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using a name like that,  he thought as he back-swung his weapon to knock down a third assailant. We let euphemisms insulate us from the true horror of a situation.
    With a final swing, he opened the path to the door on the far side and he was able to build back up to a full run. Feet were still behind him. Living feet, announcing themselves with solid drumbeats. He hoped Dwight was still among the living with his precious serum, but he couldn’t spare the time to look, couldn’t risk tripping.
    He reached the far doors, seeing nothing on the other side of the glass panels, and he hit the button to open them. He looked. Dwight pounded past, along with Brown, Riggs and Mendel, the woman who had argued with Brown by the shaft. The other two members of the group were on the floor, screaming as their throats were being torn open.
    “There’s nothing we can do for them,” Ben said forcefully as he restrained Mendel from going back. He shoved her toward the right-hand turn that would take them to the shaft. “Move, people!” he hissed. “You stand still, you die.”
    They raced down the hallway, streaming around both sides of a single meat puppet who couldn’t seem to decide which way to turn. They came to an open area in front of the shaft entrance. A reception desk on the far side of the area had two more animated corpses milling around behind it. To the right of the desk, they could see the same hall that they had originally intended to use. The large group that Ben had decoyed was mostly wandering around the intersection where they had last seen their human prey.
    “Dammit! The door won’t open,” Dwight hissed. “Shit!” He pounded his fist against the glass panel. “This one leads to the shuttle bay. The lockdown must have sealed off this entrance.”
    “No way in hell are you gonna tell me the only way back to Earth is to go back through all those freaks and fight off a team of government killers with shotguns and pistols.” Ben pushed Dwight out of the way and swung his extinguisher with every ounce of force in his body. The cylinder rebounded off the glass with a loud, sonorous chime.
    A small crack was his only reward.
    “Puppets heard that,” Brown volunteered. “They’re coming.”
    Ben swung again, widening the crack, but not by much. He took a look down the hall. No time. He pulled his pistol out, checking automatically to see the raised indicator on the top. A round was chambered. He squeezed off three quick rounds at the center of the radiating cracks and the glass shattered into a thousand pieces. “Alright, let’s get out of here.”

A Pat on the Head
From : Steering23@(withheld).com
     
To : [email protected]
     
CC : Oversight23@(withheld).gov ;
     
Subject : Progress of Project Chronos – Lockdown support team.
     
We appreciate measures taken by your team to maintain contact during what has to be a very difficult time. Dr. Davis has been located and is no longer a concern in the ongoing containment efforts.
     
We have re-allocated a team of containment specialists from duties at the Virgin Xanadu. They should arrive at your facility shortly. Please have all remaining staff ready to meet them in your shuttle bay for a full debrief.
     
Thank you, Dr. Young, for your efforts. We’ll take it from here.
     
Steering Committee Member 7
Project 23
     

Tartarus Station
    Low Earth Orbit
     
    “W hat the hell was that?” The pilot, still in his seat, leaned around the bulkhead as Ben walked up the shuttle’s back ramp. “Who the hell are you?” His eyes widened as Ben aimed the large bore of his .45 between them.
    “We’re the people you came here to kill,” Ben began conversationally. “So you’ll understand if I don’t have much use for you, aside from launching this bird right now.”
    “Look, son,” the pilot replied in a surprisingly calm voice, “you don’t realize who you’re up against. Just calm down and wait for the rescue team to get back from looking for