What Remains (Book 1): The Outbreak Read online

  Chapter 2

  The Hospital

  Fire teams five and six had flown several miles to the north of where the forward operating base was supposed to be set up. They knew little of the events that had unfolded there. They made it to their landing zone with no problems. Along with the other Fire teams they quickly rappelled and formed up.

  They quickly reached the downtown hospital which was only a few blocks from their landing zone. The eight men systematically entered the hospital lobby, checking the corners and providing cover for one another. They all stopped, horrified, at the grotesque scene before them. The lobby looked like a horror movie, with bodies littering the floor. There were overturned chairs, dark forbidding doorways leading to almost certain death, and blood-soaked carpet adding to the terrifying overall effect.

  Two men were posted at the main entrance to make sure they would have no problems leaving when it was time. The remaining six men split up into two groups of three, one group headed up the stairwell, and the other retreated into the main floor of the hospital, which was retrofitted into an ICU. They pushed past more dead bodies and the abandoned medical equipment in the hallways.

  The team leader, who went with the men upstairs, carried a large backpack. There were several hospitals closer to the forward operating base’s location, but this one was different. The leader and the two men went up to the fifth floor of the hospital, slowly checking each floor’s stairwell door. They stopped momentarily upon reaching the door on the fifth floor. One soldier watched the stairs going to the upper floors, while the soldier in the rear watched the stairs going back the way they came. The team leader crouched down next to the door, opening a side pouch on the bag that he carried on his back, that contained a small thin stick of explosives to mold around the door hinges.

  The door consisted of thick heavy metal that sealed airtight when closed, allowing no sound, or anything else, out. There was an electronic keypad next to the door, blank, and without power. Blowing the hinges of the door would be the easiest method to force their way into it. Next to the door, the team leader gave the signal and blew the hinges off. The door fell to the ground landing with a thunderous thud that echoed down the stairs.

  The team leader signaled the soldier watching the stairs leading to the upper floors to stay and keep on the lookout. The other man went with the leader as they went through the dark doorway. They cleared the hallway, slowly moving their way down to the end where another door was; this one, however, was much less technology based. With a swift kick, they stormed through the door, clearing left and right. Nothing moved in the room except for the specks of dust in the beam of their flashlights. They lowered their guns; the team leader began to unpack his bag, pulling out a massive carrying case. His support man scoured the rest of the room while the team leader found his prize: a small, single vial carefully lifted from one of the deserted machines strewn about the place. Slowly and carefully, he lifted it and put in the case.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Meanwhile, the men in the ICU found something they had not been expecting at all: hostiles. They had been caught unprepared by many adversaries within the area and killed almost instantly. A minute later, the two men at the main entrance were swarmed from behind, unaware of the chaos that had befallen their fellow soldiers.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  The man that had been left to watch the staircase heard a soft scream from the lower part of the hospital. He leaned over the railing, looking down at the bottom of the stairwell. Down on the ground floor, he only saw the concrete base in the dim light given off by the glow stick they had placed there earlier. He relaxed, slowly pulling away from the railing, unaware of the movement behind him.

  His attacker lunged at him from behind. Unprepared for the charge, he lost his footing, causing he and his attacker to fall over the railing. The soldier only had a few seconds, screaming on his way down, before they both hit the floor with a loud thud. The sound echoed softly in the dark and quiet.

  The team leader and his support heard the scream of their lookout. There was a split-second glance at each other before they pivoted and raised their guns to the door facing the hall. They stood there waiting for contacts that never came. As they slowly approached the door, their senses heightened. The team leader looked out at the stairwell and saw no one. He looked over the railing, and his eyes grew wide as he saw the bodies at the bottom. The glow stick cast an eerie, incandescent glow around them. They tried to reach the other men that they left on the ground floor on the radio. No reply. Sensing something was not right, they stealthily went down the stairwell, double-checking every floor landing as they went.

  When they reached the bottom, they walked over to the bodies. The team leader knelt and looked over the masses. The fall had made the bodies almost unrecognizable, twisted and mangled. The only difference between the two was what they were wearing. One was dressed in doctor’s attire while the other, who was apparently part of their team, was in all black night ops gear. The team leader noticed the doctor looked odd, grim and deathly, and it was clear that he had been for some time. It was impossible to tell anything else because of the fall. Knowing it was time to move on, the team leader grabbed the soldier’s dog tags and shoved them in his pocket.

  Leaving their comrade behind they emerged into the lobby once again, only to find fresh blood covering the walls and floor, mixing glossily with the old blood. The absence of the men they had left there fifteen minutes before, combined with the new paint scheme, disturbed the two men even more. Realizing they were the only two left of the squad they looked at each other. Silently, they decided to leave and made their way to the hospital door.

  Opening the main doors, they started to move down the dead street. Without realizing, the shuffling of the team leader’s backpack was attracting what lay waiting on the streets. Their screams echoed through the night.

