Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
H ow in the seven hells am I supposed to narrow all this down to one measly backpack? Hands on her hips, Melly surveyed the piles of clothing and personal items spread out around her. The small amount of medical supplies and instruments she’d packed were in a stack off to the side, since Jeff had promised he and the men would handle those. She’d thought she’d packed a pretty minimal amount of possessions when leaving the planet where she’d done her residency at a busy MidSectors hospital, because interstellar shipping rates, even on a cheap freighter, were astronomical, but it was surprising how many keepsakes, books and other items she had. Pretty much all of those had to stay behind, although she did tuck one holo cube into the bottom corner of the backpack. The cube held reminders of her friends from medical school and her residency and those holos were a reassuring reminder of normal life someplace else than this stricken planet. Her hiking boots were a necessity, as well as the thick socks. She picked a few favorite tee shirts and two pairs of jeans and tossed in underwear, going for practicality, although she did defiantly add one set of lacy underthings. The garments took up next to no room and Melly felt the need to keep her feminine frilly side alive.
Thoughts of the captain crossed her mind. The man was built, muscles on muscles, and even though he’d kept his briefs on during the full body inspection after the sortie to the control tower, the garment hadn’t hidden much of what he had to offer a woman. Jeff was a large man everywhere. This is so inappropriate — we’re literally fighting for our lives here and I’m thinking about going to bed with him. Mind on the task at hand, girl!
Munching on a survival ration, Melly took a break, sitting on a handy container and allowing herself to daydream a little. Certainly in the normal course of things she would have made sure he had her com number—if he was interested, which she thought he definitely was—and she’d have found out where the veterans’ ranch was located. They probably would have dated and eventually fallen into either his bed or hers. Jeff Pearson was catnip and pretty close to what Melly fantasized about in private moments. Only better because he was real.
And in the middle of an apocalypse with her.
With a snort, she brought herself back to reality. Not to say there’s no possibility of anything developing between us despite the situation, but other things have to be the priority.
Melly was reaching to take the lingerie out of the backpack when Jeff’s voice came over her shoulder, causing her to startle.
“Doing okay with the packing. Doc?”
Blushing she dropped the bra and panties into the pack, hoping he hadn’t seen them, and turned to face him. “It’s challenging to winnow all my worldly goods to fit one backpack but I’m trying.”
He glanced past her at the piles of clothes and other items laid out in neat stacks. “I guess we’re so used to traveling light I didn’t think it’d be so hard for you. Those the medical supplies?”
“Yes. I wish now I’d brought more but of course I was going to be working at the general hospital here in the city and they’ll have everything.” Remembering the current situation, she revised her statement ruefully. “Or they did.”
“Remember to pack a few pairs of good socks,” he said as he made a rapid assessment of the rest of her choices. “I’ll send Zach over to pick up the med stuff. We’re doing a mission briefing in the conference room in half an hour and I’d like you to be there.”
“Of course, anything you want but why?”
“I think this will go better if you have the full picture on where we’re going and the route and so forth,” he said. “You’re part of the team for this mission, doc, so we’ve got to keep you up to speed.”
“Makes sense. I appreciate it.”
“Of course.” He left the area without commenting further.
Melly made quick work of packing the rest of her backpack and threw everything else into the cargo container, sealing it with a grimace. She had a hard time accepting the idea she’d never be able to reclaim the rest of her belongings. Despite the news holos she’d seen, she had a mental block against accepting the situation period. In her mind the city was right outside the spaceport gates, civilization running as it normally did. Her parents had to be frantic, wondering if she’d arrived and where she was. Melly tried the com again but the transmission failed, even using the neighborhood net.
“Captain’s about ready to begin the briefing, doc,” Zach said, bending to pick up most of the medical gear and supplies. “Best head on up to the conference room.”
