I pushed open the hatch slowly. My ears open to the smallest of noises. My grip on the curved Hawksbill blade held tightly in a reverse grip in my right hand. The body of the Lunger still lying on the floor, the orange handle of my Buck knife still in his temple.
I slide the Hawksbill back into its place on my right hip. I reach out pulling the knife from its head. It's black chunky icor sticking to the stainless steel. "Up we go kids." I throw the duffel bag up on the floor. Passing down the baseball bat to Billy.
"We aren't kids," Luna called from below as I stepped out. My old scuffed combat boots I traded a homemade spear for back in Toledo crunched over glass.
However that wasn't the noise that had my attention. I could here a Lurker. One of the demons that liked to hide and ambush it's prey. I held up a hand to the two below. "I heard one." I grip the orange handle of the tainted blade tightly before it loosened sliding low. I got ready to throw it.
"I don't here one?"
"You wouldn't. They are quiet. But they make a low buzzing noise. Like several flies buzzing." I stepped out as I listen, hearing the buzzing. I turn and see the Lurker hiding behind a shelf that probably use to have chips or soft drinks. It's yellow sunken eyes looking like hollow pools of piss scanning the door. I cock back my arm and snap it forward.
I smiled as the blade sank into the creatures eye it falling forward. I wasn't great at throwing knives before. In fact I used to be a truck driver. But after 18 months of surviving off the weapons at hand and those mostly being my knives I learned how to throw them and while I still sometimes miss moving targets I can now say I hit 9/10 of my non-moving targets if they are within 25 feet.
As it fall to the ground I pick up the duffle of food. "It's dead." I spoke softly as I stepped twords the demon.
I heard the big guy step out first, his work boots making the glass crack and pop under his weight. I pull my blade free again knowing I'll have to very careful when cleaning this later and will probably need to find a few more knives. The girls foot fall brings her up beside me looking at the demon. Much like a Lunger it's skinny and mutated. Legs built like Coilguns, String bean arms. The main difference being the claws Eyes and teeth. Lungers have sharp Barbed or hook like claws ment for digging in and ripping meat from the bone. Lurkers have normal boney human fingers but if you open their mouths they have two rows of hooked saw like teeth meant to both cut through bone and armor but also latch on and not let go.
"I never seen this type of Z!" Luna gasped as she began to take notes on a pad of paper she pulled out.
"You don't have Lurkers down here?" I spoke trying to ignore the use of Z. Most people called these things zombies. I called the normal ones monsters and the special ones Demons. "Also they're not zombies. Zombies are undead. These are like a mutation species."
"Well yeah but we called them zombies for so long we stick with it. You call it a Lurker? Why?"
"Lurkers are like the Lungers. Same family type. But unlike them, they don't have much energy and can't use their legs to sprint. So they hide or lurk jumping out going for the kill instantly with surprise and their vicious jaws filled with hooked saw blades then ripping up their prey with claws." She nods writing everything I said down. "Also Lungers, their natural weapons, can break through Kevlar. So most body armor is useless against them."
"Fuck more of these things that can break the old riot suits." She cursed putting away her book.
"At least they aren't armored. A lot of the ones south of here I've heard are developing armor that stops bullets. Some sort of Kinetic based resistance."
"You're serious?"
"Give a man food and trade you'll be surprised what they tell you about the roads. That's why I risk talking with people sometimes besides trade."
"Would you trade some or your infected information with use also?"
"Sure if y'all actually have stuff to trade with my dusty ass."
—&—
We took several shopping carts of canned food from the safe house. Taking winding back roads threw the city. I didn't like moving threw the city's but to get to the Old Domino shipping yard we needed to.
It took 4 or 5 hours before the stacked trailers came into view. They seemed used a crane early on to move and stack the trailers along the fence. I could see holes cut out of the trailers and the glints of rifle barrels. I tensed knowing they were watching me specifically as the three of us move towards two trailers that seemed to be sticking out. Billy and Luna unlatch the laches pulling them open to show they were decontaminating rooms. One with a dude and one with a chick inside.
Me and Billy loaded the can in to the one with the man. He kept a close eye on me as we stepped in. "Well new comer rules are you strip to get in. We check you for bites you recloth then we can see what to do with you." I nodded Pret standard.
