Into the Hive

Part 3

"So, where are we exactly?" Matt questioned as we stood in the hallway of the lower levels of The Hive, watching the holographic map of the facility.

"You're location is indicated by heat signature." The Red Queen replied as if it was obvious, she was in holographic form as well.

"Right at the bottom…figures." Spence said, sighing in annoyance. For once I agreed with him.

"For maximum efficiency I would suggest the following route." The supercomputer stated while highlighting a way through the holographic maze which Kaplan quickly noted into his wrist computer.

"Through the storage units on this level, to an access tunnel here. That will get you close to the surface. Then you'll only have to cut through the medical labs and you'll be back at the loading platform." She continued.

"Sounds simple enough." I replied but not convinced.

There's always a catch, especially in the movies.

"What about those things?" Rain asked, flexing her hand, I suppose she was losing feeling in it.

"The Queen has sensors throughout the Hive; she can tell us where they are." Kaplan stated.

"I'm afraid not. My primary sensors are thermal and since the creatures are dead, their body temperature is virtually invisible to me." She replied.

I knew there was a catch!

"Wonderful." Spence complained, sarcastically. I sighed in exasperation.

"What about your motion sensors?" Kaplan asked.

"Inoperative." She replied.

"Why?"

"In case you have forgotten, so far today I've been attacked by uranium tipped shell through my main frame that you shot and a supercomputer which corrupted a majority of my files. It's been …stressful. So pardon me if I'm not functioning at full capacity." She replied in a frustration and smart ass tone. I would've smiled if my life wasn't on the line. Kaplan backed off the pissed off computer.

"Can we just go now?" Spence asked, impatiently. He was starting to get antsy. I glanced up at the map again but noticed something odd.

"Wait!" I said and everyone turned to look at me.

"What is it?" Matt asked curiously.

"There are seven dots but only six of us. Who's the other one?" I informed, pointing at the holographic map. They were silent in curiosity.

"The heat signature indicates a human male, six feet two, and 120lbs." The Red Queen stated.

"Scrawny guy." Matt said.

"How did he survive?" Rain voiced the question we all wanted to know.

"I can't say. My termination methods were very methodical." The artificial intelligence stated but realized all of us were giving her a look.

"Sorry."

"We should help him." Alice said.

"Forget it! He's miles away!" Spence shouted. Alice turned to Matt for support who looked sheepishly away.

He better not have a crush on my Alice!

"I don't know…If we make a detour like that we may never get out." He reasoned.

"Besides, he's doing fine by himself. He doesn't need our help." Spence said snidely when he noticed how Alice looked to Matt for assistance.

Jealousy doesn't go well with your complexion, Spence.

We were walking along the access tunnel which was basically a sewer system underneath the facility with miles of pipes and cables along the ceiling.

"Jeaz, it stinks down here." I complained to myself, covering my nose while Matt patted me on the back.

"Try to hold out for a little long, okay?" He asked, I nodded.

"Here take one." I looked up to see Alice holding out some protein bars, Matt and I grabbed one for ourselves.

"This is stupid. We should've just gone back the way we came!" Spence complained, loudly before Rain slammed his body into the metal netting that cut off a specific sewer line.

"We have to keep moving. Those things are behind us. This is the only way to get out of here. Got it?" She asked, pissed off. Spence stared at her in surprise for a second before nodding. Rain released him then fingers were grabbing Spence from behind.

"Get them off of me!" He shouted. I turned to see the zombies coming from both directions.

"They're everywhere!" I shouted. Rain and Kaplan started shooting at the one's closest to us.

"The pipes! Everyone, go up!" Alice said. Matt went first then Spence, Alice was next then it was me. Kaplan and Rain were still firing from below when I noticed she got bit for another time and dropped her gun. Kaplan was making his way up to us when I noticed that the reanimated JD was staring down at Rain who finally noticed him. She whispered his name before he bit her neck.

