"As far as I'm concerned, this is a salvage mission. It's been four days and nobody's come out. We'll locate whatever research needs to be preserved and leave. It'll take an hour at most." Said James.
"Explain to me, then, why we're armed with experimental Sublab shit." Said Kara. "I've been doing this for four years, rookie, and I've never been sent anywhere boasting this kind of artillery."
"I hear Sheriff Jay got some intel that he wouldn't share with The Agency. He expects us to meet resistance in there." Said Harry.
"We all got the same briefing this morning, right? Anyone else read 'fire at will' and 'take no prisoners'? We're going in to kill people. Sheriff Jay doesn't care about East Complex's chemical experiments, he..." Kara was interrupted by James.
"He might care about them a little. Rumor has is that those 'chemicals' are mostly heroin. Rumor has it that Sheriff Jay's been taking a dip." James said with a smirk, and Harry couldn't quell the grin attacking his relationship with Kara. (Kara didn't like jokes, and she really didn't like James.) But nobody took the East Complex drug rumors seriously. It was just a bit of fun.
"He's sending us in to take the complex back." Kara finished. "But I can't imagine who we're taking it back from."
"Some teleporting ghouls and gooks and other monsters of the scary kind. Come on, Kara, there's nothing alive in there." James.
Kara rolled her eyes. She wasn't about to argue with James. He was a rookie and a clown and he made her feel tired. The intercom buzzed to life.
"All Squadron A units be prepared for mobilization in five minutes." Came the dispassionate voice of Jack The Intercom Guy. Harry and James loved Jack: Jack got just as pissed off as everyone else did in the morning. He didn't hide it, either. "I repeat, all you bitch-ass gravediggers be out back or wherever the hell. You know."
The intercom turned off, and James sighed. "I'll sure miss Jack The Intercom Guy. This'll be the last time we hear from him, won't it, Harry? After all, Kara isn't about to save us from the East Complex boogeyman. Might as well say our prayers."
Harry'd better excuse himself before he pisses me off, Kara thought as Harry stifled a laugh. The door to the lockers opened just as she finished cinching her armbands.
"Did you lagging grubs just now finish dressing? Five minutes early is ten minutes late. Get out back before I render you incapable of duty. Hustle, soldiers!" Came the grinding shout of old Group Director Samuel. Group Director Samuel should rightfully have been called Colonel Samuel, but The Agency was not an official military group and had adopted non-military titles. Harry had to stop James from mocking Group Director Samuel to his face. James loved to hate Group Director Samuel.
The trio followed their Group Director to the back to meet the rest of the Squadron. They'd been drilling in preparation for battle. In fact, the rest of the Squadron was already sweaty.
"That's some hard drilling." Harry said, climbing into a truck. "Sammy was really pushing you guys, wasn't he?" Harry asked a worn out member of the squadron.
"Yeah." The member replied, addressing Harry, James, and Kara. "Director Samuel is expecting some friction. We're on our top game."
"Damn, Kara, it looks like you were right." Said James. "It's a good thing we have you to protect us."
Harry put his arm around Kara and pulled her in to show that he was ignoring James's quips. She leaned into the embrace for a moment, then pulled away. She had to bring her top game. No distractions.
The drive to East Complex was quiet. They knew they'd arrived when the truck rolled to a stop and the door banged open. Squadron A gathered to receive a final briefing before they began.
"Alright, Grunts, I won't bullshit you." Grated Group Director Samuel. "You might be looking at some heavy resistance when you get in there. I wasn't told this directly, but Task Director Adams heavily implied that we'd be up against some well armed aggressors. Do not take this mission lightly, and do not be fooled by this morning's briefing: Your primary mission is not scavenging, it's elimination.
"Our scientists have been working tirelessly to develop a buffer against this smoke you're seeing. I may add that I am personally impressed that they've accomplished this in a mere three hours after this attack occurred and the order was given. I am passing you each a packet of filters for your gas masks. They should last 72 hours each in the case that something goes wrong and you cannot escape. It is imperative that you exchange filters every four hours, I repeat, do not neglect your filters.
"As you can see, this area is off limits to the media and the police have already dispersed, so we're alone here. You may encounter communication interference on the inside of the complex. You'll have to rely on yourselves to stay organized. So stay focused, Grunts. Be wary. Truly. I wish you good luck." Group Director Samuel ended his speech and sent them in with a chipper, "Knock 'em dead, Grunts!" And they moved inside.
