Chapter Twenty One
“We’re bleeding money here. Are you sure it’s not ready for DOD testing?”
“Absolutely not, Director. We still haven’t managed to restore cognition in subjects, and there’s also the risk of communicability.”
“What kind of risk are we talking about if this becomes infectious?”
“It would be an Armageddon-level biological disaster.”
–Dr Ava Sherman. Manchester, New Hampshire. 2 Month Before.
* * *
Would it always be this way?
There had once been a time where Liam had fashioned himself the expert in survival. He could boast about getting dropped anywhere in the world, in any environment, with any number of tools at his disposal, and still being able to concoct the means to escape. Survive In Wild had let him put his grit to the test, and though the producers had forced him to carry a flare gun for liability reasons, Liam could proudly claim that after five tumultuous seasons, he had never fired a single flare. His struggles had been his alone, and nobody could take away the experience that he had gained. He was just a man facing all that the world could throw at him, and he had surpassed each challenge with flying colors.
But what could be done when the threat was so fundamentally inhuman? What was all his tenacity when stacked against an army that never stopped, never slept, and never surrendered? As Liam sat in the back of a car, with Buttercup and Kurt to his sides and a suppressed hunting rifle in his lap, he wondered who were the survivalists, and who was the amateur.
When was the last time he’d held a bolt action rifle like this? It might have been before his Survive In Wild days. Though he’d used them for the majority of his life before, wielding them for the show had taken some of the flair away, and he’d gotten better at avoiding confrontation than challenging it as a result. Now a .308 was in his hands, and he again yearned for the days where he’d be shooting things that didn’t shoot back.
“We’re good,” Leah said, fingers wrapped around the binoculars she’d been using to keep watch ahead.
The car again accelerated into a slow roll as Vaughn brought them around the next bend. The hum of the electric engine was quiet in the growing stillness of night. They had been working their way back into Reno since dusk, keeping off the main roads with lights off, all while their pursuers were seeking them out in that vacuous, opaque darkness.
Vaughn frowned. “It’s a shame you won’t be able to see our FOB by the light of day. We used to use the speakers to draw hollows in, and the lights to distract them. It makes them easier to herd, and it sure looks beautiful. A nice slice of old world taste done again.”
“Old world”. How many times had Liam heard that term before, and never truly appreciated it? They all used it so flippantly to describe such a heartless and conclusive end. As if humanity and all its triumphs could be reduced to the same word one would reserve for a pair of shoes that’d been left in the closet too long. It had no value. It was just old. But that was still fine. There was another pair waiting downstairs. All that had been accomplished with the first pair was now irrelevant the moment it had reached its limit. There was no reason to waste time referencing it, except perhaps out of nostalgia.
Was Liam any better off? Or was he just another relic of ancient history, soon to be discarded?
“What kind of building was your FOB?” Liam asked to busy his mind, keeping his voice gruff to maintain the facade.
“A casino,” Vaughn explained. “Well, several actually. The living had this idea of making a whole bunch of them bunched up together in one structure. It’s so big that it spans entire blocks. I can only imagine what a great time it must’ve been.”
“What do you think it was like?”
“Well, been a while since I hit up Elysium, so I’m guessing it was somethin’ like that. Lots of drugs. Lots of rock. Lots of sex.” His shriveled eyes squinted into the night, as if to pierce through the veil. “I swear, sometimes if I try hard enough, I can almost see what it used to be, back before all this. Not like when we look at a pic or movie too. I’m talking like I was there, running around those halls with everyone else. But the Hollowing truly is a tough bastard, and I know it’s just my mind playin’ tricks on me.”
Liam smiled. “I remember the first casino I went to. Me and a couple of the guys ran off after work. Thought we’d try something different, and you can’t exactly party when you’re spending all day on some bloke’s lawn. I was a landscaper back then, and didn’t know half as much as I thought I did.”
He stared into the blackness too, and willed the memory into action.
“It was a bloody miserable time. I’d never been anywhere near as drunk before, and with all the lights and the music, all I could think of by the end of the night was running away and finding my tent.” He laughed. “This was after I’d moved out of my parents, you see, but before me and Nelly went out to Al–”
“Liam!” Leah shouted.
He snapped out of the memory, and realized that the car had now stopped. Vaughn was staring wide-eyed into the street, no doubt wondering how half that story could be true. Had Liam dropped the fake voice by mistake as well!?
“Parents? Drunk? Couldn’t have had those, unless…”
Mastermind lunged from Leah’s lap and onto the wheel, and Leah drew her pistol.
“Got control, mum!” Mastermind shouted.
“We still good, Vaughn?” she asked, the suppressor pressed against his skull.
