Human Extinction Level Loss (Book 1): Nicole's Odyssey (19 page)

Nicole smirked.  “Nooo… but… sometime,” she said. 

Sam turned and made his way to the kitchen, a little more pep in his step.

After breakfast, they all went to their assigned tasks. 

Nicole stood by the vehicles and keyed the radio. “Alright, Sam, Walt.  Start shooting.”

Nicole listened for the pops of the rifles, barely audible out on the field, and tried not to think what that would mean for tomorrow.  When several rounds had been fired, she shouted into the radio.

“Alright, Sam, Walt!  Go!”

Nicole mashed the button on the stop watch.  The second hand raced around the thirty second mark.  When it began its climb toward forty-five, she looked up and saw Sam and Walt bust out the doors and race down the steps. 

“Yeah, Sam, Walt!” she shouted as she watched them hit the field and run towards her. 

She mashed the button on the watch at fifty-three as the two raced passed her and slapped hands on the vehicles. Huffing, Sam, and Walt turned and looked at her, waiting to hear their time. 

“Under a minute, guys,” Nicole said. 

Sam and Walt turned and high-fived.  “Looks like I got me a ticket to ride,” Sam said. 

Nicole smiled.  “I promised,” she said.  The three walked back over to the field entrance. 

“Let's see how many balloons you got though, man,” Walt said. 

Nicole smirked and picked up on Walt’s friendly ribbing.  “I bet he just shot his gun in the air as he was running,” she said. 

Sam furrowed his brow.  “Did not, I got all of them,” he protested. 

Walt and Nicole looked at him and his confidence faltered.  “Well, almost all of them,” Sam said. 

Nicole laughed.“Uh-huh.”

Walt, Sam, and Nicole looked up at Sam’s line of balloons.  Of the twelve that were strung across the width of the corridor, five were popped. 

“You said you got almost all of them, Sam. That’s not even half.  Walt got nine of his,” Nicole said. 

Sam looked at the balloons, frowning.  Walt looked at him and put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. 

“Tell you what, Sam.  I’ll make you the same deal Nicole made.  You get nine of those balloons next time, you can drive my bus, man,” Walt said. 

Nicole tried to hide a smile.  Sam looked over at Walt with a faltering grin. 

“The bus… um…”  Sam’s words failed him. 

“She’s a sweet ride, Dude,” Walt added. All smiles, he slapped Sam on the back then moved to string some new balloons.

Billy felt like he was flying.  The urethane wheels of the in-line skates under his feet hummed softly across the smooth polished surface of the corridor floor.  As he gripped the rope, he kept his knees bent slightly and his body relaxed just like Jordan had taught him.  He watched as ahead of him, Paul turned around and smiled.  Billy smiled back as Paul gave him the “thumbs-up” and told him he was going to go a little faster.  Seconds later the breeze whipped a little stronger through his hair and the sense of flying increased.  He looked over to his left and saw Jordan by his side.  She was keeping pace effortlessly, her arms swinging from side to side, her body swaying.  Billy thought at that moment that even if he wasn’t on the skates he would still feel like he was flying just by looking at her.  He looked ahead and leaned into the curve, straightening up again on the straightaway.  He thought this was the best day of his life.  As the air slid over and past him he felt as if he was being washed clean.  He wasn’t the rich kid, or the wimp, or the boy that everyone overlooked.  He was Billy, doing something important, to help out.  He was being relied upon and might even get a girlfriend out of the deal.  It was a good day and Billy smiled. 

As they made the last turn and hit the home stretch, he saw Paul turn and give him the signal.  Billy began to pull himself forward.  Hand over hand he edged himself closer to the rear seat of the cart.  He grabbed the frame of the canopy that formed the cart’s roof and pulled himself into the seat just as Paul decelerated and made the sharp turn up the ramp to the field.  The cart bucked as it hit the ramp and shot out onto the concrete perimeter.  Billy held on against the momentum as Paul came to a screeching halt by Walt’s bus.  Billy climbed out as Jordan came racing up.  She embraced him, her own forward momentum causing them to spin in a circle.  Paul came over and cleared his throat, and smiling, gently separated the two adolescents. Billy stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down, but only for a second.  He felt Paul’s hand pat him on the back, watched him mouth the words “good job”.  He glanced up at Jordan being led away by her father.  She looked at him over her shoulder and beamed. 

