Miasma (The Redivivus Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  Hawk pushed the bathroom door open with a lascivious grin on his face. More drops led to a broad, wet swath on the tile as though someone had been mopping the floor right outside one of the stalls. He shone his light beneath the stall doors, not really expecting to see anything. He didn’t, at least not at first. Just as he was about to switch his light off, the strip of toilet paper hanging from the roll fluttered slightly. His eyes narrowed in a manner suggestive of the bird of prey after which he was nicknamed.

  I got you now.

  Hawk took a big, shuffling step forward before launching a powerful front kick. The stall door exploded inward, and the man cowering inside shrieked. Seeing no imminent threat from the man in the fetal position, Hawk let his rifle fall onto its sling as he bounded forward to clasp his hands over the man’s mouth. Despite his disappointment at finding a man hiding in the women’s restroom, Hawk still felt a powerful rush when he sensed the trembling man’s fear.

  “Shut up! You hear me?” Hawk hissed. “Make another sound, and I’ll snap your neck. Do you understand?”

  Sodecci’s eyelids would’ve torn apart had his eyes grown any wider. He nodded wordlessly, feeling a renewed warmth run down his legs.

  “Damn, you stink. Did you piss yourself?” Hawk asked. He got no response from the petrified man. “Now, I’ve got a few questions for you. And don’t even think about screaming when I uncover your mouth.”

  Although he didn’t scream, Sodecci began pleading with him the moment the man uncovered his mouth.

  “Please. Oh, please. Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you want. Just please…don’t hurt me. Please,” Sodecci groveled. It was a truly pathetic display: all piss, snot, and tears.

  “Shut the hell up!” Hawk ordered.

  Sodecci quieted down except for a low, uncontrollable whimper.

  “Now, who are you guys, and how many of you are here? Are the rumors about a cure true?”

  Hawk planned to radio Connor to tell him about the man he’d captured, but he wanted some information of his own first.

  15

  Judge’s awareness came in spurts, as though a shutter were opening and closing in front of his eyes. Even then, he was only vaguely cognizant of his surroundings. Everything around him appeared out of focus. He remembered a building. Was he inside? No, he had been on top of the building. He couldn’t recall what he’d been doing there, but he knew he’d seen something horrible. What had happened? Was he injured? Possibly—he could barely move. Was he dead? The small part of his brain still struggling to function didn’t think so. The blurred pulses of consciousness seemed to coincide with his heartbeat, which slowed steadily. Light alternated with dark until only the dark remained, and the warmth within him gave way to a cold like he’d never known.

  When Judge’s eyes opened again, the world was a strange and savage place. Things he’d never seen or heard before were as plain as day, while others right in front of him may as well have been nonexistent. There was a need inside of him that was completely foreign and more powerful than any he’d ever experienced. He could no more control his obligation to this need than he could the rise and fall of the ocean’s tides.

  Satiation was close by. The smell of it wafted out to him, and his entire body “felt” its presence. More like a pheromone than an actual odor, it wasn’t something that would’ve registered in Judge’s conscious mind had it still existed. Instead, the scent triggered a cascade of biochemical reactions inside Judge’s infected midbrain, the result of which was a series of commands so strong that nothing could derail them once they were set into motion. Of course, none of this was of any concern to Judge, for “he” was no longer there.

  He rose to his feet on wobbly legs, as though he’d forgotten how to stand. After what seemed like considerable effort, he staggered forward with all the coordination of a drunk suffering from mad cow disease. Mother had left the door leading to the staircase ajar when he’d fled the roof earlier. Now the scent pouring out of the stairwell called to Judge like blood to a shark. He’d smelled it, and now he was its slave. Lurching steps, assisted by the momentum generated by his big frame, propelled him right over the edge of the top stair. Once again, the laws of physics interceded, and gravity slammed his body against each stair until he reached the first landing.

