Chapter 11: Shoulder to Shoulder

The elevator descended two levels before shuddering to a stop in what appeared to be a small basement. They stepped out at the very bottom, sweeping their flashlight beams around the darkness. The light proved immediately useful, glinting off a grenade, which Claire pocketed, and a sealed display case with a glass top. Through it, Rick recognized the components of a firearm assembly.

“Look,” Claire said, directing her beam onto the case’s front panel. “Something slots in here. The shape reminds me of…”

“A police badge,” Rick interrupted.

“Yeah.”

“Or, you know…” Rick retrieved his hammer from the bag and smashed the glass.

Claire rolled her eyes. “That works too.”

He gathered the parts. Under his flashlight, he identified a sound suppressor. It could be incredibly useful, but it was not made for 9mm caliber, which was too small. He stored it in his backpack anyway. After checking the metal door to the left of the case, which was locked, they climbed the stairs one level to take the only available path.

Unlike the pitch black basement, the corridor ahead was well lit. The ability to see properly lowered their anxiety considerably. The passage was relatively long, making a sharp turn to the right into an even longer hallway. With only two directions for a threat to approach from, front or back, they felt more at ease but never dropped their guard. Best of all, they could see the other end: a wide, open space.

Moving forward, they heard the clatter of someone running on the metal walkways above them. From how light the footsteps sounded, Rick doubted it was an adult. His eyes confirmed it when he caught a brief silhouette through the gaps in the grating.

Claire saw it too. “A kid?”

“Why would a kid be down here?” he asked no one in particular, just voicing his thoughts.

“I don’t know, but they were heading the same way. Maybe if we hurry, we can catch up.”

She set a brisker pace for them, a jog, not a run. Running could be dangerous without knowing what lay ahead.

It took less than thirty seconds for them to reach a large boiler room. Built on two floors, they could see from their position on the upper level an intricate maze of pipes and drifting steam below. The small platform they stood on offered a broad view. While the lower floor was a recipe for disaster, with its narrow pathways and blind corners, the upper level was limited in space. They were relatively safe up there.

Both turned their heads to the right at the sound of movement in that direction. A small corner office with windows stood there, lockers behind it. Claire stepped forward and tried to pull a heavy metal shelf aside, but she lacked the strength. As she moved aside for Rick to try, she spotted the child they had seen earlier, hiding behind it.

Crouching to peer through the narrow gap, Claire called out, her voice soft and reassuring. “Hello? It’s okay, we won’t hurt you. I pro…”

The child whispered in panic, “Behind you!”

Before Claire could react, a firm shove to her ass sent her lurching forward into the office, as Rick heaved the shelf aside just enough.

“Rick! Wha—” Her angry protest died when she heard him grunt in pain. Her head snapped around. The first thing she saw was her partner’s feet dangling in the air. Looking up, she witnessed Rick being lifted by the throat by a seven foot tall abomination.

The figure was male, with short, light blonde hair and unnaturally pale skin. Claire could see decomposition had blurred his features into a gaunt mask of hollow eyes, a distorted nose, and a slack jaw.

Its body was heavily distorted. Grotesque swellings and slabs of exposed muscle covered much of its upper torso and right arm, the one currently choking her friend. The mass forced the creature into a permanent, weight bearing hunch.

Her stupor lasted less than a second. Her revolver was in her hand almost instantly, but Rick was faster.

Despite being choked, he grabbed his semi automatic from his hip and fired at his attacker. The shots only enraged the bioweapon. A guttural roar was followed by Rick being slammed violently onto the metal platform. A second time, then a third. The impacts were so brutal that the grating under them gave way, and they plummeted to the floor below.

Claire scrambled to her feet and looked down. Rick was firing again, now aiming for the creature’s head. This time it was effective. The thing recoiled, its left hand flying to the wound. Freed from its grip, Rick wasted no time, rolling away and struggling to his feet. He barely avoided a swing from a heavy pipe that would have done more than fracture his skull.

Claire turned to the child, a young teenage girl with shoulder length blonde hair, dressed in a private school uniform.

“Stay hidden. We’ll take care of that thing.”

Without waiting for a reply, Claire jumped down to the lower floor. She holstered her revolver and grabbed the grenade launcher from her back. The iron sights were terrible, but at this range and against a target that size, she couldn’t miss.

The incendiary round struck it in the back and erupted into searing flames. The creature’s roar was now mixed with pain, but it wasn’t enough to put it down. Claire loaded another round. The abomination was thrashing now, swinging its pipe wildly to beat out the flames.

“Rick?! You okay?!” She couldn’t see him through the steam and the creature’s bulk, but she heard him.