It was 0500 hours, and morning light could not penetrate the thick smoke surrounding the complex. Each squadron member was forced to turn on their helm lights and flashlights immediately after passing the high, stone gate. Scanning the Earth below, Harry raised his eyebrows at what looked to be a large spread of bullet holes. Squadron A divided into groups for each of the six buildings, and Kara was quick to volunteer for the middle building, the farthest from any exit.
Harry, James, Kara, and three other Squadron members tread cautiously toward the East Complex barracks. "Alright, let's do a full sweep of the first floor, then work our way up." Said Kara. "There should be about nine floors going up, and if we're overwhelmed on our way back down, the fire escape is located on the west side. Assuming that our team is undamaged once we've made it down, we can begin sweeping the underground portion of the building. Are we ready?"
The group said yes and stepped in. Kara looked around. Power had clearly been shut down, but the emergency lights were still functional. The floor and walls were illuminated with red strips. Visibility was good. Some light smoke lingered on the ground; it rolled at the touch of disturbing feet. The lobby and dining room were abandoned, and chairs lay scattered about their tables. Kara examined the tabletops. They were covered in trays with food half eaten.
Kara attempted to send their progress back to base, but as suspected, communication was down.
They met no resistance on Floor One. Kara gave a signal to approach the stairwell, and three of her squadmates followed her. But Harry was following James to the elevator. It opened with an audible ding.
"Harry!" Kara hissed. He spun towards her voice as though he was being reprimanded. Remorse was plain on his face, but James only smiled as he stepped into the elevator. James took a guiltless bite of a banana from the dining room. Harry took a step closer to her. "Never mind." She waved him off, and Harry rode to Floor Two with James while Kara took the stairs.
Floors Two and Three were board for officers. The hallways were luxurious and thick and well padded with carpet, but they didn't offer Kara any comfort. Each room was equipped with a bed, a mini-fridge, a toilet, and a shower. Kara was avoiding Harry, so she buddied with a handsome squadmate named Matt. He whistled as they searched the rooms. "If only my quarters were like this." He dreamed. Kara didn't respond. "Are you aiming for officer, Kara?" She nodded with a manner that tolerated no conversation. She was as curt as ever.
Floors Two and Three were clear, and clocks showed 0530 hours. The group moved to Floor Four. This was the community shower and locker. The tile floor was still wet, and soap dried in the drains. James made some echoing jokes that Kara did not pay attention to. The place was searched, and Floor Five was waiting. James stayed behind the group to relieve himself into a drain.
0600 hours. Floors Five and Six.
This was board for higher ranking cadets who'd been with the agency for at least a year. Rooms were smaller and closer together, and the hallways were thin and unpadded. These were the rooms that Squadron A and B boarded in at the North Complex. Kara was familiar with the three beds and small toilet room in each one. She couldn't help but notice the pervasive personalization that was so common among Agency cadets. One room had a Nevadan Rockers poster on the wall, another was stacked with homemade paintings and pictures, and they all were full of photos from home. Kara's buddy, Matt, picked up a photo from one of the rooms. It was of Matt's friend with spiky red hair. They finished the sweep. Still no resistance.
Seven and Eight were reserved for true rookies, agents even greener than James. Those who had served less than a year got no rooms, just a large dormitory full of messy bunks. Meeting no opposition, Kara began to wonder if there truly was a threat in the East Complex. Of course all of these agents didn't disappear. They didn't seem to be dead, though. Only gone.
Floor Nine, the final floor, was as empty as the rest of them, but for the pool tables and dartboards it housed. Having cleared the building to the top, Kara thought it prudent that the group meet.
"It is 0630 hours, and we're clear so far." She said. "But for the life of me I couldn't figure out where everybody went. These barracks are listed to house almost a hundred men, am I correct?" She was.
"They don't seem to be dead. Maybe they're hiding in the basement. Or, maybe they've fled to another building. The question is why the smoke didn't kill them and leave them dead in Floors One and Four." Matt said.
"They may have mobilized during the attack." Suggested Harry, who was straining to ignore a tempting game of pool played by James and the other two squadmates. "So, I say we check the basement. We'll either find them there or it'll be empty and we can leave the complex to report to Director Samuel. This is more cut and dried than I would've thought."
"So it seems." Kara said softly. She'd employed a soft tone since entering the complex, but her caution seemed useless when she heard the sharp rap of a cue against the cue ball.
Harry saw her irritation. "James is a jerk." He said. But Kara didn't feel much passion behind his words. He at least got a peck on the cheek for the attempt.
James sunk the nine ball with expert skill. The other two players slapped him on the back, and he shrugged at their congratulations and compliments. "What can I say," he grinned, "I've got fuckall to do other than play pool and masturbate."
