Omega Virus (Book 1): Beta Hour (22 page)

I
held the gun close to my chest, and I could only listen to the echoes of the
undead pounding on my tomb. Now, they only had to wait until I came out, and
they could wait forever. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have that luxury.

LEVEL 27 – VENTING

I couldn't
escape. If I didn’t die of starvation first, I would eventually go mad. The
Corpses groaned and pounded filling me to the brim with panic-stricken anxiety.
I couldn’t breathe, and the putrid stink of old garbage didn't help.

I
wanted to shout for help, but no one would hear. As any normal teenage boy
would do, I huddled into a corner and began to sob. The overwhelming truth that
my world had been destroyed consumed me. I would never play video games
again,
I would never kiss Jessie again.

“What
did I do to deserve this?” I whimpered.

My
mind flashed to when Tiffany and Wesley were tied up back in the 7n20. I had
managed to help them free, I had taken a life for the first time. Had karma
brought its hammer down upon me? No, such things didn't exist. I'd become a
victim of circumstance; bad luck on an extreme level. My luck had always been
bad I had never won a single thing in my life. I sucked at competitive gaming.
Useless! That described me to a T.

Jessie
flashed into my mind. The way she looked that first day, so pretty. She had
rosy cheeks with dimples, and such pretty red hair. After being infected with
the Omega Virus, she'd become pale like a Corpse
;
with
blue lips and eyes that looked dead. There she lay, dying in an apartment,
all alone
, and I could do nothing to help her. If only I
could get the vaccine, but that would take a miracle!
Some
kind of divine intervention.

Just
then the dumpster rocked so hard I flipped upside down. Three more explosions
went off outside, and the dumpster did a barrel roll. I came flying out,
skidding away from the fiery maelstrom of explosions that continued to go off
in the alley. I stared with huge eyes. Grenades rained down from the rooftops,
and the Corpses were being blown to pieces.

Looking
up, I saw several shadows leaning over, dropping the bombs. When one saw me
staring, it alerted the others, and they vanished. A group of Creepers had
intervened.

“They
saved me.” I breathed.

I
stood, picked up my assault rifle and Dr. Belmont's ID badge. For whatever
reason, the mysterious group of Creepers had taken it upon themselves to
intervene in my death, or maybe they just wanted the Corpses dead. Either way,
I'd been given my chance. I turned and ran toward Monroe Street.

I
passed the first block, ignored the
shamblers
, and
continued on. More of the rotting creatures were standing around a four-lane
road. I easily dodged between them as they lifted their arms, coming up far too
short. Thankfully none of them were of the running, screaming, or stretching
variety.

I
reached the next block and skidded to a stop. The street sign read ‘Monroe
Street.' On the corner sat a liquor store and the address, 3000. That meant the
lab had to be near. I ran down the street to a dead end. I found a rundown
building matching the address 3440. It looked like a defunct mess.
Graffiti
covered the outside, and the windows were dark and
speckled in grime. No one could’ve guessed it to be a lab, or even a game
development company.

I
approached the front door, and red laser dot appeared on the ground in front of
me. A low humming and clicking sound came first, then a sudden flash of light.
A machine gun fired off from a turret above the front door. The bullet trail
tore up the road before me. Instinct alone saved me as I dove behind a pair of
mailboxes.

The
machine gun fire continued for a few seconds and then cut off. I took a deep
breath and peeked around the corner. As a gamer, how could I have missed an
automatic turret?

I
leaned further out, and the gunfire commenced again. I snapped my head back
into hiding, and it stopped. I found myself sucking in my breath. How had Red
and Blue come to and from the facility without becoming Swiss cheese?

Motion
activated the turret, and again, I couldn't find a single thing to throw. The
street looked cleaned out and had no way to sneak to the door.

“How
did you get in?” I asked.

Somehow
I had to disable the defenses. The building before me had a fire escape leading
up to the roof, three stories up. That wouldn’t work. I would be riddled with
bullets by the time I’d made it. I held the ID badge in my hand and flipped it
over. The back had the address and something behind more damn stickers. I dug
my nail into them and pulled them off one by one until finally I reached the
bottom layer, and underneath it, a single line, ‘Present ID at front door.'

I
glanced over my shoulder to the street. The machine gun couldn’t have been
setup before everything went to crap. That would definitely have constituted
more than a disturbance of the peace. But according to the badge, if I
presented it, I would get in. The idea seemed insane, but I had to risk it. I
risked a lot for Jessie.

With
all the bravery I could muster, I spun around the side of the mailbox, holding
the ID out before me. The rotating gun came to life as I stood with nothing but
hope. It continued to hum but didn’t fire. I swallowed hard and took a few
steps forward; the gun kept making the agonizing sound. I sped up and rushed
under its range. I breathed a sigh of relief as the steel door slid to the
side.

The
light from inside blinded me. I raised my arm to block the glare and walked
inside. I felt as if I were walking into a UFO, the walls and floor were so
white.

The
doors slid shut behind me, which nearly caused me to jump out of my skin.

Holding
up my rifle, I moved forward, also still holding out the badge. I scanned each
side of the hall as I went, looking for traps. Maybe, I'd played too many video
games? It had made me paranoid. I started to step onto a tile and felt it begin
to sink in. Pulling back, I froze, ready to dive, duck or even jump, but
nothing happened. I kneeled down to the tile. It seemed to be loose. A glowing
light blinked underneath the cracks. I couldn’t be sure, but it might have been
a land mine built into the floor, or maybe even a trigger to another booby
trap? I didn’t know, but from that point on, I stuck to the wall and took each
step carefully.

