Waking the Zed

Operation Zed



Pam reluctantly obeyed Dr. Klein. As she sank down to sit with her back against the wall, her eyes swept the view through the glass doors which separated them from the outside. She could clearly see the nice landscaping and parkway through the glass double doors in the front of the building. A wide circular driveway wrapped around an elegant flower bed giving the building the appearance of a nice hotel or luxury home. Past the circular part, the long driveway straightened out and met the small road that eventually joined the highway. The driveway had flower beds on both sides and a neatly manicured lawn beyond. From Pam’s point of view, the entire outside area seemed deserted.

Pam visualized moving outside where she would be safe from the mad creatures and the crazy doctor. Maybe she could find a way into the parking garage, get into her car, and drive to the closest police station. She pictured bursting into a police station and then trying to get some stern cop to listen to her insane story. Somehow she would have to get somebody to believe her so she could bring back help. This place should be crawling with police and emergency medical responders. All she had to do was get past Dr. Klein and her very large pistol. Then I could try to get help. I’ll either succeed or end up in a mental ward.

The glass doors seem to separate two universes, and I’m on the wrong side. Maybe Dr. Klein’s right to hesitate, but probably not for the right reasons. If I open the door I might let the madness out. Suddenly the thought of the story of Pandora’s Box popped into Pam’s head. Of course, Pam’s world was already full of plenty of evil but this was something else.

Then she saw a large and entirely naked man shuffle into her line of vision. He moved across the neatly manicured lawn and stepped directly on the flower bed that lined the road. It looked like he had emerged from the side of the building.

Too late, the door’s already open. What normal person would just step on the flowers without trying to pick their way through them or use the walking path? What am I thinking? This guy’s walking around without a stich of clothes on. Who does that? It would have to be somebody who’s in a great hurry, but this guy is not moving fast.

Pamela had never seen Mr. Barnes outside of the observation tank, but she was sure that the creature had his square jaw, long nose, and rugged features. The thing wore no clothes, but blood dripped down his cheeks and covered his chest and groin. At first he just seemed to amble across the path in front of the entrance. His mouth opened and Pam saw his teeth were coated with a disgusting mess of blood and gore. She tried not to gag.

Mr. Barnes, or what was left of him, seemed to become aware of her after a moment. He snarled and changed direction. “I guess they can still see,” Pam whispered to herself. Then she swallowed down her fear and revulsion as he threw himself against the transparent doors with enough force to rattle the glass in the frame. Dr. Klein glanced up, seemingly unconcerned, as she kept exchanging text messages with somebody on the outside.

Pamela did not think her umbrella would be sturdy enough to fend the monster off. The frame had been bent when she struck Enrico, and she was pretty sure it would break if she used it again.

Though tentative at first, the thing that had been Mr. Barnes seemed more coordinated than Enrico had. Perhaps the hapless engineer had been injured in some way that affected his movements. Perhaps this creature simply had more time to adjust to his revived body.

She eyed Dr. Klein’s gun again. The only way out would be through that thing that used to be poor Mr. Barnes. She needed a way to put him down before he could hurt her. As he was clearly already dead, she would not waste a second thought over shooting him, especially not if he seemed determined to damage her. Pam wondered if Dr. Klein was distracted enough so she could grab the gun. Pam was, after all, younger and stronger. But she knew the older woman was wary and sly. She barely seemed to care about her lover Enrico. She might not hesitate over shooting somebody like me that she clearly doesn’t like.

Then a fast moving runner rounded the corner, raised a large wrench, and hit Mr. Barnes’s head with enough force to send him crashing back off the curb. The body dropped to the ground and seemed to stay still. Pamela stared at the scene with wide eyes. The man with the wrench was Paul, the blonde worker who had been with George, and he was clearly still alive and unaffected by the virus. None of the Zed had been interested in each other at all, and certainly none of them had the wit to use a tool to open a door or smash in a head.

