Omega Virus (Book 1): Beta Hour (24 page)

LEVEL 29 – DISHONORED

The vaccine
belonged to Jessie, and I knew I'd give it to her no matter what. At the very
least, it would buy her some time, so we could find Grandson and get the
permanent vaccine.

Using
the radio Wesley had given me, a small chance existed he'd come to help if I
called. Maybe he would grant it as my final wish.

Beside
me, Dr. Belmont had died, and I would soon be next. I retrieved a shard of
broken glass from the floor and kneeled next to him. His eyes opened, revealing
those same dead eyes that I'd first seen in Mr. Murph, the school custodian.

I
stood and took a few steps back, watching as Dr. Belmont reanimated. He rolled
onto his belly and dug his nails into the floor, trying to pull himself. The
blood pooling on the floor, wouldn't allow him traction. He groaned and
reached, his teething snapping slowly together. This would soon be me. I
studied him; no, I studied ‘it’, for a few minutes. It made no progress with
his useless legs. I never wanted to become this. I’d made a promise to Jessie
that I would be the one to off her. When I got back, it’d have to be the other
way around.

I
kneeled again, and pushed the Corpse, Belmont's,
head
to the floor, and then I slowly inserted the glass into its brain. No trace of
Dr. Belmont remained.

“You
really knew nothing about Grandson and I,” I whispered. “Before I become like
you I hope to find out why he and I look exactly alike.”
   

With
the Corpse dead, I wiped my bloody hands on my pants and removed Belmont's
handgun from his belt. I popped the clip and checked the ammo; sixteen rounds.
I'd have to use them wisely. With the clip inserted the safety
off,
I made my way back to the door and listened. The
gunfire ceased meaning the battle had ended. From what I knew, the Creepers
hated the militants. Houston would be their city from now on.

Back
in the hall, I ruled out using the elevator. The Corpses downstairs would tear
me apart. I walked on and found the stairs to the roof. As silently as I could,
I cracked the stairwell door open and immediately the stench of rot assaulted
me, followed by a multitude of groans.

“Not
going that way, either,” I muttered. “How the heck do I get out of there?”

I
stopped when I found a trash chute built into the wall. I'd rather take any
other exit, but I didn't have a lot of choices? I pulled open the door, and it
stunk, but not as badly as Corpses.

As
I climbed into the chute, I whispered a silent prayer once again to the Gaming
Gods, not that they would help me in any way shape or form, or probably existed
at all for that matter, but it didn't do any harm.

I
held my breath and dropped through the dark. I expected to fall a few floors,
but I kept falling. A cry of terror escaped my lips. The sound of turbulent
water rushed up to meet me. I submerged into what felt like a river. I
struggled, still holding a death grip on the briefcase. A current took hold.
The briefcase did not serve as a flotation device. I tried to hold my breath,
but the current slammed me into the wall, knocking the air out of me. My mouth
flew open and gross, putrid sewer water rushed in. My death would come by
drowning, and then I'd be a bloated, floating meal for whatever sea life
remained.

Eyes
open or closed, I couldn't see. With one arm, I reached out, grasping for a
ledge or handhold, a metal bar, anything. My consciousness waned, and it came
to me that maybe, the time had come to just give in after all.

I
slammed hard into a sewer grate, and the water held me against the bars.
Finally, I grabbed on and pulled my head above water. As I gasped for breath, I
felt around and found a ledge to pull myself out.

Back
on solid ground, I crawled to my knees and vomited. I choked and coughed and
even felt the urge to punch myself in the stomach to expel the remainder of the
gross water. It tasted so foul I didn’t even want to think about what I had
probably swallowed. After a minute of heaving, I rolled onto my back and
gasped, catching a deep breath.

Staring
up, I spotted a sliver of dim light through a cracked open manhole cover. I sat
up with a grunt and wasted no time pulling myself up the rusty rungs.

Although
exhausted, I survived the climb. I braced the briefcase above my head and
pushed up with both hands. Unlike in video games and movies, manhole covers
were heavy.