Billy skated back towards the ramp.  It was a good day.

Walt emerged from the bus and came around the back.  Everyone was assembled.

“It’s all packed up tight, man.  Nothing left to it, but to do it, you know,” he said. 

They had spent the final hours of the day helping Paul and Jordan gather the things they wanted to take with them and packing them into Walt’s bus.  Nicole surveyed the group. They all looked up at Nicole when she approached.   They waited, like they expected her to say something and she suddenly felt like she should. 

“We don’t lose anybody tomorrow, understand?” She said. 

It was curt and more to the point than she wanted to make it, but it’s what she wanted to say.  Everyone nodded.  Nicole had given them their battle cry.  The reality of what they had to do bolstered their understanding more than words ever could. Knowing what had to be done filled everyone’s mind.  They slowly wandered off the field to try and get some sleep.

Nicole lay on a couch staring up at the ceiling in one of the training rooms. She thought they were ready.  They had trained like they were going to fight.  There was nothing left but to fight like they had trained.  As she tried to sleep, she wondered if she had been too hard on her father growing up.  Tomorrow she would put people in harm’s way based on an idea she had encouraged.  If people died it would be on her.  This is what her father dealt with his whole life.  No wonder he was distant and hard, she thought.  Nicole could feel now what must have weighed on her father almost every mission.  She promised herself when she got to Colorado she would tell him that maybe she finally understood.  It was the comfort of this thought that let Steven Bennett’s daughter finally drift off to sleep.

Twenty-Seven

Paul stood in the center of the field staring at the clear doors beyond the end-zone.  The Dead relentlessly tried to get in.  Nicole came up to him and Paul looked at her.

“I found the old air horn. It’s the one me and Trevor used… Figured this would get their attention even if, you know, all this beefcake didn’t,” he said, gesturing to his physique. 

He tried to smile and Nicole tried to laugh. 

“The timer is set?” Nicole asked. 

Paul nodded. 

“Jordan all tucked away?” she asked. 

Paul looked to the bus.  Nicole placed her hand on Paul’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Okay, See you in a minute,” she said. 

“Yeah,” Paul said. 

Nicole turned and made her way down the ramp.  Billy stood holding the rope in his hand staring at the golf cart.  Nicole came up and the two looked at each other. 

“Sure am glad I didn’t run you off, Billy,” she said. 

Billy smiled.  “I’m glad too,” he said.

“You’ve turned into a darned good skater, Billy, just do what you know how to do,” she said. 

Billy smiled.  “I will,” he said. 

Nicole smiled at him, then turned and disappeared down the corridor.  She came around the first bend and saw Sam standing with his foot in the door, rifle at the ready.  The two nodded to each other as Nicole stopped.  Sam looked at her and swallowed hard. 

“Don’t worry, we’ve got this.  You’re a good shot.  Hit your marks and get out,” she said. 

Sam nodded.  Nicole slapped him on the shoulder then turned to go, then stopped and looked back at him.  “The only thing you need to worry about is not scratching my car when I let you drive it.  You do that, then you’ve got real trouble,” she said. 

Sam smiled then turned and looked down the corridor, readying himself. 

Around the next curve, she saw Walt at the ready.  She stopped and they looked at each other. 

“I’d rather be drinking one of your smoothies about now…” she said. 

Walt smiled.  “I hear ya, man.  Hey, you know, we’re gonna make this.  I gotta Bob Marley song running through my head right now.  Bob always talks to me when I get concerned, you know,” Walt said. 

Nicole looked at Walt.  “What’s Bob telling you right now?” she asked. 

“He’s telling me, every little ting’s gonna be alright,” he said. 

Nicole nodded.  Walt got ready and Nicole continued down the corridor to her position.

Paul stood alone facing the Dead.  He had synchronized his watch to the timer on the doors. He had just seconds to go, but it felt to him like an eternity.   He jumped when his watch began to beep and he heard the gears began to wind.  He watched as the bottom of the doors in front of him began to rise.  Instantly, the sound proofing vanished and the growing crescendo that had always been there began to reach his ears.  The moans and howls of the hungry Dead assaulted him.  Not immediately realizing what was happening, the Dead clamored at the rising doors.  Paul turned and looked behind him at the second set of doors and saw the same thing.  He turned and tried to keep his eyes on both sets at once. 
Where would the breach happen first?
  As the doors rose in unison, the Dead discovered their reprieve and surged in from both sides.  Paul took a breath. 

