Outpost: Part II

Part I
~~~
Scientific Inquiry I

The door crashed open.

"Help! Someone, help!"

Andrew stumbled through the heavy glass door, Luella lying lifeless in his arms. The rain pounded hard against the wide, cracked window, lightning flashing on a steady pulse and illuminating the room. His eyes were directed to the floor, where a young nurse knelt, crying. There was blood everywhere, splattered on the walls, drained onto her soft pink nurse outfit, and dripping onto the floor. Andrew stood at the door, his shadow playing onto the stained tiled floor by the lightning.

The girl looked up, eyes teary. A Glock G21 lay in her trembling fingers. 3 bodies lay around her, one he slightly recognized as Dr. Iannis. He remembered her, the new intern that had been working here for a few months. He had met her on his interim visit to the doctor 3 weeks ago.

"The intern?" He asked. She nodded, began to cry again. He lay Luella on the lobby's couch and slowly stepped towards her, his palms open. She made no movement, choosing to simply look back at the bodies lying on the floor.

"I…*sniff*…I k-killed him…” She began to bawl again, dropping the Colt. He knelt down and took her shaking hand. It was covered in blood.

"Shhh, it's okay, it's okay. What happened?" He questioned her slowly, not wanted to initiate another waterworks display.

"I..this boy came in and..blood..everywhere..guard tried to help.." She gestered towards the open mall entrance. The mall itself was pitch dark, completely silent. She choked.

"It's okay, don't worry. Can you..can you do me a favor? Can you look at my wife?" He pointed to the lifeless body now laying on the couch, Luella's arm flopped over the side and pointed to the floor.

The girl got up and walked over, still sniffling. She checked Luella's pulse.

"No pulse." She said, turning to Andrew. "How long was sh-"

"Too long." Andrew interrupted. He choked, tears swam in his grey eyes again. He forced them away, now was not the time to be stricken with grief. He would have an opportunity for that later.

"What's your name again?" He asked her, getting up from the floor. Blood stuck to his kneecaps as he stood.

"K-kiara. Kiara Phillips."

"Kiara, you must come with me. My name is Andrew, I was here a few weeks ago. We have to leave." He made towards the glass door, picking up the fallen Colt on the way.

"But..but what about…" She muttered to him, looking at the 4th body that had joined the previous 3 corpses in the office. Luella lay there, almost peaceful. The deep gash in her stomach had stopped bleeding, the skin dry and crusted. Her eyes glowing golden yellow.

"We have to leave them. You need to go home now. The police will be here any moment, and you cannot be here. I'll explain later." He moved to Luella, and picked up the body, the Colt stuck safely in his belt. He walked outside, pushing at the door with his back. The rain was still pelting, drenching him in seconds. Looking behind him, he watched as she faltered for a few seconds, looking around with lost, brown eyes, and finally following him outside. A few seconds were sufficient to clean away the blood on her hands and face.

Andrew stood there for a few seconds, letting the rain fall upon his body. He looked up at the sky. The moon was hidden behind a large group of grey, flat clouds. Judging the amount of moonlight, it was around midnight.

"You have a car?" Andrew asked. Kiara nodded, gesturing towards the Sunfire. He grunted. Looking around, he saw a open dumpster propped against the wall of the office. Walking up to it, he gave Luella one final kiss on the forehead, and placed her in the dumpster.

"There? You place your wife in a place like that?" Kiara's face was a mixture of disgust and confusion.

"She would have preferred it." With a passive face, he walked over to the Sunfire, staring at Kiara. Even through such a bloody ordeal, she stood strong, albeit shaking hands. "Maybe I should drive?" He held out his hand.

She stumbled over, giving Andrew the keys and opening the passenger door. Slipping into the seat, she slammed the door shut and hugged her knees on the seat. Andrew slipping in beside her, turning the ignition. The car roared to life, vibrating.

"5th Street and Jane, house 32." She hiccupped. Andrew set the stick to R, and backed out of the complex.

The door crashed open.

3 startled faces look up from their midnight fast food buffet. Vincent lowered his leg as the wooden door swing weakly on it's hinges, his black coat swishing wildly. He stepped into the house, followed by another black coated individual.

The second hitman looked around the room. It was a small place, with a petite kitchen, a couch, a few chairs, and not much else. The three men occupying the room were stunned, their eyes wide. One was lying on the couch, his mouth half open, a burger partway to his mouth. There was a door by the kitchen that probably led to the backyard.

"Hey kids. How you boys doing?" He strided into the room, swagger dripping off his coat. Vincent slid past him into the small kitchen. The man on the couch made to get up.

"Just chill, just chill." The swagger man smiled. "You know who we are? We're business associates of Ms. Kan Gni, your business partner. You..do remember your business partner, don't ya?" He looked at the man sitting on the chair; the man nodded curtly, looking around.

"Now, lemme take a shot in the dark." He put his fingers in a Platonic expression, looking at the man in the chair. "You're Byran, right?"

Another curt nod. "I thought so," grinned the man with the swagger, moving over the table. Vincent coughed.

