“The Changed?” Mike interrupted with a questioning look.
“That’s what we call people that have been killed then decide to rejoin the ranks of the living again. The guys call them Zs sometimes,” Julian explained, referring to the crazies Mike and his friends had seen today.
“Wait a minute, are you trying to tell me those people have actually flat-lined and are now back up walking around killing people?” Mike said in disbelief.
“That is exactly what I’m saying,” Julian confirmed.
Mike stared into Julian’s unblinking grey eyes, not wanting to believe what he was hearing, but he had seen it for himself and knew it for truth.
“How do you have a name for something that just happened a few hours ago? You speak like this has been going on for some time,” Mike questioned him.
“I don’t think you have a need-to-know that information, and remember you and your friend are trespassing,” Julian reminded Mike.
“If my crime is checking on the welfare of my girlfriend then lock me up and throw away the goddamn key,” Mike said hotly.
“Calm down, Mr. Sullivan, I’m sure we can work something out. Besides, you can’t leave this building now without our protection. The city will be overrun in a matter of hours, and unless the Air Force decides to carpet-bomb the whole place we have bigger problems to contend with,” Julian grimly told Mike.
“I want to see Marlee now,” Mike said.
Julian looked at Mike then over to his men, each of them snapping to attention. “Follow me,” was all he said before walking from the room.
Mike and Eric followed Julian as his shooters fell in behind them. Mike knew this wasn’t by chance. On the way to the lobby they could hear the pounding of flesh and bone on the windows and doors. Mike hoped Julian’s team was ready for a fight if the Changed as he called them broke through the glass.
When they made the lobby, Mike watched as doctors and scientist-types ran around packing gear, and soldierly types, all in black fatigues with “
TACTICAL”
on their caps and across their backs loaded clips and checked weapons. The scene was surreal for Mike and Eric. They had been in the lobby of this building more times than either could count, but looking around now you wouldn’t think it was the same place. The most jarring difference was the bloody smear marks marring the once meticulously clean glass of the exterior windows, coupled with the banging and rapping of the Changed wanting inside with violent desperation. After 9/11 the first-floor glass had been replaced with tempered glass that would withstand a point-blank blast from a twelve-gauge shotgun. Mike wondered how much weight even tempered glass would hold before splintering and breaking, leaving those inside exposed. He didn’t want to be around to find out.
“Julian,” Mike called, “how long will the doors hold?”
“Until they don’t,” was Julian’s unsettling response. Not reassuring at all, Mike thought, and they still needed to find a way to reunite with Reid and Ashley after they got Marlee back.
Julian led them to the elevator and pressed the call button. They waited in silence with the constant drumming of the Changed grinding on everyone’s nerves, putting them all on edge. A moment later the elevator arrived and they all piled in. Julian tapped the button for the 15
th
floor and Mike was excited to think he would be reunited with Marlee in a few short minutes.
Mike was familiar with the fifteenth floor and wasn’t surprised Terra Corp would use it to keep an eye on someone. It was mostly open space with a few small offices situated on the interior of the floor near the restrooms. When they stepped out from the elevator, Mike looked around and noted the floor was empty except for a couple of Terra Corp’s guys posted up next to one of the offices. Julian walked over to a tall African American standing nearest to them and asked him something in whisper. The soldier looked over his shoulder at the office behind him and shook his head to the negative.
“Mike, please come over here,” Julian called back to Mike. Mike, with Eric trailing just behind him, slowly walked over to Julian and the imposing Terra Corp tactical team member.
“Why is she locked up in an office under guard?” Mike asked.
“She was on a ship full of people that
changed
and we had to make sure she wasn’t a danger to others,” Julian explained.
Mike couldn’t fault his logic as he walked up and looked through the small window in the office door. Marlee looked comfortable in her forced isolation. Terra Corp, or perhaps Julian himself, had outfitted the office with a twin bed, a comfy-looking recliner, and a table. She was sleeping comfortably in the chair as Mike peered in. He smiled to himself; she always loved falling asleep in the overstuffed chair he kept in his living room. The sense of relief he felt flooded throughout his body and Mike felt like a weight had been lifted off him.
“She’s okay?” Mike asked.
“She checks out; we can’t find any signs of abnormal activity, injury, or bites,” Julian said to Mike’s relief.
“Bites?” Mike asked then.
“It’s the primary way the
change
is passed from one person to another,” Julian explained.
Mike looked back into the office when he noticed Marlee stirring. She opened one eye and looked right at Mike. She bolted upright when her brain registered what her eyes were seeing, jumped up from the recliner and ran to the door.
