Chapter 11

Chris was finally coming to. Slowly waking up, he realized that his whole body ached. It hurt to breathe, a side effect of the tear gas that had just been used on him and the rest of his men. Looking around the small cell, he saw some of his companions alongside of him in that dark and dirty cell. There was a single steel door as the only entry in or out. The cell was square in shape, steel walls and a glass window on both sides, allowing prisoners to look into the cells of the others, but not interact.

"Let us out!" Piers yelled banging on the steel door to no avail.

There were only four men in Chris's cell, the other had six. Slowly getting back onto his feet, Chris got back up to reacquaint himself with the world. He did not see Barry.

"Barry!" Chris asked "Where's Barry?"

Piers stopped hitting the steel door, a task he found to be useless, his cries for help ignored.

"Captain Burton," Piers said to Chris "Is over in the next cell."

Chris rushed over to the cell adjacent to his, looking through the glass window, he saw Burton banging on it.

"Barry!" Chris cried

"Chris! You're all right!" Barry said back!

Barry tried bashing down the window, no progress made he sunk back. The glass could not be broken, like the steel holding them in, only extraordinary luck would be able to save them now. But there luck had run out, or they would not be here.

"Chris!" Barry yelled. "We have to find a way out of here… or … or.."

Chris nodded "Right, we'll have to find a way out or.."

A voice on the loud speaker in each of the cells interrupted them.

"Ah gut, you are awake!" the voice said.

"Richtofen!" Chris, Barry, and Piers said in unison.

Chris grabbed the mic on the intercom and spoke in.

"Why are you doing this? What can you gain by experimenting on people?!"

"Now that you are awake," Richtofen went on "You vere vanting to know vhy I am doing this? Perhaps before I kill you, you vere vanting to know vhy? You zee I vas part of the unit Group 935. Ve vere researching the element from out space, Element 118. Alongside ve vere creating from it a biochemical veapon called Nova 6. "

"Nova… 6?" Chris asked, looking at Piers.

"Ja, you zee the veapon ve vere vorking on was to be used against the allies… First, Vashington DC, then Moscow and other cities."

"You're insane." Barry said ""Let us out!"

"In zee vinter of '43," Richtofen went on, ignoring their screams "Ve've received samples of a meteorite that contained zee Element 118 had an adverse reaction to Nova 6, or specifically.. those killed by zee gas. Zee element had awoken them, brought them a second life after their deaths. Zee creatures you've fought were the result of that."

"You've murdered people to create zombies?!" Chris yelled

"Ja!" Richtofen began laughing like a maniac into the speaker for several minutes. "And soon they shall prove most useful. Zee vorld is a mess and I must finish zee job!"

"You're going to use the zombies to kill everyone?!" Chris yelled

"You're insane!" Piers said, angrry that he wasn't able to bring down the insane Nazi doctor himself.

"Not only does zee element bring them back," Richtofen continued making his speech "But they're are also more powerful. "Now, I vill demonstrate vhat ve have created."

Richtofen who had been sitting safely away from the cells, unlocked a panel. On there, he typed in the pin to release the lock labled "Warning: Poison". Soon, he would have his revenge.

Barry began pacing back and forth between the walls of the cell. If he didn't do anything he would get frustrated and bored. He'd likely yell at one of the men as a result of that, though he knew they didn't deserve that. Pacing back and forth, Barry tried to keep his mind occupied.

"I have to get out of here somehow, we have to get out of here somehow." Barry thought as he slouched up against a wall. "I promised Polly and Moira and little Natalia I would return and- What is that smell?" Barry, interrupting himself had said out loud when a horrible smell had filled the room. The smell of rotten eggs filled the room, each and every man in the room began to feel nauseous, one even threw up because of the disgusting smell.

"Perhaps you vere vondering about zee smell?" Richtofen announced as he watched on the security feed that the men in the cell were getting sick. "Sulfur" he continued "is a component of zee Nova gas. Many have zee ssmell of rotten eggs just before their deaths. As for you," Richtofen addressing Chris and the others "Zee glass is for prisoners to watch as their friends die. Have fun watching them suffer

As Richtofen finished saying this, a strange green gas had begun filling the room. Pain began creeping into Barry, as the toxin began filling each and every cell in his body. Starting slowly, it felt like he was being stabbed a thousand times with white hot needles. In desperation to get out, he banged on the windows. "Out! Out! Out!" Barry had to get away, the pain clouding his mind. His vision began to fade as blood began dripping from his eyes, ears and nose. He vomited a green substance, mixed with his blood on the steel floor. Pain wracked each and every nerve, a torture that would not end. Their last thoughts clouded by the desire for death, prevented only by the sluggishness is which it came.

"The pain!" Barry yelled. "Oh my god!"

He slouched to the ground, the nerve toxin finally destroying the cells in his body.

"I'm sorry Moira, Polly, and Natalia." Barry thought, his last thoughts. "I won't be coming home."

Chris watched as his old slouched to the ground, gasping for breath, and finally died after a short few minutes of agonizing pain and screaming in agony. The five others in the cell fared no better, each dying within a minute of the other.

Barry was a strong man, he would have given his life for his friends and family. Fighting to his very last breathe, he would ensure that those he cared about would live another night. He did not die a hero, only the death of an animal, trapped by the horrific plans of others.