Pamela assumed that Dr. Klein had locked the front door, but she believed she could use the red unlock button from the inside. She rose quickly, said, “I’m letting him in,” and fixed Dr. Klein with a determined look.

The older woman glanced up from her cell phone, shrugged, and said, “Be quick.” Then she went back to her texting.

As soon as Paul stepped inside, Pamela pulled hard on the door to close it quickly. The inside doors still trembled, but held against the onslaught of the creatures who pushed against it. Dr. Klein motioned with her pistol hand and ordered both of them to sit against the wall while she communicated with the authorities.

“Visitor from the frying pan,” Pam said without humor, “welcome to the fire.”

Paul looked at Pam, the dead woman, and finally Dr. Klein. Then he turned to gape at the inside doors. The young man’s lips worked silently, but he seemed unable to find his voice.

Up close, Paul looked very young. His face was pale and unlined. Pamela wondered if he, like her, was simply a college student with a summer job. He may have complied readily with Dr. Klein’s orders because he still believed the gun was only for their mutual protection, and did not also represent a threat. Dr. Klein had not bothered to point the thing at his chest. But then Pam remembered how he had glanced at her in the lab, as if he wanted to communicate something even back then. She certainly could not question him right now, with Dr. Klein standing there armed and only a few feet away.

The inside doors shuddered again and the metal frame clearly started to bend. Pamela’s nerves seemed to be electrified and it took great effort to stay seated. She had no way to know how many of those things gathered in the hallway so Dr. Klein’s gun did not comfort her much. The woman might be able to take down one or two before they invaded the small reception area. She doubted that Dr. Klein could shoot a half dozen of them though. Every nerve in Pam’s body seemed to tingle with the urge to run.

Pam urgently wanted to sprint for the outside doors now, but the threat of Dr. Klein’s gun felt real too. She promised herself that she would bolt the second the inside door showed a sign it might give way. She hoped the doctor would be distracted by the creatures and decided she would rather be shot by Dr. Klein than face a horde of those awful dead things.

Paul kept his eyes on the inside door frame too. His tongue darted out to lick dry lips and Pam guessed he was controlling himself with an effort just as she was. “How long do you think we have?” he murmured.

“They have done this much damage in a few minutes, and they don’t seem to get tired,” Pamela replied grimly. “As time passes, more of them seem to be piling up behind the first ones. In another twenty minutes we may have a big problem. I just hope they don’t get smarter. If one of them has a couple of brain cells left we’ll be in really big trouble.”

Dr. Klein finally glanced up from the wide screen of her smart phone. She waved her gun hand dismissively. “The military will be here in less than ten minutes,” she said. “I had this building constructed to very high building standards. That door should hold up against a little pounding. There is no evidence that any of them retain the mental facilities of a toddler, except for the fact they can walk and grab people.”

“We had a smart dog on the farm that could open doors with his teeth,” Pam said.

Dr. Klein smiled condescendingly. “Apparently they are even lower on the scale than your smart farm dog then. As I already told you, I believe they could be better compared to the virus being animated in a human body than a human or any sort of higher level animal.”

“But they can walk,” Pam said. “They can also bite. They must have some control of the host bodies, plus they seem to recognize us as prey.”

Dr. Klein waved her gun hand dismissively. Then she wiped her forehead with the same hand and Pam noticed it was shiny with sweat. The room was warm, but not hot. Perhaps Dr. Klein’s sudden sweat betrayed her true mood more than her calm and composed demeanor. If so, the woman did have iron control. Pam’s own palms felt slick with perspiration. Right now, it took all of her control to keep from howling in fear and despair.

“Are you feeling OK, Dr. Klein?” Pam asked. “You look like you may have a fever or something. Of course, it could be nerves.”

“I’m quite fine,” Dr. Klein said. “It seems to be a bit warm in this room though I am not a person who perspires excessively.” She gestured towards the corridor, blocked by closed doors and the Zed. “Unfortunately, the thermostat for this part of the building is on the other side of those doors.”