“Mike, is it really you?” Marlee exclaimed excitedly.
She looked right at Mike and his smile faded as he stumbled backwards, fear coursing through his body and bile rising in his throat. What sort of cruel joke was Julian playing on him?
You lying motherfucker, you piece of shit … YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS OKAY!” Mike raged at him. He was on his knees now and felt like he was going to be sick. “Her pupils are red like the freaks outside!” he went on, his anger rising again.
"As far as we can tell there is nothing wrong with her. We have monitored her for hours with no change, her test results show everything is normal, and like I said before there are no marks on her. We may be looking at something new here, or perhaps she is resistant to the change,” Julian said to Mike in an attempt to calm him.
Mike walked back up to the office door, Eric next to him this time. Marlee was sitting on the bed, sobbing. When she saw Mike again she rushed to the door. “What’s going on, Mike, what’s wrong with me?” Marlee pleaded with him.
It was Eric who responded. “The good news is you’re healthy, but your eyes have changed; they’re red now like the people that have
changed
. Do you feel different in any way?”
“No, I just want to be let out of this room and get my life back,” Marlee said tearfully.
Mike and Eric shared a glance and looked back at Julian. “Have you told her what’s going on outside?” Mike asked.
“After what she went through on the ship we didn’t want to overload her emotionally,” Julian told them.
“Can we let her out?” Mike asked.
Julian signaled to his men and they quickly took up positions around the floor and at a good distance from Mike and Eric. Julian handed Mike the key and stepped off a few yards. Mike looked back at Eric, who nodded. He put the key in the door, the lock making an audible click. Mike pushed the door open and Marlee ran out in a rush and jumped on him. He was unsettled at first but quickly realized she was just squeezing him in a monster hug.
“Mike, what’s going on?” she asked as she desperately clung to him.
“Bad shit, Marlee, bad shit,” was all Mike would say and just held her until she calmed down.
Mike was going to have to tell Marlee the world had changed and in the worst way imaginable. Looking into her eyes, with that red tinge buried deep in her pupils, Mike wondered just how bad things would get.
Mike held Marlee until she stopped crying, running his fingers through her thick dark hair to help sooth her frayed nerves. She loved when he stroked her hair and he hoped a familiar touch in an unfamiliar setting would relax her. When he looked up, he noticed the guards were still hyper-alert. He assumed after having seen how the Changed reacted towards others they weren’t about to take any chances.
“So what now? Do we wait this out or find a safer place?” Eric asked, looking directly at Julian.
Before Julian could respond, Mike cut in. “You have a name for them. I haven’t seen any news reports talking about people turning into monsters, so what gives? How is it that you have a team assembled onsite, in advance, and seem to know what’s going on?”
Julian gave Eric a steady stare in response, then turned and tossed Mike a pair of sunglasses. “We’ll talk later, but for now I need to get my people together so we can pull out of Tampa today. The place will be overrun by tomorrow. Have your girlfriend wear these so no one gets a twitchy trigger finger and mistakes her for one of
them
.”
“Mike, we need to get Reid and Ashley and get out of town,” Eric said just loud enough that Julian and his men overheard.
“Who are we talking about?” Julian asked, giving his tactical team a withering look. It was obvious he thought Reid and Ashley were somewhere in the building and had been overlooked somehow.
“No one you need to worry about, so don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out,” Eric shot back; he was growing tired of the cryptic answers Julian was providing.
“This is well past riding anything out, the Changed will spread from downtown into the suburbs and it may be beyond even the military to stop them at this point,” Julian said with a scary certainty.
“How can that be?” Mike asked.
“Once started, the area is overrun at an exponentially greater rate as time passes, so we are already compromised being this close to the outbreak.”
“Then why haven’t you left yet?” Eric asked.
“Because we are looking for something we weren’t sure existed before today,” Julian told them.
“What might that be?” Mike asked before Eric could.
“Terra Corp has been in search of an anomaly we refer to as
Latent
,” Julian said, sliding his gaze over to Marlee before continuing. “An original that didn’t change through intervention and didn’t turn into what you’ve witnessed outside.”
Mike was getting ready to ask him what all that gibberish meant when someone’s radio started to sound off.
“Mr. Fairchild,” one of the guards delicately interrupted, “we need to get moving; the Zs are gathering en masse around the building.”
“Point taken, Haya. Round up the critical gear and leave everything else; then go get the vehicles ready,” Julian said in his quiet but authoritative tone.
