The Ark of Asylum (The Ark Series Book 1) Read online

  Peter says “clear” on the radio, and then so does Kelly.

  Simon moves up behind Dave and Jason and taps them both on the shoulders just as Dave kicks over the body. He puts his boot on the man’s face and slowly pulls the knife out of his head.

  Simon kneels down to study the dead corpse. “Look at that. His stomach is torn open, and part of his intestines is falling out. It looks like this wound is a couple days old; I wonder if he was attacked by or was an incipient? Either way, he was pretty much already dead, well at least partially dead.”

  Dave wipes his knife off on the man’s pants and nods to Simon. “Whatever it was, it’s dead now. Let’s keep moving.”

  They get back into formation and move again toward the front of the store. The sun is slowly coming up over the horizon, progressively lighting their way. They finally reach the store’s main entrance and split up, hugging the wall on either side of the open doors. They wait for a couple of minutes, listening for any signs of life, and once satisfied, Dave gives the signal and enters the dark grocery store, followed by Jason and Simon.

  It’s almost completely dark inside; only the light from the doorway casts a faint glow across the shiny linoleum floor. They all turn on their rifle-attached tactical lights and move toward the back of the store. With surprisingly more items still on the shelves than expected, Simon gives a sigh of relief. When they reach the rear of the store and enter the back stockroom, they are met with the same reassuring darkness and silence, so they crouch down in a tight circle, shouldering their assault rifles.

  Dave takes a swig from his canteen and hands it to his brother. “Alright, things seem nice and quiet for now. But who knows how long that will last? Let’s make this as quick as possible. Pete, how we lookin’ from your eyes?”

  Peter scans the area and looks back at Kelly, who gives a thumbs up. “Everything’s quiet out here. I’d say you guys got a green light.”

  Dave takes his canteen from Simon and looks at his watch. “Copy that. Be prepared to bring the truck around in the next twenty minutes. I don’t want to spend any more time than that in here. If everyone copies, let’s move out.”

  Everyone says “copy” on the radio, and the three men leave the stockroom and move to the front of the store, grabbing grocery carts and entering the canned food section first. They fill a cart with as much canned food items as they can fit and move on to the next aisle, which contains pastas and sauces. They then load up a cart with as much grain, beans, and other non-perishable foods as they can fit. After filling up another cart with still-fresh perishable foods, they stock the last cart with bottled water.

  “Alright, Pete and Kelly, check the area, and as soon as it’s clear, pull the truck around the back of the store. We’ll be waiting out back for you.”

  Peter acknowledges Dave on the radio and checks the area before he and Kelly move toward the truck. As they get closer to the truck, they hear movement in the trees no more than twenty feet away. They both freeze.

  Peter gets to one knee to peer through his scope while trying to identify the sound. “Kelly, I know you heard that. Do you see what it was that made that sound?”

  Kelly frantically looks around, trying desperately to see what it was. Out of nowhere a woman no more than twenty years old runs straight for the two of them faster than humanly possible.

  Kelly freezes with fear as Peter loses his balance from being startled by the woman heading straight for them, but he catches himself from falling over with his hand. Kelly screams “Help!” into the radio while fumbling with her rifle.

  The crazy woman lunges at Peter, screaming her lungs out. Peter puts his rifle up just as she hits him with all her force. They tumble to the ground with the woman on top of Peter. She bites in the air less than a foot from Peter’s face. He screams.

  “Help! Help! Get her off of me! Get her off of me!”

  Not a second later, Kelly puts the butt end of her rifle straight into the women’s head, knocking her off Peter. She swings her rifle around and pulls the trigger three times, hitting the woman in the face twice and sending the last bullet over her head, which has now exploded onto a tree.

  Dave sprints up to them and is immediately followed by Jason and Simon. Dave yells, “What the hell happened? Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?” He runs over to the headless woman to make sure she’s dead. Jason grabs Kelly, who is still holding her rifle up and pointing it at the woman.