Standing on the cold windy rooftop in the darkness, Melly swallowed hard and tried to quell the butterflies in her gut. At the briefing in the afternoon the whole exfiltration plan had sounded fine. Leave from the rooftop, quick march across the landing fields to the perimeter of the spaceport, hike into the city…but now, waiting to jump into the inky darkness, she was terrified. She flexed her arms, getting accustomed to the feel of the ultrathin battle armor which she’d been given. The same shielding covered her legs as well. If anyone had told her a week ago she’d be about to jump off a roof, wearing pieces of high tech armor and carrying a blaster, she’d have thought they were insane.
“Ready?” Jeff stood in front of her and his men were lined up, waiting for the word to move out.
She wanted to tell them to go ahead without her. She’d stay here until things returned to normal and she could be rescued but she knew that was impossible and the captain wouldn’t allow her to remain behind anyway. With a nod, she said. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Is the subaural com we gave you working?
His voice in her head was intimate and reassuring. Yes, she answered, glad she’d practiced with the unfamiliar device during the long afternoon waiting for this moment.
Remember no talking from here on out, okay, doc?
Her knees were shaking and she was afraid she was going to be sick if she stood here much longer. Can we get it over with?
He took her hand and led her to the precarious edge of the rooftop where he picked her up and took a step off into the void. She but her lip until it bled so she wouldn’t shriek as it seemed the antigrav wasn’t going to hold them up but then Jeff managed to adjust the rate of drop and glided away from the cargo warehouse. The five soldiers were deployed in a circle with them at the center, descending smoothly. Zach was towing an antigrav sled loaded with gear and supplies.
The jar of landing knocked her off balance since she’d closed her eyes and burrowed her head against the captain’s warm chest. He kept his arms around her for a long moment after their muffled boots hit the pavement. Doing all right? You handled the drop like a veteran.
Melly was sure she’d done no such thing but she appreciated his effort to keep her spirits up. I’m fine. We’d better move out.
The soldiers had already settled into a formation, with Cody at the point position and Zach handling the rearguard assignment. Silently they headed across the landing field, moving like wraiths. Melly wished she was as smooth. She was afraid her footsteps were too loud and the night vision lenses Jeff had given her created an unsettling vista which was disorienting and giving her a headache. She was strongly considering taking them off.
No motion in the terminal , Cody reported. So far so good . Couple of lurkers up ahead .
Recalculate our route two degrees to the west , the captain ordered crisply. He took her elbow to steer her in the direction he wanted them to go.
Melly had her blaster and she clenched her hand tightly on the butt of the weapon as she moved. It wouldn’t do much good if the entire horde came at them. Being out here completely exposed was unnerving and she was eager to leave the spaceport and enter territory where there were places to hide. The captain had ordered Cody to show her a few of his drone holos earlier so she could see what they were up against and why they couldn’t steal a vehicle here at the spaceport. As he’d explained to her, the parking lot and the freeway were a mess of crashed groundcars and trucks. Some were smoldering. Many appeared to have infected trapped inside and solo lurkers wandered everywhere.
Clear to the fence line, Cody said.
Glancing ahead Melly wondered how he managed to direct all the tiny drones, absorb and report their feedback and function. She’d have to ask Jeff when they reached their first destination. These soldiers were at a whole other level than anyone else she’d ever encountered. She knew the team was among the elite of the Sectors armed forces and considered herself lucky beyond belief they’d arrived at the same time she did.
By the time she arrived at the sonic fence surrounding the spaceport, Cody and Samms had already worked their techno magic to take down an entire section. How is it running if all the power is cut? she asked.
Emergency generators maybe. The strength is less than a quarter of normal, Samms told her.
