The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (15 page)

Maria was seated on her bed reading a manual on the bolt weapon created specifically for the
Inferi Boon
mission when her wristlet indicated there was an incoming message from the hidden program. She quickly accessed
it
and smiled as Dwayne
’
s face came into view. He smiled the moment he saw her and she was glad she had taken the time to put a little makeup
on
to hide her condition. She couldn
’
t hide her eyes, but she hoped the dim light in her room would disguise them.

“Dwayne, I
’
m so sorry I couldn
’
t contact you earlier. It
’
s been a crazy few weeks,” she said in a rush of words.

“Honey, don
’
t speak. I know what is going on. I know
what
you
a
re
now,” he said in his strong, yet soothing voice.

Confusion washed over her as she raised her hand to her face wondering if he could see that she was no longer truly alive. “Dwayne, I
—
”

“I just want you to know that I love you
,
and
I
’
m proud of you. I know you
’
ll do everything you can to fulfill your duty. I can
’
t say I
’
m happy about what they did to you, but I respect your choice.” His voice cracked slightly
. S
he realized his eyes were brimming with tears.

“It
’
ll be okay. They can restore me when I
’
m done. I
a
m
coming home to you Dwayne.” The vow felt sacred as it passed her lips and she meant it with all her heart.
“I love you.
I
’
m doing this for us.”

“I love you,” Dwayne whispered. “And I will be waiting for you to come home.”

She wished she could cry. She wished she could feel her heart
harshly
beating within her chest. Instead she was wrapped up in a stillness that was
rapidly
becoming her new norm. Though she didn
’
t crave food or sleep anymore, she craved Dwayne. If she could have one moment in his arms, she would feel alive again.

“I won
’
t fail,” she said at last.

“I know,” Dwayne answered, winking. “You
’
re one hell of a warrior.”

Laughing, she smiled at the tiny image of him on her wristlet. “I
’
m a mean bitch.”

“Give
‘
em hell.”

“The
Scrags
will never know what hit them.
”
It
was the literal truth. Maria and the others would be virtually invisible.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

“I
’
ll call you again tomorrow.”

“I
’
ll be here,” she answered.

Then he was gone.

Lying down on her bed, she closed her eyes and thought of Dwa
yne. Though her body remained not
aroused and apart from her emotions, her lips smiled.

Chapter 11

Maria shifted her weight, the
chair
’
s leather
seat creaking under her movements.
Installed
in an observation room off of a debriefing room, she watched as the men and women con
scripted for the
Inferi Scourge
Special Ops
filed in and settled onto the benches staggered against one wall.
She
spotted a few familiar faces. She was surprised to see Special Constable Kurt Jameson and the young scientist with the black hair joining veterans of the final pushback against the
Scourge
. Crossing her legs, she glanced at Dr. Curran
,
who was making quick notations on her pad. On the screen were the profiles of all the potential
Inferi Boon
soldiers.

“I thought they were all go
ing to be veterans,” Maria said
.

Dr. Curran glanced up
, her eyes studying Maria
’
s expression thoughtfully. After a slight pause, she answered. “The news vids are filled with the president declaring that the
Inferi Scourge
will soon be abolished from the valley. Volunteers are overwhelming the recruitment centers.
SWD Security Officers petitioned to be included in the mission.
We screened a few more potentials and expanded our force to two full squadrons. Forty soldiers in all.
Twenty Constabulary, twenty SWD Security Officers.
”

“That scientist in there...” Maria pointed “
…
how is he going to handle himself?”

“Gideon
’
s going along to monitor the
Inferi Boon
soldiers
. He will be trained with the rest of you. And yes, he volunteered.”

Lifting her eyebrows, Maria sat back and studied the faces of the people in the room beyond the glass. The veteran soldiers of the
C
onstabulary wore placid expressions while the scientist and a few of the newer recruits
from the SWD
came across as
nervous. Jameson looked ready to crawl out of his own skin and his eyes were shining with excitement.

