Deadrise 2: Deadwar (21 page)

“Yes Private?” Matt asked.

“Councilman Young requests your presence, sir.”

“Thank you Private. Tell the Councilman that I’ll be right in.”

“Yes sir.” The kid turned and hurried away. Matt almost laughed out loud at the absurd formality of it all. Councilman David Young was younger than the Private who served him, let alone the majority of the Rainbow Lake population, yet they all respected his authority and leadership. They respected all of the Councils authority and leadership. As to why it was so had been discussed at many Council meetings, and they had always come to the same conclusions; after the fall of civilization, the people had needed some kind of order in their lives to prevent them from succumbing to madness and devolving into one of the roving psychotic killers disguised as human beings…like the ones who had killed Frank Young.

Anxiety gripped his stomach as he recalled his friend's death, and Matt cast his eyes to the heavens, wondering if Frank was looking down on him now, making sure he fulfilled his vow to protect his family.

You know I’m doing the best I can Frank, don’t you?
Matt closed his eyes, picturing Franks face in his minds eye. He was smiling. He didn’t know if that was spiritual affirmation from beyond or his own mind fucking with him, but it eased his turmoil just the same.

For sometime now Matt had felt a deep, spiritual longing inside his soul. He believed in God, but he had never been a religious man. He had been raised Mormon is SLC, but once he had graduated high school and enrolled in junior college, he had dropped church like a bad habit. He had been only twice more in his life, and that was at each of his parents funerals. But ever since the dead had risen…well, who didn’t need some spiritual counseling? There were a few men who had come into Rainbow Lake who had Priesthood credentials in the LDS Church, but they were not Bishops, more like Bishops apprentices. Nevertheless they had taken it upon themselves to become the community’s spiritual shepherds. Although ordained in the LDS Priesthood, they served a flock of many Christian denominations, and as such, answered to a variety of titles; Bishop, Father, Padre, Preacher, Reverend, Pastor. Just as well their sermons and preaching had shifted away from Mormon doctrine and philosophy into a homogenized mesh of various Christian sects with just a dash of new age spiritual mysticism and Pagan worship of nature and the Earth. Matt had turned to none of them for his spiritual needs, but he was going to change that. Susan, now six months pregnant, had expressed some interest in attending a service on Sundays ever since her mother had started going last Christmas.

With a final deep breath Matt turned and headed inside to see why David had summoned him…

“Zack wants a meet.” Matt said, surveying the faces of the assembled Council members seated around the conference room table; Aside from himself and David, there was Susan, Jenkins, Patty, Doc Reilly, Sheriff Busley and Lucas Casey. The only two missing were Guy Hammonds, away in Mountain View, and McReedy, overseeing a salvage operation in Rock Springs.

“When did he make contact?” Jenkins asked.

“Less than thirty minutes ago.” David said.

“Why wasn’t I informed immediately?” Jenkins snapped at David, clearly angered.

“We didn’t want to cause a stir, so I decided to inform all of you personally.” Matt said.

“When and where does this meet take place?” Lucas asked.

“Down in Kittewa at ten PM tonight.”

“Why does he want to meet?” Patty asked. Her voice was filled with anxiety.

“It’s been nine months since we’ve spoken. He has information to give us.” David said.

“It will be nice to see him.” Matt mused with a smile.

“Will it?” Jenkins asked, not so sure. “We don’t know how much more he’s mutated since we last saw him, and his hunger with it.”

“Are you saying he can’t come?” Matt asked. He could see Jenkins was still angry and wondered if he was flexing his authority?

“No. I’m eager to hear all he has to say about the outside world, but he is a blood drinking, brain-eating monster. I’m not going to let my guard down around him and neither should you.”

“I trust Zack.” Matt said coldly.

“I don’t.” Jenkins snapped back, just as coldly. “David, I want the missile defense system hot as soon as this meeting is adjourned. I’m also placing the entire lake under martial law until tomorrow morning.” Jenkins said.

Without much more discussion the impromptu Council meeting broke up, with each of the Council members setting out to finish up their responsibilities for the day so that they could focus all of their attention on Zack’s arrival this evening…

The Council assembled at an abandon farmhouse at the southern edge of Kittewa, none of them had opted to stay behind; Matt, Susan and David were eager to see their old friend, while Patty, Doc, Lucas and Sheriff Busley simply wanted to meet him for the first time. Jenkins was only interested in the information Zack had to provide. Besides the Council, Jenkins had brought along Alpha One and Two for back up. As an extra precaution, unknown to anyone, Major Farrell was hidden two hundred yards away with a night vision equipped sniper rifle. He had been instructed to blow Zack’s head off at the pre-arranged signal of Jenkins lighting up a cigarette.

At almost ten PM sharp, a low, pulsing hum began to fill their ears and they moved out back of the farmhouse to an open field. Within a few seconds Zack’s sleek, multi-faceted attack craft passed overhead, spinning about to hover fifty feet above the ground, its engines pulsing through their entire bodies before slowly lowering to the ground. The pulse and hum of the engine faded and the craft grew completely silent. Nearly a minute later, the exit ramp lowered and Zack slowly walked down to greet them.

The first thing that came to Matt’s mind upon seeing his friend was that he looked like some kind of lizardman. His slime-covered skin was rough and mottled greenish black, his eyes a luminescent blood red, with black, vertical-slit pupils. His body lean and supple. As he drew near, the sour, reptilian stench of his body odor reached their nostrils.

“It’s been awhile.” Matt said nervously.

“Yes it has.” Zack's voice had the same deep, gravely rumble that Matt had remembered. Introductions to the members of the Council were made.

“What information do you bring about the outside world?” Jenkins asked, cutting straight to the point. Zack sized him up and down before locking his glowing red eyes with Jenkins bloodshot ones.