I decloth showing off my frame. Tight muscles built around a compact frame. I was wasted in the old world but I'm making something of my self now. "I'm a Wonder. Names Josiah. You can call me Jo though."
"Is that right? And what's a Wonder doing here."
"Just head south with a few letters. You heard of Fort Nelson still running. Well I was sent by the Coalition of Chicago to make contact."
"Dam that's a far walk."
"I'm 4 months in. The girl seems to think y'all might be willing to trade for some information since I saved them and help bring back some food."
"What information do you have?" The man skimmed over my body one last time before throwing me my clothes.
"Information from other Wonders who survive out here. I'll be honest I was in Seattle when this started it moved slow enough that I made it to Chicago across I-80 before it caught up to me. Been serving up there as since two weeks in."
"But you left somewhere know for safety like the Coalition?"
"Yeah because in 12 months they we now have Lungers, Lurkers and Thick Boys. Those three are just the most common here. They'll keep evolving. Eventually I don't think anywhere will be safe."
I slip back into my clothes, my weapon getting strapped down back in place as I'm shown into the compound. The compound they built was pretty large with the main building with all the main doors pulled down. Pushed out from the building two or three yards was a second chain link fence with barbed wire woven through each link. The fence was reinforced with large metal bars instead of thin Aluminum pools. Those metal bars had cross beams welded to them and braced against the wall of the building. Groups of survivors make homes from the 18 wheelers and containers all around the open yard. Wooden stairs and towers lead up the sides of the container fence wall. Officer from the police, national guard and probably freshly trained survivors walk up and down the containers with shotguns, and riflemen pace back and forth in the towers.
With each step I can tell and spot more and more people eyeing me. Watching the newest possible threat. My muscles tighten with each step as my hands drift down to the curved blades strapped right below my thighs. My thumbs hang off my pockets edge the only thing hold back the obvious act of aggression it could be seen as.
The Man who checked me over leads me through the fence into the main building. He leads me up a set of stairs to what was probably the old management office that was now used as there snipers nest and command center. Citing at the only table in the middle of the room was a large bold man with a wrinkled weather face he was in black faded boots jeans caked in mood and stained in what I could only guess was blood a flannel with black under shit and the sleeves bunched up showing off the bottom of a Army Rangers tattoo. On the table in front of him was the most famous and over kill weapon I could think of, a Desert Eagle. The silvery weapon had large detailed engraving going across the entire frame.
"Sir Luna and Slow Billy brought use a live one." My escort spoke up.
The man looked up from the paper work he was going over. "Hum. What you good at no one stays that can't work for there food."
"Good thing I'm not staying. I was told you might want to trade for information." Each word I spoke was measured to give away as little as possible.
"He wants a gun sir," my guard grumbled.
"God that's a big ask." The older vet smiles as he looks at me. His hand tapping the table in an idle rhythm, a tick that would get him killed outside these walls he has at least help make. "What information?" He waves off the guard leaving us with the two snipers and no one else.
I pull off my pack settings it down as I pull a chair out sitting across form him. With that I pull out the single most valuable thing I own, that 2027 Atlas. "Demon mutations and monster movement." He looks at me blankly. With a sight I speak, "You call them zombies. They don't rot and they are quickly evolving so I call them misters and demons."
"I guess that makes since. But what do you mean movements? Also we already know if the three mutations. Lurkers ambush and have strong jaws, Lungers well lung jump and sprint they also have claws that can rip threw Kevlar leather, and thick boys are huge slow and strong as fuck."
"Well I know of two more and have personal experience with the mutations form Chicago. And have photographs of at least three more from further south from wonders that came from south. Along with tips and tricks to avoid or deal with them."
"Really? Well that's not good. Tell me about the two north of us."
"First I want use to agree on at the eld of this I'm getting a hand gun, preferably 9mm if only cause it common."
"I can spare a Glock 19 for information and prof."
I pull the first of the pictures from the folder notebook thing I have stapled to the atlas. On it a creature more beast then human now stands in it. It's crouched on two vulpine like back legs with clawed wild wolf like feet with large thick musclar arms which end in long thick three finger clawed hands. One set of claws dug deep into the side of a fire trucks side wall, and the other hand stretched out showing of the wicked meat hook like claws. It's head elongated to give it a slight maw like a mutant hairless werewolf with needle like teeth poking out between its now sharp and jagged like bone jaw. The creature has now lips or gums almost like the jaw just became two large for its skull. "This is Demon we called a Hound for the similarities to a werewolf. They move extremely fast and rely on strictly smell to hunt as they are both blind and def. there claws help them in climbing or ripping threw walls to get to people. Luckily they are still only at human durability. But they can rip threw metal with little effort."