I
inched the cover up enough to put my fingers in the crack and push it to the
side. I took the last few rungs as quickly as I could and crawled my way out.

Flames
lit up this section of the city. It had to be the gas station fire. I no longer
had a map, but the fire would serve as a beacon. Maybe the Gaming Gods were on
my side after all.

As
I navigated, I dodged between streets, down alleys and abandoned cars. I made
my way around each Corpse horde without being seen. I needed each bullet in
case I ran into any Lv03s.

After
curving around several blocks, I neared the gas station; the flames still rose
into the sky; the smoke blocked out the night stars.

From
there it took only a few minutes to make it back to the apartment building

“Please
be alive!” I pleaded as I ran up the stairs.

At
the sixth flight, my breath had gone, but I'd made it. I wanted to
lay
down and rest, but time had become my worst enemy. I had
to get the partial vaccine into Jessie’s veins.

I
took it as a good sign no groans came from the hall. I stopped in front of #621
and lightly tapped on the door. When no response came, I popped it open and
listened. What I heard caused my heart to collapse. A long groan came from the
bedroom.

“Oh
no.” I gasped, fighting back my fears.

I
stepped in, closed the door quietly behind me, and drew my gun. After
everything that I'd been through, fate seemed to deem me worthy to be Jessie's
executioner. How badly I wanted to turn and run. I didn’t want to go into the
bedroom. I didn’t want to have to kill the girl I loved. A series of thuds echoed
from inside. It sounded like she slammed her fists against something. She’d
turned and now wanted out. She must've heard me come in.

“Crap!”
I fell to my knees.

I
lost it. Too many bad things had happened, and I'd reached the end of my rope.
Through tear stricken eyes I looked at my gun. I didn’t have the guts to kill
her. I couldn’t do it, but I could do myself.

“I’m
so, so sorry, Jessie!” I cried.

I
took the gun and turned it around in my hand, aiming it into the roof of my
mouth. My finger slid toward the trigger, and a voice in my head stopped me.

“Dumb
dumb
!” Tiffany screamed. “Don’t just kill yourself!
You’re out of continues!”

I
lowered the gun for a moment.
A video game reference of all
things.
It seemed life had become a game after all. In this game,
though, we had one life, and never any continues. No, deja
vus
were not checkpoints that we reloaded when we died. This had become our cruel
reality, a real survival horror experience. Well, I'd grown tired of it! I
wanted to check out!

The
gun found its way back to my mouth, and I held it in both hands. I trembled. It
would be so easy to end it. I curled my finger around the trigger and started
to pull.

“Zach!”
Jessie cried. “What are you doing?”

My
eyes shot wide, and I dropped the gun. Jessie appeared out of the bedroom,
looking more like a Corpse than ever.
She'd grown so pale, in
the moonlight
,
she looked like a ghost
.

“Are
you here to haunt me?” I asked.

“No.”
She stumbled forward and landed on her knees with a thud. She grabbed the gun
and slid it across the room.

“What
were you doing?” She asked then fell over, groaning and grabbing her head. She
slammed her fists on the floor.

“It
hurts so bad, Zach!” she cried. “Please, just shoot me now! Not yourself! Me!”

“No!”
I grabbed the briefcase and threw it open.

Jessie
hadn’t died, and like an idiot, I'd almost killed myself. If she had found me
dead, she too would have died not knowing that I brought something to save her.
I couldn't have been more stupid, but blaming myself would have to wait.

“Hold
still,” I told Jessie, who thrashed her head back and forth, in agony. “I have
something that will help!”

“Morphine?”
Tears streamed down her face, illuminated by the outside light.

“No,
it’s better!” I pulled apart the compartment on the top looking for something
to administer the vaccine with. Sure enough, I found a small injection gun. I
popped the vile in and put the gun to Jessie’s arm.

“What
is that?” she cried and then groaned.

“The--
I hesitated, not sure if I should tell her the cure would only be temporary.

If
I did, what would she do? She could just give up. No, I had to give her hope.

“It’s
the vaccine!” I lied. “I’m going to cure you!”
   

