*****

  “Gordon! Gordon? Come in? Over.” Tyrus watched from the kitchen of a farmhouse. It was positioned across a field at the back of the Meditech property. But the view only gave a hint at what resided behind the ten-foot of concrete wall and the trees beyond.

  August continued watching through binoculars. There was a small plume of smoke rising somewhere within the complex. He held his radio to his mouth. “Update.”

  Angel’s voice came from the speaker. “They’re running south, to the bottom of the area. Looks like they are going to head into the forest there. There’s some old farm buildings amongst the trees down there, maybe they can hide in them. But the southern wall is heavily guarded, they’re not getting out through there. Over.”

  Tyrus hung on every word. “And my people? What about my people?”

  August resisted frowning. “Anything on the New Yorker group? Over.”

  “Hard to see. Someone threw a grenade in the parking lot. But the gunfire has stopped and I can see the Meditech guards swarming the—”

  The voice of Tyrus’s man, came from his speaker, with the sound of a roaring engine behind. “We managed to get out! Lost Bill, Clement, Angela and Wheeler. Fleck is badly injured. They are—” There was more gunfire. “— In pursuit. We’re heading towards the city. Try to lose them there. Can’t come to your location! Over.”

  “Understood! Over,” said Tyrus. He looked at August. “Who the hell are these people? I thought they were some medical company? They had a small army in there!”

  A mile and a half away, Todd crouched against the damp, rotten planks that made up a storage shed of some kind. It was one of three buildings, the other two being a single story farmhouse and a barn. Their smashed windows and part collapsing roofs suggested they had been the original buildings on the complex and Meditech hadn’t bothered clearing them.

  Ramses moved past him and peered through the gap between the broken panes. He then pointed to the farmhouse, and the group of four ran across the muddy grass and up onto the deck, then with a quick push on the weathered door, ran inside, closing it behind them.

  Amos fell against the hallway wall, wincing, holding his stomach, while Daryl moved into the living room to the right, Ramses continued on to the kitchen with Todd. The basin still had old cracked and dust covered crockery. The cupboards were open, some with weeds growing between them, but the rear windows were still residing within their frames and gave a good, and slightly elevated view of the woods which sloped away. The wall could just be seen about a hundred yards to their south.

  “This is good,” said Ramses. “We can defend this. And we’re not too far from the southern wall.”

  Daryl appeared in the kitchen. “Amos’s in a bad way. He’s wound opened back up and is bleeding. I think he’s got internal bleeding as well…”

  “I can hear you…” Amos groaned a little before continuing. “Talking about me! I’m fine! Just need to rest a little.”

  Daryl shook his head to the two others in the kitchen “We got a plan?”

  Todd nodded. “We stay here until sundown.”

  “You don’t think they’re gonna search here?”

  “They might,” said Todd. “Or they got other problems to deal with. Either way, we got no choice but to stay here until its dark and then—” He pulled out the piece of paper. “— We find the way out.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Todd was sat on the hallway floor, his back up against a wall with peeling floral wallpaper. Daryl was in the kitchen keeping watch out back, Ramses doing the same in the living room and Amos was on the busted sofa behind him. Outside the shadows were growing long. The trees that surrounded the property, already blocking most of the misty sun from reaching the small farmstead.

  About halfway up the wall opposite Todd, sat an old photo in a frame, barely hanging onto its single nail. It looked as if it had been taken in the seventies, from the family that were standing in front of the muscle car, parked outside, and the father’s sideburns. A different time. A time when Todd would had been around the same age as the youngest in the photo. A young boy, proudly standing with his own model version of his father’s vehicle. The mother had an apron, and looked a little perturbed by the outstretched arm of the man by her side. Or maybe it looked like that because of the thick layer of dust and web that had built up on the cracked glass front.

  They reminded him of his own parents. Although he had grown up in the burbs, playing on the sidewalks, and not on a farm.

  The photo was of a time lost. And he couldn’t help but feel that he too was now part of that photo. That the whole world was. That in a hundred years others would be looking at photos of this time, and thinking the same nostalgic thoughts.

  “What if they know we’re…” Amos winced, while trying to move, but gave up. “Here. What if they’re just waiting for the dark, to come in?”

  Ramses continued his scouring of the tree line beyond the mud and stones outside. “If they know we’re here, then they know there’s only four of us, and they wouldn’t need to wait. They have the numbers.”

  “And the equipment,” said Todd. “I caught a glance of some of their weapons. Definitely not standard US Military kit. Unless there’s been a massive change over the past ten years.”

  Ramses nodded. “I saw the same on the docks. Looked custom modified.”

  Amos tried turning a little, but again gave up. “What medical company has its own army and custom made weapons?”

  Ramses turned a little, looking at Todd, who answered. “Exactly.”

  The big guy looked back to the gloom outside. “Either Meditech was never what it was supposed to be, or someone else has taken over.”

  “Could be both,” said Todd.

  “But why all the vamps?” said Amos.

  Ramses shook his head. “Who knows.”

  Todd awkwardly got to his feet. “There is someone who will know. Randall Jenkins.”