“Let me feel your forehead,” Paul said. “You know I’m a medical student, and I worked in hospitals every summer before this one.” He started to rise from his seated position on the floor by the wall.

Pamela glanced at Paul with renewed interest. So he was another student. He was probably also being very well paid for this summer internship. She thought it was odd that Dr. Klein had employed a medical student to do simple tasks like pushing bodies around, and she also wondered if his typical duties were as boring as hers were. She also wondered if his job had allowed him to learn more about Dr. Klein’s activities than she did, and that was why he had appeared so concerned before. Maybe Paul could help her figure out how to stop this.

“Stay where you are,” Dr. Klein ordered. She pointed outside with her gun hand. “See, the cavalry has arrived.” She arranged her features in a complacent smile. “I told you I had everything under control.”

Pam and Paul swiveled their heads from the inside door to the outside door. Two large trucks rumbled into the circular drive in front of the building. Within moments two dozen battle clad men poured out of the back. A portly officer with a bad complexion scampered down from the passenger side of one truck. The drivers remained in place.

“They arrived very quickly,” Dr. Klein said, looking somehow self-satisfied despite everything that had occurred. “I told you two that we had nothing to worry about. I am quite well connected with important people in Washington, DC.”

Everything’s under control? We have nothing to worry about? Pam felt a renewed urge to bolt for the military trucks but controlled herself with an effort. She would have plenty of help within moments. It’d be crazy to risk getting shot now when help is a few steps away.

Paul’s eyes travelled from the front driveway to the dead woman slumped over the receptionist desk. Then he glanced at the straining double doors that led back to the laboratories. His frowned deepened but he managed to keep from commenting. Pam could take no comfort from his expression, but she felt relieved that he remained sitting beside her.

As Pamela watched two burly, fatigue-clad men advanced towards the door. They seemed to be a sort of advance guard for the officer. The soldiers hesitated at Mr. Barnes’s sprawled form. Dr. Klein approached the doors, slapped the red unlock button, and propped the door open enough to call out to them. Pam saw she still held her gun, but it was dropped down to her side.

The officer approached with the two soldiers. The rest of the troop fell in behind them. Soon the small reception area was crowded with tall men in heavy boots and battle dress. From Pam’s vantage point, seated against the wall, she mostly just saw a forest of boots. She considered darting between legs and slipping out in the confusion, but she doubted she would get far. She and Paul just slid up to their feet and stayed by the wall.

“They are in there,” Dr. Klein said, pointing to the inside doors. By now the frame had actually separated from the metal door in a few places. The rhythmic but irregular pounding continued.

“Those are people?” the officer asked.

“They are infected,” Dr. Klein said levelly. “I am not sure that they still retain much humanity, though they physically still resemble people. “

“So, they are insane,” the officer said. “Is that what you’re telling me, doctor? Some kind of infection made these people crazy?”

“I do not believe that insanity would be a precise diagnosis either,” Dr. Klein said. “Insane people are more functional than this.” She spoke with the patient tones of an elementary school teacher lecturing a child. Pam winced with every repetitive thud against the weakening door frame, and she had no idea how Dr. Klein could maintain such an even tone. She felt certain that if she opened her mouth to speak her voice would emerge as a shriek.

“What do you mean?” The officer jerked his head from facing the inner door to looking at Dr. Klein with a startled look.

“An insane person is still human. I believe these poor creatures are entirely subsumed by the virus. If you cannot subdue them, you have to kill them. To really kill them, it has to be severe brain damage. Anything else and they just keep coming.”

“There’s no cure? You’re saying that you expect us to just walk in and start shooting unarmed citizens?”

“I am not aware of any cure,” Dr. Klein said. “In my opinion, the person is already dead. Even I haven’t figured out how to cure that. At least, I haven’t figured it out yet.”

Pam thought the doctor’s tone was too light and flippant for the situation. She watched as the doctor hesitated over her next words. “Given some time, I may be able to find a way to keep the virus from spreading though. It will take some work. I plan to speak with your superiors about funding as soon as we have resolved the present crisis.”