I
pulled the trigger on the gun, and I watched the vial empty its contents into
her blood. She screamed and thrashed about so hard she knocked the injector gun
right out of my hands. It slammed into the wall, the vial shattering.

“Jessie!”
I grabbed her arms, holding her still. “Just hold on!”

She
twisted her head back and forth and shrieked again, then suddenly fell still.

“Jessie?”
I whispered.

She
didn't move. I put my head to her chest and listened for a heartbeat, but heard
nothing. I put my fingers to her neck and found no pulse.

“No.
No. No. No!” I screamed and slammed my hands on her chest.

I
put my ear to her chest again. Nothing still. I repeated the process so many
times I lost count, but after at least ten minutes had passed, I gave up and
put my head on her chest and began to cry.

“What
have I done?” I asked. “What have I done to deserve this?”

I
looked beyond the ceiling, picturing the night sky.

“You
bastards up there! I know you hear me! God, the Universe, whatever the hell you
are! What did I do to deserve this?”

“Nothing,”
Jessie said.

My
eyes slowly trailed back down, to see Jessie looking at me with her eyes
half-open. She gave a great gasp and her stomach heaved as she took in air.

“Jessie!”
I whispered, cupping her face in my hands. “Stop scaring me!”

“You’re
the one...
”
she gasped again. “Scaring me.”

“I’m
sorry!” I whispered, “I thought you were—”

“I’m
not,” Jessie grinned. “You saved me.”

The
smile that crossed her face appeared brighter than I'd ever seen. She grinned
with such jubilance. I never wanted to leave her side. How could I tell her the
horrible truth? How could I tell her of the infection still in her veins, and
in mine too?

LEVEL 30 – FAR CRY

The gas station
fire from outside still provided some visibility inside the apartment. Would it
ever go out? What a waste. Gasoline, before long, would be impossible to
obtain. If the world hadn’t gone to hell, maybe the gas prices would have
skyrocketed? No doubt the police would have been setting up a perimeter to keep
everyone back; firefighters would have been about, fighting the blaze.

Just
how did the virus spread so far, so fast? So many games prepared us for the
zombie scenario, how did they ever take over? I'd only survived so long thanks
to hours and hours of gaming, but now I'd been bitten. My survival had ended.

Behind
me, Jessie slept on the mattress, fast asleep and snoring lightly. No more
groaning, tossing or turning. She'd become peaceful, and I felt thankful for
that. I turned away from the window and set the briefcase down. Once again I
popped it open and checked the injector gun hoping beyond hope to find another vial
of the partial vaccine, the silver liquid of life, inserted and ready to
inject. Had I begun to regret giving the vaccine to her? No, that couldn't be
it, but already, my skin had started to warm up. I shut the lid again, but this
time, it got caught. It wouldn’t close all the way.

“Come
on.” I ran my fingers around the edges, trying to find what held it open. It
didn’t feel like anything. I opened the lid all the way and tried again. Still
it didn’t click shut.

“Stupid
thing!” I muttered and shoved it to the side.

It
flipped upside down, and the foam interior lining flipped out. A white sheet of
paper slipped onto the carpet

“What’s
this?” I crawled over and picked it up.

With
my luck, I expected it to be a dry cleaning bill. But as I examined it, my eyes
went wide. I scurried back into the light. Formulas and garbled text filled the
page. I couldn't understand any of the scientific mumbo jumbo. Something else
caught my attention
;
words at the very bottom, ‘Gulf
of Mexico’ and two numbers, 24° and -94°.

I
couldn’t believe what I saw. The beautiful white sheet of paper bore geographic
coordinates. I had the location of Grandson and the actual vaccines. I'd never
held anything more valuable. If we could get there, we’d both be saved.

As
I read further, I saw the words ‘Rockport Report.'

I
knew Rockport to be a city in southern Texas, somewhere near Corpus Christi.
I'd never been there, but a sudden flash came to my mind. The dream I had with
Tiffany and me as children. In that dream, my ‘uncle’ planned to take me to
Rockport. I didn’t believe in fate, but it couldn't be a coincidence.