Everyone laughed but Harry and Kara. Then one of the losers of the game spoke up. "You all know what's weird?" He asked. His name was Erik. "Corey, Casey, and Brutus. Those were the three officers sent into this complex to investigate after it was attacked. They didn't have gas masks, but they were definitely exposed to the smoke. Did any of you see their bodies when we came through the gate?"
Everyone shook their heads. "No." Said the other loser, Alex. "I didn't see anything. And I was looking around."
Silence.
"So, the ghouls and gooks are real." Said James.
"We can worry about them when we report back to Group Director Samuel." Assured Kara. "Until then, let's finish the underground portion and get out quickly. These filters are supposed to be effective, but I still don't want to spend too long in this smoke."
They all agreed. That's when the emergency power shut down.
All lights searched the room. Nothing had changed, except...
"There's a gate blocking the stairwell." Said Matt. He pushed on it, but it was steel and it wouldn't move. "Shit."
Everyone moved to the stairs to investigate. The gate was thick and heavy and had been nailed from the ground halfway to the ceiling with no noise at all. "Somebody's here." Said Kara. "Weapons ready." The group collectively drew their weapons. And nothing happened.
They waited for about a minute. There was no movement, no attack, and no sound but the ragged breathing of their own group. "Should we take the fire escape down? It looks clear." Asked Matt. His hands fidgeted on his gun.
Kara shook her head. "Our objective is to clear the complex. We'll face this head on." She began kicking at the gate. The noise resounded through the ninth floor, and likely through the floors below, but all pretense of sneaking was gone. The enemy knew where they were. What would be the purpose of silence?
The echoes of her kicks were joined by those of Harry and Alex. James hung back, smiling with a pool cue; Matt stood nervously in the center; and Erik, gun shaking, stood close to him.
Their kicks soon broke through the drywall, and the gate clattered down the stairs. But it had tired Kara, and she determined that if they met a similar obstacle they'd face it with hot lead. So they swept Floors Eight and Seven. They were clear. By 0700 hours they had swept Floors Six and Five. They were clear as well. Then they reached Floor Four.
They were quiet in the stairwell. The community shower, though, was not quiet. Clear against the deathly stillness was the sound of water rushing from the shower head and draining down the grate. Steam mingled with smoke and rose into the stairs.
If the water was on, the emergency power must have been back. Kara turned off her lights. The rest of the group followed suit. Kara slid from the cover of the stairwell to that of a locker, and, pistol hot, peered at the source of the water. The silhouette of a clothed man was dimly lit under manmade rain.
The man's features were unclear. No part of him moved aside from the glinting droplets of water that rolled from his soaked coat to the floor. His arms were at his sides, palms forward, and he did not seem to be at all conscious of Kara's presence.
Yes he was. Kara could feel his invisible eyes burning like lit matches.
No, he couldn't see her. The only thing to see seemed to be him.
It was impossible to tell what the man was thinking. Kara could only observe what threat he posed. And, as she peered closer, she could see rivulets of water dripping from a big gun in his right hand.
The emergency lights flickered off. For a dreadful moment, Kara felt very not alone. She felt very much like she could feel the man's breath just behind her. An entire minute passed by with nothing but the drip of water, clenched muscles, and the looming possibility of death.
The lights flickered back on. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed to Kara that the man had gotten one shower head closer to her. But his position had not changed.
She wasn't sure where her squadmates were. She thought they had followed her to hide behind the locker, but she couldn't see him. All she could see was the man with the gun. But now was not the time to be paralyzed. Now was not the time for fear. She narrowed her eyes and steeled herself. This man was no more a threat to her than anyone else. She was just as well armed as him, and she was protected by a locker's cover.
She gave no warning, no question, no time to react. Kara fired three successive rounds at the man. The lights flickered out once again, and there came the sound of a body hitting the floor. Her lights came on with the rest of her squad's. They all came together and approached the body with the utmost care.
"Oh, Jesus." Said Matt when he saw the body. "Oh, Axel, no."
Kara trained her light on the man's body. He wore an Agency vest and had an Agency gun. It was Matt's friend with the spiky red hair.
"No, Axel, what the hell are you doing?" Matt said, bending over his friend. The rivulets of water coursing from his coat to the drain had been replaced by winding runnels of blood. "Axel? Axel, can you hear me?" Matt began to do compressions on Axel's chest. "Come on, Axel, are you there?"
Axel was dead. His life was draining into the East Complex's water recycling system as Matt pressed.
"Keep sweeping." Said Kara.
