APOSTLE'S CREED - a zombie story

[TheAverageFan]

Set up... pay off... Chapter 14:

Spoiler Alert!

14
The V.A.C.C.

CAR PARTY DAY TWO

____ For once the cold woke Thomas up. The weather was getting bitingly chilly, and a thin-skinned building without power wasn’t much help. He was lying on the bed still but hadn’t gotten under the covers. No, he’d fallen asleep just laying there next to Brooke.
____ Strange. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d just drifted off like that. He hadn’t been terribly tired last he recalled. But he’d take it for what it was worth. Sleep was hard to come by, even day-long exhaustion not always helping. Besides, he had a big day ahead of him. One hopefully involving getting to VACC.
____ Brooke was still beside him, sleeping. Thomas looked down at her, head a bit more clear than it’d been the night before. Last night’s lunacy felt like the distant past or even a dream now that the daylight had illuminated everything. Still, he knew it’d all been real and recent, unable to be easily discounted. Just great: now they were an item. How long before she wound up dead too? Just in time for him to get really attached?
____ No, he figured, stop thinking like that. They were going to get to VACC and everything was going to be okay. And if it wasn’t, then he’d find a way to make it okay. Force it if he had to. He was through letting life jerk him around. Fed up with this apocalypse nonsense. Done with the paranoia. He’d flick the winged moon his middle finger, a defiant “screw you” to these strange happenings and dangerous monsters. He was done with letting it jerk them all around.
____ Thomas stretched and went out into the dingy bathroom, turning on the faucet. It took several seconds for water to come out, a sign of the days passing taking their toll on unmaintained pipes. He splashed his face, the water stingingly cold. Freezing but awake.
____ The rest of the group was still sleeping in the other room, Stacey curled up tight in bed and Reed slumped next to the front door. He leaned carelessly on his rifle, dozing. The only one up was Abbey, sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. Thomas almost jumped a bit: somehow he’d missed her when he came in. She looked like she hadn’t gotten any sleep at all, but perhaps that was just the relentless harassment of the unknown getting to her. Any remaining ink was nothing but unreadable smears on her pale skin. The words were gone but their effect remained.
____ “Thomas.” She said upon seeing him.
____ “Abbey.” He replied, feeling a touch bad for never coming to console her last night. Still, he figured he probably just would’ve crowded her, “How are you?”
____ “Better…” She murmured, “I…”
____ Silence for a few seconds too long.
____ “Thomas.” Abbey continued, “You’re honest with people, right…?”
____ “I like to think I am.” He replied, “I’ve always been one to play the straight man.”
____ “What kind of mother am I?” She stared down at her empty hands.
____ Thomas just stared at her, unsure he could satisfy her if she was seeking solace.
____ “My mom once asked me the same exact question.” He said.
____ “What did you tell her?”
____ He frowned, “…I don’t remember. It was a while ago. I don’t remember what spurred her to ask in the first place either. But I do know that whatever the cause was, I still loved her.”
____ “Oh…”
____ Thomas didn’t feel like conversing with her further than that, deciding to change the subject to debatably more important matters, “Should we wake everyone up? The earlier we hit the road the better.”
____ “I suppose.” She said.
____ Thomas prodded Reed with his shoe until he awoke, leaving at that and going out to check on the car. He’d tear his hair out if they got this close to VACC only to have their sole mode of transportation swiped while they snoozed. Fortunately it was still there, like an obedient dog told to sit even overnight. Thomas sighed, relieved, not wanting to part with it again, but he had a feeling the others would take forever unless he was there to get them moving.
____ Abbey had woken Stacey and Brooke, and the latter had come outside. Her breath was visible as she merely exhaled and looked out to her quiet surroundings. Thomas approached her, putting his hands in his pockets and trying to see what she was looking at. If it was something in particular, he couldn’t see it.
____ He wasn’t sure how she felt about last night, choosing not to address it for now, “Ready to get going?”
____ “Yeah…” Brooke said simply, “I hope it’s warm there.”
____ “Can’t say. Who knows how it’ll be.” Thomas replied.
____ She didn’t seem too worried about it, “The only way to know will be to move forward and see for ourselves.”
____ “Indeed.”
____ She glanced at him for a second, then silently held her left hand out to him. He frowned down at it. Clearly she was still interested, last night not just a fling or a flash of misguided feelings. He still felt mildly uncertain about that himself, unsure if he ought to take her hand or not. Doing so meant a lot: a lot of risks, a lot of investments. The countless loves and losses that made up every relationship, every friendship even. And he wasn’t really friends with any of these people. They were together by dangerous circumstances only. Loving one of them was a step higher than calling one of them a friend. What if disaster struck? For good reason he doubted his own ability to deal with it.
____ But then regardless of the risks involved or the eventual outcome, he'd still loved her. It was insurmountable hurt back then, but just like before there was no real choice. The temptations of love were simply too great. Logic could only take you so far in that respect.
____ Thomas accepted Brooke’s gesture and held her hand, if only for a little bit. Just to show each other that they were still willing. Now it was time to get moving. They’d have plenty of time to figure it out at VACC. Now to finally get there.
____ Thomas let go and returned to the motel room. Stacey and Reed were quickly getting their things together, both looking a little short on sleep. Their problem. Thomas grabbed Brooke’s guitar and slung it over his shoulder, “We all good to go?”
____ “Ready as we’ll ever be.” Stacey said, fishing a candy bar out of her backpack and wresting the wrapper off with her teeth, “We can eat in the car.”
____ “Good. Let’s ride.”
____ The group wasted absolutely no time in hitting the road. Thomas kept the car moving calmly but quickly, sticking close to his navigator’s directions and keeping an eye out for their elusive destination. With, each passing hour things grew increasingly tense. Every soul in that car was ready for the minute they reached safety to be at hand. And every sixty seconds that passed without giving it to them only bolstered the chances for the next. They were going to make it.
____ Brooke managed to stay on top of things with the directions as they drew painstakingly near. The road veered off from the main street a ways back, gradually devolving into a small maze of pavement and rows of trees. It was an odd place, the roads winding and turning, for some reason hesitant to just go straight to the destination. But there were no zombies in sight so they could take their time. Thomas felt at least somewhat compelled to part from the road and just drive over the grass and between the trees, but he stuck to the street. No reason to get that rash and impatient.
____ “Okay… we’re getting there…” Brooke read off the map, double-checking her directions and looking to the road and back constantly, “There. We’re at the coordinates.”
____ Thomas continued driving down the street, the road finally straightening out. There were trees on either side and more dead ahead by the look of it. No sign of VACC.
____ “Then, where…?” He began, braking and gradually coming to a halt as the road ahead suddenly stopped. A dead end. He parked the car and frowned.
____ Stacey looked out her window curiously, unsure what to think, “So is this it?”
____ Brooke seemed to reach a conclusion rather quickly, opening her door and stepping out, “Let’s have a look around.”
____ Thomas watched her go, unconvinced. They’d come all this way for nothing? No, he supposed even specific coordinates could still cover a large area of land. And they still had plenty of daylight left. It wouldn’t hurt to have a walk around. Okay, fine. He killed the engine and pocketed the keys, stepping out. Still cold.
____ He popped the trunk and everyone retrieved their things. Reed was quick to take the lead. He held his rifle tight in his hands and cautiously looked around, easily the most disconcerted. He looked like he was ready to shoot anything that moved.
____ “Lead the way, sir.” Thomas told him, “If you dare.”
____ “Ugh. I don’t like this.” Reed grumbled, reluctantly moving forward. They all wandered down the path, leaving the car behind.
____ “Oh, please tell me it’s here. It’s not here, is it?” Abbey said.
____ Brooke picked up the pace, pointing dead ahead, “There! I see a fence!”
____ “That was fast! Whew!” Stacey breathed a sigh of relief.
____ Sure enough, a chain link fence walled off the forest ahead, a clear treeless field on the other side. There were alternating signs on each section, one simply reading “VACC” and the other warning “DANGER! Zombie Proximity Electrifies Fence!”
____ Stacey’s giddiness increased as they approached the fence, pointing to the sign and hopping up and down like a overexcited child, “Look, look! VACC! It says VACC! We’re here!”
____ “Mm-hmm.” Thomas ignored her and looked through the chain link, getting a look at what they were dealing with here.
____ Past the fence there was nothing but a tiny little building, a tall white rectangle with a single door. It was windowless and blank, with no features save for a single security camera eyeing the entrance. Brooke pointed, “Is that it? It’s so small.”
____ “It’s mostly underground, I bet.” Reed explained, carelessly throwing his rifle over the fence and beginning to climb it, “Up I go.”
____ “Whoa, careful now!” Thomas snapped, “The sign says it electrifies when there’s zombies around.”
____ Reed ignored him, “I ain’t dying and I don’t see any zombies. Let’s go.”
____ Thomas waited for him to receive his ironic comeuppance but it didn’t come. Reed quickly scaled the fence, hopping over the edge and landing on the other side with a thud. Seemed safe enough. Thomas looked left and then right, eyes peeled for zombies, before beginning to ascend himself. He didn’t know how close was close enough for this fence to supposedly fry everything that touched it. Nor did he know if it’d affect the whole thing. What if there was a zombie all the way on the other end? No, thinking that way would have him hesitant to climb over for all of eternity.
____ “Here goes…” He grabbed the chain link and held on tight, beginning to climb up as fast as he could. It was about fifteen feet tall, not terribly insurmountable. Thomas was a little underwhelmed by VACC’s defenses thus far. Sure, it might keep the zombies out. But they had enough motor control left in them to ascend stairs, so climbing a fence certainly wasn’t out of the question. And what if the electricity didn’t work on them? Save for headshots bullets certainly didn’t faze them too much.
____ But those questions could be answered later. For now Thomas settled for climbing over and hopping on down. He watched the girls scramble over after him, Stacey making it first and tossing her backpack down at him. He caught it, Reed similarly catching Brooke’s guitar, and not ten seconds later the five of them had successfully hurdled over their first obstacle.
____ Next up, the tiny building. A conspicuous white box out in the center of a green clearing. The sole armed member of the group, Reed led the way as they all carefully approached the door. There was a panel to the right of the doorknob, like a buzzer on an apartment building. As they all drew near, the camera above visibly craned its metal neck, watching them as they closed in.
____ Brooke saw it move and waved her arms at it, “Hello? Please let us in!”
____ She jumped, quite startled, as the buzzer spoke up loudly and replied, “Who are you all? Survivors?”
____ It was a casual but unfamiliar male voice, not terribly demanding. She just hadn’t expected such an immediate response, “Yes! Let us in please!”
____ The voice continued its simple interrogation, “You guys looking for shelter?”
____ “Boy, nothing gets past you.” Reed answered dryly, “Now open up already!”
____ “Sure thing, sure thing. Say, none of you are bitten, are you?”
____ “No sir.” Thomas replied.
____ “All right then. Hold on a minute… Not used to visitors, you understand. We’re a bit secluded out here…”
____ “Well, Nazar sent us.” Brooke explained.
____ “Nazar? Really? Okay then, just a second. Come on down.”
____ Beeping could be heard audibly from within the building, like it was a big server computing whether it wanted to let them in or not. A click sounded off by the door, followed by a heavy clank echoing from down below. Reed tried the doorknob and opened it up. Indeed there was nothing inside but an open hatch in the floor leading down. Another camera watched from the upper corner of the room.
____ “Just go on down, like a submarine.” The voice instructed, “We’re all down below.”
____ Stacey peered down, curious but somehow still nervous. Was this bunker going to be her new home from now on? Better than outside. But cramped and unfamiliar as the tunnel leading down was, it was also strangely inviting. Maybe it was the electricity, controlling the door and keeping the cameras running. It was a sign of civilization. She swallowed her fears and began climbing the ladder down.
____ The voice continued as they descended one by one, “Hell, five of you, huh? Seems our survivor count just doubled. Well, we’re safe here, and we’re gonna have a lot of time on our hands, so let’s get to know each other. Welcome, welcome!”
____ It was all white down here, evenly lit down to even the most remote corner. A big open room with at least one door on every wall. It greatly resembled a set of some sci-fi movie, crisp, clean, and shiny. Or perhaps it just looked that way compared to the way everything was destroyed above. They probably all looked doubly-filthy juxtaposed against the spotless setting.
____ All that being said, it wasn’t entirely devoid of humanity down here. There was plenty of furniture around to keep things human in a manner of speaking. Less sterile, anyway. Looking for excuses to complain, Thomas found himself stumped. He surrendered that pursuit and nodded his approval. It was a decent place, hardly a dim, gray bunker. He could get used to it.
____ “Wow…” Brooke looked around, “It’s almost unreal. But we’re finally here.”
____ “Yeah. It’s nice.” Stacey agreed, “It is almost unreal, actually being here.”
____ “Bah.” Reed dismissed, “Keep you guard up. There’s something fishy about this place. I can feel it.”
____ One of the doors opened, and out stepped a middle-aged man, clean and evenly dressed. The room behind him was filled with monitors showing security feeds, and a microphone could be seen at the desk housing them all. The man nodded as he approached them, “If there is, I haven’t seen it yet. Hey there, everybody.”
____ Thomas eyed him. He looked average and plain, coming up short on unique features, but normal enough, inviting even. The only unnerving thing about him was that he clearly had a pistol holstered to one hip. But then again he’d let an armed stranger in here too. Fair enough.
____ “Are you the one who let us in here?” He inquired the man.
____ “Yeah. You must’ve tripped the alarm climbing the fence, so I found out what the fuss was down at the security room.” The man pointed, “The switch in there’s the only way to open the door. Anyway, I’m Montag. Montag Smith. I’m a writer. Maybe you’ve heard of me?”
____ “No.”
____ Montag chuckled, “Yeah, I suppose not. At any rate, welcome to VACC. It’s more of a laboratory than a bunker, but it’s a bit understaffed so it’ll do just as well.”
____ “But we can stay here, right?” Stacey asked, “And there’s food and water and electricity and stuff, right?”
____ “Yep, the whole nine yards.” Montag said, “There’s not a lot of us, so there’s plenty to go around. But first…”
____ Quite unexpectedly he put one hand on his holster, ready to draw his firearm at a moment’s notice, “I do need to check you all for bites. Can’t give you the full tour until I know you’re all safe.”
____ Thomas eyed the pistol, “Understandable, I guess. Can’t take our word for it.”
____ “I’m afraid not. This place is only safe if the zombies stay on the outside. And I’ve got to be thorough. Even a little nick from a tooth will do it. Sorry.”
____ “No, it’s okay…” Thomas had actually forgotten that Header never got around to checking them for bites, either. The debut of the Initiated had cast the thought from their heads, and they could’ve been travelling with unsafe people all this time. But they’d come this far without turning, so he was confident that none of them had anything to hide. Still, Montag didn’t know that. Just pretend he’s your doctor or something…
____ Reed began stripping confidently, setting his rifle down and quickly slipping his jacket off. Seemed the chance to show off his abs was a bigger priority than continuing to be cautious about this place. Thomas sighed and began disrobing as well, getting it over with quick.
____ Montag scanned every bit of skin, “Okay… okay… you’re good. …Alright… You’re good.”
____ Even as he approved the rest of them, Stacey stood in the back and refused to remove even a single article of clothing. Thomas knew she didn’t have anything to hide, but still she wasn’t having it. Montag walked over to her.
____ “You’re the last one and we’re good.” He told her, “Something the matter?”
____ “I…” She stammered, “I don’t, can’t, do this. I’m sorry.”
____ “It’s just for a little bit, Stacey.” Brooke insisted, “Don’t worry about it.”
____ Stacey just shook her head. That was all the explanation she was willing to offer, seemingly quite adamant about not following Montag’s orders.
____ Montag sighed and stepped back, “Look, I can’t let you in until I know you’re not infected. I’m sorry, but that’s how it works.”
____ “Do you have somewhere private?” Stacey asked, “Where I can be by myself?”
____ “Well yeah, there’s a shower room.” Montag pointed to a door in the other corner of the room, “But someone’s still got to verify…”
____ She sighed and rubbed the sides of her head, practically pulling at her hair. There had to be at least one person to see her, but she could at least pick who. She sighed again, “Brooke. Please?”
____ “Me?” Brooke seemed a little surprised, “Okay. Is that alright, um…?”
____ “Montag. Yes, I suppose.” He walked over and opened the door. There was a hall with sinks and towels on opposite ends, and a large open space with several shower nozzles at the far end where the blank white of the floor and walls split into tiles.
____ Brooke and Stacey walked in and he shut the door behind them, striding back over to the security room. There was a hidden camera in there, but he decided against monitoring it, instead looking back at his other guests for assurance, “Are those two friends? Do they talk a lot?”
____ “Huh? They’re friends, I guess.” Thomas hadn’t really thought about it much, “But they don’t talk to each other a ton, not to my knowledge anyway.”
____ “Alright. As long as she’s not covering for her.” Montag concluded, “You guys know the importance of places like this, safe from the zombies. If anyone slips in infected, well… we’re all dead.”
____ Thomas nodded grimly and looked to the closed door of the shower room. He’d like to think Stacey and Brooke would know better than to try something like that, but who could honestly say? People would take being infected as well as having to put down an infected in wildly different ways. Some could handle it while maintaining levelheadedness, others… Well…

____ “Okay, Stacey.” Brooke consoled, “Door’s closed, it’s just us in here. Better?”
____ The two stood secluded in the shower room, feeling damp despite it being dry. Brooke felt like she was back in high-school, helping a friend privately get over whatever passed for big dilemmas back then. She hoped it was that simple in Stacey’s case, but one had to expect the unexpected at this point. She did know that whatever problems they might encounter now, it was never a good idea to keep it to themselves.
____ “I don’t…” Stacey sighed a third time. Again she seemed unlike herself, standing there quietly with her feet pressed close together and her eyes glued to the floor. It was not a look that fit her at all.
____ Brooke crossed her arms, “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
____ “I’m not embarrassed. I’m just ashamed.” Stacey corrected, “I guess there’s no way around it. Look, just promise you won’t tell anyone, okay?”
____ “Promise.”
____ Stacey closed her eyes and took her hat and shirt off, beginning to get fully undressed. It certainly didn’t take long for Brooke’s eyes to widen. Stacey had several U-shaped scars all along her torso. What’s more, she appeared to have more scars—from severe burns by the look of it—just about completely covering her back. Even the structure of her back didn’t look quite right, like the flesh never quite grew into its shoes. Stacey kept her eyes closed and clutched her arms, waiting for Brooke to finish gawking at her partial deformity.
____ “…All right…” Brooke said quietly, “No zombie bites. You’re good.”
____ “Thank you.” Stacey was quick to throw her clothes back on. Now Brooke sighed, watching her get dressed. She was a bit more enlightened as to why Stacey hadn’t wanted to let everyone see her like that, but knowing about her condition only made Brooke ask more questions. She just didn’t know if she ought to.
____ Stacey slipped her bra back on and picked up her shirt, Brooke looking at her back again before it was covered for good and succumbing to curiosity, “Good heavens, Stacey. What happened to you?”
____ “It’s nobody’s business.” She replied.
____ “You don’t have to hide, you know.” Brooke pestered, “Nobody’s going to judge you or look at you differently. I promise.”
____ “I know, I’m sure…” Stacey paused, “But I don’t want to. Just don’t tell anyone else, okay?”
____ “You have my word. It’s between the two of us. If you need anyone to talk to about it…”
____ Stacey breathed deeply, looking down at the shirt in her hands, “It happened when I was little. My dad turned on the stove and then held me down on it. I don’t think he was going to stop. Luckily Mom was there to knock him out and call 911.”
____ “Good Lord! Why would he do such a thing!?”
____ “I don’t know. It was complicated.” Stacey said, “I guess he just got fed up with me.”
____ Brooke stared at the ground, “God… I’m so sorry, Stacey.”
____ “It’s okay. I’m okay now.” Her tone was more distant than casual.
____ “What about those other scars on your sides?”
____ “Bites. A dog did that. That was different though…” Stacey slipped her shirt on, hiding her wounds. She readjusted her hat and seemed to instantly perk up now that her past was out of sight, “Okay, we’re all good! Let’s see how luxurious this place is!”
____ Brooke frowned a bit at her, finding it a bit sad that Stacey’s bubbly side was more of a front than anything. She hoped that wasn’t true. Poor thing. But then again, she supposed they were all coping with their own scars in various ways, and a lot of it probably involved lying to themselves or hiding behind a smile. She could hardly judge Stacey for it, and she wasn’t going to act like she was any different. They were all in the same boat, one way or another.