She was through the gap in the fence in a moment and the group moved out again, following a little used frontage road. Even here there were crashed groundcars as well as others which had simply been abandoned, doors wide open, Jeff reminded them to keep a sharp eye out for infected. At one point she crossed a freeway bridge as she marched along in the formation and glanced over the edge. Stopping in her tracks, she barely remembered not to speak out loud. What a mess. A huge groundtruck had jackknifed, causing a major pileup, which now consisted of a blob of melted metal and scorched roadway. Groundcars were crashed into it and each other, while traffic, which had obviously stopped for the accident was eerily silent. Nothing moved in the scene of chaos except for several infected, shambling along the lines of cars. Melly didn’t see any people anywhere although the night vision showed her a number of corpses strewn around the site. The question of why not everyone turned into the mindless infected once bitten bothered her.
Anyone caught there who didn’t get out immediately didn’t stand a chance. Jeff’s assessment was crisp and he nudged her gently to get her to begin walking again.
Eventually she reached a point where there was a clear view of the city. Normally bright with lights and bustling with activity in the air and on the ground, the skyline was dark for the most part. A number of buildings seemed to be glowing and she realized with horror they were burning.
No more fire department. No more first responders at all.
Imagining what it must have been like to be trapped in an apartment or an office high up in one of the burning skyscrapers, with the infected everywhere. Melly got tears in her eyes. Her father worked downtown but only had to spend a few days a month in the office. Mostly he worked from home and she assured herself he wouldn’t have gone to the office during an outbreak. He was a cautious man, always anticipating disasters and preparing himself and his family for them. It had been a family joke for years but now she was glad. As she continued marching forward with her soldier companions Melly prayed to the Lords of Space her parents and brother were safe at home. And let us get there before too much more time passes.
Now they were entering a more urban area, leaving behind the industrial buildings, warehouses and businesses like groundcar repair. This area was more upscale, with shops and restaurants scattered among large multistory condo style residences. The soldiers were in single file, with her in the middle of the line, Jeff right behind her. Here there was the same chaos of the crashed groundcars, but there were also decomposing bodies on the street and sidewalk, many with horrific injuries. Unable to help, she averted her gaze and kept moving. Her boots crunched on broken glass and she glanced up to find she was passing a major commerce hub. High end electronics littered the sidewalk and the road, clothing with tags attached fluttered in the night breeze and she saw the glint of jewelry here and there, as if dropped as the thief fled.
Why would anyone loot a store like this in the middle of an outbreak? She expressed her astonishment over the comlink. I can see maybe going after food, if the logistics systems all broke down but there isn’t even any power. Why steal a holo player?
Society breaks down in different ways, Jeff replied mildly. This probably occurred fairly early in the outbreak, before the infected were so prevalent but after the spreading illness caused an overload on the first responders. The power might have been on at this point — we have no way of knowing. Doc?
Surprised at the change in his tone she hesitated. Yes?
I know this is your home world and the situation is hard for you but less sightseeing would be good right now, okay?
Annoyed at herself because of course he was right, she felt her cheeks growing hot and she hastened to catch up with the soldiers. Sorry.
Twenty or thirty infected a street over , Cody reported a few minutes later. Mesmerized by a fire.
Damn, we need to go in that direction. Jeff was plainly irritated at the new obstacle. We’ll go two blocks further and then cut over.
Melly thought she was in good physical shape but she was already feeling the strain of all the walking in her calves and thighs. She didn’t want to ask for a break though. She wanted to get as far away as possible from the infected in the vicinity. Time enough later to sit and rest a bit and drink some water. As they finally made the turn to go east as Jeff wanted, she was distracted by a stray cat which erupted from the building she was passing and ran under her feet. Instinctively she screamed as she fell, landing on a stacked pile of looted goods, which toppled into the street with a crash. Melly lost her balance and fell to her knees with a painful thump.
Jeff yanked her to her feet at the same moment as Cody said, That did it. The sound has attracted their attention. We need to run, lady and gentlemen.
The captain kept his iron grip on her arm, drawing her with him as he sprinted through a side street, his men in a loose formation around them. Behind her she could hear the moaning and growling of the horde growing louder. Zach fired a long blast into the front line of the shambling creatures before rushing to keep up with the others.