“This is it!” he screamed and mashed the button on the air horn.  This got their attention, and from both sides they surged toward him.  Paul continued to sound the horn as he ran down the ramp.  The Dead, like the closing of the Red Sea after Moses, became a single horde.  They turned toward the ramp and pursued Paul. 

Paul looked to Billy as he jumped aboard the cart.  In his panic, Paul kept the button on the horn mashed, the result was a continuous deafening blare.  Billy bent his knees and readied himself.  A grisly hand came within inches of his shoulder, as the rope tightened and Billy was sped away.  Paul pressed the pedal and the Dead followed.  Billy wobbled unsteadily on his feet, fear seized him as he felt like he was going to fall.  He tried to relax and looked over to his right.  He imagined Jordan there, flying gracefully by his side, smiling at him.  He relaxed, the tension going out of his legs.  All other sensory intrusions were tuned out.  There was only him and Jordan, flying. 

As Paul rounded the first curve, he saw Sam.  He saw Sam’s eyes grow large as he approached.  Behind Billy, three runners were gaining.  As Paul sped past, Sam found his marks and fired.  Two shots in the head of each of the leaders dropped them, buying Billy precious feet of safety.  Sam saw Billy smiling, looking peaceful as he flew by, not seeming to even see him.  As Billy passed him, Sam ducked inside the door, slamming it shut behind him as the Dead poured past.  Sam turned and ran. 

Paul kept his head down as he raced down the next straightaway.  Behind him, four more runners had taken the lead.  Walt readied himself, and with a positive island song on his lips began to drop the pursuing Dead.  As soon as Billy was past, Walt ducked inside the door and away.

Paul wanted to look behind him.  He knew that the shooting meant that some of the Dead had gotten close, must have almost gotten Billy.  It was everything he could do to not just look behind him once.  He pushed the pedal, that was already mashed to the floor, even harder.  The wail of the air horn screamed out and echoed off the walls.  As he rounded the third turn, he saw Nicole aiming.  She was as still as a stone, as her rifle fired.  Paul saw the fire jump from the barrel as Nicole squeezed the trigger.  A wave of the Dead dropped behind Billy.  The ones behind dropped back even further as the ones in front tripped and fell over the fallen.  Nicole turned and ran through the door, shutting it behind her. 

As Paul sped down the last straight away, he knew that they were alone with the Dead now.  He gripped the wheel and steeled himself for what came next. 

As he approached the last turn, he knew there would be no shooters, that he would have to slow down to make the turn, that Billy would have to be in the cart, but that there was nothing he could do about it if he wasn’t.  He looked up and saw the writing that Nicole had put on the wall.  “Go Fast”.  Paul felt the cart bounce, as if something had hit it from behind.  Fear seized his heart as he thought the worst.  Against everything he knew he should do, he turned to see what death awaited him.  He saw Billy sitting on the back seat holding on.  Behind him was only empty corridor.  Paul turned back around and saw the field entrance up ahead.  He let up on the pedal, tapped the brake and turned the wheel.  The cart turned but the Dead had left a slick of viscera behind them and the cart slid on it.  Rather than continuing up the ramp, the cart skidded into the left side wall of the field entrance.  Paul stomped on the accelerator but could get no traction.  The wheels spun under the cart.  Billy saw what was happening and thought of getting out and pushing until he remembered he was wearing skates.  He looked at Paul and the two locked eyes.  Paul’s face flashed resignation to their fate.  Billy saw it too and his heart fell.  An image of Jordan flashed in his mind, the knowledge that she would not be his first kiss, his first love, and it made him angry.  Beneath him the wheels of the cart continued to spin.  Down the corridor, the first of the Dead began to round the curve.  Billy looked down and saw the spray of gore being kicked away by the spinning tires.  It came to him in a flash and he began to jump up and down on the back of the cart.  As he came down, his weight forced the tires into the gore and onto the concrete.