BREN
"Help me close the damn door!" Peter exclaimed, shutting the doors down.
Alfie closed the other side of the double doors while I scrambled to find something to jam the doorway with. I found a pipe and slipped it through the handlebars. Those vectors wouldn't be able to open it even if they had the strength to push doors with their tiny bodies.
If they can burst through an air vent, they can probably open doors, I thought.
Indy kept barking at the door. "Indy, be quiet," I said, petting around his scruff, trying to calm him down.
I looked around, and everyone was accounted for, well, except for Monica and Isaacs.
"What the fuck was that!" Edgar screeched. "What in the fuck were those things?"
Marie cried, "We left Monica! We should go back!"
Paloma pulled Marie into her embrace. "Calm down, Marie, we can't do anything for her. She was surrounded...we were surrounded by those things. There's nothing we can do," Paloma said, and Marie cried harder on her chest.
"Those were freaking babies!" Aubrey said while trying to shush her daughters from crying too loudly.
"What now? What should we do?" Aria asked me.
The map! "Isaacs has the map."
"What?"
"He has the fucking map. We left it!"
Shit, shit, shit, shit...
Yousef groaned loudly. "Now, what are we really going to do?"
"We keep moving," Logan said, looking at me for confirmation. "We keep moving and keep those things as far away from us as possible. Make sure none of us got bit, okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah. We keep moving. This ward looks clear, so at least we're safe for now."
"Not with a honcho running around. Did he controlled those babies?" Deon said.
"How are we going to find the stairwell without a map, much less a guide into the sewers? We lost our damn guide!" Peter said.
Everyone looked at me.
I tried to compose myself. Now more than ever, I shouldn't lose it. This is so fucked up! "Well...the sewers follow the roads, right? Manholes and stuff, anything that can be easily accessed for maintenance workers to enter the tunnels. The hospital's sewer entrance should be at least two thousand feet from the pumping station as long as we keep in line to the riverfront park, well, until we get past under the soldiers guarding the ramps to the bridge."
Peter scoffed. "How are we going to see the park when we're underneath it?"
"There should be signs. As I said, sewer lines usually run parallel with the road above, especially in downtown areas in most cities. It's the sewers, guys. It's dark, but I know the city doesn't want to get their workers lost down there, so I'm sure we can find our way out. So, let's find the stairs."
The doors rattled, and a few dozen crying babies screeched through the gap as if that would change our minds at unlocking the doors, trying to gain sympathy.
Bernadette, Marie, and Nico burst into tears while Russell kept shaking his head and muttered, "This is so messed up. This is so messed up."
Through the gaps, I could see the teeth growing on the babies' mouths, uneven, jagged as if hastily grown through its tiny jaw. Whatever this disease was, it was mutating them fast. They had thicker skin, and each varied in size, which I assumed was because of the age difference. I saw one who looked like a toddler. And they must have been growing those teeth and claws for a long time, meaning these babies had been infected for weeks, probably when this hospital was infested! How many people had this honcho ambushed? I shuddered to picture it.
Then, the honcho peered through the gap, trying to pry the door off the hinges, but he didn't have the strength to do it alone, especially when his army was literally babies. He got frustrated and beat against the door and walked away, probably trying to find another way in. I was tempted to shoot him there, but if I killed him, I'd still have to deal with a swarm of those crawlers, yes, crawlers, and I wouldn't risk that.
"Guys!" I shouted. "Come on. Let's go find the stairs."
We darted down the hallway; my shotgun pumped and ready for any vector that might crawl out of any air vent we passed. Every little thump I heard made me think of those little fuckers trying to jump out of the grating.
I tried to recall what I saw on the map. I knew that we eventually had to reach the domed foyer, the hospital's main entrance, with its big open layout to accommodate all five floors; it shouldn't be hard to miss.
And I was right. We had to turn a corner two more times to the left just to find it.
We ran out of B-Wing and into the oval-shaped foyer with a glass domed-shaped ceiling above. Emergency lights snaked around the white marble stairs, which followed the foyer's layout, spiraling all the way up from the fifth floor down to the barricaded entrance. Dozens of dead bodies lay on the ground floor, sometimes in a pile; others were strewn and contorted into different positions across the space.