“Doctor, are you telling me a chest shot won’t kill them?” the officer asked incredulously. Then he stopped speaking as he searched for the right words. Dr. Klein had suggested the beasts were already dead. “Well, I mean, it won’t put them down?”

“You can cut off their heads, and their bodies will die, but their mouths will keep trying to bite you,” Dr. Klein said. “They are quite persistent that way.”

“That seems a little far-fetched to me,” the officer said. “Dr. Klein, you do have the ear of my superiors in Washington. I can’t ignore that. They commanded me to give you my full support. On the other hand I have seen a lot of things in my military career but I’m having a bit of trouble absorbing this.”

“Enrico’s neck was partially damaged so his head hung at an odd angle,” Pam interjected. “He kept walking.” At this description of Enrico, Paul looked startled. He must have gotten out of the building without seeing as much of the carnage as Pam had. The officer glanced at her while the two soldiers in the front stared at the double doors. Dr. Klein barely blinked at Pam’s quick description of her lover’s injuries. Maybe she already knew about Enrico or maybe she barely cared. Pam continued breathlessly, “Also you should know that those things in there will try to grab you and bite you. If they do, you will turn into one of them. You can’t let that happen. Isn’t that right, Dr. Klein?”

Dr. Klein did not bother to favor Pam with a glance. “They are quite aggressive, and you can’t intimidate them. They appear beneath the basest survival instincts that any common rodent would have. You must either render them immobile or them or put them down. They may resemble the people they used to be, but that is not what they are.”

“They don’t get scared, huh?” the officer asked. “What is it they do want?”

“Judging by the marks on George’s arm,” Pam said, refusing to be intimidated by Dr. Klein’s hard glare as the older woman finally spared her a glance, “they want to bite you. Maybe they will even want to eat you. That must be how the virus spreads.”

“What do you know about it?” Dr. Klein asked petulantly. “You barely know anything. Each time a person has morphed into one of these things, first the unfortunate individual died and then reanimated into one of these creatures. That’s all we really know right now. If you want to be a scientist you cannot allow yourself to impulsively jump to conclusions.”

“Well, I am a pathology doctoral candidate,” Pamela said stubbornly. “Plus, as you keep reminding me, I grew up on a farm. I know what a bite mark looks like.” At this, the officer favored Pamela with his attention. She knew he considered her a more sensible witness than her employer right now. This could not come from Pam’s credentials, but maybe simply from her more human reaction to the situation. She obviously appeared agitated, as they would expect a young civilian to be when confronted with a nightmare. Dr. Klein kept her cool.

Pam sucked in a breath and kept making her case. “George had a bite, but it shouldn’t have been fatal. Even if it was infected, he succumbed too quickly. They carry some sort of powerful infection that we don’t understand. The wound doesn’t have to be severe. The victims display symptoms and then succumb very quickly. Dr. Klein is right about one thing. They certainly appear to be dead first. Then they wake up as one of those creatures. Of course, we don’t have sophisticated instruments to measure brain death. But we are all pretty credible on that score. I’m a doctoral candidate in pathology, Paul here is a medical student, and of course you know who Dr. Klein is.”

“George is one of those?” Paul asked sadly. He rested his chin on his clenched fists. “I lost track of him when things started to fall apart back in the clinic.” He shook his head and then slumped back against the wall. “Oh crap, he had a daughter who was going to get married next week.” Almost nonsensically he continued, “He told me I could come to the wedding.”

Pam glanced at Paul sideways. She had no idea what had actually started the whole mess, but she could imagine a grizzly scene as Mr. Barnes and Mrs. Bell reanimated. The medical personal and assistants must have been totally taken by surprise which allowed the two new Zeds to wreak as much havoc as they had.