  Simon kneels down and grabs Peter and frantically checks him for wounds. “Is that your blood? Are you hurt? Is that your blood!”

  Peter gets off the ground, pushing his dad’s hands away. “No, it’s not mine. I’m fine. Kelly shot that thing, and it’s that thing’s blood.”

  Simon quickly pulls out a water bottle to wash the blood off his son’s skin.

  “Dad! I said I’m fine. Please stop.”

  “We don’t know how the infection can be transferred, so make sure there’s no blood on your skin!”

  Dave shoulders his rifle and interrupts, “He’s right, listen to your dad. And what the hell happened out here? Where did she come from?”

  Kelly finally puts her rifle down but is still shaking. “That thing came out of nowhere. We were heading back to the truck when she jumped out of the bushes and lunged at Peter. I had no choice but to shoot her; it all happened so fast. I’ve never seen a human being look like that or move like that. That thing wasn’t human, that look in her eye, just crazy beyond belief!”

  Jason grabs his wife and hugs her. “I’m just glad you guys are alright. When we heard you over the radio, we didn’t know what to think.”

  Dave searches the area for anyone else and runs back over to the group. “Alright, people, I’m glad no one’s hurt, but we need to move out now and fast. If there is anyone in the area they definitely heard the gunshots. Simon, you, your son, and Kelly drive the truck around back. Jason and I will get the carts and meet you back there, and let’s hurry the hell up.”

  Dave looks at his brother and then jogs toward the store, still scanning through his sights. Jason puts his hand on Peter’s shoulder and then runs after his brother. The rest of the group jump into the truck, and Simon hits the gas, spraying dirt, rocks, and sticks out from under the tires. He drives out of the woods and around the back of the store.

  As Dave and Jason hit the front of the store, they hear the sound of metal being crushed and glass breaking in the distance. They freeze, trying to determine where it came from but with no luck. They rush into the store and grab the carts as fast as they can.

  They wheel the carts into the back storage area and to the loading dock. The door next to the dock swings open, and Simon is there, rifle up and pointing at them. Lowering his gun, he grabs a cart and pulls it out into the alley and starts throwing the supplies into the truck bed, followed by Dave and Jason doing the same and soon joined by Peter. With the truck idling, Kelly sits behind the wheel, turning her head back and forth, looking out every window and checking every mirror. They hear more glass breaking, which is followed by a loud roar of an engine no more than a hundred yards away. The guys freeze, look at each other, look down the alley, and then continue loading the truck.

  As soon as they finish, the loud roar of the engine is heard coming around the side of the building, and Jason yells out, “Contact! Everyone move, move, move into the truck!”

  They quickly pile into the truck. Dave gets in the passenger seat, and Jason, Simon, and Peter jump in the cab. Kelly throws the truck into drive and peels out just as an older-model pickup truck rounds the corner, moving fast. Their big V8 explodes with power, spraying gravel in its wake as the truck takes off, trying to put distance between the pickups.

  Simon tries to look behind while fighting the thrust of the truck gaining speed rapidly. “I don’t know who they are, but let’s not try to find out. Let’s get the hell out of here!”

  The truck flies around the corner of the store, tires squealing, only to find the tailing truck right behind th
em. Dave puts his head out the open window and notices it has some kind of snow plow on the front of it, and he quickly puts his head back in. “Fuck, they’re following us. Kelly, you need to drive like hell and put some distance on them. I counted at least five men with guns, and they don’t look friendly. And by the sounds we heard earlier, they have no problem using their plow to hit cars with.”

  Kelly slams her foot to the floor. As the truck accelerates and flies into the intersection, she slams on the brakes and turns the wheel, spinning the truck slightly sideways. She hits the gas again, and the truck squeals its tires, trying to gain traction, grabbing every inch of tire, and thrusting them down the main road.

  The following pickup hits the brakes at the intersection, and the men in the truck bed can be seen bashing into the back of the cab, all yelling in pain. Nevertheless, the pickup regains momentum and continues to pursue the faster, more powerful V8 truck.

