MacMillan walks over to one of the trees bearing a red glowing fruit that resembles a small grapefruit. He picks one from the tree, examining it.
"Are you sure these are safe to eat Dr. Shofer?" He asked
"Well they were intended to grant certain benefits on the battlefield so I'm certain they're still edible. I hope" Shofer said
"You know how they make em?" Brooks said
"That's another story we'd have to delve into after this is over." Shofer answered
MacMillan takes a bite out of the red fruit, he looks down at his hands trembling briefly.
"Holy shit, my muscles feel tougher with this. Taste could be better though"
"Well I'll be damned" Brooks spoke, observing the effects. He could almost see the brush on Mac's woodland colored ghillie suit bristle. The man had worn it so much to the point it could be a part of his very body.
Everyone else lines up to take a bite before advancing deeper into the biodome near the exit door. More zombies had begun to converge on their position.
Doug opens fire with his RPK, saving what's left of his Ol' Sparky ammunition. The attire of the zombies ranged from soldiers to other scientists dressed in white hazmat suits, the number 35 on the bottom of their visors. Several manage to land hits on Chris, who promptly retaliates by shooting them with his M1014 shotgun, causing grievous damage to their chests and heads.
"Shoulda stayed home today huh!"
More zombie corpses began to litter the floor of the biodome as the men continued to shoot at anything moving. Doug laughed the loudest he had ever had since his time in Afghanistan before the apocalypse. For how smart many of the freaksacks were becoming, at the end of the day they were still mindless animals.
"If I keep this shit up I'm gonna run out of zombies!" Doug exclaimed
"Oh my, you didn't call them "freakbags" this time. Call me shocked" Shofer said, slitting the throat of a female zombie running at him with his Bowie Knife.
Roughly 40 more of them had emerged from all directions, their animalistic, enraged screams and roars piercing their way into the air, almost making it hard for the men to hear their own thoughts.
Doug promptly equips the Skull of Nan Sapwe. Its jaw opens once more as the front of the weapon lights up.
Like with the Chompers, the zombies all levitate into the air, their eyes and mouths glowing blue as they all explode, bits of flesh, blood and bone pouring onto the ground are all that remain.
20 more run out from the shrubbery surrounding them to join their brethren. Out of curiosity, Doug pulls down on the left trigger, causing all of the zombies in front of the Skull to stop in their tracks completely. Their lifeless gray eyes had begun to glow white as they made motions like a drunkard, but not moving in any direction or attacking.
"That's right freakbags look in the light. It'll be the last thing you fuckin see!" Doug exclaimed
"What the fuck, it's like he shut them off." Chris said, his face frozen in surprise.
Brooks and the others take the opportunity to light them all up in this state, their bodies now riddled with bullet holes and gory wounds all throughout their wretched flesh like all those before and after them.
After this, no more zombies were in sight for now. The back of the Skull began to blink a red light.
"Shit, fucker must be out of juice." Doug said in a disappointed tone.
"There's nothing to worry about. The Skull will have to recharge itself for 3 minutes before it can be used again." Dr. Shofer said
"What? Fuck me" Doug sighed
"Come on, let's keep moving." Brooks said
Unexpectedly, deep, monstrous sounding roars can be heard near them. While they were undoubtedly inhuman, a small touch of a male's anguished scream could be made out from the sounds of rage.
The men freeze briefly from this noise, having heard nothing like it. The noises from the other freaks were somewhat scary enough, but this was from the alpha of the pack MacMillan thought, racking the bolt of his M21.
The silence and dread were all that surrounded them for a time. Everyone aimed their weapons in all directions, like a band of men from the 1800s pointing their muskets into the woods from noises they couldn't understand or process.
The sound of metal piercing flesh could be heard as Brooks looked down to see a rotted, metallic looking arm piercing below his chest, its hand bearing the same razor claw fingers as the Uber Zombies they had encountered earlier. The men all back up as the arm raises Brooks a foot off the ground.
The tall beast, possibly 7 feet bites below his neck, removing a sizable chunk of meat as he removes his blood covered arm from the hole with Brooks' corpse promptly falling to the ground.
Doug and the others look at the imposing brute that had just killed their leader without any sound or warning.
It is a tall, caucasian male zombie that has been severely mutilated, presumably by Ryder's experiments. Its exposed entrails and ribcage are bound together by metallic parts. It possesses no lips, cheeks, or nose, all having either rotted off or removed by Ryder. Its metal forearms also have fingers with sharp claws, and its teeth have all been replaced with razor-sharp nails, giving its face a macabre appearance. His only clothing consists of a pair of camouflage jeans, black boots, and a dark green combat helmet.