“We’re
going to be alright!” I crawled across the floor to the hand radio Wesley had
given us. I picked it up and tuned to the frequency Wesley used. With hope in
my heart, I held down the button.

“Wesley,”
I said. “Wesley James. This is Zach. I need your help. I’m in Houston at the Rooney
Apartment building right inside the city limits. I know where one of those
G.O.D. Mode scum is. I have the coordinates to a lab!”

I
let the button go and waited with held breath. Wesley told me to contact him
once I had dealt with Jessie. I couldn't tell him she still lived just yet, but
when he arrived, I would explain I found the cure. Of course, I wouldn't tell
him we were both infected. Otherwise, he wouldn’t help us, even if I gave him
Grandson on a silver platter.

Seconds
ticked by, and those seconds turned to minutes, which turned into an hour. I
tried again and again, saying the same thing. But he didn't respond. Wesley had
likely gotten everyone killed. Jessie and my survival proved nothing short of a
miracle.

More
time passed, and I stared out the window. My eyes felt heavy. I hadn’t slept
since the Belmont mansion. I needed rest, especially if Jessie and I were going
to find a car and get to Rockport for a boat, but how long did I have? I
remembered Mr. Murph turning immediately. Maybe the virus reacted differently
in everyone? Jessie had survived without turning, after all. Still, fear loomed
in the shadows of my mind, ready to swallow me whole. If I closed my eyes,
would I ever open them again? Or would I awaken to find myself feasting on Jessie?
I couldn’t risk sleeping, not until we had the cure in hand.

Fight
as I might, my head began to tilt. I couldn’t stay awake. Everything had been
far too taxing. Still, I struggled.

“Zachary
Mastiff, you sly bastard!” Wesley’s voice entered my sleep some time later.

“What’d
I do?” I tried to open my eyes.

“Are
you there?” He asked.

“Of
course, I’m here.” My eyes were closed. “Where else would I be?”

“Zach,
if you don’t answer this damn radio I’m going to have to find a place to land
this whirlybird!”

“Whirlybird?”
I murmured. “What the heck are you talking about?”

Then
I heard the whopping sound. Just like when Grandson had flown away. Wesley had
come with a helicopter!

“Zach,
if you are still in that building I would get your ass to the roof—now!
The copter is attracting tons of Corpses, and they are all heading inside! And
get this crap, I think they're Lv03s! Dammit man, pick up!”

I
dove for the hand radio and held it up, smashing the button in.

“We’ll
be on the roof in a second!” I cried.

I
looked to Jessie whose eyes were wide and confused.

“What’s
going on?” She asked.

“Wesley’s
outside!” I pulled her to her feet and threw on Wesley’s coat.

“He
is?” She asked groggily.

“We
gotta move!” I said. “Corpses are coming!”

“Oh
no!” Jessie snapped awake.

Seconds
later we were out in the hall and rushing toward the stairwell. Wesley’s voice
crackled over the radio again.

“What
do you mean we?” Wesley asked. “Is Jessie still with you?”

“No
time to explain!” I said back into the radio as we burst through the door to
the stairs.

I
couldn’t make out the next thing he said due to the cacophony of groans below.

“Up!”
I shouted.

Jessie
ascended, but a missile slammed into me. I hit the door with such force that it
crashed open, and I tumbled back into the hall.

“Jessie!”
I cried.

The
Corpses were too close now. I couldn’t take the stairs.

“Get
to the roof!” I screamed.

A
Corpse staggered into the doorway. One of its arms hung to the ground as if its
limb had been stretched like putty. It glared at me and gave a low growl. I
took a step back and drew my gun. I pulled the trigger, and nothing happened.

“What?”
I gasped.

The
corpse thrust its arm forward and sent me flying back. I hit the carpet and
rolled past several apartments. I scrambled back to my feet and turned to face
the Corpse again. I pulled the trigger again
;
nothing.

“Oh
come on!” I cried.

I
hurled the gun at the Corpse and grabbed the radio. “Get Jessie out of here!”

“No!”
Wesley responded. “I’m not bringing her on board! She’s infected!”
   

