The Zyne Project (14 page)

As it moved, a trail of slime followed behind it.  The thing no longer resembled the surfer’s easy manner. The cellular activity deep within its swelling body was creating intense regeneration that was too much for the outer layers of skin to keep up with.  Every orifice was growing, while the dermis was breaking apart from the tension.  The cells were filling with water and dividing…again and again…

But the creature, despite its reanimation and handicaps, could hear very well.  And the sound of shoes scraping against gravel sounded amplified in its wounded ears. 

It needed the sounds to stop.

Furious, it growled and then screeched at the top of its lungs.  Up ahead, a door emerged in the distance.  The creature raced towards it.

Chapter 12

It was 9pm.

The perimeter surrounding the Illusions building had been pushed back more than a mile.  The media was furious.  They’d been standing around all day, conducting live shots with a clear view of the building behind them, glowing yellow in the hot Florida heat.

But now, their live shots would be happening in the dark without any background visuals at all.  The group had been moved out to the highway and wasn’t being told why.  National guardsmen closed off the road, putting up cones to block any incoming traffic.

Once the “civilians” had left the perimeter, the final phase began.

Chapter 13

As Dan and Claire carefully crept along the outside of the building, they began to hear strange sounds outside.  And then, they watched as the tarp began to shake and shift.  It seemed as if it was being manipulated at one end and then another.

Whatever was going on, they were in the wrong place.

“We need to get back inside,” whispered Dan.  “If they’re letting us out, we need to get back to the pool area.”

Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of the building. The pool deck, along with all of the other guest amenities were strategically located on the other side of the building, away from all of the service entrances, loading docks, and off-loading ramps.

“How are we going to get back in?” Claire asked.  She hadn’t seen any doorways along the wall since they’d left the loading dock.

Dan sighed and looked down. 

“We’re going to have to go back where we came from.”

“What?”

“I know, I know.  We don’t know if it’s safe.  But, we don’t have a choice. If we keep on going in this direction, we’ll end up at the entrance and then have to walk all the way around to the other side.  It will be much faster if we cut across.”

Claire was silent.  She wasn’t sure she agreed with him. 

“Look, I’m going back.  If you want to stay here, hidden in the dark, I’ll come back for you.”

Looking around, Claire decided that she felt safer hiding in the dark, than going back towards what she felt was imminent danger. She didn’t want to be alone, but figured if she waited, Dan would come back for her.

“Ok, but you promise to come back for me, right?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes. But take this for protection.”  Dan handed her the gun. “And don’t hesitate to use it if you need to.”

Claire took the gun slowly and stared at him with wide, sad eyes.  He suddenly felt horrible, realizing how many lives had been impacted by his mistake.

Leaning back against the wall, he said softly, “Look, I’m so sorry. I’ve fucked up royally and now you have to pay for it.  Hopefully, we can both make it out of here alive and I promise you, I’ll make it right.”

Claire didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure why the doctor was apologizing to her…a lowly member of the cleaning staff.  But he was handsome and sincere, so she felt inclined to give him the solace he was so desperately seeking.

“It’s ok,” she said and reached out, gently stroking his cheek.

Dan blinked, surprised at her gesture, but appreciated it.  He came closer and hugged her tight.  The human contact felt good and comforting.  As he held her, he could smell the faintest of perfume along her neck and dug his face into her hair, breathing in her femininity.

You’re acting crazy and desperate,
a soft voice whispered in the back of his mind, but Dan ignored it. He knew that every moment left was fleeting and was determined to pull comfort from this kind, pretty woman who didn’t openly blame him for this disaster…

Pulling back from Claire, Dan looked into her face and realized that she was very attractive.  His groin tingled and he felt a stirring that didn’t belong in such a dark, ominous place.  But still, he was attracted to her.  Leaning forward, he kissed her lips gently.

She didn’t resist and allowed him to pull her against him once more, as they kissed more fervently, his tongue parting her lips. 

He gently pushed her up against the wall and kissed her again and again, pushing his hips into hers.  They squirmed against each other, seeking pleasure and…escape…

But their kissing was disturbed by the tarp once again shifting and moving.  Dan stopped breathlessly and looked at Claire, who seemed so small and fragile…

“Are you sure you want to stay here?  Come with me.”

But despite her arousal, a sharp blade of fear was still lodged squarely in her heart. She knew that if she followed the doctor, it might take her closer to the creature that had killed her co-worker and friend.

It just wasn’t worth it.

“No. I’m ok. I’m going to stay here.  Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Just come get me when you reach help.  I’ll stay right here.”

He really didn’t want to leave her, but knew that if they were going to survive this, he needed to move quickly.

Kissing her again on the lips, he gave Claire one last hug and promised to return as quickly as possible.

Moving slowly towards the dock, he could once again see the yellow glow emanating from up above.  He stopped, breathing heavily, and waited to see if anything jumped out or growled at him.

Nothing happened.  But, he could still hear the tarp rustling in the distance.  Moving quickly up the stairs, he reached the landing and stopped.

The door was open.

Dan looked around wildly but didn’t see or hear anything strange.

Perhaps the creature came outside and then went back in?
he wondered. 

He neared the entranceway and peered inside. The hallway was empty, so he stepped in and carefully made his way to the other side of the building. Amazingly, the building was still lit, but the air was very stuffy and once in a while, he could hear scraping noises outside.

What the hell is going on?
he wondered.