I spotted the A-Wing sign across the foyer, on the same floor as us.
"There!" Barry pointed at it, leaning over the balcony railing.
Suddenly, the dead bodies' heads snapped and looked up, all of their two-pupil eyes trained at new prey—all twenty of them. For a split second, we all froze, staring into each other.
"Run," I said.
The vectors went into a frenzy and bolted toward the spiral staircase like trained dogs on the whistle.
We can make it! I thought. They were on the ground floor while we were on the third floor. We can make it into A-Wing!
I ran as fast as I could. The vectors' shrieks and cries echoed across the foyer until it was the only sound beating against my ears aside from the loud panting and huffing as the others followed me. I made the mistake of looking over the railing where the first vectors had already reached the second floor, a few more steps to go before they'd reach the second set of stairs toward the third floor...and we were only halfway to the doors. At this range with my shotgun, I wouldn't do much damage until they were close.
Ahead of me, Peter stopped in his tracks and raised the rifle. He got lucky on the first shot, hitting the first vector that reached the second set of stairs square on the chest and went down to the ground. The next few didn't land, and he's wasting time—time he could use running—for the door.
I reached him and grabbed his collar, dragging him with me. "There's no time! Run!" And I was glad Peter didn't argue.
Alfie, Gus, Yousef, and Aria reached the doors first, bursting in with guns drawn. Yousef then turned around and screamed, "Clear!"
"I'll clear us a path!" Aria said and dragged Alfie, Gus, and Yousef with her deep into A-Wing.
The vectors were already halfway on the second stairs. Peter and I reached the door next. I slung my shotgun around, pulled Betty out, walked over toward the railing, and started shooting. I wanted to stop as much momentum as I could from the horde. I caught one at the back, but it merely took him down to the ground, alive and still kicking. Deon and Noodle reached the door.
"Get inside!" Peter shouted at the others.
Logan and Peter joined next to me and started shooting, and Indy kept barking next to Logan's legs. Behind us, Paloma, Nico, Edgar, and Marie just reached the door and ran inside. Miguel hauled Diana into his arms and ran, dragging Aubrey (carrying Wanda) with him.
"Come on, mama! Pick it up!" Charlene urged Bernadette to run faster.
"I'm trying, hija! I'm trying!" Bernadette cried out, but her gait dragged a bit, a limp.
I knew she had a bad knee, and she's not going to make it. "Logan, we need to buy the others time!"
I opened my bag and got my Molotov cocktail out, flicking the lighter on and lit the wick. I threw it over the stairs, making an arc, and landed on a couple of vectors, who all burst into flames. The other vectors avoided the blast zone, still adamant at getting to the stairs. Peter stepped back and threw one himself, now landing on top of the third floor and slammed at the back of a vector's head. He screamed, running in the opposite direction before hitting the ledge and went over the rails, falling to his death on the lobby below.
The first vectors reached the third floor just a few feet behind Barry and Russell. I quickly aimed at the nearest vector on Russell's back and pulled the trigger, hitting him on the shoulder and then on the neck. He went down. Russell shot me a grateful look.
Miguel and the kids reached the door, and he handed Diana to Aubrey, running back to get Bernadette.
"Sorry about this, ma'am!" he said and picked up the old woman. She was a tiny old lady, thin and light, and Miguel hauled her over his shoulder and ran. Bernadette let out a yelp, but she didn't complain.
The vectors were gaining on Russell and Barry.
"Hurry up!" Logan screamed. They're almost on us, and both Peter and Logan prepared to shut the door once the two reached us.
But then Russell pushed Barry to a potted plant, sending the man crashing into the foliage. The vectors veered toward Barry instead, and Russell kept running toward the door.
"What the fuck!" I yelled and ran out. Russell bolted past me without so much as remorse and ran inside A-Wing.
Barry dove behind the counter of a Jamba Juice cart just before a vector almost swiped his back. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed anything he can throw at them: cups, plastic forks, a blender, which hit one vector on the head, and sent her crashing to the ground. He had an opening to the left, and I just got to make sure Barry had a wide berth to take it.
