Chapter 23
The Virus Spreads
"I can take them!" Eve fired two rifles, making every bullet strike the creatures.
"No! You need to recharge!" Jeremy and his men were being surrounded, with the creatures trying to flank them. "Get those doors opened!"
"We're trying sir! Over!" The men themselves were utterly terrified. They shot and missed many times. They felt the rush of fear take away their last breaths, childhood cowardice taking over their stable soldier mentality. The fight was too quick for their reflexes. As the creatures came near the men only sprinted away rather than hold their ground. They had never seen anything like this in their peaceful lives.
There was another large door at the end of the warehouse. Near it sharpshooters shot down as many monsters as possible, but the missile behemoths began to focus upon them. The pools of blood the creatures spilled began to grow into biomass. They gave off the stench of death. Small creatures popped out, slithering close to fallen men and mutating them into the abominations.
"Covering fire!" The creatures would spawn by the dozens. They never stopped coming. Most were armed with weapons. The piercing shrieks caused fear among the men, especially Eve.
"Everyone fall back! The doors are open!" Everybody drew out of cover and sprinted to the doors. Wounded soldiers were left behind. The missiles of the behemoths rained upon the fleeing soldiers, striking many with shrapnel and blasting them away.
This seemed like a bad dream to the men, but the adrenaline kept them unfocused on the feeling.
"Let's go Eve!"
The last of the men darted through the doors before they were closed. The missiles still struck the metal, but the doors were heavily reinforced. A few creatures made it through as well, but they were torn to pieces by the men, shot multiple times even after dying. "Keep going!"
The last survivors ran through the obscured corridors with infra-red vision, trying to get away as far as possible from the warehouse. The facility had lost electricity, but the laboratories were kept going via emergency generators. The body fluids in these areas had begun to grow into biomass. Monsters were also loose in these areas.
"Don't stop!" Jeremy and Eve ran beside the survivors. Everybody tried to keep close in these sectors where nothing was certain. The only sound here was that of their frantic footsteps of instinct to survive.
140 minutes into the mission
Number of Hostiles Killed: Unknown exact amount
Time: 3:56 AM
Mission Abort
With only twenty-eight men left, Jeremy and Eve found a safe cafeteria in which to get a status report and replenish supplies. Everybody rushed in and two men were assigned to guard the entrance. All men fell on the floor or on the seats, weeping of the horrors they had fled from. Some had become mute. Everybody could now hear the voice that spoke to Eve.
YOU WILL JOIN US... YOU WILL FALL... GIVETH US YOUR FLESH AND BECOME ONE...
"What in the hell were those fucking things?" One soldier shouted, red eyes signaled his fear, demanding answers.
Jeremy approached his soldier. "I don't know." Jeremy was trying to keep his men calm, reminding them of their motto: Under great pain and adversity we will never surrender. But soon they all began to quarrel, furious with Jeremy for not warning them of the suicide mission they had thrown themselves into.
"I didn't sign up for this bullshit!" One soldier began to defy Jeremy, fingers clutched his side arm.
"Control yourself soldier!" While the men were busy weeping and arguing, Eve was beginning to realize something. Something was not right. Her hallucinations were warnings, perhaps premonitions of the imminent hell that was about to be unleashed.
DO NOT RESIST THE WRATH OF PROGRESS...
She could imagine it. She could see it all. She could hear the sirens blasting away as humans and robots would be evacuated, only to be slaughtered by unexpected attacks of the creatures. She could hear the sounds of the innocent, of children and newborns crying for help, being mutated by the unknown organism. She could see the human weakness take over. First, illusions and unanswered prayers filling the air, then the evolutionary degeneration of survivors as they became monsters, losing their civilization, killing one another for the last resource available. The world she had so built through decades of wisdom would be shattered, destroyed in a heartbeat. Then her own maladies, her growing insanity would be the ultimate obstacle between her and the fate of the world. But the fight was still not over. She could still try to stop this predicament from unfolding. The world still had not ended, not yet.
"Quiet!" Eve shouted, and everybody stopped. The men were scared of her as well, uncertain whether she was still sane (Jeremy had informed them of her hallucinations before the mission). Her face had become angry, assertive, ready to command and get everybody out alive. "We must stop this quarrel and concoct a plan to get ourselves out of here alive."
"Yes, Eve!" Jeremy said, "But how the hell are we gonna get out of here?"
Eve scanned the area, with blue lasers identifying every single component of the cafeteria and the outer parts of the room. Then she spoke, "through the air ducts."
"The air ducts?" One soldier replied to her. "Those things are too damn small."
"But it is possible. You will have to crawl, but it is that or trying to break through locked doors. I have seen this and the facility is now under code blue, the outbreak of a potent virus."
The men became silent. A morose spirit filled the room. If this was a viral outbreak, then no matter what they did, help would only kill them. It was containment protocol. The only choice of action, for Eve, would be to warn the Disease Control Faction, or possibly, the Earth Resistance Army, those brave few who would dare battle against unknown hostile species, like aliens.
"But they're gonna kill us!" The same soldier said, fear taking over his voice.
"Not if we get to them first. You will be decontaminated and used as help for experience with battling the creatures."
Jeremy came forth, still unsure. "But we still don't have any idea what the hell those things are."
"That is why we must continue the mission." Eve was hesitant, knowing the men would no longer be willing to help her or the mission. "We must find Jerry's laboratories and gather as much information as humanly possible."
"You're joking, right?" One soldier sprung forth, scoffing at such idea. "There is no way in hell I'm going to go down any further. We don't have any idea what the hell is down there."
"I am not asking for you to go. This is something I must do myself."
"What?" Jeremy could not believe her. "You're gonna get yourself killed down there!"
"I must try. Lead your men out of here, for I must do the right thing."
"Eve! You're not thinking clearly. You're not stable to go by yourself."
"The world's survival matters most to me. I must try."
Jeremy was in a predicament. He could not deny it: The world had to be warned, and they needed to know their enemies. Fear still had a grasp on him, but, "I'm coming with you."
Eve heeded his words, unable to believe her auditory ports. "No, please, you will die."
"You're gonna need help," he looked at his men, "and if they're not gonna help you, I am."
"But I do not plan to return." The mission was to gather information of the creatures and send a distress signal, not to make it out alive. The exits and entrances throughout the facility were shut, Eve had no more ammunition, and the creatures would eventually conquer this place.
"But I do. I'm going with you. My men can find their way out of here. They're strong. I already told you, I trust them."
The woman did not feel safe knowing she'd be putting her best friend in danger. He was insane to volunteer, but he was right. It was uncertain whether her hallucinating would impede her mission. She would need him. "Very well," Eve said, worried face and eyes hinted her fear but gratitude.
The plan was made. The last of the men would split up in groups of 4 and try to escape. In such a manner they would not be easy to hunt down. Eve and Jeremy would be traveling down to the underground, where they would gather data, if any, of the creatures. Once they did that, Jeremy was to escape while Eve would try to find Jerry and Ryan, though unbeknownst to her, Jerry was already dead.
"Let's go men." Everybody locked and loaded their weapons, ready for their last stand. "It's been an honor gentlemen," Jeremy said, patting them by the arm, ready to leave them. They exited the cafeteria, slowly lurking in the pitch blackness, careful to encounter the creatures.
"Let's go Eve." The men disappeared into the darkness, headed in different directions while Eve and Jeremy headed down the corridor leading to the laboratories. The fate of the free world rested upon them.
FOR EVERY STEP YOU TAKE, YOUR FLESH AND BONES COME CLOSER TO US...