  With their truck now moving at a speed of seventy miles an hour down the deserted road, the pursuing pickup slowly becomes a small dot in the rear view. Kelly eases off the gas and slows down to make a turn into a neighborhood, her eyes fixating on the dead bodies lying in people’s front yards.

  Dave suddenly yells, “Look out!”

  As soon as Kelly turns her head forward, a human body smashes into the front of the truck, spraying blood all over the hood and windshield. Kelly screams and slams on the brakes. Jason slams into the back of the seat, as does Simon. Dave grabs Peter to stop him from flying through the windshield.

  “Don’t stop! Keep moving! They’re everywhere!”

  Kelly hits the gas, driving over the man she had just hit and crushing his body under the weight of the truck. Multiple people, both men and women, sprint toward the truck, screeching and growling in bloodlust. The truck slowly gains speed, hitting the multiple victims who thrust themselves in front of the speeding truck.

  “Do not slow down! Just keep moving! If we stop, we’re dead!”

  Dave looks in the side mirror and sees the pickup enter the street, sharply hitting the brakes and quickly backing up and out of sight. Their own accelerating truck soon clears the neighborhood, and no more creatures can be seen. Dave lets out a gasp of air and turns and looks at the back seat and then at Kelly, who is white-knuckled and shaking.

  “I think you can slow down now. I think we’re out of danger, but that was some damn good driving, little lady. You saved our asses!”

  Kelly looks at Dave as wide-eyed and shock-riddled as humanly possible. She says nothing and continues driving. Not long after, they get back to the house. Kelly opens the garage door and hits the brakes, turning onto the driveway and screeching to a stop just inside the garage that she closes right after them.

  Chapter 18

  Maggie finishes washing the last plate and hands it over to Heather, who dries it and puts it away. They both look at each other, smiling, as they dry their hands. Conversation has been at a minimal the last few days, and everyone knows it. The reality of the situation has finally fully set in as more and more news coverage goes off the air. It has been replaced by the emergency broadcast system. Eric nervously shakes his leg as he, Nate, and Kristie watch one of the few remaining newsfeeds from a camera on a ridge almost a mile away from the city. All that can be seen or heard are explosions, large fires, and the National Guard’s helicopters flying overhead.

  The beep from the computer makes everyone look up. Maggie runs over to it and clicks her mouse. “Uncle John, it’s good to see you. How is everyone?”

  “As good as things can be I guess. How are you guys holding up?”

  “We’re fine, just trying to keep busy. So I’ve been worried about you guys over there. Last time we talked we really didn’t get into how everyone is at the Ark, so please fill me in.”

  “Everything’s fine, sweetheart. Everyone’s settling into their new apartment homes and adjusting nicely. We’ve moved everyone and pretty much all operations inside the Ark, and we’re trying to keep going outside to a minimal. But we have been making trips here and there for things like harvesting crops and to roundup some livestock still roaming about. But all in all, we’re doing great. We have everything we need except for natural sunlight, but we have a pretty good artificial sun replication lighting system that works pretty well; it’s still not the same. So enough about us; we’re not the ones I’m worried about. You’re the ones on the frontlines, so please fill me in on any new news that you may have.”

  “Nothing new, just the news broadcasts are getting sparse, so we’re not sure how things are progressing downtown. The only feed we can get is from a camera shot super far away from the city, so it’s pretty much useless.”

  “Yeah, we’ve seen the feed, not any help at all. Well, hey, listen, the main reason for me calling is to give you guys an update on some things we’ve learned from our end. First thing is we’ve been flying drones over the affected cites for the past few days, so we’ve got a pretty good idea of the situation. “

  “Okay, is it getting better or worse?”

  “There’s no easy way to say this, but things appear to be getting worse, much worse. Pretty much as bad as you can imagine things getting. Well, let’s just say we’re probably already there. So what’s happening is those infected humans have destroyed whatever city they’ve occupied and have moved outward toward the suburbs.”

  “Are they getting close to us in Boulder?”