Then Pam looked suspiciously at Dr. Klein. Somehow she had gotten out of the clinic. Was she totally taken by surprise? Did the animal experiments give her some warning of a possibility this would happen? The doctor was armed now, and Pam wondered if she had already had the gun when she entered the clinic. If so, why didn’t she use it on her two subjects the second things started to fall apart.

She was about to start questioning the doctor when the Zed started renewing their efforts to get through the doors. Perhaps they had heard new voices and the thought of more fresh meat excited them. Maybe they had simply been joined by more active creatures.

Another thump and a creak echoed through the reception area. The gap between the double doors had widened enough for one of the creatures to stick the tip of its fingers through. Instinctively, Pamela glanced outside towards a place of perceived relative safety. She wanted to measure the distance between herself and the front door. She saw a white robed figure head for one of the trucks. That had to be poor Ms. Bell. Somebody must have been able to get her partially dressed before the attacks started. Two more of the mutated creatures, another woman and a man, followed her. They seemed to have formed a small pack. They did not seem at all interested in attacking or approaching each other but merely moved together.

“What happened to her?” the officer said, pointing at the receptionist. He did not even appear to notice what was happening outside.

“She was infected, and I had to shoot her,” Dr. Klein said. “I had no choice. She tried to attack me. It was all in self-defense of course.” Pam and Paul exchanged a nervous glance. The doctor had threatened to shoot them for trying to call for help. Had the poor woman really been infected, or did the doctor just need her out of the way? They had no way to guess without examining the body. Right now, Pam intended to keep her position against the wall and as close as possible to the outside door.

“Listen, you had better radio your drivers,” Pamela said, pointing at the lurching figures outside. “Tell them to stay inside the truck if they aren’t armed. They cannot let those things bite them. It is even possible that a scratch could pass the disease. We just don’t know.”

The officer nodded at one of the lead men. That soldier pulled out a radio and spoke to the truck drivers. But it was too late for the man in the rear truck. He had already opened the driver’s side door, probably assuming the lurching woman needed help. The truck blocked most of their view, but they heard the man swear and then scream eve through the glass door. The officer quickly dispatched three soldiers with a warning, “Shoot first and ask questions later.”

By now a whole hand had pushed its way through the crack between the ruined double doors. The skin on the hand had been shredded down to the bones in some spots, but still the creature tried to break through. The officer pulled out his sidearm and fired. The gunshot rang out in the small space, and most of the hand dissolved, and yet the stump of the arm still waved in the crack.

Before Pam’s head cleared from the ringing gunshot, the door on the left leaned in and Pamela clearly saw the hand’s owner, a large man with a face contorted in a mask of rage and hunger. Below his collarbone, his shirt had been shredded into a bloody mess. The officer fired into the man’s chest, and he fell back into the group behind him. He was only carried by the momentum of the shot though, and his ruined torso still remained upright. Some of the creatures seemed to be growling like carnivores on the attack. As the recently shot creature seemed to waver, other creatures shoved past him eagerly.

“It has to be a headshot,” Dr. Klein said. Her usually silky tone now sounded hoarse and shaky. By now she had moved closer to Pamela. She was visibly shaken, sweaty, and pale.

But Pamela’s attention was diverted as more pressure began to enlarge the crack between the leaning double doors. A new figure emerged, and this time they could see the face of a middle aged woman. Half her lip had been chewed away and they could see the woman’s gums as she snarled. This time the officer took more careful aim. The woman’s face dissolved and she sank out of view.

A turned man replaced her, and he was pounding his entire body madly against the door. He snarled and lunged, and again, the officer shot him. As soon as he sank another grotesque face replaced his. By this time, one of the soldiers returned to the building.

“Private Davis practically had his arm chewed off before we got to him, Sir,” the soldier reported. “We have a medic with him now, but he needs a hospital.”

“Call for a copter,” the officer said. “You can see that I’m rather busy right now.”

“We also dispatched two of the hostiles, Sir,” the soldier said. “We’ve got the third one hog tied in the back if you want a live sample.”

