After several weeks, the small group finally made it to their destination - McKennly military base. It had been a grueling journey, not without its losses, but thankfully none of the group had died.
Unfortunately, the group found the base to be empty when they arrived. Well, mostly empty. A small number of the walking dead lumbered around the grounds of the base. James and Louise made quick work of the stragglers, while the others made their way to the main office of the headquarters.
The interior of the headquarters was a disaster, with paper and blood strewn about. The group saw no sign of life.
"Don't worry, Carly. I'm sure your mother is fine, " said Jen as she patted the nervous young girl on the back. "She must have just left to go somewhere safer."
"But where?" whined Carly.
"I don't know, kid. But we'll find her. The answer has to be around here somewhere, " said Mike as he looked around the room.
Louise rolled her eyes. She thought they had already wasted enough resources on the lost cause. She had only reluctantly agreed to go to McKennly because a small part of her had hope that it might be still intact, a safe haven in a sea of trouble. She had imagined warm beds, good food and a strong fence patrolled by armed and very well-trained soldiers. But now that Louise was here she saw the truth, what she had always known deep down from the beginning. It was just another dead end.
In the control room the group found a large radio, but it was smashed and inoperable. The screens of the surveillance equipment monitoring the base were all blank. Only a single computer seemed to be just barely working, the yellow text on the screen flickering and fading.
Mike immediately sat down and began typing, hoping to learn something.... anything.
"Strange, " said Mike. "The whole base is dead. Except for one building that is still drawing power. A lot of power."
"It's possible the survivors are holed in there, trying to barricade themselves in a safe location and wait it all out, " said James.
"See, I told you, " said Jen. "I bet your mother is in there with the others."
"I wouldn't bet on it, kid. More likely just a bunch more of those damn zombies, " said Louise.
Carly sniffled a little, but tried to remain strong. Jen and Susan shot Louise a dirty look. Louise shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Which building?" asked James, ignoring the exchange.
"I don't know. There is no name listed in the directory, " said Mike.
"Probably something they don't want made public. Maybe a bomb shelter or an underground survival bunker," said James. "Show me where it is on the map."
The group returned to the main office of the headquarters and crowded around a large map of the base. After searching a little, they found the structure. Conspicuously, the building was not listed on the map either. But the huge aircraft hanger-shaped building sitting alone in a distant corner of base was impossible to miss.
And so were the several zombies wandering between the headquarters and the mysterious building. The group stared out the window, all thinking the same thing. Every battle had the potential to end their life. Was this one really worth it?
"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Louise, as she slammed a fresh magazine cartridge into the assault rifle she had scavenged from a dead soldier. "Let's rock and roll!"
***************************************************************************************************************
After a short but tense battle, the group had fought its way to the door of the hanger. The round metal door was massive, standing over 10 feet tall and appeared to be reinforced with several feet of solid steel. The lights on a small keypad blinked on a panel next to the door.
"Well, what now, smart guy?" asked Louise as she fired a few shots at the zombies slowly surrounding them.
"Can't you just blow it open?" asked a frantic Jen.
James shook his head.
"Not with anything we have. There might be something in the armory that could do it. But anything we used would destroy the door, leaving it open for those things to just follow us in, " said James between firing shots.
"Maybe there is a code back in the control room. We could go back...." said Mike.
"Go back? Are you crazy?! We almost got killed getting out here the first time. I say we cut our losses and bug out!" said Louise.
"No! I won't go! My Mom might be in there!" whined Carly.
While the group bickered, Susan quietly separated from the others. She walked in front of a small camera and started waving her hands.
"What are you doing?" asked James.
"If you guys would just stop fighting for a minute, you would see that this camera is operational. It been moving back and forth, tracking our movement. Someone is alive in there. And watching us," said Susan.
"Hey, asshole! Can you stop jerking off long enough to open the door for us? We aren't doing this for your entertainment!" yelled Louise.
As if on command, the doors slowly began to open with loud hiss. Steam and bright light obscured their view, but gradually they saw a small old man in a lab coat materialize out of the mist.
"Aw, welcome, come in," said the man with a slight German accent. "I was afraid there was no one left alive out here. You have come at the most opportune time. I was in dire need of new test subjects."