  Chapter 3

  Only One

  Sergeant Knight led the other three men from his Fire team towards the crash site of the helicopter. Abandoning their previous objective, they moved quickly to check the status of the Forward Operating Base. Hoping their fears were wrong, they rounded a building and brought the helicopter’s final resting place into their view. They stopped in their tracks, in shock of the downed bird.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  The pilot tried desperately to keep control of the helicopter, one hand on the controls the other shoving back. Impeding his efforts to control the aircraft, however, was his attacker, pinning him against the side of the cockpit. Using all his strength, the pilot managed to shift his attacker below him. In doing this, he had to let go of the controls. Looking over the attacker’s shoulders, he saw the ground closing in. Bracing for the impact, he used his attacker to absorb the brunt of the hit. The helicopter blades hit the ground first, snapping in half, wildly slicing through the helicopter. The shock of the impact and the adrenaline of the attack hindered the pilot’s feeling; he never felt the blade slice right through him.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Approaching the gruesome scene, they saw half of a man, his entrails strewn behind him. The pilot had crawled out of the cockpit and died a mere ten feet away. Small fires were around the helicopter, lighting the intersection that it crashed into earlier. Pieces of the road were strewn across cars haphazardly left in the intersection. Carter heaved up the small amount of food left in his stomach onto the street. The others guarded themselves against the sight since they had grown accustomed to seeing death.

  Finding nothing of value, or any clues to the fate of the forward operating base, the team pressed on, quickly climbing the skyscraper’s stairway to the heavens. It took them thirty minutes to climb the stairwell and reach the pinnacle of the building. They promptly formed up against the doorway. When Knight signaled that it was time to move, they burst through the door, clearing the left and the right areas. Carter went straight with the intention of clearing the front but quickly froze at the horrifying sight before him.

  Sc
attered across the rooftop of the building where the bodies of civilians bloodied by various wounds. Some were missing huge chunks from the .50 caliber bullets exploding their targets; others had fragments of a great many small arms fire embedded in them. Evidence of a frag grenade exploding was present as well.

  The four men stared at the horrifying picture before them, taking in all the nightmarish details. They located several of the men that had been dropped in by the crashed helicopter. Before them was the most disturbing scene that they had come across yet. Several of the men had teeth marks along with bullet wounds. The shrapnel of an explosion had charred one of the bodies, and the smell of charred flesh filled the air.

  The container that held all the gear for the forward operating base was open. As two of the men walked towards it, they heard a shuffling noise from within. The men tensed, fearing the worst. They quickly raised their guns and turned on the flashlights mounted to them to light the inside of the dark container. Moving inside, they heard a voice whispering incoherently. A man’s voice came from the back of the container behind the boxes of supplies…

  It was the only survivor of the group of men who had landed to secure the roof and unwittingly led them to their deaths.

  Chapter 4

  A Normal Day

  Opening his eyes Kenji saw the same ceiling as the day before, and the day before that, and as long as he could remember. Reaching over, he shut off the alarm that had intruded his sleep. Sitting up, he turned, sitting at the end of the bed. The light was leaking through the shades hanging from his window. Just another day in his routine life. Getting ready for work, he showered, dressed, and prepared a simple breakfast. He watched the news while eating and caught a bit about a small rural town that was placed under martial law for civil unrest. Thinking nothing of it, shut off the TV, grabbed his briefcase, and left for work.

  He left the lobby of his apartment building, and the noise of the city filled the air. He walked down the few steps that led down to the sidewalk and saw his neighbor from down the hall walking up the stairs. Speaking a quick hello to one another, they both continued on their way. His neighbor pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and coughed on it.

  Kenji sat down on the bench as he waited for the bus, and watched the people walking by. He liked to people watch and observe the passersby. He could see things that people did out of habit, like continuously check their watches without really looking at the time. He could also see the things that people had to force themselves to do, like the very hurried man who was very clearly keeping his temper in check because he got stuck behind a slower, older adult, on a crowded street. He could tell how these people were by the way they carried themselves. It wasn’t an exact science, but he usually had a good instinct about people.

  Five minutes later the familiar noise of the bus approaching snapped him out of the reverie of people watching. The people at the bus stop lined up to get on the bus, and he moved in closer to get a better seat or, at least, a chair, he preferred to sit over standing. Climbing onto the bus, he paid his fare and found an open place to sit near the middle. The bus started off down the street, moving closer to the center of chaos they called downtown.

  It was just a typical day in most people’s lives. Adults went to their jobs, and children went to their schools to learn. The hustle and bustle of the city were just beginning for the day as the bus reached the major business center of the city. They stopped at their destination, five blocks away from his building. Getting off the bus, the sounds of the town multiplied, and he stepped in the maze of downtown. Fighting his way through the crowd, he started on his daily path to his office.

