Chapter 22
The group investigated the rest of the apartment. There were blood stains on the furniture and on the carpet. Floral wall paper was replaced with dark smudges of a struggle and blotches of flesh along the wall. There was a soaked puddle of blood underneath a little boy's shoe that sat next to a recliner on the floor. He must have been no more than four years old when he was taken. Arynn moved passed the sight and walked to the front door way. She could not bear to think of what happened to the poor boy. The images of Adam instantly came into her mind and she immediately opened the front door. She peered outside the apartment and down the hall. There were no sudden surprises or remnants of survivors; all was quiet and deathly calm.
Tripper came beside her and surveyed the area as well. He glanced at the broken doors open to each apartment. He saw blood stains and body parts all over the floor and wondered if there was the same amount of carnage on the floors above. He stepped passed Arynn and decided to investigate the area. Arynn looked back at Hernandez and Page. The young British woman helped the limping soldier out of the apartment and followed the Lead Commando down the hall. Arynn took up the rear watching to see if any of the hybrid infected would come bursting through the tunnel barricade.
As the group made their way down the empty hall, they passed what remained of the tenants. One of the bodies grabbed at Arynn's feet but she avoided its grasp. It muttered something faint but Arynn was not about to stop to listen. She caught up with the rest of the group as they neared the lobby to the exit of the building.
"Wait!" Page called out trying to keep her voice low. Everyone stopped and looked at her. "We cannot go this way..." She whispered.
As the group turned, they found themselves face to face with a horde of undead individuals. Snarls and hisses escaped the torn lips and mangled teeth of the newly turned citizens. Hernandez held onto his leg as he watched Page tense up. Her fists were clenched and a level of anger was brewing in her face. The soldier could hear her breathing become erratic.
"We've got to find another way to get out of here." Arynn shouted.
"Ya, but how?" Hernandez asked. The group looked around for an exit as the infected individuals drew closer.
Tripper scanned the lobby area and saw a hall to the right of him. He peered over and saw a side door with the words, "Exit." As if it were a sign, the door was there at the right moment at the right time.
"Come on!" He shouted as he started for the door. Page helped Hernandez along and Arynn followed closely behind. The dark-skinned woman watched for any sudden movement from the undead.
Tripper pushed open the door and looked down the left and right sides of the building. When the coast was clear, he went out into the blinding raises of the sun and smelled at the city air. Page and Hernandez came out scoping out the green side lawn and the high brown fence across. The neighboring building had light clouds of smoke rising from it. Arynn came out cautiously. She closed the door and took up the lead.
"We gotta go. There's no time for sightseeing..." She replied as she hurried along the green landscape towards a residential street. Everyone else hurried after her, watching as the exit door to the complex slowly opened and a bloody hand emerged.
The group ducked below a wooden fence and saw that infected citizens were wandering the area dragging their broken limbs and mumbling their brain dead rhythms. Tripper held Arynn back and huddled close to Hernandez and Page.
"There's too many." He whispered.
"We can make it." Arynn replied ignoring his observation.
"Look," Hernandez said sighing, "I'll stay back and you guys go get the kid." The Latino soldier looked away and watched as one of the zombies fell to the ground and crawled to a nearby dead body. It gnawed on the dead man's arm chewing at the decomposed cold flesh.
"You're not staying here." Arynn replied. She looked at Tripper and he nodded at his friend.
"She's right." Tripper said.
"Alright," Hernandez replied, "How are we gonna get passed those things?"
"I have an idea." Page quietly answered the soldier. The group looked at her awaiting her suggestion.
"Tripper will help Eddie while Arynn and me will make a path..." She said as she started to rise and Tripper grabbed her arm. He pulled her back down.
"Are you sure about this?" Tripper asked.
"Yes..." Page replied. "They are harmless...we can take them." Page started to rise from the group and she caught Arynn's stare. The two women watched each other as Tripper pulled Hernandez's arm over his shoulder and held the soldier up by his side. Page took the lead and Arynn could see the horde of hybrid infected individuals were already on the group's tails. She immediately pushed Tripper and Hernandez along while Page started to lay waste to the slow moving zombies. Arynn turned and saw that the group of hybrids were getting closer, she abruptly stopped and Tripper immediately turned to her.
"What are you doing?" He shouted.
"Keep going. I'll catch up with you." She shouted. Hernandez looked at Tripper and ushered the man to leave.
The two men quickly crossed the street while Page snapped the neck of another zombie crawling along the asphalt.
Arynn stood her ground as she watched the horde run straight for her. She took out her knife and held it firmly. There was nothing that was going to keep her from retrieving Adam and getting the hell out of this wretched nightmare. She braced for the impact and started to attack her attackers with an unknown strength. She plowed through two male citizens and ripped off their heads. Her rage was consuming her and all she could see was blood and flesh. Her breathing was strange and her heart was beating out of control. The hybrid group, with their torn faces and mangled humanity, lashed out at Arynn. Before she could retaliate, she heard Page call to her.