Mr. Petersen entered the
debriefing
room and took his place on the podium. The vid screen behind him sprang to life, the emblem of
The Bastion
rotating against a blue backdrop.

“
It
’
s
good to see you again,” Mr. Petersen began, his well-manicured hands resting on the podium. Unlike other speakers, he
didn
’
t
fidget or shift his weight. He remained almost perfectly still. As always, Maria had the impression that his every word, movement, and expression
was
carefully ca
lculated to elicit a desired response
. “It has been a few weeks since we
last
spoke
. I hope your time in the SWD
facility has been comfortable. It
’
s been a bit of a vacation, hasn
’
t it?” A flash of his pearly
white teeth and the
merriment in his eyes pulled smiles onto the faces of his listeners
and a few chuckles. “Alas, it
’
s time to go to work.” His grin broadened as the men and women before him look
ed
visibly relieved, excited and
apprehensive
all at once. “But I know that each and every one of you is glad to hear that at last you will be getting down to the very dirty business of finally removing the
Inferi Scourge
from outside the walls.”

The volunteers cheered as the excitement in the room
swelled
.

“He
’
s good,” Maria remarked, slightly impressed

“Yes.” Dr. Curran
’
s voice was clipped. “He is.”

“There
’
s no need to reiterate the enormous importance of what you have volunteered to do for humanity.
It
’
s
no secret that humankind has stood on the brink of extinction since the
Inferi Scourge
decimated our
nations
and brought us to our knees.” As Mr. Petersen spoke, behind him flashed historical vids of the glories of the old world
before transitioning
to uncensored coverage of the
Scourge
rampaging through the cities
.

“I
’
ve never seen these before,” Maria said, unable to look away from the bloody footage of the
Inferi Scourge
swarming their victims. Once the h
apless victim was revived as
Scourge
, the rabid creatures moved on.

Dr. Curran
sighed slightly, glancing up at the proceedings in the other room. “The government felt it was best not to show the more disturbing vids. When the survivors were being airlifted to the city, it was determined that for their psychological wellbeing the more graphic historical vids should be removed from the public archives. This was supposed to be the new Eden. They didn
’
t want to remind the new Adams and Eves of the snake
s
outside the gate.”

The vids running behind Mr. Petersen clearly showed that
The Bastion
had been heavily promoted as the new Garden of Eden: a utopia in the midst of a dying world. Maria tore her gaze from the vids of the construction of
The Bastion
to the faces of the men and women that would soon be
Inferi Boon
soldiers. They were staring in rapt attention at the images being played. Maria had to admit they were
inspiring
. Mr. Petersen narrated as the vids revealed the extensive work that had gone into creating the new Eden. Mountain passes were destroyed so that only one gated entrance remained into the valley. Scenes of the massive airlift of prefabricated buildings into the valley were impressive
,
as was the footage of the construction of the city walls.

“This was our new home. Our new Eden. In fact the nickname for
The Bastion
in those exhilarating first days was actually New Eden. Once it was ready
,
human survivors from all over the globe were transported to this location from the last remaining human enclaves. I
’
m sure your own families tell of the harrowing escapes from nearly overrun rescue centers. My own grandfather only escaped because he managed to lash himself to the skids of the last helicopter leaving South Africa when there was no more room inside
the aircraft
to carry out anymore survivors.”

Mr. Petersen was not relating any new information to the people in the room, but he was making it a personal journey
.
Maria could see the emotion building in the eyes of the people listening to the man in the white suit. Maybe it was because she was
Inferi Boon
now, or maybe because she wasn
’
t in the room surrounded by her comrades, but she could see how expertly he was manipulating them all.

“This has to be fair,” Maria said at last to Dr. Curran. “The choice they make to either become what I am or not should be their own. They shouldn
’
t be manipulated into it.”

Dr. Curran
angled
her head toward Maria. “Is anything he is saying a lie?”

“No, but-”

“You said you wanted them to make the decision you didn
’
t get to make, right?”

