Free Blood Apocalypse - 04 by Heath Stallcup

question him.
    As they exited the bunker, Tufo was waiting for them and Laura was quickly approaching from the cafeteria, a bagel in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.
    “You rang, oh-mighty-one?” Mark asked.
    “Time for you to learn some administrative crap.”
    “What’s going on, Matt?” Laura asked as she approached.
    “We need to check out something,” he said. “The major here has an idea on where we might can stuff some of our i ncoming visitors.” Matt made a quick introduction to all present.
    Diane grabbed what looked like a heavy duty off road ve rsion of a golf cart and took them to the perimeter of the base. At the far eastern edge, just outside the base proper she took what appeared to be an off-road trail. The four of them bounced and jostled out into the wild until they approached what appeared to be a rock wall. Diane parked the cart and stepped out. She turned and indicated the base behind them. Although it had seemed like a long trip, they were only a few hundred yards away from the furthest buildings. When she turned back, she walked to the rock and swept the dust and sand away, revealing a steel door. The rust of the door blended nearly perfectly with the rusty red of the rock surrounding it. Matt assisted her in opening the door and they cringed at the screech when it opened.
    “Been a while since anybody’s oiled the hinges?” Mark asked.
    “Been a while since anybody’s bothered to come out here,” she answered. “We used this for storage for a while, but it was too rough on the vehicles driving back and forth so we stopped. You’d think it would be easier to just build a damned road.”
    Matt entered with her and Diane flipped on a torch, illum inating the interior, searching for a switch to light the massive underground facility.
    Laura let out a low whistle. “Wow. This place is huge.”
    “You aren’t kidding,” Mark agreed. “You could hide an army in here.”
    “That’s the idea.” Matt smiled as Diane threw the switch and the lights thumped to life one by one across the ceiling ill uminating the darkness.
     

 
    5
     
    Max entered the Command Center and observed the military efficiency as crews continued to run tests to verify their equipment was up and running, others were still setting up peripheral gear while yet others were running fiber optic cable to and from different things and connecting them. A young officer approached him and asked if he could assist with anything. Max eyed the young man, amazed that people so young could be put in charge of such complex duties.
    “I was looking for Colonel Mitchell.”
    “The colonel left with Major Flemings not very long ago. I think Ms. Youngblood was with them,” the young man said.
    Max simply nodded. Major Flemings didn’t ring any bells to him, but there were a lot of people he had yet to get to know pe rsonally. “Very well. When he returns, can you please let him know that I’m looking for him?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    The young man returned to his work. Max stepped back but continued to watch as they ran through their drills a slow smile crossing his face as the thought entered his mind that they just might be able to pull off this little venture.
    He turned and left the Command Center, stepping out into the lowering sun and stared out across the open expanse across the runways. He sniffed the air, trying to pick up any scents but they were either too far away or downwind. He caught a glint of light reflecting off of something metallic in the sky and heard crews slowly crossing the tarmac. He glanced to his left and saw work crews coming out of an open bay, an electric forklift slo wly rolling near the edge of the load out zone in preparation for emptying the incoming jet.
    Max felt Viktor’s presence just before he felt his hand on his shoulder. “New arrivals?” his son asked.
    Max nodded. “I would think so. “Probably more hunters if I had to guess.”
    The two stood in front of the building