____ “We all good?” Montag greeted the two girls as they returned to the rest of the group, “You understand lying will get us all killed.”
____ “She’s fine. Not a nick on her.” Brooke answered.
____ “All right. In that case, allow me to show you your new home.” He turned and walked through another door, leading the way down a blank hall. Everyone followed, cautious and antsy. It was still too good to be true, after all, and it’d take some getting used to if it really was all it was cracked up to be. Montag talked over his shoulder as he walked, apparently familiar enough with these halls to traverse them blindly, “Like I said, VACC is a laboratory. There’s only a few scientists left, but it is still running. So most of the facility isn’t our business. Us civilians have the barracks to ourselves. That’s where we all stay. I’ll take you there and you can meet the rest of the gang.”
____ “Okay, fair enough…” Thomas glanced around as they turned a corner and moved down some stairs. The halls maintained the clean white aesthetic throughout, and every door they came across was closed up tight. Each had a single small window, like a porthole, showing small laboratories within. They were empty, like doctor’s offices with all the equipment removed, and the lights were off.
____ Down below, the group entered another large open room, more doors at each wall. These were all open, however. A woman sat at a couch in the corner, looking up at the newcomers as she turned the page of a book in her lap. Unlike boring Montag, she was more unique looking: a fairly stocky woman with very short hair and a face that immediately came off as friendly.
____ “Oh my.” She said as Montag walked over with five new faces in tow, “No wonder you took so long. Staying here or passing through?”
____ “Staying.” Montag introduced, “This is Lynn, folks. She’s the only lady in our group, but don’t make any assumptions because she could probably beat the tar out of the rest of us.”
____ Lynn smiled at them, “Aw, don’t try to intimidate them, Montag! I’m not a grizzly bear. It’s nice to meet you all.”
____ “I’m just trying to impress, sorry.” Montag apologized, “I was just saying you’re the only one who had a really physical job! Introductions are important!”
____ “It’s quite alright. Pleased to meet you, Lynn.” Brooke said, “I’m Brooke, this is Stacey, Abbey…”
____ Montag lit up, “Ah, heavens! I never even asked you your names! Sorry, sorry.”
____ “Don’t worry.” Thomas assured him, “I’m sure you’re about to hear them five times over.”
____ “I’ve got an idea.” Lynn got up, setting the book down and leaving the room. She quickly returned with a stack of card-sized stickers and a pen, “I’m sure I’m not the only one bad with names. Here, just put these on.”
____ Thomas took one. Hi! My name is… He awkwardly signed it and stuck it to his jacket, watching as everyone else did the same. Montag too wrote his name, jotting in big clear capitals—not the look one’d expect from an author’s signature. He flattened the sticker down repeatedly and nodded his approval.
____ “Excellent. There we go.” He said, “Now where’s everybody else, Lynn?”
____ “Guy’s sleeping. I don’t know where Louis and Mr. Collis are. Let me go find them.” Lynn turned to leave, “I’ll be right back. Montag, how about you find these people something to eat? I’m sure they’re famished.”
____ “Oh, right, right! This way.” Montag snapped to attention, “Gosh, are you folks thirsty? Do you need new clothes?”
____ He took a quick left and entered the room adjacent. Following him revealed a large kitchen, countless shelves and cupboards lining two of its walls. Everything white and spotless just like the rest of it, all save for the countless portions stocking its shelves. There appeared to be a meat freezer at one end of the back wall and a large pantry on the other. Silver dotted the counters, every cooking machine or utensil present and accounted for. One couldn’t help but gawk at the sight of it. Goodbye rations.
____ Montag watched them stare, “Yeah, we’re stocked to last. There’s enough food in there to feed twenty for six months, and there’s more at the bottom level. Help yourselves to anything. W—What say we celebrate our new guests, yeah? A sumptuous repast, if you will?”
____ Stacey gave him two thumbs up, “I approve immensely! Let’s eat!”

____ Cooking was perhaps the first fun thing anyone in the group had experienced in quite some time. Those who could cook (Thomas, Abbey: passable. Montag, Brooke: better. Stacey, Reed: horrendous) perused the countless items and ingredients the VACC store had to offer, thinking for the first time in a while about what they would like to eat. There wasn’t anything terribly exotic to choose from, but there were choices at all. That was good enough for any of them.
____ Montag whipped up some sort of pasta dish, a good entre for himself and his yet-unseen friends as well as anyone else who’d want it. He tried to get Stacey and Reed to help him make it, assessing their lack of skills quickly and almost trying to tutor them at the same time. Clearly an effort to make friends quickly, Thomas figured as he watched, but the man had lowered his guard plenty in doing so. Reed struggled to churn the dough through a pasta roller and Stacey laughed as Montag helped her awkwardly dice tomatoes. Well, at least they were genuine smiles. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Perhaps any happiness from this point onward wouldn’t be dishonest. Thomas shrugged. Maybe.
____ Lynn was fairly quick to return with three others: all of them adult men. One of them was rather dull looking, another sly, and the third elderly. Lynn pestered them with name tags of their own and walked over to Montag, “My, putting them to work already?”
____ “Oh hush now.” He retorted, “I see the gang’s all here. I can finish up here, people. You all grab a seat and get acquainted.”
____ Thomas’ basic chicken and rice dish was merely waiting on the oven, so he left it to Montag and quickly rinsed his hands off before walking over.
____ Lynn nodded her approval as they all assembled, “Superb. Everyone, this is Brooke, Reed, Thomas, Abbey, and Stacey. Other everyone, meet Louis, Guy, and Mr. Collis.”
____ Brooke beamed and bowed her head, “How do you do?”
____ Louis bowed in return, keeping his eyes on her, “Better, now. Welcome to our humble abode.”
____ The man had a natural smile and piercing green eyes that were hard to ignore. He was thin and young, the best looking of the three, and had a demeanor that seemed to automatically capture one’s attention. The bright colors of his clothing no doubt helped. He extended a hand to Brooke and then to Stacey.
____ She shakily accepted, “Glad to be here!”
____ Next came Thomas. He frowned at the gesture but took it, shaking Louis’ hand, “Hm. Yeah.”
____ “Weak.” Louis noted of his grip, “Well, dispel any worries, sir Thomas. We’re not going to eat you. Guy and I thought much the same when we first arrived here.”
____ Lynn crossed her arms, “I do recall you being the most paranoid one, Lou.”
____ Stacey looked to the older gentlemen, reaching out to him next, “Stacey! Mr.…?”
____ “Mr. Collis, please. Peyton Collis.” He gave her hand a loose shake, “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
____ He was more aged than any of them, hair clearly beyond its color. Despite this, he’d managed to make his years look fitting for him: more sharp than sagging. He wore a fancy yet somehow still stuffy suit, buttoned up tight in a clear endeavor to disguise a developing gut. Seemingly aware of the garb, he nervously tugged at the collar a bit.
____ “Ah, yes. Forgive the extravagant clothes; they were merely what were on my back when the disaster struck. Don’t get the wrong impression of me, please! I may look a bit posh but I assure you I’m one of the guys! Haha!”
____ “(I’m not sure you know what that means…)” Thomas muttered as he shook the man’s hand, “I don’t doubt it, Mr. Collis.”
____ Brooke seemed to light up at the sight of Mr. Collis, stepping forward to greet him, “Hey! I know you!”
____ Reed interrupted her, stepping in too and angrily pointing at the old man, “Yeah, so do I! You’re the CEO of that company, aren’t ya!? I bet the bunkers are full of big wigs like you! I don’t suppose you kept yer private jet around anywhere, ‘cause we got friends who could really use a lift right about now!”
____ Mr. Collis backed off, “Look, sir. I walked here. Please don’t get the wrong idea...”
____ “Yeah, yeah. I know your corporation’s got some pretty big funds in domestic aid. Where’s all yer help now that all hell’s broken loose?” Reed barked, “Who’s been helping the little people out on the street, huh!?”
____ He seemed pretty adamant about his accusations, knuckles white in one clenched hand. Unable to watch him take one step closer, Brooke moved between him and Mr. Collis, holding her arms out.
____ “Stop it, Reed!” She snapped, voice surprisingly fierce and equally adamant, “Mr. Collis has done more than enough already. The Collis Corporation Foundation pooled billions into helping those in need! I know because I was there! Take out your issues on someone who’s actually earned it, because it’s not Mr. Collis!”
____ Reed calmed down and backed off, not expecting such a fiery defense from her of all people, “Oh, uh, sorry.”
____ Brooke faced Mr. Collis, lightening up no small amount, “Sorry, sir. It’s just, well, I’m a real admirer of your work. I did volunteer work at a hospital where one of your foundation drives was. You could say I’m a big fan. It’s just really inspiring what you do, and I wish more people thanked you for it.”
____ Mr. Collis merely smiled bittersweetly, looking a touch hesitant to accept all the flattery she was piling on him, “Please, please, Miss. Boasting about a good deed undoes the deed. I’m afraid your friend’s not entirely off. There’s certainly no shortage of imbalance between those affected by this disease. And besides, I’m not sure just how much good all that money’s doing right about now. I can only hope it’s making some difference to somebody out there.”
____ Louis smirked, “I hope you’re all extremely humblebragging tolerant.”
____ “Please, Louis. I’m just trying to be honest.”
____ Thomas couldn’t help but smirk as well, satisfied enough with these new friends, “No, you’re good. No need to fret.”
____ Lynn walked over to the third man and put a hand on his shoulder, “Guy, why don’t you introduce yourself? Speak up.”
____ He was a man with matted hair and weary eyes, wearing cold colors and staying quiet. He kept his hands in his pockets as he talked, unable to keep eye contact with a single person for more than a few seconds, noncommittal, “Uh, yeah. I’m Guy. I… exist. That’s about it.”
____ “Pleased to meetcha, Guy.” Stacey told him.
____ “Ah, yeah.” He seemed a bit flustered with her, not offering anything else to the conversation.
____ Mr. Collis laughed, “He’ll warm up to you eventually. Now when do we eat? The best way to get to know people is at the dinner table.”
____ Montag walked around the kitchen counter and approached the group, “Give it about fifteen more minutes. This is usually the boring part of a cooking show.”

____ Ding!
____ Soon it was time for a hard-earned dinner, an oasis in the vast desert of flameless-heated rations. Hopefully it was the first of many such meals to follow. Thomas helped Montag bring out each dish, the author’s serving plus their individual recipes enough to serve all ten of them. Thomas rooted through the pantry looking for something to drink and found a half-empty bottle of red wine. Just about the same amount left as the bottle he’d had back at his apartment when the outbreak started. Perhaps fitting, full circle even. Pouring it out next to his hot meal, he almost felt like things were back to normal. Getting there, at least.
____ He set the bottle down ahead of him, looking to Montag as he picked it up, “So, you said this place is a lab of some kind? Are they investigating the zombie outbreak? Is there anyone still here?”
____ Montag poured the wine methodically without even looking, as if he’d done it a million times before, “Yeah, I mean, there’s only two scientists still stationed here permanently. I think all the others were relocated to another facility. They’re further down, where the main lab is.”
____ “Are they reclusive or something? Do they not wanna be bothered?” Stacey asked, carelessly talking with her mouth full.
____ Montag shook his head, “No, no, I can show you sometime if you like. They’re pretty lax about us going down there. No big deal.”
____ “There’s not too many places in here you’re not allowed to go.” Louis added, “Just be careful in the labs: they’ve got zombies locked up in there. Better listen closely before opening any doors.”
____ “Yikes! I’ll pass.” Stacey said.
____ “He’s only teasing you.” Lynn assured her, “The lab coats don’t mind company, but honestly after just coming here I’d think you’d all want a shower and a nap first.”
____ Brooke breathed a sigh of relief, “Heavens, yes please. We probably all look horrible.”
____ “You do got the room for us, right?” Reed inquired.
____ “This place houses twenty.” Louis said, “It’s not an official safe zone, not a lot of people have stumbled across it. You’re in luck. I imagine the real shelters have the opposite problem. Of course, that’ll change over time.”
____ “Of course.” Abbey quietly mused.
____ Louis leaned back in his seat, lifting two of its legs into the air. He crossed his arms behind his back and stared at the bright light in the ceiling above, “Nature is like a fire on a boat. Manageable when everything’s balanced, but if that boat’s jam packed to the brim with people or cargo… it all goes up in flames.”
____ “Macabre.” Mr. Collis noted, leaning one leg over and subtly kicking Louis’ chair back down to all fours, “That’s when you get yourself a bigger boat.”
____ “They don’t get much bigger than planet Earth.” Louis remarked, “This virus wouldn’t be so effective if there weren’t so many of us. Look around here: quiet, tranquil, spacious. Walden II. Out there, not so much.”
____ Brooke sighed, “That’s sad. We have been lucky. All those poor people out there. Every undead a person who couldn’t make it to safety.”
____ Louis changed his tone to match hers, “It’s nobody’s fault, really. I wish it weren’t so, but their very existence is why this virus is so effective. Say we do find a cure, but it strikes again. Wouldn’t be nearly as dangerous with so few people about the second time. See my point? Nothing much we can do about it. Not at the moment, anyway.”
____ “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Brooke glanced to the wine bottle at the table, deciding she wanted something more than water for today’s occasion. It was only half-full, so she went easy on it as she poured a bit into her glass, gently swirling it about.
____ “Well. It’s all behind you from this point onward.” Montag stated, “I know what it’s like out there. I was fortunate enough to stumble across this place rather quickly after the incident. But I haven’t had a moment of unrest since. So, what say we toast to your newfound safety, eh? This place, this, uh… hmm, what’s the word…?”
____ “Sanctuary?” Thomas guessed.
____ “Yes, that. Sanctuary.” Montag finished his drink, “Now then. Let’s just enjoy this dinner and then I can show you all where you’ll be staying, capisce?”

____ Dinner was finished and the tour continued. The living quarters was a single floor, spread out through a network of identical halls. Four separate lounges made up the corners of the cozy labyrinth, each one deliberately designed to juxtapose the lifeless white of the rest of the facility. Probably the best places to stick around over the course of their stay. Montag then showed them where the showers and laundry rooms were located, and finished by leading the group to their rooms. Just down one hallway, a row of closed doors waited on the left side.
____ “Here we are: numbers six through ten.” Montag introduced, walking over and sliding one of the doors open (the other doors were automatic and slid up, probably capable of locking down to isolate any breach in the lab) and peering inside, “Er, I hope it’s suitable for you all. I know this place is a little cramped, but it’s not so bad once you get used to it.”
____ Thomas looked over the author’s shoulder. The dorm within was about the size of a small hotel room. Certainly bigger than his first apartment bedroom, and hardly a bunker. It was nice. Compared to sleeping out in the middle of nowhere, thoughts of encroaching zombies never far from the mind, this was heaven.
____ “It’s great.” He said.
____ Stacey looked at him funny, “What’d you say?”
____ “I said it’s great.”
____ “No complaints or mutterances or the like?”
____ Montag seemed a little surprised, “Oh, that’s good to hear. Glad to hear it. Anyhow, that pretty much wraps up this floor. I can show you the downstairs lab another time. So, I guess just figure out who gets what room and all that.”
____ “Thanks, Montag. We’re truly grateful to finally have a safe place.” Brooke told him.
____ He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, “Ha, don’t thank me. I don’t own the place. At any rate, I’ll bet you all want to unwind for a bit. I’ll see you around, yes?”
____ “Yeah…” Thomas watched him go, looking to the rest of the group, finally on their own again, “Well, people…?”
____ Brooke sighed, “We made it. It’s all we could’ve possibly hoped for and more.”
____ “I’ll admit to that one, yeah.” Thomas conceded.
____ Reed was still somehow still distrusting, “I’d like to see what they’re up to in that lab downstairs before I throw out the party streamers. I’m not entirely unconvinced the zombie virus didn’t originate in a place like this.”
____ Stacey shrugged, “You’re just looking for the string attached. Mr. Montag wasn’t exactly trying to steer us away from going down there, so it’s not like they’ve got anything to hide. We can go see for ourselves whenever we want, but I think a shower, a nap, and some fresh clothes are in order first! My only worry right now is if Thorn and the others are going to make it here okay.”
____ “Well, we’ll see.” Thomas acknowledged. It was true only fifty percent of them were safe at the moment, but there wasn’t a thing in the world any of them could do to ensure otherwise. Stacey was right, the best thing they could do now was unwind a bit. Compared to the hellhole out there, they were at a resort right now. No reason not to partake in its offers.
____ Everyone split up and finally got to freshening up and settling down. Thomas showered and washed his clothes, having to wait on them since he didn’t have anything else at the moment. But all of a sudden he had time to kill. Redressed and hygienic again, he returned to his room and merely looked at himself in a mirror there. Looking back, it occurred to him how terrible he’d looked on the way to VACC. He’d probably get his first chance at seeing everyone else in his group looking close to normal next time he saw them. Even though the disaster was finally over, they were still stuck together living here now. They were basically a family now, connected like it or not.
____ Thomas slumped down onto the bed and looked around the room. It was his now, although he didn’t exactly have the means of sprucing it up to fit him personally. Still, it was livable and zombie-free. For the first time since he’d been chased out of his apartment by the undead, he had a home again. It seemed like so long ago, even if it hadn’t been. What had happened mattered more than how long had transpired, however, and this was the start of a new life. Maybe now things would finally start making sense again.

____ Montag walked back into the kitchen, finding Lynn and Louis in there cleaning up after dinner. He immediately began helping, gathering up the empty glasses and taking them to the sink.
____ Lynn gave him a glance, “How are our new guests doing?”
____ “They seemed pretty pleased with it all.” Montag replied, “Even, um… uh, (gosh)… starts with an E…”
____ “Ecstatic?” Louis guessed.
____ “Yeah: ecstatic even. Thank you.” He glanced down the hall to make sure no one else was there before continuing, “It’s weird though. When they were at the front door they said Nazar had sent them here.”
____ Lynn paused, raising an eyebrow. Clearly the two things didn’t seem to go together in her head, “…Is that so?”
____ Louis crossed his arms and leaned on the counter, “Interesting… I wonder what it could mean. Think they’re hiding something?”
____ Montag shook his head, “No, they feel pretty normal to me. They didn’t seem too in-the-know about the lab, and they haven’t brought him up again. But they must be fairly important if they got his attention. Only time will tell, I imagine.”

But we're not done yet! All arcs must be completed!!

~TAF, aware of his sig... and kudos to whoever gets its reference

[TGRF]

So... you put an invisible bar before every paragraph? Manually?

~TGRF, feeling like he's missing something.

[TheAverageFan]

And now for the conclusion of the "TAF you take way too long and your story sucks" trilogy... I give you... Chapter 15!

And even this one probably could've been split into two shorter chapters.

Spoiler Alert!

