Outbreak (Book 3): Endplay Page 15

  Before his leg even crossed the threshold of the door, four hands reached into the room and grabbed Toxic by his shirt. Toxic dropped the Sigs and placed his hands on either side of the doorframe. He tried to push away from his attackers, but the zombies were too strong.

  “Holy shit,” Hector said as he dropped the boxes of shotguns he carried under his left arm. He grabbed his fire axe with both hands and ran through the door. A few feet away, Toxic lay on the ground as two creatures huddled over and ripped him apart. The creatures hungrily ate the man on the floor as they tore the flesh off his arms and legs and used their fingers to penetrate into his abdomen.

  Toxic’s screams at the invasions quickly turned into wet, gurgling noises. Hector ran toward the zombies as they greedily hollowed out Toxic’s abdomen and buried his axe into one of the creature’s backs. The creature splayed out on the ground from the force of the strike and was already pushing itself back up.

  Hector yanked at the axe, but the blade was lodged too deep in the creature to free it.

  “Hector, on your left!” Riker shouted from the doorway of the weapons room.

  Hector let go of the axe’s handle as another creature ran toward him. He lowered his shoulder as the zombie ran into him and Hector lifted and threw the creature over his back. Hector was about to turn to square off against the creature, but another zombie raced toward him.

  He heard three quick shots and saw an advancing creature’s chest explode outwards. The zombie fell to the ground, but continued to crawl toward Hector.

  Riker stood about two feet behind the zombie that he’d just shot with his AR-15 and aimed it at Hector’s head. Hector immediately fell to the ground.

  The zombie that Hector had flipped over his back was just inches behind him before Riker put two bullets through its forehead.

  The creature with Hector’s axe in its back was up and ran toward the men. Hector jumped up and kicked the monster right in the chest and sent it stumbling back against the wall of the weapons room. The creature hit the wall with such force that the blade of the axe penetrated the rest of the way through its chest. The creature fell to its knees and Riker walked over to it. Before he shot it twice in the head, Riker noticed the zombies that’d attacked hadn’t had yellow eyes.

  “Holy shit,” Hector said as he caught his breath. “Where the fuck did those things come from?”

  “That was only three of them,” Riker said as he scanned the area. “There’s at least two more out there.”

  Riker had his loaded AR-15 slung over his shoulder and grabbed one of the Sig Sauer carbines from the ground. He slapped one of his forty-round clips into the Sig and handed the rifle to Hector.

  “Thank you, amigo,” Hector said.

  Riker and Hector looked over at Toxic and barely recognized the remains as human. It was only a matter of time before Toxic came back as a zombie.

  Riker took a step toward Toxic, but Hector placed his hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

  “Let me,” Hector said. Hector walked over to Toxic and put two bullets in his head.

  “Let’s check out that other weapons room and see if there’s anything worth taking,” said Hector in a somber tone.

  Riker looked around the room and saw all the cocoons as they continued to pulsate on the ground.

  “Why the fuck weren’t those bastards in cocoons too?” Riker asked out loud.

  “Maybe they already hatched,” Hector said as he nodded to the cocooned creatures.

  Riker quickly swung his head around and met Hector’s gaze. “If that’s the case, then we better get the fuck out of here.”

  *

  It was difficult gathering clothes in the huge room. Everything was still packed in the original boxes, and even though they were labeled, the print was small and Murphy, Paula, and Kimberly struggled to read all the labels.

  “Find anything useful?” Teagan yelled from the entrance of the room.

  “All I have are baby and toddler clothes over here!” Murphy yelled.

  “I’ve got women’s shoes over here,” Paula added.

  “Damnit!” yelled Kimberly. “I’ve got bathing suits over here.”

  Teagan knew they were taking too long. The clock was ticking and she could have sworn she’d heard gunshots somewhere in the warehouse.

  “We need to go, everyone!” Teagan shouted.

