June 14th, 2008
7:55am
Hillenbrand Hall - East Wing Elevator Shaft
It was only now, clinging desperately to a few thin bars of metal over a horde of agitated and ravenous zombies, that T.Rex began to question the wisdom of leaving his entire group of friends behind.
He stubbornly refused to look down and tried to ignore the sounds of gnashing teeth below. One shaking hand at a time he climbed the rungs, heading for the fourth floor. I wonder how they're doing out there, T.Rex wondered to himself. Are they under attack? Are they slaughtering zeds by the dozen, their only real problem trying to keep up with Beard? Or maybe they're desperately trying to stem the tide, hoping I will show up soon before they get overwhelmed.
Ryan started climbing faster at the last thought. Hopefully they're hidden out of sight, conserving ammo and energy, wishing they weren't so bored. Then I can rescue Jenny, come back the hero, and tell them all about how I masterminded this rescue.
A minuscule amount of light emanated from the second floor elevator doors as T.Rex climbed past. The zeds below continued to bang on the walls and rattle anything they could reach, including the elevator cables all around.
Why do I always go for the action hero bullshit? T.Rex argued with himself. First, the red barrel fiasco in the Machine Shop, and then I seriously thought climbing the cable was going to work? Let's pretend that I actually made it all the way to the fourth floor - then what? I'm going to leap from the center of the elevator shaft onto the ledge in front of the doors? A ledge a few inches wide?
T.Rex continued to close the distance, climbing past the third floor doors. He winced every time the crowbar swinging from his belt loop knocked against the wall, preventing any sort of stealth. Too curious, he broke his mental discipline and looked down past his shoes. The shadows concealed the zombies below, but they could still be heard clawing for food. I can still tell the Fools I went all Die Hard on these motherfuckers, he thought with a grin. He knew Cowboy in particular would enjoy if he bent the truth describing how things really happened.
The air was slightly warmer as T.Rex neared the fourth floor. After so much fighting and climbing he was beginning to sweat profusely, so he wiped his brow with his sleeve to try and keep his hands dry. His grip was starting to feel weak, and his legs were tired. T.Rex fought back another yawn, feeling the exhaustion wash over his body.
He'd known tired before. He was an engineering student (or used to be, depending on how bad the zed threat was), and many nights sleep was a lower priority than debugging code or finishing one more set of problems. T.Rex shook his head vigorously and looked for some way move from the elevator shaft and back out into the hall.
A pair of small silver boxes were mounted on the wall nearby, both marked "4" in bold font. T.Rex folded his left arm around a rung for stability and reached out with his free arm to investigate. He expected to have to use his crowbar yet again to break something, and was pleasantly surprised when the first metal case clicked open with little resistance, exposing a series of fuses and wires.
Ryan moved onto the second larger box, closer to the doors. Inside was a series of worn mechanical gears and levers. T.Rex leaned in and squinted in the dim light to read a warning label, trying to discern the purpose of the device. It said: Warning - Do Not Disengage Door Springs While Elevators Are Active.
Success! T.Rex reached in and cycled the lever, and there was a corresponding clanking sound inside the nearby door. Very carefully he climbed the rungs until he was level with the fourth floor doors. Then he unhooked his crowbar and held it out, until the tip of the weapon caught the edge of the closest door. With the springs disengaged, he pulled the crowbar toward him and the door slid open easily.
The rungs were less than two feet from the door, but it seemed like an enormous chasm with the elevator shaft extending below. T.Rex just barely managed to get one foot onto the ledge while still maintaining his position on the rungs. He took a deep breath and shifted his weight, frantically clutching the smooth elevator door rim until he found something to hold on to.
With a series of clumsy and rushed motions Ryan planted both feet on solid ground and held tightly onto the elevator door frame. He panted, nervously excited that he had managed not to plummet to his death.
Just as he found his balance, T.Rex crouched down and crawled under the nearby lobby window. He was afraid that in the daylight any movement, even four stories up, might attract zeds. He wasn't about to draw any more attention to Hillenbrand if he could help it, not when he was this close to his goal.
The orientation of the building kept the parking garage from T.Rex's view, so he crawled from the lobby to the hallway leading to the fourth floor rooms. He would check on the Fools later, when he had Jenny in tow. Convinced he was out of sight from the outside world, T.Rex stood and clutched his crowbar, resting it on his shoulder in a ready position.
Where the first floor was desolate, the fourth floor was chaos. Furniture littered the hallways, forming an obstacle course that blocked line of sight to either end of the floor. Papers, broken glass, even bits of blood were scattered about. The fading light from the elevator lobby made it difficult to even see, much less navigate, and more than once T.Rex had to catch himself from tripping or slipping as he made his way to the room he hoped Jenny was in.
As an Operations Assistant, Jenny was given the Resident Assistant's room for the summer - a room that was larger, nicer, and specifically made for one person. It was located near the center of the v-shaped hallway, just to the right of the center study lounge. T.Rex picked his way over the debris and froze when he felt his hand touch flesh.
His hand recoiled on instinct, and he stopped just short of bludgeoning the errant limb when he recognized the body it was attached to. Despite the gray decaying flesh and missing eye, he could recognize the face of Kevin Schroer - an OA at Hillenbrand and one of his former coworkers. The corpse was sprawled out on the ground, with a large dent in the side of the skull and several bite marks on the right side of the body. A sickly brown fluid pooled on the ground under Kevin's body.
T.Rex grimaced and nodded solemnly, hoping his friend had not suffered much - but knowing that was unlikely. Just to be safe he quickly drove his crowbar though Kevin's eye socket, compacting what brain matter remained with a squick sound. The corpse remained motionless, and so Ryan moved on.
A large desk blocked the way to Jenny's room. T.Rex cleared a space beside it before simply shouldering it aside, unable to think of a way to muffle the noise. He stood awkwardly in front of room 462, unsure of the best way to go about things. He didn't want to make a lot of noise, and he was afraid of how he would handle most of the possible outcomes.
Like a delivery man he knocked on the door, taking special care to try and sound as rhythmic and lively as possible. He waited for several moments before knocking again, still staccato but a different pattern. T.Rex looked around, nervously, and straightened his shirt out of habit.
"Jenny?" he said at a normal volume, running his hand through his hair. "Please answer," he whispered.
Word Count: 49,988
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Reference Photo
If you are unfamiliar with Hillenbrand Hall, this might help you visualize this very important part of the story:
The parking garage is located in the very bottom left (you can see the lines on the roof). The East tower is on the right and has a darker roof. The front entrance is in the center at the top (green roof). Photo courtesy of Hinshaw Roofing.
I'm not sure if this sort of media would make the final cut of any serious edit of my novel, but here it is anyway - I make such an effort to physically describe the setting that I wanted to make sure everybody was on the same page.
The parking garage is located in the very bottom left (you can see the lines on the roof). The East tower is on the right and has a darker roof. The front entrance is in the center at the top (green roof). Photo courtesy of Hinshaw Roofing.I'm not sure if this sort of media would make the final cut of any serious edit of my novel, but here it is anyway - I make such an effort to physically describe the setting that I wanted to make sure everybody was on the same page.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Chapter 34 - Elevation
June 14th, 2008
7:44am
Hillenbrand Hall - East Wing Elevator 1
Shaking, T.Rex stood and tried to calm his mind to study the situation at hand. He was trapped in a cramped elevator compartment with a reeking corpse, one that had nearly made him lunch. Irregular groans and muffled thumping sounds penetrated the thick elevator doors as an unknown number of zeds outside tried to claw and bash their way in. Without power the lights and the air circulation system were inactive, rendering the hot, stagnant air almost as suffocating as the darkness.
Ryan stomped his foot around in the darkness until he was positive his shoe was firmly pressed against the temple of the dead zed on the floor beside him - he wasn't about to take any chances retrieving his weapon. With a grunt he worked to dislodge his trusted crowbar from the mangled zombie skull, twisting and wriggling the metal until it was free. Best rescue ever, he thought as he wiped the gore from the weapon with his shirt.
Trying to fight through an unknown horde of agitated zombies just outside the elevator not only sounded suicidal to T.Rex, he knew it would bring him no closer to Jenny. There was only one direction to go - up.
There was a thick handrail that lined the interior walls of the elevator compartment at waist height. With great care, T.Rex climbed onto the railing in the corner and balanced each foot against a different wall for stability. He used his crowbar to help rip away the thin metal grating that spanned the ceiling. After tossing it to the floor, he began to feel the bare ceiling for any sort of door to get on top of the elevator.
It was only with the added height of the railing he had the reach to find the maintenance hatch centered above the back wall of the elevator. When he pushed against the panel, it resisted just slightly, so he jammed his crowbar into the seam to pop the lock and pulled. It was difficult trying to find leverage with the tool and still maintaining his balance on the small rail, but he wasn't about to give up.
Man this this thing is useful, he said to himself as the lock gave way. As the door flew open a cool draft poured into the elevator and the smallest bit of light lit T.Rex's face. He took a deep calming breath and tossed his weapon through the hatch. After a pause he heard it clatter reassuringly on the roof.
Arms fully outstretched, his fingertips barely cleared the lip of the hatch. Frustrated, he pushed off the railing with his ankles and hopped upward, enough to grip the lip fully with his hands. He struggled to pull himself up, kicking against the smooth wall of the elevator and finding no purchase. When his head cleared the roof he saw a cable not far away, so he flung his right arm out and grabbed it, and from there he had the leverage to pull the rest of his body up.