  The thing that had been Judge let out a low groan that was the result of air being forced out of his lungs rather than any pain. Like a mindless robot programmed to complete one task, he climbed to his feet once again. The process repeated itself once he reached the top of the next flight. The sickening crunch of his collarbone preceded the crack of several ribs as he collided with the wall on the next landing. Unfazed, the alluring scent compelled him to stand again, only this time he made it down the next flight of stairs with only a few stumbles. By the time he reached the bottom landing, even those were less frequent. His body was gradually getting used to its new master.

  Outside of the stairwell, the smell grew far more intense. It bombarded him from virtually every direction. His infected brain had difficulty processing so much information, and for a moment, he was rooted to the spot as he tried to move in two opposing directions simultaneously. His paralysis was broken when a scream came from somewhere to his right. The distinctly human sound was just enough to break the sensory stalemate. Thick strands of drool dangled precariously from his slack jaw as staggered down the corridor toward the noise.

  * * *

  “Where did he go?” Annalee asked as she stared into the gloom ahead.

  Ava and Annalee had run as fast as they could, but Dr. Sodecci had had little trouble outpacing them with a stride more than twice that of their own. Now the girls crouched with their hands on their knees, gasping for air. They were in a part of the building with which they were unfamiliar.

  Between ragged breaths, Ava replied, “I’m not sure. Where are the others? Didn’t they come, too?”

  The lieutenant had just finished ordering everyone to get moving when the gunshots broke out. Lydia took cover next to L.T. as he fired at the intruders, while Lin and Maria fled to the keep. Sodecci started running in the direction he was facing at the time, which happened to be the completely wrong way. It occurred to Ava that they might be better off sticking close to Lydia and the others, especially since they had the guns, but she didn’t hesitate to follow when Annalee took off after Sodecci. She was right behind her friend as she charged after the frantic scientist. At the time, neither girl knew that the others weren’t right behind them, nor did they realize that Sodecci was running due to panic rather than because he’d been ordered to do so. They suddenly felt very alone.

  “I can’t believe that chicken shit just abandoned us. We could backtrack and try to find the others—maybe they stopped along the way,” Annalee said with a huff of frustration.

  Standing in the dark, Ava craned her neck to listen for any hint of where the others might be. The gunfire had ceased, and she heard generators humming somewhere in the distance. The research area! Ava had been to the lab many times, and she tried to picture a layout of the building in her mind. It was no use. The small part of the building with which she was familiar gave way to a black nothingness once she moved beyond that. She and Annalee were like a blinking “you are here” marker parked squarely in the middle of the unknown void in her mind’s eye. As much as she hated to admit it, they were lost.

  As Ava opened her mouth to say so, something crashed in the direction from which they had come. The loud clang of metal clattering against the concrete was the sort of careless sound that could get you killed in this new world. Doubting Lydia and the others would make such an error, she wondered if Sodecci had somehow circled back behind them. The two girls listened intently for the telltale shuffling of infected feet coming their way, but they heard nothing else. Regardless of who had made the sound, it was the only thing that distinguished one direction from the other. Ava could just make out Annalee’s face through the gloom, and she tried to push the anxiety it he
ld out of her mind.

  “Maybe we should see what that sound was,” Ava said uncertainly. She saw no better choice. Besides, she reasoned, it might be Lydia. Even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t true.

  Annalee bounced on her heels with anticipation as she blew out the breath she’d been holding. Glancing around, she saw nothing but dark, unfamiliar halls.

  “Might as well. This is giving me the creeps. Anything’s got to be better than here,” Annalee replied. Perhaps it was her youthful naiveté that led her to that conclusion, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  * * *

  Vacant eyes streaked with thin black lines like gossamer draped over frosted glass peered out from Judge’s skull. They moved sporadically—more fidgeting than anything actually coordinated with the rest of its awkward movements. The orbs appeared so unnatural that it was hard to imagine they functioned at all. While the infected monster was certainly capable of seeing, its acuity was far from that which had allowed Judge to make the precision, long-range shots that had earned him his reputation. It staggered forward, driven by a completely new set of sensory parameters and needs.