Several patches of his decaying, blackened flesh around the shoulders and forearms were also visible, revealing the muscle and bone underneath. He glares at them, emitting a defensive hiss.
"What the fuck, is that?" Chris whimpered, his voice trembling.
"Kami, Ryder's creation, the notes I found in his quarters mentioned this creature." Shofer replied, with a hint of fear in his tone as well. The others form pissed off expressions from not having been told this prior, but there was no time for that right now.
Unlike the other undead that would mindlessly attack straight away, he simply stood still, his eyes moving in a way reminiscent of a human soldier deciding what target to kill next.
MacMillan opens fire on the zombie as the others do the same. While it flinches and stumbles backwards, the shots do little to actually damage him, aside from revealing more cybernetics under his flesh, which too were toughened.
Doug unshoulders Ol' Sparky, shooting him once in the chest. He spasms uncontrollably, still standing up as the electricity works its way to the ground. After the effect expires, the beast shows no sign of stopping, simply walking towards them unimpeded
"Son of a bitch, fall back!" Doug ordered as they quickly obliged.
They ran towards the automated metal door coming into the sight. Chris turned his head to see Kami picking up the pace behind them, not moving in a full on sprint, but fast enough to keep up.
In a strange twist of events, the creature actually utters two words. While its voice was groggy, deep and raspy they had managed to make out what he had said.
"Help me"
"The fuck, is that thing talking?" Doug asked as they made it to the door. After exiting the room, Dr. Shofer locks the reinforced metal with his keycard he still had in his possession, keeping the beast at bay, temporarily at least.
Everyone takes a moment to take in everything that had occurred. Now with the death of their leader, someone had to take charge in the moment, and Doug knew who that would have to be.
"Now these muppets can talk, Christ almighty." MacMillan said
"Why the fuck didn't you fucking tell us about that motherfucker?!" Chris yelled to Shofer
"I was, but more of the infected were coming and,"
Before he can finish, Chris grabs him by the shirt and pins him to the wall, his left elbow pressed against his neck.
"This isn't some science experiment man. Your fuckup just got Brooks killed. Do you understand that?!" Chris asked, yelling at the top of his lungs. MacMillan promptly pulls him off, putting him in a chokehold.
"Get the hell off me man!" He shouted
"Chris enough, stand down! Doc isn't our enemy." Doug commanded
Chris looks over at Doug's stern face, it having the same eyes that every soldier had when losing a man.
"Motherfucker" Chris said, looking in Shofer's direction as MacMillan let him go, walking away from him. A look of remorse and regret begins to form on the scientist's face, having come to see Brooks and everyone else as brothers, the only thing close to family he had left. He wisely decides to not apologize, fearing this would piss off the man more.
"Come on, we don't have time for this shit. Let's move before that big bloke gets out." MacMillan said
"This way, the left building contains the garage. There should be vehicles in there somewhere. Hopefully at least one has fuel." Dr. Shofer said
The men fought their way through the hallways and laboratories that they had just gone through, shooting down every zombie in their way. They resupply on ammunition in the Weapons Lab. Dr. Shofer uses the Weapons Crate again, receiving an M4A1 with an M203 and suppressor attached.
"This weapon belongs in the hands of a barbarian. Luckily I have devolved into said barbarian."
Doug kicks the Crate next, only to receive nothing as a pre-recording of Dr. Ryder's creepy, sick laughter begins to play. It promptly sinks into the ground as the metal platform it was on closes.
"What the fuck, you never said this bitch had a usage limit!" Doug exclaimed, pissed off to hell.
"It doesn't, Ryder must've rewired the Crate's programming somehow before we came." Shofer replied
Various banging and clunking noises from the vents above them can be heard as they look up, becoming louder and louder as the source gets closer.
Everyone raised their weapons, ready to fight. Kami bursts out from above the vent. His claws sprout forth from his mechanized hands, growling menacingly as he advanced towards the Rangers.
"Looks like that roided out freakbag wants to pick a fight!" Doug exclaimed, firing his weapon into his chest.
The beast moves quickly with precise, humanlike movements as it rolls about to evade the gunfire. It rams Shofer and Doug into the ground before slashing at Chris, who barely dodges. MacMillan fires his M21 into his back, drawing his attention as he charges at him.
He retracts the claws of his right hand before grabbing MacMillan by the throat, causing him to drop his weapon. Kami roars in his face but doesn't strike, almost toying with his prey.
MacMillan begins to hit his arm with his free hand in a futile attempt to escape his hold.
"Get the fuck off me!" He said, grabbing the black combat knife holstered on his right. He plunges the blade into the remaining flesh of his arm. It roars in pain as he drops him, a robotic sounding roar. MacMillan coughs as he picks up his weapon and stands back up. He takes the blade out of his arm, black blood gushing out before tossing it aside.
