Zombie Files: Bartle Four Part 2

Bartle Four Part 2: Born to Die

Photo provided by: http://hs-olympics.tumblr.com

The coordinates encoded on the brunette’s holotape pointed towards a town sixty miles south of Reverie. Spades was sketching out possible routes when Heartless returned with the other two men. Looking up from his work he noticed the look of concern on their faces. “I know how much you all hate going out there. Hell, I wish I didn’t have to ask for your help but my hands are tied.” Spades slide the holotape into the projector hoping that the brunette’s message could show the men the urgency of the situation. The brunette materialized in front of the men revealing the reason they were called to meet Spades. Clubs rubbed the bridge of his nose as if contemplating some abstract thought. He looked weary, his eyes sunken behind black bags. He spent most of his night tinkering in his private lab. Most of the things in Reverie still worked properly thanks to him. Before he called Reverie home Clubs spent most of his days helping with repairs on a ship called Hyperion making him a very skilled mechanic. Spades flip the holotape off and examined the men standing in his living room for their reaction to he news. Clubs broke out of his trance. “Well, I guess if she has an answer to the contaminated water problem then your right, Spades. We really don’t have a choice. It will only be a few months until the water supply here is almost depleted. I guess back into the waste we go, my friends.” Clubs tried to finish his statement with a smirk in his voice. The other man, Diamonds, stood silently with a grave look of concern on his face. 

Photo provided by: http://www.flash-screen.com

The Bartle Four began the preparations needed for the mission they were about to embark on. They each slide into their modified lightweight exo-skeleton diving suits. The suits were once used by the scientist in charge of maintenance for the thermo power convertor located over the volcanic vent in the aquatic bio-dome. The generator was implanted in case a freak disaster was to cut-off outside resources necessary to keep the bio-dome experiment running. Clubs managed to modify the suits into a combat like impact armor mostly used to prevent Vacant bites, but it also could slow low-caliber bullets. Each suit also came with a helmet with a detachable breathing mask. These helmets contained a M.A.C. (mask augmented communication), which is a secure shortwave communication system with a range of a hundred yards. This allowed scientist to communicate with one another when they had to dive underwater to check the thermo generator. Once suited up in their armor, each man took their mask, which had their call sign logos etched into the side, and placed them in their duffle bags. They each strapped their preferred firearm of choice to the magnetic holster implanted on the thigh of the suit and grabbed enough ammo to kill a small army of Vacants. Tossing the duffle bags over their shoulders the Bartle Four embarked on a deadly mission that held no promise of return but a hope for tomorrow.  

Photo provided by: Peoplesrepulicofart.typepad.com

 Slivers of moonlight escaped from the cloud choked sky, illuminating the shambling Vacants in the baron wasteland. They reached lethargically towards the slow passing truck. Diamonds taps on the electric truck’s digital read out in hopes the low energy warning is only a malfunction. Spades plays the holotape for what seem like the twenty times claiming to only be checking the coordinates the brunette had encoded. Heartless was sitting in the bed of the truck meticulously inspecting every nook and cranny of his twin Rugers. The origins of these guns have always been a mystery, but the condition and modification of the Rugers showed that they were Heartless’ prize possession. Clubs watched the madman silently in the bed of the truck running his pointer finger across the symbol etched in his mask. The Bartle Four took him in after he had been separated from his old community. These were the only people he considered friends now. KABLOOM. The intensity of the roar broke the glass out of the windows showering the men and their surrounding with slivers of silver shards like rain. Clubs watched as if time slowed down. The rear of the truck was consumed by a flash of blinding light leaving behind a jungle of bent metal reaching towards the sky. The impact hit the truck bed with enough force to flip the truck violently forward propelling the back passengers through the air. Feeling weightless as if swimming through the atmosphere, Clubs could see the grass blowing gently in a breeze. The clouds seem to be slowly tumbling in the sky as dust and debris mixed with shrapnel smoke. He watched Heartless’ silhouette fall and crumble into a heap on the ground below. Time began to speed back up as the ground came rushing to break Clubs fall. He stuck his arms out in a desperate attempt to cushion his descent. He felt a heavy thud and drifted into darkness.

Photo provided by: http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/California

 His vision swam with swirling lights and shadowy voices. He felt two men dragging him by his arms. Clubs tried to focus his vision but his neck felt to weak to support the weight of his head. Thoughts jumbled in his mind as if he was trying to read broken sentences. A methodical flash of light burst above at least let him know the men were dragging him inside through a hallway. Only one noise seems to be audible over his heartbeat pulsing in his ears. A distinctive laugh, a laugh of a madman. A feeling of nausea washed over Clubs and he could swear that the noise was Heartless laughing. A soft whisper rolled from his blood-cracked lips “they took my mask” as his consciousness plunged back into obscurity.  

Photo provided by: flickriver.com

Diamonds was sitting under a tree watching the sunset when he noticed the little boy running across the field. The little boy seemed determined to reach whatever destination he was running towards. As the boy got closer he noticed that the boy was yelling and a persistent beeping could be heard in the breeze. “It is time. It is time.” Diamonds reached out for the child, but his arms felt as if they were made of lead and the child was just out of his grasp. “It is time. It is time,” the kid repeated as he danced around Diamonds. “It is time.” The beeping was beginning to ring in Diamonds ears as he thought how familiar the child looked. “Why do you keep saying that child? Come here and tell me what it is time for.” Diamonds wiped the sweat away from his brow and tried to see what was making the beeping sound that seemed to ring inside his head now. The child tiptoed slowly towards Diamonds until he was staring him in his eyes, only inches away. “Well it is time for you to wake up, silly.” The child seemed to fade into the air as Diamonds tried to grab hold of him and he realized his hands were covered in blood. As if catapulted from a bad dream, Diamonds snapped back to reality and realized he was hanging in the truck's cab by his seatbelt. The dash was blinking wildly with logos symbolizing malfunctions and screeching warnings with a persistent beep. Blood ran down his forehead and dripped onto his right hand. His seatbelt kept him suspended in the air like a half broken piñata. “Fuck. What the hell is going on? Spades? Spades are you alright?” Confusion mixed with chaos had Diamonds in a near state of shock when he noticed the gathering crowd of Vacants surrounding the overturned truck. “Oh fuck they can smell the blood. I have to get out of here now before they completely surround me.” Talking out each step to try and maintain his composure, he then noticed the unconscious body of Spades begin slowly pulled by his feet out the broken windshield. The Vacants were dragging him into a feeding frenzy and his armor had split open from the neck down to his chest.

-Chris