“Fine,” the officer said. “Make sure that any captives are very well secured and get that copter ASAP.”

“The bitten man may turn,” Dr. Klein said. “You need to secure him as well.”

The officer shrugged and nodded, and the soldier left the reception room. By this time the door on the left side leaned on its hinges. The officer gave orders to the two soldiers in front, and they readied their weapons. It was a simple matter of picking of the hostiles as they tried to muscle their way through the opening. In a matter of a few moments, the pounding ceased. Pamela could see a pile of bodies crumpled on the floor through the gap between the inner doors. The stench of blood and feces was overwhelming. Pam picked up the neck of her shirt and held it over her nose until she finished gagging.

“Are there others?” the officer asked Dr. Klein. By now she had taken a seat at the reception desk and leaned her head in her hands.

“Certainly,” she said. “This is a fully staffed three story building. Approximately a hundred and fifty people show up here for work every day. The cryonics and animal labs are on the first floor, but other projects and management office are located on the upper floors. This entire place must be swept. It is also possible that some uninfected people have taken shelter in various rooms and offices. Paul and Pamela managed to get out after the attacks started. The infected are determined, but they do not seem to be particularly fast or clever. They don’t even remember how to open a door.”

“So we can’t just blow this place up? You’re saying uninfected people may have taken shelter in the building?”

“That is correct,” Dr. Klein said. “This building is three stories high, and it will have to be swept. In fact, it is more likely that people on the upper floors would be safe. The things seem to be able to climb stairs but the stairways do have doors. The people upstairs would also have more time to figure out what’s going on. Of course that’s not the critical reason to leave this building intact.”

“What would that be?”

“Well, I’ve got insurance to compensate my client’s estates if we lose the freezers. I’m not likely to go broke over this.”

“That’s nice to know,” the officer said dryly. “After you call out the US Army, it’s nice to know you won’t be out any money. What is the most critical thing, Doctor?”

“Well, of course it’s my research,” Dr. Klein replied as if dozens of people had not died and turned into monsters within the last few hours. “My work represents a lifetime of achievement. You must be familiar with my past accomplishments. For me to represent my current project as the pinnacle of my career is no small thing.”

Now that the immediate danger was repelled, the officer took a moment to study Dr. Klein. “You look pretty flushed. Are you injured or ill?” he asked. Maybe he thinks she’s acting so weird because she’s ill. Pam rolled her eyes mildly. Maybe Dr. Klein was even ill, but Pam was certain that her behavior had been ingrained a long time ago.

Dr. Klein attempted to smile, but her expression looked like a grimace to Pam. “I am not a young woman. The situation must have affected me physically. Perhaps I should seek treatment as well. I could certainly use a short rest to clear my head. ”

The officer nodded and ordered two more soldiers to escort the doctor outside to wait for the helicopter in one of the military transports. Then he looked at Pamela and Paul and said, “You two don’t need to be here. Go outside and wait for the escort too.”

The two young people headed for the door, grateful to be away from the stink and horror. Surely these competent looking military men could clean out the building quickly. This’ll all be a fading scene from a nightmare soon. As she exited the building, Pam hoped to never step inside Future Faith Cryonics again. For all she cared at the moment, the army could blow this place into dust.

Pam stepped outside on shaky legs. Paul put a gentle hand on her arm to steady her. He still clenched the large wrench in his other hand. They both glanced around the area to be sure none of the shufflers approached. The pretty landscaped area and circular driveway appeared clear.

As a soldier helped Dr. Klein into the back of the truck, the pair hung back a bit. They had barely spoken to each other, but neither appeared eager to commit themselves to another confined space just yet. Paul still clung to the large wrench, and Pam still had her bent umbrella. It was like the improvised weapons had fused into their hands.

Paul glanced at Pam and said, “I guess I should offer to look at the wounded driver.”

