Kyle West - Apocalypse

“How do you know if such information might be in the Files?” Makara asked. “Sounds like wishful thinking to me.”

“I don’t know,” Samuel said. “Dr. Luken, and Dr. Keener, both certainly seemed to think they held something. The way Dr. Luken describes it in his notes…” Samuel shook his head. “Though much of our knowledge of the xenovirus comes from the Black Files, no one I know has ever actually read them. Think about it, Makara: the xenovirus was in a higher state of evolution while we were living in Bunker One in Colorado, than it is here now in California. With their personnel and resources, Bunker One would have an amazing amount of research.”

Makara and I looked at each other. I had no idea what any of this meant, and why it meant we had to sneak past Kari, climb up a long elevator shaft in the darkness, and commandeer a Recon.

“Samuel,” Makara said. “What are you saying?”

“Think about it,” Samuel said. “We may finally know the origins of the xenovirus. Where it came from. How to stop it. Answers we cannot find here.”

“Oh no,” Makara said. “Samuel…”

“Don’t tell me…” I said.

Samuel looked at Makara, then me.

“We have to go back,” Samuel said. “We have to find Bunker One.”

No one said anything for a long while.

Then, Makara spoke. “What do you mean, ‘go back’? You do realize Bunker One is nearly one thousand miles from here? Even with a Recon, that’s a lot of open terrain to cover. And winter is coming on. How do we even find…”

“I’m not pretending to know all the answers,” Samuel said. “I really do believe that the xenovirus could take over the world. The Blights have grown for all our whole lives with no sign of abatement. I fear that it could engulf the entire planet if no one does anything.”

“So,” I said, “we’re the heroes, now?”

“I can’t do this alone, Alex,” Samuel said. “If not us, who will?”

I paused. I just wanted to be in a town with plenty of food and safety. I was tired of this running around. But this xenovirus had already ended both Bunkers in California. We were down to two, now, and I didn’t even know where those were.

How long before entire towns were leveled? And who in the world, besides us, knew about the true threat the xenovirus posed? Both research facilities were gone, now. Maybe they had been the only two left in the world.

“This… could be nothing,” Makara said. “Do you really want to risk our lives traveling one thousand miles across the desert and mountains with winter coming on, especially when there is no guarantee that the Black Files will contain useful information? And, need I remind you, at the time of year when raiders are returning to Bluff?”

“Yes. We have to take that chance, because no one else will.”

Makara folded her arms and scowled. She didn’t like this, and I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t sure I liked it, either. But I could see Samuel’s point. If we could find a cure for this thing, wouldn’t it be worth all that trouble?

Makara cast me a worried look. I wondered what she was thinking.

“Return with us to Oasis, Samuel,” Makara said. “We can wait out the worst of the winter behind walls. Then, when spring comes, we can go.”

Samuel frowned. He did not like that idea.

“That takes too much time,” he said. “Besides, Ohlan is a weasel and I do not trust him.”

“No argument there,” I said.

“So, what do we do?” Makara asked.

“If neither of you can go,” Samuel said, “then you may return to Oasis. I will head to Cheyenne alone.”

Makara shook her head. “No.”

A thousand questions crossed my mind. Was I going to Colorado? How would we find it? Where would we find food? How would we survive the winter? How would we even escape Bunker 114?

“First, let’s talk about getting out of here,” I said. “The rest is details if we end up dying in this place.”

“I agree,” Samuel said. “Sometimes, I think too far ahead.”

Makara leaned forward. “So, how do we get to the motor pool?”

“We have to leave this section of the Bunker,” Samuel said. “Travel the corridors, until we reach the elevators. They’re located in the power plant. Large reactors take up the entire floor, and there’s a bridge we can take over them. Obviously, the elevators won’t work, but we can climb the shaft until we reach the Nest, near the peak of Cold Mountain. The Nest was actually the main entrance to Bunker 114 when the first refugees came in, but the area has been closed off now for a long time. However, the motor pool is there. There is access to a mountain road that, with luck, will not be buried by rock, sand, and snow. Even so, the Recon should handle it.”

“How do we know the Recons still work?” Makara asked.

“They’re too valuable an asset for 114 to have let them fall into disrepair. They will be running fine.”

“I hope so,” Makara said.

“The only part that worries me is getting past Kari,” Samuel said.

I gave a short laugh. “At least you’re just worried. It kind of takes my ‘absolutely terrified’ down a notch.”

“Seriously,” Makara said. “How do we get past a monster that leveled an entire Bunker?”

“The best idea is not to fight,” Samuel said. “Infected creatures, whatever they are, only move when given a reason. Loud noises will only attract more of them.”

“And just how do we kill something that big without guns?” Makara asked.

“If it comes down to it, we’ll shoot,” Samuel said. “They fall just like we do. They might have a great deal more pain tolerance. A sure way is to go for the head.”

“So if we have to fight this thing,” I said. “Aim for the head?”

Samuel nodded. “If we do this right, we shouldn’t have to even fight. All the same, it pays to be prepared.

“What else do I need to know?” I asked.

“Nothing. Just follow my lead. Thankfully, we’re in the dorms, so there will be plenty of supplies – everything we will need in the future. Warm clothing, food, and spare ammunition are a must. Colorado is a long way, and I don’t mean to die on the journey.”

“Good,” Makara said. “Let’s suit up, then.”

Samuel returned us our old packs. I’d almost forgotten about them. All that ammunition, and of course the batts, would be useful later.

We went through the rooms, Makara listing all the things we would need on the road: cold weather gear, food, extra weapons. In the dorms there were plenty of clothes. I found a heavy desert camo jacket, a beanie, gloves, and thermal underwear. If it was already this cold, it was hard to imagine what winter would be like in a couple months.

Whatever room was left over we filled with food and ammunition. I carried the food, Makara the ammunition. Samuel had miscellaneous supplies: a handheld radio, a lighter, a small stove, among other things we would need upside. He easily carried the most of all of us, but he was also the strongest.

I found myself a long, serrated combat knife. It attached right on my belt, opposite of my Beretta. I also grabbed a few extra boxes of 9mm rounds.

All packed, we met in front of the vault door that was the entrance to the dormitories. Everything felt heavy on my shoulders.

“Alright,” Samuel said. “I’m opening the door.”

I felt a chill pass over me. When Makara got out her knife, I took mine out also.

I held my breath as Samuel turned the wheel that would unlock the door. Makara’s face was calm, ready. I wondered how she could be so cool and collected.

The door creaked open, echoing in the outside corridor. Unlike where we stood, where it was light and ordered, the outside was dark and chaotic. Loose papers, broken electronics, and snapped lines all littered the corridor. Blood stained the walls and streaked the floors. A rotten musk hung in the air. Ahead of us, the corridor angled ninety degrees to the right. A painted, yellow arrow pointed, saying “Exit.”