just a second Steve's imagination ran away from him.
He was sure there was about to be a rush of the dead pushing
through the opening with their hands outstretched. None
appeared.
In quick succession, the group turned on the
flashlights they had earlier taped to the fore grips of their
weapons. Heather carried the CAR-15 she had brought with her to the
bank building while the rest toted M-4's salvaged from the MRAP.
Each member of the boarding party also carried a pistol and spare
magazines for their weapons.
The beams of light that shot into the dark revealed a
wide hallway with double doors set in its far wall directly across
from them. Cautiously sticking his head inside the opening, Steve
saw that the hall ended a few feet to his right and extended off to
his left for a dozen yards before ending at another set of double
doors. The scent of old and new cooked food reached his nostrils,
giving him further proof that the living had recently inhabited the
Dead Calm.
Stepping into the hall, he nodded to his left and
said, “Watch the kitchen,” before turning his attention to the
doors directly in front of him.
Nudging one with the toe of his boot, it swung open
at his touch. Pushing it further so he could look into the next
compartment, Steve saw that the area was illuminated by the same
low-level lighting they had encountered in the watercraft storage
area. In this more cavernous space though, the dim light left
shadows everywhere.
Built on three tiers, the formal dining room was as
wide as the ship and nearly as deep. Tables draped with white linen
tablecloths were clustered on every available bit of floor space
and created hundreds of hiding places. Steve was surprised to see
that they were set with dinnerware, cups and glasses, all of which
was covered with a thin layer of dust.
With just a quick glance, he counted four bars and
eight semi-enclosed serving stations for the staff. More hiding
spots, he noted. Mirrors on the walls gave an impression of immense
size, and multiple chandeliers reflected back to fool the eye as
they gave a disco ball effect to the small amount of illumination
thrown off by the emergency lights.
This'll be a nightmare to clear, he thought to
himself. Shining his flashlight across the room, he noticed that
the two sets of double fire doors, one on the port side, and one on
the starboard that led into what he assumed were the next
compartments, were shut. This gave him an idea. Ducking back into
the hallway, he found Heather, Tick-Tock and Susan covering the
doors that led into the kitchen.
“Here’s what’s up,” he told them. “The formal dining
room is fucking huge, and we could waste hours in there trying to
clear it. And I don't even want to think about what a mess the
kitchen’s going to be when we check it out. The good news is that
the doors leading into the next section beyond the dining room are
metal, so they should be pretty sound proof. What we do is clear
the kitchen first by standing at the doors and making noise to see
what we can attract. One person stays here and keeps an eye on the
dining room to make sure nothing comes up behind us and cuts us
off. Once we're done with the kitchen, we do the same thing in the
dining room. Almost like how we cleared the bank building. Draw
them out and waste them if they show themselves.”
Realizing it was the best way to clear the cluttered
areas, they put the plan into effect.
With Susan watching the dining room for any signs of
the living or the dead, Steve and Heather covered Tick-Tock in the
kitchen as he banged pots and pans and smashed a dozen plates by
flinging them like Frisbees against the walls. He added to this by
calling out as loud as he could, “Here zombie, zombie, zombie” and
“All-e-all-e-in-come-free.” Echoing off the metal walls and floor,
the noise was enough to wake the dead, but none appeared.
After ten minutes of this, the three of them rejoined
Susan and moved into the dining room. Here the
He was sure there was about to be a rush of the dead pushing
through the opening with their hands outstretched. None
appeared.
In quick succession, the group turned on the
flashlights they had earlier taped to the fore grips of their
weapons. Heather carried the CAR-15 she had brought with her to the
bank building while the rest toted M-4's salvaged from the MRAP.
Each member of the boarding party also carried a pistol and spare
magazines for their weapons.
The beams of light that shot into the dark revealed a
wide hallway with double doors set in its far wall directly across
from them. Cautiously sticking his head inside the opening, Steve
saw that the hall ended a few feet to his right and extended off to
his left for a dozen yards before ending at another set of double
doors. The scent of old and new cooked food reached his nostrils,
giving him further proof that the living had recently inhabited the
Dead Calm.
Stepping into the hall, he nodded to his left and
said, “Watch the kitchen,” before turning his attention to the
doors directly in front of him.
Nudging one with the toe of his boot, it swung open
at his touch. Pushing it further so he could look into the next
compartment, Steve saw that the area was illuminated by the same
low-level lighting they had encountered in the watercraft storage
area. In this more cavernous space though, the dim light left
shadows everywhere.
Built on three tiers, the formal dining room was as
wide as the ship and nearly as deep. Tables draped with white linen
tablecloths were clustered on every available bit of floor space
and created hundreds of hiding places. Steve was surprised to see
that they were set with dinnerware, cups and glasses, all of which
was covered with a thin layer of dust.
With just a quick glance, he counted four bars and
eight semi-enclosed serving stations for the staff. More hiding
spots, he noted. Mirrors on the walls gave an impression of immense
size, and multiple chandeliers reflected back to fool the eye as
they gave a disco ball effect to the small amount of illumination
thrown off by the emergency lights.
This'll be a nightmare to clear, he thought to
himself. Shining his flashlight across the room, he noticed that
the two sets of double fire doors, one on the port side, and one on
the starboard that led into what he assumed were the next
compartments, were shut. This gave him an idea. Ducking back into
the hallway, he found Heather, Tick-Tock and Susan covering the
doors that led into the kitchen.
“Here’s what’s up,” he told them. “The formal dining
room is fucking huge, and we could waste hours in there trying to
clear it. And I don't even want to think about what a mess the
kitchen’s going to be when we check it out. The good news is that
the doors leading into the next section beyond the dining room are
metal, so they should be pretty sound proof. What we do is clear
the kitchen first by standing at the doors and making noise to see
what we can attract. One person stays here and keeps an eye on the
dining room to make sure nothing comes up behind us and cuts us
off. Once we're done with the kitchen, we do the same thing in the
dining room. Almost like how we cleared the bank building. Draw
them out and waste them if they show themselves.”
Realizing it was the best way to clear the cluttered
areas, they put the plan into effect.
With Susan watching the dining room for any signs of
the living or the dead, Steve and Heather covered Tick-Tock in the
kitchen as he banged pots and pans and smashed a dozen plates by
flinging them like Frisbees against the walls. He added to this by
calling out as loud as he could, “Here zombie, zombie, zombie” and
“All-e-all-e-in-come-free.” Echoing off the metal walls and floor,
the noise was enough to wake the dead, but none appeared.
After ten minutes of this, the three of them rejoined
Susan and moved into the dining room. Here the
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