Trying to lift my hands to wipe my eyes, I realized they were bound together around a metal bar, which was attached snugly to the wall of the helicopter. Looking up, I noticed what appeared to be elongated yellow zip ties. They were the kind used to close a garbage bag. Pulling myself right side up, I noticed Jarvis, and Rodgers still passed out. Kyle was starting to move a bit, but his eyes were still shut.
The Hulk was sitting across from us, staring out a window in awe. Gordon was seated next to him, watching me with a grin as I fought to focus my eyes. From what I could gather, we were in a large helicopter. The cabin didn’t have the niceties of the last helicopter I’d flown in. This one looked military in nature. There were four portholes running down the length of each wall, and the rear appeared to be able to open like a drawbridge. I got the sense that it could be used to carry about ten or fifteen troops. It felt barren with just the six of us back there.
I twisted the ring on my finger, as I was reminded of my wife… and the flying tomb she’d died in. My stomach twisted up as I remembered the final look in her eyes. Squeezing my fists, I reminded myself that the past is often not how we’d like it to be. Looking to the future is the only place to truly find any semblance of peace… a place where the bad memories can finally fade.
However, right now, I needed to focus on the present.
Gordon didn’t say a word. In fact, when I opened my mouth to speak, he held his hand up toward me, warning me not to say anything. “All in good time, John. Let’s wait for your friends to wake. Then we’ll talk.”
Holding Jarvis’s backpack on his knee, Gordon was sifting through the meds. Lifting a bottle up into the light, a smile grew across his face before he dropped it back into the bag. My anger went from zero to sixty. I needed to get those meds back.
Time was running out.
Shaking my head to throw some of the grogginess out of my mind, I pulled my face up to my tied hands to rub my eyes. The metal poles that all of our arms were bound to were attached vertically on the wall and appeared as if they were intended to hold some sort of gear. As my eyes readjusted to the dimly lit interior, they fell on the Hulk. Tied to his left leg was one of the holsters that the Amigos had carried around their chests. The other leg held a cargo pocket full of the same zip ties binding our arms… along with my hammer. The giant bastard had it in his belt. What I wouldn’t have given to get my paws on it.
I watched as the Hulk lifted his full ham-sized fist to pull the blade from the holster. He held it out in front of his face, inspecting it as a child would inspect a newfound toy. It was only then that I saw any change in his expression. One side of his mouth seemed to perk up, but quickly withdrew, leaving him looking like a cross between Sloth from the Goonies and Andre the Giant.
Kyle was sitting up now, looking from me to Jarvis and Rodgers, who were starting to stir. We’d all be conscious soon, and you could see the excitement in Gordon’s eyes. He was slightly rocking in his chair, almost ready to pounce at the idea of showing us what came next.
The Hulk took the blade and pushed it sharp side down into the floor of the helicopter, between his legs so that Gordon wouldn’t see what he was doing. It took me a moment to figure it out, but I soon realized he was carving pictures into the metallic paint.
“You’ve got us here, Gordon. Now what are you going to do with us?” Jarvis screamed out so he could be heard over the roaring engine of the helicopter.
Startled, my gaze was drawn from the Hulk to my friends, who were all awake now and sitting up. Kyle’s eyes were darting around the cabin. I could tell he was trying to find a way to free himself. As he yanked down, squeezing the zip tie into his flesh, his eyes landed on the metal pole holding his arms up.
Rodgers was sitting at full alert, twisting his hands around the pole. I watched as a slight hint of panic shot across his face. It was as if he were surprised to be there. With his face turning red, he twisted in vain for a moment, trying to pull free as the yellow plastic turned his wrists white.
Gordon held his hand out to Rodgers, as if to say, “It’s not worth the effort,” then looked back toward Jarvis. “Oh, we’re nearly there, old friend. I almost hate to spoil the surprise. Then again, I do feel like I owe it to myself to share this with you. After all, I’ve been waiting so very long.”
I looked back at the Hulk, who had not acknowledged a word being said. He remained focused on his small helicopter art, which reminded me more and more of what a Neanderthal would draw on the side of a cave wall.
Gordon continued. “You see, we’re heading back to my base. My home away from home, if you will… if you count Avalon as my real home.” He chuckled at this, while the venom built up in Jarvis’s face.
“I’m not going to help you, Gordon. You’ve gone to this trouble for no reason at all. I’ll never willingly tell you a thing,” Jarvis finally spat out.
“Hold that thought,” Gordon replied calmly. “I have something I want the four of you to see. Take a look out of the portholes to the right,” he said, pointing at the windows above our heads. “Really, you have to see this. Come on now… you just have to stand.”
Hesitantly at first, we started to prop ourselves up against the wall. The pole our arms were bound to made it so we could slide our wrists high enough to stand. An indistinguishable numbness plaguing my limbs had me fighting for each inch, as I slid my face along the vibrating helicopter wall in an effort to reach that tiny round opening to the outside world.
Kyle’s mouth dropped as he reached the window. His haunted expression pulled the hairs on the back of my neck to full alert. My own eyes finally reached the glaring sun as it peeked in on us through the thick plated glass.
At first, it looked like the ground had been scorched, burnt to the bare earth. There wasn’t any green. Nothing more than a field of brown and black dots could be seen. However, as my eyes adjusted to the brightness outside, I soon realized that the earth was moving ever so slightly. Up and down, slowly, but methodically, it was moving over trees, through buildings, and swallowing cars whole.
I felt my Adams apple bob as I gulped, and my breathing picked up, momentarily fogging up the glass my face was pressed against. I simply couldn’t believe it. There was a literal sea of Zs, moving together as one giant horde, and it stretched as far as we could see from the height of the helicopter.
“What… the… hell?” I heard Kyle whisper.
Still staring out of the porthole in awe, I realized what the Hulk had been looking at. It was absolutely breathtaking… in all the wrong ways.
“Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to the Mega-Horde. Impressive, isn’t it?” Gordon called out above the engines. “This little group of creatures is working its way toward my base camp as we speak. They’ll be there in less than a week’s time. We’ve tried all the usual methods to steer them away. You know, like sound, light, etcetera. Doesn’t seem to work on a horde this size. My people don’t think there’s anything we can do to stop them at this point. I’m actually not so sure… but then again, I don’t need much of a push to head back toward Avalon.”
“We’re not helping, you sick twisted fuck,” Kyle finally said from where he stood, moving his hands up the pole ever so slightly. I’d thought he’d kept his mouth rather quiet during all this. Twisted fuck seemed to be about the response I’d have expected from him. If I wasn’t tied up, floating over a sea of the dead, I might have actually thought it was funny.
Gordon nodded over toward the Hulk, who stood up, glaring at Kyle. For a moment, I thought Kyle was going to stand his ground. When the Hulk took a step forward, Kyle let the breath out of his chest and sat down, pulling his wrists tightly against the metal pole once again. Not like Kyle to back down from a fight, I thought to myself.