  Rounding a corner, the rev collided with a utility cart that had been abandoned by a harried researcher during the early days of the outbreak. The monster narrowly avoided falling to the ground as the metal trays atop the cart clanged loudly against the tile floor. The piercing sound should’ve been a dire warning to anyone within earshot. Undeterred by the impact, the thing continued its relentless advance. That which it craved was so close now, and its scent was growing steadily closer.

  The infected Judge let out a deathly moan filled with ravenous need. It was the second warning to anyone in the area. Being far more distinct and menacing than the first, Ava and Annalee picked up on it immediately. Unfortunately, it was too late.

  Ava screamed as she ricocheted off the rev. Disoriented and lost, she had no idea what she’d run into in the dark hall. The impact was jarring, like running into a cold side of beef at full speed, but it was the smell that truly got her attention. Vile beyond description, it was an odor that had become all too familiar to her. It called to mind the time when she’d slathered her skin with roadkill au jus in order to evade a horde of infected. She fought the urge to gag without success. Suddenly, everything clicked into place, and terror flooded her little body. Like a crab, she scuttled away from the rev, leaving it confused about what had become of its prey.

  Annalee was close behind Ava, and were it not for Ava’s gagging, she would’ve tripped over the fallen girl and flown headlong into the arm’s of the infected Judge. As it was, she skidded to a stop behind the little girl who was backing toward her furiously. Annalee stared at the monster in disbelief. Although she couldn’t remember his name, she recognized him as one of the soldiers with their group—only it was no longer he. The grotesque thing bared its teeth and let out an unearthly snarl as it lunged toward her.

  Annalee grabbed Ava’s shirt and pulled as she too began hurriedly backing away from the rev looming over them. Judge’s outstretched arms swiped wildly for the girls, but they were just out of reach. Off-balance by the desperate attempt, it lurched forward and collided with Annalee, who had backed into the closed door of the men’s restroom. Sandwiched between the rev and the door, Annalee felt all of the air being squeezed out of her lungs. The impact forced the door open easily and sent Annalee flying through the air. There was a sound like a bowling ball being dropped on asphalt as the back of her head smacked the tile floor. Blood gushed from a jagged laceration on her scalp. Like a fireworks show, explosions of multi-colored light danced across her vision as her brain reeled from the blow. She felt the hard tile floor beneath her and groaned in pain. She was so bewildered that she paid little attention to the abomination clawing its way up her legs.

  Even before the bursts of light cleared from her vision, she felt the thick drops of rancid saliva on her neck. Musty, cold, and damp like a faint breeze from the bowels of a long undisturbed cave, the monster’s fetid breath washed over her face. These vile sensations went a long way toward erasing the disorientation she’d experienced since the blow to her head. The esurient moan provided the last detail Annalee’s brain needed to paint a clear picture of the thing hovering over her. The soldier… or at least what used to be the soldier.

  Annalee realized she was in trouble. She kicked her legs as hard as she could, but it was no use. With her diaphragm in spasm, her lungs were unable to replenish the air she’d lost, and an all-consuming feeling of impending doom smothered her like a wet blanket.

  The monster fought to extricate itself from the tangle of bodies. With jerky movements, it pulled itself toward the alluring smell of the expanding pool of blood around Annalee’s head. The fetid breeze grew stronger and the harsh rasp louder, both indicating that the threat above her was drawing nearer. Instinctively, Annalee brought her arm up to shield her face as she struggled against the monster holding her down. The thing was so focused on Annalee that it didn’t notice the other girl in the room.

  * * *

  Ava, who had been crouched at Annalee’s feet, hadn’t been able to get a clear view of the thing they’d encountered in the darkened hall. Given the terrifying sound and the god-awful smell, she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to. Something struck her in the chest, knocking her onto her back and pinning her to the ground. It felt like a heavy tree limb as she wrestled to free herself from under its weight. When it thrashed against her, she froze in fear. Whatever it was, it was definitely not a tree limb.