At
the end, I found a lobby. Benches lined the walls, which were surrounded by a
security desk. The walkway ran around behind the desk and disappeared behind
another wall. No one stood watch.

“Did
you hear that?” A girl’s voice echoed from nearby.

“Yeah,
Pink, sounds like the security system again?” A guy suggested.

“Green,
I just wanna check to make sure.” She continued.

My
throat clenched as I looked for a hiding place. Straight to my right I spotted
a sign for the Woman’s Restroom. I darted toward the door and pushed it open,
spinning in and slowly setting it into place behind me. I put my ear up against
the door.

“The
cameras check out,” Pink said. “Nothing was out there.”

“Maybe
it was just a stray dog?” Green said. “It was nothing! Let’s get back to the
sack.”

“You
know the animals have all been collected already. I don’t know why I associate
with you.” She replied.

“Babe,
we do more than associate!” He chuckled.

“I
have to piss, first.”

“So
lady-like!”

I
kept my ear to the door for a moment then realized I had hidden in the Women’s
Restroom, and she had to piss. I cursed and spun on my heel. I flew for the
last stall and ducked inside. I locked the door and climbed on the toilet seat.

The
restroom door creaked open, and the girl’s boots clacked on the tile floor. She
walked past the first three stalls. I held my breath. Did she come for mine? As
she opened the next door, I breathed a sigh of relief.

There
are awkward things in the world, I have to say, but for me, none like hearing a
girl do her business. Closing my eyes, I shook my head and continued to hold my
breath.

When
the toilet flushed, I felt as if I'd relieved myself. Strangely, this building
had functional plumbing, whoever these people really were; they had it good in
a desolate world.

The
woman didn’t even have her pants up before the bathroom door opened again.

“Pink
Baby, I just can’t wait!” The guy said. “There are a dozen other guys who could
be checking out the security cameras. Not to mention Red and Blue should be
back soon!”

“Fine,
dude.” She said. “I’m in the stall over here.”

“Oh
hell yes.” He replied.

The
guy walked in further and didn’t stop at her stall; instead, he stopped outside
of mine. He tried the handle but the door held, and my heart stopped.

“What
the hell?” He said. “You tease me and lock your door.”

“No
in here!” she snapped.

Her
stall squeaked open, and he went in. I'd previously thought nothing more
awkward than hearing a girl's business, but hearing two people doing it in the
next stall took the cake. A sudden draft of cold air hit the top my head, and I
looked up to find an open ventilation shaft. Not a huge one, but I could fit
in,
I just had to be quiet in doing so.

As
crude noises erupted from the stall next to me, I tried not to think about what
they were doing. I looked up, and reached my fingers into the grooves of the
shaft, then I lifted myself a few inches and braced my foot carefully against
the wall.

I
wrenched my hand up into the shaft and pulled myself. My foot slid and in a
panic I kicked the side of the stall hard. I froze. To my surprise, the noises
from next door continued as they slammed into the walls themselves. They hadn’t
even noticed. I whispered a silent prayer to the Gaming Gods as I braced my
foot again and climbed all the way in.

The
shaft turned out to be so small I had to crawl on my hands and knees, but it
proved better than being trapped next to a couple having way too much fun in
the
ZPoc
.

I
found myself crawling past another vent opening; this one had the hatch on, but
I could see into the room. Peeking through, I found a room with a long table,
surrounded by five people in black hooded cloaks. Had I happened upon a satanic
cult? All but one of them had their hoods up. The one who didn't looked no
older than me. In fact, he looked like me, with dirty blonde hair and a rounded
face. I couldn’t get a better look; he sat the farthest away, but it felt like
I looked into a blurry mirror.

An
old voice spoke up from the very center of the table. The voice came from a
contraption that looked like a circular phone base, but a blue column of light
erected from it. The light twitched and flickered.

“Grandson.”
The old man’s voice spoke. “The first stages of the virus are going
wonderfully. I am proud of you.”

“Thank
you, Grandfather.” My doppelganger said.

“Your
scientist, Dr. Belmont, has done well in modifying the virus, and the animal
collection has gone stupendously.”

“Yes.”
The teen called Grandson said. “We've done our very best.”

“Then
this meeting is adjourned.” The old man sounded tired.

“Wait!”
Grandson shouted.

“What
is it?” The old man grumbled as the heads of the other figures turned to the
young man.

“Grandfather,
what is to be done with the Creepers?” Grandson asked. “They're constantly
trying to find their way into the facility.”

“Grandson,
are these Creepers not your product?” Grandfather asked.

“Yes,
sir.” He replied.

“Then
you are tasked with dealing with them. They are a product of the failed
experiments. Do not let them destroy the vaccine.
”

“It
is not like I meant to create viral hybrids!” Grandson slammed his fists on the
table.

“Don't
throw a tantrum. Think of them as toys to test the new Lv03s on.”

“The
Lv03s are in short supply, and they seem blind to the Creepers. Gramps, you
need to help!”

“Respect
your elders!” A cloaked woman interjected.

“Sorry!”
Grandson sarcastically said.

Grandfather
cleared his throat. “This meeting is adjourned. To the rest of the family, I
wish you to return to your thresholds. Grandson, finish up your business here
and return to the Gulf of Mexico Base. Await further orders there.”

“Yes,
sir.” Grandson grumbled. “I will retrieve the vaccine from Dr. Belmont and
leave ASAP.”

I
silently cursed to myself. If I didn't find Dr. Belmont first, this Grandson
guy would take the vaccines.”

The
blue light went out, and the group stood. One pair walked to Grandson as the
others left through a double door on the far side of the room.