He sat bewildered for a moment, and then burst out in laughter. “Shit. No wonder you shook the hornet’s nest so bad. Here I was thinking that you’d formed yourself a little rebellion, and this chump was the guy you’d use to replace Hades. But no. You really are more nuts than I thought.”
“All we’re asking for is a ride out of town. Nothing more.”
“You really think that she’ll deliver on this one? Mother might be God’s gift to Earth when it comes to medicine, but ending the Hollowing? Might as well try to freeze the sun in the sky.”
“Not going to debate this one, Vaughn. This is all we’ve got, so either get with the program or get out.”
The car rolled again.
“Then I’d guess we’d better hurry up,” Vaughn said with a grin. “Always wanted to see what was on the other side. If we’re all gonna die doin’ something stupid, it might as well be over this.”
Liam let out a breath of relief, and Leah holstered her pistol. Disaster had been averted.
For now.
* * *
Night melted into twilight and the clouds parted. Monoliths rose in front, with white hotel towers turned silver in the light of the moon. Closer still, and a dome stood out from the rest, still twinkling in spite of its age. A faded, torn sign caught recognition but for a beat. ‘The City Within a City,’ it read. No surprise, really. The hotels seemed to vomit shops out from their base, and the construction of each casino was so vast that whole streets were consumed by their design. There were three total here, Liam had been told, though it seemed so much more vast. A triumvirate of decadence, designed to beget more decadence.
The car reached its stop in front of a parking garage.
“It’ll be quicker to walk from here,” Vaughn explained. “I have it stashed on the fourth floor of this lot, by the stairwell.”
“You sure you won’t come with us?” Leah asked.
“Can’t abandon the Larder. I’ve spent six long years building that beauty, and I won’t leave her behind.” He stared at his hand. “No matter the cost.”
“Kurt will make the cut clean. Don’t worry.”
“Would be nice if you’d take my leg, at least,” Vaughn said. “I can still work well with a limp.”
Leah shook her head. “We need it to look real if Hades will let you out of this. The only way to get him to believe we took you hostage is if I cut off your arm.”
Liam winced. Even though he’d learned by now that a severed limb wasn’t near as debilitating for a rezzer as their living counterparts, hearing the words out loud and in such a cavalier tone still sent a shiver down his spine.
Vaughn sighed. “You’re gonna owe me so much after this.”
“If this works out as planned, I’ll make sure that you’re the first in line for a cure,” Leah said.
“Let’s do this then.”
The group made their way to the garage in silence, with Vaughn leading the way. No sooner had they reached the threshold into the main lot that a ping broke the stillness of the night. Blackened ichor exploded from Vaughn’s head as he fell limp into the concrete.
Liam froze in place, the air caught in his throat. Before he could even cry out, more suppressed bullets ricocheted through the garage, and he was shoved back into the cover of a wrecked truck. Leah stood above, peering through the blackness with the same level of desperation as him.
She ducked just as a shot whizzed overhead. “Anyone have eyes?”
Buttercup leaned into view, only for the trim of his suit to tear from a shot. “Can’t see shit.” He threw his hand over his shoulder as blood began to well.
“We’re sitting ducks.” She raised her gun. “Fall back. On me!”
Leah fired blindly into the darkness, and Liam took his cue to break into a sprint, clutching his rifle as though he owned nothing else. As Liam reached the street, he caught sight of a half-dozen silhouettes rushing toward him. More gunshots rang free, and dust burst from the concrete pillars besides. The tires of their getaway car moaned as air leaked free.
In a frenzy, Liam made a run for the closest structure in sight, one of the casinos in the shape of a circus tent. He rushed through the broken glass door and took cover inside.
Now was his turn to help. Liam had found that he held a single significant advantage over the undead: his ability to sprint. Their muscles atrophied post-Hollowing, and they were never able to regain enough coordination to move faster than jog. Even if their stamina was near-infinite, Liam was unrivaled in his ability to cover short distances when compared to them.
With his own safety secured, he fired his rifle at every shadow he did not recognize, reflexively pulling on the bolt action in response to each shot. Their enemies were forced to withdraw as Leah and the others trotted across the street.
Leah nodded in approval when she reached the door, then ordered him further back. Liam complied.
The interior of the casino was like a childhood nightmare aged fifty years. The main room had been designed like a carnival, with dart throwing stands, mini-basketball hoop kiosks, bowling, fishing, and so much more, while roulette tables and slot machines dotted the outer ring – all with prizes dangling above. A mix of red, yellow, and black carpeted the floor to match the flair. But there were no lights here, save for that which leaked through cracks in the ceiling, and the games stood frozen in time, linked from one to the other by spiderwebs.
The group found a water balloon stand to hide within while taking aim on the door.
