nodded okay and relayed the message to Apache.

She made a hold sign and slinked away down the stairs, slower than if she’d been stuck in molasses. I was amazed how she moved like a sleek Jaguar on her hands and feet. I bet you, she was just as much, if not more dangerous than those big cats. She disappeared around the next landing and was gone for five minutes. Her head and hands appeared on the landing and she made her way over to us. She waved me down to her. I crept as quietly as I could and took the stair next to her.

She brought her lips to my ear and spoke quietly. “That sound is a camera two flights down. It must be old to be making that whirring sound. I am amazed that you heard that. We can make it past the camera, since it has some glaring blind points. Pass the info up the line and we will start moving in three minutes. Tell them to stay in a single file line and move slow.”

I relayed Apache’s message to Vic and took his spot in line behind Apache. Vic turned and passed the message up and watched as it continued. Apache tapped my knee and moved out, I crouched low like she did, and copied her movements. I tightened up our spacing and stayed as close as I could without climbing up her butt. It took a while but when we made it the landing with the camera, we crawled under it and kept going.

Once we had made it passed, we came upon the concrete ground floor. End of the line that is, when we came face-to-face with a metal door. Apache tested it and found it unlocked. She looked at me and held up a hand showing three fingers. I understood that she was going to go in and follow in three minutes. I nodded my understanding and she touched my cheek, before disappearing behind the door.

When the rest of the team arrived, I instructed them to hold this position. When I had finished counting down the three minutes, I grabbed Brian and we went through the door. We found ourselves in a concrete hallway big enough to drive a truck through. I checked out the hallway walls and found no cameras. I couldn’t decide which direction to go till I heard a soft whistle to my left. Apache clicked her flashlight at me twice. I trotted to her and she gave me her patented ‘good job smile’.

“I have already checked this direction and found a couple of doors with beware toxic signs on them. I think this hallway is circular with all the rooms in the middle. Let’s bring everyone in and send a squad down the other direction and leave one at the door. We should take a couple of guys our way, and see what we can find.”

Brian trotted down the hallway to relay the orders and bring back our team. Henry appeared out of the stairway door with Joseph in tow. I waved them over. When they arrived, I pulled Joseph close.

“Joseph, you have been doing great so far. Have you ever been in here before, or know anything about this place?”

He looked back at me with wide eyes. He met my eyes and shook his head no. I had become pretty good with reading this guy and believed him immediately. I gave him a warm smile and handed him back off to Henry.

“Henry, keep Joseph right here in this alcove until I or someone else from our team comes to get him. Make sure nothing happens to him, he may be the only person alive who can cure this thing.” I pressed the issue.

“You can trust me, Dan, I will guard him with my life.” He turned and wrapped his arm around Joseph and the two melted into the dark against the wall.

Brian brought back the rest of the team and Apache explained to us what she had planned, and how she wanted things run. She would take lead with me right behind her, and then the rest of the team would follow with Brian covering the rear. She took off at a normal pace and I followed in her shadow, using the small steps again but now, I was crouched down slightly, shotgun in hand and against my shoulder, ready to aim and fire.

We stalked another fifty yards till we came upon the first door. Apache made a clenched fist at shoulder height and then dropped down to her knees. I followed suit and noticed the window in the door. She snuck up to the door and checked the handle. It moved, so we knew the door was unlocked. I called up Brian and informed the rest of the team to protect our rear and provide back up.

Brian and I approached the door on the ground, practically crawling on our hands and knees. Apache explained how she wanted to handle entry with her hands and we nodded our understanding. She crawled up to the left side of the door and I to the right side. Brian stayed on his haunches, waiting for the door to open.

I reached out and rested my hand on the handle and watched Apache count off three fingers. When the final finger fell, I pushed down on the handle and once I’d heard the lock click open, I pulled on the handle, opening the door slowly. Apache took the door from me and swung the door wide. I went in and crossed to my left and watched my sector down the barrel of my shotgun. Brian came in down the middle and stood inside the door with his M4 raised high. Next Apache appeared to our right covering her sector with her own M4. The room was a lab, at least, I guessed it was a lab. It had tables with expensive and elaborate-looking machines on them. The good part, was that it was empty at the moment.

I waved in the team and sent Apache back to gather Joseph and Henry. Brian and I checked the two small doors at the end of the room and found that one was an office while the other was a sizeable supply room with refrigeration units and tanks of chemicals. We came out of that last room and found Joseph walking through the lab, examining the equipment and computers. He looked and met my eyes as I came up to his side.

“Dan, I can make this lab work. But I do need to have qualified assistants.” He pleaded.

I laid my hand on his shoulder. “Joseph, look through the lab, I am leaving Henry and two others here to support and protect you. The rest of us will go look for those assistants.” I nodded at Henry and pointed at two soldiers standing by the door. One ended up being Brian’s crush. “You two stay here with Henry and Joseph. Protect both of them, we will be right back.”

They snapped to attention and saluted, I saluted back and collected Brian, Apache and the rest of our team. We left the room and worked our way down the cavernous hallway and on to another door. We repeated the same maneuvers and steps when we made entry. What we found, threw me for a little loop. The room was a giant kitchen, living, and entertainment room. And it was full of people sitting down for dinner. Apache yelled for everyone to put their forks down and to come out slowly to us and then to their knees. I called in the rest of the troops, but left two outside to protect our rear.

We came close to running out of zip-ties, but Brian came through with a whole pack he had placed in his side cargo pocket. I counted twenty-five prisoners. None seemed to be the soldier type to me. Instead, they looked like nerds. Sorry if I offend you, dear reader, by saying that, but really, they looked like nerds. White lab coats, pocket protectors, ties, and every single one of them wore glasses.

I left more soldiers there to watch over our prisoners while Apache, Brian, myself, and the last four men on our team moved down the hallway again. We met up with the other team led by Kuppers, coming up the other side. We all took a knee and discussed our findings. Kuppers informed us that they had found eight more guards and a small armory, along with another identical lab to what we had found, but this one had five female scientists working on something. They had also found a small stairway the led to hotel-like rooms. Obviously, the dorms.