“Right away, Mr. Fairchild,” Haya replied as he set off with the others to do as instructed.
“Marlee, put on those sunglasses, we’re gonna go get Reid and Ash then get the hell outta here,” Mike said, wondering if they had any chance of getting back across the street.
Julian, who had been watching Mike and his friends, shook his head. “I don’t think you understand, Mike, we will be leaving together or with just the girl. Marlee is part of this now and will be coming with us.”
“She will be staying with me,” Mike responded angrily.
“Mike, look around. You’re in no position to exert your will in this situation. I understand your dilemma and have space if you wish to join us, but Marlee will be coming with me regardless.”
Mike glared into Julian’s eyes, realizing he would need to capitulate for now. The man had a small army with him and was in Tampa for a purpose, one Mike knew he fully intended to complete.
“I still need to get my friends out of the parking garage,” Mike stated firmly. He did not intend to leave anyone behind.
“You were a soldier once?” Julian asked Mike.
“Army,” Mike acknowledged. “Eric and I served in the Army together and we got ourselves into some crazy shit, but we never left a man, or woman, behind,” he said an intensity that drew nods of respect from the guards that had remained behind with Julian.
One of the Terra Corp guards broke off from the rest and rummaged through stacks of gear piled up next to the elevator, returning shorty with two M4A1s and a couple of ammo belts. He handed Mike and Eric one each, who gratefully accepted such fine weaponry, and Mike looked questioningly at Julian.
“Let’s get your friends and when we have time I’ll fill you in on what’s going on outside as I understand it, but dead men don’t tell tales so we need to get out before they get in,” Julian said, reminding everyone of the thin line between them and the Changed.
Marlee donned her sunglasses as the team formed up and started back down to the lobby. When they reached the first floor it was readily apparent much had been done in the short time they had been upstairs. Equipment was now neatly stacked and most of the people they had seen before were headed toward the interior loading dock. Marlee gasped when she spotted the Changed outside; they were still smashing into doors and windows trying to gain entrance, while others were just standing there pressed into the glass by those pushing from behind. It looked like a macabre rock concert with the crowd going crazy to catch a glimpse of the band, only this crowd was interested in much more than an autograph. Mike was concerned Marlee would freak out, but was pleasantly surprised when she kept her cool. Life would get complicated if she broke down every time she saw one of those things.
“What floor are your people on, Mike?” Julian asked.
“Ninth, in a secure storage area; I’ll radio and let them know we’ll be up to get them soon,” Mike replied as he reached down and pulled out the two-way and called over to Reid and Ashley.
“Mike, are you guys okay? Did you find Marlee? Those freaks are banging the shit out of the doors downstairs; we need to find a safer place, NOW!” came Reid’s overexcited voice over the two-way.
“Give us a few minutes, Reid. How many are in the garage?” Mike asked, concerned they might have left a door ajar when they left. He was sure they had triple-checked everything.
“None in the garage yet, but they’re gathering at the entrances.”
“Load the truck and be ready to move once we get to you,” Mike instructed him.
“Okay, but please make it quick,” came Reid’s terse reply.
Mike looked at the major. “We don’t have much time; are you sure your team can get to them?”
Julian, who was already headed for the loading dock, looked back and with a smile said, “We have the necessary equipment to retrieve your friends.”
Turning toward Davis and Haya, Julian issued a curt string of commands: “You two ready the Humvee. Davis, you’re gunner and overwatch. Have Vogel and Shrader clear the street in front of the dock so we don’t get too many of those fuckers stuck in the wheel wells this time.” The men nodded their understanding and set off to do as commanded.
“Eric, keep an eye on Marlee for me,” Mike asked as he started to follow Julian and his men toward the loading dock. He glanced over at Marlee, intent on reassuring her he would be right back, but her back was toward him as she walked up to one of the plate-glass windows. The Changed she was approaching were relatively calm, primarily due to the fact they were pressed against the glass by others of their ilk from behind. As Marlee moved in closer, she paused and reached up to remove her sunglasses to get a better look at them. The moment her eyes were exposed, the Changed outside went berserk. As one, they began to wail and howl like a vicious pack of wolves. Bloody limbs, ripped faces, exposed ribs and gashed skulls all pressed in on the glass with a singular mindset; they wanted to extinguish the one who stood before them. Their aggravation and need became so great they began tearing at one another to get at Marlee.
Overwhelmed and fearful they would finally break through the glass, Marlee screamed and moved away from the window.
“Put the sunglasses back on now!” Mike yelled. She did as Mike said, covering her eyes again quickly.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Eric asked.