“The helicopter should be here in a moment,” Pamela said. “I’m not overly eager to climb in the back of that truck. I could be mistaken, but I think Dr. Klein is misleading the soldiers. I think a bite from those things contaminates you. I don’t think you have to die from the injury first. That is, I’m pretty sure the injury kills you and then turns you into one of those monsters. Poor George had a bite on his arm. It wasn’t a huge bite though. I think I’d seen worse when I used to work at a nursery school with teething toddlers. He got feverish quickly. I went out to look for help, and by the time I beat a retreat back to the Preservation Room, he had turned.”

Paul looked away as she spoke. “Yeah, I feel pretty bad about that,” Paul said. “You have no idea what is what like when Mr. Barnes and Ms. Bell woke up the first time.”

“Save it,” Pamela said. “Nobody blames you for this. We just need to talk to that officer.” Within minutes, they heard the steady beat of a large helicopter. It approached from in front of the building and landed at the edge of the guest parking lot beyond the driveway. The officer emerged from the building and approached Paul and Pamela. He looked grim and serious.

“You two get aboard the helicopter. You’ll go to an army base for debriefing. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“We need to tell you something,” Pamela said. The urgent expression on her face made the officer pause for a moment. Then she quickly recounted her experience with George. She also mentioned that Dr. Klein’s scarf was a bit bloody, but she had no proof the doctor was wounded. She added that they needed to be very careful in case the wounded driver turned. They had no idea if the bite was always fatal, or how long it would take to reanimate. “It seems like the time varies, but I have no idea why.”

The officer listened, but he was obviously distracted. Even as Pam spoke she knew her story was barely credible. As soon as another officer emerged from the helicopter and trotted over to greet them he passed off the two young people.

“You brief Captain Crawford,” he said. Then he turned to the second officer and said, “Captain, listen to these young folks. They should be credible witnesses, but be prepared because the entire story is incredible. Also their account of events is a bit out of sync with Dr. Klein’s.”

“Yes, Sir,” Captain Crawford said. He nodded his head towards the helicopter to lead Paul and Pamela away. As they walked, they saw Dr. Klein being helped out of the truck. She looked shaky but managed to walk while propped up on the arm of one of the soldiers. Two medics bore a stretcher with the wounded driver. He looked unconscious, and Pamela supposed he had been sedated.

She repeated her warning that the wounded man should be restrained, but Captain Crawford just nodded absently. Blood covered the wounded driver’s shirt and seeped through a thin blanket. He hardly looked like a threat.

Finally, two more soldiers pulled one of the creatures along. They used a pole, with a chain around his neck, in order to control his movements. His hands had been cuffed behind his back. The creature snarled and jerked, but mostly moved along behind the strong arms of his captors.

“Do you seriously think we want to get in a helicopter with that thing?” Paul asked. He gestured wildly back in the direction of Future Faith with the arm that held the wrench. “You should see what’s going in back there.”

“That individual is under control,” Captain Crawford said. “I have my orders.”

“I don’t have any orders,” Paul persisted. “I am not getting into a helicopter with that poor mad creature.” Before this the young medical student had been fairly passive. Pam had almost thought he seemed boyish. Now he became agitated. He still had the big wrench, stained with gore from Mr. Barnes at the end, and now he was waving it around a bit as he gestured. His eyes looked wild and Pam found herself taking a step backwards.

The officer regarded him with some concern for a moment, and then he barked out, “You calm down, young man. Just do what I tell you to do. The first thing you need to do is drop that wrench.”

“Paul,” Pam said. “We don’t have any choice right now. Let’s be cool. This is the US Army, and they’re here to protect us.” Pam’s own father had served in the military before he took over his own father’s farm, and now one of her brothers was in college ROTC, hoping to become an officer when he graduated. Pam trusted the military instinctively. These are the good guys.

Paul glanced at her, and then he glared back at the officer. “No, I am not going to be cool. I am leaving right now.” With that, he turned on his heel and started up the walkway toward the parking garage. Pamela stood frozen in place. She was not eager to get on the helicopter, but she was not about to start walking around alone here. They had already seen some of the infected outside, and who could say if there were more lurking in the garage.

