CHAPTER 5 The Portal of Entry

The Portal of Entry.This is how the infection enters another individual. This could be landing on a mucous membrane, being breathed in, entering via a wound, or a tube such as a catheter.


On the road outside the walls...

Owen and his team were on route to the old park to locate the tunnel entrance. He knew they needed to avoid direct contact if they could. They were luckily outside the walls right now, while the dead were still contained inside. He wasn't sure how many survivors there were, but there was the potential for thousands of dead. Of all ages. He looked in the rear view at Gray and swallowed hard. He could have been one of them, he thought. Claire had mentioned how eager Gray was and had they not planned on this adventure to the paddock this morning, he likely would have been out on Main Street exploring.

The moment he thought of Claire, he picked up his phone and called her. It went straight to voicemail. He needed to hear her. He needed to know she was still okay.

"Barry? Can you radio Lowery? I need an update." he asked. Barry nodded, knowing he was worried about Claire.

"Barry to Lowery. Raptor Team to Control." Barry called.

It was a moment before he got a response.

"Go ahead Barry." Lowery responded.

"We're on route to the tunnels. We need updates while we have clear channels." Barry replied.

"ACU has retreated to the rooftops and shelters. We still have hundreds around the interior park streets, but the majority have started to move out to the jungle and valleys. We did have one shelter compromised."

"What kind of numbers are we looking at?" They all needed to know what they were up against. The conversation was broadcast on radios in every vehicle.

"Best we can tell right now, 12,000." Lowery responded with a hitch in his throat. They had asked all park staff to collect names of survivors in their shelters. They needed a head count. He had just received the latest number about ten minutes earlier.

The occupants of the Jeep were silent. 12,000 people dead. That they knew about. After a moment, Barry grabbed the radio again. "Lowery, Owen needs an update." He could see the look on his face in the rear view. Owen was in pain. Thousands of walking dead stood between him and Claire.

"Tell him she's in the tunnels with ACU. They're headed straight for the hotel. I'm monitoring her on an ACU earpiece. She's fine right now. She was just describing the current climate conditions down there. Hang on..." he replied and the radio went silent for a minute. He had been on a constant open channel with Claire since she left, so she was able to hear his end of the conversation.

They heard the crackle a moment later, "She wanted to send Owen a message, hang on...she said, 'Tell Owen she's okay...And that she loves him more than anything...Get Gray to the control center first... Tell Gray to do whatever Owen tells him and she'll see him soon."

Gray nodded at Barry, knowing the message was from his aunt. Owen finally spoke up, "Can he patch us in to her earpiece?" He needed to hear her voice. If there was a way he could stay in contact with her directly, he wanted to find it.

"Lowery, can her feed be patched in to the radios?" Barry relayed for Owen.

"No, she's on the ACU system. If you can get your hands on another earpiece, I can send you her feed."

Owen thought for a moment, "We'll work on that. We need to be tuned in to everything going on anyway." He took a shaky deep breath, "Have him tell Claire I love her and I'll be with her soon."

Barry did as asked and ended the conversation with Lowery. The Jeep was quiet again as it drove the jungle. It wasn't a long trip to get to the old park and they were about there.

"Hey Sam?' Owen finally asked. Sam looked over at him. "I need you to do me a favor. I need you and Barry to take lead once we get down there. We're gonna need to take out as many as we can and I need to focus on getting Gray to safety. We may need to split up anyway."

"You're going after Claire, aren't you?" Sam asked.

Owen silently watched the road, not answering immediately. "She's the other half of my soul and I knew it the day I met her, Sam. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to go find her. If I lose her..." he shook the thoughts from his head.

"Then one of us can take lead and one of us can go with you." Barry said firmly. Owen looked up in to the rear view and made eye contact with Barry, about to argue, "Not up for discussion, man. Teams of two everywhere. Remember?"

"I can't ask you to risk yourselves like that."

"Owen, you're my brother, which makes Claire my family. We go together. Got it?" Sam insisted.