15
Departure

GUN PARTY DAY THREE

____ It was silent daylight, fitting only for waiting. Somehow Header knew they’d be here soon. He could barely see two snipers far out in the distance, just watching same as him. Further out beyond them he could see a trail of gray smoke up in the air. They must be camped out there somewhere... no, it was a big plume coming up. They were saying "We're here". In his head he could practically hear the rattling beat of solemn military drums, going then pausing. Where the silence before a battle might make one very nervous, imagining that music waiting for the enemy always got him pumped. They’d be ready for whatever came.
____ “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Thorn sat in the loveseat, watching his superior officer survey the outside, “You’re sure we shouldn’t just skedaddle now?”
____ “Naw… They’re still watching us.” The Sergeant declined, “’Sides, if we were gonna do that we blew our chance to do it last night.”
____ “Aye sir.”
____ Shelley quietly walked into the room, leaning her rifle against the doorframe and crossing her arms. She looked visibly nervous, equal parts glad to have new company but also weary of their plan.
____ “Are they here yet?” She asked.
____ “No ma’am, not yet.”
____ “Do you think they're maybe not coming?”
____ The Sergeant returned his eyes to the smoke outside, “Naw, they're coming. Just wait.”
____ Thorn watched Shelley glance about the room, taking notice of a kind of longing he wasn’t familiar with. He’d never been terribly attached to any particular place, unable to fully understand his hosts’ unwillingness to leave their home behind. But he felt compelled to speak up anyway, “If there’s room in the car, you two could maybe bring some extra things.”
____ “I don’t know if we have the time…” Shelley replied.
____ “You do.” Thorn said.
____ She just left at that, off to gather her belongings. The place most untouched by last night’s fortifications was their bedroom, and she sighed as she entered it and looked around. It was tucked away in the far corner of the house and was the most blue-colored room out of them all. Her and Stan had a good thing going, this place: cozy and secluded. They could probably have counted themselves amongst the lucky ones when the outbreak occurred, but it was still wrenching to have their lives so upended by the events the virus had brought. She wanted to stay; she probably could talk herself into staying if she so desired. But they had to go if they wanted a chance. At the very least she could take a few things with her.
____ “Need a hand, dear?” Stanley asked, standing at the doorway. He seemed to have the same thoughts on his mind, smiling faintly, “I’ve only got the one to work with, of course.”
____ “Sure.” Shelley said, picking up a picture of the two of them off a drawer and staring at it, “Do you think we’re doing the right thing here? Going along with these strangers?”
____ “Prodigiously.” He said with knowing sarcasm, walking to her side, “I thought sleeping on it would help me make up my mind, but now I’ve got even less time to spend on my decision. Who knows?”
____ “Mm.” She nodded, leaning back against him as she talked, “They are nice people. It’s just such quick timing. What if it’s the wrong move?”
____ “Only one way to find out. You know that guy said he’d be coming to end it for good today. It’s now or never.”
____ “Honestly as long as it’s over. It’s the uncertainty that’s really getting to me. Sometimes even death seems soothing by comparison.”
____ He wrapped his arm around her, “I’ll go where you go, dear.”
____ Shelley stared forward. There was nothing but the wall ahead, but she stared intently nonetheless. Musing with every second they had left to muse on, “Let’s go.”
____ Stanley simply nodded, releasing her and beginning to gather what he could. The two swiped what they needed or wanted and piled it into the car with fitting haste. Books, mostly. They were going to some kind of bunker. They’d need something to kill the time.

____ Header waited and watched. He did so for about an hour. Then they all finally came. The humming of an engine preceded their approach, a red car slowly pulling up off the road and rolling through the grass as it neared the house. It was a flat vehicle, with the entire top half sheared off, making it an impromptu convertible. Two people rode up front with four more crammed onto the back or sitting on the trunk, all of them bouncing up and down with every dip and rise in the road.
____ The car moved slow enough for eight others to walk alongside it. Header watched them come close, counting each and every one. Six in the car, eight on foot, plus the two snipers out of sight. A sizeable number, he figured. No wonder they wanted everything Shelley and her husband had cooped up in here. Sixteen in total, provided there weren’t more approaching from the back. But Gene was watching the other walls, so if there’d be any more trouble the Sergeant would know about it.
____ “They’re here!” He shouted, “Showtime, people!”
____ Everyone snapped to attention and rushed to their stations, cautiously peering through the tiny slits in the walls at their unwanted guests. Shelley hugged her rifle tightly, breaths coming and going in quick bursts.
____ “Let’s finish this.” She said, half to herself, “Please don’t let it come to blows.”
____ “We can only hope.” Header assured her, returning his gaze to the small army outside. Quickly assessing their odds. Sixteen, that was a lot. They were all men, some old some young, all equally ragged and worn by the apocalypse. All but two of them were armed, most with semi-auto pistols or revolvers. One in the car had a submachine gun and another had an assault rifle of some kind. The unarmed ones had an axe and a baseball bat respectively, as well as what appeared to be tennis rackets with the strings cut out. For what, handling zombies? Resourceful, Header supposed.
____ The car pulled up and gradually stopped about fifty feet from the house, the four men in the back dismounting it and fanning out. The man up front with the assault rifle reached down and turned on the car radio, cranking up the volume. He then took out a cell phone and plugged it into an auxiliary cord connected to the radio, speaking up.
____ “We’re out of time and patience.” He said, the radio taking his words and making them boom, plenty audible for all to hear, “I told you that yesterday and I meant it! Come on out, you and your new friends.”
____ Header snapped his fingers at Thorn, “Bring me the laptop and headset, Corporal.”
____ The computer wasn’t getting any internet out here, but Header had set it up last night in preparation for if they needed to talk with the outsiders.
____ “Yessir.” Thorn quickly crouch-walked over, opening the laptop. He plugged in the headset and opened a recording program, changing the output to the speakers.
____ Header turned up the volume and donned the headset, adjusting the microphone before speaking, “Sir, I’m afraid we can’t do that.”
____ The man in the car glanced at the house confusedly, then held up his phone to reply, “Who is this?”
____ “I’m Sergeant Brysen Header of the U.S. military.” Header explained.
____ Silence for a bit, the man leaning down low and quietly talking to someone next to him for a minute before continuing, “I’m Lotch. …You’re with the army?”
____ “Yes sir, that is correct.”
____ “…Can you take us to a safe zone?”
____ “I can point you to one.” Header offered, “I’m currently transporting some civilians to a place called VACC. I’m told it’s real safe there. It’s not far from here, an’ I can offer you some directions if you all lay down yer weapons.”
____ The man with the submachine gun wrested control of the phone away from his peer, shouting into it: “How do we know you can be trusted? You’re teamed up with those conceited self-servin’ hoarders in there. That woman killed one of us in cold blood! Shot her own neighbor!”
____ Shelley immediately became both alarmed and angry, looking to Header and Thorn, “That’s a damned lie! Laning was trying to kill us!”
____ “He your neighbor?” Thorn asked.
____ “Yeah, we only met once when we first moved here. He’s the one who told those ruffians about our car and supplies. He tried to break down our front door with an axe—I had no choice but to shoot him. Please believe me!”
____ “I do, don’t worry.” The Corporal told her.
____ Header nodded and returned his attention to those outside, “Now look here, I don’t care about no feud between y’all. My assignment is to help as many U.S. citizens get to safety as humanly possible. I am under no authority to shoot any of you unless provoked beforehand. Yer lucky I ain’t countin’ last night’s scuffle. I can and will use lethal force if necessary.
____ “Now as soon as we get the chance we’re plannin’ on going to VACC ourselves. Course, we need this here car to get there. You could follow us, or if you’re really that hell-bent on gettin’ all the supplies in here, you can help yourselves to it when we’re gone. You just gotta let us go peacefully. There ain’t no reason to devolve into savagery and fightin’ amongst ourselves. We got us a deal?”
____ Lotch took the phone back, “We need two cars for all of us to get anywhere. It’s yours or nothing.”
____ Header scowled, “Listen, I am not negotiating with y’all! Now this place is pretty fortified. You jes leave half your number holed up in here, an’ come back and get ‘em once the other half is safe at VACC. Now I say, do we got us a deal?”
____ Lotch put the phone down and again conversed amongst his men. Header kept his frown low and looked to his own allies. They were all noticeably anxious, hands clenching their guns in careful anticipation for what might come at any second. He looked back out at his conversing enemies. A classic standoff.
____ Finally Lotch spoke back up, “One of you with the directions take us to the shelter. The rest of you wait here for us to come back.”
____ “No, sir!” Header shouted, quickly tiring of their offers, “Us, as a group go or don’t go! We ain’t playin’ no hostage games!”
____ “How do we know there even is a shelter?!”
____ The Sergeant glared at the car out there, gripping his headset tight in frustration, “’Cause we’re goin’ there! Now I don’t care how you split yer group up, but we’re takin’ the car here with or without ya! Now are ya goin’ to go with us, let us go in peace, or are you goin’ to do this the hard way!?”
____ Lotch held up his phone to reply but was interrupted by one of the snipers calling out to him. From here Header couldn’t make out what the man was yelling, but it did ensnare Lotch’s attention pretty quick. Header could hear him muttering “ah, sh*t” on the phone before he returned to his announcing, “Time’s up. Give us the car and the directions and we’ll come back for you.”
____ “I am not doin’ that!” Header replied sharply, “You know my offer!”
____ Lotch ignored him, “Give it to us now. Deal or no deal? Final answer.”
____ Header grimaced, reciting his personal dictionary of swearwords to calm down before committing to his response, “No deal, sir.”
____ He’d managed to parley with them enough to give a slight glimmer of hope. But clearly Lotch was going to try to force it, and Header couldn’t rely on the man’s word. He was here to save civvies, but having to choose between the strangers outside and his group in here… well, he’d pick a side and stick with it. He’d tried to offer Lotch a solution, now he’d stick to his guns even if it meant killing the men out there. That was on them, not him.
____ Lotch tossed his phone down and loaded his rifle, turning to the men outside the car to his right, “Take the house. Be quick about it. We’re shorter on time than I’d hoped.”
____ Shelley watched, petrified, as the man with the axe strode toward her front door. He was escorted by four of the pistol-holders, their guns aimed at the windows. If they got too close, she would lose sight of them.
____ “Header, is it self-defense?” She asked.
____ Header solemnly nodded, “It is.”
____ BANG!!! She fired, the bullet tearing through the wall and dropping the axe-wielder in a single shot. He wasn’t dead, just dropped, and Shelley had hoped that his comrades would simply get the drift and retreat at that. They didn’t. The men around him scattered in an instant, wasting no time in returning fire. The shot had come from an unexpected direction, muzzle flash hidden and single bullet hole offering no real hinting to them. So they just sprayed the house, windows shattering and Thorn’s empty rifle falling to the floor.
____ “Ack!” Miles saw two holes puncture between the barricaded sections of the wall beside him. He pressed tight against the overturned furniture and cowered, “This is really happening, guys!!”
____ “Jus’ lay low an’ shoot anyone breakin’ down the doors and windows!” Header commanded, aiming through the wide peephole and firing. Anyone noncommittal to the battle he’d spare, but those he could see shooting were fair game. He aimed at the infantry closest to the door and fired, their chests or heads bursting one by one as the M16 did them in.
____ Now the entire enemy force scattered and began shooting. Header took cover and listened to the bullets rain upon the house like hail. He glanced back out the slot in the wall, just in the nick of time too.
____ The man with the submachine gun had put the car in Drive, flooring it and sending it careening directly towards Header’s spot. The Sergeant turned and dove out of the way, the vehicle barreling into the wall and shattering it. The driver shifted to Reverse and backed off quickly, spraying the home with submachine gunfire as he did so.
____ Firing an automatic in one hand while driving did not lend itself to superb accuracy however, Header getting up to one knee and returning fire as the car sped off. He heard a man shouting in agony as the vehicle left his line of sight, a probable sign of a hit. Not a kill. Header spat and ran off to another end of the house, trying to keep up with the car.
____ “Watch that hole in the wall!” He commanded Jaxson and Miles.
____ On the other side of the house, Shelley retreated from her own hiding spot as pistol rounds rent it apart. Her rifle was slow and loud, giving itself away much faster than the Sergeant’s M16. But she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to give it her all defending her home. And by the looks of it these thugs wanted it more badly than they had anticipated.
____ “Ah!” Shelley felt her shoulder burst as assault rifle rounds tore through the wall to her right. The car was circling the house, Lotch’s gun piercing the walls and landing a lucky hit. She fell to one knee and bit her lip enough to make it bleed a bit. She tried to suck up the pain but it was almost too much, “Damn!”
____ First Stanley and now her. No, she wouldn’t let an injury stop her. One of them had to make use of their gun, and Stanley was still in no condition to wield it. Shelley stumbled out of the room and to another vantage point. Now she had to lean the barrel of the weapon on the opening to line up a shot, seeing another approaching gunman and firing.
____ BANG!!! That one she killed. Not much time to contemplate it though, one of the snipers outside returning fire alarmingly quickly. A shot shattered the barricade beside her into splinters. They were catching on. Shelley abandoned that position too.
____ “Header!” She shouted, dropping down as she heard the car pull back around. Good thing too, more rifle shots tearing through the walls just a second after. There were already countless bullet holes in the walls from the pistol fire, numerous tiny rays of light pouring in through them, but the rifle rounds could penetrate the entire house, coming from every direction as the car circled. Shelley covered her head and waited for it to stop before continuing, “We gotta do something about that car!”
____ “Yes ma’am!” Header exchanged fire with two more of the six-shooters, retreating off and waiting for the car to come back around. He could barely make it out between the planks on the windows, the driver still going on like a madman while Lotch fired away.
____ The Sergeant aimed precisely and fired, triple-burst bullets piercing the driver. He screamed and fell over, the car quickly grinding to a halt and then gradually trudging forward as it sat idly in Drive.
____ “I'm hit! Dammit dammit, help!” The driver writhed around on the cramped car floor, “Get ‘im, Lotch! Kill ‘em already!”
____ “Quiet!” Lotch lit up the area where Header had been hiding. He’d sprayed five clips’ worth into that house already—a tremendous waste of ammo better saved for avoiding the undead herd behind them—hoping they’d surrender. But it looked like it was going to be to the death.
____ One of his riflemen unexpectedly ran up to him. Lotch glanced over his shoulder, surprised. He wasn’t supposed to be this close. The sniper panted and pointed, “I'm telling you, they’re coming! Could be here within the hour! Let’s get out of here already!”
____ “Sh*t...! The fire was supposed to hold them off longer.” Lotch muttered through grit teeth, “Look, get back to your position! We need that car if we’re all gonna get out of here!”
____ “We’ll all be dead before that happens! I’m smoking them out!” His wounded driver had managed to pull himself up. Blood trickled down his shirt as he fumbled for a lighter, flipping the flame alive and holding it to a rag-stuffed bottle.
____ “Wait, no!!” Lotch shouted, reaching to grab the man’s arms. But it was too late. He lobbed the molotov to the house, his weak arm making it miss by a few feet. The bottle shattered and a pool of flames formed at the foot of one of the walls, gradually beginning to form an appetite. Black smoke pillared quickly into the air as it slowly climbed the house's wall.
____ Lotch swore, aiming and putting his wounded subordinate out of his misery with a single shot. He wrenched the submachine gun out of the dead man’s stiff hands and tossed it to the sniper beside him before shouting at the rest of his men, “The horde’s almost upon us! Get that car!!”

CAR PARTY DAY THREE

____ Abbey had slept in, probably not the only one to do so. She slowly opened her eyes and stared up at the dimly lit ceiling above. Hadn’t turned at all in her sleep. The light was fizzling softly but not out: Abbey had turned it down quite a bit before bed but didn’t want to sleep in complete darkness. Just in case… what? Just in case something happened? What might fall into that category she didn’t know. The nightmare was finally over, after all.
____ Abbey pried herself out of bed and sat up. The sheets were almost unusually comfortable, temptingly trying to keep her in bed. She could get used to them though. It’s not like there was anything demanding her attention. Nowhere to go, nothing much to do. It was almost like being retired.
____ Yeah, retired. Abbey stared around at her room. It was good, quiet, safe.
____ “We made it.” She murmured to herself, the marveling at VACC’s splendor redoubling all over again. She reached out and turned the light up brighter, and sighed and slowly sunk back down into her bed. The brighter light in the ceiling made her eyes water a bit.
____ “Oh, God… I made it.” Abbey put her hands over her face and began to sob. She had survived to make it here but she had done so alone. It hadn’t been so long or so far. Why couldn’t things have played out just a tiny bit differently? Just a few bits of bad timing or bad decisions had cost more than she could bear. Only now that she was actually here did the pointlessness of it all dawn on her. Her family was gone. What life was there left to live here? An existence perhaps could be carved out. But any real life she had was long gone, devoured by the undead or mutilated by murderers.
____ She had just been waiting to die, but now she was suddenly safe—among the safest on the planet. Did she even have the right to kill herself here, here in this place where so many others would undoubtedly give everything to be?
____ Abbey couldn’t come up with a good reason to live but was apparently too cowardly to die, so she just cried her eyes out. Finally the tears stopped, and she just lay there in bed. Just existing it was, then. At the very least she’d have plenty of time to figure it out. She lounged there for awhile before finally dragging herself out of bed.
____ It was quiet out in the hall, Abbey instinctually heading to the kitchen. Only Mr. Collis was in there, habitually eating dry cereal out of the box while he waited on brewing coffee. Even at this hour he was still dressed as if for work, only missing his coat leaving his dress shirt and suspenders visible. A clean suit like that was almost an absurd sight after all this time. He glanced her way and quickly put the cereal aside, “Ah, morning miss… Abbey!”
____ “Mr. Collis.” She greeted quietly, “Sorry for sleeping in. Did everyone already go somewhere?”
____ He chuckled, “You’re the first one up. It's still early yet, at least to us here. Coffee?”
____ “Please.”
____ He took the pot and walked over to her, Abbey practically mesmerized by the steaming black liquid. It had been quite a while. Mr. Collis watched her eye the drink, “Nothing quite like it for the mornings, yes? It’s the simple, common, down-to-earth things in life… Miss? …Is everything all right?”
____ She snapped out of it, “What? …No… Just been through a lot, that’s all. This whole apocalypse… it’s like… throbbing. Such mounting, relentless pain…”
____ “I, uh, yes…” Mr. Collis didn’t seem to know how to respond, “I’m terribly sorry. People everywhere have lost a lot. I’m afraid I myself never had much to lose, not in the way of loved ones. But I assure you you’re perfectly safe now. These people around here… they’re sort of like a family to me. So maybe, if we all get to know each other better, we’ll gain a little bit of what we lost. To paraphrase—if this helps at all to cope—this isn't the end of everything, not even the beginning of the end. Better to think of it perhaps as the end of the beginning. We can still rise up from all this, I promise.”
____ “Mr. Collis?” Abbey asked him.
____ “Peyton, please.”
____ “Peyton, has anything… strange… happened around here?”
____ He looked plainly confused, “How do you mean?”
____ “Unusual, unexplainable… supernatural, even?” She clarified.
____ “Not that I’m aware of.” Mr. Collis said.
____ Abbey sighed, “So… it really is safe then…”
____ He put a hand on her shoulder, “Safest place on Earth, here. Whatever happened out there: it’s over. Leave cleaning up the mess outside to the military and the scientists. Mr. Montag told me the exact same thing when I first came here: ‘let’s get started on our new lives.’”
____ “Thank you.” Abbey said quietly, looking down at her coffee before taking a cautious sip. It was hot but manageable. She wasn’t entirely sure if she was ready to believe Mr. Collis just yet. But it couldn’t hurt to try. Maybe, just maybe, this could be a new start.