He continues to swipe at them with its claws as the others fire every round they have to no effect. Every bullet seemed to have only made the creature angrier.
"Why won't this fucker go down?!" Doug said, seething in rage
Kami then picks up a toppled trash can next to him, throwing it at Shofer. He is unable to dodge as he's knocked to the floor, yelling in pain as he struggles to get on his feet.
"Fall back!" MacMillan said as they retreated to the reinforced steel doors of the Weapons Lab. Kami lumbers after them, groaning deeply and walking in a very menacing, humanlike manner akin to a slasher movie villain, unlike the typical drunken, diseased walks of the others. The doors quickly close as Shofer activates the locks, trapping him inside for the time being as they make their way to the garage.
"God, this fucking thing is hunting us. It is actually bloody hunting us." MacMillan said
"And it is capable of speech, unlike every infected we have encountered that only possesses intelligence comparable to a beast in the wild. I must study its brain after it's dealt with." Shofer replied, in a suggestive sadistic tone.
"I'll try to leave only its head left for ya. No promises" Doug said
"What the fuck kind of name is Kami anyway?" Chris asked
"It means God in Japanese, haven't you seen Dragon Ball?" Doug replied
"Fuck that man, I'm a soldier not a fuckin nerd." Chris said
"Ryder must've been even more fucked in the head then we thought if he named a zombie something like that." MacMillan said
As they enter the main lobby they are welcomed by beastly shrieks as 5 quadruped zombies jump in from numerous areas.
They are somewhat large and muscular standing on all fours. Their bodies are horrifically wounded and transformed with various lesions and wounds throughout their back and portions of their arms, face and legs. Their spines are also somewhat exposed.
The musculature of the upper arms and legs have become more developed, and their fingers have grown bladed claws for climbing and slashing with the hands becoming dislocated along with the thumbs moved to the back to create animal-like paws with the same effect applied to the feet.
Their lips have also rotted away, exposing their teeth which have fared no better and are pointed.
"You gotta be kidding me" MacMillan moaned as the creatures leaped into the air towards them.
Shofer fires his M203 at the two jumpers coming at him, blowing them to pieces as several more appear.
"What the fuck do we name these?" Chris asked, firing his shotgun at the beast as it leaps onto and clings to the wall.
"Leapers!" Doug replied as one tackled him to the ground.
He grabs it by the neck to prevent it from biting. It opens and closes its mouth repeatedly as it attempts to take a bite out of him. With all of his strength, Doug manages to kick it off of him. He then proceeds to get on top of the Leaper's back. It struggles to retaliate as he violently grasps its head with his gloved hands, breaking its neck.
"Fuckin stay down fleshsore!" Doug said, aiming at the other Leapers attacking everyone else.
MacMillan finishes off the last one with a shot to the neck.
"Goodnight"
"Hurry, time is of the essence." Shofer said
The Rangers have finally stumbled upon the automotive sector of the facility. The door is unfortunately locked tight.
"Are you fuckin serious? Why is every damn door we need to open locked?" Doug moaned
"Won't be for long with this baby." Chris replied, planting a C4 on the door.
They retreat to a safe distance before detonating the explosive. The wall around the door gives way, allowing them to enter. 3 Humvees were all that remained.
"Check all the vehicles and see if they're fueled up and working. We probably just rang the damn dinner bell for the Z's." Chris said
MacMillan opens the door to one of the Humvees to reveal a rotting soldier's corpse in the driver's seat. He yanks it out onto the ground before entering, luckily the keys were on the floorboard.
He attempts to start up the vehicle, only for it to putter pitifully as the fuel gauge stays on empty.
"This one's empty!" He announced
"Guys, I believe this one has fuel, the gauge reads half a tank." Shofer said
"Thank God, start her up and see if she runs." Doug said
Shofer turns the ignition switch to the right and after a brief stint of resistance the Humvee starts before failing
"Fuck!" Shofer shouted in a rare moment of profanity.
"What is it?" Chris asked
"The battery's dead" Shofer replied
"Shit, MacMillan, open up one of the other Humvees passenger seats and switch out the battery, the rest of us will keep you covered." Doug said
"Roger that" He replied,
"The battery's there?" Shofer asked, curious
"Yeah Doc, our shit is different from civie cars." Chris said
"Heads up, they're coming!" Doug announced as more zombies flooded in from the hole.
They open fire on the horde while MacMillan lifts up the passenger seat, getting out his tools to remove it, moving with haste to make use of his bought time.
"Keep shootin, don't let em get to MacMillan!" Chris said, firing 2 shots of his shotgun into a zombie dressed in a delta force uniform, reducing its face into messy bloody mush as it falls to the ground.