James whistled. "Yep, we're packing some heavy shit." He said, sticking a finger into one of the three gaping holes on Axel's chest.
"Hey, back off!" Matt shouted, pushing James back in a fit of hysteria. "Don't touch him! He's my friend!"
"Well, was." James replied with wolf teeth. Matt took a swing at James.
"Knock it off." Commanded Kara. "We can seek medical attention for your friend once this complex is clear."
"Knock it off?" Matt asked, approaching Kara. "You're telling me to knock it off? You shot him! You shot him dead!"
"The boogeyman was only trying to take a shower." James.
"We don't have time for this. We need to focus. Bring our top game, remember?" Kara reminded him.
Matt shook his head. "Not under you. Not under some trigger-happy bitch."
Kara could have punched him in the nose, tripped him over his friend, and slammed his head against the tile floor. She could have taken her pistol and whipped him on the cheek. She could even have shot him in the kneecap. But that would not help her to retain control. She had to keep calm. "Desertion is unacceptable. If you defect, you'll be penalized." Her face didn't reveal any of the thoughts behind it.
Matt paused. Then, petulantly, he said, "I'll report this." Kara nodded and ordered him to sweep. After Matt stalked off, only James and Kara stood by the body. They were quiet for a moment.
"You've really got a firm grip on their balls, don't you? Matt and Harry don't get to have thoughts anymore." Said James to Kara. James didn't seem to be joking any longer.
Kara looked at James in the eye, granting him a rare moment of acknowledgement. "I only do what I need to." And James kept on sweeping.
Floor Four was soon cleared. They made sure of it, checking every locker and every inch of shower for any hostile force. None were left but a bloody Axel. The group plodded over wet tile to Floor Three. Matt would not buddy with Kara, Kara would not buddy with Harry or James, and Alex was inseparable from Erik. So Kara searched rooms by herself.
She entered a room alone. It was as deserted as ever, barren of motion but for the flickering emergency lights. The clock said 0730 hours. She checked the room diligently, even opening drawers and cabinets for signs of something odd. But it was fruitless. She stepped out into the hallway ready to search the next room. She didn't hear James's incessant jokes or Harry's audible desire to please, so it was quiet in both directions. But at her feet she saw something strange. A line of blood ran over the floor.
The trail started at the stairwell and progressed down the narrow hallway, leading her past several intersections and turns before it stopped. The trail led under the door of one of the rooms. Kara drew her weapon, counted to three, and kicked open the door. She was met with nothing but the stares of Alex and Erik. "What are you doing?" They asked.
"Is either one of you bleeding?" Was her reply. They shook their heads. Something was in the room with them.
Kara shut and locked the door. Nothing would get out during this search. She turned over tables, tore down pictures, and flipped the mattress off of the bed. Erik and Alex helped her, but not with nearly the same vigor. Kara searched for ten minutes before she fell to her knees and they forced her to stop. "Kara." Said Erik. "There's nothing in here."
But she could hear it. Just behind her, a creaking in the floorboards, a breath whispering in the air. She felt its jaw nestling against her hair and tilting towards her neck. She could sense its incisors shining an unearthly white. She felt its teeth stroke the hairs on her flesh. Her fragile collarbone was liable to be bitten at any moment, shoulder sure to be closed by hungry lips, vein bound to be grazed by a thirsty tongue. Kara shuddered.
There was nobody behind her, though. Only Alex and Erik. And out the door, the mist on the ground was so heavy that she couldn't have seen any blood. She swatted it away, sending it out in waves, and revealing nothing but hardwood beneath.
"It seems..." She began. She was at a loss for words. "It seems I was mistaken." She finally breathed. They finished the sweep of Room Three. Or Floor Four. Whatever it was.
Kara's five squadmates stood near her, all observing her like she was some volatile, unsteady animal. All but James, who stared into hers with wide, keen eyes. "The ghouls and gooks haven't got us yet." He said to her. They all laughed, but James didn't.
"Let's move on." Kara said distractedly. Her eyes were unfocused, and she was certainly lost somewhere outside of this room.
"Harry, why don't you buddy with Matt." Advised James. And they all headed to Floor Two, James and Kara tailing the group. James led the dazed Kara into the first room, then shut the door and locked it behind them. He stood by the door and watched her. She was already sweeping, already wandering from bathroom to bed to closet, searching each with decreasingly deft movements. Their gas masks both lay on the ground; they didn't see any smoke in this room.
0800 hours.