For a long moment, there was nothing but silence as Liam lay in wait. The moonlit street was a window of grey against the opaque black wall of the casino itself. But then the darkness stirred, and the greys slid into blacks, and then a figure stood in front. Standing over six feet tall and clothed in a trench coat, only the glint of metal on the limbs stuck out from the black of night. Its face was shrouded beneath a medieval-era hunter’s cap, and a giant eagle’s feather poked out from the brim.
The creature held up its arm for a beat before pointing forth. Dozens more shadows flooded to its flank, each draped in similar dark clothes and matching hunters’ caps. The moment they cleared the door, they dissolved back into darkness, still and silent as the environment they had invaded.
“Damn it, not Xander,” Leah whispered. She held up her hands and issued commands. Split up. Keep low. Silent. She turned to Liam. You. Stay. He nodded, and the others peeled off.
“You’re probably wondering how I found you, Leah,” their attacker spoke out from the sanctuary of the shadows. “Never thought it’d be me, huh?” He paused. “No, that’s what it always is with the old guard of the city. You look at the rest of us like we’re second-class citizens, and you could never imagine one of us taking down one of you.”
A pair of pings rang out, and the sound of a body dropped. Liam searched frantically from one side to the other, but could make out nothing from the wall of black.
“That’s what makes you so weak,” Xander continued. “Your kind might run Pandemonium, but without that city, you’d be nothing. Just a bunch of rats waiting to get eaten by something bigger, like me.” Another body dropped as the silent battle continued. “You want to know how I found you, Leah? Everyone else blindly trusted Hades, but I went for the old-fashioned means of Hunting. We combed the forest, found your prints, and started the slow, but steady process of tracking where they went.” More shots went off, and gasps followed. “One day at a time, one hill after another. We got closer on you, every step of the way. Nearly lost you when you got those horses. I’ll give you that. Never in my day have I seen a rezzer ride one of those. But it wasn’t enough. I’ve got fifty-five Hunters in my unit, and I kept some scouting around, just to be safe. The moment you entered Reno, we had you made. Now Hades is on the way, and he’ll be here just in time for me to deliver all your heads.”
Liam caught sight of movement and took a shot. The attacker moaned when the .308 struck his shoulder, but instead of retreating, he used the opportunity to rush straight for him. Does he have a death wish!? Liam floundered with his hunting rifle, not expecting such boldness. Before he could land another shot, one of his invisible allies finished the job for him. His attacker flopped to the ground.
“I didn’t have the luxury of turning in Pandemonium,” Xander said from further back. “When I came back, I was wandering around Oregon for more than two years before I discovered the city. Two long years, where any rezzer I found was just another source of food. You think you’re hot shit, Leah, but you aren’t half the Hunter I am. I was born doing this.”
A loud cackle broke the stillness of the casino.
“Bitch, I invented Hunting!” Leah shouted.
The pops of her suppressed 1911 began to echo throughout, with more yelps following each shot. Their enemies’ guns hissed in answer. Furniture began to crash, and bodies continued to drop. Liam tried to pierce through the veil, but he was as powerless now as before, and could see nothing other than the faintest flicker of movement. If only he shared their night vision.
Then another shadow slid into cover next to Liam, too fast for him to react.
“Fucking asshole,” Leah whispered, gripping her chest where blackened blood was gushing free.
Liam grimaced. “You alright?”
“Yes,” she spat. “Just worry about yourself and stay low.”
“What’s going on?”
“We’re losing ground. That bastard’s brought body-starved dregs as attack hounds, with more of his goons in support. The dregs will jump on the sword just to draw us out, and his guys have us outnumbered two-to-one. We can’t risk getting spotted again or we’re finished.”
Liam peered into the black. “This is Vaughn’s forward operating base, yeah?”
“Not with him dead.”
“He used the lights and speakers to lure hollows, didn’t he?”
“So? None are around.”
Liam stroked his chin. Survival was as much about improvisation as preparation, and with all the tools at his disposal, it was only a matter of figuring out which could be best leveraged to his advantage. Just as fire kept predators away, and masking a scent helped to keep game unaware of their hunter, the undead had their own strengths as well as weaknesses. All that mattered was finding the correct order to use one against another.
The puzzle pieces fell in place, and Liam could almost laugh. This was normally the part where he’d look at the camera and tell the audience not to attempt this at home.
“Get everyone together,” Liam ordered, “and be ready to run for that lot again. Don’t worry. You won’t miss the opening. And as for me, I’ll leg it after you.”
She glared at him. “Are you insane?”
He grinned. “No, love. Just got myself one more stupid idea.”
On that thought, Liam lurched to his feet and broke into a sprint. He’d already made it to the back before a single shot came his way. By the time he’d entered the faculty office, the gunfire disappeared.
