hadn’t been abandoned and left open to the elements. It had been forced open. Bloody handprints matted the lower edge, and bent metal near the edge of the door in multiple places was a testament to the forced opening.
Several touring helicopters sat in the large bay, amid a wreckage of bloody carnage and debris. Suitcases that had clearly been salvaged from the wasted airport were strewn across the floor, and pathetic bedding material—in some cases just extra clothing and towels—lay in clumps around the room, grouped as it might be if families had sought to sleep close to one another. A brief scan of the leftovers in the room revealed that there had been families here. Women, children and the elderly.
They were still here.
But they were all the same, now. Identical in blessed, permanent death.
The only open doors were the ones through which I had entered, and I did a quick circle of the interior to be sure. Grimacing, I tried to avoid the larger areas of destruction, and quickly realized nothing alive was left here.
“Clear,” I muttered into the microphone, lingering by the doorway and staring at the bodies.
It took them only moments, until I heard the footsteps approach behind me.
“Jesus,” whispered Kate as she came into range.
“What?” said Drexel, alert.
“Colonel, it’s better not to see, but when your eyes adjust you’ll know. Where would the hydraulic fluid be stored?” I scanned the interior, seeing the door in the back that had been locked when I passed it before, but noticing the large lettering above it from this distance: ‘Avionics/Supplies: Authorized Personnel Only.’
“Nevermind,” I said. “Kate, you want to keep watch? This is the only door. I’ll take the Colonel back to the supply room and check in with you in five minutes.”
She nodded once, and I saw the pain in her eyes in a short glance. Every time she saw what this plague did—how it didn’t discriminate between adults and children—every time she saw the destruction up close, it was one more reminder that she wasn’t with her daughter.
It was one more reminder to me that we had a bigger job to do after Seattle was finished.
Drexel followed me as I began to walk across the quiet hangar, and I heard a softly whispered curse as his eyes adjusted enough to see the death around him.
“What happened here?” he whispered, swallowing hard to push back the bile.
I knew the feeling. Seemed like every day in this new world I was keeping the puke at bay.
“Humanity,” I said shortly. “Terror, insanity, and love. All bundled together in a last grasp for life. All falling short.” I was muttering, somewhat. Slightly crazed by the sight of so many bodies of so many ages. He looked at me, confused.
“Looks like they ran away from the terminal and holed up here,” I said, shortly, pushing a body away from the doorway to the supply room so the door could open out. Rapping on the thin metal twice with the tip of my bayonet, I waited to hear any response from inside.
“How could they get in here? That’s a metal door.”
I glanced at him, curious.
“Those things are tenacious, Colonel. You ever been in a firefight or hand to hand with them?”
The door stayed silent, and I counted off to twenty in my head.
“No, we… I’ve seen what they can do a couple times. I’ve seen them mass together and I’ve taken a few herds out from the sky. The base yesterday was the closest I got.”
Nothing from inside. I reached for the handle.
“They’re persistent,” I said, realizing that the door was locked. Staring at the mechanism, I stepped back.
“When they know there’s food in a building or a car or any damn thing, they will push and pull and claw away until the doors open or hell swallows them all. They’re like a Jenny Craig group meeting in a Krispy Kreme discount outlet… no matter how strong you are, you’re not going to stop them. It’s hardwired. Ingrained. They will eventually find a way to
Several touring helicopters sat in the large bay, amid a wreckage of bloody carnage and debris. Suitcases that had clearly been salvaged from the wasted airport were strewn across the floor, and pathetic bedding material—in some cases just extra clothing and towels—lay in clumps around the room, grouped as it might be if families had sought to sleep close to one another. A brief scan of the leftovers in the room revealed that there had been families here. Women, children and the elderly.
They were still here.
But they were all the same, now. Identical in blessed, permanent death.
The only open doors were the ones through which I had entered, and I did a quick circle of the interior to be sure. Grimacing, I tried to avoid the larger areas of destruction, and quickly realized nothing alive was left here.
“Clear,” I muttered into the microphone, lingering by the doorway and staring at the bodies.
It took them only moments, until I heard the footsteps approach behind me.
“Jesus,” whispered Kate as she came into range.
“What?” said Drexel, alert.
“Colonel, it’s better not to see, but when your eyes adjust you’ll know. Where would the hydraulic fluid be stored?” I scanned the interior, seeing the door in the back that had been locked when I passed it before, but noticing the large lettering above it from this distance: ‘Avionics/Supplies: Authorized Personnel Only.’
“Nevermind,” I said. “Kate, you want to keep watch? This is the only door. I’ll take the Colonel back to the supply room and check in with you in five minutes.”
She nodded once, and I saw the pain in her eyes in a short glance. Every time she saw what this plague did—how it didn’t discriminate between adults and children—every time she saw the destruction up close, it was one more reminder that she wasn’t with her daughter.
It was one more reminder to me that we had a bigger job to do after Seattle was finished.
Drexel followed me as I began to walk across the quiet hangar, and I heard a softly whispered curse as his eyes adjusted enough to see the death around him.
“What happened here?” he whispered, swallowing hard to push back the bile.
I knew the feeling. Seemed like every day in this new world I was keeping the puke at bay.
“Humanity,” I said shortly. “Terror, insanity, and love. All bundled together in a last grasp for life. All falling short.” I was muttering, somewhat. Slightly crazed by the sight of so many bodies of so many ages. He looked at me, confused.
“Looks like they ran away from the terminal and holed up here,” I said, shortly, pushing a body away from the doorway to the supply room so the door could open out. Rapping on the thin metal twice with the tip of my bayonet, I waited to hear any response from inside.
“How could they get in here? That’s a metal door.”
I glanced at him, curious.
“Those things are tenacious, Colonel. You ever been in a firefight or hand to hand with them?”
The door stayed silent, and I counted off to twenty in my head.
“No, we… I’ve seen what they can do a couple times. I’ve seen them mass together and I’ve taken a few herds out from the sky. The base yesterday was the closest I got.”
Nothing from inside. I reached for the handle.
“They’re persistent,” I said, realizing that the door was locked. Staring at the mechanism, I stepped back.
“When they know there’s food in a building or a car or any damn thing, they will push and pull and claw away until the doors open or hell swallows them all. They’re like a Jenny Craig group meeting in a Krispy Kreme discount outlet… no matter how strong you are, you’re not going to stop them. It’s hardwired. Ingrained. They will eventually find a way to
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