T.Rex made it through the hatch and flopped onto the roof, face first into a thick mat of dust. Panting, he inhaled a large breath of soot and particles and began to cough and sputter, desperately trying to brush the dust from his mouth and nose. He flailed about in the darkness, fighting back a panic.
When the dust settled T.Rex noticed he was inches from the edge of the elevator. He instinctively scooted back towards the center of the elevator roof, nearly falling though the hatch in the process. "Damnit!" he said aloud in frustration, and the words echoed slightly throughout the entire elevator shaft.
With his eyes adjusting to the darkness, T.Rex took stock of his surroundings. The three elevators for each tower were divided, with the larger freight elevator alone, and the two smaller passenger elevators next to each other on the other side of the lobby. He was standing on the left passenger elevator, and by his best guess the roof was about 8 feet wide, and 12 feet long.
Looking up, small streams of light appeared at regular intervals along most of the elevator shaft. It wasn't enough light to read by, but it was enough that he could see the basic structure around him. T.Rex theorized that was the morning sunlight pouring into the glass-paneled elevator lobbies of floors three through eight (with the first two and basement obscured by the rest of the building). Some of the light could have manged to peek through the cracks to help illuminate his journey- something that might not have happened if they had gotten to Hillenbrand much sooner. In a way, it was fortunate that we detoured through the tunnels and stopped to find Franklin's journal, T.Rex thought.
He thought he could see the bottom of the other elevator at or near the top of the other side of the elevator shaft. That's good, he thought. Maybe they got the other elevator locked up there before things went to hell.
"Alright," he said aloud to nobody in particular, "one down, three floors to go." He sized up the thickest cable that extended upward and tried to prepare himself to climb. Oh, I've totally got this.
He leaped onto the wire, gripping the tight braided steel with both hands and clamping his legs together. He hung there for a few seconds, uncomfortably, before trying to shuffle upwards. The cable was smooth and featureless, leaving him little to work with in terms of friction. After a few feet it was clear he had the arm strength to pull his body, but the cable was nearly impossible to negotiate.
Ryan let go of the cable, dropping back onto the elevator car. It shook uncomfortably, and he held out his arms to steady himself against the movement. He was running out of options, and he rested his tired arms on his head for a moment trying to think of another solution.
In the quiet of the elevator shaft, he heard rustling. There was a quiet murmur, echoing slightly around him, and T.Rex sensed a blanket of movement coming from nearby. He looked over, and saw the cables for the other elevator shaking slightly.
Grabbing a nearby cable for balance, Ryan looked out into the shaft for a clue. Below, in the darkness, he could see movement in the shadows. Squinting, he thought he could make out a limb here, a skull there. Crouching, he saw numerous pairs of eyes looking back up at him. Crammed into the bottom of the elevator shaft an army of zeds, reaching up for him. They grabbed at cables and clawed at the walls, trying in vain to get closer to him.
T.Rex's eyes widened, realizing that Hillenbrand was far from secure. For some reason, the basement was a pool of undead, and he had no way of knowing if they had access to the stairwells. It was only because of their poor motor skills that they hadn't gotten any closer to him already. Looking at the sea of teeth he was glad for a moment that Jenny's room was above, and not below him.
He looked around for something to throw down at them, a loose part or perhaps a fire extinguisher. As he searched the top of the roof of the elevator he discovered there was a small set of rungs built into the wall, between the two elevators on the side with the doors.
"Yes!" he said, finally feeling like something was going his way. He tucked the curved part of his crowbar into a beltloop and very carefully positioned himself on the edge of the elevator roof near the rungs. He took a cautious step out and planted his foot on the closest rung before reaching out and gripping a chest height rung tightly with both hands. He stepped completely off the elevator and took a deep breath. Don't look down, he said to himself over and over, and began to climb.
Word Count: 48,638
7:44am
Hillenbrand Hall - East Wing Elevator 1
Shaking, T.Rex stood and tried to calm his mind to study the situation at hand. He was trapped in a cramped elevator compartment with a reeking corpse, one that had nearly made him lunch. Irregular groans and muffled thumping sounds penetrated the thick elevator doors as an unknown number of zeds outside tried to claw and bash their way in. Without power the lights and the air circulation system were inactive, rendering the hot, stagnant air almost as suffocating as the darkness.
Ryan stomped his foot around in the darkness until he was positive his shoe was firmly pressed against the temple of the dead zed on the floor beside him - he wasn't about to take any chances retrieving his weapon. With a grunt he worked to dislodge his trusted crowbar from the mangled zombie skull, twisting and wriggling the metal until it was free. Best rescue ever, he thought as he wiped the gore from the weapon with his shirt.
Trying to fight through an unknown horde of agitated zombies just outside the elevator not only sounded suicidal to T.Rex, he knew it would bring him no closer to Jenny. There was only one direction to go - up.
There was a thick handrail that lined the interior walls of the elevator compartment at waist height. With great care, T.Rex climbed onto the railing in the corner and balanced each foot against a different wall for stability. He used his crowbar to help rip away the thin metal grating that spanned the ceiling. After tossing it to the floor, he began to feel the bare ceiling for any sort of door to get on top of the elevator.
It was only with the added height of the railing he had the reach to find the maintenance hatch centered above the back wall of the elevator. When he pushed against the panel, it resisted just slightly, so he jammed his crowbar into the seam to pop the lock and pulled. It was difficult trying to find leverage with the tool and still maintaining his balance on the small rail, but he wasn't about to give up.
Man this this thing is useful, he said to himself as the lock gave way. As the door flew open a cool draft poured into the elevator and the smallest bit of light lit T.Rex's face. He took a deep calming breath and tossed his weapon through the hatch. After a pause he heard it clatter reassuringly on the roof.
Arms fully outstretched, his fingertips barely cleared the lip of the hatch. Frustrated, he pushed off the railing with his ankles and hopped upward, enough to grip the lip fully with his hands. He struggled to pull himself up, kicking against the smooth wall of the elevator and finding no purchase. When his head cleared the roof he saw a cable not far away, so he flung his right arm out and grabbed it, and from there he had the leverage to pull the rest of his body up.
T.Rex made it through the hatch and flopped onto the roof, face first into a thick mat of dust. Panting, he inhaled a large breath of soot and particles and began to cough and sputter, desperately trying to brush the dust from his mouth and nose. He flailed about in the darkness, fighting back a panic.
When the dust settled T.Rex noticed he was inches from the edge of the elevator. He instinctively scooted back towards the center of the elevator roof, nearly falling though the hatch in the process. "Damnit!" he said aloud in frustration, and the words echoed slightly throughout the entire elevator shaft.
With his eyes adjusting to the darkness, T.Rex took stock of his surroundings. The three elevators for each tower were divided, with the larger freight elevator alone, and the two smaller passenger elevators next to each other on the other side of the lobby. He was standing on the left passenger elevator, and by his best guess the roof was about 8 feet wide, and 12 feet long.
Looking up, small streams of light appeared at regular intervals along most of the elevator shaft. It wasn't enough light to read by, but it was enough that he could see the basic structure around him. T.Rex theorized that was the morning sunlight pouring into the glass-paneled elevator lobbies of floors three through eight (with the first two and basement obscured by the rest of the building). Some of the light could have manged to peek through the cracks to help illuminate his journey- something that might not have happened if they had gotten to Hillenbrand much sooner. In a way, it was fortunate that we detoured through the tunnels and stopped to find Franklin's journal, T.Rex thought.
He thought he could see the bottom of the other elevator at or near the top of the other side of the elevator shaft. That's good, he thought. Maybe they got the other elevator locked up there before things went to hell.
"Alright," he said aloud to nobody in particular, "one down, three floors to go." He sized up the thickest cable that extended upward and tried to prepare himself to climb. Oh, I've totally got this.
He leaped onto the wire, gripping the tight braided steel with both hands and clamping his legs together. He hung there for a few seconds, uncomfortably, before trying to shuffle upwards. The cable was smooth and featureless, leaving him little to work with in terms of friction. After a few feet it was clear he had the arm strength to pull his body, but the cable was nearly impossible to negotiate.
Ryan let go of the cable, dropping back onto the elevator car. It shook uncomfortably, and he held out his arms to steady himself against the movement. He was running out of options, and he rested his tired arms on his head for a moment trying to think of another solution.
In the quiet of the elevator shaft, he heard rustling. There was a quiet murmur, echoing slightly around him, and T.Rex sensed a blanket of movement coming from nearby. He looked over, and saw the cables for the other elevator shaking slightly.
Grabbing a nearby cable for balance, Ryan looked out into the shaft for a clue. Below, in the darkness, he could see movement in the shadows. Squinting, he thought he could make out a limb here, a skull there. Crouching, he saw numerous pairs of eyes looking back up at him. Crammed into the bottom of the elevator shaft an army of zeds, reaching up for him. They grabbed at cables and clawed at the walls, trying in vain to get closer to him.
T.Rex's eyes widened, realizing that Hillenbrand was far from secure. For some reason, the basement was a pool of undead, and he had no way of knowing if they had access to the stairwells. It was only because of their poor motor skills that they hadn't gotten any closer to him already. Looking at the sea of teeth he was glad for a moment that Jenny's room was above, and not below him.
He looked around for something to throw down at them, a loose part or perhaps a fire extinguisher. As he searched the top of the roof of the elevator he discovered there was a small set of rungs built into the wall, between the two elevators on the side with the doors.