I unslung the shotgun and blasted a hole through a vector rushed toward me. Then, I took another Molotov cocktail and lit it up.
Peter took a couple of shots, hitting two more vectors that tried to flank me from behind.
"Barry! On your right!" Barry looked over there and nodded. "Go! I'll clear a path!"
I threw the Molotov cocktail at the vectors congregating near the counter and by the potted plant, and they lit up like a massive bonfire. Barry shielded his eyes and crawled out from under the counter. Before a vector in a doctor's blood-drenched white coat could grab him, the vector's whole head exploded, and Barry ran.
"That's it! Come on!"
Once Barry ran past me, I made the mistake of looking back at the mass of bodies crying for my blood. I literally dove through the entryway as Peter and Logan shut the door a second before the vectors reached it. One nurse in dark green scrubs had wedged his arm and foot through the gap, but Deon managed to step in, put the barrel of the gun on the guy's head, and pulled the trigger. The vector went down, taking his arm and leg with him, and Peter and Logan could close it properly. Noodle broke the emergency box for the fire axe and wedged it through the handle, preventing the vectors from pushing it open.
"That'll hold, but I don't know how long," Noodle said.
Logan grabbed my arm and pulled me off the floor. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said. "And I'm pissed."
I whirled around and walked over to where Russell leaned on the wall, huffing from exhaustion. When he saw me approaching, he raised his hands, begging, "I...wait, wait, wait, I can explain!"
"I don't fucking care." I punched him in the mouth.
Russell reeled back, cupping his hands over his face as he slumped to the floor. I kept my fist to my side, trying to ride the pain snaking up my arm.
Barry walked past and spat on him.
Russell glowered at me. "Like you care! You know that guy raped someone!"
Barry seethed. "For the last time, Russ, I didn't know fucking rape anyone at that party because I was too fucked up in Four Loko and vodka for my dick to be that happy, asshole!" He was about to kick him when Noodle and Deon stepped in, pushing Barry back. "Let me through! Let me through!"
"It's not worth it, man. It's not worth it," Deon said.
"Are we done here? Can we all go and find those damn stairs and get the fuck out of here?" Peter asked.
Alfie and Gus returned to the hallway, Riki nestled in his pocket. "We found the stairs!" Gus said enthusiastically.
We followed the others to the stairwell where Yousef and Aria were waiting. Aria gave a funny look at Russell, the latter still nursing the punch I gave him. She looked at my hand and understood what happened.
"The coast is clear," Yousef said seriously.
Aria winced. "Well, we didn't hear anything down there, so we think there aren't any vectors."
"Plus, you probably attracted a bunch of them after all that noise," Charlene said.
Let's hope not. "Alright. I'm gonna lead. Logan, Alfie, and Aria; cover my back. Peter, Deon, Noodle, and Miguel, you four should guard our rear. Make sure none of them get behind us. The rest stays in the middle."
I opened the stairwell door, leading with my shotgun. Shining a flashlight over the walls, I didn't see any figures standing under the shadows or waiting to ambush us. Confident that the coast was clear, I opened the door wider and went in, and the others followed. We climbed down the stairs in silence, occasionally cautious every time we hear a commotion behind the exit doors we passed, making sure we didn't make enough noise to attract the attention of a vector behind the door, or worse, the same honcho sulking with his army of infected babies. Even now, I shuddered to remember what those things looked like. Poor Monica, I thought. She didn't deserve that, and neither did Isaacs.
We reached the ground floor, and there was an extra stairwell leading down into the basement. Making sure everyone was still with me, catching a curt nod from Logan, I climbed down the stairs toward the door labeled: EMPLOYEES ONLY.
I opened the door.
It opened to a long hallway, the same scheme as the hospital's corridors, only this time, the rooms dotting the hall weren't for patients. Here, I read placards for the IT department, a few offices for both maintenance and custodians. A hall led to the morgue, and then one for the generator and engineering room. I was surprised none of the vectors had made it its home yet.