"Barry! Barry!" Chris yelled, banging on the glass, in a last attempt to save his friend. He gave up, and slouched to the ground, saddened by his failure. Then he felt a rage he had not felt before, he ran up and grabbed the microphone.

"Richtofen!" he screamed "I'm coming for you, and when I do I'll-"

"You vill do nothing!" Richtofen answered back. "You vill die like a dog like those before you! Now let me introduce zee Element 118."

Richtofen, back in his office, brought out another panel, and typed in a pin.

Back in the cell, Chris looked back into the adjacent cell where the corpses of his old friend, Barry Burton, and his men lie. The ceiling above opened up and came in was a crane. The crane held strange, glowing rock that had the hue of bright orange.

"I now present," Richtofen said "Element 118."

The crane continued lowering Element 118, and continued glowing brighter. Soon the corpses began to stir, and shake. They opened their eyes. Bright orange hues, like the zombies they faced before. Barry Burton was reborn, as a zombie.

"What have you done?" Chris yelled. "Barry!" he founded on the steel door. Desperately trying to escape the fate of his comrades. The other men in the room too, were banging on the steel doors. The doors held not budging an inch.

"Now," Richtofen announced on the speakers. "It's your turn. You too vill feel zee effects of zee gas first hand, and join mein army."

"No," Chris thought. "I can't die now! Not like this!"

Richtofen sat back in his office, gleefully watching the look and expressions of outright terror on the faces of his captives. He could not destroy them just yet, he wanted them to linger in this world just a little longer. He watched as they continued banging on the doors, as their previously alive comrades attempt to break the glass. This time they did not want to escape. Instead the dead men, now turned zombies, wanted to feed on the flesh of the remaining four who stayed alive. Richtofen was taking in a sick pleasure want all of this, never satisfied, always seeking more and more depraved acts of violence on others, the pain his last four had, was no enough.

Glaring at the security feed, Richtofen was ready to gas the last of the survivors, but once more, his cell phone interrupted him.

"Vhat?!" Richtofen demanded, angry his attempted murder had been interrupted.

Once more, Richtofen had been contacted by his creditors. They have had enough of him, his behavior towards him, the lack of results.

"Vell to hell with you!" Richtofen yelled. "Vhat?! You sent a strike team to take me out and steal mein research? I vill kill each and everyone of you!"

A loud explosion was heard throughout the castle, as Richtofen watched on the security feed, strange almost insectoid-like creatures began running through a large hole In the castle. They walked like normal men, even carrying guns as they shot down the zombies that approached them. One marched over to the camera and fired. The screen in Richtofen's security office had turned to static. He grabbed a brief case that contained large sums of money in the event he needed to leave the castle in an attack like this one.

"Shista!" Richtofen yelled.

He quickly ran out of the room and into the armory, he picked out two weapons, an MP-40, and a Walther p38 pistol. 'These will prove useful.' he thought

He walked around the corner and saw his Russian comrade, Nikolai, who once again lay passed out on the floor after binge drinking.

"Nikolai," He yelled kicking the drunk, 'vake up!" Richtofen kicked the drunk man, waking him up.

The Russian woke up angry.

"What is it Dr. Richtofen" he said getting up. "You've interrupted my nap."

"I have a present for you!" Richtofen said handing him a bottle of vodka. "Here is your favorite drink, Cossack. Ve also have company, go kill them!"

Nikolai made an evil smile, despite drowning his days in an alcoholic stupor, nothing excited Nikolai like a good old-fashioned killing. He picked an old pp-sh submachine gun from the wall, and headed out. The zombies were engaging the intruders, and Nikolai didn't want to miss out on the all the killing. He rushed out into the fray eager to engage the enemy.

Long ago in the Nineteen-fourties, Nikolai Belinski was an ambitious, yet psychopathic politician who ruthless killed those in his way through the ranks of the communist party of the Soviet Union. His nature intimidating many of his fellow comrades to no end. Even Stalin himself could not look this man in the eye, no one could, for in his eyes you see a creature burning with the hatred of all living things. It was rumored in Moscow that this man had many skeletons in his closet, some with the flesh still attached. It was unfortunate for this man's wife to have been having an affair with Stalin himself as one of his mistresses. Angered by this, Nikolai drove an ax into her skull. Now that he finally had the excuse he wanted, Stalin had him shipped to the front lines where wallowed in an alcoholic stupor and self-pity, in between killing German soldiers and the occasional Russian or partisan who found themselves alone with Nikolai for too long. Not long after, Nikolair met Richtofen and found himself fighting zombies. As long as the vodka continues to come, Nikolai follows each and every order Richtofen gives him.

One member of the mysterious force attacked him, jumping from an airduct on the ceiling above, Nikolai jumped on the thing, beating him over and over on the head with a vodka bottle, then tackled and punched it over and over with his fights.

"Die mudaki!" Nikolai scream not letting up with his melee

The thing let out a screech before finally giving up the fight. The body disolved, leaving behind a strange black liquid in its place.

"What the hell?" Nikolai muttered, staggering off, then taking another sip of vodka.

He left them room quietly, he had intruders to kill.