Another group ahead, sir. We’re going to be cut off and surrounded.
Not missing a beat, Jeff turned into an alley which took them in a direction perpendicular to the two approaching groups of infected. Milly had a terrible stitch in her side and was breathing in huge gasps when she came to the end of the alley, which was closed off by a barred gate. “We’ll be trapped,” she said in a panic, glancing behind her to see the first infected swarming into the mouth of the alley.
Cutting through the lock now, Trent said.
The rusty gate swung open with a screeching sound that seemed to inflame the infected into moving faster. Jeff shoved Melly through, two of the soldiers at his back. Weld it shut .
A blaster sizzled and she checked behind her to see the wave of infected slam into the barrier, their eyes glowing, reaching clawed hands through the bars. More were piling up behind.
Won’t last long, sir, Trent reported. The weight of the crowd behind is going to force it open eventually.
We go up, Jeff said.
At the end of the alley there was a large container for trash and Zach and Cody were already standing on the closed lid. it. As Melly ran toward them, she saw Zach make the leap to catch the edge of a hanging ladder fire escape above them and draw himself up to safety. Cody joined him and both men pivoted to face the alley.
“I—I can’t climb that,” she said in between gasping breaths when she arrived at the trash container. “It’s too tall.”
“No problem.” Before she knew what he was doing, Jeff left her side, leaping to the top of the bin and reaching back for her. Trent boosted her into the captain’s grasp and she got her footing on the top of the shifting container with a gasp. Big hands spanning her waist, Jeff lifted her and literally threw her in the direction of Zach and Cody above, who caught her hands as if she was a circus aerial performer and yanked her onto the small balcony with them.
“Climb as if your life depends on it,” Cody said, pushing her in the direction of a rickety ladder attached to the side of the building. Head for the roof. We’ll be right behind you .
Jeff and the other two soldiers plainly couldn’t get onto the balcony where she stood unless she moved. There wasn’t room for extra people. The three men stood on the trash container lid and fired at the oncoming horde of infected. Cody and Zach added their firepower from above. No matter how many of the infected the barrage mowed down, more came from behind, scrambling awkwardly over their fallen comrades in their mindless resolve to get at the living prey in front of them.
Convinced she was abandoning Jeff and the others and hating the necessity to follow orders rather than stand and fight beside them, Melly scrambled up the ladder as rapidly as she could, praying the rusty fastenings weren’t going to come out of the wall and plummet the ladder and her into the crowd below. The rungs vibrated under her hands as one of the soldiers began to climb and she tried to redouble her pace. Terror gave her strength. She wished the antigrav units could lift them all to safety but as Jeff had explained to her, the devices were for controlled descent only, lacking the impeller which would allow free flight. Cursing whoever decided not to give the veterans the top of the line equipment, she kept climbing. Finally she reached the roof and maneuvered herself over the lip of the facade, sprawling on the surface beyond like a boneless sea creature. Her legs were jelly and her arms felt paralyzed. She rolled onto her back, gasping.
Cody who’d been climbing behind her was first to arrive and wordlessly he tugged her out of the way so the next man could climb to safety. Melly leaned against the utility vent where he’d left her and tried to control her racing pulse. She struggled to get to her feet, desperate to know if Jeff and others were okay. Evading Cody’s outstretched hand, she went to the parapet and leaned over, relieved to find the captain and the other two soldiers well on their way to the roof. The infected had reached the tiny balcony, climbing on the pile of bodies but didn’t seem to understand how to climb a ladder.
“You all right?” Jeff came straight to her, taking her by the arm and pulling her away from the edge.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, tears streaming from her eyes as emotion flooded through her body. “It’s all my fault for making the noise when I fell over the damn cat.”
“The important thing is we’re all okay and in a relatively safe place. Live to fight another day and all the associated inspirational talk.” He grinned. “You’ll do better next time. We had it rigorously trained into us how to stay silent at all times—I know you’re doing your best for us, doc.” He wrapped his arms around her and Melly relaxed into the warmth of his hug for a long moment.
