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.”
“Follow me,” Samuel said. “And stay quiet.”
Samuel walked out, and we followed him.
We rounded the corner, and Makara’s flashlight clicked on. It looked like we were at the scene of a grisly murder. There was blood everywhere – the walls, the floor, the doors. It was as if the creature had consciously painted everything red to mark its territory. In the corners grew tufts of pink fungus.
It was quiet, and cold. There was a deadening of sound, and our footsteps did not echo but stopped at the walls.
We walked for several minutes until we came to an intersection. A rush of cold wind blew through the deserted corridor. From where it came, I could not tell. But it was not natural.
Samuel held his hand up, indicating us to hang back. We did so, and he crept up to the crossroads. He stood in the middle of it for a moment. Then something massive rushed past in a blur. It snatched Samuel as it scuttled past on multiple legs. Samuel grunted, and was gone from sight.
“Samuel!” Makara yelled.
She ran into the darkness. I was right behind her. We turned in the direction Samuel had been taken.
But the hallway was empty.
I pointed to the floor. A trail of a clear liquid led to an open doorway on our right. It looked like he had been dragged in.
Makara ran, and I followed her. I held my gun in front of me.
We had entered a common area. A pool table sat in front of us, and a large television screen, shattered, sat in the corner. Makara shot the flashlight beam around the room.
The wind blew again, chilling me to the bone. I spun around, but there was nothing but darkness.
“This way,” Makara said.
I followed Makara across glass spread across the floor. It crunched under our boots. The walls were colored pink with fungus. In a far, dark corner of the room, I could see the outlines of the couch. And on the couch, a body.
Makara and I ran up to it. It was Samuel, his body was wrapped in a thin, white coating of…something.
Samuel!” Makara hissed.
“What happened?” I asked. “Where is that thing?”
Samuel stared past us, at the ceiling. The floor below us darkened. I felt the cold wind, close, tickling the back of my neck from above.
I looked up to see an enormous spider.
Makara screamed.
As I aimed my Beretta, the thing opened its mouth, revealing a long stinger that was curved and bladelike. From the end, poison dripped. It screeched as it swiped it at me. I dodged just in time.
At the same time, a hairy, muscular leg clobbered me. The force was so great that I fell and rolled to the other side of the room, where I hit the wall.
I struggled to get up. The arachnid was huge, standing on eight legs, each one the height of a person. It was covered with sticky, pink flesh. A pool of slime collected beneath its body, dripping from its mouth, its fangs, its many white eyes. Two large, serrated pincers opened and closed, longing for a taste of either of us. And the blade, set in its mouth, was cruel and pointed, flexing back and forth.
With me out of the way, the creature knocked Makara to the ground. It moved over her, its fangs opening, sharp blade arching back.
I got up, doing my best to hold my gun steady. I started shooting.
The shots reverberated in the room, deafening me. The creature squealed. I had hit it on its side, but it hardly made a dent – purple liquid oozed out, running down its leg. It shook itself, and then turned to face me. It scuttled toward me, its pincers chomping open and closed.
I shot again, hitting it in an eye. It screamed in pain – on its breath I could smell the rot of other victims. Still, it crawled closer, just feet away.
I shot, over and over, right into its face. When it opened its pincers, I could see inside its mouth. I shot it there.
The spider went rigid. I jumped out of the way and continued to shoot, aiming at the head. The hideous creature crawled on its belly toward me. Finally, the magazine was empty. I wouldn’t even have time to switch it out. The thing was only feet away.
I got out my knife, stabbing into the thing’s head, over and over. It shuddered, then lay down on the ground, dead. I retrieved my knife. It was coated in pink slime.
I wiped it on some nearby furniture and ran to Makara, who was lying on the floor. I knelt beside her, and shook her by the shoulders.
“Makara! Makara!”
Her eyes opened.
I looked all over her body, but could see no wound.
“Can you stand?”