We didn't have to go there since I followed the arrow pointing to the maintenance room. The hallway led us down another sent of the metallic spiral staircase into a second basement. This one didn't have as much polish or wallpaper, but concrete unpainted slabs of stone, leading only one way to a yellow metal door with a chrome wheel on the middle.
I studied it for a few seconds. "Uh. I guess this is it?"
Logan shrugged and approached the wheel, turning it until the latches click. Three clicks it made, one louder than the other, and by the time we got to the third, the door made a little hiss before Logan could push it open. The smell hit us right away.
"Oh, shit." Logan covered his nose with his arm.
"Yep. Shit, alright," I said, chuckling to myself. I tried to breathe with my mouth instead of my nose.
I entered the sewers. There was a four-foot-wide platform flanking the murky dark waters—the sewage. I realized I could tell the current was going in one direction, which I assumed must be towards the river where the sewage pumping station was! Perhaps this was easier than I thought. The current went right.
"We go right," I said.
"Are you sure?' Alfie asked.
I looked around just to make sure. I saw a ladder leading to a storm drain and then to the streets above. "Hold on a minute."
I climbed the ladder all the way to the top. I couldn't possibly open the storm drain with proper tools, but as I peered through the grating and tried to identify what I could see, I recognized the parking garage, which faced away from the river. Which meant that if we went right then turned right again, we'd face the river. I climbed down to find everyone waiting for me at the bottom.
"We go right," I said, and with confidence.
——
The Front Street Sewage Pumping Station was a nondescript masonic building near the bottom of the Beltway bridge, small and unordinary, looking more like it belonged next to a warehouse than be considered a government building.
Without Jun, it fell on me to scout where the ladder Murray had mentioned. It was supposed to be near the pumping station, so all I had to do was find it. I left the others in the building, not wanting to attract too much attention, especially when there was a more military presence around the ramps and by the checkpoint than anticipated.
A patrol would occasionally drive down South Street every five minutes, but then on the exit ramps, dozens of trucks, tanks, and vehicles, and then hundreds of soldiers lined up to get into the bridge, preparing to cross it after doctors and nurses check for their temperatures and vital signs on the checkpoint. I could smell the smoke of the city burning, the explosions much closer than I imagined. What on earth is going on? It seemed the entire military was in full retreat! They were supposed to stay in downtown HQ to regroup and reroute the Alphas, at least that's what Murray told me.
Helicopters flew over the bridge and the city, and I spotted a couple with an MSNBC and CNN logo on them. Then, a black hawk would fly close by, and the pilot would warn them to stay away from the area with a bullhorn. I hoped Murray and Jun made it out in time and out of the way from this shitshow.
I found the latter by my third run around the pillars, near the abutment. I went back to gather the rest and led them to the ladder, ensuring we didn't attract any eyes from the bridge. Though, I doubted they'd be looking down when they already got their hands full with an entire regiment in full retreat!
I turned to Peter and said, "You should go up first, make sure everything up there is clear. Take Miguel with you."
"Are you sure?" Peter asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I gotta make sure everyone made it up there in case a vector comes through here. I don't want to leave everyone down here unguarded, and it's better if it's me."
"Then, I'm staying," Logan said and stood next to me. He crossed his arms and held his ground, and I had no energy to argue about this, so I gave him a nod.
Peter looked at me then at Logan, still not sure whether he should do it. With a sigh, he began to climb. "I better see you up there," he said.
I smiled. "You will."
Miguel followed but not before giving me a fist bump and thanking me for all I had done. "Seriously. I owe you a thousand steaks, burgers, and fries, my man."
"When I find the ingredients, I'll let you cook them."
Miguel chuckled. "Alright. I'll wash the dishes, too. That's how much I owe you." And he started climbing.
I kept Alfie as a lookout just in case someone from the road decided to investigate. It took almost ten minutes to get everyone up to the catwalk suspended underneath the bridge. Every time someone made it off the ground and up the ladder was a swell in my heart, feeling like we were almost near our goal. I kept looking over the river then up the catwalk, where Peter started to lead some folks across the platform. Miguel stayed behind and helped lift the others still on the ladder and hauled them onto stable ground. When everyone had made it, I called Alfie to climb next, then urged Logan to follow.