Owen looked back at Barry, who nodded. He sighed, resigned and nodded himself.

"Good." Sam replied.


Claire's office, Innovation Center...

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" Simon screamed at Henry so loud it could clearly be heard in the other room. He had the video up on the screen in Claire's office for Henry to get a full picture of what was happening.

"Simon, I promise you. I was trying to speed up our cellular growth. I never imagined..."

"We never imagine anything going wrong! But from what I can tell from the data, it started going wrong yesterday! Why didn't you shut it down then?!" Simon was beyond angry, "We have almost 15,000 dead, Henry! DEAD! And moving around!"

"What do you want me to say, Simon?! I didn't plan for this. But the demands on me to produce more, faster were extensive. Including from you! Especially from you! We are a research facility at all times. We were doing the work we were tasked to do." Henry haughtily replied.

"Right now, I here excuses. We are all trapped here unless I can come up with a way to remove the risk of this leaving the island. Tell me something useful!"

Henry was silent for a moment, before sighing, "From what I've seen it's operating just like we saw in the lab, except in full living hosts. The agent has evolved into a full virus that is trying to duplicate and spread. It kills the host, regenerates it, then searches out new hosts using basic life functions. Almost like a captain running a ship."

"How do we stop this?" Simon asked with a lower voice.

"Like you would any virus. You need the infected out of the population until the last infection is gone."

"Is medical assistance possible. An anti-viral?"

"I can see what can be done. It would likely have to be administered fast to stop the spread."

"Do it."


The tunnels under Main Street...

Claire and the ACU team were making their way through the dark tunnels under the park using a small truck. The tunnels were originally designed to allow for small vehicle travel to each attraction and sector. It made it easier for underground maintenance. Claire never thought they'd be using them to get around the park safely.

She was in the passenger seat while Liam, their team lead, was driving. Katerina and Adam, the other two team members, were in the truck bed with their rifles out.

"We'll be there soon, Ms. Dearing." Liam finally said. They had otherwise been quiet. No one really knowing what to say.

"Please call me Claire. No formalities in this situation." she sighed. "My goal is to get to the hotel and locate my sister and nephew. I would also like to locate any of the Navy people in the hotel that we can pull in to help. I'd like to get survivors moved out to the docks on the other side of the walls. We can keep running more groups through the tunnels." she added. "Lowery? How are we doing on those moves and do we have any transports?" she asked over her earpiece.

"We've moved a lot from the Main Street buildings down into the tunnels and they were on route now. Hotel population hasn't been moved yet, but they're still pretty secure. Simon's been going back and forth with authorities, but it's not looking good, Claire. I heard the word quarantine on one of the calls."

"Fuck." she swore, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I was afraid of that. If they quarantine us, we're trapped until we're deemed safe. What about the survivors? There's children here! Can't that convince them?" she offered.

"According to my last check-in with Simon, they're concerned that our thousands of dead will turn to millions. Do the math."

She sighed, beyond frustrated, "We need to be ready to be here for a while. Tell Simon to set up camps by the docks. We're going to need shelters out there. We should be at the hotel in...OH SHIT!" Liam slammed on the breaks as they came up on a mass of the dead that had somehow made it into the tunnels directly under the park. He slammed the truck in reverse as fast as he could and starting backing through the tunnels away from the oncoming attack heading right for them.

"GO!GO! GO!" Adam screamed from the back as he and Katerina were firing over the truck cab. Claire was leaning out of her window firing as well, "We need to get to an access room! Lowery, you with us?!"

"I've got you Claire!" Lowery replied, frantically bringing up her GPS feed and the underground map. Simon was standing near by when he heard the call from Claire's radio feed go frantic. "You got a thousand feet and you go left. I'm unlocking the gate now." he said, continuing to type on his screen. "The tunnels are compromised! We need to clear them out!" he said to Simon. He nodded and went over to Vivian to spread the word.