“What next?” she asked eventually, beginning to be a bit embarrassed to be soaking up so much of Jeff’s attention, although he didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it.
He allowed her to step away, although he remained close. “Already on it. I sent Cody and Trent into the building to see if there’s a place we can rest up through tomorrow. You stay up here with Zach on overwatch until we know the place is clear of infected. If he tells you to do something, don’t hesitate, all right?”
She nodded. “I promise. But I thought you wanted to get further into the city tonight.”
“Until the mob of infected below wanders off it’d be much too dangerous to exit, even on the other side of the building. These seemed to move faster than the ones at the spaceport, did you notice?”
“I was so busy running, jumping and climbing, I didn’t notice much at all,” she said honestly.
“I’m wondering if some of these are smarter than the others and also if the older they get the faster they move, which seems counterintuitive but we can’t take anything for granted. Or maybe we’re looking at variations in what the virus produces when it takes over a body. The whole game changes if the infected suddenly get smarter and faster.”
Melly shivered and glanced at the parapet. “The infected aren’t climbing the ladder, are they?”
“No but I’m having the guys cut the ladder loose in case an infected smarter than the others figures it out.”
“Ready, sir?” Cody stood behind them.
“Yeah, let’s go.” He gave Melly a chin lift and the two soldiers headed for the access door to enter the building, which stood open. “Close this behind us, okay, doc?”
She did as he asked, although she felt as if she was trapping them inside the building with whatever was there, then joined Zach at the edge where he stood guard.
The infected milled aimlessly below. “None of them have left yet, have they?” she asked, trying to do a rapid count.
“Doesn’t look like it, ma’am. I’m walking the perimeter to keep an eye on all sides.” He took a few steps. “If you want to stay here and keep an eye on them, that’d be a help.”
“Anything I can do is fine with me.” She settled into a more comfortable position and watched the horde at ground level. Melly thought it was a good time to gather more details about how the predators behaved but the longer she stared at them, the more she felt she was being watched herself. Finally she focused on an individual standing away from the others, further back in the alley. The man had his neck craned, glowing eyes staring up at her. At first she thought she was imagining it but the infected didn’t waver from his stance. She asked Zach to come render his opinion next time he passed her part of the roof and he agreed it was eerie.
“Do you know him?” the soldier asked. “Maybe he’s got dim memories left.”
The idea was repulsive but Melly forced herself to study the infected as best she could with her night vision lenses. To her knowledge she’d never seen him before.
She jumped a foot when Jeff touched her shoulder. “Whoa, take it easy, doc, it’s just me, ready to invite you inside to see what we found. What’s got you spooked?”
“She thinks one of the infected is fixated on her,” Zach answered before Melly could say anything. The soldier pointed to the alley, where the man could still be seen.
“Easy enough to solve.” Jeff raised his pulse rifle, sighted and took one shot in sniper mode. The infected’s head exploded as the energy bolt struck and he collapsed bonelessly to the pavement. “No more creepy admirer.”
“Thanks.” Melly was a little shocked by the quick execution but the way the infected had been watching her had given her chills. She decided she was okay with Jeff’s decision. “So did you find a safe place for us to hole up today?” she asked as the captain escorted her to the roof access.
“The building is mostly deserted,” he said, holding the door for her. “A few infected trapped in apartments here and there—you can tell by the moans and the banging on the doors—but they can’t get out. Good thing the virus makes them so stupid they forget how to open doors. And one or two alone aren’t enough to break through the nice solid doors the residents have in this fancy building. We blocked off all access to the top floor, which is one huge penthouse condo. No one home but us.”
“What if some of the uninfected people are trapped in their apartments too?” she asked as she descended a short staircase in Jeff’s wake. “Shouldn’t we check to see if we can help anyone?”