“Yes, but-”

“We killed you and brought you back as
Inferi Boon
. Yet instead of harboring a grudge, you have agreed to go out there and destroy the
Inferi Scourge
.”

Maria nodded, already knowing what Dr. Curran was going to say.

“You
’
re doing it because this city is humanity
’
s last chance. If this city falls, humanity ceases to exist.” Dr. Curran
’
s gaze
didn
’
t
waver from Maria
’
s eyes. “Am I wrong?”

“No, you
’
re not.”

“So let Mr. Petersen tell his stirring and patriotic story. Let those men and women in there remember what the stakes are. Let them see how our world almost died and how the last remaining nations of the world did their best to save us all. We stand on the brink of our own extinction. A little patriotism isn
’
t going to hurt anything.”

Maria gave the
scientist
a brisk nod. She didn
’
t like feeling manipulated by the powers that be, but
Dr. Curran
was right. Even though she was angry at the deception that surrounded her transformation, her
feelings
seemed petty in comparison to the distress that filled the city. Her death and resurrection could possibly save millions. With or without the rousing presentation Mr. Petersen was giving, she would have volunteered. There was no doubt in her mind.

“For five years
The Bastion
not only survived, but thrived. The city and the valley
were
filled with hardworking people who created a new way of life.” Mr. Petersen
’
s narration was now accompanied by scenes of cattle grazing in lush pastures, fruit laden orchards, and sprouting fields of grain. “
The Bastion
was humanity
’
s ultimate success in the aftermath of its worst tragedy.” Mr. Petersen took a deep breath, dropping his gaze for a few moments. Lifting them just as the screen began to show the
Scourge
rampaging through the idyllic farmland around the city, Mr. Petersen said, “Then the gate failed.”

Falling silent, Mr. Petersen allowed uncensored footage of the slaughter of the men, women, and children who had once lived and worked in the shadow of the city
to
play out in all its visceral terror.

Maria averted her eyes, unable to watch the massacre, but her gaze was
gradually
drawn
to the
appalling
images. It was difficult to comprehend the sheer terror that had engulfed
The Bastion
on that day. She gasped as a news drone recorded the city gate closing. Countless people tried to scramble inside before the heavy steel doors shut, some being crushed as they closed. The remaining people screamed and beat against the doors as the
Scourge
tore into them
. Shots from above killed both the non-infected and the
Scourge
.

“In one tragic morning, we lost nearly half our population and all our natural resources.” Mr. Petersen rested on hand on the podium, as if to steady himself. “Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow citizens of
The Bastion
, we must close the gate and destroy the
Inferi Scourge
outside the city walls. We have no other choice.”

“That
’
s your cue,” Dr. Curran said, tapping Maria
’
s hand.

Standing, Maria straightened her uniform and ran a gentle hand over her hair,
checking that
it was smooth and her bun secure. Dr. Curran
led
the way to a door that she palmed open. Maria followed in her wake
,
then
stepped into the debriefing room.

Immediately she was under scrutiny. Her appearance brought one or two sharp intakes of breath. Jameson
’
s eyes widened as one or two of the veterans who knew her audibly gasped. A few of the soldiers
didn
’
t
immediately recognize her
Inferi Boon
condition, but when they did she could see the fear in their eyes. A few of the soldiers looked in confusion between her and Mr. Petersen.

“We promised that you would be able to walk among the
Inferi Scourge
. That they
wouldn
’
t
identify you as prey,” Mr. Petersen said in a low, but clear voice. “We were not lying to you.”

“She
’
s
a Scrag
!
” Jameson exclaimed, the words bursting from his mouth, spittle flecking his lips.

“Yes, I am.
” Maria
moved
to stand at Mr. Petersen
’
s side. “But I am a thinking
Scrag
. My mind and personality are intact. I am still Vanguard Maria Martinez of the Constabulary of
The Bastion
. I am still strong, agile, and able to defend this city and its citizens to the best of my ability. I can walk among the
Scrags
and kill them with no remorse. I do not hunger. I do not sleep.”