Meanwhile, the dead were picking up speed and gaining on the small truck, "If they get on us, we're done for!" Liam yelled.

"There must be a couple hundred of them!" Katerina shouted from above.

"Five hundred feet then left!" Lowery continued to update their location.

"We're gonna have to go above ground!" she yelled, before continuing to shoot. They watched as some of the dead were able to touch the front of the truck now. "SHIT!" she yelled, aiming for the closest onslaught.

"One hundred feet!" Lowery shouted.

Liam was pushing the gas to the floor and trying to watch behind him, "We'll use the truck to block the door! Stop the gate halfway! We won't have time to wait for it to go down!" he ordered Lowery.

"Got it! Get ready to turn!" Between the noise from the speeding truck and the growling echoing off the tunnel walls, Claire could barely make any words out, but she knew they were coming up on the access room.

"TURN NOW!" Lowery yelled. Liam spun the steering wheel sharply that the back of the truck veered left. Both Adam and Katerina ducked as the roof of the cab slammed into the bottom of the gate and jamming it between the wall. Vehicles typically stayed out in the tunnel, so the doorway barely fit the truck. Liam jammed his foot into the breaks and pulled the emergency break to secure the truck as much as he could. "GO! RUN!" he shouted as both Adam and Katerina dove off the back of the truck bed and headed for the ladder up to the street.

Claire ripped open the back window of the cab to crawl through as the mass descended on the front of the truck and climbed like insects to the windshield.

"GO CLAIRE! GO!" Liam said as he pushed her through the open window she barely fit through. The glass of the windshield was giving way from the weight while others climbed to the roof and half closed gate, trying to claw their way in. Liam grabbed his sidearm as Claire got through. She turned to grab his hand to help him through when he shook his head, "No way I'm fitting through there! GO!"

"Liam! COME ON!" she was starting to cry. He closed the window and just nodded at her.

"CLAIRE! COME ON! WE GOTTA GO!" Adam shouted at her. Katerina had already gone up to open the hatch and scout their location. They had no idea where they were, but they needed to get out quick.

She gave one last look to Liam as she bolted from the back of the truck. At that moment the glass of the windshield gave way. She didn't look back as she heard shots fired.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Liam screamed as the dead were finally able to reach him. Blood covered the back window as Claire started climbing the ladder and Adam following quickly behind. Sun broke through the opening as they climbed frantically up. They could hear the glass giving way from the back window as the mass had broken through the truck.

"CLIMB!" Adam shouted below Claire as she reached the top and jumped out, taking no care where she was, as Adam was quickly out behind her. Katerina slammed the lid down and locked it just as the dead reached the top, cutting off a few fingers as it closed down.

Katerina was breathing deeply, "We're in the Pachy Arena...about halfway...pachys are locked up, so we're okay."

Claire collapsed on the ground and started to sob. Adam and Katerina could only watch as they were trying to calm their own racing heartbeats.

"Adam?!" Lowery called into the earpiece. The control room had been listening to the audio and watched as Liam's vitals flat lined. Right now, they could hear Claire's cries echoing.

"Liam's gone. We're okay for now." Adam responded.

"Can you guys get back here?" Lowery asked with Simon nodding behind him.

Claire was calming herself down and was finally able to speak, "I'm going on. If you guys want to head back, I understand. But I'm getting to my family." she said, bound and determined to get where she needed to.

"We're gonna stay with Claire, Lowery." Katerina said, knowing she couldn't get there alone in these conditions. "I'd start finding a way to clear the tunnels." she added.

"There's a Jeep located just outside the arena that you should be able to take." he replied.

"Got it." she answered.

"Lowery, has Owen checked in?" Claire asked softly. He was on her mind through everything, but she was desperately trying to focus on the task at hand.

"Not since the last time. They should be getting to the tunnel now. I was just about to send them back toward the gates."

She grabbed her phone, which was thankfully still in her cargo pants pocket. "I've got service now. I'll call." she turned and walked off to the side. She needed to warn him, but more than anything, she needed to hear his voice.


