The door had no sooner closed than the shouting began. I had my doubts about the general simply because I knew my uncle. Soon the shouting quieted and we all looked at each other. The guard was teetering on leaving his post by the way his eyes were quickly moving around the room and he was stepping back and forth on each foot. The grown-up version of the pee-pee dance. He had just decided to do something when the shouting began again. When the crash occurred, he spun and opened the door. It seemed like someone else on the other side decided to open it at the same time because he quickly disappeared into the room. I just sat there trying to make sense of it while Mason jumped to his feet.
"I will not stop my work on your say so."
"You will by God or I'll have you thrown in the brig."
I smiled. Maybe I was a bit premature with my assumptions.
"Look General..." he said quietly. What a prig.
"Don't 'look General' me you over stuffed, self appreciating, misogynist. What I say goes and I'm tired of you acting like the savior of the world while you push your weight around. My orders will be obeyed whether you like it or not. So, destroy these animals, set your lab to rights and prepare to vacated these premises in four hours. That's an order." The last was shouted. Then she stomped out of the room, glanced my way, but kept going out of the door. The guard didn't know what to do so he followed her out of the room. Anxious to be out of the firing range of the 'over stuffed misogynist' was my guess. Smart man.
Northern Uncle Bill came to the door, glared at me like it was my fault he was an ass and slammed the door, the clicking of the lock loud in the empty room. Mason grabbed my hand and pulled me upright. "Come on, we have to find the general." We practically ran down the corridors looking into each room till we got to the command center. Running up the stairs had done me in so while I tried to relearn to breath, Mason got the generals attention. The nice, blue, lab coat appeared and presented me with the oxygen mask again which I took gratefully. When I could speak, I tried to give it back but he just shook his head and said, "You seem to need it more than anyone else here, so keep it." Then he walked away. What did he mean by that?
"I conferred with my computer staff and we checked the levels in the fuel tanks. When they run out of fuel, the computer is programmed to self destruct when the battery power is depleted. At set times certain things will happen. The elevator will go first, then the heating and cooling will shut down but the air filtration will continue. The lights will go out after that and the emergency lights will come on, they're red. The power to the dorms, tech quarters, mess hall and security quarters will go, in that order. When the security quarters loses power a strobe light will go off indicating four hours before self destruct. Exactly. That strobe light is the last warning we get."
"Good. Great. It's about time. People should begin leaving right now."
"Well, therein lies the problem. The elevator was turned back on a few minutes ago and nothing happened. I've checked and the process is ahead of itself by 20 hours."
"What!?"
"It seems the freezers holding Dr. May's test subjects has been eating more power than the space shuttle. That's what I'm so pissed about. The time table has jumped ahead and we are literally running out of time."
Just then it got very quiet. Funny how you notice things like that but I wasn't the only one. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around. The heating and cooling had quit. "You've got to be kidding me." I shouted and began looking for my mask. When I found it and began sucking the air, I glared at Mason like it was his fault. I think he would've been just as scared if I hadn't presented such an amusing sight. I was too mad at him to let him get away with laughing right then and guess what? He knew that. So he nodded like he knew what to do, took me by the arm and led me out the door.
"Now, I know you're thinking we should tell her about the door. I was thinking that to, then I thought, if we tell them about the door, that neat little, six passenger, four wheeler sitting outside that door will be gone and we'll have to walk off this mountain. Four hours is NOT enough time to walk away from a nuclear explosion and survive. So, we have to keep the door a secret for the time being whether you're comfortable with it or not. Okay?"
"No, it is not okay. But I just don't know what else to do. We need to find George and Riley, right now." I looked down one end of the corridor and then the other, then I looked at Mason. He was smiling which made me smile. Yep, I was lost again. He had me right where he wanted me, so we headed back towards the lab. I let him lead the way.