____ Thomas didn’t know what time it was when he woke up, but more importantly he didn’t care. It was a well-deserved sleep, just as it’d been a well-earned meal and a well-merited shower the day before. It’d feel good adjusting back to normal life.
____ He left his room and found the others in the kitchen, save for Louis. And Reed, apparently the only other one still snoozing. At first it seemed like a sizable party seeing everyone in one room: Brooke, Stacey, Abbey, Montag, Guy, Lynn, and Mr. Collis, but it gradually reminded him that only half his group’s number was even there. He hoped he’d wake up to their presence one day. However long it took. No use in worrying though.
____ “How do you do, Thomas?” Montag asked him, “Are waffles okay to eat?”
____ Stacey sat at the counter, sighing and watching him cook from behind folded arms, “Ah, I could get so fat here.”
____ “Do it while you can.” Lynn encouraged her, “The fast-expiring stuff is only going to last so long.”
____ “Hopefully we’re out of this hole by then.” Montag said, “Pull up a chair, Thomas.”
____ He saw no reason not to, grabbing a seat and quietly looking around.
____ Beep beep beep! An alarm sounded off on the loudspeakers above, brief but piercing, making all the newcomers jump.
____ Montag didn’t seem worried, “That’s just the fence alarm. Someone’ll check it out. I think Louis is already up there.”
____ As if on cue, Louis’ voice followed on the loudspeakers also, “Hey, Montag. Might wanna come check this out.”
____ Montag shrugged and looked to the newcomers, “Want to take a look? Technically anyone who’s around is supposed to check the cameras; no time like the present for you all to learn it. I wouldn’t have found you folks if I didn’t check yesterday.”
____ “Sure.” Stacey said, getting the feeling she’d be checking it a lot over the next few days in case the second half of their group showed up.
____ “It’s probably just a zombie, or even a squirrel.” Guy noted as Montag and the four guests got up to leave.
____ “We have to be sure.” Montag informed him, leading the group back upstairs from whence they came. He returned to the main entrance, the hatch above now sealed tight like a vault door, and calmly walked into the reclusive camera room tucked in the corner.
____ Thomas squirmed in after him, it being a tight fit for five people, eyeing all the monitors lining the wall ahead. Louis was already in there, seated at a control panel where he guided the camera’s view with a small joystick. Turns out there were eyes everywhere around the fence, not just by the front door outside.
____ “Welcome, welcome.” Louis told them, “Brought the whole gang, I see. Here for curiosity or a tutorial?”
____ “Quite a system you have here.” Brooke noted as she looked over all the monitors.
____ “Yeah, they don’t let a thing slip by.” Montag agreed, leaning over and pressing a button and switching between cameras on the screens, “Yeah, there it is. Take a look.”
____ A single zombie could be seen awkwardly pressing against the fence. It looked old and badly singed, much of its clothes and skin burnt away. And for good reason: after only a few seconds the fence sent sparks down the monster’s entire body. It was sent reeling back to the ground and didn’t get back up.
____ Louis swiveled the chair around to face the rest of them, playing with one of his ugly neon-green wristbands as he spoke, “There’s sensors on the fence, the field, and the main entrance, so if anything gets through we know about it. The fence and sealed door should keep the zombies out, but we’re obligated to check every alarm just in case.”
____ “So any time the alarm goes off just come up here real quick to take a look. In exchange for doing that we get to live here.” Montag finished, “Sounds like a good deal?”
____ “I’d say so.” Brooke glanced over all the equipment.
____ Louis sensed her curiosity and got out of the seat, “Care to mess around with it for a bit and figure out how to operate it? You’ve got that ‘I wanna touch things’ look.”
____ Word choice seemed to fluster her a bit but she took up his offer, sitting down and looking over the control panel. Like Montag said, no time like the present to learn. Louis stooped next to her and pointed out all the important switches. The most basic functions were obvious, moving the cameras and selecting which ones to appear on the screens. The other stuff Brooke didn’t know what to do with, and figured she mostly wouldn’t need to know. It reminded her of the soundboard operator in college: a million buttons and knobs on that thing, but whenever she asked what it all did, he’d just nonchalantly say “Oh, we don’t use any of that.”
____ Thomas watched, not exactly feeling overwhelmed by their one whole chore. He glanced to the screens, finding an alarming number of them to be shots of VACC’s interior. Another camera seemed to be stationed on the roof of the tiny building above, eyes to the top of the tree line and the sky. Probably for watching for aircraft or something, he figured. The shot swerved around as Brooke moved the joystick, something catching Thomas’ eye as it panned left.
____ “Wait, stop there.” He commanded, getting a better look as it. There was smoke, slowly drifting up into the sky above. It was distant, yes, but it was there nonetheless. Thomas stared intently at it, calculating.
____ “Oh, right.” Louis folded his arms over the chair as he leaned against it, eyeing the screen, “I suppose you’re wondering why I called you up here, Montag. That smoke went up not too long ago. Could be human activity. Thought you might be interested. I understand our new guests do have more friends in the area.”
____ “Hm, looks like someone’s having a cookout. Don’t worry, it’s not going to reach here.” Montag dismissed, looking to the others around him and finding their silence strange, “…Uh, people?”
____ “You don’t think?” Stacey asked, “Is it a signal?”
____ “It… might be…” Abbey agreed, both of them thinking the same thing but neither able to just come out and say it.
____ “Well, hey now. Let’s not rush to conclusions.” Montag said, “And if it is a signal, I’m sure it’s not for us.”
____ Thomas kept his eyes on it. One really couldn’t tell. The possibilities were there, but it was too difficult to assess for sure. Truthfully there was only one way to find out. He just wasn’t sure if it was worth it. After all, they endured a lot to get to this safe place. They couldn’t just up and leave for a measly chance. But the others were out there, still probably fighting tooth and nail to share their friends’ luxuries. He looked to Brooke, Abbey, Stacey. Seeing their own uncertainty helped him quickly make up his mind. To hell with it: he'd do it. He turned and walked out of the room.
____ “Thomas!” Brooke called after him, sensing his intentions, “…You’re going, aren’t you?”
____ “Yeah. I think I am.” He approached the ladder leading up, almost surprised with himself at how quickly he’d decided.
____ “Okay. I think this is should do it.” Brooke pushed a button on the control panel and the hatch above unsealed and slowly pried itself open. Montag quickly leaned over and pressed the button again, sealing the trap door back shut. He then raced out after Thomas and stood defiantly in front of the ladder, blocking his way.
____ “Hold it up right there!” He pressed his back against the ladder and held his arms out, “What do you think you’re doing!? You can’t just go back out there!”
____ Thomas frowned, “Look sir, it’s a nice place you’ve got here. I’m impressed, really I am. But those might be our friends out there. They might need our help. We've got a car and they don't. I can find them and bring them back. Our group owes it to theirs.”
____ “Are you crazy? You’ve been out there. You’ve seen what it’s like!” Montag retorted in disbelief, “You just got here! It’s safe in this place—don’t risk it all by going back outside now! Think about what could happen!”
____ The man looked genuinely concerned for Thomas’ life, simply unable to comprehend how someone could be willing to go back outside once they found VACC. Less than twenty-four hours ago Thomas himself might’ve thought the same thing, unwilling to leave the safety of the facility as soon as he got there. But now… he couldn’t quite say. He just knew that he had to go check it out. This place was good: he’d be willing to risk losing it for a while for the sake of potentially helping the others get here too. It was about time they were together again. Odd sentiments, huh?
____ “Sorry, Montag. I’ve got to try. We still have friends out there.” Thomas forced his way past and began ascending the ladder upwards.
____ Montag grimaced, “You might not come back! You know that, right?”
____ “Stakes are a part of every good story. You of all people should know that. Good bye.” He climbed up the ladder and left at that, leaving Montag looking somewhat defeated.
____ Louis merely shrugged, “Let it go, man. No good cure for obstinacy. If he doesn’t come back that’s on him.”
____ Montag sighed and didn’t say anything, just walking back over and flipping the entrance switch back to Open.
____ The hatch above opened back up and Thomas went through it, opening the door and looking to the field around him. It was empty and quiet, almost too tranquil in its nature aesthetic, guising the undead that lurked in the world outside that fence. Thomas looked to the sky and eyed the plume of smoke. It appeared to be quite a distance away, but nothing a working car couldn’t cover if he was fast. Provided the car was still there.
____ “Thomas, wait!” Brooke scrambled up the ladder and ran outside after him. She clutched the map tightly to her chest, breathing heavily from the sprint to her room to fetch it and back. Regaining her composure, she stood up straight and held the map out, “I’m coming with you. You’ll need to find your way back, right?”
____ “Thanks but no thanks.” He declined, simply taking the directions from her and heading off to climb the fence.
____ “Hey! Why not?” She called after him.
____ “Not enough room in the car. There’s five of them, after all.”
____ He ascended the tall chain link wall, dropping down the other side and keeping his eyes peeled for zombies. A quick jog down the empty path soon revealed the car, still sitting vacantly out there on the road. Thomas climbed in and revved the engine. No time to waste. He sped off, heading in the direction of the far-off flames. By himself there was no reason not to just floor it, no reason to stop for anything until he reached his destination. The car bumped up and down as he drove over the grass between the winding roads, having no patience for their wayward games.

____ The attack on the house had quickly devolved into a siege once the car outside had stopped. Out of the sixteen attackers, eight were dead or too injured to fight. The remaining eight stayed circled around the house, getting potshots in at the walls or windows or trying to break down any unguarded doors. The hole at the one end of the house was impassible now that the molotov’s flames were lapping away at the entrance, slowly climbing the walls and roof. It was the only thing keeping it from being a total stalemate, a clock set against those inside the building.
____ Jaxson stared at the flames, slowly backing off into another room. His breathing was turning into panting at the ever-increasing heat. More bullets devoured the walls around him, making him drop to the floor and cover his head. Peeking up once the firing had stopped, he glimpsed someone prying at the windows just outside. Jaxson gulped and aimed, firing a few warning shots and scaring the attacker off. He relaxed at that, just glad to not have killed anyone yet.
____ “Are they gone yet!? When are we getting out of here!?” He shouted out to Miles, off in an adjacent room dealing with his own problem.
____ Miles ducked down from a window and clumsily reloaded his pistol, shouting back without looking, “I don’t know! Ask Thorn!”
____ “The house is on fire, you know.” Jaxson informed him, staying low and walking off.
____ He found Header by the back door, aiming carefully through a cluster of bullet holes in the wall. The Sergeant fired off several bursts before backing off, spitting in frustration. He’d hoped it wouldn’t have come to this: neither side was willing to stop until they had what they wanted, and looking to the woods in the back he could see why. There was movement in the trees, large numbers of curious zombies beginning to come out of the woodwork. No wonder they were so desperate for a second car: the horde they’d been running circles around was catching up and quick.
____ “Header!” Jaxson snapped at him, “When are we getting out of here!?”
____ Header saw the zombies at the front of the horde break into a run. He'd wanted to wait for the attackers to be gone before leaving; now there was no time for that whatsoever, “Right now. Go git the Corporal an’ round everyone up. I’ll be there.”
____ “Finally!” Jaxson turned and raced back to Miles, pulling at the back of his shirt and retracing his steps to the garage. Thorn was already in there, ushering Stanley into the van. The wall of the garage next to it was brick, and because of that the vehicle wasn't riddled with so many bullets from the constant fire. Jaxson hoped it'd still run okay.
____ “You two. Good. Get in.” Thorn nodded to them, stopping mid-conversation to duck as assault rifle fire sounded off outside, “…Where’s Gene? Go find him.”
____ Jaxson gave a panicked shrug and hurried back out, tearing hastily through room after room. No sign. There were however plenty of zombies already clambering loosely at the windows. The barricades were shot to hell already, the undead easily starting to pry their way in.
____ Jaxson paused to shoot one of them and quickly decided to give up that pursuit. There was no use trying to defend the house any further. The siege had already gone on too long and it was past time to get going. The hole in the side of the house and the attackers' numbers had made it too hard to leave before. Now that the zombies were here that didn’t matter. Surely a legion of undead could divert attention for just a minute.
____ Wait, the hole in the house! That area had been too enveloped in flames by now for Jaxson to bother checking, but it was the only place left Gene could be in. Just great. He hurried to the front door, quickly checking the room’s corners for his friend, "Gene! Where are you?!"
____ “Zombies’re here! Get in!” Jaxson could hear shouting outside, quickly followed by two men scrambling through the flames. They were clearly more frightened of the undead than the inferno, willing to suffer burns leaping into the house. One spotted Jaxson and immediately raised his pistol.
____ Seeing this, Jaxson just dropped to the floor, aiming his gun and firing off a few panicked shots. Or a few panicked blanks, at least. The weapon merely clicked with empty breaths. He hadn’t really been paying much attention to how many rounds were in it, and he supposed there couldn’t have been that many in there to begin with. Either way it was bad timing.
____ Fortunately the two intruders had been so hurried in their efforts to get in past the flames that they had completely missed Gene cowering by the overturned couch against the wall. He saw Jaxson laying there about to be shot to pieces and overpowered his fears, rising up and pouncing one of the attackers. The two struggled and fell to the floor, the second of the two ruffians turning to shoot Gene only to see the zombies catching up and pouring in. The monsters clearly had no aversion to fire, walking into the house as if the flames wreathing the gaping hole were harmless.
____ The man panicked and began to open fire into the incoming undead. Jaxson scrambled up and ran over to Gene, prying him from his opponent and helping the two get away from the monsters pouring into the burning house. It hurt to move, let alone get two men to their feet and away from the danger. Jaxson winced with each step on his injured leg, but there was no time for petty pain. They had to get going.
____ Zombies had a simple way of interrupting human conflict, Jaxson and Gene not bothering to fight the intruder as the three fled the room. The other attacker backed against the wall, continuing to fire at the swarming undead.
____ Jaxson only heard the man scream as he retreated to the hall and shut the door behind him, zombies quickly pressing against the other side and pounding on it. He tried to hold it shut, spotting Shelley moving down the hall and calling out to her, “They're in the house! Time to go!!”
____ “Okay! Let’s move!” Having her house full of undead and on fire seemed to make her far less attached to it, Shelley slinging her rifle over her back and ducking into the garage.
____ Jaxson waited for Gene to follow and relented on the door. He only had a second to move before the zombies knocked it open and poured in. In this cramped space they were still fast enough to pose a threat. Lucky for Jaxson the human intruder he'd helped to his feet had backed off further down the hall, drawing most of the zombies’ attention as he disappeared into another room. The sound of undead groans and gunfire filled the air as they pursued him, Jaxson saying nothing and moving to the van.
____ Thorn rolled down the window and pounded the car door, “Jaxson! Get in!”
____ He promptly obeyed, diving into the back seat next to the others. Thorn looked back at them then over to Shelley in the passenger seat, counting heads. Everyone accounted for, save for one Sergeant Header. Thorn’s eyes darted to the rear-view mirror, seeing how much time they had to wait for the soldier.
____ It was only a few seconds wasted, fire and zombies eating away at Shelley’s patience. She looked to the Corporal as if he’d gone mad, “We’re out of time! We have to get out of here! Go, now!”
____ “Yes ma'am!” Thorn shouted, the need for ensuring everyone’s survival snapping the personal attachment out of him. He shifted the stick and pressed down on the accelerator hard. The spinning tires threw up smoke, the Corporal holding it for as long as he dared, “Going… Going… Gone!”
____ He threw the stick back and the car lurched forward horribly, barreling through the garage door and sending any attackers or zombies on the other side careening. The second the treadless tire hit the floor it rent into the cement and created enough sparks for a half-dozen fireworks. This made the vehicle naturally veer left, the car barely missing the wall as it bulldozed through the garage door.
____ Tragically the enemy’s own car was stopped just twenty feet outside of the garage, Thorn struggling to turn in time and crashing into the tip of the stopped automobile.
____ “Sh*t!” He muttered, keeping the pedal floored and slowly pushing the other car out of the way. A zombie was already pounding at his window, the Corporal muttering curses and kicking the car door open to knock the monster away. More were coming, and they didn’t have the time to stop for a second.
____ “No!” Lotch had spotted them too and ran over, dropping to one knee and aiming at Thorn while the van was momentarily stalled. B-B-Bang! He squeezed the trigger but misfired as Header made his triumphant return. The Sergeant had come out of the smashed garage, aiming quickly and shooting Lotch through the right leg. The man collapsed, leaving plenty of time for Thorn to pull the van out and veer around.
____ “Double-time, old man!!” Thorn shouted at Header, only having a few seconds to spare before the zombies completely swarmed the vehicle.
____ Miles opened his door and hastily crawled into the far back as the Sergeant raced over and jumped in. Thorn didn’t even wait for the car door to shut. The wheels spun like mad, rummaging through the gravel driveway and then the dirt as it drove through the grass in a mad escape. Men dove out of the way and zombies splattered against the hood as the Corporal floored it without hesitation.
____ “No, no, no!” Lotch shouted as he struggled to get back up, leg useless from the three rifle rounds embedded in it. He tried to shoot out one of the van’s tires, but this time he was interrupted by a zombie clawing its way to him. It wasted no time stooping to his side and taking a good bite out of his arm. Lotch screamed in agony and quickly shot the monster through the head.
____ Still, the damage was done. Any men he had left saw the van speeding off and looked to their infected leader, quickly determining it a lost cause and just making a run for it. Even their own vehicle was surrounded by the undead at this point. They all fled.
____ Lotch grit his teeth and crawled over to his car, getting in and using his good leg to test the accelerator. He was infected, so many of the zombies were ignoring him at this point, meandering after his men or mindlessly following the fleeing van. That was his target too: if he could put a stop to that car, his friends could still take it. That and he’d kill one of them for every dead man of his. The nerve of putting up such a fight.
____ Lotch put it into Drive and hit the pedal hard, speeding after one of his fleeing men. The sniper who’d warned him about the zombies was the first to retreat, clutching his submachine gun as he ran and not looking back one bit. Lotch raced after him and made him do so, the sound of a fast-approaching car making anyone glance hastily over their shoulder and flinch. Instead Lotch swerved at the last second, pulling up alongside him.
____ “Sir…?” The sniper questioned, seeing the bite, “Lotch, your arm!”
____ “Nevermind that.” Lotch said, “Do you still want that goddamned van?”
____ The man looked back to whoever amongst their number was still left fleeing the zombies, “If you think we still can.”
____ “Get in.”

____ The van pulled out onto the main road and limped along it, the tire still making the most horrible screeching noise. The vehicle constantly yearned to veer, but Thorn held the wheel at 1-o’clock and kept it clumsily bumbling down the road. He heard the revving engine behind him and looked into the rear-view mirror a second too late.
____ CRASH!! Lotch's car slammed into the van from the back, sending the whole vehicle lurching forward. The nutjob was still after them, his last henchman already aiming a submachine gun from the passenger seat.
____ “Get down!” The Corporal shouted, ducking low just as a flurry of pellet-like shots peppered the rear of the van. Bangbangbangbang!!
____ “Ah!” Miles was the only one all the way in the back, flailing and trying to stay low, crammed between the back seat and all the books and belongings Shelley had stuffed in there. Fortunately all that stuff absorbed the shots quite well: Miles feeling himself for wounds when the firing ceased and sitting up upon finding none, “They’re lunatics!”
____ “Header, if you’d be so kind…!” Thorn shouted, eyeing the enemy vehicle through the side-view mirror as it began to pull up alongside them.
____ “Cover yer ears, folks!” Header pushed Gene down out of his way, having a hard time maneuvering his assault rifle in the cramped space. He fired off several rounds, the bullets missing the moving target as both cars swerved and struggled to stay at matching speeds. The Sergeant grimaced and reached to reload, finally finding no magazine to grasp at the worst of times, “Ah sh*t. I’m out, kid!”
____ “Miles! Pistol, now!” Thorn commanded, holding one hand out.
____ “O—Okay!” Miles clambered awkwardly over the seat, stopping to cower through another flurry of submachine gun fire before holding his gun to the Corporal. He didn’t exactly know how good Thorn’s shooting would be with one hand while driving, but he figured it was probably still better than anything he could hope to do.
____ Thorn accepted the weapon and aimed to the sniper with that dreadful submachine gun. However the car veered sharply and unexpectedly, slamming into the side of the van before the Corporal could take out his target. Two shots fired off into the nothing, missing their mark.
____ “Ack!” Thorn grimaced and gripped the steering wheel tightly, leaning over and aiming at Lotch. With a deranged look in his eyes he was already coming back for a second strike, his car ramming theirs and sending both driving off the road.
____ “Tree! Watch it!” Shelley screamed, pointing dead ahead.
____ Thorn dropped the pistol, forced to focus on driving. There was but a single tree in his way, the Corporal steering sharply and narrowly avoiding it. The van tore low-hanging branches off as it dodged, powering through a wandering zombie as it sped along its newly improvised course.
____ “Watch it! Watch it!!” Shelley repeated, gripping her seatbelt tightly and pressing her feet into the car floor like a tense driving instructor.
____ Thorn veered left and right. In this panicked state of driving, he could only focus on what was right in front of him, steering evasively always revealing a new hurdle to overcome. The forest here was thin and spaced out enough for a car to maneuver in, but there were still no shortage of trees.
____ “You're gonna hit—you're gonna—stop, stop!” Shelley continued shouting, pointing to denser woods ahead, “Corporal, STOP!”
____ Finally Thorn took a hard left and hit the brakes, the van making a 270-degree swerve and finally grinding to a halt next to some trees only a few feet from his door. The Corporal eased up on the gas and let the vehicle catch a breath before he applied the accelerator again. The van lurched forward only far enough for Lotch’s car to come careening back into its passenger side.
____ CRASH!!! It seriously dented both sides of the van as it was shoved against the trees opposite. Lotch’s car practically wrecked its own hood, the sniper clambering out for fear of his own life as Lotch put it in Reverse and slowly backed up.
____ “Get out, get out, get out!” He shouted, shifting it into Park and aiming his rifle at the van.
____ “Get down!” Thorn muttered sharply, swiping his pistol off the floor. He pried open the door as discreetly as he could and rolled out, landing prone and aiming underneath the van trying to get a good covert shot.
____ Unfortunately there wasn't a clear line of sight here. And to make things worse zombies were already lumbering over: sparse members of the horde even this far out. Lotch's sniper friend began circling around to fire upon them, glimpsing Thorn’s boot as he moved. He aimed and sprayed the ground near the Corporal. Bangbangbangbang!!
____ “Sh*t!” Thorn rolled again, this time darting underneath the van itself. Its leaning on the rim made it a terribly tight fit but there was nowhere else to go. He aimed carefully at what he could see of the sniper’s legs and fired.
____ Bang!
____ “Agh!!” The man’s shoe burst into blood. He sprayed more panicked shots around the van, struggling to stumble off before the zombies caught up. Meanwhile, Lotch loaded his rifle and staggered out of the car. He already looked sick with infection, still just sentient enough to continue acting of his own accord. He aimed at the van, keeping the barrel low to strike any targets keeping their heads down.