“Very well…” Zack told them of all he had seen in his travels the past months. The thousands of tiny pockets of humanity across the globe got them chattering excitedly.

“What do you know of Mordecai?” Jenkins asked.

“I have found no trace of him or his people. But the planet is vast, and although I have traveled it extensively, I have explored very little.” But he left little doubt in anyones mind that global civilization had collapsed. The earth had been plunged into a dark age with humanity on the verge of extinction, surviving in small, isolated communities whose longevity was not assured.

“But you have done well here at Rainbow Lake. You are safe, secure, well supplied and able to defend yourselves…Truly a
Haven
for humanity.”

“A lot of good people have died along the way.” Patty said.

“I of all people know the sacrifices that were made.”

“Of course you do.” Patty replied meekly.

“The Krylok are still weak, but their forces are growing. They continue to create Sentinels, and undoubtedly will proceed with the Hybrid program.”

“And create more half breeds like you?” Doc Reilly asked.

“Eventually they will perfect the process, and their Hybrid will be indistinguishable from a human being. But that is not all. Emerging memories have revealed to me that a hybrid-monster can be created by infecting any carnivorous creature with a slug.”

“ANY carnivorous creature?” Jenkins responded.

“Yes General, any carnivorous creature. Only sentient life forms may be converted to Sentinels but any meat-eating creature will work for a hybrid. Most will simply die terrible, painful deaths but those few that survive will be mutated into horrible, twisted monsters that live only to spread death and misery…”

“Have you seen any successful hybrid creatures?” Lucas asked.

“None other than myself. But I also avoid the Krylok as much as possible. I have considered making an attack run on the crashed Mothership on the dark side of the moon. Perhaps if I could get close enough, I could deploy my two remaining warheads and destroy the remains of the Mothership as well as the Overlord…But more likely than not it would be a suicide mission.

“One more thing about the Krylok, I suspect they are divided internally. The current Overlord on the moon has a tenuous grip on power at best, and the subordinate creatures will continually be looking to exploit any weakness and assume the role of Overlord for themselves.”

“They don’t sound that different from humans.” Patty said with a sneer.

“Humans nurture one another and protect their sick and weak. They know love and kindness and compassion. A Krylok knows none of those things. They seek only to sew death and misery. No Councilwoman, Humans and Krylok are
nothing
alike.” Zack’s glowing eyes held her own for only a few seconds until she looked away, rebuked.

“What will you do when you leave here?” Matt asked.

“I will continue to travel about the earth, gathering intelligence and reporting it back to you. I swore my allegiance to the human race…to this community. I am a monster… Of that there is no doubt. But I am
still
a human being. I
am
still Zack Thomas.”
He looked into Matt’s eyes first, before looking to each of them in turn. “I have tamed the beast inside. I must still feed, that is a biological necessity for all living creatures, but I can subsist on animals and I am no longer a slave to the hunger. It is a bodily function and nothing more. My mind is my own, and my psychic abilities have increased greatly.”

“What psychic abilities?” Lucas asked skeptically.

Do not challenge me Councilman Casey!

Lucas jumped when Zack’s voice sounded softly in his head. Lucas felt Zack leave his mind as quickly as he had entered it.

“How the hell did you do that?” Lucas gasped, reaching one hand to his head.

“You asked for a demonstration.” Zack replied.

“I didn’t think you were going to read my mind.”

“I didn’t read you mind Councilman Casey. I spoke to you using telepathy.”

“Don’t do it again.” Lucas was still rubbing his temple, glaring angrily at Zack.

“As you wish, Councilman…” Zack turned to Jenkins, who had taken his pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

I sense your agitation General, but do not be alarmed. I assure you I will do nothing to force your sniper to try and kill me.
He gave Jenkins a wide smile filled with sharp, pointed fangs.

“Thank you.” Jenkins said flatly.

“Besides, I must be leaving now…”

“One of these days you’re going to have to take me up in that thing. Show me how to fly it.” Jenkins said, gazing at the spacecraft with boyish awe.

“One of these days…” Zack nodded to them one at a time. “Until we meet again…”

He turned his gaze to Matt last.

The predator in me can sense the sickness in you… Smell it in your scent… Hear it in your hearts faulty beat… Your health fails you…

I know.
He replied back with a thought. Zack smiled and nodded his head before turning to leave. He boarded the craft and the exit ramp closed behind him. Moments later, the pulsing hum of the engine began, very low at first, building until it throbbed through their bodies once again. The gem shaped craft slowly lifted off the ground, rising straight up two hundred feet before speeding away to the south. Matt stood staring after it into the darkness, a deep melancholy settling into him.

“Hey baby? Is everything ok?” Susan wrapped her arms around him, startling him.

“Ya…” Matt gasped, feeling a small twinge of pain in his chest.

“You sure?” she wasn’t convinced.

“Yes.” He smiled at her, hugging her close and rubbing his hand across the curve of her belly. “Lets go home.” He breathed deeply and the pain subsided. Perhaps he would go see Doc Reilly in the morning, have him run a few tests to make sure everything was ok.

He gave Susan one last hug before taking her hand and heading for home…

CHAPTER 26

Wednesday, March 13, 2002

Salt Lake City, UT

7:45 AM

The instant Jenkins touched the chopper down on the rooftop helipad of the Salt Lake City Police headquarters, Major Farrell’s team exited with weapons drawn, ready for action. Besides the Major there was Lt. Carville and Privates Belasko & Sanders. All five were garbed in black body suits and web gear and sported AK-47’s with attached hi-power lights. The roof was empty, but they went through the motion of securing a perimeter just to impress the General before converging on the single rooftop door located near the southern edge of the building.