“Yeah! Bastard is fucking strong!”

Having drawn the creature’s attention, Claire fired another incendiary round, angering it further. She could see the flames having an effect, but not enough to stop its advance toward her. She fired a third round into its chest and quickly vacated her position.

She had a choice: a narrow corridor of pipes whose end she couldn't see, or the relatively open area they were currently in. The first option seemed safer in the moment, but if it turned out to be a dead end, she would be completely trapped. The second option required her to dodge the creature's pipe swings and maneuver behind it, a tactic that would grant her more room to operate but came with the immediate risk of being crushed.

The decision was made for her when Rick launched himself onto the creature’s back, meat cleaver in hand. He landed two solid blows to its neck before the weapon shattered, leaving him with only a hilt and a shard of blade.

The thing roared, reached back, and plucked Rick off with ease, hurling him into a cluster of pipes ten feet away.

“Ugh!”

Claire hadn’t been idle. With the heat off her, she had circled behind the beast, putting good distance between them. She fired a fourth incendiary round. Damaging it wasn’t her primary goal now; she wanted to inflict pain and redirect its fury.

Her position was chosen carefully. Behind her was a deep chasm, bottomless in the gloom. Her plan was to lure the creature to the edge, dodge, and push it over.

The first part succeeded. The second was in progress as it stalked toward her. To her horror, she watched it change as it moved. Its bulk increased slightly, but its right arm transformed the most. It swelled dramatically, and a vertical slit opened on its shoulder, peeling back to reveal a huge, yellow eye with a slitted pupil like a cat’s. Its legs thickened with new muscles, and its previous hunched gait was replaced by a steady, powerful stride.

She knew then that a failed dodge would mean her death. She bent her knees, ready to spring aside. The moment came. She rolled right as the pipe whistled over her head. From the ground, she fired her fifth incendiary round. It struck the junction of its side and back, making the monster stumble forward but not fall. It simply turned to face her.

Her plan had failed. She was out of ideas.

Fortunately, she wasn’t alone. Rick came barreling in and tackled the creature from its left, more human side. Claire raised her leg and, with every ounce of strength she could muster from her prone position, kicked hard behind its knee. Its balance broke, and Rick, with a final heave, pushed it over the edge.

The creature did not fall without a last attack. A final swing of its pipe swept Rick’s legs out from under him. He was so close to the edge that he followed the monster over.

For Claire, everything slowed. She saw the surprise on Rick’s face, the widening of his eyes as he vanished from view. Her heart seized. Then a breath rushed back into her lungs as she saw his hand clamp onto the ragged edge.

‘Thank God!’ She scrambled forward and grabbed his wrist, hauling with everything she had left. He was heavy, but she managed to drag him up. Off balance, he fell onto her, pinning her to the ground as he gasped for air, too spent to move.

“Can you… get off?” Claire asked between ragged breaths. His weight on her chest made it hard to draw the oxygen she desperately needed.

With a pained grunt, he rolled off her onto his back.

“I bet… you… liked it.”

Claire couldn’t help it. She laughed, which set him off too. It was a tired, breathless sound, born of exhaustion, relief, and a touch of madness. He had thrown her own words back at her, and it was absurdly funny despite everything.

“I don’t know. Let’s… try again… when I don’t feel… like I’ve been crushed by a bull?”

A beat of silence hung between them at her returned quip before laughter took them again. Inwardly, they both thought the same thing: despite their different personalities, they shared the same dark humor and timing. They could work with this.

“Are you… are you alright?”

Both sat up and looked behind them. The girl was on the upper floor, peering down with worry.

“We’re fine!” Claire shouted back. “Just… catching our breath. We’ll be up… as soon as we find a way.”

Rick pointed to the left. “There’s a folded ladder over there. Can you kick it down for us?”

The teen’s head swiveled to look. “I don’t know. I’ll try!”

The pair watched her move from the office, then turned to look at each other. Not a word passed between them. Yet, they understood perfectly. They knew what came next.

Claire would handle the girl; she was the empathetic one. Rick would scour the area for supplies. It hadn’t even been half a day, but after all they’d been through, they could already anticipate each other’s thoughts.

“Before you go,” Rick said, “can you set my shoulder?”

Claire blinked. “Huh?”

Her eyes dropped from his face to his right shoulder. She noticed then that it was dislocated, explaining why he’d used only his left arm to hang on.

“Yeah, I can.”

“I hope you’re better at it than suturing.”

Her eyes narrowed in mock offense. “Just for that, I’ll make it extra painful.”

They exchanged a look and burst into tired laughter once more.