"Jesus that's a ugly son of a bitch! You seem one?"
"Sir…"
"Call me Henry."
"Henry I'm Josiah. And i've killed one. Used a spear but since they dumb blind and def they aren't hard to kill as long as you are in the open. Just like any of the others head shots, heart shots or just enough damage in general will kill one. They die just like lurkers Lungers or normals. I killed mine with a spear to the chest."
"That's good to know and doesn't bode well with that wording. What in your pile doesn't die normally?"
I set the photo of next on from Chicago. This one looked normal except the elongated bone like fingers extending from its hands and the unhinged jaw. It's mouth filled with shark like teeth and a barbed strow like tongue. Lastly it's had pone like plates jutting out of its skin. "Knights. They grow armor across there body able to stop most small arms fires and could stop a 40 pound Bow. They are a problem cause they can run like a Olympian and those claws sharp able to cut threw most improvised armor. They are also very smart able to use basic tactics such as ambushes or flanking. They are the smartest ones I've run into so far. I have found the best way to kill them is the aim for the neck mouth or legs when throwing my knives."
As he's about to answer I here Gun fire erupt from behind me from outside. One the snipers spins firing his rifle into the back of the other sniper. As he old man is turning and the sniper is chambering a round I have already finished moving. The curved black blade slide against his collar bone using it as the anchor to sink side ways into his neck. My out stretched arm the only hint that it was mine. The knife was had been in hand before he had shot and was thrown right as he pulled the trigger.
The mans half chambered rifle fall the the floor in a clatter as the guard from earlier storms in. He pulls his gun in me but Henry speaks up, "Stop he saved me. What happening?"
"The radars are charging the gates. Some of them look to have explosives!" His announcement is a little late as we are rocked by an explosion.
Henry and the guard rush out completely forgetting me. Not that I'm complaining as a wonder I'm use to that. Just like I'm use to scavenging. I grab the half chambered rifle. It's some bolt action in .308 with a decent hunting scope on it. Probably good to a max of 800 yards I quickly take the scope off and strap the rifle to the side of my bag as I rap the scope in a couple of shirts and store it as well. I grab two boxes of 308 of the back table. I move the other dead man after freeing my knife. He was maybe a police sniper seeing how he had a modified police issue AR. I drop the magazine seeing it's cambered also in 308. This is more my speed being a semi. I pull the scope off and flip up the sights. I again rap and store the scope as I pull the extra mags out of his hunting vest slipping them into my trench coats pocket.
I start down the stairs passing by several women who where huddled up with children. And that's when I see Luna in here punk emo clothes. She spots me and jogs up. "Your leaving?"
"Of course?"
"I'm coming with you."
"I'm sorry kid but your like what 17? Why would I want you with me?"
"First I'm 19 and second your like what 22 just let me come."
"No." I push passed headed for the main door until she grabs my arm.
"If you let me come I have a car that works stashed and have a key to the armory."
"Why do you want to come?" I face her as she looks me in the eyes.
"Cause that rifle on your side is my fathers and something tells me, me being a lesbian isn't going to help me stay out of getting pregnant and off the table if he's dead and maybe the one that's caused this."
I sigh before speaking, "armory now before the chaos ends."
She run off and I'm close on her heels as we come up to shipping and receiving. As we inter the walls and tables are filled with guns and ammo boxes and cans. She grabs a duffel and begins to load it with what she things she might want or need while I get picky. I grab several throwing knives and combat knives knowing that they work. I grab a Glock 19 several mags and a suppressor I find in a box labeled do not take along with a small 1.5x reticle for the rifle I'm using in side, lastly I grab a pair of brass knuckles and several boxes of ammo and when I see she zips up her bag I turn to leave.
"Where's your car?"
"Two blocks north just out of sight of the snipers nest."
"Any other ways out other then the main gate?"
"Yeah and you won't like it." She takes off towards the back and ones again I'm fast to stay on her heels.