"Yes!" he said, finally feeling like something was going his way. He tucked the curved part of his crowbar into a beltloop and very carefully positioned himself on the edge of the elevator roof near the rungs. He took a cautious step out and planted his foot on the closest rung before reaching out and gripping a chest height rung tightly with both hands. He stepped completely off the elevator and took a deep breath. Don't look down, he said to himself over and over, and began to climb.
Word Count: 48,638
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Chapter 33 - A Shot in the Dark
June 14th, 2008
7:25am
Hillenbrand Parking Garage
T.Rex knew the layout of Hillenbrand Hall inside and out, having lived or worked there in some capacity for six semesters and two summers over the past four years. The residence hall was composed of two large towers that held the students' rooms - both had eight floors each containing 50 two-person suites and a trio of elevators in the center. The suites were arranged in pairs, so that four students shared a common bathroom. Every floor also had a kitchenette, an ironing room, several utility closets, and a large study room in the center. As an upperclassmen hall, the rooms were larger (and more expensive) than most of the other University housing options.
Viewed from the top, the towers were shaped like a pair of "v"s connected at their vertices by a large green-roofed rectangular complex that held Hillenbrand's dining hall and kitchen, main office, computer lab, laundry facilities, and more study lounges. Deep in the basement was a complex maze of storage cells, utilities, and the campus offices for the University Residences Human Resources department.
Armed with a mental blueprint and an abundance of adrenaline, T.Rex took the parking garage stairs two at a time and paused just at the bottom of the stairwell. He stood on his tiptoes and peeked through the window in the door, scanning for zeds.
With no zombies in sight, T.Rex planned to sprint directly to the closest entrance - the rear dining hall doors, right next to the West tower elevators. He was only carrying his crowbar, by now a trusty companion. The rest of his equipment he'd left with the Fools to lighten his load, but it left him feeling naked and unprepared to handle any emergencies.
He took a few calming breaths and gently eased the stairwell door open, peeking around the corner. A single zed stood to a few yards to his right, staring blankly at the sky and wearing nothing but a tattered pair of shorts and a pair of Crocs. T.Rex crept forward, hoping to sneak past the zed before it could utter any warning to other zombies that might be in the area.
The zed sniffed loudly and jerked its body, turning to face T.Rex. When they made eye contact, the creature's jaw dropped in anticipation just before an arrow pierced its skull from above. The zed froze and flopped onto the ground, motionless.
T.Rex threw a quick salute to the Fools on the second story of the parking garage before dashing to his entry point. The glass panels of the doors were gone, replaced by a few jagged shards sticking to the frame. A carpet of broken glass blanketed the surrounding sidewalk, and Ryan did his best to circumvent the obstacle by traipsing through the nearby flowerbed and gingerly stepping through the doorway.
Do I even want to know what made that hole? T.Rex pondered as he entered the building. At least I don't have to worry about my Purdue ID not working in the electronic swipe locks. With the power out I'm pretty sure the doors default to locked and wouldn't open.
The elevator lobby was completely silent. The only light on the ground floor came leaking in from the broken door, and T.Rex took a moment to try and let his eyes adjust. He was used to the comforting glow of fluorescent lights providing bland but functional illumination.
Fighting back a yawn, T.Rex poked the Up button for the elevator. Nothing happened. Of course, he said to himself. Fucking useless. He noted the irony of increased building security against zeds as modern conveniences began to shut down.
During the school year the towers were split by gender, with the farther East tower being the female side. This typically carried over during the summer, when the buildings were used as housing for various programs- run in part by Operations Assistants like Jenny and himself in years past. Last he knew, she was stationed on the fourth floor, so he would begin his ascent from the first floor after crossing the central portion of Hillenbrand. He could only hope that she was still there- it was an awfully large building to have to search room by room.
Glancing to his right he saw the dining hall entrance, quiet and bathed in near-darkness. The lobby in front was normally packed with a line of hungry students, waiting for their allotted meals. Currently, it was devoid of any presence and what little light spilled in quickly faded, creating numerous shadows. Moving slowly, T.Rex listened intently for any noise that might indicate another person or zed nearby. Now cloaked in almost complete darkness, Ryan wished desperately he'd taken a flashlight. Fortunately, he knew his way around quite well.
He moved to the East elevator lobby without incident, and the outside doors on that side were boarded up. Ryan moved through the short hallway beside the elevators, which led him to the first floor rooms. There was a crack of light dead ahead, where the curtains of the study lounge didn't quite overlap. Using that as a guidepost, T.Rex took the left hallway. Gripping his crowbar in his dominant right hand, he kept close to the side of the hall to let his left hand very gently follow the wall. This way, he could count the number of door handles he passed and steady his path in the darkness.
Clunk. The crowbar in T.Rex's hand found the door at the end of the hall with a loud noise, and he immediately froze, heart pounding in his chest. Way to go, slick! The West half of campus probably heard that one! he chided himself. He waited for what felt like an eternity before moving again, hoping above all else nothing was lurking in the hallway.
Reaching out, T.Rex gently tried the handle. The wooden door was supposed to lead to a small anteroom that connected the outside with the stairwell and the first floor, but the handle would not not turn more than a quarter of the way. Damnit, where's my lock picker? T.Rex muttered under his breath. He was just about to turn around when a thought struck him.
When the crowbar struck the door, it sounded a lot denser than I would've guessed. Plus, the handle itself moves, but not all the way. He decided to risk a bit of noise to try and confirm his theory. He stepped back and knocked on a similar door, one that led to a student room. It made a light rap against his knuckle. Knocking on the first door resulted in a much deeper thud. T.Rex crouched down and attempted to slide the thinnest portion of his crowbar under the door.
Just partway in there was a click, and the crowbar would move no more. Yup, he thought, somebody has barricaded the room ahead, I'm guessing with some of the furniture from the nearby rooms. Not a bad idea, as it would keep zeds out of the building, plus keep the ones inside stuck on the ground floors. Unfortunately, that means keeping me out, as well - there's no way I could break through-
A nearby growl caught him by surprise enough to make him jump into the air. T.Rex spun and faced the darkness, terrified but ready to fight for his life. His eyes darted left and right, trying to discern any shapes in the hallway. After several moments he felt a sharp jab to his abdomen as the noise repeated.
T.Rex looked down at his midsection, and then rolled his eyes. His stomach was growling and a normal inconvenience became a condition that could draw unwanted attention to himself. It was the first time he'd consciously thought about food in several hours, and he wondered for a moment how the other Fools were holding up. If they were beginning to feel slowed by hunger or lack of sleep. If they were safe, or perhaps under attack.
Shaking his head, he quietly retraced his path to the middle of the first floor and went to the right side of the hallway. Halfway down the corridor he heard a noise that was much different from his stomach - a low moan that came from behind. Speeding up, T.Rex fumbled in the darkness and found the handle for the door at the end of the hall.
The handle moved even less than the left side handle did. A quick check of his crowbar under the door confirmed both sides were likely barricaded. Frustrating, he thought, but that means there's a better chance Jenny is alive. It gave him hope that somebody, perhaps the Hillenbrand Staff together, had attempted to secure the building before being overrun. T.Rex grinned, knowing Jenny would enjoy his optimism.
He had one last shot at getting to the higher floors, and it meant heading towards the noises he heard. Gritting his teeth, T.Rex sneaked back towards the East side elevator lobby. The noise increased as he got closer- by the time he reached the study lounge in the center of the hallway, a pair of groans and a steady wheeze had joined in.
Ryan tiptoed to the corner of the hallway just outside the elevators and paused, listening intently. Another trio of distinct "voices" had joined the nearby cacophony. T.Rex peeked around and saw the empty dining hall lobby, and the dim light at the far end from the broken doors. Somewhat confident the coast was clear, he turned the corner and moved in front of one of the elevators.
Very gingerly, as to not make any noise, he slipped his fingers between the elevator doors and pulled, trying to force them apart. When they didn't budge, he slipped his crowbar into place and strained. The inner door mechanisms clicked backward loudly, and the nearby sounds of undead stopped momentarily.
"Shit!" T.Rex hissed. He heaved, and the outer doors groaned open, nearly drowning out the nearby moans. The elevator doors were just inches apart when the first few zeds staggered into the dining hall lobby, looking for food. They appeared as stark silhouettes in the dimly lit hall, jerking and shuffling towards Ryan.
Desperate, T.Rex placed his foot on the frame of the elevator entrance and used his entire body for leverage. The doors protested at first, but as T.Rex extended his legs they relented. More than a dozen zombies came closing in, mouths open in anticipation.
The doors opened wide enough that the crowbar lost purchase and clattered to the ground, spinning, twisting, threatening to fall through the crack on the floor. T.Rex, with his leg on the wall, fell with it, and he quickly snatched the crowbar and rolled into the elevator. The closest zed managed to stagger in as well, the rest not far behind.
Without electricity or a crowbar holding them open, the elevator doors defaulted to internal springs and began to close slowly and inexorably.
Now confined in the elevator with a single zed, Ryan frantically crawled backwards on his hands and feet to the back corner. The lead zed plodded forward, arms outstretched and eyes wide with hunger.
"Come and get me, you undead piece of shit!" T.Rex yelled, gripping his crowbar with the hook cradled upside down in his palm. The zombie took the challenge and lunged, reaching down for T.Rex's skull.
