The Reaper Virus by Nathan Barnes Page A

whatever he deemed worthy.
    No one was in the kitchen area. The two
remaining security officers were napping in the read-off room,
which made the coast clear for us. I motioned towards the door
leading to C. The only visual indication of the magnetic door’s
state would be from the lights on the small pad where cards were
swiped. I saw the solid red lights and knew the door was still
locked. If the plan worked those lights would change green in the
next few minutes. Lance followed me to the door without question.
It was good to know trust was still possible in a world turned
upside-down. That trust could be our only lifeline once we made it
out into the streets.
    At 1500 hours on the dot I heard the gunfire
begin. The guys were on the roof as scheduled, busy thinning out
the monsters that the dead were turning into. Within seconds of the
first shot, red lights turned to green on the magnetic lock. The
door was unlocked and everything was going as planned, but it was
too early for any sighs of relief yet.
    I quickly surveyed our surroundings and when
I was convinced that no one was watching, I pulled open the door
and motioned Lance through. The large metal door normally closed
with a bang, but this time I eased it closed and it barely made a
sound. I allowed myself a moment of self-satisfaction for getting
this far.
    Forty-five seconds after the door unlocked,
we were down the quiet hallway and about to make the right turn for
the basement stairs. That’s when I heard the metal door ease
open.
    Fifteen feet away from the basement doorway,
we froze in place. I swung around to see the source of potential
disaster. In a moment of both surprise and curious relief, Brad
stood at the now closed door.
    “Come on, man, did you really think I didn’t
know you were up to something?” he immediately said in a low tone.
Before I could respond to him, he put up his hand and stopped me.
“Although I have no idea how… I know you’re planning on getting out
of here. Whatever you’re going to do, I want in.”
    Lance and I exchanged a glance and then a
nod. Our newly formed trio continued down the stairs to the
basement. The basement housed the records storage, ammunition
storage, supplies, and the evidence room. Every door in there led
to a room containing either a shit ton of private information or a
sampling of all things illegal and volatile. With the exception of
the evidence room, none of the doors were monitored on the alarm
system, but both the evidence room and ammunition storage room had
unique locks. The keys for those doors were only given to the
property manager and the Chief of Police. It was a shame – we could
have really used any of the things in those rooms.
    “Nathan, what the fuck are we doing?” Lance
said in a loud whisper.
    I talked as we slowly progressed. “Years ago,
when I left the academy, I spent my last two weeks doing clerical
shit around the building. One day I was asked to help the property
manager bring some boxes down into the supply room. We went into
the room that is basically the far west corner of the building.
Once we got into the room I set the boxes down and took a quick
look at all the goodies around me. All the way in the corner I saw
blackness. The wall disappears into an opening the size of a double
door. At first I thought it was just a little storage alcove or
something, but I realized this hole in the wall didn’t look like it
ended.”
    We continued down the hall quietly and
cautiously. After a deep breath I explained further.
    “Naturally I asked the property manager what
it was. He didn’t explain, in fact, he didn’t say much at all,
except that it was their entrance to the tunnel. Pursuing further,
I asked him where it led to. He told me ‘Not far’. At that point I
stopped questioning and just kept it in the back of my mind.”
    Both Lance and Brad looked hesitantly
curious.
    “Although I’ve been down in the basement a
bunch of times, I haven’t been able to go back