Another thought intruded into her mind at the same time. A bite was obviously infectious, but who knew if the virus could also be transmitted more slowly in the air they had all shared. They could all be contaminated, and for now, it seemed wisest to stick with the authorities who might offer medical treatment.

“Paul, come back,” Pam called as forcefully as she could. The young man did not turn around. “You can’t do this! I don’t think you should go off alone right now. Dozens of those things could be lurking in the parking garage for all you know.”

Captain Crawford glanced at her, and then he turned his head to watch Paul’s retreating back. As he watched Paul his jaw worked. Pam was not sure if the tough looking military officer was furious or indecisive.

Then the officer turned back to Pam. “I gave you a chance. Now we’ll do it my way.” He shouted out a command. Two burly soldiers trotted after Paul, and put their hands on his shoulders. He shrugged them off and seemed prepared to run. They glanced back at Captain Crawford. He signaled them. The soldiers nodded, and then one of them used a Taser from a few steps away. The young man dropped to the hard sidewalk.

He was quickly cuffed, and then dragged, half stumbling, back to the helicopter. Pam watched the scene with mounting distress, but her natural common sense prevailed. Despite her anxiety, she really had no choice but to board the helicopter. Paul should not have walked off like that, and he certainly should have dropped the weapon when the officer commanded it. She could understand his reluctance to stalk off without a weapon. But this is the army. These guys have plenty of guns. She still clung to the silly bent umbrella though the military men did not seem to regard it a threat. Except for herding her around, they mostly seem to ignore Pam all together.

Though plagued with the uneasy sense of being treated more like livestock than a credible witness, Pam believed she might be helpful. She might even need help later. Pam placidly followed Captain Crawford.

By the time she followed the soldiers on board, Dr. Klein was slumped in a seat. She had been strapped in, but appeared unconscious. The soldiers dumped Paul into the seat next to Dr. Klein’s and strapped him down, leaving him cuffed. He was conscious, but his head sagged and he groaned. Pam felt bad for him but had no idea how she could help.

A soldier directed Pamela into a seat behind them. She was relieved that she did not have to sit right by Dr. Klein but she would have rather been placed near Paul. The uniformed soldier watched her carefully as she figured out how to belt herself securely into the seat. From the growls behind her, she guessed that the infected man had been secured in some sort of storage area. The wounded driver was laid out prone in the aisle. After all of the passengers had been secured in one way or another, two more soldiers piled in.

“They are making progress securing the building, Sir,” a soldier told Captain Crawford. “There have been a few minor injuries, and they will need more medical transport right away. But the situation seems under control.”

“Radio for that second transport,” Captain Crawford said briskly. Then he signaled for the pilot to take off. Pam thought he should have given more instructions to secure any wounded. She considered trying to speak to him now, but figured she had done her best. Besides, now that the immediate emergency had passed, her adrenaline seemed to have bottomed out. She felt tired, shaky, and unable to confront the officer and his cadre of armed soldiers. As soon as I get out of this machine, I’ll talk to somebody. Dr. Klein could become totally incoherent at any time, and I’ve no idea if any senior Future Faith scientists are even alive.

She looked down at her hands and almost smiled as she remembered that she still clung to the heavy umbrella. Captain Crawford must have figured it was just a personal item without realizing she had been using it as a weapon. She imagined him shouting, “Drop that umbrella!” She pictured herself turning into Mary Poppins and leaping from the machine, using the umbrella as a magical parachute.

She thought about discarding the worn, floppy, and practically useless thing on the floor, but her white knuckled fingers would not release their grip. Faced with this alien threat, something primal seemed to take over her limbs no matter how hard her conscious mind fought for control. She sympathized with Paul though she certainly wished he had controlled himself better back on the ground. Captain Crawford may have disregarded the big wrench then, and she wished she had it instead of the bent umbrella.

Right now, even the illusion of security and control seemed better than nothing at all.