"Looks like me and Vincent caught you boys at breakfast!" The tall dark man laughed, looking around. He shrugged. "Sorry 'bout that. What are you having?"

"H-hamburgers." Byran muttered, starting to sweat.

"Hamburgers!" The man grinned. "The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast. What kind of hamburgers?"

"W-w-what?" Bryan looked at his hand nervously, the bitten cheeseburger sliding out of his grip.

"I said, what are you having?" Lee's voice dropped a level, there was a hint of anger to his dulcet tones.

"C-c-cheeseburgers."

"No no no no, where'd you get 'em?"

"W-wendy's."

"Wendy's! We haven't been there in a while, have we Vincent?" Vincent nodded, grinning.

The man, Lee, chuckled, holding his hand out. "You mind if I have a bite?" Byran looked up, clearly at a loss of words due to his wanted protection over his burger. Lee gestured towards a half-eaten burger on the table. "This is yours, right?"

Another curt nod.

Lee picked it up and took a large bite. "Mmhmm! That, is one tasty cheeseburger! Vincent, you want a bite? They're real tasty!"

Vincent shook his head, lighting a cigarette.

"Well, speaking for myself, I love me a good cheeseburger. Although I can't usually get 'em since my girlfriend is a vegetarian. that pretty much makes me a vegetarian too." He chuckled. "You know what they call a cheeseburger in France? Tell 'em, Vincent."

"Royale with Cheese."

"Royale with Cheese! You know why they call it that?" Lee smiled at Byran.

"B..because of the metric system?" Byran shrugged.

Lee laughed. "Check out the big brain on Byran! That's right, that's right. Hey, what in there?" He pointed towards the soda can on the table.

"S-Sprite."

"Sprite, good, good. Do you mind if I have some of your delicious, tasty beverage to wash down this cheesy burger?" He grasped the can, bringing it to his mouth. He waited.

"S-sure, go right on ahead." Lee chugged, finishing the can and smacking it down on the table. The man in the corner flinched.

"You, Matt, you know why we're here?" He looked at the man on the couch, Matt, startled that Lee knew his name, proceeded to drop the burger hanging in his hand, his mouth still open. "Do you, Flock of Seagulls? Why don't you tell my bro Vincent where you got the shit hid at."

"It's over there!" pointed the man in the corner.

"I don't remember asking you a god damn thing!" Lee glared at the man, he shrunk back to his corner, wishing he kept his mouth shut.

Matt cowered beneath Lee's towering stance. "It's..in the drawers." Vincent began searching the drawer below the sink. "No, no, the drawer above your head." Vincent moved up, opening the drawer. In seconds, he found a black briefcase. Setting in on the table, he rolled in a 3-digit code and popped it open.

"We happy?" Lee asked, looking at Vincent's smiling face at the open briefcase.

"Vincent! We happy?"

"Y-yea, we happy." Vincent shut the briefcase, bringing it off the counter and holding it in his left hand.

Byran cleared his throat. "Look..I'm sorry, I didn't get your name, I got yours, Vincent," he looked at Vince, "b-but I didn't get.."

"My name's Lee. And your ass ain't talking to me the way I do." Byran held his hands up in defense, standing up.

"I just want you to know," Vincent had pulled out his custom-engraved LeMat revolver, gesturing towards the seat. Byran sat back down. Matt's mouth made a perfectly comical 'O', the burger had long since dropped onto the floor.

"I just want you to know how sorry we are, that, that things got so fucked up with us and, and Ms. Gni! I-i-it..w-w-we got into this thing with the best intentions, really. I never in…"

Lee pulled out his Anaconda Colt, placed it in Matt's mouth, and fired. The wall behind the couch became splattered.

"That's a nice wallpaper color." Lee put back his gun, and turned back to Byran. Byran's jaw dropped, his lips continued to move but made no noise.

"Oh, did I break your concentration? I'm sorry, please, continue!" Lee moved closer to Byran, Byran's face was drained of color. "You were saying something about, 'best intentions'? What's the matter? Oh, you were finished!" Lee moved his face close to Byran. "Then allow me to retort."

"What does Ms. Kan Gni, look like?"

"W-what?"

Lee kicked over the table, glaring at Byran.

"What country you from?" Byran was on the verge of tears. Terry, the man in the corner, was staring at the red wall with a face of shock, closing his mouth in fear of an incoming revolver.

"W-what?"

"What ain't no country I've ever heard of!" Vincent laughed from the kitchen. "Do they speak English in 'What'?"

"W-w-w-what?!"

"English, motherfucker, do, you, speak, it?"

"Yes!" Byran cowered.

"Then you know what I'm saying, right nigga?"

"Y-yes!"

"Describe what Ms. Kan Gni she looks like!" Byran peed himself.

"W-w-what?"

"She's..she's Asian!' Byran yelled.

"And?!" Lee spit up, landing on Byran's shirt.

"And short!"

"Does she look like a bitch?" Lee twisted his face, leaning in close to Bryan at gesturing to the door.