After putting in the battery he quickly shifts over to the driver's seat. Upon turning the ignition switch to the starting position it once again fails to turn on.
"Oh no, no no bloody fuck!" MacMillan said, banging on the steering wheel in hopeless frustration as he exits the vehicle, running towards the others.
"Guys, we're in deep arse shit. None of the batteries work!" MacMillan announced to everyone as he ran to their side, opening fire on the horde with his weapon.
"What? Impossible!" Shofer replied
"Son of a bitch, how the shitdick are we going to get out of here now?" Doug said, firing the last of his RPK rounds into a hazmat zombie, forcing him to use his Desert Eagle.
"There's a communications room on the fourth floor. I'm praying to whatever God exists that the equipment still works." Shofer said
"Great, maybe we can see if Ghost and Decker can rescue us. Or we're fucked" Chris said
"Alright then, let's get the hell up there before that Kami bastard comes back." Doug said, despite his less than trusting feelings towards them.
On the third floor, Dr Shofer notices the white door to his living quarters.
"Guys, stop for a moment, one of the power cells is inside my study."
"The one for the Skull you were talking about?" Doug asked
"Yes, follow me," Shofer said, unlocking the door with one of the many keys on his keyring.
They enter into the massive study. Two large shelves full of books were behind his equally sizable desk. A king size bed lays near the desk alongside another door on the right of the room that presumably leads to the bathroom. To their surprise, the Weapons Crate was near the refrigerator in the kitchen.
"Yes, finally some lead" Doug said, giving it a kick, receiving an AUG HBAR.
Dr. Shofer quickly sits on the chair, typing rapidly on the keyboard.
"Wow Shofer, you have a whole apartment here." MacMillan said
"Fuckin bachelor pad man" Chris said, lounging on the couch inside.
"Courtesy of the United States Government. Or now what's left of it." He replied
Doug opens the refrigerator, only to see one bottle of sparkling water. Though luckily there wasn't any rotted food, he had wished there was something edible in there, anything.
"I guess this shit will have to do." Doug said, guzzling it down, wishing it was a Jack Daniels.
A small square shape opens up on the floor in front of Shofer's desk. A small metal box rises up, opening to reveal a small cylinder shaped object with a glowing white ring in the middle.
"Whoa" Doug said, picking up the power cell. It had surprising weight to it despite its size, probably roughly 16 pounds.
"How the fuck do you put this thing in here?" Doug said
"I have no clue, I never worked on the Skull itself, just instructed to hold whatever cell I received. Try the mouth perhaps."
Doug does just that, putting the cell near its mouth, which opens on its own. He puts it inside, quickly being sucked into the Skull as the mouth closes, making another unnatural hiss as the light of the Skull's face changes from blue to white.
"Holy shit that did somethin, can't wait to kill those motherless bonejaws dead with this." Doug said, examining this truly bizarre and unearthly weapon. After having fought through so much, the oddity of this thing's existence was no longer a break of reality for him.
Inside of the communications room, MacMillan is on the radio, desperately calling out for anyone breathing.
"Hello Decker, Ghost, it's MacMillan, 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment. We are trapped in a laboratory at least 20 miles away from Dallas. The entire place is swarming with the infected and we are unable to get to our vehicle. Please help us"
After repeating this 5 more times, he finally receives a response.
"Mac, that you bro? You're kind of coming through shitty but we can hear ya!" Said the voice of Decker, Doug never thought he'd be so happy to hear the fucker's voice.
"Yes hello it's us, do you have a helicopter anything that flies?" MacMillan frantically asked.
"Yeah we just found one at a military checkpoint. Where the fuck are you guys?"
"We're inside a Unit 35 facility in the outskirts of the city. We'll tell you more about who they are later. Meet us on the roof" MacMillan said as he gave them the directions to their location.
"Roger that brothers, ETA 1 hour!" Decker said before cutting off.
"Okay, let's see if we can kill that big bastard before they get here." Chris said
"You guys may want to look at this. I initially held off on showing it to you all, the findings were abhorrent." Shofer said, handing a clipboard full of notes he had taken from Ryder's quarters to Doug.
[Date: September 20th 2023, 2:30 pm. Two months since the initial outbreak.]
Specimen 10: Adam Knox, USMC (Codename, Kami)
Scientist: Dr. Anderson Ryder
[The subject has responded well to the shock treatment following the removal of the forearms. So much cutting, so many operations, but the beast had not flinched or shown any inclinations of pain, only its frequent expressions of rage plastered on its face. Its cybernetic enhancements are working perfectly and the creature is ready for deployment. To Arnold and the Soldiers, my servant will enjoy feasting on your flesh as he leaves the rest for the birds.]
"Oh my God" Doug said, reading the words "UNSC" over and over.