  Teagan and the others in her group had also seen the cocoons and were all spooked over what could be inside. Teagan noted she’d rather not be around to find out and that they needed to hurry up.

  “Got something!” Murphy shouted as he tore open the box. “I found T-shirts and socks. Come over here and help me load up.” On the way to the clothing section, Teagan had stopped in accessories and grabbed large bags for everyone to carry stuff in.

  “They ain’t stylish,” Paula said in her Southern accent, “but they’re clean.”

  “We need to go,” Teagan said urgently. Her cop instincts were through the roof and each minute that passed she felt more and more unsafe and vulnerable.

  Everyone gathered at the front door with their weapons and readied themselves to head back to the warehouse office.

  “I sure hope the others found some weapons,” Paula said. “I feel like a country bumpkin carrying this thing around.” She held up the pitchfork and shook it.

  “You are a country bumpkin,” Kimberly joked.

  “Yeah, I know,” Paula said, “but I hate perpetuating a stereotype.”

  “Everyone ready?” Teagan asked as she walked toward the entrance to the room. She walked out of the clothing room with her carbine ready to fire. The butt of the rifle was pressed against her shoulder and she looked down the weapon’s sight.

  “It’s clear,” Teagan said to the others without looking over her shoulder. She knew how fast those bastards were and didn’t take her eyes away from her rifle.

  They others joined Teagan outside the clothing room.

  “We’re gonna go back the same way we came,” Teagan announced.

  “Damn these things really freak me out,” Kimberly said as she looked around at all the cocoons.

  “You and me both,” Teagan said. “Just don’t step on any of them.” Then she added, “I’ve got a bad feeling.”

  “About the cocoons?” Murphy asked, but Teagan never had time to answer.

  They all heard a noise at the same time, and when they looked up, saw two zombies jumping from the rafters of the warehouse.

  Teagan rolled out of the way and the creature slammed to the ground.

  Paula wasn’t so lucky, and stood there frozen in fear as the zombie descended toward her. The creature fell on Paula and they both crashed to the ground. Teagan heard Paula’s neck snap from the force of the zombie’s impact.

  The creature immediately jumped off Paula and went after Kimberly. Kimberly spun her entire body around and slammed her shovel against the side of the creature’s head. She heard its skull crack, but the creature still came after her. Instead of retreating, Kimberly held her ground and raised the shovel. The zombie ran into the blade of Kimberly’s weapon, pushed her off balance, and knocked the weapon out of her hands.

  When Kimberly looked up, the shovel was buried in the creature’s chest. She watched in horror as the zombie came after her again, but Teagan stepped in its path and blew the back of its head off. The zombie dropped to the ground and Teagan turned toward the other zombie.

  … but it was gone.

  “Where the hell did the other one go?” Teagan yelled as she spun to look for the creature.

  Before anyone could answer, Teagan looked down and saw the cocoon at her feet start to shake. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but the gooey sac shook more and more violently until the end cracked open. A thick, clear gel oozed out of the cocoon. Teagan knew she should run, but she couldn’t take her eyes away from the sight in front of her.

  Teagan watched as whatever was inside the cocoon tried to claw its way out. What loo
ked like fingers scratched against the inside of the sac. Murphy and Kimberly were mesmerized by the same sight. They all jumped when an appendage slithered through the thick gel. It looked like a human arm, but then it didn’t. The other appendage that resembled an arm emerged from the cocoon and started tearing apart the cocoon.

  Whatever was inside the cocoon didn’t have five fingers. The arm ended in a claw-like shape that had a thumb and a pinky, but the other fingers were fused together in one large finger. They all noticed the sharp talons that extended from the three fingers right before Murphy smashed the arm with his barbwire stick.

  “I think that’s enough of that,” Murphy said as he pulled his weapon away from the crushed arm.

  The creature inside the cocoon emitted an ear-shattering scream.

  “Fuck this,” Kimberly said as she ran toward the warehouse office. Teagan and Murphy followed, but they all had to run slowly so as not to slip in the thick gel that now coated the floor of the warehouse.