He drew a flashlight and started searching the rooms. “Where do you think he put it, Thirsty?” There was no telling how much Vaughn had tinkered with the building or where he’d positioned those changes, but based on the pragmatism he had witnessed at the Larder, it would not be substantially different from the original design. Liam had spent well over six months learning electrical systems so that he and Nelly could have WiFi in Alaska, and had discovered that most systems followed a similar design. He just needed to find the switch room in this maze.
“Aha! Got the bastard!” One hand-drawn arrow on the wall led to another, and within moments, Liam had found his prize. Vaughn had even painted a series of buttons to indicate which lever activated power, and which dealt with lights and sound, broken up by location.
Liam activated every button and lever at once.
The machines buzzed before powering on. Speakers blared with a heavy guitar riff. The walls quaked at each strike of the base, and the volume matched its crescendo. Lights started to flash, and Liam made his escape. There wouldn’t be much time to utilize this diversion.
He entered the main room and couldn’t help but laugh. The casino was alive again, with lights blazing and music roaring over the sound of equipment. Slot machines were running, and carousels were moving.
And in the center of it all, a group of frightened dregs were frozen like deer caught in headlights, their minds too weak to handle the sudden change in stimulation. Their handlers were similarly distressed, torn between reordering the dregs and themselves.
Liam loaded the last of his cartridges into his rifle, now with the odds in his favor.
He opened fire. The enemy Hunters scrambled for cover, but they were as uncoordinated as their underlings. Half of them didn’t realize where Liam was coming from, which only let him further advance without threat. When the return fire finally did come his way, the shots were sporadic and clumsy, as if his attackers had never held a gun before.
His plan was working perfectly. Rezzers were durable, but they weren’t adaptive. His living mind held the advantage here. Life was about change, whereas death was no more than stagnation. Now, the very trait that let them see better in the dark was blinding them in the light, and they’d be trapped this way far longer than him.
The music entered its guitar solo and Liam again broke into a sprint. More bullets pattered the walls, but the exit was in sight, and he was almost free. A little further, and he would be out.
Liam rushed into the street as the song hit its finale. Shots ricocheted into concrete, but they were powerless in stopping him now that he’d escaped the building.
“Liam!” Leah shouted from the upper floors of the garage. “Get to the entrance. We’ll meet you there.” She disappeared before he could respond.
Liam broke into a deeper sprint. With any luck, he’d catch them just in time.
The air got trapped in his lungs. Pain stabbed through his chest. He stumbled forth, but as he tried to suck more air in, his throat tightened without response. Another step and he nearly collapsed altogether. Liam gripped his chest and felt a fresh wave of agony. He blinked through the shock and studied his hand. It was coated in blood. His blood.
Liam wheezed and tried to move through the gunshot wound, but his legs felt like lead, and his muscles were locked in place. All the energy had been drained, and he could no longer stay standing. He floundered to his knees and dropped his rifle. The pain was too much.
He was going to die. Right here, right now, in this dingy little street. All this work he had put in, all this effort he had made, and it had been for nothing!
Suddenly, he was yanked back to his feet.
“Get up, you bastard,” Buttercup said with a wink. “Don’t you die on me. Not until you visit my sweet-ass brothel!”
Liam tried to laugh, but it turned into a cry halfway through. Buttercup was using his body as a shield against more bullets, and as the maelstrom of lead continued, they were able to limp to safety. He winced with each hit, but otherwise ignored the shots that struck him.
A pick-up truck rolled into view, going reverse. Leah threw down the back and held out her hand. “Get in!”
Liam complied to the best of his abilities, with Leah and Mastermind yanking him in front, and Buttercup pushing from behind. He flopped onto the bed of the truck in one final act of strength.
Leah reached for Buttercup next, but he grabbed too slow. His head burst in an explosion of ichor before collapsing into the pavement.
Liam cried out, his pain doubled.
“Boom-shaka-laka!” Hades screamed from afar. Liam could just see him at the edge of sight, standing on the top of a truck with that ridiculous cowboy hat and three-piece suit. He pulled off the hat and gave the group a salute, the smoke still spewing from the lever-action rifle he’d just fired.
Leah shrieked, her eyes frenzied. She switched her M16 to full-auto and braced her feet against the truck. Their vehicle began to accelerate again as she howled in rage, spraying a torrent of bullets in a vain attempt to bring Hades down. When each magazine hit its end, she tossed the spent one aside and replaced it with another. No matter how far they seemed to drift away, she kept her finger on the trigger.
Liam’s mind was starting to wander, and his vision blurred. His chest was on fire, and he wanted nothing other than to close his eyes and let it end. But he couldn’t. As the truck rolled away, his sight fixed onto Buttercup, who’d sacrificed himself just to give Liam a chance. Another innocent soul lost in the war to keep him alive.
Could he truly let that have been a waste?