____ “Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t…!” Thomas muttered as he sped along the main road at over 80 miles per hour. He'd driven somewhat carefully when he had passengers on the way to VACC—that hadn't been the case on the drive here with the clock potentially ticking. Zombies had quickly begun to pop up as he neared the source of the fire, every slight steer narrowly evading the monsters as they meandered about.
____ By now there were two large plumes of smoke: one from what looked like a gas spill fire running across a large section of the fields nearby, the new one from what was now a huge house fire. There were an unusual amount of zombies in this one area despite all the flames, probably amassed from miles around all singled in on one group of survivors. He should’ve brought a gun, but stupid Reed wasn’t up when he’d left.
____ No time for regrets. Thomas spotted the blazing building where the second source of smoke had originated to his right, swerving off the road and between some sparsely spaced trees. The wheels slid onto the grass as he veered along, Thomas braking hard and shifting gears, powering forward into a zombie in his way. Its head smacked right onto the windshield, its face practically nothing but a bloody skull with eyes at this point. Thomas turned hard and threw it off, turning on the wipers and keeping his eyes peeled for survivors as the vehicle pulled out of the spotty woods and into the yard.
____ There were plenty of survivors around, men and zombies scurrying madly all around the burning house. A loud crash heralded the arrival of a van exiting the garage. Thomas put the car in Reverse as zombies closed in around him, trying to spot any familiar faces while he evaded the undead, “Come on, come on...”
____ Wait a minute! There!! Sgt. Header ran out of the house, stopped to shoot one of the strangers outside, then jumped into the van—Thomas barely able to see Miles inside the vehicle helping the soldier pile in. He’d actually found them, if only because of the huge mess they’d made for themselves.
____ Unfortunately there were simply too many zombies around, Thomas ramming the closest ones with the car just to get them away before reversing through the thin woods back toward the main road. Even one of the unrecognizable survivors saw him and began shooting, shattering the windshield. Thomas ducked down low and swore.
____ Adrenaline pumping, Thomas looked to the zombies chasing his car, eyeing the rear-view mirror above and struggling to swerve between the odd tree on his way back to the road. It was certainly a more maneuverable vehicle than his old truck. He pulled back onto the street and floored it, following after his friends’ escape vehicle. It was already far off, another car right alongside it. He could see gunfire from here.
____ Thomas pulled after them as they both veered off the road. Every second counting. He’d risked plenty coming this far: even the sight of a zombie reminding him of how easy it was to get killed out here. He wouldn’t lose his friends now, not after having actually found them. He caught up and ran off the road.
____ Screeee! His car sped like mad, bouncing up and down and sliding as it ran along the uneven terrain after the van. As he came upon them Thomas hit the brake firmly and the vehicle swerved hard, its right side slamming the unfamiliar pursuer's car head on. Of course, Lotch was between Thomas’ car and his own, his body crushed between the automobiles. His spine arched back in the wrong direction and he spat out blood, his voice already beginning to devolve into a gargle.
____ Miles heard the crash and ever-so-slowly peeked back up out the shattered van window, too shocked to even look all that surprised at who was behind the wheel, “…Thomas?”
____ Even Header looked impressed, “Well, damn...!”
____ “Get in the car!” Thomas snapped at them, having no time for pleasant conversations. The promptness in his voice told Miles more about the approaching zombies than he himself could see, and with their own transport totaled against the trees, not much more needed to be said to motivate. He pried open the door and motioned for the others to follow.
____ Everyone clambered out and hobbled over to Thomas’ car, practically tearing the doors open and cramming themselves in. There wasn’t much time for organization, especially with seven of them to fit in. Header grabbed the front seat and Jaxson jumped in after him, while Gene climbed in the back and practically had to lay on Miles, Shelley, and Stanley’s laps.
____ “Thomas! Watch it!” Thorn warned as he got up, ducking back down as he saw the sniper recover to his feet. The man glanced at the newcomer's car, quickly assessing that two out of three vehicles present were practically unusable and raising his submachine gun.
____ Bangbangbangbangbang!! The rear windshield shattered as it was peppered with lead, Thomas ducking down and gritting his teeth as he released the brake. He drove forward at the attacker, putting it in Reverse as the sniper dove out of the way. He again raised his gun but Thorn quickly aimed and shot him in the side while he was distracted. Thomas floored it and turned the wheel to meet his flinching target, the bumper striking the man head-on and knocking him to the ground. This time he didn’t get back up.
____ Not even a second to dwell on the fact that he just killed another man, Thomas looked to the Corporal and popped the trunk, “Coming or not!?”
____ Thorn didn’t need to think it over, holstering the pistol and racing over without a word. He dove into the trunk and curled up, propping his feet against the open edge and hoping it wouldn’t be too bumpy of a ride. Thomas turned the wheel three times and circled back to the road, not wasting another moment in this place. The gathering zombies fruitlessly staggered after them, left in the dust as the car sped off. They were out of there.

Whew! Done! Wasn't that just exhausting? But the story goes on! Where will we go from here? Tune stayed...

~TAF

[TheAverageFan]

Shorter chapter this time, but a chapter nonetheless. Let's go: Chapter 16.

Spoiler Alert!

16
Reunion

____ Thomas wasted no time in getting back onto the main road and simply pushing the car’s speed to its limits. Everyone else was left simply waiting, cramped together but still feeling better with all the stress of the battle gradually deflating.
____ “So…” Jaxson asked Thomas, trying to make more room for himself so he wasn’t so awkwardly crammed on top of Sgt. Header, “How’d you know where to find us?”
____ “I saw the smoke.” Thomas answered, keeping his eyes on the road, retracing his treaded steps back to base, “I know Header had mentioned a signal fire before. But mostly call it acting on a hunch. I figured if anyone should go try to find you guys, it should be me.”
____ “Where is everyone else?” Header inquired, “Didja find the place?”
____ “They’re all fine. We did indeed find the place. That’s where we’re going.”
____ “Woot… finally.” Miles relaxed, “All of us in one piece, no less.”
____ Thomas nodded, biting his lip instinctually as he drove back. Just like initially finding VACC, this was fate’s last chance to ruin everything for them. Yes, they were decently close on foot at this point—Header’s party had done a good job of getting relatively close to VACC without a car. It hadn’t taken him long to track down his allies, but there were still no shortage of zombies around and anything could happen, regardless of distances.
____ Header too kept quiet on the drive back, thinking much the same thing. Thomas was unarmed and, save for Miles’ pistol and however many rounds Shelley might have, they were completely out of bullets. He still had another round of AA-12 ammo, but that could be spent in mere seconds so it wasn’t terribly reliable for long-term survival. Hell, it was thanks to Lt. Moore giving him all his magazines that Header’s M16 had managed to endure this long. Thanks for that, bud—it helped more people than you know.
____ If he had the foresight he might’ve swiped one of the attackers’ weapons when he had the chance, but they didn’t have the time then. All he could do now was rely on Thomas’ abilities to get them to home plate.
____ Not going quite so fast with a packed car, the return drive took a few hours. Thomas made his way back onto the main road so his directions to VACC would take him home and drove until he reached familiar ground. From there it was a simple matter of retracting steps to the facility. Luckily by now this far out the zombies were long gone, left behind to track down other humans who couldn’t get away so swiftly. The roads around VACC were vacant as ever, Thomas pulling up to the facility’s fence and the car finally coming to a halt.
____ He breathed a deep sigh of relief at the sight of it, like seeing home again after a long and grueling trip. It sort of was home, now at least. Thomas flipped the key and turned the car off, silencing its humming.
____ “Okay folks. We’re here.” He said, getting out and approaching the fence.
____ “VACC, well?” Gene eyed the fence and the cameras atop it, gazing back down at the tiny building beyond as they walked up, “It looked bigger in the brochure, eh?”
____ Surprisingly the section of fence they approached suddenly moved, dipping down into the earth below. Thomas jumped and backed up, a little startled.
____ I suppose someone’s watching the cameras. He figured, stopping and moving to the back of the group, “Go on ahead. I’ll bring the car in.”
____ “O—Okay.” Shelley replied, looking to the tiny building out in the center of the clearing ahead. She was grateful to this Thomas person for helping them out and bringing them to VACC, but she still didn’t quite know what to expect. It was easy for the others to act tranquil, but it was still unknown territory for her and her husband. This was the start of their new lives, after all.
____ The door to the building opened up for them, as did the hatch leading down. Header walked around it and held it open anyway, making sure each and every one of the civvies went on down.
____ Thorn was the last to get to the ladder, watching Jaxson climb below. The Corporal looked up at Header and grinned, “Hey, old man.”
____ “What, kid?” Header answered.
____ Thorn gave him a thumbs up, “We made it. Mission accomplished.”
____ “Heh.” The Sergeant smirked, “Guess the Operation went a little long. But yeah, we did it. Good work, kid.”
____ “It ain’t over yet. Not for us, anyway.” Thorn grabbed the ladder and slid down, Header waiting for Thomas to get back before descending himself.
____ Brooke was waiting in the room below, heart skipping a beat upon seeing two strangers come on down and then skipping again at the sight of Gene following. She ran over to greet her friends, beyond ecstatic, “Gene! Miles! Jaxson! I knew it was you, I just knew it! You made it! Welcome to VACC!”
____ Thorn slid down and hopped to the ground, eyeing the marks his dirty boots left on the perfect blank floor, “Nice to see you, Brooke. Everyone’s okay.”
____ “Thank God!” She hugged him, “We missed you all.”
____ Louis walked out of the camera room, shutting the door behind him. He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and pressed against the wall, leaning forward and back repeatedly, “Easy now, Brooke. Don’t get too close. They might not all be safe.”
____ Thomas was the last to enter, glancing to Louis and frowning, “Ah, sh*t. I don’t have to strip again, do I?”
____ Louis smirked, “Sorry pal. You went outside; you might’ve been bitten. That’s just the way it is. It’s not like I look forward to it either.”
____ “Ugh. Fine.” Thomas unbuttoned his jacket, “Heads up guys, Louis here needs to check to make sure you haven’t been bitten.”
____ “So be it.” Header relented, “You in charge here, son?”
____ “No, not me.” Louis replied coolly, “Montag’s the guy you’re looking for, although technically Nazar’s the big kahuna here, or Dr. Brett when he’s not around.”
____ Header took off his helmet and combat vest as he talked, “Is Nazar here?”
____ “No sir. Big boss man hasn’t come to visit in quite a while.”
____ Several empty M16 magazines clattered on the floor as the Sergeant continued, “Well then is Dr. Brett here?”
____ “Yeah, in the labs downstairs. Montag was gonna tour everybody around there today if you wanna talk to him.” Louis crossed his arms and eyed the guns, “There’s also the armory on the bottom level if you need to restock your weapons. The Army cleared it out awhile ago but there might be some ammo left.”
____ “Sweet.” Thorn sounded pleased, ditching his combat gear as well and running his hands through his filthy blonde hair. It felt like coming home after a twelve-hour shift, dirty and exhausted but finally off for the night.
____ Brooke cupped her hands together, “Oh, you all must be starving and exhausted. We should celebrate your being here! I’ll go get everyone!”
____ “I hope you’re not going to demand a feast every night. We'll starve.” Louis teasingly chastised.
____ Shelley watched her run off, feeling slight wave of relief at the friendly nature of the people here. It wasn’t home, but it felt safe. Hopefully these folks were less like those they’d struggled with before and more like Header and his company. Maybe she could actually let her guard down for the first time since the outbreak had started. Perhaps. She looked to Stanley. He was awkwardly trying to get his shirt off over his slung arm, glancing back her way and smiling.
____ “Hey, uh, sir?” He asked, looking over to Louis.
____ “Louis. What can I do you for?”
____ “I don’t suppose I can go without getting this sling off? It’s just a bullet wound.”
____ Louis seemed far less thorough compared to Montag, merely shrugging and taking his word for it, “Yeah, sure, whatever. I believe you. Just don’t tell Montag I didn’t check.”
____ “Not a word, when I meet him.” Stanley agreed.
____ “Good. ‘Cause if you’re infected he’s gonna throttle me after he shoots you.” Louis hastily looked over everyone and nodded his approval. Thomas sighed, relieved, and quickly dressed again. He hadn’t known if any of his friends were actually infected, a quick bite in a battle honestly quite easy to miss. So it was good to know that they’d all made it okay. The last of the crazy times were behind them for good now. He’d done his good deed for the day. No more reasons to risk their lives.
____ Louis stepped back and clapped his hands together, “Absolut gut. Welcome to VACC. Again. Just head down that hall and go downstairs to get to the barracks. Any other friends out there, Thomas? We don’t have that much space, you know.”
____ “Relax. That’s everyone.” Thomas assured him, not conversing beyond that and heading down the hall. He’d done his job. He wasn’t going back out there even if there was anyone else. He ventured downstairs and left the dangerous world of the above behind him.