"I'm feeling tired, Kara." Said James. "Mind if I have a seat?" She didn't reply, so he sat on the end of the bed. She kept searching, checking the bathroom again, browsing the cabinets, returning to the bathroom. When she passed him by, James grabbed her by the waist and turned her with a firm hand. "Take a seat, Kara." He sat her down on the bed. Then he lay down on his back, arms folded across his stomach. She followed suit after a moment.
He looked at her again. For her, even resting on the couch was not resting. Her eyes darted about the ceiling as though she were still searching for something. James began to speak softly. "You know, Kara, I was pretty shaken up about Axel in the bathroom. I didn't want to tell anyone, but I've been a bit on edge since then. I feel..." He studied her for a moment. "I always seem confident, Kara, and that's not an accident. I try to stay in control. But since Axel, I've felt helpless. I still feel vulnerable."
At last, she closed her eyes. They stayed closed for a long time, and when James didn't think she'd say anything else, he began to stand so he could sit on another chair.
"No you don't." She said, touching his hand. She had him lie down again. "Why are you trying to make me feel... I mean, I never thought... why are you doing this?"
James looked at her. Most often, her features were set in a stiff, determined way. Now she was calm, face relaxed, eyes still closed. And she had blonde hair, too. One could tell now, more than ever, that she was afraid. But James had noticed all of that a long time ago. A character never fooled him.
"Your team needs you to be strong." He replied. "They need you to be rested, too. Pushing harder is no way for a leader to fight fear."
Kara's eyes were open now. She rolled onto him, lips parted, body desperate to thank him. James stopped the kiss with a thumb on her lips, but then looked at her as though they'd been kissing for minutes. "A leader needs to be focused." He reminded her. "Top game."
There was a knock at the door. Kara stood, fear still alive, but confidence renewed. "That is correct, soldier."
"What's going on in there?" Asked Harry. He knocked again. Kara marched to the door and unlocked it precisely and frugally, as though every movement was a commodity that need be spared. If Harry had been worried about what Kara and James were doing, her expression instantly relieved his fear. She was more business, more top game, than ever before. And after the fear this place had inspired in her, she was back with a vengeance.
"Floor Two is complete. Let's move, Floor One is waiting." She led them down as a single group. The buddy system would not pack the firepower she planned to rain on this building.
"What happened in there?" Harry asked. "She seems back to normal."
"She just needed a bit of rest. After all, she is Kara." James replied.
Kara attacked Floor One with hate. She did not consider leaving through the door: Too much of her wrath was left ungiven. Her energy inspired the rest of the group to plunge ever deeper into the East Complex's barracks.
The door to Floor B1 was locked, and the elevator required a key that the group did not have. Kara was just as happy to blow the door off its hinges. So they descended through smoking steel to the basement, housing none but the Director of the East Complex. The floor was furnished with all the amenities a Director could want. On one side was a full bar, on the other an enormous television. The hardest fall would land you comfortably on a luxurious carpet or couch or pillow, depending on where you stood. The most vicious of armies would pause their battle to admire fine paintings, gems, and decor. Time itself (at 0830 hours) would halt its ceaseless passing to enjoy vintage wines from the shelf. But not Kara.
Kara plowed the room in relentless search, showing plain disregard for the joys around. James begged to stay there with his new friends: Cuban cigars and bubbly champagne. "The floor has it's own power source. Think how many more baddies we'll see in here compared to the dark below." James said. But Kara would not stop. They descended to B2, the lowermost floor, supposed to be home for the complex's scientists.
B2 was unlike the other housing floors. They had all been built of wood and nails and heated by a thermostat. B2 was made of rock and concrete and was far too cold for comfort. Every edge was jagged and no corner was round. The hallways wound tightly, to the point that it was hazardous to walk as a single unit, as any dead would have to be climbed over and would not allow for a swift escape. So they split once more into groups of James and Kara, Matt and Harry, and Erik and Alex. Kara and James entered a stone room shivering.
"How long have we been here?" James wondered aloud. Kara looked for a clock on the wall but found none. How do the scientists keep time? She thought. They left to check another room, and another, and another. It was tiresome work, and Kara's fiery energy from before was beginning to fade. B2 sapped James's strength as well; Kara noticed him propping himself against a wall or table whenever he got the chance.
Each room was messy, but easy to find was the same blue key in every room. Soon the sweep was complete, no hostility encountered, and Kara's unit met Harry's in the hallway. They waited for Erik and Alex to come out. And they kept waiting. And waiting.
Soon they were not waiting anymore, but sweeping the floor again for the missing buddies. Soon every room had been checked but one locked door. They pounded on it repeatedly, but no one emerged. Kara was forced to kick it in to check. "Alex! Erik! Are you here?" But there came no response.