T.Rex would have none of it. He extended his short arms fully and kept a firm grip on the crowbar as he thrust it upward, screaming with fury. The bottom of the weapon pierced the zed's jaw just behind the chin and hammered upward, splitting undead skin and muscle until it burst through the top of the zombie's skull with a wet crack.
The zed immediately went limp. T.Rex shoved the corpse aside just as the elevator doors shut, plunging the area into complete darkness.
Word Count: 47,286
7:25am
Hillenbrand Parking Garage
T.Rex knew the layout of Hillenbrand Hall inside and out, having lived or worked there in some capacity for six semesters and two summers over the past four years. The residence hall was composed of two large towers that held the students' rooms - both had eight floors each containing 50 two-person suites and a trio of elevators in the center. The suites were arranged in pairs, so that four students shared a common bathroom. Every floor also had a kitchenette, an ironing room, several utility closets, and a large study room in the center. As an upperclassmen hall, the rooms were larger (and more expensive) than most of the other University housing options.
Viewed from the top, the towers were shaped like a pair of "v"s connected at their vertices by a large green-roofed rectangular complex that held Hillenbrand's dining hall and kitchen, main office, computer lab, laundry facilities, and more study lounges. Deep in the basement was a complex maze of storage cells, utilities, and the campus offices for the University Residences Human Resources department.
Armed with a mental blueprint and an abundance of adrenaline, T.Rex took the parking garage stairs two at a time and paused just at the bottom of the stairwell. He stood on his tiptoes and peeked through the window in the door, scanning for zeds.
With no zombies in sight, T.Rex planned to sprint directly to the closest entrance - the rear dining hall doors, right next to the West tower elevators. He was only carrying his crowbar, by now a trusty companion. The rest of his equipment he'd left with the Fools to lighten his load, but it left him feeling naked and unprepared to handle any emergencies.
He took a few calming breaths and gently eased the stairwell door open, peeking around the corner. A single zed stood to a few yards to his right, staring blankly at the sky and wearing nothing but a tattered pair of shorts and a pair of Crocs. T.Rex crept forward, hoping to sneak past the zed before it could utter any warning to other zombies that might be in the area.
The zed sniffed loudly and jerked its body, turning to face T.Rex. When they made eye contact, the creature's jaw dropped in anticipation just before an arrow pierced its skull from above. The zed froze and flopped onto the ground, motionless.
T.Rex threw a quick salute to the Fools on the second story of the parking garage before dashing to his entry point. The glass panels of the doors were gone, replaced by a few jagged shards sticking to the frame. A carpet of broken glass blanketed the surrounding sidewalk, and Ryan did his best to circumvent the obstacle by traipsing through the nearby flowerbed and gingerly stepping through the doorway.
Do I even want to know what made that hole? T.Rex pondered as he entered the building. At least I don't have to worry about my Purdue ID not working in the electronic swipe locks. With the power out I'm pretty sure the doors default to locked and wouldn't open.
The elevator lobby was completely silent. The only light on the ground floor came leaking in from the broken door, and T.Rex took a moment to try and let his eyes adjust. He was used to the comforting glow of fluorescent lights providing bland but functional illumination.
Fighting back a yawn, T.Rex poked the Up button for the elevator. Nothing happened. Of course, he said to himself. Fucking useless. He noted the irony of increased building security against zeds as modern conveniences began to shut down.
During the school year the towers were split by gender, with the farther East tower being the female side. This typically carried over during the summer, when the buildings were used as housing for various programs- run in part by Operations Assistants like Jenny and himself in years past. Last he knew, she was stationed on the fourth floor, so he would begin his ascent from the first floor after crossing the central portion of Hillenbrand. He could only hope that she was still there- it was an awfully large building to have to search room by room.
Glancing to his right he saw the dining hall entrance, quiet and bathed in near-darkness. The lobby in front was normally packed with a line of hungry students, waiting for their allotted meals. Currently, it was devoid of any presence and what little light spilled in quickly faded, creating numerous shadows. Moving slowly, T.Rex listened intently for any noise that might indicate another person or zed nearby. Now cloaked in almost complete darkness, Ryan wished desperately he'd taken a flashlight. Fortunately, he knew his way around quite well.
He moved to the East elevator lobby without incident, and the outside doors on that side were boarded up. Ryan moved through the short hallway beside the elevators, which led him to the first floor rooms. There was a crack of light dead ahead, where the curtains of the study lounge didn't quite overlap. Using that as a guidepost, T.Rex took the left hallway. Gripping his crowbar in his dominant right hand, he kept close to the side of the hall to let his left hand very gently follow the wall. This way, he could count the number of door handles he passed and steady his path in the darkness.
Clunk. The crowbar in T.Rex's hand found the door at the end of the hall with a loud noise, and he immediately froze, heart pounding in his chest. Way to go, slick! The West half of campus probably heard that one! he chided himself. He waited for what felt like an eternity before moving again, hoping above all else nothing was lurking in the hallway.
Reaching out, T.Rex gently tried the handle. The wooden door was supposed to lead to a small anteroom that connected the outside with the stairwell and the first floor, but the handle would not not turn more than a quarter of the way. Damnit, where's my lock picker? T.Rex muttered under his breath. He was just about to turn around when a thought struck him.
When the crowbar struck the door, it sounded a lot denser than I would've guessed. Plus, the handle itself moves, but not all the way. He decided to risk a bit of noise to try and confirm his theory. He stepped back and knocked on a similar door, one that led to a student room. It made a light rap against his knuckle. Knocking on the first door resulted in a much deeper thud. T.Rex crouched down and attempted to slide the thinnest portion of his crowbar under the door.
Just partway in there was a click, and the crowbar would move no more. Yup, he thought, somebody has barricaded the room ahead, I'm guessing with some of the furniture from the nearby rooms. Not a bad idea, as it would keep zeds out of the building, plus keep the ones inside stuck on the ground floors. Unfortunately, that means keeping me out, as well - there's no way I could break through-
A nearby growl caught him by surprise enough to make him jump into the air. T.Rex spun and faced the darkness, terrified but ready to fight for his life. His eyes darted left and right, trying to discern any shapes in the hallway. After several moments he felt a sharp jab to his abdomen as the noise repeated.
T.Rex looked down at his midsection, and then rolled his eyes. His stomach was growling and a normal inconvenience became a condition that could draw unwanted attention to himself. It was the first time he'd consciously thought about food in several hours, and he wondered for a moment how the other Fools were holding up. If they were beginning to feel slowed by hunger or lack of sleep. If they were safe, or perhaps under attack.
Shaking his head, he quietly retraced his path to the middle of the first floor and went to the right side of the hallway. Halfway down the corridor he heard a noise that was much different from his stomach - a low moan that came from behind. Speeding up, T.Rex fumbled in the darkness and found the handle for the door at the end of the hall.
The handle moved even less than the left side handle did. A quick check of his crowbar under the door confirmed both sides were likely barricaded. Frustrating, he thought, but that means there's a better chance Jenny is alive. It gave him hope that somebody, perhaps the Hillenbrand Staff together, had attempted to secure the building before being overrun. T.Rex grinned, knowing Jenny would enjoy his optimism.
He had one last shot at getting to the higher floors, and it meant heading towards the noises he heard. Gritting his teeth, T.Rex sneaked back towards the East side elevator lobby. The noise increased as he got closer- by the time he reached the study lounge in the center of the hallway, a pair of groans and a steady wheeze had joined in.
Ryan tiptoed to the corner of the hallway just outside the elevators and paused, listening intently. Another trio of distinct "voices" had joined the nearby cacophony. T.Rex peeked around and saw the empty dining hall lobby, and the dim light at the far end from the broken doors. Somewhat confident the coast was clear, he turned the corner and moved in front of one of the elevators.
Very gingerly, as to not make any noise, he slipped his fingers between the elevator doors and pulled, trying to force them apart. When they didn't budge, he slipped his crowbar into place and strained. The inner door mechanisms clicked backward loudly, and the nearby sounds of undead stopped momentarily.
"Shit!" T.Rex hissed. He heaved, and the outer doors groaned open, nearly drowning out the nearby moans. The elevator doors were just inches apart when the first few zeds staggered into the dining hall lobby, looking for food. They appeared as stark silhouettes in the dimly lit hall, jerking and shuffling towards Ryan.
Desperate, T.Rex placed his foot on the frame of the elevator entrance and used his entire body for leverage. The doors protested at first, but as T.Rex extended his legs they relented. More than a dozen zombies came closing in, mouths open in anticipation.
The doors opened wide enough that the crowbar lost purchase and clattered to the ground, spinning, twisting, threatening to fall through the crack on the floor. T.Rex, with his leg on the wall, fell with it, and he quickly snatched the crowbar and rolled into the elevator. The closest zed managed to stagger in as well, the rest not far behind.
Without electricity or a crowbar holding them open, the elevator doors defaulted to internal springs and began to close slowly and inexorably.
Now confined in the elevator with a single zed, Ryan frantically crawled backwards on his hands and feet to the back corner. The lead zed plodded forward, arms outstretched and eyes wide with hunger.
"Come and get me, you undead piece of shit!" T.Rex yelled, gripping his crowbar with the hook cradled upside down in his palm. The zombie took the challenge and lunged, reaching down for T.Rex's skull.
T.Rex would have none of it. He extended his short arms fully and kept a firm grip on the crowbar as he thrust it upward, screaming with fury. The bottom of the weapon pierced the zed's jaw just behind the chin and hammered upward, splitting undead skin and muscle until it burst through the top of the zombie's skull with a wet crack.