____ “Hey, welcome. I’m Lynn.”
____ “Name’s Jaxson. College kid, career athlete, but mostly all around stick-in-the-mud.”
____ “Thorn, Miles, everyone! Thank God, we were so worried!”
____ “Me? I’m Guy. Just Guy. …Uh, if you need medical stuff for that leg, we got it around here somewhere, I think.”
____ Everyone was quick to get introduced, the kitchen suddenly quite crowded. Thomas didn’t really feel like doing the introductions all over again, squirming past everyone and heading for the corridor leading down to his bedroom. Reed stood in the doorway, arms crossed and looking rather unaware of the fact that he was obstructing the hall. Thomas stopped in front of him, waiting for him to maybe get the hint to move, but he didn’t seem to get it.
____ “Well you’re finally up.” Thomas told him, conversing while Reed was there.
____ “Yeah, sorry.” Reed replied, “I was checking my room for bugs.”
____ “You’re nuts.” Thomas said, “If you want to see where all the cameras are, just go check them upstairs. I’m surprised Montag’s letting you keep that gun.”
____ Reed glanced past Thomas at Montag down the hall, eyes narrow and distrusting. It was as if his initial suspicions from yesterday had resurfaced. Just one of those people whose problems had to be dealt with anew every single day.
____ “Have those guys been acting unusual? Think they’re up to something?” Reed asked, his eyes darting to Mr. Collis next. He was the only other member of Montag’s group to be visibly armed, a pistol similar to Thomas’ holstered at his hip.
____ Montag caught wind of that particular comment, only smiling at Reed, “It’s not like we run the place, sir. If you’re worried about ulterior motives, go talk to the people who actually work here downstairs. I can show you all, if you like.”
____ “Yeah, sure, show me.” Reed challenged.
____ “Right, okay.” Montag spoke up as he turned to leave, “Anyone else want a tour of the labs? Going once, twice…”
____ “Just now?” Lynn asked, “These poor people just got here. Give them a minute to settle in first.”
____ “Naw, I’m interested.” Header declined, “We’ve been runnin’ around all day every day evadin’ these monsters—I’d like to see what the big wigs’ve actually learned about ‘em.”
____ “Gathering intel, eh Sergeant?” Thorn inquired, “I suppose I can spare the time.”
____ “This way then.” Montag turned and walked out, leading everyone willing to follow to the stairs. This time he descended them, delving further into the ground to the third basement level. At least mildly intrigued, Thomas followed, Reed and the two soldiers right behind him.
____ The labs weren’t much different than any part of the facility, long empty white hallways cast in a pale florescent light. Really the only difference between this level and the previous one was a lack of furniture. The doors were different too, with the standard turning doorknobs. Probably so they could be manually locked. Indeed most of the doors they encountered were shut up tight, dark and empty on the other side. It was a little eerie down here, clearly a place meant for a large number of staff but entirely void of them. A ghost town lab, if you will.
____ Montag didn’t seem fazed, merely heading down one hall and then another before stopping at one door in particular. The words “Specimen Chamber” were clearly imprinted on it: an indicator that there could very well be undead on the other side. A little rattling, to be sure, especially with no door barring the stairwell. But again, Montag didn’t seem worried. He reached out and knocked on the door, finding it unlocked and opening it up a second later, “Hello?”
____ The room within was a relatively small chamber, connected to several larger areas but cut off by thick walls of glass. As expected each of those walled-off rooms had zombies in them, the monsters meandering around aimlessly or pressing against the glass in halfhearted endeavors to reach the humans on the other side. Fortunately their efforts seemed fruitless.
____ In what you would call the “safe side” of the Specimen Chamber was a cramped simple space with a counter housing several computers. Countless empty beer bottles and ashtrays were crammed between the keyboards and mousepads, bottle caps littering the floor and smoke clouding the ceiling. Two men in dirty lab coats sat in cheap swivel chairs by the counter, mid-conversation as Montag entered.
____ “Well that’s just the thing about supernatural entities that exist outside the laws of our universe—you can’t truly prove or disprove their existence. It’s like trying to gather data on a star system with an eggbeater” One said, downing another beer bottle between words.
____ The other puffed his cigarette as he countered, “Yeah, I’m not saying that though. I’m saying that means you can’t put those kinds of forces into a scientific theorem. It goes against our job description. Another beer?”
____ “Oh, that’s very kind of you.” The first scientist accepted, glancing over at Montag and finally realizing he had company, “Oh, what’s up?”
____ Montag coughed at all the smoke, waving it away from his face as he answered, “Hey, Dr. Lance. Just showing the new folks around the lab.”
____ “Oh sh*t! New folks!?” Dr. Lance, as he was apparently called, clamored to clear the counter off, “Why didn’t you say so in advance? I would have cleaned up the place if you’d warned us. They’re not staff transfers, are they?”
____ He knocked all the empty bottles onto the floor, getting up hastily and dusting himself off before extending a hand, lit cigarette tucked between two fingers, “Dr. Zakarian. Lance Zakarian. Just Lance is fine. We’re chill enough around here for a first-name basis. This is Dr. Brett Helfer.”
____ Dr. Brett neglected to get up as he offered his hand to the nearest guest, “The man speaks the truth for once. How do you do? What brings you to our humble labs?”
____ Header shook his hand, finding it sticky with alcohol and ash. These two certainly didn’t get out much. Of course, he got out a bit too much, his own hand just as filthy with dirt and blood, “Sgt. Header. Just havin’ a look around yer place.”
____ “Well Sergeant,” Dr. Lance sat back down, kicking back, “Welcome to the Viral Apocalypse Control Center. Or just VACC. I coined that one myself. It’s a pun: VACC like a vaccine. Pretty good, huh?”
____ “Hilarious.” Thomas observed, keeping his eyes on the zombies in the chamber, “Any progress on those… things?”
____ “Hm? The zombies?” Dr. Lance looked over his shoulder, “Sort of. Making a lot of symptoms lists and trying to connect the dots between them. Lots of progress, really.”
____ Reed wasn’t quite so impressed, crossly snapping at the two scientists, “Are you kidding me?! Is this the best the government can do to stop this disaster!? All you two idiots are doing is sitting around drinking and smoking and nonchalantly talking nonsense! Is this some kind of joke!?”
____ “Whoa, whoa now…!” Dr. Brett offered, “We’ve been working our asses off day and night trying to solve this zombie problem since the outbreak started. We’re just at a bit of a hard stop at the moment. We’re not the only ones working on it, either. Qualified people all over the world are at it around the clock. If we’d made progress, I assure you you’d know about it.”
____ “This isn’t the only VACC either. Most of the other staff were relocated to another, larger facility. Military raided a lot of our food and ammo too.” Dr. Lance added, motioning to the drinks and cigarettes, “It’s not our fault they left all these perfectly good ‘nonessentials’ behind. Have a smoke?”
____ Dr. Brett accepted, “Oh, that’s very kind of you.”
____ Header shrugged and took one, “Hell, if you got cigs to offer you can do whatever you want as far as I’m concerned.”
____ “I don’t suppose you can share any details of the progress you have made?” Thorn inquired.
____ Dr. Brett breathed deeply, his exhale rife with gray air, “Most of our research has been at the infected’s cellular level. The source of the damage is actually originating exclusively in the blood cells. Cells oxygenated with the virus in those chemical bombs or infected from contact with undead spittle transform and spreads from there. I’m afraid it’s a cellular code too difficult to crack—but we're working on it. Closest we’ve got to a cure at the moment would be a complete blood transfusion of the entire body. Even then it wouldn’t repair the brain damage the infection causes once completed. Simply not possible.”
____ “On a behavioral level it’s more simple.” Dr. Lance added, motioning to the captive zombies, “Infection takes anywhere from a recorded thirty-eight seconds to eight days eight hours. Hosts are primarily drawn to life, then blood, then sound. They will prioritize spreading the virus over stopping to eat their victims. Bodies degrade quickly due to overuse of muscles and organs shutting down. But they continue anyway.”
____ “Somehow.” Dr. Brett said, “Dr. Lance here thinks it might be ghosts dragging their corpses around. Either way, no signs of natural causes in the virus’ origins.”
____ “Somehow it’s manmade. We think.” Dr. Lance clarified, “It’s not really an organism or a true virus of sorts. Frankly we’re not sure what to make of it. It could be supernatural for all we know, given their uncanny ability to detect the general presence of life, their ability to continue muscle movement even at the highest stages of deterioration, and so on and so on. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable…”
____ Dr. Brett shook his head, “Trust us, people. We intend to get to the bottom of this. It is manmade; it was distributed by real, detectible, corporeal human beings. Who made it somehow, and we will crack it somehow. If there’s something we don’t know that just means it’s something we haven’t thought of yet. No need to jump to God-fearing conclusions just because we’re drawing a blank now.”
____ Dr. Lance scoffed, “And the moon, Brett? There is no scientific explanation for it. There never will be.”
____ “See previous comment. We’ll find our answers one way or another.”
____ Thomas eyed the zombies in the glass prisons, sighing subtly, “So, not much headway in stopping this disaster?”
____ “For now rely on the military in preventing the virus spreading any further.” Dr. Brett instructed, “We’ll crack this case eventually. But for the time being, yes, I’m afraid all infected are gone for good. I’m sorry.”
____ “You’re plenty safe here.” Dr. Lance assured, “Don’t worry. As for you soldiers, if you need to contact the General, there’s a room for that around here somewhere.”
____ “Righto.” Thorn said, “Guess we should do that.”
____ Header just nodded, turning to leave. Dr. Brett waved a clumsily buzzed goodbye, “Nice meeting you guys. Stop on by if you need a smoke. We’ll just be here!”
____ “Of course you will.” Reed muttered under his breath, “Real good use of our tax dollars, you two.”
____ “Ta-ta, now.” Dr. Lance told him.
____ Montag led the group out into the hall again, closing the door and wheezing out the rest of the smoke infesting his lungs, “…As I (hack!) …said… nothing to worry about. They’re real friendly people.”
____ “So is anyone around here actually useful?” Reed inquired.
____ “Down this way, and you can contact all the useful people you like at the other centers.” The author pointed, following his own directions down the colorless corridor. In this corner of the floor there were fewer and fewer labs, the doors lining the walls becoming more sparse and secretive, no longer fashioned with windows looking in.
____ The path ahead hit a hard 90-degree turn. Another stairwell led further down, a sign reading “Armory and Stock” hanging above it. However Montag was more interested in the door adjacent to the stairs, this one reading “Contact Office” on it.
____ “This corner of the lab is a bit more on the military end.” Montag explained, “Most of these rooms here are for Nazar’s personal staff working with the General, so you should probably stay out of them. We’re technically not allowed to use this room at all, but you two are part of the Army so I imagine you’ve got the clearance. Dr. Lance made it sound that way, anyway.”
____ “It’ll be just this once.” Thorn excused, “No big deal.”
____ “Exactly.” Montag replied, reaching for the door handle.
____ Rather unexpectedly, the door opened before the writer could do so, a woman stepping out from the other side. She wore emotionless gray clothes with a matching expression on her face, seemingly unsurprised to see them. Her short hair was meticulously dyed an extremely pale purple, nearly silver in its desaturated hue. Extremely well-kept, plus basic makeup: a sign of luxury in these times, as was the sleek tablet she held in one hand.
____ “Ah!!” Montag jumped at the sight of her, putting one hand on his heaving chest, “You scared me.”
____ “Evidentially.” The woman plainly agreed.
____ “Sorry about that.” The author said, “Frankly I had no idea you were even here.”
____ “I never left.”
____ “Right, right… Uh, guys, this is Lavender.” Montag introduced, “She’s Nazar’s top, um, assistant person. And a hacker too, just like in the spy movies.”
____ “Ooh, fancy.” Reed said.
____ The name fit the hair color, Lavender merely staring at them, “Hello.”
____ Header found her gaze and monotone voice a tad odd, “Er, yeah, howdy.”
____ She eyed the rank on his armor, “Sergeant. I believe we spoke briefly on the radio earlier.”
____ “Oh, that was you, eh? Well, thanks for pointin’ us in the right direction.”
____ “Indeed. I’m afraid Nazar isn’t here at the moment. Did you need to report to the General?” She motioned over her shoulder to the room ahead, stepping aside.
____ “Yeah, thanks. Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
____ “Yes.” At that, she walked past them and disappeared down the hall, as if she had more important matters to attend to than chatting it up with them.
____ Thomas glanced from her back to Montag, "Lots of strange people down here."
____ Montag watched her go and shrugged, “Not terribly talkative, that one. About as enigmatic as her boss, I'm afraid. You guys probably shouldn’t bother her if you see her again. She doesn’t like being disturbed.”
____ “Any other surprises around here?” Reed interrogated, "Anyone else we oughta know about, eh?"
____ “No, no, sorry. Go on ahead.”
____ The Contact Office somewhat resembled the camera room above on a much larger scale. A needless amount of video feeds, radios, and other communication equipment—modern and outdated ones alike—littered the room. The most notable one was a monitor synched up to the largest screen on the far wall, numerous channels on the computer all probably connected to countless other VACCs and military bases across the country. Header took a seat at the computer and, apparently knowing what he was doing, clicked on one of the channels. Thomas and Reed stood by the doorway, probably not supposed to be there but curious nonetheless.
____ “…Operator speaking, VACC-104. What’s your code?” A female voice answered Header’s call after a minute or so.
____ “Alpha-Alpha-Star-Digit.” Header replied in an uncharacteristically formal tone, “Urban Retrieve: Foxtrot speaking.”
____ “Texas-Digit.” The Operator responded, “Why are you on VACC-104’s line?”
____ “Sidetracked, ma’am.” Header explained, regaining his demeanor when not speaking codes, “Jus’ reporting to the General.”
____ “Yes sir. One moment please…”
____ The line went quiet, Thomas piping up in the meantime, “Do you really need to report straight to the General?”
____ Header swiveled around in the chair to face him, “Damn straight I do! He’s the bastard that sent me all this way. Plus he’s an old friend.”
____ “Pretty high-ranking friend for an infantryman.” Montag pondered.
____ Thorn chucked, “They’re both old. After years of working together you tend to make friends that way.”
____ “Funny, he’s never mentioned you.” Reed sneered.
____ It took a few minutes but eventually the large screen ahead lit up, revealing General Tandom in a shot that was a bit too close to his face. What could be seen behind him showed some sort of command center in an ugly olive tent. Somewhere out in the field. The General took a quick sip out of a Styrofoam cup as he eyed his guests.
____ “Sergeant!” He lit up upon recognizing faces amongst the five of them, “Well I’ll be damned. I’d heard you were okay but that was over a damn week ago!”
____ “Howdya do, General?” Header replied, “How’re things progressing in the front?”
____ General Tandom took another quick drink, “Overall situation is Commander Grimm’s problem, but right now we’re still working on relocating as many civilians as possible. Amassing a sizeable army is difficult when the whole goddamned world is falling apart. Virus is still spreading but we’re doing what we can.”
____ He frowned and sighed, “You wouldn’t believe how many people I’ve had to have shot over the last few weeks. Things’re more crazy in the safe zones than they are out in the zombie territory. People are nuts. Undisciplined, can’t think straight for two seconds… Anyways, enough rambling. I’ve got three minutes: what do you need?”
____ “Jus’ requesting redeployment, sir.” Header explained, “When can you send someone to pick us up?”
____ The General laughed, “Ha! You get it, alright. Unfortunately I can’t exactly spare any aircraft just to pick up two soldiers. Not right now at any rate. I’ll send a chopper your way when I can spare one.”
____ “How long is that going to be?” Thorn asked.
____ “Can’t say. But you’ve got my word. You two are good men, really good. I could certainly use you.”
____ Reed rolled his eyes, cupping one hand and shaking it up and down in a clearly suggestive manner. This caught Tandom’s eye, which widened with shock at the sight of Reed, “…Son? Is that really you?”
____ “Oh, you noticed.” Reed replied, “In the flesh.”
____ “Thank God you’re alright! I was worried about you.”
____ “Clearly. Thanks for sending help for Mom and me, by the way.” Reed crossed his arms, “Ask me how she’s doing.”
____ Tandom frowned again, “…Look, I had to spend my resources carefully. There wasn’t any time to think about my own life. I needed to save as many people as possible with the men I had to spare.”
____ “What a great way of thinking about your own family. Now I know what I’ll write on her headstone: ‘It Was Worth It.’” Reed said.
____ “I’m sorry, son. The whole world is my business now, so I had to treat the situation like work. You’ll understand one day.”
____ “Yeah, I can tell you’re really choked up about it.”
____ “You’re still a good soldier, Reed. Perhaps you should join these two when I send for them. You could do a lot of good out here. Maybe we can make up for our loss.” Tandom offered.
____ “I’ll think about it.” Reed flicked the General his middle finger and bowed out of the room.
____ Thorn watched him go and returned his gaze to the video feed, drumming his fingers on his knife sheath in awkward silence, “…So… Sir?”
____ Tandom sighed and finished his drink, crushing the disposable cup in his hand, “Sorry, gentlemen. Usually that doesn’t rear its ugly head at work. Despite my best efforts—perhaps because of my best efforts—my son is rather anti-military. Stubbornly so even in these desperate times.”
____ “I’m not sure it’s an anti-military sentiment, per se.” Thomas figured.
____ The General ignored him, “Alright, my time’s up. I’ll keep my word, gentlemen. In the meantime, enjoy your time off.”
____ “Aye sir.” Header said, “Over and out.”
____ The feed died, the Sergeant kicking the chair back and hopping to his feet. As usual he was fairly unreadable, merely tapping the monitor with his knuckles and facing the group.
____ “Well,” He plainly said, “I guess we’re stuck here ‘till he sends fer us.”
____ Indeed, Thomas figured. They were all stuck here until someone sent for them. It was a good place to be, waiting for things to blow over above, but he did have to wonder. How long were they actually going to be down here? The only way to find out was to simply live out that time.

And that's all for today. I'll be back with more later, although I'm considering doing another cluster of chapters over time and then releasing them in quicker succession. Let's put it to a vote, and I'm the author so I get two votes. Ok, everyone, your turn... Anyone...? Okay, there we go.

Anyhow, we'll see how things turn out. Until next time.

~TAF

[TheAverageFan]

Still working on the next several chapters to release them in quicker succession, but in the meantime here's a holdover bit:

Spoiler Alert!

Die Down

____ Thorn stepped out of the shower room and approached one of the many faucets lining the wall. He rummaged through his stuff below the sinks and threw some pants on, taking out his razor as well and throwing it open with but a quick flick of the wrist. The Corporal eyed himself in the mirror, spotting Thomas walking in behind him.
____ “How’s it hanging, sir?” He asked the actor.
____ “Fine, I suppose.” Thomas replied, stepping up to one of the sinks and wiping the mirror off. Although he was hardly in the same condition as those who’d just arrived at VACC, the adventure down to fetch them and back had been a little taxing, and he figured he might as well freshen up to say goodbye to the dangerous outside world once and for all. Of course, he knew Thorn and Header couldn’t say the same.
____ Thomas carefully began to shave, glancing to the Corporal out of the corner of his eye as the soldier did the same. How Thorn could be so thoughtless yet so precise with his straight razor Thomas had no idea, the man so gifted with using it that to anyone else he’d look rather careless as he ran it along his own neck. Perhaps it was a fitting metaphor, one Thomas probably couldn’t really ever understand: what he was doing was very dangerous, but Thorn had been doing it for so long that he was quite accustomed to it. Sure, Thomas had risked his life leaving VACC to get the others, but that was a one-time deal. For Thorn and Header—context of zombies notwithstanding—this kind of danger was simply their nine-to-five.
____ “So, I suppose you’re stuck with us until the General sends for you?” Thomas asked, unsatisfied with the silence.
____ “Seems that way.” Thorn replied, perfectly capable of keeping his razor steady even as he talked, “I’m not sure what I’m gonna do in the meantime. I’ll… figure out something.”
____ “Is that right? I’d think you’d be happy for the chance to rest a bit before going back out there.”
____ “I’m not really one to take vacations.” Thorn stared at himself in the mirror, “I like to stay busy. I get bored when I’m not. Then my mind starts to wander to places I don’t like.”
____ “Distractions?” Thomas guessed.
____ “Memories.”
____ “I see.”
____ With another flick of the hand Thorn wiped the last of the cream from his cheek, folding the straight razor back up and rinsing his hands off. He finished up and grabbed the rest of his stuff, promptly turning to leave, “Don’t worry about me. I feel better being out there, helping people like you get to safety like this. It’s okay if you don’t understand, but that’s how I feel about it.”
____ “No, I think I do understand.” Thomas replied, “Or at least I might learn to.”
____ “Fair enough. And besides, I’ve still got unfinished work that needs dealing with.”
____ Thomas smirked, “Still at it with your little personal agenda, hm?”
____ The Corporal smirked right back, “Naw, I’ve gotta get to the bottom of this zombie mystery. You saw those scientists. You could probably solve this mess a lot faster above ground with a gun than spending your days stumped down here.”
____ “If you say so. I won’t stop you.”
____ “Appreciated.” Thorn stopped at the door and looked back, “I don’t know when it’ll be goodbye. May as well say everything now. Thanks for helping us make it here. Sometimes escorts are a drag, but Header and I couldn’t have done it without you and the others’ help. It was a real team effort. So thanks.”
____ “Yeah, a real ‘team effort.’ You guys stole my car.” Thomas scorned.
____ Thorn grinned, sensing his dry humor, “You’re funny. See you around.”
____ Thomas watched the Corporal leave in the mirror, finding his attempt at an earnest goodbye a little odd. Maybe the soldier saw it more bittersweetly than Thomas did, but thinking about Thorn and Header going off to have more adventures while Thomas and the others sat around at VACC did demonstrate the separation between them. He could see Thorn and Header having to constantly go back and forth between infected areas, dealing with more hysterical survivors or other crazy folks. Again it made him wonder why the Corporal was willing to do it in the first place, but then again their work had helped Thomas and the others get to safety. And try as he might to do otherwise, Thomas could understand the mentality. He was a complainer through and through, but he’d still go into danger to help others. That was just how life worked: things were different when the pressure was pushed to the limit. People were different.
____ Now the pressure felt eased up on, but in the big picture it was likely worse than ever. Thomas stared at himself in the mirror, quite suddenly wondering why he was just going to sit around at VACC when he was perfectly capable of helping fight the zombies too. Just because nobody was asking didn’t mean the government was likely short on soldiers. Maybe the question wasn’t so much “why do you two have to go back out there?” so much as it was “why aren’t I going back out there?”
____ Deep questions. No, he wasn’t exactly cut out to be a soldier. If anything he’d probably just get in the way or get killed. At least, that was a good enough answer to satisfy Thomas for the time being. There was absolutely no reason to let the soldiers’ decision spur guilt in himself. They’d all had quite the journey coming here. He deserved rest.
____ Thomas reached out and wiped the mirror with his hand, smearing what little condensation has formed across its surface, turning and leaving at that. The people who knew what they were doing would handle the apocalypse. He would shave to look better.

____ And after all was said and done, it was time for the mundane to settle in. Peace was almost shocking in how much Thomas had actually grown used to its absence. Troubled times were behind him and the others now, and VACC was their new home. So it was. The zombies were no longer a problem down here, but things were still hardly back to normal. Thomas wondered why he’d ever thought things would ever return to being typical. Now they were just safe, hiding out in this admittedly lavish bunker and waiting for things outside to blow over.
____ Things were quick to get tiresome around the place. Certainly a better place to be cooped up in than a house, but they were cooped up nonetheless. Most of the others talked, or read, or even played board games just to pass the time. Thomas himself spent an increasing amount of time on the lab floor. It was frequently vacant down there, and he enjoyed being by himself for the most part.
____ Dr. Brett and Dr. Lance were usually isolated in one of the labs, either loudly talking theology or silently at work. Their fiery spats about what could be and what was didn’t quite interest him, nor did the unglamorous scent of ash and alcohol that accompanied their presence. Thomas evaded them either way. On very rare occasions he would spot Lavender roaming the halls. But she never paid him any attention. She was a strange and evasive woman, not exactly shedding any light on her boss or his plans. Since she never, ever, ventured to the upper floors (something even the two scientists would do on occasion) Thomas wondered what she was even doing down here, but he supposed that wasn’t his business, fending off mounting curiosity at every encounter. He didn’t bother her.
____ For everyone else it was a chance to get to know each other better. Mr. Collis was right: in a manner of speaking they were sort of a family. In the way that they were people who wouldn’t normally hang out together. The kind of comradery that often formed from being together over a period of time. You learned all sorts of bits about people. Louis was vegan. Jaxson couldn’t stand honey for some reason. Guy only really got passionate when talking about video games. Shelley was allergic to cats, nuts, and pollen. Mr. Collis was a big World War II history buff. Gene really liked old schlock B-movies. Just odd little tidbits. They were quirks one could live with. It was a life one could live with.
____ Two weeks passed, waiting like that. Just a little less than the same amount of time they’d spent out there evading the zombies, but down here it went so much quicker. It was hard to believe that it hadn’t even been a month before they reached VACC—it felt like a year travelling. Fourteen safe but forgettable days before real change came again.

~TAF

[TGRF]

Don't give up hope, TAF! I'm still here.

Not reading, just around. Purely morale support.

Keep it up!

~TGRF.

[TheAverageFan]

I'm here with another chapter to post. Not a lot of action this time, but important nonetheless. Give it a look-see: it's Chapter 17:

Spoiler Alert!