"So... do we stop?" Matt asked. "We said we were going to stop if we lost anybody. This is the last floor. We should leave and report this to Group Director Samuel. Maybe we'll see Axel and Erik on the way up."
Kara was about to agree. It seemed like they were finished, and she'd be glad to get out of this complex and go back to her own. But then she heard James's voice from far away.
"It's not the last floor." He said. They all walked to his voice, and saw him staring down a dark stairwell that had been covered by a false wall. He'd gotten the door open with a key from one of the rooms.
"We aren't going down there. By no means will we descend to an unrecorded floor." Matt assured himself.
"This wasn't one of the elevator buttons, guys. We can go, but we don't know what's down there. It could be anything." Harry said. He didn't seem afraid, but he wanted to got home just as much as the rest of them. What would Kara say?
Kara wouldn't let them go home, James knew. She had something to prove to herself.
Kara lit the darkness with a flashlight and started down. "Goddammit." Muttered Matt. "Stupid bitch."
There was no question over what B3 was once the group had seen it. It was a prison, plain and simple, and a bad prison at that. The entire floor was filthy. Rancid grime had accumulated in every corner, rats were dead on open floor, and cobwebs hung undisturbed from the ceiling. Many cells had shit smeared on the walls. Sometimes the shit was mixed with blood.
"I wonder why the scientists all have keys to this place." Matt asked. The question answered itself.
Unlike most of the rooms the group had swept, it was immediately apparent that they were not alone in this one. Almost every cell held a convict who was either dead or dying. From one cell came the rattling of a frostbitten hand against bars, from another came a hacking cough. Moans emanated from a few. A few of the cells were empty, but every cell was closed. Except for one.
Kara looked into the open cell. It had been recently used, she could tell from the stink in the toilet. Yet there was nobody there. She walked in, checking both bunks for prisoners. They were both used, but both empty. She was about to leave when she heard the door close behind her.
"I haven't seen a girl as pretty as you since I worked for the Agency." Rasped a man just inside the door. "I think we should spend some time together."
Before he could touch her, she spun around and fired a bullet into his stomach. Red dripped from his mouth onto bloody chapped lips and a wiry brown beard. "That would have hurt a few hours ago." Said the man, spittle and blood spraying onto Kara's face. She backed away from him until she tripped and splashed back into the clogged toilet. "But whatever smoke fucked up those scientists is making me feel very, very good."
He took an exaggerated breath of smokey air just as Kara shot him two more times in the chest. He stumbled back at first, but then lurched towards her and grabbed her by the shirt. She heard her name being called and a key being jammed into the door as the prisoner lifted her from the toilet to his scarred face. "You're going to taste very good." He said, using a fistful of her hair to expose tender throat.
But before he could do what he planned, Kara stuck her combat knife through one of his eyes. She twisted until he released, then took him to the ground and bashed his head against the floor. She only stopped when she was sure he was dead, and she was sure he was dead when his blood and brain were leaking onto the stone beneath.
Harry tried to calm her shaking. He thought he did, after a minute, but it wasn't him. Harry didn't calm her down. Kara did. And maybe James, a bit. She quickly stepped out of her shit-stained combat pants; she still had clean sweatpants on underneath. And she wasn't done.
James was watching them, and Matt had given up all pretense of sweeping, already running off, trying to find the way out through a maze of cells. "Hey, Kara?" James said. "Were there supposed to be two prisoners in that cell?"
Then they heard Matt scream. Click-click, bang! Click-click, bang! Click-click, bang! Was the sound of Matt's shotgun. The group rushed around the corner to see blood pouring from a prisoner's wounds to Matt's body. "Why won't you die?" Matt sobbed as it squeezed his throat. He finally put the prisoner down with a point blank shot to the head, but more hostile forces were spilling in from all sides. This is what Kara had been prepared for.
"Matt! Come here!" She ordered, but Matt's ankle was grabbed by an approaching... scientist. Kara shot it five times before it died, and ordered Harry to help Matt as Kara lay down suppressing fire. "James! Make sure there's a clear path to the stairs!"
"On it, chief." He said, skipping left toward the stairwell. Kara stayed precise with her rounds while Harry rushed to Matt's defense. But she was forced to divert her fire when four researchers attacked from the right. Kara threw an impact grenade in their direction, knocking them to the ground in a wave of fire and fragments. Two were dead and one was missing an arm, but both living scientists charged her even while engulfed in flames. Kara put down the intact one with the remainder of her clip, but she barely dodged being tackled by the last one while reloading. The scientist rolled and got to its feet. Kara beat it back down with her pistol then slashed its throat.