The zed immediately went limp. T.Rex shoved the corpse aside just as the elevator doors shut, plunging the area into complete darkness.
Word Count: 47,286
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Chapter 32 - Fracture
June 14th, 2008
6:56am
Aviation Drive
Beard glanced around the corner of the control tower, surveying the situation. The rest of the Fools waited anxiously, lined up against the back of the building with weapons drawn.
T.Rex tried to keep his focus on the task at hand - helping guide the Fools through the hostile airport area, en route to Hillenbrand Hall. However, the closer they got to their destination, the harder he found it to concentrate on anything but worrying about Jenny. He wondered if she was hurt, or even still alive. Or worse, a zombie.
"Let's do this," Rubble said, clapping his hands on T.Rex's shoulder. Ryan looked around and saw that he'd been a bit too involved in his thoughts - the rest of the Fools were following Beard at a brisk jog across the airport taxiway. Together, he and Rubble joined them until the entire group paused behind another airport building.
"Two more buildings," Beard warned the group, "and then we're gonna make a mad dash for the treeline. Got it?" Beard looked back at the Fools, who all nodded in succession.
T.Rex nervously adjusted the grip on his crowbar and glanced around. The Fools were holding their ground in an alley between the control tower building and the featureless backside of a large hangar. The group shifted nervously, like a pack of animals expecting an ambush. Ryan knew their path would take them through the main taxiways of the airport before they'd reach the relative safety of the treeline.
Beard crept to the edge of the hangar and peeked around. He quickly turned back and grimaced, before motioning the Fools onward with a violent motion. "Just keep moving!" he hissed as each Fool turned the corner to the previously unseen airport grounds.
T.Rex followed his friends into a haunting scene. The mixed fleet of aircraft owned and operated by the University - normally secured and stored in neat rows by the checklist minded pilots - were gone. In their place was a graveyard of fuel spills and tie-down straps blowing in the wind. Just shy of the entrance ramp to the runway were a pair of high wing aircraft in a mangled heap.
Most likely two pilots tried to jockey for takeoff once the zed invasion was apparent, T.Rex surmised. Power outages at the control tower probably didn't help with communication, either. He could see other signs of ill-conceived departures: broken hangar doors, seats and other non-essential gear tossed aside. One aircraft at the far end of the runway had run out of room before reaching takeoff speed; personal effects strewn about the wreckage indicated the pilot tried unsuccessfully to escape with more than his life.
"C'mon!" Peace whispered, and T.Rex shook his head clear of the CSI-analysis of the airport grounds. They were halfway to the trees when a single zombie flopped out of a nearby airplane and lurched for them. It moaned softly as it plodded forward, still about 15 yards from the group. In a split second Ryan weighed the idea of stopping to silence the lone straggler to cover their exit versus the threat of being caught up in an energy-draining fight with more.
Twang! Rubble's bow sounded as a single arrow flew out and sunk deep into the zed's face. The monster fell over backwards onto the concrete, its face contorted into the closest approximation of a look of surprise it could manage. Most of the Fools glanced over to admire the marksmanship before continuing on, arranged in a loose line formation.
The group paused once more at the edge of an outbuilding to regroup. All were panting to some degree except Beard, who gave a quick glance ahead before signaling to move again. The Fools continued on, crossing over the railroad tracks that marked the Northern airport boundary. They were a soccer field's length from the treeline when Angel Hair's ankle gave out.
"Ack!" Angel Hair cried out in mid-stride, flopping onto the ground. His weapon slid away in the grass but his pack stayed on. Without hesitation Rubble and Kamikaze handed off their weapons before scooping up Angel Hair and continuing to make for the trees. Like a well-oiled machine, Peace grabbed the errant pool cue and did a quick spin, checking for threats. Together, the entire group of Fools managed to hobble to the edge of the forest before stopping to catch their breath.
Gently Rubble and Kamikaze lowered Angel Hair to the ground before joining the rest of the group in a protective circle around him. They all were turned to face the forest around them. "Are you okay?" T.Rex asked over his shoulder between breaths.
"That's the first time I really put a lot of strain on my ankle since I fell on the rooftop," Angel Hair said with a wince, "but I think it might be okay if I can give it some rest." The Fools looked at each other, worried.
We all could use some rest, T.Rex thought, but we don't have time to sit and wait for Angel Hair to get better, nor do we have much in the way of treatment. Sitting around is just going to make us vulnerable, anyway.
Rubble shrugged and placed his equipment on the ground. "C'mon, little buddy," he said, and effortlessly hoisted his friend on his back. Rubble spoke calmly: "If somebody can carry our stuff and we stay out of trouble, I can carry him for a bit."
T.Rex made an executive decision to distribute some of the medicine they'd taken with them from the apartment fortress. He gave a pair of aspirin tablets to Angel Hair and ordered everyone to take a hydration break before setting out into to the woods.
Cautiously the Fools picked their way through the trees, staying close enough to maintain a course parallel to the edge of the woods but far enough in to stay obscured - or so they hoped. They were arrayed in a loose diamond formation, with Beard on point and Peace just behind, Angel Hair piggybacked with Rubble between Kamikaze and Cowboy, with T.Rex bringing up the rear. They traveled in relative silence, only whispering when necessary.
Without thinking about it, the Fools had begun to truly move and act like a single entity as they trekked through the woods. They were reaching a sort of group mind consciousness that was the hallmark of their best performances on stage, and T.Rex noticed. Like in the tunnels, they'd periodically pause to listen for the sounds of danger, to make sure the sounds of their walking wasn't concealing a stalking zed.
The Fools came across a small red sedan that had careened into the forest, flattened some shrubbery, and came to rest embedded at an angle in the trunk of a large oak. T.Rex was incredibly confused for a moment until he realized that St. Route 26 ran through this portion of the woods. With concentration he could make out the paved asphalt a few yards ahead through the trees. They were all so used to the sounds of cars and civilization that the road had simply snuck up on them.
Crossing the road and avoiding the car meant heading deeper into the woods, so the Fools very cautiously followed Beard's lead and backtracked a bit into the trees. Once they reached the edge of the forest farther in, they ran as a group across the road and waited on the other side for any response to the flight. There was none, so they continued on and moved back towards the edge of the forest, closer to Purdue's campus.
On the way T.Rex could see across the road to the wrecked sedan- from the different angle he could see the entire passenger side window was shattered, and a bloody smear coated the entire door. A Papa John's delivery sign lay on the ground near the vehicle, jarred loose from the impact. T.Rex wondered if the delivery person had tried to flee an overrun store, or perhaps swerved to avoid a shadow in the night en route to a delivery, or something worse.
The other side of SR 26 was much more active, and the Fools heard moaning and shuffling in nearly all directions. Still, they reached the Eastern edge of the woods without any encounters. They paused, and T.Rex strode to the front to address the Fools.
"I don't think I have to tell you that this next part is crucial," he began, "but we're very close to Hillenbrand. We have to cover a lot of open ground to get past Purdue West, and then we'll make for the parking garage just behind the residence hall. Questions?"
The Fools were tense, alert, and ready to go. Nobody objected, and T.Rex signaled for the group to move. They burst from the woods and jogged across McCormick Road, heading for the parking lot behind the Purdue West Shopping Center.
Most of the cars were missing from the parking lot, so Beard motioned for them to continue on rather than try and pause behind the sparse cover. They reached the complex and paused, resting against the front of a for-rent office space. T.Rex saw a handful of shapes nearby beginning to stir, no doubt zeds looking for their next meal.
Just then the pane of glass the Fools were resting on wobbled with a loud bang and the group spun, nearly losing Angel Hair in the process. A trio of zombies pressed themselves against the glass trying to get to the Fools, dragging their fingers against the glass with such force that their decaying skin began to slough off. The screams of the zeds were muffled by the glass and the surprised screams of the Fools in response.
"MOVE!" Beard said, and the Fools took off after him. They rounded the corner and sprinted through the shopping complex, the sounds of glass shattering in the distance. They ran faster, striking down a pair of skinny zeds in track jackets in their way. With the path clear they ran out into the early daybreak and across McCutcheon Drive. They didn't stop until they were in the shadows of the ground floor of the parking garage.
Panting, T.Rex began to walk up the ramp to the second floor, determined to finish the job they'd started. The rest of the Fools followed him, exhausted from their sprint from the woods. Angel Hair had to duck to fit under the parking garage pipes. It was only when they reached the second floor overlooking the rear entrance to Hillenbrand that T.Rex stopped and dropped his equipment on the floor.
"I'm going in there," he said, pointing to the residence hall, "and I need you guys to wait here for me while I go rescue Jenny." He paused to catch his breath, and the entire group objected.
"What about the buddy system!?" Rubble said.
"What if you get lost?" Cowboy asked.
"Or surrounded by zeds?" Beard snorted.
T.Rex waved his hand and cut them off. "No. I'm doing this alone. I know the building better than anybody, and I've worked there and lived there longer than most of you have been Fools. Another person is just going to slow me down and make too much noise if I have to change plans on the fly, and I may need to squeeze through some pretty small spaces. I'm going to run in, break or kill anything in my way, grab my girlfriend, and then meet you back here. I need you all to cover me and make sure I- we have a safe exit. Got it?"
Ryan expected the group to object, possibly to the point where he would have to stay and they would go rescue Jenny. Instead, they slowly nodded and one by one raised their hands in salute.