  “Not yet, but it’s probably only a matter of time before they get there. They’re overpowering every line of defense the National Guard and police have put in place. I’m not even sure if they are operational anymore in some cities. The somewhat good news I have is that the military has started moving into most of the areas surrounding the cities, and it is setting up bases all over the country.”

  “Well, it’s about time. What took them so long?”

  “Things take time. They have to prepare for these things, and they just take time. But I do know they have made plans to put a huge operational base in Boulder. They should be moving in within a day or two. It will also serve as a massive evacuation safety zone since most of the evacuation zones outside the city have been overrun.”

  “They’re building a base here? Well, that’s good news I guess.”

  “It is good news. They will be the best protection that’s possible, and so it’s a very good thing. So, listen, when they move in, they will be going house to house to inform everyone of the basis of their operation. Now it’s important that you guys make contact with them, letting them know you’re okay. Now I know I said to stay down in the bunker, but with these extenuating circumstances, you guys are okay to leave the bunker and speak with the military. Now, listen close because this is very important. In no way are you to tell them about the bunker. They will confiscate all your weapons and most of your supplies, so you are to keep that a secret. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, we understand. Keep this a secret. No problem.”

  “Alright, sweetheart, I’m going to get going. Lots of stuff to get done around here, but just remember what I said. You do not tell them anything about the bunker. I’ll contact you soon with news as it comes in from the drones, but stay safe, be smart, and I love you dearly. And your mother and father and everyone else send their love. We all miss you very much.”

  “I love you guys, and I’ll let you know if anything happens here. Take care, Uncle John.”

  “You too, sweetie. Bye.”

  The screen goes dark, and Maggie turns around in the chair and looks at everyone watching her. “You guys heard him, right? We don’t tell the military anything, okay?”

  They all nod their heads in agreement and turn back to the television screen, even more in shock than before, knowing that in a way, ignorance is bliss. Maggie puts the computer to sleep, says good night to everyone and goes into the bedroom and turns out the light.

  The following morning, they are all woken by a buzzing sound they are not familiar with. Maggie jumps out of
bed and runs over to the surveillance monitoring equipment and sees two men in full military gear standing at her front door holding assault rifles. Trying not to panic, she presses the intercom button. “Yes, hello?”

  One of the men presses the intercom button. “Hello, ma‘am. My name is Private Johnson with the United States Army. We would like to have a word with you. Will you and whoever is there with you please come to the door and present yourselves?”

  “Is it safe?”

  “Well, yes, ma’am. The area is secure, and if you’d please come outside so we can talk, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

  “We’ll be out in a few minutes, okay?” She releases the button and turns around to see everyone standing behind her. “You heard the man. Let’s go, and remember mum’s the word on this place.”

  They walk upstairs and open the door slowly to see two Marines standing in their doorway. Helicopters are flying overhead, and Humvees and tanks are driving down the road in front of the house, followed by squads of troops jogging behind.

  “Hello, ma’am. Are you the one I was just speaking with?”

  Maggie nods her head while holding the door.

  “Well, alright then, like I said, my name is Private Johnson. This is Private Ortiz, and your name is?”

  “Maggie, and these are my roommates and friends, Eric, Kristie, Heather, and Nathan.”

  “Full Names, ma’am.”

  “Oh, right, sorry. Well, I’m Margaret Snyder, and this is Kristie Hanson, Heather Brooks, Eric Loffer, and Nathan Adams.” She finishes pointing to everyone and turns to notice Private Ortiz taking note by typing on his tablet.

  “Very well then. We are here to inform you that the U.S. Army has moved into the area and will be setting up a base of operations in the town of Boulder. We will be building a large fence around the town with gun towers and sentries guarding it. Without going into detail, rest assured that your town will be very safe, and we expect your full cooperation in this matter. We will be holding a town meeting tomorrow on campus at o’ eight hundred, and it is mandatory that you all attend. You must bring your identification, and you must submit to blood work and testing. Noncompliance will result in you being detained. Do you understand?”