David Bernstein: Machines of the Dead

The place was a boathouse, holding three walk-around type speedboats. A somewhat narrow wooden floor, boardwalk-like ran from one end of the structure to the other. Short docks extended outward to each boat. The air was warm and Jack noticed a number of space heaters around the place. At the end of the boardwalk, sitting against the wall and looking a step away from death, was Reynolds. He was dressed in black fatigues. A handgun rested near his legs.

“Keep an eye out and cover me,” Jack said before proceeding forward.

Reynolds locked stares with Jack. The man began laughing, then coughing harshly, his face contorting in pain. “I knew there was something special about you, Jack. You’re a resilient bastard. You and your friends.”

Keeping his gun aimed at the man, Jack kicked Reynolds’ gun into the water. He thought about sending the evil bastard in after it; the two could be river mates in Hell, for surely that was where a man like him was heading, if such a place existed.

“Bit by your own dog, eh, Reynolds?” Jack asked.

The man shook his head, grinning wickedly. Jack could see the man’s skin was lined with sweat. Sure the place was warmer than outside, but it was still on the cool side. Reynolds was starting to resemble the dead men outside, eyes sunken in, the skull’s sockets revealed in detail. Jack took a step back as the man’s horrendous body odor crept into his nose, a mixture of human waste and rot.

“You never planned on developing the bots to help soldiers, did you? It was a weapon all along, wasn’t it?”

“Not true, Jack. I was developing the program to heal soldiers, but when the military saw what I was doing, they wanted a weapon first. They had a controllable bug. One they could use on the enemy. Send it into an area, wipe out the population, then have the bug eradicated with a few EMP bombs. The infected would be seen as highly contagious, an epidemic. The place would be cordoned off. They’d call in professionals-our people-to clean up the mess. Once the weapon was perfected, I was free to use it for healing purposes.” He started laughing, the laughs turning into harsh coughs.

“You’re not only a monster,” Jack spat, “you’re a failure.”

“I created what they wanted. I didn’t fail, just ran out of time.” He coughed up a stream of blood.

“What do you say, Jack? Put an old friend out of his misery? Put down the rabid dog?”

“How do we stop the bots?”

“Short of an EMP blast, lots of electricity. We lost power in the lab. Had to leave. Make it to safety before…” he coughed up more blood “before the bots killed us. Tasers are useless unless used right away and I’d use at least two charges on a person. Maybe three. That’s all I have for you, Jack. Now do me a favor and kill me quick.”

Jack wanted to leave the man alive and let his own creation have him, but what difference did it make whether the man died in an hour or right away? Once he was dead, he’d be dead.

“I should let you suffer.” Jack stared at the man, then raised his gun and put a bullet into Reynolds’ head.

“Jack,” Zaun yelled from across the room. “They’re through the first fence. And there’s no electricity running through the second.”

“You did the right thing, Jack,” Maria said. “Now we have to move.”

Holstering his weapon, Jack and Zaun climbed aboard one of the boats.

“I can’t go with you guys,” Maria said. “I have to get to my daughter.”

“You can’t go alone,” Zaun said.

Jack wondered how this would play out. He also had family he needed to reach. He understood Maria’s situation. No way would she wait a second more than she had to. The same went for him. He had to find his sister.

“Go with her,” Jack told Zaun. “Then come find me. You know where my sister’s house is.”

“I can’t ask you to do that, Zaun. I won’t.” Maria grabbed her weapon and her pack and climbed out of the boat.

“Wait, I’m coming with you,” Zaun said.

She turned around and put a hand to Zaun’s chest. “Jack will need you more than I will. I served. I can handle myself. You two need each other. You made it this far together. Don’t break up a good team.”

“We should stick together,” Zaun said, looking back at Jack, then to Maria.

“We both have families out there we need to get to,” Jack said.

“We don’t know what the hell is out there,” Zaun argued. “The whole world might be like this. We need to stick together.”

Jack didn’t like splitting up. Sticking together was the smart thing to do, but then where did they head first? His sister was an adult. At one time, she had been a strong person. Her husband couldn’t be relied on for shit. If anything, Jack was afraid the guy would put her life in further jeopardy. Make her go for food and whatnot. Thinking about it made his angst to leave even greater.

“We can’t stay here,” he said. “We all have families to get to.”

“Zaun,” Maria said. “Go with Jack. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you two were brothers. I’ll be fine.”

Zaun spun around to look at Jack, and Maria hit him from behind, knocking him out cold.

Jack stared at her in surprise.

“Had to make sure he wouldn’t try anything stupid. Take him with you, and tell him I’m sorry.”

Jack smiled. “I will. Good luck, Maria.”

“You too, Jack.

With that, Maria hurried over to another boat. Jack and started the engine. He checked the fuel gauge, saw that it was full, then untied the craft and headed out.

Idling in the river, he waited for Maria, seeing her emerge a minute later. She waved at him, then headed downstream, Jack watching her go.

The dead had completely circled the area; the second fence apparently not electrified, was bending inward in places and wouldn’t hold for long. Not wanting to waste another second, he hit the throttle and headed up stream towards Cornwall in hopes of finding his sister alive.