He slowly picked up his crowbar and returned the gesture with his free hand. He took off, jogging for the garage stairwell. He looked back and saw Rubble counting his remaining arrows. Kamikaze grimly picked up Ryan's rifle and glanced through the scope. They would cover his assault on Hillenbrand while the rest of the Fools armed up, ready to defend their garage spot from any and all threats.
As T.Rex reached the door to the stairwell his mind was racing.
How the hell am I gonna pull this one off?
Word Count: 45,300
6:56am
Aviation Drive
Beard glanced around the corner of the control tower, surveying the situation. The rest of the Fools waited anxiously, lined up against the back of the building with weapons drawn.
T.Rex tried to keep his focus on the task at hand - helping guide the Fools through the hostile airport area, en route to Hillenbrand Hall. However, the closer they got to their destination, the harder he found it to concentrate on anything but worrying about Jenny. He wondered if she was hurt, or even still alive. Or worse, a zombie.
"Let's do this," Rubble said, clapping his hands on T.Rex's shoulder. Ryan looked around and saw that he'd been a bit too involved in his thoughts - the rest of the Fools were following Beard at a brisk jog across the airport taxiway. Together, he and Rubble joined them until the entire group paused behind another airport building.
"Two more buildings," Beard warned the group, "and then we're gonna make a mad dash for the treeline. Got it?" Beard looked back at the Fools, who all nodded in succession.
T.Rex nervously adjusted the grip on his crowbar and glanced around. The Fools were holding their ground in an alley between the control tower building and the featureless backside of a large hangar. The group shifted nervously, like a pack of animals expecting an ambush. Ryan knew their path would take them through the main taxiways of the airport before they'd reach the relative safety of the treeline.
Beard crept to the edge of the hangar and peeked around. He quickly turned back and grimaced, before motioning the Fools onward with a violent motion. "Just keep moving!" he hissed as each Fool turned the corner to the previously unseen airport grounds.
T.Rex followed his friends into a haunting scene. The mixed fleet of aircraft owned and operated by the University - normally secured and stored in neat rows by the checklist minded pilots - were gone. In their place was a graveyard of fuel spills and tie-down straps blowing in the wind. Just shy of the entrance ramp to the runway were a pair of high wing aircraft in a mangled heap.
Most likely two pilots tried to jockey for takeoff once the zed invasion was apparent, T.Rex surmised. Power outages at the control tower probably didn't help with communication, either. He could see other signs of ill-conceived departures: broken hangar doors, seats and other non-essential gear tossed aside. One aircraft at the far end of the runway had run out of room before reaching takeoff speed; personal effects strewn about the wreckage indicated the pilot tried unsuccessfully to escape with more than his life.
"C'mon!" Peace whispered, and T.Rex shook his head clear of the CSI-analysis of the airport grounds. They were halfway to the trees when a single zombie flopped out of a nearby airplane and lurched for them. It moaned softly as it plodded forward, still about 15 yards from the group. In a split second Ryan weighed the idea of stopping to silence the lone straggler to cover their exit versus the threat of being caught up in an energy-draining fight with more.
Twang! Rubble's bow sounded as a single arrow flew out and sunk deep into the zed's face. The monster fell over backwards onto the concrete, its face contorted into the closest approximation of a look of surprise it could manage. Most of the Fools glanced over to admire the marksmanship before continuing on, arranged in a loose line formation.
The group paused once more at the edge of an outbuilding to regroup. All were panting to some degree except Beard, who gave a quick glance ahead before signaling to move again. The Fools continued on, crossing over the railroad tracks that marked the Northern airport boundary. They were a soccer field's length from the treeline when Angel Hair's ankle gave out.
"Ack!" Angel Hair cried out in mid-stride, flopping onto the ground. His weapon slid away in the grass but his pack stayed on. Without hesitation Rubble and Kamikaze handed off their weapons before scooping up Angel Hair and continuing to make for the trees. Like a well-oiled machine, Peace grabbed the errant pool cue and did a quick spin, checking for threats. Together, the entire group of Fools managed to hobble to the edge of the forest before stopping to catch their breath.
Gently Rubble and Kamikaze lowered Angel Hair to the ground before joining the rest of the group in a protective circle around him. They all were turned to face the forest around them. "Are you okay?" T.Rex asked over his shoulder between breaths.
"That's the first time I really put a lot of strain on my ankle since I fell on the rooftop," Angel Hair said with a wince, "but I think it might be okay if I can give it some rest." The Fools looked at each other, worried.
We all could use some rest, T.Rex thought, but we don't have time to sit and wait for Angel Hair to get better, nor do we have much in the way of treatment. Sitting around is just going to make us vulnerable, anyway.
Rubble shrugged and placed his equipment on the ground. "C'mon, little buddy," he said, and effortlessly hoisted his friend on his back. Rubble spoke calmly: "If somebody can carry our stuff and we stay out of trouble, I can carry him for a bit."
T.Rex made an executive decision to distribute some of the medicine they'd taken with them from the apartment fortress. He gave a pair of aspirin tablets to Angel Hair and ordered everyone to take a hydration break before setting out into to the woods.
Cautiously the Fools picked their way through the trees, staying close enough to maintain a course parallel to the edge of the woods but far enough in to stay obscured - or so they hoped. They were arrayed in a loose diamond formation, with Beard on point and Peace just behind, Angel Hair piggybacked with Rubble between Kamikaze and Cowboy, with T.Rex bringing up the rear. They traveled in relative silence, only whispering when necessary.
Without thinking about it, the Fools had begun to truly move and act like a single entity as they trekked through the woods. They were reaching a sort of group mind consciousness that was the hallmark of their best performances on stage, and T.Rex noticed. Like in the tunnels, they'd periodically pause to listen for the sounds of danger, to make sure the sounds of their walking wasn't concealing a stalking zed.
The Fools came across a small red sedan that had careened into the forest, flattened some shrubbery, and came to rest embedded at an angle in the trunk of a large oak. T.Rex was incredibly confused for a moment until he realized that St. Route 26 ran through this portion of the woods. With concentration he could make out the paved asphalt a few yards ahead through the trees. They were all so used to the sounds of cars and civilization that the road had simply snuck up on them.
Crossing the road and avoiding the car meant heading deeper into the woods, so the Fools very cautiously followed Beard's lead and backtracked a bit into the trees. Once they reached the edge of the forest farther in, they ran as a group across the road and waited on the other side for any response to the flight. There was none, so they continued on and moved back towards the edge of the forest, closer to Purdue's campus.
On the way T.Rex could see across the road to the wrecked sedan- from the different angle he could see the entire passenger side window was shattered, and a bloody smear coated the entire door. A Papa John's delivery sign lay on the ground near the vehicle, jarred loose from the impact. T.Rex wondered if the delivery person had tried to flee an overrun store, or perhaps swerved to avoid a shadow in the night en route to a delivery, or something worse.
The other side of SR 26 was much more active, and the Fools heard moaning and shuffling in nearly all directions. Still, they reached the Eastern edge of the woods without any encounters. They paused, and T.Rex strode to the front to address the Fools.
"I don't think I have to tell you that this next part is crucial," he began, "but we're very close to Hillenbrand. We have to cover a lot of open ground to get past Purdue West, and then we'll make for the parking garage just behind the residence hall. Questions?"
The Fools were tense, alert, and ready to go. Nobody objected, and T.Rex signaled for the group to move. They burst from the woods and jogged across McCormick Road, heading for the parking lot behind the Purdue West Shopping Center.
Most of the cars were missing from the parking lot, so Beard motioned for them to continue on rather than try and pause behind the sparse cover. They reached the complex and paused, resting against the front of a for-rent office space. T.Rex saw a handful of shapes nearby beginning to stir, no doubt zeds looking for their next meal.
Just then the pane of glass the Fools were resting on wobbled with a loud bang and the group spun, nearly losing Angel Hair in the process. A trio of zombies pressed themselves against the glass trying to get to the Fools, dragging their fingers against the glass with such force that their decaying skin began to slough off. The screams of the zeds were muffled by the glass and the surprised screams of the Fools in response.
"MOVE!" Beard said, and the Fools took off after him. They rounded the corner and sprinted through the shopping complex, the sounds of glass shattering in the distance. They ran faster, striking down a pair of skinny zeds in track jackets in their way. With the path clear they ran out into the early daybreak and across McCutcheon Drive. They didn't stop until they were in the shadows of the ground floor of the parking garage.
Panting, T.Rex began to walk up the ramp to the second floor, determined to finish the job they'd started. The rest of the Fools followed him, exhausted from their sprint from the woods. Angel Hair had to duck to fit under the parking garage pipes. It was only when they reached the second floor overlooking the rear entrance to Hillenbrand that T.Rex stopped and dropped his equipment on the floor.
"I'm going in there," he said, pointing to the residence hall, "and I need you guys to wait here for me while I go rescue Jenny." He paused to catch his breath, and the entire group objected.
"What about the buddy system!?" Rubble said.
"What if you get lost?" Cowboy asked.
"Or surrounded by zeds?" Beard snorted.
T.Rex waved his hand and cut them off. "No. I'm doing this alone. I know the building better than anybody, and I've worked there and lived there longer than most of you have been Fools. Another person is just going to slow me down and make too much noise if I have to change plans on the fly, and I may need to squeeze through some pretty small spaces. I'm going to run in, break or kill anything in my way, grab my girlfriend, and then meet you back here. I need you all to cover me and make sure I- we have a safe exit. Got it?"