After much twisting and turning we found the labs first set of stairs and stopped. Mason said, "I'm going to leave you here on these steps..." I removed my mask ready to argue. "...so I can get George and Riley and bring them back here. I don't want you any closer to the lab than these stairs. You wait here. Please, JD, I beg you don't leave. Just wait, suck air and I'll be back with your cousin. If I find Ken I'll send him back to sit with you but I want everyone together when we leave. OK? No arguments?"
"Bring me back a bottle of air and a flashlight. I don't know why but I'd feel better with a weapon of some kind. So, find me one and I'll wait for you to come back. I promise."
He looked around for a minute and found a glass encased, ax at the other end of the hallway. Near it was a small chain about a foot long with a small metal cylinder hanging off the end. He used the cylinder to break the glass and pulled out the ax. He presented it to me like a gift. That works to. I lifted it like a baton, then took the mask away and said, "Go and conquer, just do it fast."
He threw me a kiss and ran back down the hall. I started sucking air again when he was out of sight, but he sent me images of Montana, and blue skies and I relaxed, settling back against the handrail. While I sat there, I thought about those damned freezers. I was positive that idiot wasn't going to shut them down. One part of me hoped he didn't because the idea of being down here with thawed out walkers walking around the corner any minute was too much for me to bear. I sucked some more on the mask. When had I become such a puss? I was the fearless zombie fighter wasn't I? Well, I used to be and then I met Mason and left everything up to him while I sat in a stairwell and sucked in oxygen like a starving baby. I should man up, grow a set. I may die any minute so... Should I just sit here and cower like a baby bird? No. Well? Okay. Give me a minute. I grabbed the handrail, stood, took off the mask and the lights went out. I froze and sure enough the red lights glowed like in the horror movies. Why did I have to think of that?
Mason!
I shook like a drunk three days from a drink.
Mason!
It's ok. I found Ken and he is on his way. George is with Riley but they're in the dorms, so I may be a minute. Calm down, brat, it's ok. Wait for Ken but don't hack him to death. It'd ruin the clean get away.
Smart ass
. He actually chuckled back at me, then blew me a kiss.
OK, now I wait for Ken, but those damned freezers were bugging me. Was the door secure? Was the door to the outside secure? Would the four wheeler be waiting or has someone taken it? Will we have to walk? Come on Ken, I'm waiting.
Yea, ok, I'm coming as fast as I can
. I froze. Did he just say that mentally? I saw him round the corner, sliding head first into the wall, and making his way at a dead run at me.
STOP! said mentally. He did. Then his eyes got big and he smiled at me.
"You big faker."
"I'm not really. Honest. I didn't know I could do it till just now. Cool."
Loud bangs and creaking metal sounds make the hairs stand up on my arms .
Get ready, brat, we're on our way. The power just went out in the dorms and we're on our way through the command center. We're nodding and trying to act like it's a wonderful day so no one gets suspicious. Shit, the general wants to talk to me. Hang in there. I'm sending George and Riley on towards you. I'll be there as soon as I talk to the general. I'm not leaving here without you.
Good. Hurry.
"What's up with the air?" Ken asked gesturing towards the mask.
"Panic attack. No big-gee. I don't know if you caught that but George and Riley are on their way. Mason got stopped by the general and will catch up. Or I will kick his ass." Then looking down the red corridor, I yelled, "You hear that Mace. I will kick your ass."
"OK, so we wait here. Hmm, this red glowing light reminds me of a horror film I watched once..."
"You finish that sentence and you die. I saw the same movie and that's why I'm having so much trouble. I don't even want to even hear about Snow White right now so, we wait for them, quietly. OK. Can you do that Ken, be quiet for a damned minute?"
"Wow." he said before he sat down on the last stair step and cracked his knuckles while we waited. I can't begin to tell you what that sounded like.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry. Gotta leave right now, hurry hurry get a move on, come on, come on, come on."
"Shit, JD. You call that helping?"
"Where are they for Pete's sake? " The
they
question came around the corner at a run, bouncing off the wall again and sliding to a stop in front of us.