“No clue, but those things are fired up now so we better get moving,” Mike said, looking at the bloodied, broken and torn forms banging against the glass. He hoped the thin layer of glass, tempered or not, would hold for the sake of the humanity inside the building, at least until he and his friends were long gone from this place.
The Terra Corp staff looked at Marlee then to the bloodthirsty savages wanting in and started heading to the loading dock at a much quicker pace. The security team remained behind to cover the civilian staff and keep a wary eye on the progress the Changed were making with the glass.
When Mike walked into the enclosed loading dock, he was amazed at how much Julian had managed to cram into such a small area. The sun was streaming in from small windows set above the main door, draping a black hardcore-looking Humvee in dappled light. The smell of fuel and cold hard steel set Mike’s pulse racing, bringing him back to his time spent in the field during his Army days. What caught Mike’s attention were the two up-armored MRAPs sitting behind the Humvee. They were jet-black like the Humvee, with the Terra Corp name and logo etched in a striking gold on the side of each vehicle. Mike was staring hard at the guns mounted on top of each.
“What do you think?” Julian asked.
“They look military grade, except for the paint of course,” Mike said.
Julian, with a look of pride, said, “That’s our ticket through the crowds we’ll face shortly.”
Parked on the other side of the MRAPs was what appeared to be a small armored bus; Mike assumed it was to transport the civilians of Terra Corp’s staff. He stared in admiration of the hardcore heavy metal parked in front of him and then saw Haya and Davis getting into the Humvee and Julian waving him over to join them.
As Mike made his way to the Humvee, he knew shit was about to go down. Shrader, Vogel and Aggeles had lined up next to a standard-sized metal door to the left of an oversized roll-up door used to make inside deliveries. Mike watched as Shrader’s hand went up and his fingers started a silent countdown. As his fist closed, Vogel pushed the door open and the three men streamed through the door into the sunlight outside, weapons first. Within seconds, the soft pops of their silenced assault rifles could be heard from inside; they were firing at a frantic rate. Mike jumped into the Humvee with Haya, Davis, and Julian as they waited for the all clear.
Aggeles was a man of average height, with dark skin, military cropped hair, and a lean and fit physique due to years of rigorous military training. He looked every bit the mercenary Mike suspected he was, ran back inside just minutes later and immediately began opening the roll-up door. Mike noticed at least fifteen prone forms strewn across the street outside as the door started to creep upward; these people were quick and deadly, Mike realized. Shrader and Vogel appeared shortly thereafter, walking backwards into the building and firing at anything that continued to move. Shrader slammed the door shut and they both took positions covering Aggeles as he cranked open the overhead door. The Humvee fired up with a throaty growl that echoed off the concrete walls of the loading dock, its occupants sitting quietly as they waited on the door to open to a point the vehicle could safely exit. Haya must have felt they had enough space to clear the door because he hammered the gas and the truck surged forward. The sunlight outside blinded Mike for a second, but he did notice the door was coming back down behind them in a hurry.
Mike pulled out the two-way and called over to Reid, “Be ready, we’ll be clearing the street in front of the exit so you can open the door and get out.”
“We’re in your truck sitting at the exit already, Mike; there are a shitload of those freaks right outside,” Reid said, sounding concerned.
“No problem. Back off to the second or third floor even, these guys are about to light’em up.”
When Mike finally got a look at the parking garage exit as Haya wheeled the Humvee around the corner, it seemed like there were hundreds of the Changed now milling around outside. Mike assumed they had been attracted to the sound and movement of his truck when Reid and Ashley had driven it down to the garage exit.
“Let them have it,” Julian ordered Davis after scanning the crowd for any survivors.
The sound of the .50 cal chugging away topside was deafening to those inside. The sound of the gun was bouncing off the surrounding office buildings, amplifying the noise even further. Mike had neglected to ask for earplugs, a rookie mistake he chided himself. The vehicle slowed as Davis whipped the gun back and forth, mowing down the poor souls that only hours before had been mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters; people with mortgages, jobs, hopes and dreams. Davis reduced them to piles of bloody pulp within minutes.
Mike radioed Reid, telling them to make their way downstairs. He jumped from the Humvee and ran over to the garage exit. Mike waited until he spotted his Ford rounding the corner with Reid and Ashley’s faces peering through the windshield. Reid pulled up to the gate and jumped out, walked over to the manual override and triggered the door to open. Mike kept his head on a swivel looking for anything hostile. He heard the Changed moaning in the pile of pulp Davis had created with the .50 cal, causing his blood to run cold.