Teaser: John O’Brien #WinterofZombie
2
Teaser from A New World: Untold Stories 2
John O’Brien
Then, almost as if a switch had been thrown, everything went quiet. No one responded to queries, no one issued ongoing situational reports. The printers fell silent and no more messages arrived on the monitors. All heads stared at their screens and then, one by one, turned toward him. It was as if the world had drawn a deep breath, ready to unleash horror upon exhale. Joe heard startled screams that erupted in a chilling fashion down the hallways and from the adjacent rooms. The held breath was expelled, releasing terror upon on an unsuspecting world.
The heads that had been watching him following the sudden cessation of communications turned sharply toward an entrance situated in the middle of one wall. The two Marine guards posted there looked at the closed steel double doors, as if they could see what was happening on the other side.
Muffled shrieks continued to make their way into the sealed room, growing in intensity. Glancing toward a second entrance on the opposite side of the room, Joe noticed two additional guards gazing intently toward the screams, their hands resting on their sidearms. His heart began pounding from a rising fear. He felt trapped; the kind of feeling that some of the miners had reported after being rescued following a major tunnel collapse. Looking back to the first entrance, he was just in time to see the two Marines draw their weapons and, with a nod toward each other, open one of the doors.
The explosion of bodies into the room was unexpected, sending a jolt of electricity through his body from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Screams, once muffled by the walls and doors, erupted into the room. Ear-piercing shrieks filled the communication center, so loud that everything seemed to vibrate with the same intensity. Everyone seated quickly rose, sending chairs scooting across the tiled floor.
The two guards were instantly overwhelmed as a dozen or more figures poured into the room, each one trying to claw its way over those in front in their attempt to get inside. Joe watched the guards vanish beneath the onrush. Rising above the screams filling every inch of the room, he heard at least one gunshot, muffled by the crush of bodies. Even in the dimly lit room, he saw blood splash into the air. Droplets splattered on the attacker’s faces, sending them into a greater frenzy. He lost sight of some as they dove onto the fallen guards. Others surged past the growing pile and into the room, some tripping over bodies only to rise again with a speed that defied belief.
Joe stared at the onslaught, his mind unable to come to grips with what he was witnessing. The people storming into the room were mostly dressed in pressed khaki uniforms, a few in fatigues. Their faces were pale and their eyes—their eyes glowed silver when they faced him. Upon entering, the intruders eyed those in the room and charged toward them.
Hearing more gunshots, Joe turned to see the remaining guards rushing across the room with drawn handguns. Bright flashes filled the room as they fired into the crowd surging through the doorway. Several in the front line of rushing bodies went down with flowers of blood blossoming on their clothing. The forceful impact of the bullets caused them to spin to the side or stop in their tracks. However, those behind quickly pushed past the falling figures to pour into the room.
The gunshots woke Joe from his trance. It seemed like his mind had been pulled through a long tunnel and raced back into his body. Situational awareness returned with a snap. Half of the comm center staff was swarmed within moments, going down with screams to match the intruders’. In a flash, the room went from quiet suspense to one filled with chaos, confusion, and shrieks of such volume and intensity that they threatened to split Joe’s head.
The firing from the two remaining guards had failed to stem the surge, which quickly moved from a dozen or so to a seemingly endless flow. Joe had no idea there were that many people left in the building, and concluded that they must have come from outside. Escape became his first and foremost thought. However, if he did make it out, he might have to contend with other attackers.
Joe saw quickly that there wasn’t anything he could do to help. If he remained, he would soon join the others being swarmed. He had to do something… and quickly. With his evening having been filled with reports of attacks from within their own ranks, it didn’t take him long to put two and two together. With a shout of “Everyone out,” he turned toward the still-closed doors on the far side of the room and began beating cheeks out of the control center.
Racing into the hallway, the sound of screaming chasing him out of the doorway, panic began to take hold. Once he began running, his mind was finally able to comprehend what had just transpired. Stations had gone off the air; fleets had ceased reporting. The communication channels from the entire Pacific theater had gone silent; all had mentioned being attacked just prior to going off the air. And in the central command building, they had now undergone an attack of their own. Hearing screams of agony and shrieks of madness behind him, he felt like his life was measured in seconds. He would soon join the others whose voices had gone silent.
* * * * *
The stench of frozen flesh is in the air! Welcome to the Winter of Zombie Blog Tour 2015, with 40+ of the best zombie authors spreading the disease in the month of November.
Stop by the event page on Facebook so you don’t miss an interview, guest post or teaser…and pick up some great swag as well!
Giveaways galore from most of the authors as well as interaction with them!
#WinterofZombie is the hashtag for Twitter, too!
