The Undead Conspiracy (a novella)

0.5

The resort was perched at the edge of the island, on an outcropping rock. Most nights it faced a bleeding sky, the bright red of the sunset lighting up the glass front. Tonight, it was shrouded by the thick fog rolling in on the salty breeze, blocking the lagoon below. The wraparound deck was locked and all residents were inside. A single guard was pacing back and forth by the rail, his hands clutched around a small baton. It was a precaution for the danger that never seemed to come. His night-vision goggles hung around his neck, useless against the veil of moisture. He waved a flashlight at the jungle on either side. The beam barely illuminated the closest trees. He clicked it off and sighed, humming softly.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

Soft rustling disturbed the trees. Ferns cracked and leaves were pushed aside as something large ran by. The guard looked over the side. On the muddy ground he could see the small prints of a wild piglet. They liked to sniff around by the resort, looking for bits of food dropped by the residents. There were signs posted warning against attracting animals, but the table right beside the railings were a problem.

The door beeped, another guard stepped out. His flashlight shining on the ground in front of him.

"Hey Jerry, see anything suspicious?"

"Just some wild animals."

"Ah," he grinned, "those are only problems when the guests are scared their food will get stolen."

"Don't make me report you, Lee, on making fun of our guests. You get paid to chase the parrots away from their caviar."

Lee laughed. approaching the railing. The wall of fog was pushing against the exterior lights, misty tendrils recoiling. "Tonight was supposed to be a beach night. Something about a music festival. Looks like they won't be able to do it now."

"That's a bummer. It was a night off for us."

Lee cocked his ear. He looked up into his sky, waving his flashlight at the impenetrable wall. "Do you hear that?"

Jerry paused. He stood still for a minute, concentrating on the noise. There was the usual banter of birds and smaller jungle rodents. The surf crashed on the beach below. But beneath it all, was a gentle hum, like an underlying predator. It resonated across the deck, getting louder every second.

"That sounds an awful lot like-" Before he could finish, bright lights filled the sky. A large helicopter descended through the fog. Its lights flashing, propellers spinning wildly. Both guards crouched in surprise, holding onto the railing. The heavy body spun before it flew directly over the resort, disappearing once more into the fog.

"Where is that thing heading?" Lee asked.
"There's nothing on the other side of the island, besides, we cancelled all flights in here because of the weather."

"Someone's tempting fate." Lee joked. "I'll go inside and report that. Headquarters will want to know that a helicopter just went by."

"Yeah." Jerry watched the sky where it had disappeared. He remembered last year when he had first got his job here. They had given a tour of the island in a helicopter, just to give the guards the lay of the land. There was nothing passed the resort. The rest of the island was a cliff. No buildings could be built unless the jungle was cut back, which was illegal.

No helicopters should be headed back there.

✸✸✸

Carah was sure they had almost died, several times, on the flight to the headquarters. The pilot had begged for them to listen to him and wait for it to clear up, but a couple hundred dollars later he had agreed. She looked over at him. He was cringing, his hands tight around the controls. Veins were popping out on his neck as he used the sonar to keep from hitting the treetops. If the headlights around the landing bay were off, they would crash into the mountain.