Ryan expected the group to object, possibly to the point where he would have to stay and they would go rescue Jenny. Instead, they slowly nodded and one by one raised their hands in salute.
He slowly picked up his crowbar and returned the gesture with his free hand. He took off, jogging for the garage stairwell. He looked back and saw Rubble counting his remaining arrows. Kamikaze grimly picked up Ryan's rifle and glanced through the scope. They would cover his assault on Hillenbrand while the rest of the Fools armed up, ready to defend their garage spot from any and all threats.
As T.Rex reached the door to the stairwell his mind was racing.
How the hell am I gonna pull this one off?
Word Count: 45,300
Monday, August 18, 2008
Another Delay
Vacation, concert, moving, and getting ready for back to school.
New chapter soon, but once classes start (August 25) I think I may scale back to going for a new chapter every other week, at least until I get used to things. So close...
New chapter soon, but once classes start (August 25) I think I may scale back to going for a new chapter every other week, at least until I get used to things. So close...
Monday, August 4, 2008
Chapter 31 - On Approach
June 14th, 2008
6:33am
KLAF Maintenance Terminal
"I don't expect any trouble topside," T.Rex cautioned the Fools around him, "but just in case, let's pair off, with one person carrying double bags and the other ready to clear any threat. That said, grab your gear and climb up when you're ready, and once we're all up we'll evaluate the situation from there."
Ryan stayed at the bottom of the maintenance room, checking each pair and helping Fools shoulder extra equipment before sending them up the rungs. Peace carried Beard's bags and Angel Hair chivalrously offered to carry Kamikaze's equipment. That left just Cowboy and T.Rex standing at the bottom of the ladder.
Cowboy shifted his feet impatiently, glancing up at the outlet in the ceiling. "I take it you wanna go first?" T.Rex asked preemptively.
"Please?" Cowboy said with a wide grin, bouncing up and down.
T.Rex motioned towards the ladder and Cowboy sprung into action, grabbing his bat and racing up the rungs. Chuckling, T.Rex took one last look around the room, taking advantage of the faint light to look around for items they might have missed. Satisfied, he grabbed his own pack before slinging Cowboy's supplies over his shoulder.
It was a short climb up the rungs, and the increasing sunlight felt comforting to T.Rex as he neared the exit. Near the top he held on with his right hand and readjusted the packs with his left, to better fit through the narrow hole. Finally, with the help of the Fools already out, he exited Purdue's tunnel system.
Rubble, Beard, Cowboy and Kamikaze stood around the exit with weapons drawn, scanning the immediate area for any threat. Angel Hair was combing over the equipment, checking the bags in the early sunlight. When T.Rex emerged, they looked at him with a mixture of expressions, most of which looked less than impressed.
T.Rex looked around, confused. They were standing just a few feet from where he had predicted they would exit, and he was pretty proud of that. "What?" he said, defensively.
Peace spoke first. "I thought we'd get out somewhere closer than the airport."
The Fools were standing near the center of the Purdue University Airport, the first university owned airport in the US. It occupied a large piece of land covered almost entirely by concrete, located to the immediate Southwest of campus. The land was dominated by the two medium sized asphalt runways at the Southern end. The primary runway ran approximately East-West, while the smaller secondary runway was oriented Northeast to Southwest. Closer to campus was a series of hangars and buildings that housed classrooms, workshops, and other related buildings.
"Look," T.Rex began, "There aren't many tunnels that run directly under residence halls, and those that do are pretty well sealed up. I studied the maintenance maps, and this was the closest exit I could find that didn't put us smack dab in the middle of a building full of people. I didn't want us to have to fight our way out, okay?"
The Fools grumbled, clearly unhappy with the result, and T.Rex was slightly annoyed. He tried to ignore that feeling and concentrate on his next idea, the one that made the airport an especially attractive destination.
Kamikaze was never one to suffer petty squabbles when there was a more important goal. "Where next, T.Rex?" she asked above the chattering of the Fools.
Ryan swung around and pointed to the tan colored building closer to campus. "Next, we head to the control tower."
Rubble and Angel Hair dragged the tunnel cover back, sealing away their exit, as the rest of the group gathered up their equipment. The Fools jogged together across the barren airport grounds unopposed, reaching the tower in moments.
Just outside the squat building, they paused as T.Rex tried the rear entrance. It was locked, just like most of the doors they'd come across. It was not, however, as heavily secured. Frustrated, T.Rex jammed his crowbar into the door frame and wrenched it backwards, ripping apart the locking mechanism inside.
The door swung open, revealing an eerily quiet interior. Several cubicles defined the ground floor in front of the Fools, arrayed in a standard grid pattern. Identical computers graced each workspace, with a Xerox machine visible at the end of the hallway formed by the cubicle walls.
"I don't like this," Beard growled from the rear. "Plenty of crevices for zeds to hide in."
T.Rex scanned the walls, looking intently for access to the tower. "I'm not asking you to like it," he said over his shoulder, "but I am asking you guys to hold down the fort while I take a look around upstairs." He started to walk the perimeter of the room, neck craned as he searched for a way up.
"I think somebody should go with you," Rubble pointed out as the rest of the Fools slowly began to canvass the room.
T.Rex stopped, remembering his own rules about the buddy system. "Good point," he conceded. "Cowboy, you're with me," he said, waving his friend over.
Cowboy ran over as T.Rex found the elevator. T.Rex clicked the up button several times, but nothing happened. "Figures," T.Rex muttered. Together, T.Rex and Cowboy followed the edge of the room until they came across a nook in the back wall that contained the stairwell.
"We'll be back in just a few minutes," T.Rex shouted to the other Fools before easing the stairwell door open.
T.Rex leaned over the railing and saw that the staircase extended several flights upward before ending. He led the way up the stairs, in his head cursing the lack of power in the building as they passed the sixth floor. Finally, after ten flights, they entered the control room, slightly winded.
The control room featured a 360 degree view of the landscape around them. Rows of specialized computer terminals lined the walls, and a massive center console featured hundreds of switches and dials. The room was silent.
Cowboy turned to T.Rex. "You're a pilot, right?" he said. "Can you call for help on all of this stuff?"
T.Rex slumped his shoulders as he ran his fingers lightly over the dormant consoles. He thought back to his flight lessons and a wistful and nostalgic feeling washed over him. "I wish, man. Maybe if we had power I could sit down and figure some of this stuff out, but I'm used to tiny little airplane radio controls, not this massive center. And technically I never got my license."
"What if we found a plane?" Cowboy asked, rooting through a drawer of terminal charts.
Ryan searched his bag. "That's a tricky problem. A tiny Cessna or even a low wing Piper I'm pretty sure I could handle. But anything I had a chance at figuring out on such short notice would be far too small for the seven- no, eight of us. Then, at this airport specifically, the next smallest plane is a huge jet, and I have no experience with those things. I maybe could land one in an emergency, but that's probably pushing it.
"That's assuming, of course, we found a plane that didn't have a prop lock. Or a throttle lock. And we found fuel, and it was the right kind, and I could work out the weight balance, and there was a place we could go that had a clear place to land, and... and... well, there's a lot of stuff. Let's just say don't count on us flying into the sunset to safety, okay?"
Cowboy flicked a few dead switches on the wall nearby. "Weaksauce, man."
T.Rex found his binoculars in his pack and gingerly removed them from the case. He stood and began to survey the campus around him, soaking in a view most students could only dream of.
To the East, the sun was just beginning to clear over the far end of campus. A thin column of smoke rose in the distance, illuminated by the sun's rays. To the South, a large thicket of trees and construction preceded the Wabash River. To the West was the bulk of the airport runway, and it gently faded into fields of corn.
Adjusting the focus on the lens, T.Rex looked North and tried to concentrate on the very end of campus. He could see several buildings of Purdue Village, the housing district for married students. Around those houses were many zeds, including a few that were quite small.
Most likely little kids, he thought with a shudder. Poor little guys probably never had a chance.
Shifting his gaze slightly, T.Rex followed Airport Road past the Village and found McCutcheon Hall. He took a few steps to his left and just a bit of Hillenbrand Hall came into view. He frantically scanned his girlfriend's building, looking for any sort of sign of survivors or distress. Every window was covered with curtains or was dark, holding no answers. The sidewalks around Hillenbrand were empty, except for a single silhouette lurching aimlessly. The roof was emtpy.
What were you expecting? T.Rex mocked himself. That Jenny would be standing in one of the windows waving back? She's probably hiding in one of the rooms trying not to draw attention to herself. Now quit fucking around and go get her!
Placing the binoculars back in the case, T.Rex looked at Cowboy. "We're done here," he said with a steely gaze.
T.Rex and Cowboy quickly descended to the ground floor. Ryan shoved open the stairwell door and headed for the exit. Without breaking stride he called out to the Fools, "Recon complete, let's get going."
The improv team gathered outside the control tower, waiting for further instructions.
"Beard," T.Rex called out. "I want you up front now. Plot us a course to the Western edge of campus, just skirting the edge of the forest that holds the high ropes course, the one near the soccer fields. You know what I'm talking about?"
Beard just nodded.
"We follow that course to the Northern edge of Purdue West. We'll cut in, straight through the parking garages, and that'll put us right behind Hillenbrand. Got it?"
