The Deathlock virus

Chapter 6

Neither Ryker or Valerie answered right away. Truthfully, Climbers were the most terrifying thing that could exist in the apocalyptic world at the moment. They were essentially big Screamer mutations. They had no jaws and long arms and legs with a single spear like point at the end. Sometimes, multiple Climbers could fuse together. Very few saw one of those and got to tell people they survived that encounter. They could climb walls and hang upside down because of the spear like singular claw on their arms and legs. They could see in the dark and attacked anything that moved in front of them. They only thrived in dark places and were almost blinded by any kind of bright light.

"They're...a dangerous type of Seeker. They really really hate bright lights so as long as we have flashlights they can't hurt us, okay?" Valerie says as Ryker hands Nessie a flashlight. Nessie nods and puts on a brave face, turning on the flashlight.

Ryker pushes the door open with a grunt and loud hissing fills the room. Valerie aims the floodlight into the room and all the Climbers snarl and retreat back into the space where it was still dark.

"Just walk along the walls." Valerie whispers, walking along the wall with her back pressed against the concrete. She holds the floodlight, the beam aimed ahead of them so that the Climbers couldn't get close. Ryker stands close to Nessie, making sure she was safely walking between Valerie and himself. He just wanted to make sure she was safe.

The Climbers snarl and screech, their sharp claws tapping against the concrete flooring. The trio could smell the rotting flesh of the Climbers from across the large room. They smelt horrible, like if death had a smell that's what the Climbers smelt like.

The beam of the floodlight flickers slightly and dims as the batteries begin to die out. Valerie starts moving faster, the metal pin in her backpack scraped against the wall and Ryker winced at the noise. The Climbers hated light because they were essentially blind, their eyes sensitive to the bright light to the point where it became painful and light exposure sometimes left dead Climbers in the middle of the streets. They couldn't see you but they sure as hell could smell you and hear you. It was just best to use a flashlight to get them away.

"Val," Ryker whispers, "We need to move faster."

Valerie nods and starts moving faster, the beam of the floodlight flickering slightly but managing to hold strong for whatever battery life it had left. A soft tapping comes from above them and they freeze. Of course they were on the ceiling... Valerie thinks, a chill going down her spine. Nessie goes to look up at the ceiling but Ryker stops her, holding her head still so she could only look straight forward. She goes to grab at his hand but stops as a severed arm drops to the floor right in front of them, making a sickly squishing sound as it hits the ground.

Nessie looks at it in horror and Ryker kicks the arm away. As soon as his hand leaves the top of her head she looks up at the ceiling, terror filling every single part of her.

There, hanging from the ceiling, was a Climber. A huge mass of Seeker parts and a large gaping part of the head where the lower jaw used to be. A few arms covered with purple tinted swelling veins and rotten flesh stuck out of the mass of Seekers, grabbing onto the concrete to stay up on the ceiling.

Nessie opens her mouth to scream but Ryker quickly presses a hand over her mouth and nose, making her scream die in her throat. He shakes his head and gives her a look of warning. Valerie gently tilts Nessie's head down so shes looking at the floor and grabs the young girls hand, leading her away from the Climber. Ryker takes the floodlight and aims it at the majority of the Climbers like Valerie had been doing.

The three walk up a rusty metal staircase and Valerie almost slips on what looks to be an almost fresh looking puddle of purple-tinted blood. The floodlight flickers again before finally turning off. Ryker curses as the Climbers screech and start making their way towards the trio.

Ryker runs over to the door and kicks it open, revealing the walkway. Valerie and Nessie run onto the walkway quickly. Valerie was holding onto Nessie, the poor girl was crying out of pure fear at this point. Ryker slams the door shut and runs across the walkway, shoving the floodlight into his backpack. The Climbers burst through the door and started speeding towards them.

"Shit! Go go go!" Ryker urges them, panic coursing through his veins. Valerie grabs Nessie's hand and they start running quickly down the walkway.

It was still broad daylight outside but apparently under the bridge in the walkway was just dark enough for the Climbers to be okay to get out. One of the Climbers snarls loudly and tries to swing at Nessie. Its sharp claws cut off a piece of her long hair, the large curl dropping to the ground. Valerie pulls Nessie to the front of the line and just yells something about running as fast as she can.

It was hard to hear much of anything over the loud screeching of the Climbers.

The metal beams underneath the walkway creak and groan loudly under the weight of the—maybe three—Climbers that were chasing them. Ryker realizes that with anymore weight the metal beam they were currently standing on would be disconnected from the supports and fall down onto the street below.

"RUN FASTER!" He yells, hoping the other two would hear him.

The beam underneath them groans loudly and begins to fall down at an angle, making it harder to run faster because of the steep angle. Ryker slips on the metal as it starts to tilt towards a completely vertical angle. He reaches out to try and grab the next beam but his finger tips just barely graze the metal. He starts falling and closes his eyes, waiting for the harsh smack of the concrete below.

But it never came. He feels a hand grab his quickly and his body smacks into the metal beam that was just barely hanging on by some poorly crafted welding. He opens his eyes and Valerie using all of her strength and both of her hands to pull him up. He grabs the metal beam her and Nessie were standing on and pulls himself up, still holding tightly onto her hand.

The Climbers roar and screech before it goes completely silent except for the loud smack and squelch of the Climbers hitting the concrete—and few seconds later the loud clang of the metal beam smacking against the concrete on top of the Climbers.

"Are you okay?" Valerie asks, out of breath and looking extremely panicked as she grabs Ryker by the shoulders, her hands moving up to his face and gently holding it.

"Yeah..." He mumbles as his cheeks turn a soft pink at Valerie's sudden worry and affection. The two just stare at each other and Ryker realizes how hard he had fallen for her...How he had cared for her since they second they lived in the early days of the Seattle Grid. He couldn't believe he'd fallen for the girl who never really showed him the same affection that he always showed her. It didn't matter though. He'd still care for her even if she despised him. Even if he had been Claimed, he'd be happy if she was the last one he got to see.

"I don't mean to interrupt this...Whatever this is but I'd really like to get the hell off of this walkway." Nessie says, wiping the remains of the tears that she had shed earlier off of her cheeks.

Valerie's cheeks turn red—a sight that Ryker adored—and she clears her throat. "Yeah- let's go." Her hands linger on Ryker's face before she pulls away, wishing she didn't have to. She always found herself craving Ryker's attention but never knowing how to ask for it or react when he gave her attention.

She stands up and brushes off her pants. "There shouldn't be any more Seekers on the walkway. After we get out then it's almost a straight shot to our safe house downtown." The trio all check to make sure they have everything before they begin the walk down the walkway.