Michael Ford - Z

“The other team better not get all the z’s,” he complained.

“Don’t worry,” Finnegan said. “You’ll get your share.”

When they reached the second chamber and found it empty, Josh was annoyed. “This is a waste of time,” he said as he surveyed the room. “We might as well go back.”

All of a sudden a loud clanking sound filled the room, and the hatch door behind them crashed closed, falling from the ceiling as the chains rattled violently. They all swirled around and stared at it.

“How did that happen?” Bess yelled. She looked at Finnegan, who was standing closest to the control box, but he shook his head.

“It wasn’t me,” he said, showing her that he was holding his flamethrower with both hands.

“Somebody had to have touched something,” Bess insisted. “The hatches don’t just—”

She was cut off as the water exploded upward. Three zombies rose from the bottom, screeching as they clawed at the air.

“Meatbags!” Josh yelled. “Torch them!”

One of the zombies—a man in a tattered suit—lunged at Josh. With no room to use his flamethrower, Josh used it as a club instead, butting the man in the chest with it so that he staggered back and fell into the water.

The other two zombies—an old woman with gray hair and a boy in a scouting uniform—were trying to get up the stairs to where Finnegan was standing. He aimed his flamethrower at them and pulled the trigger. The two z’s burst into flame, but Charlie had to dive sideways to avoid being hit as well. When she came up she was sputtering.

“Finnegan, you idiot!” she yelled as the flaming zombies swirled around her.

The man who had attacked Josh was back on his feet. This time Josh did flame him, but even on fire he kept coming. In fact, the three z’s had somehow managed to get between the four Torchers and the tunnel door.

“This way!” Finnegan yelled, sloshing through the water toward the opposite door.

The four of them made it into the next section of tunnel as the burning zombies stumbled after them. One of them—the scout—fell into the water, causing a cloud of hissing steam to rise around him. The other two continued on, moaning.

“Out of the way!” Charlie shouted, pulling on the lever sticking from the hatch-door control box.

Nothing happened. Charlie pulled again. There was a grinding sound, as if the gears were trying to work, but still the door didn’t budge.

“Keep going,” Bess ordered, turning and heading further into the tunnel.

“What about the z’s?” Josh asked as they jogged along.

“They’ll burn out,” said Bess. “Don’t worry about them. Worry about the ones we can’t see.”

“It’s like they were herding us,” said Charlie. “Like they’d set a trap to get us to go this way.”

“Please,” Finnegan sneered. “They’re not that smart. They’re not any kind of smart.”

“Then who shut the hatch door?” Charlie snapped back.

“It was an accident,” said Finnegan.

“Whatever it was, we can’t go back that way,” Bess reminded them. “We’ll have to use one of the escape shafts.”

“We’ve never done that,” said Charlie.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Bess said, grinning.

Josh’s head ached. His sense of smell had grown stronger, and the odors of rusting steel, stagnant water, and now the stench of the burning zombies filled his nose. His heart was beating more quickly, and there was a ringing in his ears.

They burst into the third chamber, which was empty like the first.

“I don’t like this,” said Finnegan as they waded through the room. “I really don’t like this. We should go back.”

“Not until we complete the mission,” Bess insisted. “There’s one more chamber and then the final part of the tunnel. Then we’re out of here.”

They were halfway down the fourth length of tunnel when they heard the grating of metal on metal behind them. Finnegan, turning around, shone his light into the darkness. The beam illuminated a shut hatch door.

Finnegan ran toward the door. “Who did that?” he shouted.

“Finnegan! Get back here!” Bess’s voice was forceful, but Josh sensed fear in it as well.

Finnegan stopped and stared at the hatch door for a moment before going to the control lever and pulling it. Nothing happened. When Finnegan turned around, his face was a mask of panic.

“Now do you think they aren’t smart enough?” Charlie asked.

Finnegan walked back to them, shaking his head. “No,” he said. “There’s no way. They can’t do this.”

Josh heard himself laugh. “What are you guys afraid of?” he said. “They’re just cybots. You’re acting like they’re really trying to kill us.”

For a moment he thought he saw Finnegan and Bess exchange a look, then Bess was all business. “Josh is right. But we still want to complete the mission. The fourth flood chamber is up ahead. We’ll sweep it, check out the tunnel beyond it, and finish up. I’m sure Clatter set this all up to test us. Nobody panic, all right?”

Charlie and Finnegan nodded. Josh laughed again. Despite the situation, he felt powerful. Or was he laughing at the others because he was thinking like a z? He didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He was having a great time.

They kept moving. In the fourth chamber they found a single zombie. Dressed in overalls, it was just wandering around holding a wrench in its hand. Charlie torched it without any trouble.

As they headed up the steps to the final length of tunnel, Finnegan stopped. “Maybe one of us should wait here,” he said.

Josh turned around. “Why?”

“The hatch got shut after we left the chamber,” Finnegan reminded him. “If one of us stays here, we can at least make sure no one messes with it from this side.”

“That’s a good point,” Bess agreed. “You stay here. The three of us will go on.”

“He’s afraid,” Josh said to Charlie as they walked into the tunnel.

Charlie nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t make fun of him,” she said, but Josh heard her giggle.

“Oh no!” Josh said, imitating Finnegan’s voice. “A zombie! Seamus, help me!”

Again Charlie giggled, but this time Bess turned around and shushed them. “Keep it down,” she ordered. “You never know when—”

A sudden rumbling interrupted her. The tunnel shook slightly, making the water slosh from side to side.

“The main line!” Charlie yelped. “It’s filling up!”

“Go!” said Bess, pushing them. “Back to the flood chamber!”

Josh stumbled as he tried to run through the water. It seemed to be pulling at him, holding him back. Behind him he heard a low growling.

“The water is coming,” said Charlie. “Hurry!”

They reached the chamber, where they found Finnegan standing on the steps. “Is it the main?” he asked.

“Get the hatch shut!” Bess barked. “That will stop it.”

Finnegan grabbed the lever and pulled. It broke off in his hand, leaving just a stub of metal. He looked at it helplessly. Josh ran over and pushed him out of the way. Grabbing the short length of metal, he pulled as hard as he could. The jagged end of the broken lever cut into his palm, and blood ran down his wrist. The lever didn’t move.

“There’s no time,” said Bess. “And we can’t get back to the third chamber. We have to go up.”

As she spoke, more water surged in through the tunnel. Finnegan let out a frightened squeak and ran for the ladder affixed to the wall beside the open hatch door. He dropped his flamethrower and started climbing, ignoring the rest of them. Josh watched his head disappear into the hole in the ceiling.

“Does he know where he’s going?” he asked Bess.