17
Uncertainty

____ Stacey yawned and poked her breakfast with a bored, prodding fork. The novelty of the selection at VACC had worn off, enormous variety compared to rations and candy but not stupendous in retrospect. Plus she just felt like being picky today.
____ Louis sat ahead of her, careful eyes on her from behind a sipping mug. Stacey stared back at him. He was a nice guy, but a bit direct for her taste. Not long ago, being alone with Louis (or any of the other men for that matter) would have made her deeply uncomfortable. But the monotony of life at VACC got her used to it. People here were more than strangers or even neighbors, so she was comfortable with all of them at this point.
____ Instead her eyes fell to his hands. He always wore those neon-green sweatbands on his wrists. They stood out, increasingly distracting the longer she looked at him.
____ “Why do you always wear those ugly things?” She asked, using the excuse to waste time.
____ He glanced down, then back to her, “Why do you always wear that ugly baseball cap?”
____ “I don’t know!” Stacey snapped, irked at how easily he flipped her question around, “It was a gift from my mom.”
____ “I see.” He smiled, lightly tapping one of the sweatbands, “Well, our little secret: they’re hiding an unbelievably embarrassing tattoo. I would actually have to kill anyone who takes a peep.”
____ “Oh, that explains it.” Stacey said, amusingly daydreaming up all sorts of potential cringe-worthy inks he might be hiding, jumping a bit as the alarm sounded off. She still wasn’t quite used to it, just like her alarm clock back home. Years of getting up to it and it was nevertheless startling every time. Days she could sleep without fear of it were bliss, and since coming to VACC she’d slept in often. Really that beeping on the overhead was an alarm of sorts, if it was tripped early enough.
____ Louis glanced upward, “Dammit. I’ll be right back.”
____ “I can get it.” Stacey offered, “You always go.”
____ “Both of us?” He offered.
____ “Sure.”
____ The two ventured upstairs to examine the source of the alarm. Stacey had almost never been back in the security camera room, and it was essentially the only chore around here, so finally being the one to give it a glance made her feel like she was pulling her weight a bit more. A gesture that’d likely only comfort her, but one worth going through with nonetheless.
____ Ironic then, that the one time she did go to check the cameras was the one time they’d been activated by something extremely unexpected. There was a car pulled up to the fence, stopped right in front of the section that could lower down no less. Not just any car either: a limo. A limo?
____ “What on earth?” Stacey asked, staring at the screen in bewilderment.
____ “Open up.” Louis instructed, flipping the switch to lower the fence. The car drove forward as it was allowed in, as if it’d expected being granted entry.
____ Yes, no mistaking it: a sleek jet-black limousine pulled up to the tiny white building outside, parking parallel to it and halting. The driver’s door opened and out stepped an elderly man in an equally jet-black suit. He had sharp, almost triangular eyes, and a similarly pointy physique—thin and jutting. The man swiftly moved to the back of the lengthy car and opened the passenger door. Out stepped Nazar.
____ He gave the camera watching a single knowing smirk and promptly headed for the door, as if he knew it’d open for him.
____ “Oh! It’s him!” Stacey exclaimed. Were it not for being the one to point them here to begin with, she’d have forgotten about him by now. But here he was, finally in the flesh. She opened the door above and the hatch, and not soon after the two men came down. Nazar brushed off his suit and began walking to the hall, not even bothering to say anything to Stacey or Louis. Still Stacey called out to him, “Nazar!”
____ He stopped and glanced back at her, “Oh, it’s you. When did you arrive?”
____ The days at VACC blurred together in their forgetfulness, Stacey needing a second or two to recount, “About two weeks.”
____ “Did you all make it?”
____ “David didn’t…”
____ She felt kind of dumb for saying so afterward, knowing full well that he likely didn’t know any of them by name. Clearly she cared more than he did though, Nazar halfheartedly feigning sorrow before walking off, “Apologies for the loss.”
____ Stacey watched him go, letting the cut sink in before quietly following him, “…Yeah…”
____ Nazar wasted no time descending the stairs to the lounges below, walking in unannounced on Guy, Gene, Brooke, and Shelley. Brooke looked up from the third-and-half book she was reading and jumped at the sight of him, startled by his sudden presence.
____ “N-Nazar!” She said, hastily getting to her feet, “It’s been so long!”
____ “Evidentially.” He answered, taking the coat he wore over his suit and handing it to the man accompanying him, who immediately began folding it.
____ “I wanted to thank you for taking us here.” Brooke continued, “We all owe you so much, and—”
____ “No need.” He dismissed, “You civilians can thank me by staying here.”
____ “I’ll try my best, sir.” Gene offered, lazily saluting.
____ Shelley glanced from Nazar to the others and back, “You know this young man?”
____ The conversation had attracted the ears of others at this point, especially those who knew the sound of Nazar’s voice. Thomas walked in from the kitchen, squirming past Thorn and Miles in the doorway. He nodded to Nazar as he answered Shelly, “He’s the reason we knew to come here.”
____ “I don’t suppose you came by chopper, sir?” Thorn inquired.
____ “I’m afraid not, Corporal.” Nazar declined, motioning to his silent assistant, “I’m travelling via car in the vicinity, for the time being. This is my driver, Mr. Gondowl.”
____ Mr. Gondowl said nothing.
____ “You two will have to wait a while longer for redeployment.” Nazar continued, “I have more important matters to attend to.”
____ Stacey, standing at the stairs behind him, sighed a breath of relief at the words. She understood the soldiers’ motives for wanting to go back out there, but she liked them and dreaded the thought of them having to leave at every beep of the alarm. Thorn himself merely nodded, his thoughts on the matter hidden for the moment.
____ While she stood at the stairs leading up, Lavender made a rare appearance at the steps leading down. She clutched the tablet she held tightly and bowed ever so slightly at Nazar, “Sir.”
____ Nazar immediately abandoned the conversation with the rest of the group at the sight of her, departing to the stairs leading to the labs below, “Lavender. Show me what we’re looking at here.”
____ “Yes sir.”
____ Just like that they were gone, off to attend to matters undoubtedly far too important for the likes of any of the civvies (or the soldiers for that matter). Thomas frowned and shrugged, intrigued—he couldn’t help but be—yet knowing that he had nothing to contribute further to the fight against the zombie apocalypse. He didn’t like relying on others to clean up big messes, but in this field he probably wasn’t going to be of any help. None of them were. So get back to reading and playing board games in this shelter, you peons. It still bothered him, just sitting around waiting.
____ “Bye.” Brooke said, holding one hand up to wave, but Nazar had already turned his back to her by then. She bit her lip and closed her hand slowly, “I thought he’d be happier to see us. I guess I don’t know what I expected.”
____ “He’s probably booked with business.” Mr. Collis solaced her, “Whatever his business is.”
____ “Indeed.” Thomas peered down the stairs, “Whatever his business is…”
____ Nazar had come and gone, things already the same in his absence again. Thomas didn’t know what Brooke had been expecting either. But he sort of understood her mentality. Maybe they’d expected him to bring some news of progress to them. Or maybe after all the time spent in the zombie-infested outdoors, they’d all given themselves a greater sense of purpose than they really had. Nonetheless, Nazar didn’t have anything to say to them. So everyone gradually returned to their daily activities.
____ Thomas eventually went back down into the labs, it essentially the equivalent of a morning walk to him. Despite VACC’s size it still felt fairly crowded on the barracks floor. Brooke, Stacey, Jaxson, Thorn, Header, Miles, Abbey, Gene, Reed, Shelley, Stanley, Montag, Mr. Collis, Guy, Louis, and Lynn all split between a handful of rooms got packed and repetitive quite often. It was nice and quiet down here, and more spacious than his bedroom.
____ Of course, by now he’d almost forgotten that Nazar and Lavender were down here, Thomas spotting the two out in the hall between rooms. The sight froze him, suddenly wondering if he was supposed to be down here while Nazar was. But curiosity proved more powerful than worriedness, so Thomas kept still and spied on the two, hoping he wouldn’t be spotted.
____ What am I doing? He wondered, This is childish. Spying like a nosy reporter or a pervy middle-schooler...
____ And yet there he stayed. So few answers had been provided to explain any of the sources and mysteries of the zombie apocalypse: just about anyone would be starved for answers or at least hints from those at the very top.
____ “…be it. I’ll need to contract one privately, but that can wait for the time being. One last thing. Do you still have the drive?” Nazar asked his assistant.
____ “Yes sir.” She withdrew a small and unassuming flash drive from her pocket, handing it over without hesitation, “Since I arrived.”
____ “Good.” He accepted it, “Did you view the contents?”
____ “No sir, as requested.”
____ “Good.” He repeated, pocketing it, “You’re dismissed.”
____ “Yes sir.”
____ Nazar turned and entered one of the doors, the sound of it closing behind him echoing through the silent halls. Lavender watched him leave, clutching the tablet in both hands and staring at the closed door longingly. Thomas couldn’t help but smirk, knowing a look of admiration when he saw one. Finally Lavender turned and left, leaving Thomas alone in the hall. Fortunately she departed in a different direction to the corridor Thomas occupied, his eavesdropping seemingly undetected.
____ Again his curiosity began to renew, perhaps boredom with the VACC lifestyle urging him to check out anything new or unusual. And there was something very unusual about Nazar. Thomas couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The man was the head of VACC: he was to be thanked for this entire place not to mention the fact that he sheltered them all here. Still, his demeanor gave off odd vibes. Thomas wasn’t usually one to rely on gut instincts, but here they were almost overpowering. He cautiously approached the door, making sure Lavender was gone before getting any closer.
____ It was rather startling then, when the door opened up and Nazar stepped out. He didn’t have the flash drive anymore, instead holding two small spherical magnets which he rolled around listlessly between his fingers, clicking them together and apart again. He faced Thomas immediately, smiling slyly as if unsurprised by his presence, “You’re not supposed to be down here.”
____ “Montag and the Doctors said we could visit whenever we liked.” Thomas excused.
____ “Different part of the floor.” Nazar said, “…What’s your name?”
____ Thomas honestly couldn’t recall if he’d told Nazar his name before, offering it again, “It’s Thomas Santeri.”
____ Those little magnets just kept knocking together, the only real noise in the hall. Click, click, click..!
____ “I didn’t take you for a snooper, Thomas.”
____ He frowned, “I’m not.”
____ “That so?” Nazar paused, “…What’s your occupation?”
____ “What? Occupation? I’m a stage actor.”
____ Another smile, “Ah. So you make a living bearing witness to acts and lives far greater than your own. Then you should know how small of a part you’re playing here. Don’t overstep it.”
____ He shouldered past Thomas and strolled off.
____ “I wouldn’t call it ‘a living’…” Thomas replied in mutters, mostly to himself. He frowned as Nazar turned the corner and disappeared from sight, his suspicions not eased by the short encounter. If anything it only made him more intrigued at what the man was up to. Stoked even, by his condescending attitude.
____ So what a strange person, Thomas figured as he weighed his options. Strange and secretive. Very secretive, indeed, yet he left the door open.
____ Thomas peered into the room. It was a small office, the lit screen of a laptop standing out brightly whilst the lights were off. The flash drive was inserted into it, a single popup page on the monitor. It was scrolling through multiple documents: pictures, emails, and typed up pages and the like by the look of it. As Thomas approached it, he could make out a loading bar on the page next to the scrolling files.
____ “DELETING FILES” it read.
____ What the hell? Thomas silently panicked, taking a seat before the laptop and hastily moving the mouse. It was like stumbling across a raging fire, either demanding him to run or sit down and deal with it. He clicked Pause on the deletion, salvaging whatever remained on the drive. Something about the nature of the outbreak—about everyone trying desperately to piece information on it together—made deleting files seem awfully out-of-place to him. Especially when Nazar had requested such secrecy concerning the contents of the drive. Thomas had come this far; no reason not to continue snooping while things continued to feel strange to him.
____ There wasn’t much time. Thomas moved the mouse over to the files pictured alongside the paused loading bar and scrolled through them. It was practically too much to look through in depth, and he had no idea how much time he had. That meant probably very little. If anyone came back in and saw him peering through this stuff, or even if Nazar knew how long it’d take to delete the files and noticed someone had paused it… Thomas regrettably resumed the deletion and, no other drives or memory cards in sight, did the only thing he could think of on the spot: taking out his phone and snapping pictures, capturing blurry but at least existent photos of every page as it passed by.
____ There were too many files to count, varying charts, records, and more coming and going. Thomas could only glance at the contents sparingly as he snapped it all down:
____ Charts and graphs with needlessly detailed numbers and words in tiny fonts:

____ List of known contacts: CLASSIFIED

____ Pictured here, strains 0-8, cell manipulation
________ Pre-Attack Virus Strains CLASSIFIED
________ Acquired Strains
________ “Test Tube Zombies”—Prototype Strains CLASSIFIED

____ Apostle connections, networking, known aliases. Appendix A-E CLASSIFIED
________ Ex-career Scientists (recruiting methods??)
________ Terror networks (see also, Index of known organization connections)
________ Pre-Attack Planning—Apostle; Counterintelligence Folder
________ Post-Attack Planning—Apostle; Patterns & Known Locations CLASSIFIED

____ Grainy surveillance images: pictures of various cells under the microscope.
____ Healthy cell (Fig. 1). Stage 1 infection (Fig. 2). Stage 2 infection (Fig. 3). Stage 3 infection (dead cell) (Fig. 4). Initiated sample (stage 3 infection) (Fig. 5).


____ Birds-eye pictures of landscapes with lines drawn all across them in a messy fashion:
____ Satellite imaging: Virus triangulation (Pictured here: North America, Germany, Turkey, Indonesia)


____ A long-range surveillance photo of Alex Silvin:
____ Domestic insurgent Alexander Silvin: image taken from street camera in Verdun, France. Known connection to Dr. Albrecht Ruxus. Probable connection to Apostle.


____ A photo of what looked like a satellite next to the winged moon. An astronaut with Chinese letters on his suit held to the side of the satellite, both looking miniscule next to the massive feathers of the wing.
____ Northernmost-pole wing, pictured by satellite team in orbit at time of appearance. Samples were unable to be retrieved due to distance. Further investigation pending.


____ Lastly a black-and-white picture of three men, two elderly and gray and one with wildly long hair and visibly dark eyes:
____ Pictured here: Dr. Albrecht Ruxus (left), Professor Harold Joetex (center), King (right)
____ Unknown facility staff in background


____ As well as a documented email:
____ Nazar,
________ PLEASE RESPOND. King insists that you are our biggest obstacle. You’re the only one I can trust with this information. Apostle has its claws in everything else. I have the necessary materials to counteract the virus. I’m trying to help you. I have a cure. PLEASE contact me ASAP. At least send a team to the lab. The coordinates are…

____ The last one caught Thomas’ eye more than anything, the word “cure” dropped into his lap completely out of the blue. He stopped his skimming and glued his eyes to the document, picturing the numbers listed before they vanished from sight. The other stuff he didn’t have the faintest clue about, its importance completely lost on his lack of context. But that last email… Why was word of a potential cure buried under all these files? And if it could be believed, why was Nazar deleting it? The more Thomas thought about it the more he wondered just how much he could rely on VACC for solving this zombie problem if it was deliberately destroying such important information. He needed to share this with the others.
____ That was about it as far as the files had to offer. Satisfied with what he had, Thomas got up and turned to leave. The barrel of a handgun met him at the door, Lavender standing there at the doorway. She held the pistol tightly in both hands, loading it with a click. Thomas gulped and stared down the weapon, slowly lifting his hands into the air.
____ “What are you doing?” She demanded, still not raising or lowering her voice at all.
____ Thomas didn’t really have a good answer, not one that’d likely satisfy her anyway. It was difficult to converse at all with someone who could end your life merely by moving one finger back against the trigger, but the importance of his discovery urged him past that. He merely replied with another question, “Do you have any idea what’s on this drive?”
____ “No.” She answered, “That’s not my place. It’s not yours either.”
____ “There are emails on there.” Thomas explained, “Your boss was in contact with someone claiming to know about the zombies. He even mentioned some kind of cure. Why the hell is Nazar deleting all this stuff?”
____ He knew there was something wrong with the guy, but the rest was up in the air. It was a gamble hoping she didn’t know about the emails either, that she wouldn’t just admit to being in on it as well before shooting him dead on the spot. As far as Thomas knew, it would either be a genuine reply or death for him at this point.
____ It seemed to pay off, Lavender looking like it was news to her. It would make him feel a bit more at ease if she’d just lower the gun, “I told you that’s not my place. Don’t tell me what I’m not supposed to know.”
____ Thomas pressed what little momentary advantage he had, “Do any of the VACC employees know about this stuff? Don’t you care about solving this crisis? What side is your boss on?”
____ “Nazar knows what he’s doing. Better than anyone.” She replied sharply, the first adjective that could be applied to her manner of speaking other than monotone, “Trying to interfere with his work will only slow him down. You shouldn’t have looked at that.”
____ “Well the door was open.”
____ “Nazar always shuts the door.”
____ It was an odd thing to insist upon, and Thomas didn’t doubt her. But Nazar had left the door open quite carelessly, and that wasn’t Thomas’ fault, “He didn’t this time, I swear! Look, it doesn’t matter what I did wrong. Those documents are too important to sweep under the rug. Take a look for yourself if you don’t believe me, before they’re gone for good.”
____ She didn’t seem to care much, “Viewing top secret documents is a criminal offense. Potentially a capital offense during current emergency law sets.”
____ Thomas frowned, “So if knowing what I know is worth killing over, then shoot me. But now you know too.”
____ She paused, finally relenting and lowering her weapon, “I don’t kill people. Go back upstairs. And don’t come here again. Not a word to anyone, understand? Especially Nazar.”
____ She seemed more focused on the laptop than him, perhaps still internally digesting the information he’d just shared with her. Good. She should think about what he’d just learned: it was alarming material. Thomas slowly retreated out of the room, relieved to not have to stare down the barrel of a gun anymore, and headed back upstairs. He had a bit of thinking to do himself, too.
____ Lavender waited for him to leave, eyeing the laptop as it continued deleting. Thinking it over.

____ Thomas was quick to find the map they’d used to find VACC but slow to think things through. Uncertainty clouded his judgment, not knowing all the answers making it difficult to know where to go from here. Sure enough, the coordinates listed on the email matched up to the map, a fair distance from VACC but in the local vicinity nonetheless. Great, now it was fathomably reachable. That only made it harder to choose where to go from here. Could it be trusted? Was there really a cure out there, and if there was why was it in a deletion bin? And who sent it to begin with? Sadly but perhaps expectedly his find raised a lot more questions than it answered. Just what the hell was going on around here?
____ Thomas marked the map down with the coordinates and leaned back. So what now? Should he get up and leave to go find this place? No, that was insane. He’d gone back out there once, and he wasn’t doing it again. …But then who’d go get it? Obviously the VACC staff probably weren’t on board. If anything Nazar might even have him killed if he found out. For all he knew. Could he tell Thorn and Header? No, they were going back to war.
____ Thomas rocked back and forth in the flimsy chair, he paced around the room and even the whole floor, he went into his room and stared into the mirror and then up at the ceiling. This was no easy decision, after all, suddenly thrust upon him. He was glad he found out, but now he wasn’t sure what to do with the information he’d discovered. In a minute or two he’d gone from just a normal survivor to someone potentially capable of ending the disease. Was that wishful thinking? Was it too convenient? Was it smart to be dismissive or was that just selfish cowardice? Was it noble to investigate or was it rushing foolishly into danger with no payoff?
____ He bit his lip, strangled with indecisiveness. What to make of it? We were talking about leaving this place, for a chance. It was better to play it safe.
____ …”You’ve gotta play it safe.”
____ Thomas sat up. No. Not this time. What was he in the grand scale of things? Just another survivor? Or was he going to make a difference? What point was there in sitting around? Maybe he could help, not in the way Thorn would, but help nevertheless. It was worth taking the chance, for the sake of the potential. The potential to see a light at the end of this tunnel.
____ Leaving his room, Thomas strode down the hall tracking down Montag. As he so often was, the author was in the kitchen, wiping down the counters methodically. Glancing up, he raised an eyebrow but greeted normally, “Hello, Thomas. What can I do you for?”
____ “Hey.”
____ “…Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
____ “Listen, I need to talk to everyone.” Thomas told him, getting directly to the point.
____ “What kind of everyone? Like every single person at VACC?”
____ “Everyone except Nazar’s people. It’s important.”
____ Another eyebrow raised, “…All right. I’ll round everybody up. One minute.”
____ He left. Thomas had reached a decision, but he still needed an audience. The least he could do was leave them an explanation.