  Ava fought the urge to scream when the rev’s knee slammed into her jaw, forcing her teeth deep into the muscle of her tongue. Instead, she swallowed the blood filling her mouth and tried to think of anything other than the agonizing pain in her mouth. Her time on her own had taught her that her best chance of survival was always to remain unnoticed. The rev’s uncoordinated movements had afforded her the opportunity to slip out from under the dead weight of the leg that trapped her. She rolled onto her hands and knees just as the ghoul let loose a ravenous snarl. Light filtered in through a small window, allowing her to see movement but little more. A dark shape passed through the beam of light, and she knew it was the monster that had chased them. Ava couldn’t see Annalee in the dimly lit room, and she hoped that meant that her friend had managed to find refuge in one of the stalls along the wall. A shrill scream pierced the air, echoing loudly in the confined space and casting doubt on Ava’s hope for her friend.

  The ominous shape paused for an instant, silhouetted in the light like an animal listening for distant prey, before dropping out of view. At that moment, Ava saw a small white tennis shoe kicking against the floor just below where she assumed the monster to be.

  No! Annalee!

  Ava wanted to scream, but the sound lodged in her throat.

  * * *

  The pain was more intense than anything Annalee could have imagined. Like most kids, she’d had the unpleasant experience of being bitten by other children. That crushing pain had been excruciating but thankfully short-lived, as the affected nerve endings had pleaded for mercy that came a second later. The bites had seldom left more than slight bruises and hurt feelings. What she felt now made those children’s bites feel like love pecks by comparison.

  Although Annalee begged for the pain to stop, she received no such reprieve. On the contrary, the stabbing pain intensified as the rev’s jaws clamped tighter on her hand. Some nerves were crushed while others were severed in two as Judge’s teeth tore her flesh from the bone. White-hot flashes of agony seared through her mind as the doomed nerves transmitted their futile SOS. Unfortunately, the pain was nowhere near finished with her. Annalee howled in agony as the chunk of tissue tore free from her hand. Her blood-curdling screams made it sound as though she were being burned alive.

  The next few seconds were a blur. Although it was unlikely that Ava could’ve ever helped Annalee, it was far too late before she ever had a chance to try. Annalee’s scream was a gut-w
renching, visceral sound that left Ava feeling nauseous and afraid. She’d heard screams like that before. It didn’t matter that there was likely nothing she could do for Annalee. She refused to abandon her friend. With a great running leap, Ava launched herself onto the monster’s back. The monster flailed in an attempt to reach the girl clinging to its back, throwing Ava forward in the process.

  Annalee’s heart sank when she saw Ava launch her futile attack. She was coherent enough to know that her own chances of survival were nil, and she hated the thought of Ava sacrificing herself for nothing.

  “Run, Ava. Get out of here! Run, please!” Annalee pleaded with her last ounce of strength. She didn’t want to die knowing that the rev was going to take Ava next. Even worse, what if she became a rev and found her first?

  Annalee had her arm pressed against the rev’s throat as though that might somehow hold it at bay. The shaft of light coming in through the small window shone right on her hand, illuminating the jagged bite wound like a spotlight. Each tooth mark was so well defined that there could be no denying that her friend had been bitten. Faced with such irrefutable evidence, Ava’s rational mind nudged her heart out of the control seat and had her moving to the window in a flash. She slid the glass open and hopped onto the windowsill with the grace of a cat. The sound of someone entering the room gave her hope that help had arrived. Unfortunately, that hope, too, proved to be short-lived.

  “Well, what in the hell is going on in here? Y’all having a party and didn’t invite ol’ Hawk?” the gruff, unfamiliar voice said.

  Ava saw a faint glint near the door just before a blinding light and a sound like a freight train crashing through the building engulfed the entire room. An acrid smell that was nearly strong enough to overpower the monster’s vile stench followed. Chunks of bone and brain tissue peppered Annalee’s face as the bullet punched a hole through Judge’s skull. Annalee’s consciousness faded as the rev’s dead weight sagged on top of her.