  “Get to the office!” Teagan yelled. “We need to warn the others!”

  All around them the cocoons shook and split open. Arms burst out as the creatures inside tried to rip through the sac’s membranes.

  As they ran toward the office, Teagan heard gunshots throughout the warehouse and she knew her warning would be pointless. Everyone was already fighting for their lives against the newly emerging enemy.

  4

  Underground Facility, Schoepke Springs

  Spicewood, Texas

  The inside of the object was a tight fit for the two scientists and Wilder. Stacey and Stefan were nervous, but also excited to be first two human beings aboard an alien craft. A hunk of one, anyway.

  Unlike the dark metallic material that was on the outside of the craft, inside the walls were made of a smooth material that glowed wherever they walked through the spaceship.

  “Cheryl, Steele, Howard,” Wilder whispered into the mouthpiece. “Do you read me? Come in.”

  “We got you loud and clear,” Steele said. “Don’t go too far, though.”

  “Roger that,” Wilder said. “We’re trying to find something that resembles a cockpit, but there doesn’t seem to be one. We’re in a large hallway and I think it wraps all the way around the craft.”

  “Does it look like you’re in something that was broken off of a larger craft, or are you in a self-contained ship?” Howard asked.

  “It’s hard to say,” Stefan answered. “There’s no markings, scratches, or anything in here. Oh shit,” Stefan said as they slowly walked into a larger room. “What do we have here?”

  “Report!” barked the anxious voice in his ear.

  “How nice of you to join us, Rickard,” Wilder said. “We just walked into a larger compartment. There’s five pods laid next to each other in the middle of the room.”

  “Pods,” Rickard said, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. “Do you mean like containment pods? Is anything inside of them?”

  “We haven’t gotten to them yet, but so far, I don’t see any windows or glass on the pods anywhere,” Stacey said.

  The three slowly approached the strange objects in the room. They walked around them and looked for anything familiar on the outside of the vessels. There were no flashing lights, dials, or switches. The pods were bullet-shaped and just like the outside of the craft, the pods were entirely smooth. Stacey and Stefan were baffled as to how the things opened.

  “I bet these things are containment chambers,” Stefan said. Wilder gave him a questioning look. “You know,” Stefan continued, “like hibernation pods.”

  “I know this is a huge scientific discovery for you two,” Wilder said to Stefan and Stacey, “but we are on a time limit. We don’t want to be trapped here if and when those cocoon-things start to hatch.”

  Wilder noticed some alien markings on one of the bare walls and walked closer to get a better look. He traced his fingers over the alien markings and jumped back when the entire wall lit up. The wall was now filled with lights and what looked like holographic dials and switches.

  Stefan ran to the wall when he saw the lights.

  “What did you do, Wilder?” Stefan asked.

  “I just traced some of the strange markings with my fingers,” Wilder answered. “Think I pissed it off?”

  “No,” Stefan said. “You may have just woken up this beast.”

  “Sir,” Cheryl’s said through the earpiece. “I think the three of you need to get out here.”

  “What’s wrong, Cheryl?” Wilder asked.

  “These things are starting to move,” Cheryl said. “Most of them are shaking and more are joining in every second.”

  “The cocoons in the hatch room below are shaking as well, guys,” Jennie warned.

  “Stefan, Stacey,” Wilder said urgently, “it is time to get the fuck out of here.”

  “But the ship just came alive,” Stefan reasoned.

  “And so did the cocoons,” Wilder said.

  Stefan ran his hand across the wall of lights. The dials and switches were all holograms, but they were fully functional. He randomly pushed some buttons and flicked some switches as he walked by the wall.

  After he turned one holographic dial, the three of them heard a swoosh noise behind them. They turned to see a drawer had extended out from the wall behind them. Stefan ran over to the drawer and pulled it the rest of the way out.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Wilder said.

  “I’ll just be a second,” Stefan said.