"Mason's on his way. He said wait."
"Wait, wait ,wait. That's all I hear. We're sitting on a fucking bomb and he says wait."
They looked at each other then back at me. OK, they were right, I was getting out of hand. I forced myself to calm down, sit on the steps and wait. How do people do this?
I'm on my way. Walking, cause I don't want to alert anyone to what we're doing. People are getting ready to leave so we need to get out of here before they come down the mountain and find the four wheeler. Thing is, they have to climb out the elevator shaft since it doesn't work anymore. So I'll be there in about 3 minutes. You okay?
Yep, never better. Me and George, Riley and Ken are waiting on the stairs where you left me. I love you.
Back at ya, Brat.
"He'll be here in few minutes."
A year later, he came sliding around the corner, bouncing off that damned wall and sliding to a stop nearly on top of me. I just held him. He held me back. Then he looked at me, smiled and kissed me on the nose. Better than oxygen.
"Okay, guys lets blow this joint." Riley said, and we began the trip to the lower level of the Lab. The door to fresh air and freedom was behind the last set of stairs hidden behind some filing cabinets. We looked everywhere for Northern Uncle Bill as we progressed but there was no sign of him. The walker room with the thawing walker strapped down under walker proof glass was still locked but there was no sign of the professor. The window was uncovered and we could see it, under the glass body shield just like the other one, but this was a female. Yuk.
When we arrived at the last stairwell, the door was closed, unlike the others. When Riley pushed on it nothing happened. So he and Ken pushed on it together. Still nothing. Then I realized what the banging was earlier. That bastard had locked the door leading to our exit and coincidentally, the freezer. I couldn't believe it.
"No. No way. Move out of my way." I brought the ax up and began wailing on that door, the urge to get out of this place spurring me on. When I tired out, Mason took it and started in on it too. Then Riley must have found another ax cause he was pounding on it also. In the middle of all this shit, the strobe lights started flashing. The guys renewed their efforts.
George started screaming for her dad. I knew he had to be in there, cause we looked everywhere else. About the time the guys were going to give up, a sound on the other side of the door caused them to step back with axes raised high. The door opened, and Northern Uncle Bill appeared. "Hurry, you're almost out of time." He went down the stairs, and with help, moved the cabinets aside. Riley had the key to the padlock and in time I was outside almost giddy with excitement. I rushed out into the predawn light followed closely by Mason, Ken, Riley and George pulling on her dads arm.
They stopped at the doorway. George kept pulling on his arm. "Come on dad, hurry". He held back, silently pleading with Riley. He stepped up to George and put his arms around her. "You take care of her for me and make sure she gets to her paradise. I love you Georgia girl. Keep up our work. Don't let me down." I saw his bloody hand a moment before the door closed. " No!" screamed George, and tried to get away from Riley. When he refused to release her, she just collapsed. Riley picked her up and put her in the four wheeler, and we started to drive away when we heard someone yell, "Wait." The pixie general was almost propelled out the door then it slammed shut behind her. She jumped in, held on and yelled, "Go, go, go." We went.
The ride down that mountain seemed to take forever. The hairpin turns and washed out, gutted road nearly dumped us numerous times. I noticed the general kept looking at something in her hand but I was too busy holding on. Something made me turn around and I saw the pickup truck we'd left at the entrance gaining ground. "Get off the road quick." We made it onto a small patch of ground just off the road when they blew past us. There must of been 20 people in that truck and most were barely hanging on, choking on the dust the truck threw up. We did our own choking and coughing from their wake.
The truck turned onto the interstate and disappeared while we turned onto the road leading to the tanker making that four wheeler do things it probably wasn't designed to do. We slid to a stop at the semi and piled out. While the truck warmed up, Mason unhooked it and I took the opportunity to go to the restroom behind a big bush, joined by the general who blushed prettily, then we piled into the truck. There was six of us were stuffed in there, four in the bunk but no one complained.