  Ramses nodded. “Well, that ship has—” A click came from his radio. He immediately responded with two clicks.

  “We got a plan,” said Angel through his radio. “We know where you are. There’s a path that runs out the back of the property. Parallel with the wall, until it reaches what looks like an old drainage tunnel, that runs under the wall at the southeastern edge. It might be blocked off, or you might be able to get out through it. Either way, it’s all I got. Over.”

  “Sounds good,” said Ramses. “We’ll move from here in ten. We’re going to need a distraction. Over.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Just be ready to go in ten. Over.”

  “Um.”

  They both looked at Amos. “About that whole moving out, thing…” He removed his hands to reveal a crimson patch within his shirt.

  “It’s fine, we’ll carry you,” said Todd.

  Amos raised his eyebrows. “I thought you hated me?”

  “Not your biggest fan. Doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you here to…”

  Something creaked in the forest, out front of the building, making the two standing move to the window and do their best to see within the almost complete darkness which was outside. Todd just saw a void, but Ramses could spot the subtle changes in the rich black which resided out there. Shadows which shifted and morphed.

  “There’s something out there.”

  Amos strained, groaned and lifted himself slightly higher on the soda, with his Glock in his hand. “Good. I’m tired of waiting. Got some dying to do.”

  Todd moved into the hallway, then kitchen. “You see anything out back?” he said to Daryl.

  “Nope. Looks clear.”

  There was a louder groan from the living room, making Todd run back in. Ramses let Amos drop to a chair in front of the main window. Then looked at Todd, shaking his head.

  Todd hated the man that was about to sacrifice himself for them. And he hated that he hated that. He offered him his AK.

  Amos shook his head, then painfully held up his handgun. “Me and this gun go way back.” He looked back to the window. “Whole lot of movement out there. I think you better go. I’ll give you as much of a head start as I can.”

  Ramses strained to see into the darkness. A multitude or roars echoed around the trees.

  “Vamps…” said Todd.

  Amos nodded. “Looks like they let their pets out at night…” he looked at the others. “Shit… we’re in a zoo.”

  The dying man was right, thought Todd.

  “Time to go,” said Ramses.

  Amos nodded and raised his gun, pushing the barrel through a hole in the window, but before he could pull the trigger a boom rang out in the distance, followed by the clatter of gunfire.

  “That’s our distraction!” said Ramses and ran from the room, disappearing into the corridor.

  “Just so you know,” said Amos, before he fired again. “I wouldn’t have shot through the restroom door. I just needed to scare the mother.”

  Todd nodded and followed Ramses into the kitchen. Daryl already had the rear door open and they all ran into the dark, onto a mud path, hopping over logs and avoiding rusting pieces of farm equipment.

  As he ran he could hear the things scampering between the trunks to his left. Could smell the odor which clung to them. They were everywhere. He fired a spray of bullets to his side. Screeches confirmed their impacts, but the thundering sound of feet, bare skin scratching at the dirt was incessant. He tumbled forward, almost losing his way. The others were almost out of sight. He was slower. His injuries doing their best to guarantee that the things could catch him, but he fought against the pain, fought to keep his balance and kept on running into the darkness. Something slashed across his face, drawing blood. Was it a branch of something else? He didn’t care. Couldn’t care if he wanted to live till morning, so he pushed on, picking up speed as the ground fell away.

  Shadows were moving up ahead. Near the wall, but with his limited vision he couldn’t tell if they were friend or foe. He tripped, fell forward as the ground fell away below him, his footing suddenly being insufficient to keep him upright, and with the crunching of twigs and muscle he rolled into a ditch, taking in a mouthful of putrid water which he immediately spat out.

  A hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him a few inches above the waves.

  “Keep down!” said Ramses.

  Todd tried to breathe, but his chest was burning, as was his wound. At least there was now light. From a watch tower almost directly above them. He looked beyond the mud covered man next to him, and saw no one else.

  “Where’s Daryl?”

  “They got him.”

  Todd felt the words as if they were a kick to the gut. Daryl had a decade on him. If anyone would make it out, it would be him.

  “Come on,” whispered Ramses, crawling through the pool of water, trying not to make a sound. Todd followed, doing the same. The things were close. He was sure he could feel them. Not from his nose, which was full of the stink from the water, or even what slight movement he could see from his one good eye, but from somewhere else. Somewhere deeper.

  They stopped at a point in the wall. Further away from the watchtower, where a circular concrete shape was obvious even within the darkness. Ramses pushed his fingers inside, immediately coming up against branches, which he pulled back and kept on crawling. Todd was right behind. Both men couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces. Sight, smell and hearing useless. Their sore, wet hands being the only guide to where they were or what they were crawling through.

  The sound of metal rattling echoed around the circular space.

  “There’s a grating here,” said Ramses. “I think… I can… lend me hand.”

  Todd felt into the dark, his fingers sliding across slime on the concrete interior until they hit up against the cold of rusting metal. Forcing his finger into the holes, he heaved and there was a ripping sound, the barrier coming away from the wall.