It took an agonizing seven minutes to get from one end of the building to the other, but Dan finally made it to the pool deck.  When he pushed open the glass doors, the first thing he noticed was the hole he had cut open was now considerably larger.  He could also see that the entire area was brightly lit by artificial lights and dark objects cast large shadows across the material.

There were men yelling and speaking quickly.

Suddenly, a megaphone in the distance called out, “Project Zyne active.  Countdown commencing…five, four, three, two…one.”

Dan listened as a siren rang out and then it sounded like hundreds of generators turning on.  The ground rumbled beneath his feet and it was only when tendrils of smoke started to appear in the opening that he realized his mistake.

***

Claire stood in the darkness and wondered if she had made the right decision.  Kissing Dan had been a surprise, but a nice one.  She smiled and wondered if perhaps when all was said and done, she might have a chance with him. 

Mom will be so excited. He’s a scientist and a doctor.  Can you imagine?
She smiled to herself.

Claire was a simple, but hopeful woman.  She had moved to South Florida from Des Moines in search of more excitement and a change in life.  But without a college degree, her options had been limited.  Working at Illusions was just a way to pay the bills until she could secure a more firm position
.  

Dating had been tough too.

She thought about going out on a date with a man could actually pay for the meal.  The guys she typically went out with weren’t exactly brimming over with cash.  But Dr. Dan Johns was different.  He was someone who was educated, handsome, and local.

And he was a good kisser…

But Claire’s pleasant daydreams were cut short by the sound of a low growl.   Chills ran up her spine and her bladder loosened as she looked around.

It was here.

Gripping the gun, she peered anxiously into the darkness.  It was hard to make out anything in the distance, but she could hear someone else breathing and watching her.

Suddenly, she heard the growl again and this time, the Tim-creature emerged.  It was bloated and clumsy as it stumbled towards her, arms outstretched and fingers twitching, desperate to tear her apart.

Claire screamed and backed up.  Forgetting about the gun, she panicked and ran in the opposite direction.

Her body scraped against the tarp as she ran past the building, her feet slipping on stones.  She stumbled a few times and accidentally dropped the gun, but despite the burning in her lungs, didn’t stop.  She kept on running until she reached the front of the building. 

To her horror, there was smoke slowly pouring into the air from a hole in the material, making it impossible to breathe. 

Coughing, she tore off her shirt and pressed it against her mouth as she’d been instructed to do during Zyne fire hazard training, and ran towards the pool area.

***

Dan watched from inside the building as smoke began filling the pool deck.  His heart raced as the realization of their predicament poured into his mind. 

There was no rescue.  Zyne didn’t want any survivors.

The company wanted them dead.

Well,
thought Dan.
I’ll be damned if I’m going to let them kill me.  We’re going to survive…

He turned to go when suddenly he heard banging and scraping noises outside. Turning to the glass, he saw Claire stumbling around the pool deck. She couldn’t breathe and was alternatively coughing and banging into the furniture. To make matters worse, she was topless and was stumbling around in just a bra, clutching a shirt to her nose and mouth.

Dan threw the doors open just in time to catch her fall as she tumbled into his arms in a dead faint. 

He carried her inside and managed to shut the doors behind him, blocking out the smoke for the time being.  Rushing into the common room, he put her gently down on the couch and ran to the sink to get some cold water.  Once he had saturated a cloth, he came back and wiped down her forehead and cheeks as she slowly came to her senses.

“Where…?” was all she could make out before coughing again.

He held her gently and stroked her hair until the coughing ceased and she was able to focus.

“You’re ok now. You’re ok,” he repeated.

“But, he’s out there,” she whispered, pointing to the doors. 

Dan stood up for a moment and went back to the pool entrance.  Locking the glass doors manually from the inside, he peered out into what was becoming a smoky haze.  In the distance, he could see someone hobbling around. 

Horrified, he realized it was Tim.  But the creature wasn’t doing well.  It was coughing heavily and turning blue from lack of oxygen.  As it neared the glass, Dan backed away, but got a clear look at its face, or what had once been a face.

The creature’s face had split in so many places that it looked as if it had been pushed up against a gas grill and allowed to sizzle for several minutes.  One of its eyes was missing, the remaining orb a red, watery mess.  It was shooting out ooze every time it took a breath, and it appeared to be suffocating.  The cut in its neck that Dan had given it hours ago and that should have been deadly appeared to have coagulated. Gasping, the creature banged against the doors, its hands slipping against the smooth surface as it fell lower and lower to the ground.  Finally on its knees, it banged on the glass one more time, opening its mouth in a pained, unsuccessful attempt to draw in oxygen.

It finally fell to the ground and stilled.  And this time, it did not get up again.

It’s lack of oxygen,
thought Dan sardonically.
Without oxygen, the cells cannot divide and cannot reanimate.  That’s the only way to cure them.  Suffocate them or destroy their brains.

Backing away from the glass, Dan knew it was only a matter of time before the smoke entered the building and polluted all of the available air.  He could already faintly smell a burning scent causing his heart rate to increase.

We’ve got to get out of here,
he thought.

***

Claire watched Dan as he ran out of the room.  She felt extremely weak and fatigued. The smoke had literally come out of nowhere and had enveloped all of the available oxygen.  At first, she had been able to breathe it in and not cough, but after a few moments, had found her lungs closing up…forcing her to find available air.  Covering her mouth with her T-shirt had only helped for a few minutes, a strange chemical flavor finding its way through her shirt shortly after.