Beard nodded again and peeked around the corner of the control tower, surveying the airport buildings. He began looking for zeds and potential cover. The rest of the Fools geared up, ready to move at a moment's notice.
"Are you sure we should go into the woods?" Rubble whispered to T.Rex, sounding very unsure of the plans.
T.Rex shouldered his pack. "It's getting light out, and if we just make a mad dash for Hillenbrand, every zombie in Purdue Village is going to come after us. If we stay inside the trees, that will hopefully obscure our movement enough to make it to Jenny without alerting all those zeds."
I'm getting sick of all of these plans ending up someplace not Hillenbrand, T.Rex thought.
Current Word Count: 43,236
6:33am
KLAF Maintenance Terminal
"I don't expect any trouble topside," T.Rex cautioned the Fools around him, "but just in case, let's pair off, with one person carrying double bags and the other ready to clear any threat. That said, grab your gear and climb up when you're ready, and once we're all up we'll evaluate the situation from there."
Ryan stayed at the bottom of the maintenance room, checking each pair and helping Fools shoulder extra equipment before sending them up the rungs. Peace carried Beard's bags and Angel Hair chivalrously offered to carry Kamikaze's equipment. That left just Cowboy and T.Rex standing at the bottom of the ladder.
Cowboy shifted his feet impatiently, glancing up at the outlet in the ceiling. "I take it you wanna go first?" T.Rex asked preemptively.
"Please?" Cowboy said with a wide grin, bouncing up and down.
T.Rex motioned towards the ladder and Cowboy sprung into action, grabbing his bat and racing up the rungs. Chuckling, T.Rex took one last look around the room, taking advantage of the faint light to look around for items they might have missed. Satisfied, he grabbed his own pack before slinging Cowboy's supplies over his shoulder.
It was a short climb up the rungs, and the increasing sunlight felt comforting to T.Rex as he neared the exit. Near the top he held on with his right hand and readjusted the packs with his left, to better fit through the narrow hole. Finally, with the help of the Fools already out, he exited Purdue's tunnel system.
Rubble, Beard, Cowboy and Kamikaze stood around the exit with weapons drawn, scanning the immediate area for any threat. Angel Hair was combing over the equipment, checking the bags in the early sunlight. When T.Rex emerged, they looked at him with a mixture of expressions, most of which looked less than impressed.
T.Rex looked around, confused. They were standing just a few feet from where he had predicted they would exit, and he was pretty proud of that. "What?" he said, defensively.
Peace spoke first. "I thought we'd get out somewhere closer than the airport."
The Fools were standing near the center of the Purdue University Airport, the first university owned airport in the US. It occupied a large piece of land covered almost entirely by concrete, located to the immediate Southwest of campus. The land was dominated by the two medium sized asphalt runways at the Southern end. The primary runway ran approximately East-West, while the smaller secondary runway was oriented Northeast to Southwest. Closer to campus was a series of hangars and buildings that housed classrooms, workshops, and other related buildings.
"Look," T.Rex began, "There aren't many tunnels that run directly under residence halls, and those that do are pretty well sealed up. I studied the maintenance maps, and this was the closest exit I could find that didn't put us smack dab in the middle of a building full of people. I didn't want us to have to fight our way out, okay?"
The Fools grumbled, clearly unhappy with the result, and T.Rex was slightly annoyed. He tried to ignore that feeling and concentrate on his next idea, the one that made the airport an especially attractive destination.
Kamikaze was never one to suffer petty squabbles when there was a more important goal. "Where next, T.Rex?" she asked above the chattering of the Fools.
Ryan swung around and pointed to the tan colored building closer to campus. "Next, we head to the control tower."
Rubble and Angel Hair dragged the tunnel cover back, sealing away their exit, as the rest of the group gathered up their equipment. The Fools jogged together across the barren airport grounds unopposed, reaching the tower in moments.
Just outside the squat building, they paused as T.Rex tried the rear entrance. It was locked, just like most of the doors they'd come across. It was not, however, as heavily secured. Frustrated, T.Rex jammed his crowbar into the door frame and wrenched it backwards, ripping apart the locking mechanism inside.
The door swung open, revealing an eerily quiet interior. Several cubicles defined the ground floor in front of the Fools, arrayed in a standard grid pattern. Identical computers graced each workspace, with a Xerox machine visible at the end of the hallway formed by the cubicle walls.
"I don't like this," Beard growled from the rear. "Plenty of crevices for zeds to hide in."
T.Rex scanned the walls, looking intently for access to the tower. "I'm not asking you to like it," he said over his shoulder, "but I am asking you guys to hold down the fort while I take a look around upstairs." He started to walk the perimeter of the room, neck craned as he searched for a way up.
"I think somebody should go with you," Rubble pointed out as the rest of the Fools slowly began to canvass the room.
T.Rex stopped, remembering his own rules about the buddy system. "Good point," he conceded. "Cowboy, you're with me," he said, waving his friend over.
Cowboy ran over as T.Rex found the elevator. T.Rex clicked the up button several times, but nothing happened. "Figures," T.Rex muttered. Together, T.Rex and Cowboy followed the edge of the room until they came across a nook in the back wall that contained the stairwell.
"We'll be back in just a few minutes," T.Rex shouted to the other Fools before easing the stairwell door open.
T.Rex leaned over the railing and saw that the staircase extended several flights upward before ending. He led the way up the stairs, in his head cursing the lack of power in the building as they passed the sixth floor. Finally, after ten flights, they entered the control room, slightly winded.
The control room featured a 360 degree view of the landscape around them. Rows of specialized computer terminals lined the walls, and a massive center console featured hundreds of switches and dials. The room was silent.
Cowboy turned to T.Rex. "You're a pilot, right?" he said. "Can you call for help on all of this stuff?"
T.Rex slumped his shoulders as he ran his fingers lightly over the dormant consoles. He thought back to his flight lessons and a wistful and nostalgic feeling washed over him. "I wish, man. Maybe if we had power I could sit down and figure some of this stuff out, but I'm used to tiny little airplane radio controls, not this massive center. And technically I never got my license."
"What if we found a plane?" Cowboy asked, rooting through a drawer of terminal charts.
Ryan searched his bag. "That's a tricky problem. A tiny Cessna or even a low wing Piper I'm pretty sure I could handle. But anything I had a chance at figuring out on such short notice would be far too small for the seven- no, eight of us. Then, at this airport specifically, the next smallest plane is a huge jet, and I have no experience with those things. I maybe could land one in an emergency, but that's probably pushing it.
"That's assuming, of course, we found a plane that didn't have a prop lock. Or a throttle lock. And we found fuel, and it was the right kind, and I could work out the weight balance, and there was a place we could go that had a clear place to land, and... and... well, there's a lot of stuff. Let's just say don't count on us flying into the sunset to safety, okay?"
Cowboy flicked a few dead switches on the wall nearby. "Weaksauce, man."
T.Rex found his binoculars in his pack and gingerly removed them from the case. He stood and began to survey the campus around him, soaking in a view most students could only dream of.
To the East, the sun was just beginning to clear over the far end of campus. A thin column of smoke rose in the distance, illuminated by the sun's rays. To the South, a large thicket of trees and construction preceded the Wabash River. To the West was the bulk of the airport runway, and it gently faded into fields of corn.
Adjusting the focus on the lens, T.Rex looked North and tried to concentrate on the very end of campus. He could see several buildings of Purdue Village, the housing district for married students. Around those houses were many zeds, including a few that were quite small.
Most likely little kids, he thought with a shudder. Poor little guys probably never had a chance.
Shifting his gaze slightly, T.Rex followed Airport Road past the Village and found McCutcheon Hall. He took a few steps to his left and just a bit of Hillenbrand Hall came into view. He frantically scanned his girlfriend's building, looking for any sort of sign of survivors or distress. Every window was covered with curtains or was dark, holding no answers. The sidewalks around Hillenbrand were empty, except for a single silhouette lurching aimlessly. The roof was emtpy.
What were you expecting? T.Rex mocked himself. That Jenny would be standing in one of the windows waving back? She's probably hiding in one of the rooms trying not to draw attention to herself. Now quit fucking around and go get her!
Placing the binoculars back in the case, T.Rex looked at Cowboy. "We're done here," he said with a steely gaze.
T.Rex and Cowboy quickly descended to the ground floor. Ryan shoved open the stairwell door and headed for the exit. Without breaking stride he called out to the Fools, "Recon complete, let's get going."
The improv team gathered outside the control tower, waiting for further instructions.
"Beard," T.Rex called out. "I want you up front now. Plot us a course to the Western edge of campus, just skirting the edge of the forest that holds the high ropes course, the one near the soccer fields. You know what I'm talking about?"
Beard just nodded.
"We follow that course to the Northern edge of Purdue West. We'll cut in, straight through the parking garages, and that'll put us right behind Hillenbrand. Got it?"
Beard nodded again and peeked around the corner of the control tower, surveying the airport buildings. He began looking for zeds and potential cover. The rest of the Fools geared up, ready to move at a moment's notice.
"Are you sure we should go into the woods?" Rubble whispered to T.Rex, sounding very unsure of the plans.
T.Rex shouldered his pack. "It's getting light out, and if we just make a mad dash for Hillenbrand, every zombie in Purdue Village is going to come after us. If we stay inside the trees, that will hopefully obscure our movement enough to make it to Jenny without alerting all those zeds."
I'm getting sick of all of these plans ending up someplace not Hillenbrand, T.Rex thought.
Current Word Count: 43,236
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