Kara found that she was no longer within sight of Harry or Matt, and try as she might to find them, she could not locate or offer them fire. Kara retreated to the security of the stairs. James had already left a pile of bodies and corresponding pile of magazines on the floor. While he reloaded his assault rifle, she drew her own. They slew twenty deranged men before Harry arrived. "Where's Matt?" Kara asked through heavy, frosty breath.
Harry shook his head. "Go, just go." And they ran up the stairs. It was a relief to face the quiet halls of B2, at least for Harry, who knew he was a mere two floors, lobby, and stretch of land away from safety. This is why he was appalled when Kara began to open the door to a room, almost as if she was still... Good god. She was about to sweep.
"Kara!" Harry shouted. "What the fuck are you doing?"
She turned around with surprise. Yes, surprise. "I... just checking to see if the floor was clear, supposed to sweep..."
"Fuck that!" Harry said. "Matt is dead. Erik and Alex are gone. We are leaving now."
Kara closed the door slowly. She supposed he was right. The building had been swept, and the only force left to contend with was an overwhelming one that would eventually die in the B3 prison. They could leave right away. "Okay." She said. She supposed that she hadn't expected it to end this way. And she still wasn't sure that it would.
And when the three of them rounded the corner, her doubts were confirmed. Erik was hanging from low ceiling by a bed sheet noose, so low that his toes grazed the floor. A chilled pool of blood stagnated below him. His mask was off, and the blood kept dripping from the tips of his fingers and the toes of his shoes, the corners of his mouth and the edges of his iced-over eyes. Also from a huge slice across his belly through which his intestines dangled.
"I do think we should leave." Said Harry. "I really think so. I really think we have to go."
"Yes." Said Alex, standing behind them all with a knife and flaming black eyes. "I think you should go, too."
James raised his gun, but it and a finger were cut from his hand. Alex shoved him headfirst into the wall and kept forward. Harry slipped past the hanging body and sprinted away. Kara tried to do the same, but a pool of blood stopped her path with a splash. Alex tore off her mask, took her chin in his hand, and slipped the frigid metal of the knife blade through her lips, face devoid of emotion. Kara had never believed in evil, but now she seemed to be staring it in the face.
Luckily, James moved Alex's brain from skull to wall before Kara was hurt. "Are you okay?" He asked her.
"She's not okay." Said the dead man. "None of you will leave here okay. The only way out is down, but down is always death. Do you hear them? Do you hear what they say? They say that reality stops being so real below B2. Are you sure you are where you think you are?"
James shot the dead man again to stop his talking. "Enjoy that little existential crisis." He muttered as he helped Kara to her feet.
"Dammit." She said, blinking tears from her eyes. Her hand went to the back of her pants. Now even her backups were soaked.
"Hey, it'll be alright. Listen. Hey, listen to me. Wipe those tears. Put your mask back on. We're going to be fine. We'll get up, now, come on. We'll get up and we'll go upstairs to B1. Then we'll go to Floor One. Then we'll walk out of here and leave, alright? Can we do that, Kara?"
Kara nodded. James put a hand over her eyes as he pushed her past Erik, then discreetly took Erik's and Alex's filter packets. He slipped a filter under his cracked mask and breathed through it. He had enough for nine days. But he feared that it wouldn't be enough.
James followed her up the hallway, lending her little bits of encouragement as they went. She was being strong and they were moving steadily forward until James had to stop behind her at the B1 stairwell door. Kara was shaking again.
"Come on, Kara, we can do this, remember? We're going to go to B1, then the dining room, then we leave. Come on, Kara, trust in me."
Kara shook her head. "No." She whispered. "This isn't B1."
James slid beside her and pressed his ear to the door. As clear as a frozen night came the sound of rushing water.
James opened the door as slowly as he could, trying his hardest to avoid making a creak. It didn't matter, though, because nobody could hear a creak over the sound of the shower water running over the silhouette in the middle of the community bathroom.
The last time Kara had seen Axel, the red haired friend of Matt's had been very still and very quiet. This time Axel moved erratically, having acquired a constant shake, and the smallest flicking of the lights saw him in a new position. Harry lay dead at his feet. This time there was no question as to whether or not Axel had seen them. Axel began striding toward them with unearthly bounds, so James emptied a fast clip on him and slammed the door, jamming it shut with his rifle. The banging came quickly and hard. It seemed to Kara as though Axel would break through the wood at any second. James didn't wait for that. He took Kara by the hand and ran with her down the hallway once more, opening back up the hidden door to Floor B3.