“You
have to!” I argued as the Corpse took a few steps forward.

“I
said no!” He snapped.

“She’s
not infected!” I lied.

“
Bullcrap
!”

“I’ll
give you the coordinates!” I cried. “Please! I won’t make it!”

Before
I could say another word, the Lv03's arm shot forward, stretching twenty-some
feet. I threw up my arms and of all things it could have grabbed; it snatched
the radio from my hands, and snapped back like a rubber band.

“Son-of-a-god-damn-bloody-hell!”
I shouted.

More
Corpses appeared in the hall behind the Lv03 Long Arm. I wouldn't be getting to
the roof that way. I turned to see a window at the far end of the hall. I
spotted a fire escape outside, and I made a break for it. I ran full speed.

The
Corpse came, but thankfully it didn’t seem to be
a
Lv03 Runner.

I
stopped at the window and pried my fingers into the handle, pulling it open. I
jumped onto the fire escape and let the window fall behind me. Just then the
glass shattered and the Lv03 grabbed my shoulder. It tried to reel me in, but I
wouldn’t give. I grabbed onto the outside railing and held tight. If he wanted
me, he would have to come get its meal.

“You
can’t have me!” I cried as it pulled me next to the window. I used all my
weight to drop to my knees.

A
jagged piece of glass severed the arm and freed me. I didn’t take the time to
breathe. I rebounded back to my feet and ran up the fire escape. Several
stories above me the helicopter flew around the building. My pulse pounded, my
feet slammed the metal, and I grabbed each handrail. I spun myself around each
corner so fast I nearly tumbled over.

Finally,
I made it to the last stretch, a ladder. The Corpses groaned below, which
fueled my flight response. I pulled myself up onto the roof to see the
helicopter flying away, heading out of the city.

I
didn’t see Jessie anywhere, but I did see the roof door burst open, and Corpses
come pouring out. The first of them turned to me and opened its mouth wide,
unhinging its jaw just like the one at the gas station. It roared a sonic
blast, but thankfully from so far, it felt like a nice breeze.

The
Lv03 hurled itself into a run, flailing its arms and running with abandon.

I
dodged to the side as the raging undead tried to spear me. I ran across the
roof to the far corner, jumping over the AC units and more than one large pipe.
I leaped and bounded, skidding behind an electrical box.
More
and more Corpses came.

I
looked back as I climbed over another huge ventilation pipe. I didn’t see the
helicopter anymore, but I could hear the whopping of the propellers, but where
had it gone?

The
encroaching Corpses had me trapped in the corner. I glanced back and forth as
they shambled closer. If I fell, the drop would be
a long
fourteen stories down. I found myself trying to figure out how many feet that
equaled, but I gave up. I couldn't survive such a fall. People did survive
skydiving failures sometimes, so I had a chance. Which would be better?
Falling or getting eaten?
Splatting sounded preferable, if
just barely.

They
were so close now, only feet away. I stepped back to the very edge, my heel
hanging over the side.

I
readied myself. I would take as many of them as I could down to hell.

The
closest Corpses lunged, and I winced. Whopping came from behind me.

Something
grabbed me from behind and pulled me back over the edge. To my surprise, I fell
back into something warm and squishy.

“Zach!”
Jessie cried out. “I’ve got you!”

I
watched as the Corpses fell off the side of the building, trying to follow, but
I'd fallen into a helicopter; they wouldn't.

I
spun around as the helicopter door slid closed. A huge smile spread across my
face. Jessie stood right in front of me, grinning back.

“You’re
alive!” Dave cried, from the other side of the copter, clapping his hands.

“Good
job, bro!” Jeff reached over and patted me on the back.

They
all wore regular clothing now, and while worse for wear, they looked well. As
Jessie hugged me, I spotted Kessa across from us with her arms crossed her
chest. She glared, and I quickly glanced away. I didn’t even know how to
approach apologizing to her.

“Zach!”
Wesley snapped from the pilot’s seat. “Get your ass up here. We have to talk.”

I
didn’t like the tone in his voice.