The tunnel access in the old park...

They were stopping outside the tunnel to debrief and prepare everything. Rifles were being loaded with live ammunition and the group was shuffling around teams to maximize their assault. It had essentially turned into a base camp.

Owen was standing talking to a couple of the Navy guys while Gray stayed right by his side, watching the hive of activity. They were talking strategies when Owen's phone rang. Pulling it out, he quickly answered it after seeing the name on the screen, "Claire, baby, are you okay?!" he asked frantically.

"I'm okay." she replied, relaxing slightly at the sound of his voice. "We, umm, we had a close call, Owen." she said, waiting for the response.

"How close...?" he asked with hesitation and a hitch in his voice.

"Liam didn't make it. We're above ground in the arena right now. They're in the tunnels."

"FUCK!" he yelled out loudly and the camp activity stopped. He just wanted to smash something. He had pulled the phone away, pressing the corner of it to his forehead and trying to calm his rage. He wanted to ask her to stay there. He knew she was safe in that arena. But he also knew his girl. And dammit if she wasn't stubborn as a mule when she set her mind to something. He loved that about her. Her fighting spirit would keep her going. Right now, she needed his support more than anything.

He brought the phone back to his ear and could hear her sniffling. He grabbed Gray and pulled him to his side with the boy wrapping his arms around Owen's waist. He needed an anchor to keep him from rushing wildly in.

"Claire?" he finally spoke, "I love you more than anything in the world. I'm with you. Always. Do what you need to do and I will find you. And when I do, you're never leaving my sight again."

He heard her laugh a little at that. "I thought we already decided you were never leaving the bed again." she replied, lightening the mood.

"Then we both win." he grinned finally. It had gone momentarily quiet. Gray was still quietly by his side.

"I love you. So much, Owen. I can't delay moving anymore, we gotta go." she said finally.

"Get it done, baby. I'm proud of you, you stubborn ass." he said with a small smile.

"Takes one to know one, you old mule." she immediately replied.

"I'll see you soon." he said and she hung up. No goodbyes. Goodbyes were too scary right now.

"Owen?" Gray asked, finally speaking up.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"I'm glad my aunt has you looking out for her." he replied softly.

"She looks out for me too, pal. All the time." Gray nodded at that as they moved to join the team waiting for the update.

"Tunnels are out fellas. Looks like we try our luck through the valley. You guys on ATVs should go through the jungle. Give yourselves more cover."

"Owen! Fireworks!" Barry shouted. Owen looked at him confused, then it dawned on him. Barry continued, "We can hit up the security outpost and go back to try and draw as many as we can back to the East Gate." They kept fireworks and flares in all of the outposts in case they need to draw any of the animals away from an area.

"Take all the guys on ATVs. We'll split up now. Then they don't have to worry about not having cover and then you guys can hit from the towers with the guards. We'll head for the West Gate."

A thought crossed his mind that would make all of this more bearable. He had almost forgotten about it. "Hey! Any of you guys have an earpiece I can steal?" He could be looped in directly to Lowery and Claire's open channel.

"I've got you, Owen!" shouted Sergei, one of the ACU guys from the paddock. He handed his earpiece over while Owen hopped on his radio, "Hey Lowery?"

"Go ahead Owen." he replied.

"I've got Sergei's earpiece. Can you loop me in?" he requested.

"Changing you over to the private channel now."

"Claire?"

"Owen?!" she replied happily.

"I'm linked up now. You've got me." he answered, choking up slightly at the thought he could at least hear her voice until he got to her.

"Oh thank god." she breathed.

They immediately started shifting positions around. Barry was making the run back with the paddock guys on ATVs and Owen, with Sam and Gray, had the twenty Navy guys in the Jeeps headed for the gate.

"We're on the move." he said, more confidently now that he had a connection to her. "Soon, baby." The occupants of the truck were again quiet, focused on the next move.