"Don't worry, Kara, keep your head up, we're on our way out." James said. James saw everything, and he'd seen something useful in the dark of the prison.
James entered B3 with guns ablaze. Any threat from any direction was left bleeding and stunned from the attack. His hail of bullets was followed by a flash bang and smoke grenade, allowing Kara and James to run unbothered to their destination.
When James got to the metal grate, he wasted no time laying a mine and detonating it in mid-run. James pushed Kara down the ladder and followed her down, igniting a war-torch and placing it beneath the passage to ward off pursuit. Only when James had taken Kara to the end of the sewer did they slow their pace.
"Are we good?" James asked. Kara nodded. "Good. Now, I want you to know something before we continue, alright? We shouldn't be down just because of a shitty situation." He said, motioning to mounds of human waste.
Kara laughed. Maybe it was because James was funny, or maybe it was because he was no less of a clown after hours of brushing death. She laughed either way.
James took a small utility saw and began cutting through the bars that trapped them in the sewer. Past them was a large cavern that was host to visible plant life. Somewhere, that cavern was connected to open air. They had a way out.
First, though, they would have to deal with the splashing steps behind them. A scientist strode towards them with a needle in one hand and a scalpel in the other. Its eyes were flaming black, just like Alex's had been. In fact, everyone who'd attacked them had a varying degree of black about their eyes. James suspected this had to do with levels of exposure to the smoke.
Kara trained her rifle on the scientist, prepared to take it down in one high caliber shot to the brain. James quickly lowered her gun. "You don't want any fire down here. Sewer air is flammable."
Kara nodded and drew her combat knife instead. It had served her well over the past hours, and it was no wonder why. At about 13 inches, forged into an expert shape, it was the sharpest and deadliest blade she'd ever held. Kara was just as confident with it as she would be with some gun or other.
Kara didn't have to kill the scientist. The work was done for them by a dirty, tired Matt. He beheaded the smoke-addled man in a fell swipe.
"Matt! You're alive!" Kara exclaimed.
"And your mask is shattered." James observed. James briefly removed his own to demonstrate how he breathed directly through the filter. Matt quickly followed suit.
"You don't need to saw through that grill." Said Matt. "There's another way to the caverns. Follow me." They did.
Matt went into a coughing fit as they walked. "It's strange," said Kara, "that the smoke would be a problem even down here. Did the fire really spread down to the sewers?"
It was a good question. "I don't think it needed to." Said James. "Nor did the fire spread from building to building on its own volition. Each one was a great distance from the rest and separated by nothing flammable. Someone lit each building, and the same person poisoned each part of them. Even down to the sewers. It's also clear why so many are gone instead of dead. The smoke doesn't kill you. It only damages you somehow. It damaged those scientists. It damaged Axel. I imagine it damaged everyone else as well."
"I wonder how the rest of the squadron is doing." Said Kara.
Matt seemed to have a burst of insight. "They can't be much better. If the Sheriff sent us here to eradicate the occupants and send a message, his enemy wants to eradicate us and send the message right back. This is all a game of power played out with lives."
Their walk led them to a tunnel where the air was much cleaner. Matt pointed out a staircase climbing one of the walls and told them that the stairs led to a door easy enough to find at the back of B3.
"I'd like to apologize for leaving you in B3. Also for shooting Axel." Said Kara later, relieving a pain in her chest.
Matt did not accept her apology. "I don't accept because you have nothing to apologize for. After having my neck gnawed on by one of those things, I gained a better understanding of them. And my understanding is that the Axel you killed probably wasn't Axel anymore. I understand that fleeing from B3 wasn't a choice, it was a necessity. I only have to wonder why you came back down."
Kara answered succinctly. "The only way out was down." She paused. "But that leads to a bigger question. How do we get out of here?"
James was tempted to say, "We don't." But that wouldn't be helpful.
Ah, fuck it. Kara had enough self control for all of them. "We don't." He said with a grin. He could instantly sense that his squadmates were appalled. "Although, if we were really determined to survive, we could get out the same way that crate planned to." He referred to the massive crate sitting on a truck in the middle of the cavern. Curious as he was, James couldn't help but bound over and open it up. He pulled out two bricks of heroin and whistled.
"One little piggy is going to be safe and snug inside of this house." James said. Of course, his two downers of squadmates missed the pun. James hopped in the truck door and turned a scientist key in the ignition. The roaring engine sounded like freedom.
"Hey!" Shouted Kara. "Someone could have heard that." Sure enough, a new group of hostiles appeared before them.
"That someone's going to get run the fuck over." James replied. "Who wants shotgun?"