And through the open, wooden door, a mistress in a long black dress with red lines gracefully walked in, a MP5 in her left hand and a angry smile on her face. She glared.

Byran was stunned again. "W-w-what?"

"Say what again!" Lee, furious, pulled out his revolver and pointed it at Bryan's forehead. "Say what again, nigga! I dare ya, I double date ya! SAY WHAT ONE MORE GOD DAMN TIME."

“W-

Lee aimed and shot at Bryan's left arm. Bryan screamed, clutching his arm as blood poured onto the floor.

"Does, she look, like, a, bitch?!" Terry was attempted to move farther into the corner, away from Kan as her expression turned happy, almost laughing.

"I-i, no, she doesn't!" Bryan cowered, bracing for the incoming shot. He's held his arm tight to his blood, his white shirt now stained.

"So why you trying to fuck her like one, Byran?

"I didn't!"

"Yes, you did! Yes you did, Byran! You tried to fuck her."

"No!" Byran was panting for breath, his arm bleeding profusely on the floor.

"Well, Ms. Kan Gni don't like to be fucked by anybody that doesn't have something she needs."

Byran had turned completely pale. His mind was going numb from the excess blood loss.

"Do you read the Bible, Byran?"

"W-yes!"

"Well, there's this passage I got memorized, sort of fits the occasion. Joshua 1:16?" Vincent walked over the Kan, nodding. She smiled at him, then turned back towards Byran.

"Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!" Both Lee and Vincent raised their revolvers, aiming at Byran. Byran's face turned stoic, he had no more energy to cower.

The back door swung open, and in fell a huge, towering, muscled man, a piece of bloody beef still hanging off his mouth.

"What the.."

"GRRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The Tank charged into the room, crushing the kitchen counter. Kan Gni screamed, running for the door while shooting at it with her MP5. Lee and Vincent roared, firing their revolvers, but the Tank didn't stop.

Kan Gni made it outside the house, panting. Luckily she had mastered the art of running with heels over the past few years of evasion. She heard yelling and smashes inside the house, the lights from the living room flickering. She wanted to run back in, her two best hitmen were in there. But they could probably take care of themselves, in was important for her to get away as quick as possible.

Andrew rushed out of the small home, carrying a medium sized rucksack filled with clothes and food. Stashing it in the trunk of the Sunfire, he waited outside for Kiara to find her keys and lock the door. He was lucky that she was cooperating this well, and he couldn't divulge the enormous danger that the town of was in. He had to get into contact with Parasol as soon as he coul-

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash. He stared down the street. Most houses had their lights off, it was almost 1 am. But one house had full lights on, and he could hear yelling coming from the area. A short, curvy woman came stumbling out of the front door, clutching her knees. Kiara ran out of her house, locking it. Andrew looked at her.

"Ready?" She nodded, climbing into the passenger seat. Andrew sat in the driver's seat, starting up the car.

Down the street, Kan saw a car's headlights flash on. Perfect, she could hail te car and hijack it's owners, escape to her nearby safehouse and await her hitmen. With a loud crash, the front door flew open and Terry glided out, landing on the sidewalk, Blood was gushed from his side, it looked as though he had been punched. The Tank barreled out of the home, heading towards Kan. Eyes wide, she ran to the street, as the car drove down. The Tank ripped up a piece of concrete from the floor and threw it at Kan, she was clipped in the shoulder and fell to the floor in front of the oncoming car..

Andrew braked sharply as the mad woman ran out in front of them, covering her eyes from the Sunfire's bright headlights. Crawling, she moved to the back door. Andrew stepped out and helped her into the back seat, noticing a MP5 in her left hand.

"What's your name?!" He noticed a commotion near the the front door of the house and saw a huge, behemoth animal heading towards the car. Alarmed, he slammed the back door and opened the front door to get in, but before he could, a long, snake-like tentacle wrapped around him, constricting his movements. He fell back onto the floor, the door open, Kiara screaming…

Kan was barely conscious as a man hoisted her into the back seat of the car. He heard a scream and looked out the window. The man was being constricted by some animal. Kan strained her eyes…it was Lee. He had grown some sort of spores all over his body and was pulling the man closer to the incoming beast. Kan reaching out of the window with one hand and fired at the Smoker. It coughed, releasing the man immediately.

He got up and ran, the Tank right on his heels, roaring. Free of his binds, he sprinted to the car, feeling the Tank's ragged breath on his neck. Jumping into the seat, he slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The Tank just reached the car and grabbed the open door, trying to pull back. Andrew slid his Remmington from under the seat and with with right hand, fired in the Tank's face. It flinched, ripping the door off in the process. Andrew drove down the road, doorless. Looking back, he witnessed the Tank proceeding to a nearby house, smashing in the door.

The guard sat up, shaking his head. The office was dark, the moonlight still shining brightly through the windows. He felt a feral rage, a hunger for clean blood, a lust for flesh. Standing up, he shrieked, and ran into the open mall entrance, leaving behind two bodies on the floor of the medical office…