Logan handed me all the content inside his backpack and, and once he had enough space, he placed Indy inside with the little mutt's head sticking out of the opening, softly whimpering.
"Don't be scared, Indy. It's only going to be a short trip," I said.
Logan smiled at me. "See how easy it is to have a dog around?"
I rolled my eyes. "Shut up and climb."
"Yes, sir," Logan said sarcastically. "Enjoy the view."
I didn't know what Logan meant at first until I was halfway up the ladder. I looked up and found I was staring at Logan's butt, and I realized what he meant. I let out a disappointed sigh and continued climbing.
The catwalk was narrow; barely two men could walk and fit shoulder-to-shoulder. Indy was struggling inside the backpack, wanting to be let out. We were too scared to drop him when the railings on both sides had a wide gap for the dog to fall through accidentally. Even Miguel and Aubrey piggyback carried Wanda and Diana so that they didn't fall off the platform. With a cool night, condensation would set in fast, making the catwalk slippery.
Logan tried to calm Indy down by wearing the back on his chest instead, making sure that Indy got a look at him. Instead, he got full-on dog kisses slobbered all over his mouth.
"Alright. Alright! Jeez, dog! This is not a free-for-all!" Logan said.
"Aw, he likes you," Alfie said.
"Here. You can have him."
Alfie shook his head. "No, thank you."
Gunfire and screams came from up the exit ramps. I heard the thunderous shake of the bridge as thousands of people desperately ran up the pavement and into the bridge. A soldier screamed through the bullhorn for everyone to stop and follow the protocols as gunfire rapidly increased. The explosions I heard earlier felt like a hair-length away.
Logan stared at me, worried.
"Move. Move faster," I said. The others up ahead didn't have to be ordered what the commotion above us meant. Vectors had reached the bridge—the horde sweeping across the city.
The bridge was three thousand feet long, and we covered about half of that by the time people were screaming and shouting above. A mortar shell hit right behind me, and the concrete traffic barrier burst into chunks, raining down into the roaring river below. Another shell punched a hole through the road, and a tank caved in, falling through the new hole, but its broad shoulders lodged onto the gap, preventing it from fully falling into the water.
A soldier climbed out through the hatch, and we briefly locked eyes before a soldier from above shot him on the head.
A high-pitched hum pervaded the air, just at the edge of my hearing. More explosions now, coming from the bridge itself! People running—fighting—desperately clamoring to get away from a burning city without any hope of resurrection. I saw two men fell off the ledge and swallowed by the waters, and in my vain attempt to be careful, I almost slipped through the icy platform and followed them. Luckily, I managed to hold onto the rails. All of Logan's stuff in my backpack made me a little wobbly.
And there, a tortured twang of metal buckling like snapping guitar strings. A fighter jet flew above, and I heard the familiar hiss of smoke, a split second, silence that cut through the wind, and a much bigger explosion shook the bridge. Hairline cracks began to form. I could see it running down the length of the bridge, weakened by the blast. I felt the vibration in my stomach, growing stronger as we pushed out into a jog, felt a slight jolt here and there, never minding to be careful since the bridge could collapse at any moment!
As if a million gunshots and cannons burst at once, the cables snapped loose from the concrete, from the anchorage, whipping out across the bridge and tearing the suspension out of the moorings. The bridge began to tilt, and I could feel it dragging the catwalk with them.
"It's gonna fall!" Logan screamed as Indy kept barking at the roof.
"I can see that!" I said.
A wave rippled, an orchestra of a thousand whales moaning into a horrifying song as the deck behind me crumbled in front of my eyes and fell into the waters below. The catwalk trembled briefly before it also gave in. A slab of concrete cut through and severed the suspension inches away from where I stood. Then, the catwalk tilted some more. Alfie, Logan, and I had to grab hold of the railings to make sure we didn't just slip out.
Then, Indy shifted inside the bag, and the zipper slid open. Another deck fell behind us, bringing in hundreds of people standing on it, including tanks, trucks, and a section of the checkpoint. The catwalk accelerated its tilt. More cables failed. Luckily, the bridge deck ahead of us wasn't as affected by the collapse, still supported by the towering large piers. All we needed to do was reach that side, jump, and we'd be safe!