  Reaching the skyscraper where he worked, he pulled open the door. Kenji pulled out his office ID badge and showed the security guard. Once cleared, he made his way to the elevator and punched the 55th-floor button. He always hated elevators and that giddy feeling they gave you when they shot up too quickly. After the twenty other occupants scattered to their floors, the elevator stopped on his, and he stepped out. Kenji stopped to make small talk with the receptionist, asking how her family was, as he did every day.

  Kenji made his way to his cubicle, saying good morning to his coworkers as he passed them. He set down his briefcase, took off his jacket, draping it over the back of his chair. He sat down and let out a deep breath, before starting up his computer and logging into the company server.

  Looking at the spreadsheets, he determined everything from spending costs to employee paychecks clearing. Today, he was working on employee bonuses making sure that the higher-ups got paid well. After several hours of this, he took his lunch break. Talking to several coworkers, he discussed the unrest in the countryside, and how many of them thought that it would not be long before it spread to the cities.

  After lunch, he continued his work, barely finishing before it was time to clock out. Riding the same bus home, he exited and walked back to his apartment building. Unlocking his door, he walked in and lazily closed it behind him. He set his stuff down and strolled over to his balcony, facing the downtown of the city.

  Being on the nineteenth floor, he could feel gentle breezes that came against the building like waves. Breathing in the fresh air, he loosened his tie taking in the view of the downtown sprawl. The lights of the city made a slight artificial glow around the tall spires of downtown. He imagined the city was more like a beacon of light amongst the dark rural sea. Beyond the city looked forbidding, the dark bringing primal fears of the unknown.

  Kenji went back inside and started making yet again a quick, simple meal. Sitting down, he turned on the TV and began to eat. The news was on again, different than this morning’s newscast. Tonight, there was a hospital in a town not more than eight hours away on the screen. The newswoman gave her report, which told of a small riot that ended with twelve dead and another seven injured. Officials told her that the injured were still being treated at the hospital behind her.

  During the middle of her report, two military cargo trucks with their beds covered drove behind her, entering the walled parking lot. As the second truck drove over the speed bump, a dead arm fell out from behind the cover. The truck quickly pulled around the corner, arm disappearing with it. He thought he was seeing things because he was tired. “No,” he thought, he was completely sure of what he saw.

  Wondering about the arm, and the person it belonged to, he continued to watch the TV for a little while. Kenji pushed those thoughts out of his mind; he just didn’t have it in him to care about it. Today had been another long, tedious day at his job, and all he wanted to do was relax before doing it all over again. Kenji briefly logged on his computer to check his email, only receiving one email of importance from his childhood friend and girlfriend. He replied to her request for him to call her about going on a date over the weekend. Apologizing for not having the time to call her that evening, he set a place and time, then got ready for bed.

  Chapter 5

  The Survivor

  Approaching the survivor, Ramirez made slow movements, not wanting to upset the man. The survivor was apparently still in shock, muttering and shaking. Ramirez moved closer to the man slowly reaching for the man’s firearm. He only had a pistol in a holster on his side. The man in shock did not acknowledge that Ramirez was there; let alone reach for his gun. Ramirez was inching towards the man now.

  He had his rifle slightly raised towards the man, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. The further he moved in the darker the container became, making the moment ominous. Taking his hand off the rifle, he started to reach for the man’s gun. A mere few inches away, he quickly jerked forward grabbing the weapon, grateful it was already unclasped. Ramirez turned and threw the handgun out of the container.

  A few minutes later they had the man sitting on a box of supplies, hands tied behind his back. The other four soldiers talked amongst themselves about their current situation. Ramirez turned towards the survivor, staring intently.

  “What are we going to do?” said Ramirez. �
�I can’t get him to snap out of shock. Whatever he saw messed him up pretty bad. Who knows when it will wear off enough to get some information out of him.”

  Carter nervously shuffled from one foot to another. He was the newest team member, and, therefore, the most inexperienced. Carter felt like he had no say in the matter at hand and stayed quiet. Smith, on the other hand, knew his job and knew that he would have to set up the comm link to command. “We should set up a line with command, and then see how to proceed. It changes the whole mission; at least, it should anyway.”

  “We need to figure out what the hell is going on here. Something doesn’t feel right about all this,” said Ramirez.

  “I agree with you both. We have to get a comm line set up to command, as our priority,” said Knight. He gave a look that the matter was settled, decided, and needed to be carried out. Smith, the communications tech, left the huddle and made his way to the supply crates. “Carter, you are on watch, set up that M2 and start to fortify it, we want to be prepared if anything else comes this way. Ramirez, I want you to make a stock of the medical supplies we have left and attend to our friend over there”. Knight pointed his thumb towards the survivor.

  Each man went off on their way, setting up the base as well as they could, and soon Knight started to take inventory of the other supplies. Ramirez looked at his new patient once more, checking to see if he had improved at all. The soldier hadn’t in the small amount of time that had passed. Staying close by he started to look at the little pile of medical supplies.