Leaving the sickening cremation site, the smell of burnt flesh followed us. Sticking to my clothes. Sticking to my heart.
Following the hand-drawn map, Shadow and I crossed two collapsed corridors, navigated piles of construction waste, and finally reached a blast door marked "DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE."
The door was ajar. The lock had been pried open long ago, covered in dust and rust.
"This should be it."
I pushed the heavy steel door. CREAAAK. Harsh friction sound. Flashlight beam swept inside, illuminating the dust-sealed space.
It was a massive electrical room. Silent transformers stood in the dark like steel giants. Cables as thick as veins crawled over the walls, connecting to different sectors. The air smelled of dry ozone and dust. Eerily quiet.
At the end of the room was a control console filled with dials and switches.
"Great. Equipment looks intact."
I rushed to the console. Fingers brushed over the dusty dials, looking for the start switch.
"Don't celebrate yet." Shadow followed, sniffing the air, frowning. "It's too cold here. The machines feel dead. Usually means no energy source."
My heart skipped a beat. I pressed a few buttons.
Nothing. Not even the basic indicator lights turned on. Needles stayed dead at "0".
"Damn. Backup power is drained."
I checked the voltmeter. Heart sank. "The main generator is diesel, but it needs an initial voltage to start. Like a car needs a battery. The backup battery is dead. Even if the tank is full, it won't start."
It was like having a supercar with a full tank but a dead key fob. Maddening.
"So we came for nothing?" Shadow flicked his tail, annoyed. "All that trouble to look at scrap metal?"
"No... there's a way."
A spark lit up in my brain. I remembered the tools I bought at the hardware store. And the wrecked cars we passed.
I was a liberal arts student (Wait, scratch that, retcon: I was a science student), but I worked part-time in a garage during college. I knew basic circuitry.
"The startup voltage for this system is usually 24V or 12V." I calmed down, brain spinning. "As long as I can give it a momentary jump start, the starter motor will turn the diesel engine. Once the generator spins, power will flow."
"Speak human." Shadow looked impatient.
"We need a battery." I pointed outside, eyes gleaming. "There are hundreds of cars in the garage. Most are scrap, but there has to be one with a working battery!"
"You mean steal a battery?" Shadow tilted his head. "Fitting behavior for your new 'Scavenger' identity."
"It's called resource recycling!"
We doubled back to the parking lot immediately.
It was manual labor. And luck.
I pried open hoods one by one, testing voltage with my multimeter (one of the few useful tools I brought).
First car, sedan. Hood jammed. Second car, SUV. Voltage 0V. Dead. Third car, van. Voltage 3V. Useless.
Sweat dripped off my nose onto my greasy hands. Time ticked away. My heart sank.
If we couldn't find a battery, we were trapped. No power means no defense system. The zombies outside would wear us down eventually.
"Over here."
Shadow barked. He was standing on the hood of a modified off-roader. "This one smells different. Acidic. Like a leak, or maybe it still has charge."
I ran over. A heavily modified Jeep Wrangler. Winch, spotlights. Off-road enthusiast. These guys usually pack high-performance batteries. Dual ones.
I pry-barred the hood open.
Two massive yellow Optima batteries sat there.
Hand shaking, I touched the probes to the terminals.
Screen flickered. [11.8V].
"Yes!"
I punched the air. "This is it! Voltage is a bit low, but enough for one crank!"
I wrenched the battery out. Heavy as hell, thirty pounds easily. I hugged it like a gold brick, panting as I ran back to the electrical room.
"Your show, Tech Support." Shadow sat at the door, guarding.
I ignored him. Placed the battery under the console.
Took two thick wires from my bag. Stripped the ends with my knife, exposing golden copper.
Found the "External Power Interface" under the console. Emergency port for maintenance.
Deep breath. Steady.
"Positive to positive. Negative to negative... don't reverse it or it blows."
Muttering to myself. Hands steady.
I clamped one end to the car battery. Touched the other to the interface—
SNAP!
Bright blue sparks exploded. Blinded me for a second in the dark room. I flinched.
Zzzzz—
The sound of current connecting. Energy flowing.
On the console, the dead red light flickered. Then glowed weakly. Like a sleeping eye opening.
"We got juice!"
Ecstatic, ignoring the sting of the spark burn, I slammed the green "System Start" button.
"Come on, baby!"
Whirr...
Deep inside, the starter motor whined. Struggling. Like an asthmatic breathing.
"Turn! Turn dammit!" I stared at the dials.
Chug... Chug...
Finally. A deep, heartbeat-like mechanical thrum. The diesel generator caught. Slow rotation turning faster.
Louder. Higher pitch. Stabilizing into a powerful roar.
VRROOOOM—!!!
Overhead fluorescent tubes flickered. Buzz. Then blazed to life!
Pale white light banished the darkness. The room was bright as day. Needles on the wall jumped up. Values climbing.
[Power Hub: ONLINE] [Power Restoration: 30%... 50%...]
"Success!"
I jumped up, wanting to hug Shadow. "See that! The power of knowledge! We have lights!"
The light hit Shadow's face. But he wasn't celebrating.
His ears were pinned back. Golden fur stood on end. A low, dangerous growl rumbled in his chest. Eyes locked on the ceiling.
"Idiot! Stop smiling!"
"What?" I froze.
"Listen." Shadow's voice exploded in my head. Serious. "What is that sound?"
I paused. Listened.
Besides the deafening roar of the generator, I heard something else.
Mixed in with the mechanical noise. A dense, skin-crawling sound.
Scritch-scratch... Click, click...
Coming from the ceiling. From the vents. From under the floor. Fast. Dense. Like a million feet scurrying on metal and concrete. Like a million nails scratching.
And the sound was being amplified—or attracted—by the generator noise.
"Damn it."
Shadow's face fell. "We made a mistake. It's been quiet too long. This generator... in this dead basement... it's like throwing a Heavy Metal concert in a graveyard!"
"You mean..." My face went white. Looked up at the massive ventilation ducts.
BANG! BANG!
The metal duct above bulged. Violent impacts. A grey-white, withered arm punched through the sheet metal.
Then a second. A third.
Not one or two zombies.
It was... a Horde.
"RUN!!!"
Shadow roared. "The Swarm is here!"
The System's cold red warning box popped up, late as always. The text was terrifying.
[WARNING: High Decibel Noise Source Activated!] [Attraction Range: ALL SECTORS] [Mass Hibernating Infecteds Awakened!] [Horde Outbreak: 0 Seconds!]
CRASH!
The ventilation duct collapsed. Countless grey figures rained down from the ceiling like dumplings into a pot!