  They kept on crawling, dragging unknown obstacles out of their way, until the darkness fell away, replaced with sky and Ramses fell out into another ditch. Todd doing the same behind, both men sliding down the bank.

  Ramses grabbed Todd and pulled him under as a light swept across the ripples above them. Todd knew the danger, but without any warning he had about five seconds left of lung capacity before he would start drowning.

  Bubbles floated up from his mouth.

  The light slid away, and he instantly rose, taking in a gulp of air.

  A hand pulled him towards the other bank, just yards away and they scrambled up it, diving into the underground as the light reversed course and swept across where they had just emerged.

  The light moved off again and Ramses got to his feet and with Todd, staggered forward, across a field.

  Ramses held the radio to his mouth, clicked the button then realized that it was completely dead. He dropped it in the earth and both men headed for the farmhouse on the other side of the field.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “So… tell me, all the women like you because you’re a firefighter? Right?”

  Cole looked down, a little embarrassed at the truth of the Morgan’s question. “Umm…”

  “Well, I’m not one of those women.”

  He felt his heart sink a little, but then realized the scientist was teasing him. He frowned. “Hey, I’m a gentleman. I don’t play around like others. All I want is one good woman, and I’m happy.”

  She looked the other way, pretending to attend to some equipment. “And… is there another woman…” She suddenly realized the insensitivity of her question, considering what had befallen so many just a few days earlier. She spun around. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be an ass.”

  Cole smiled. “I’ve been single for a while. Got a sister. My parents live out west.”

  “Were you able to contact them?”

  “Briefly, but nothing since yesterday.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What about you? Boyfriend? Siblings?”

  She smiled. “Kind of hard to hold down a relationship when you’re working for a drug syndicate. There have been some guys, but no, I’ve been single for a while. I have a sister. I… tried contacting her when everything went bad. Told her to stay out of the sun. I got a voicemail reply from her, saying she got a little burned, but she’s okay. She was hiding in her basement. I’ve not heard anything since then.”

  “If she’s anything like you. I’m sure she’ll get through this.”

  She smiled. “Actually, she’s the strong one. I’m—”

  A door slammed somewhere in the corridor outside.

  They both looked to the lab entrance, expecting it to open but it remained closed, then both looked back to each other and laughed. She walked to a box of syringes and plucked one out. Holding it up to Cole. “I was going to get some of Todd’s blood, but he’s not back, so yours will do.”

  He snorted. “Second best, eh?”

  She took his arm as he rolled up his sleeve. “Not in my eyes.” She smiled at him, he returning the sentiment.

  Something knocked in the corridor, making them both look in that direction once more.

  “Oww,” said Cole.

  She looked back, pulling the needle out, spilling some blood. “Shit, sorry.” She grabbed some gauge and handed it to him, then a bandage and he applied both, wincing a little on flexing his arm.

  “Now you got enough for a few days,” he said.

  She grimaced. “Yeah, that’s going to bruise… Okay, I’m going to go administer this. Sit right there and I’ll be back.”

  “Well I got this date with a lion…”

  She rolled her eyes and he watched the attractive young woman leave the room. He liked her. Not only because of how she looked, but because she was obviously far more intelligent than himself. He always had a thing for the intellectuals. His ex had been a professor at—

  A scream rang out, making him drop from the bench. He instinctively looked for a weapon. The place was usually swimming in them, but the only thing useful within reach was a glass bottle, which he grabbed, regardless.

  “Morgan?” he shouted at the door.

  He approached the exit to the lab cautiously, walking past the few gurneys which had been Amos’s home for the past few days, and stopped, thankful to pickup the handgun that sat near the wheels. He checked the magazine. There were only two bullets that he could see but it was going to have to be enough. He lay his hand on the silver door handle and turned it, peering through the widening gap, into the corridor which was empty. Even all the other doors were closed.

  “Morgan…” he enquired into the silence.

  A noise or something, swung his attention to the small room. That was Morgan’s destination, after all. He walked out, into the corridor, but left the lab door open in case he needed to run back in, and moved to Evelyn and Zoe’s room.

  He lifted his hand to knock, but stopped on hearing whispers on the other side. “Evelyn? Is Morgan in…”

  More whispers, but with them came another sound. One he couldn’t quite explain. It sounded moist. Sticky.

  The hairs on his arms and neck stood erect.

  “Evelyn? Is Morgan in there?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure? She…” Something reflecting the lamp above him, drew his attention to his boots. He stepped back out of the puddle, which in the dim illumination he couldn’t tell the color of. He leaned down, dipped a finger in the thick liquid and…

  Nausea flowed through him. He grabbed the door handle, turned it and pushed it open, letting the barrel of his gun lead the way.

  Directly ahead, Evelyn was holding Zoe close to her, a syringe hanging from her lower arm, but to his left was… a sneaker came into view… then a slim leg, then… He swung the gun around, his mind lost to the horror that was on the floor. Morgan’s head was limp to its side, resting on her shoulder, and a thing… no, the teen… Karl, his mouth, was open wide… too wide… his teeth no longer human, were deep… too deep into…

  The boom of the gun, awoke him from the scene his mind was lost within. There was screaming, and then all went dark.