The zipper opened wider, and with the bag at half tilt, Indy slipped out. I reached out to catch him, but my index finger barely grazed his collar as he flailed for solid ground.
Indy fell into the river, swallowed by the roaring current. I didn't see him resurface as far as the light from the fires engulfing the bridge could reach.
"Indy!" I screamed.
"No!" Logan cried out.
The catwalk snapped in half, strained by opposite cables buckling against the tension, springing upward from the force. The section of the catwalk I stood in slowly listed westward, straining against the weight. I held onto the railings as I made my way to the edge, felt like I was climbing on a trampoline while being shaken through a roller coaster. The noise was deafening, roaring against my ear, and I could not even hear Logan shouting something at me.
Ahead, Most of the others had made it to the other platform. Only Logan, Nico, Alfie, Edgar, Russell, and I remained on the other side.
From the other platform, Paloma and Peter extended their hand out for Edgar to jump.
"Jump!" Paloma urged him against the crumbling concrete above us, cracking as slabs fell into the water.
Edgar tried to gain momentum by swinging his body left and right. When he got the rhythm, he jumped, extending his hand out to grab either Peter or Paloma's hand.
But he fell short, and he plummeted into the churning waters without a scream.
The catwalk tilted into a forty-five-degree angle. We could no longer walk on it properly except hold on to the railings for dear life.
Then a large slab slammed against the railing where Nico and Alfie dangled. Nico lost his grip and fell, and Alfie could only hold on two seconds longer.
The slab's force sent the catwalk swaying closer to the other platform. My grip was starting to fail, and I couldn't hold on much longer. Logan propped his legs on the opposite rail and almost crab-walked toward the edge, but Russell wanted to go first. He tried to take over the same rail as Logan did, but they did not have enough space for two people to gain enough momentum for a jump.
I watched in horror as Russell elbowed Logan on the chest, Logan's hands slipped off the rail, and he fell, flailing as Indy did, anything to hold on to, but there was nothing there. Only the cold air before the rough waters below swallowed him, too. I didn't realize the blood-curdling scream I heard came from me.
"You bastard!" I yelled. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
I took off my backpack, unloading the extra weight. I swung my body, wishing that Paloma and Peter wouldn't grab Russell's hand when he jumped as he tried to gain momentum himself. And a second before he would, I latched onto his back, clinging on his shoulders as I screamed against his ear.
"You killed him!"
"Get off me, asshole!" Russell squealed.
"I'm going to fucking kill you!"
"I said get off me!"
I pulled at his hair until I ripped a chunk out from his skull. I scratched his face until I drew blood on his cheeks. I ignored his screams and kicks as I wrapped my arm around his throat and tried to choke the life out of him. If I die tonight, I am taking this asshole to hell with me.
Peter was screaming at me, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. Suddenly, a violent jolt, and this time, the catwalk's tilt accelerated not a 100-degree angle. We were literally dangling over the waters.
Russell tried to kick me off him, and I was beginning to slip, going down, until I was barely hanging onto his waist pants, pulling them down accidentally, and exposed his Batman boxers.
"What the fuck are you doing!" He screeched.
Another explosion rocked from above, and a piece of rebar flew out, struck Russell square through the chest.
There was a moment of silence, just for a split second as if time had skipped a beat. I saw Russell's fingers slipped as his eyes went cold and empty.
And then I was falling...
And falling....
And falling.
A swell of water swallowed me on my way down. I couldn't breathe. My lungs were burning like I was being roasted in the oven, and the only thing I could do was push back against the water, tried to find the surface, but I was scared I was badly disoriented, and I'm actually swimming toward the bottom.
Finally, I felt the cool kiss of the wind on my fingers, then my arms, then my face. I took a big gulp of air, swallowed some of the water as the current took me violently downriver.
But the last thing I saw was a boulder jutting out of the waters, waiting for me, and I had no choice but to brace for impact and felt its cold, mossy surface slammed against my body before the darkness took hold.