  “Cheryl!” Wilder barked into the mouthpiece. “What’s going on out there?”

  “There’s some kind of thick gel coming out of the cocoons,” Cheryl responded. “There’s also a lot of movement inside the sacs.”

  Stefan heard Cheryl’s update and knew he had to hurry. Inside the drawer were four metallic vials. The vials were about five inches long. Without hesitating, Stefan grabbed all four vials and ran back over to Stacey and Wilder.

  “I found something,” Stefan said excitedly.

  “Okay you two,” Wilder said as they ran through the alien craft to the opening. “When we get outside this craft, I want you to unholster your weapons.”

  “Wh-What’s going on out there?” Stacey asked.

  “Nothing yet, but the cocoons are doing something,” Wilder explained. “You heard Cheryl’s update.” They approached the door and slowed to a jog. “Just remember what I told you,” Wilder continued. “Hold the gun firmly in both hands and shoot for the chest. That will be your largest target.”

  When Wilder, Stacey, and Stefan got to the entrance of the craft, they saw that Cheryl and Steele had moved away from the craft and were now among the cocoons. Since Cheryl’s last update, the cocoons had done more than just shake and ooze some kind of fluid. Most of the sacs had arms sticking out from them. Wilder assumed they were arms. What should have been hands were actually deformed-looking claws that tried to rip and tear away the rest of the cocoon.

  Wilder and the scientists watched as Steele smashed the cocoons with his sledgehammer and Cheryl used her nail-studded baseball bat to crush whatever was inside the sacs.

  “Holy shit,” Stefan said. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “What’s going on,” Steele answered, “is that we need to get the hell out of here.”

  Stacey and Stefan followed Wilder through the maze of cocoons, being careful to avoid the large puddles of fluid that seeped out and pooled on the floor.

  “To the hatch!” Wilder shouted. “Now!”

  The others ran as fast as they could toward the hatch.

  “Howard!” Wilder yelled into his mouthpiece. “What’s the situation in the room below the hatch?”

  “It’s the same,” Howard reported. “Some of the cocoons have arms sticking out of them, but no creatures have completely emerged yet.”

  As the five reached the hatch, Wilder looked down and saw all the movement. He was worried about getting into that room when whatever was inside those sacs st
arted to emerge.

  “Everyone back up,” Wilder said. “Cheryl and Steele, watch our backs.”

  Wilder took two grenades from his tactical vest, pulled the pins, and dropped them through the hatch into the room below. He quickly shut the hatch door and waited for the explosion.

  After the ground shook, Wilder opened the hatch and saw that most of the movement from the cocoons had stopped. There were bits and pieces of cocoon and odd-looking body parts splattered across the walls and floor.

  “Wilder!” came the frantic call over the head set. “We lost all visuals in the room below the hatch. We’re blind over here,” Howard almost shouted.

  Stacey and Cheryl went through the hatch first and tried to avoid stepping in the gore around them. Steele was next to go down the hatch, followed by Stefan and Wilder. Right before Wilder closed the hatch, he looked around the room and saw that a few of the creatures had emerged from the cocoons. Odd, claw-like hands had torn through the membranes of the sacs and bodies wiggled and writhed out of their prisons.

  Holy fuck. What the hell is going on? What the hell are those things? Wilder thought as he closed the hatch.

  5

  Walmart Distribution Center

  Central Texas

  By the time Greg and the others heard the first gunshots, they were already headed back to the warehouse office. They all had their backpacks stuffed with food, and Noonan and Stewart pulled dollies filled with water, non-perishable food, and even a few cases of beer.

  “Uh, what the hell are those things doing?” asked Brian. The cocoons around them started to gently shake back and forth. They could see what looked like deformed hands pushing against the inside of the membrane in a few of the cocoons.

  “I don’t know,” Greg said, “but let’s just move a little quicker. We’re gonna stick to the plan, and it is almost time to meet the others at the office.”

  Noonan and Stewart stopped pulling the dollies when they heard more gunshots.