"Rain!" I shouted. She pushed him away and fired a bullet between his eyes. Kaplan and Matt helped her onto the pipes where we rested for a few minutes. There had to be dozens of them down here. It was almost as if they could smell us but that wouldn't surprise me – we were their food source. Rain's hand wound was bleeding profusely, dripping out of the bite and into the horde down behind, it sent them into a frenzy, their arms reaching for more and more. I felt myself get sick as I stared into their dark but bright hungry eyes.

"You like that?" Rain whispered, I could feel the emotions emitting from her; hatred, disgust, anger, sympathy, all rolled into one. She squeezed her hand too deliberately drop more blood into their awaiting mouths which egged them on even more.

"Rain…Rain…Rain! Stop being stupid!" I shouted, snatching her hands away from the edge, her dark staring at me in wonder.

"You're being incredibly stupid. I guess I was wrong about you. You talk big but you're a coward. Are you really giving up?" I said, purposely trying to piss her off which worked. She glared at me then done at the horde.

"Fucking bastards." She said, Matt started to lead the way with Spencer and Rain following, Alice was in front of me, with made Kaplan the rear. We slowly worked our way along the crawlspaces and maneuvered through the cables when a low cry was heard from below. The dead was getting more impatient and aggressive, we were teasing them – we were only about a foot away from their fingers even when they jumped to reach us, it wasn't a enough.

"I feel like a piece of steak floating above a pack of wolves." I muttered angrily. I suppose I was equally afraid and pissed off about being someone's meal.

"We're almost there." Matt called over his shoulder.

From ahead I could see that the network of pipes split into two directions, one branch disappeared into a vent straight ahead while the second one was a smaller bundle of pipes going into a vent in the sidewall. Matt continued on straight so we passed the fork in the pipe road. Matt comes to a mesh screen that covered the entrance to the air shaft, he decided to use a knife to pry it away from the cavern wall when the screen comes off, slicing Matt's hand in the process.

"Shit!" He exclaimed when the screen fell into the horde below them; I disgustingly noticed that they were fighting over the droplets of blood that was on the screen.

"That's sick." I muttered, prying my eyes away from the scene. Alice passes beneath the support bracket when the entire bracket starts to sag.

"What's going on?" Alice shouted. Then a harsh metallic sound was heard when caused Rain and Kaplan to gasp.

"The supports are coming loose!" Spence shouted which caused Rain and Alice to go faster which didn't help, multiple bolts shoot free from the ceiling before the whole length of the piping went free and sagged into the hungry horde. Screamed while trying to kick and shove the dead fingers reaching around Kaplan and I.

"Adrienne!" I heard Alice vaguely shouted all I could see was hungry eyes staring almost eye-to-eye with me. Their fingers brushed against my legs and arms and I could feel myself tearing up.

If I get eaten I swear I will haunt everyone who was involved in this!

I kicked one of the dead residents in the face since he was trying to pull himself up on the fallen pipe.

"Hang on!" Matt shouted somewhere behind me. Kaplan was trying desperately to keep them from biting him; I could care less about getting scratched at the moment, I had no desire to feel teeth bite into my skin. Then suddenly I was yanked backwards away from the horde but Kaplan was still fighting.

"Kaplan! Grab my hand!" I shouted, trying to force myself to grow longer so he could reach but Kaplan slid down into the awaiting crowd but goes down firing at the ones closet to him, seconds later he remerged, dragging himself on the pipe near the side vent and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can't feel my legs." He said.

"We'll get to you somehow. We can swing these cables –" Alice was cut off when Kaplan spoke.

"I want you to go." He said, looking us dead in the eye.

"We're not leaving you." Alice denied.

"Yes, you are. You can't kill them all." He replied, he meant every word. The dead were already crawling up the pipe to reach him. Kaplan looked down at his bite-ridden legs.

"And I'm not going anywhere." He finished. I could feel the tears rolling down my face as I stared at him.

"Now!" He shouted, Alice looked away before following Spence while Matt pulled me by my arm towards them. I kept my eyes locked with Kaplan until I couldn't see his face anymore. My eyes saying:

Don't even think about it.

And he knew what I meant.