"Hey!" The young woman shouted. "You can't take them on alone." Page said as she stood watching the group.
The two women forgot about their differences for the time being and faced the horde of hybrids together.
Before the women could lay waste to the infected citizens, a series of loud screams stopped the fight. Arynn and Page looked around for the source of the noise and their eyes fell on two scrawny lanky individuals at either ends of the street. Their skin had long rotted from their bones and their eyes were sunken into decrepit waterless skin.
"What are they?" Page whispered.
"I've seen this before." Arynn said quietly. "Back at Raccoon City. They're Civetatos."
"What does that mean?" Page questioned.
"They are naturally evolved zombies. But I don't know why they're here."
"Well we can't stay here." Page insisted. "We have to get inside."
"Go after Hernandez and Tripper," Arynn said. "I'll hold them off here."
"No, I'm staying," Page said.
The two women stood back to back as the Civetatos swiftly ran towards them. The collision was intense as Page jumped out and uppercutted the male zombie then dodged it's advances. Arynn kicked and punched the female zombie without let up. The Civetatos did not slow down or tire. Their thirst was abrasive and violent. What drove them was unclear but as Arynn snatched her hand from being lunch for the female zombie, it was quite clear what lured the undead couple. Page put the male in a head lock and ripped off his head, throwing both the body and it's detached head out into the streets. Arynn snapped the female's neck and cracked her body in two. She lunged the body out into a nearby sewer fire and watched it burn.
"Not bad," Page said as she wiped the dust from her pants.
"Thanks, you're not too bad yourself." Arynn said.
They turned and headed for the building. The women rejoined the men in the lobby area.
The building could not have been no taller than the famed Chrysler Building but it looked intimidating from below. Cautiously, the group walked over carcasses and gnawed pieces of flesh along the marble lobby floor.
"I don't want to know what did this..." Hernandez whispered as he strained to breath out of his mouth amongst the old stench of death. Tripper nodded to his friend's comment while Page remained quiet.
A sign with a listing of floors and departments led them to a flight of stairs. They looked at each other then began to climb the staircase. Hernandez tried to hop up a few steps but his strength would not allow it. Tripper tried to take up the slack but almost fell back.
"I'll help," Page offered as she took Hernandez's other side. The three hurried along the staircase rail to another floor and stopped. Arynn followed silently behind.
"This isn't gonna work." Tripper replied.
"We need an elevator." Hernandez suggested.
"It's not safe," Tripper replied.
"Look," Page started as she glanced over in Tripper's direction. "We need to get to the 20th floor. We won't last continuing this way."
"So what do you suggest?" Tripper asked.
"Take the elevator." Page replied as she relieved herself of Hernandez's weight and started for the hall ahead of them.
"It may not be safe." Tripper replied knowing that she would not listen to him.
"Relax," Page said. "There is no threat on these floors. Peter is on the top floor..."
"How do you know that?" Hernandez questioned. Arynn looked at the young woman wanted to know as well. It all seemed to coincidental. Page turned to the group and held up the remote device.
"I thought you said it only showed where Adam was..." Tripper said.
"Yes, I did say that," The woman muttered. "But you neglected to ask if there was a beacon placed on Peter."
"You put one on him too," Tripper said as he narrowed his eyes at the woman. "I should've known." He had to hand it to her, she was full of surprises. Page simply smiled and continued down the hall. Arynn shook her head lightly and followed the group.
The deep wound in Hernandez's leg had already soaked through the bandage and the lieutenant was already starting to lose focus on the corridor ahead. As Tripper stood back up and took a hold of Hernandez's arm, something darted across the hall in front of Page. Arynn saw it too and immediately ran to the front of the group.
"What was that?" She whispered.
"I don't know..." Page answered.
Tripper saw it too and fell silent. It looked like what appeared to be a young boy with a hooded jacket and jeans on but Tripper was not sure. The three individuals stood still and watched for any other form of movement. Hernandez grabbed his leg in pain and leaned himself up against the wall. As if almost on cue, another unrecognizable object ran passed the group. This time, Tripper could see a mutated individual spring closely after the boy. The Lead Commando looked at Arynn then to Page. Arynn immediately ran after the two figures and Page followed closely behind.
"Wait!" Tripper shouted as he helped Hernandez along the hall.
"Come on, ladies!" Page shouted as her voice became a simple echo in the distance of the hall.
"We'll catch up to them." Tripper said as he struggled to hold Hernandez's weight. Hernandez nodded and the two men continued down to the end of the hall.