____ Everyone, save for Nazar, Lavender, and Mr. Gondowl, met in the most secluded of the four corner lounges: the kitchen. Weirdoes like Nazar and his people seemed to avoid kitchens, and its doors were sealed, so it was the best spot.
____ “So… What’s this all about?” Lynn inquired, giving Thomas a worried look. Urgency and lack of details were a good way to make everyone nervous. Thomas wouldn’t hold them in suspense for long, not that the news would entirely diffuse any anxiety.
____ Now Thomas was normally quite used to having countless eyes glued to him, just not when he was going off-script. He carefully but nervously clutched the phone in his pocket, still a bit unsure of how to go about breaking things to them all. After all, he hadn’t had much of a chance to mull over it himself, so it’d probably be just as sudden to them as it was to him. But that was good enough. They just needed to know at all.
____ “I saw something downstairs.” He began, taking the phone out, “I stumbled across Nazar’s laptop, and there were a bunch of documents. One of them was an email—from a leak or something—saying that they had a cure and that they wanted Nazar to send someone out to come pick it up.”
____ “Are you serious?” Stacey perked up—they all did—at the words.
____ “Dead serious.” He answered, “And I checked the coordinates: it’s not far from here.”
____ “So what’s the problem?” Stanley asked, “You look rather drab saying that.”
____ “And it’s not our business anyhow.” Montag finished, “Let Nazar worry about that stuff. Our only job is keeping our heads down.”
____ “That’s just the thing.” Thomas explained, handing the phone out so they could all individually see for themselves, “The file I found it on—all the files I found—he was deleting them. I only stopped it long enough to take down what I could to tell you all. And the way the email was worded it sounded like this guy had been trying to get Nazar to respond for a while now.”
____ Brooke looked the most unbelieving. Nazar had done nothing but help them up until this point, from the day she met him, “Why would he do such a thing?”
____ Dr. Lance calmly puffed at a cigarette, staring down at it until he could return his attention to the conversation. He exhaled smoke as he explained, “I’d suggest letting Nazar’s business be Nazar’s business. He’s the only one really holding all the cards around here. If he was deleting it, there would be a good reason for doing so.”
____ Reed scoffed, already on Thomas’ side, “You hear there’s a chance for a cure being out there and you’re okay with sweeping it under the rug!? You’re sh*tting me!”
____ Dr. Brett backed up his coworker, nodding in agreement, “Try to understand. We’ve been working to crack this case for a long time. Forgive me for being a little skeptical about some cure suddenly popping up out of the blue, completely unverified. Who made it, at what lab, and how? Is there proof: cured subjects or otherwise? I need more tangible data than assurance that it exists.”
____ “You’re not even interested in exploring the remote possibility of it!? We’re talkin’ a cure to the zombies, for Christ’s sake!”
____ “Perhaps we ought to ask Nazar why he hasn’t explored it yet. I’m sure he has a good reason. He’s been working to stop this outbreak more than anyone, trust me.” The Doctor deflected.
____ Brooke looked from Reed to Brett and back, “I still don’t get why it’s an issue. Why would Nazar delete something like that if it were true? So it can’t be true. Right?”
____ “Which is why it’s not, dear.” Lynn told her, “I know you’re still a bit new here, Thomas. But believe me, Nazar is on our side.”
____ “Then why does all of this feel so wrong?” Thomas asked, “There’s something he’s not telling us. Probably quite a bit he’s not telling us.”
____ “Because it’s not our place to know.” Montag said, his words directed at Thomas and Reed both, “I think you two are just looking for trouble where none exists. You’re still paranoid of VACC even after its done nothing but help our cause. Probably just more restless than right.”
____ Now Louis stepped in, “Well, hold on now. Perhaps Tommy’s onto something. Only the guilty insist on working behind locked doors, after all. Even some of VACC’s finest over here are kept out of Nazar’s loop, for some reason.”
____ “We’re simple researchers.” Dr. Lance offered, “Cogs in a machine.”
____ “Is being the bottom rung really that much of a good reason never to look up?” Louis asked him.
____ Again Dr. Lance took a long drag of his cig, “Okay, well, how ‘bout this: do you know who sent the email? Is it a big name in the scientific community? Some credibility would help your cause immensely.”
____ Thomas retrieved and checked his phone, finding the picture and showing it to the Doctor. Even though it was plenty blurry, through careful examination it was still legible. No clear name was there, though. And the sender address gave no hints.
____ “It doesn’t say.” Thomas scrolled through all the pictures he took, “Does any of this look recognizable to you? Do these coordinates go to another VACC lab?”
____ “Not that I know of. None of this is familiar. Except that chart there. Infection charts. That’s old data.”
____ “Old, huh?” Reed said, “Well, you still don’t know most of it. He’s even hiding things from you guys!”
____ “Well, what do you suggest we do, Thomas?” Gene asked.
____ “There’s nothing to do.” Mr. Collis quietly dismissed, “If it’s old data it’s old news, right? If it were real someone would’ve taken it by now, yes?”
____ “Well wait just a minute!” Stacey argued, “If Nazar hid the info then of course nobody’s gone looking for it. It could still be waiting there!”
____ “Don’t leave on a ‘could’!” Abbey advised, “It’s too dangerous out there!”
____ “Exactly why it’s worth trying to get!”
____ Miles shrugged, “Yeah, but what can we do? We’re just… people.”
____ “We do what we people’re good at!” Reed answered, shouldering his rifle with obvious implications, “Causing some ruckus! I knew Dad was up to something! Let’s go ask ‘im and this Nazar guy ‘very nicely’ and get some answers!”
____ Montag stood up and shouted him down, “Don’t even think about it! I will have no violence in here! None whatsoever!”
____ All the voices began to pile on top of each other, mounting in volume as it became harder to hear. That in turn only reset the problem as everyone spoke up, voices getting even louder in an attempt to be heard.
____ “People! People…! PEOPLE!!!” Thomas yelled, finally quieting all the simultaneous talking. He sighed and rubbed the sides of his head, feeling a bit of that same feeling he had before departing VACC to retrieve the other half of the group. This felt like it had a tinge more purpose behind it though. It made it less dreadful.
____ “Look.” He said to Montag and Dr. Lance, “You’re right. This is Nazar’s building, and it’s all his business. But I can go and do what I want. Now maybe it is nothing worth checking out. But if I’m right, this could very well be the most important thing I’ll ever do in my life. So you all can do what you please. But me, me, I’m going to find this place.”
____ “But Thomas,” Montag insisted, “you’re just one civilian. You can’t go out there. Let the people in charge handle this situation.”
____ “No.” Thomas denied, “They’re sweeping this under the rug. I’m sick of being told to rely on the people in charge. I’m sick of sitting around playing board games and twiddling my thumbs. It’s no way to live. I’m not dead, but I still want my life back! And if the only way to get that is to go out there and get it myself, then so be it. There’s nobody I’d sooner rely on.”
____ He was met with silence, everyone seemingly thinking it over to themselves too.
____ “You all can do what you want.” Thomas repeated, “I think I’m gonna go make my own fate.”
____ He walked out, off to double-check the map and prepare for the trip.
____ “Come back! Don’t… Ugh!!” Montag snapped, frustrated. He looked around at everyone else, seeing sparks of the same foolish sentiment in a few too many faces, “Don’t tell me you’re all thinking of going too. It’s an absurd gamble. Anyone who willingly leaves this place is insane. It’s like he’s got suicidal tendencies.”
____ “But what if he’s right?” Brooke asked, “What if there is a cure out there, just waiting for someone to come fetch it?”
____ “I thought you said you trust Nazar’s judgment.” Montag scolded.
____ The hint of condescension in his tone made her upset, “I do, but I trust Thomas too!”
____ Stanley nodded, “If it wasn’t for him leaving VACC before, we might not be here now. I think it was Einstein who once said that intuition is the only really valuable thing, and Thomas has got good intuition. And Nazar’s, well…”
____ “Have you all learned nothing here? Talk some sense into these people!” Montag turned to the two scientists.
____ Dr. Lance dug his spent cigarette into a nearby tray, smothering the last life out of it, “Like I said, I trust Nazar’s judgment. As for this cure, well, anything’s possible. I’ll admit that much. Let him go, Montag. Sometimes you’ve got to ignore all the sense in the world and try walking on water.”
____ Dr. Brett agreed through a long drink of his beer, “Mmnhmm. He seems pretty adamant. Let him go check it out. Seeing is believing. If he dies, that’s on him. He’ll go nuts with conspiracies if he stays here. Not everybody can handle being cooped up in one place for so long. He needs purpose.”
____ “And what about the rest of you?” Reed demanded, “We’re gonna go find the cure. Are you comin’ or do you think papa government’s gonna handle everything for you?”
____ No immediate answer. Reed scoffed and muttered, turning and taking his leave as well. In his absence there was only more thoughtful, musing silence.
____ The news was sudden for everyone and the possibilities and dangers involved were endless. But it boiled down to a simple decision for all of them: stay at the safety of VACC, or go try to find this supposed cure. Their own lives were in the balance, but so were the lives of everyone out there affected by the apocalypse. So which was it? Safety, or hope? It was their own individual decision.

This and Ch. 18 were originally one chapter, but it was super long so I divvied it up. I'll post Chapter 18 sooner than normal so you don't have to be kept in suspense over it, though. But until then...

~TAF

[TheAverageFan]

Well as promised I'm here a week early with Chapter 18. It's fairly short and mostly dialogue, so there you have it. It's late, so enough wasting time anyhow. Without further ado, here is Chapter 18:

Spoiler Alert!

18
Really Living



Everyone Decides

____ Brooke leaned back and strummed her guitar. Everyone had sort of just disbanded after the talk, off on their own making up their minds. Brooke herself just decided to pack a lunch and then practice, backstaging her thoughts on Thomas’ reveal and instead just focusing on her music.
____ Louis seemed more interested in watching her over thinking things through himself. He’d stood up for Thomas’ arguments earlier, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking now; if he’d be willing to go with them. Maybe they were both procrastinating.
____ Thomas himself stood in the hall, feeling unsure if he should stand in on anyone making their decision, his presence a possible influence on said choice. But there were people off in every room at the moment, so he’d found himself walking full circle around the floor back to the kitchen again. Brooke and Louis were still in there, but screw it—they were both plenty comfortable with his being there in the hall.
____ “Hey there, Thomas.” Brooke told him as he stood in the doorway, “Don’t worry—we’re not slacking off here.”
____ “No such thing as slacking off.” Louis said, a seemingly random assertion.
____ “Right…” Thomas listened as Brooke continued to play her guitar, “What song are you playing?”
____ “I’m not playing a song.” She clarified, “Just going through some beats.”
____ “Oh.” Thomas wasn’t terribly familiar with that field, abandoning the conversation at that.
____ Louis smiled as she tuned the instrument, each strum of the strings producing a lower tune, “Flexing a scordatura before practice?”
____ “Yeah, I shouldn’t mess with it so much, but I’m still experimenting.” Brooke replied, “I grew up practicing piano—that’s what I’m best at. And I do violin at work. Guitar’s more of a hobby.”
____ “Impressive range.” Louis complimented, “I’d think working down from piano and violin would make that easier for such a regular virtuoso.”
____ She beamed at his flattery, “It is easier, but I had years to perfect those.”
____ “Learn some études.” He recommended, “Pretend it’s a concerto.”
____ “Give me some credit, buster. I grew up on sonata form. But honestly at this rate I just play to relax.”
____ “Fair enough. It’s not typically an instrument for sweeping scores.”
____ She nonetheless smiled at him, “I’m impressed. You seem to know your way around your fancy musical terms.”
____ He relented, “I’ve had the privilege to attend my fair share of symphonies and operas. There’s art, and then there’s high art.”
____ She giggled, “You make it sound so cultured. Talk like that and you’ll scare everyone else off.”
____ “Their loss. Music is a powerful ceremony for humanity. To paraphrase one of the greats, ‘orchestra starts with a prayer, and ends with an orgy.’ It’s the only language we all speak.”
____ Thomas frowned, unimpressed. Brooke spotted his expression, leaving the conversation from there, “Oh, Thomas. Sorry for excluding you.”
____ “Don’t feel the need to include me just because I’m here.” He dismissed.
____ “Don’t be silly. Besides,” She got up and walked over to the counter, picking up a basket there and brining it over to him, “I made some lunch. Care to eat with me? It’s a beautiful day out. I thought it’d be nice getting some fresh air for once. No reason we can’t stay inside the fence.”
____ He was a little confused, “Lunch? Shouldn’t you be thinking about what I told everyone?”
____ She didn’t seem too worried about that, “I was thinking we could talk it over.”
____ Fair enough. He shrugged, “Sure.”

____ The sky was nothing but a clear sheet of blue out, not a speck of cloud in sight. It was cool with wind but warmed by the sun, nice weather to be sure. The dying trees of late fall gave the air a crisp, almost smoky smell. Brooke looked all around her—a fence in every direction—picking a spot where the two of them could sit down and eat. She walked off, distancing herself from the cars parked by the VACC building, apparently content with a particular patch of grass close to the corner of the fence walls. She threw down the quilt and sat down, patting the spot next to her.
____ Thomas sat, “Ugh. I wish you wouldn’t talk to that bastard so much.”
____ “Who, Louis? What’s the matter?” She requested, finding his gripe rather random.
____ “Do you not get tired of the honey tonguing? Or are you just oblivious to it?” He asked. She just giggled. Thomas frowned, “What?”
____ “It’s just funny.” Brooke explained, “After everything we’ve all been through, that's what gets you really grumpy.”
____ The more she nonchalantly smiled the more he scowled, feeling called out. For as many quotation marks as he would pile on around their "relationship", it was something he found himself guarding with increasing zeal since its inception. He honestly... coveted her. And yet their time together at VACC had been light on interaction and lighter still on intimacy. He had started to wonder if they were slipping, his following words stumbling a bit, “Well, I mean, why wouldn’t it? Come on, you don't honestly think he's all that interested in music, do you?”
____ “No, no, I understand. Don’t mind Louis—he’s just flirty.” Brooke clarified, reaching over and picking up her guitar before continuing, “Don't you fret; he didn't know what half those terms he used meant, I'm sure of it. I am still interested, and I’m sorry we haven’t really… made anything of it. It wasn’t coping or infatuation before, I promise you.”
____ “Then what is it? Why do you like me?” Thomas asked, “I don’t think I’m terribly good-looking, nor am I all that charismatic or even assertive.”
____ “I think you’re plenty handsome. I could see you in a starring role.” She sighed, pausing her cheery tone. For once her friend sounded more frustrated with himself than anything around him. There was more than enough uncertainty to go around concerning the potential cure out there; the least she could do was give him proper assurance in himself, “Look, from the day I met you I saw a lot of qualities I liked. You’re level-headed, work good under pressure, and you’re more heroic than you let on. But besides all that superfluous stuff, I saw someone I might be able to connect to. Someone who could maybe ground me a bit, someone maybe I could help out.”
____ Thomas wasn’t overly impressed. Ah yes, the fixer-upper. The scarred but salvageable man who can only be repaired through the heart. And only she could fix him. No, no... that was a sort of toxic projection his mind was doing: cross with himself over what he had for so long thought was a baseless, frustrating infatuation with her. In truth he likely had similar reasoning for his attraction to Brooke. Although he could frequently criticize her way of thinking, he deeply envied the way she saw life. It was a nostalgic longing, like one might feel for simpler childhood days. His mind would continue to insist that it would ultimately be a bad thing. There was a reason he was the way he was. Objectively speaking, her presence and her allure was basically an opioid: soothing yet ultimately false.
____ He said nothing during these thoughts, and she continued:
____ “I lost a whole lot the day of the outbreak, but I got to meet you all at the same time. So I guess I got to thinking how I could help everyone through it all, and maybe cheering you up would help me cheer up too. And, well…” Brooke trailed off, “Anyway, I’m sorry for sort of leaving you hanging. It’s been a while since I was in a relationship, and I’m afraid I don’t quite have the timing of it all down.”
____ “Yeah, it’s been a while for me too.” Thomas reminisced. It’d been a bad time for him then, the additional loss perhaps to blame for his not pursuing further relationships. By the end, it was clear that Allison was much too good for him anyway. Another deep cut his subconscious endlessly toiled to hide.
____ “Um, tell you what.” Brooke holstered the guitar in her hands, strumming lightly on it, “I’ll write a song for just the two of us. I can compose it while we hang out. You’re an artist too, you know. Maybe you can make something too. It’ll be something for us to do, a reason to spend some time together. And then maybe we’ll both remember how to do this whole relationship business.”
____ “Sure, why not?” Thomas thought about it, listening to the random melodies her instrument tuned. It reminded him of why he even wanted to talk to her, snapping back to subject, “But I can’t.”
____ “Why not?”
____ “Because I think I’m going.” He faced her directly, “A while back we talked about why we do this: our art. It’s part of the same reason we live. I can’t put up with this place knowing there might be a cure out there. And it’s crystal clear Nazar or the scientists or even Montag have no intention of going to get it. This place is nice, but I’m going.”
____ “…I know.” Brooke admitted.
____ “Then why’d you even ask?”
____ She put on a look of adamancy that he hadn’t seen from her before, “Because I’m going with you. You’re right: I can’t just stay here twiddling my thumbs while the rest of the world suffers. Risky or not, rewarding or not… even suicidal or not: we have to try.”
____ “You’re going?” He asked in disbelief.
____ “And don’t you try to stop me!”
____ “No, no, never. It’s just that you’re… a little… unarmed…”
____ Brooke shrugged, “I’ll figure something out. Find some way to help, morally or otherwise. I want to be a part of this if your secret files are true.”
____ Thomas shrugged in return, “It might just be the two of us. Well, probably at least three with Reed. Could be really dangerous.”
____ “I like to live dangerously!”
____ He laughed, actually laughed, at that. It was in the delivery.
____ “Okay, you win.” He said, “Still, I don’t think you’re going to have a lot of time to practice that new song if we’re leaving VACC behind.”
____ “I have time now.” She replied, picking her music’s pace back up, “Is that good enough?”
____ “Yeah. I think so.”
____ She kicked back and stared skyward, strumming experimentally at the instrument’s strings. A start-stop kind of experimenting. Somehow fitting as the two of them hopelessly tried to figure out how to iron out their lives in what was to come.
____ But sure enough, Brooke gradually hit a stride—a simple singular tune played over and over, its melodies curvy and its beats strong with powerful strums of the guitar strings. Thomas smiled as he listened to it gain energy, impressed with how quickly she could spitball descants, “That's a beautiful little bit of music.”
____ “It's called a motif.” Brooke herself almost paid it no heed, just humming along to her music as she continued to develop it. Thomas didn’t know how good she could sing, but he’d concede that she was good at humming. He’d take it for what it was worth. He’d take what suddenly little time he had left at this place for what it was worth. And so they indeed spent time together.

____ Stanley closed the last book, “Finished. That didn’t take that long. Lynn’s a slow reader.”
____ He sat with Shelley in their bedroom. Technically they should have had a room each, but they’d shared a bed for nearly the last decade and they wanted to continue doing so, even if it meant being cramped together sharing a single-person mattress. It was worth it.
____ Stanley set the book aside and rubbed his arm, “At least I’m mending up suitably. Perhaps I can finally be of help again.”
____ “Don’t tell me you’re planning on leaving just because you’re bored.” Shelley said.
____ “Well what’s your judgment on the matter?”
____ She glanced at her rifle, leaned against the corner of the room since the day they arrived, “I’ll do whatever you do.”
____ A frown formed somewhere in that beard of his, “I hate it when you say that. I know you’ve got an opinion on it.”
____ “I know. I’m just afraid it’ll be a different one to yours.” She admitted, “What say if one of us wants to stay, we’ll both stay.”
____ “Deal.” Stanley sighed and stared at the blank wall ahead, “I like this place. It’s quiet, like home.”
____ “Yeah.”
____ “But I think I was ready to leave home.” He reminisced, “There were so many people out there suffering a lot more than us. I don’t just mean the apocalypse, either. I have a goddamn doctorate, for heaven’s sake! And I cashed it in making simple money to fund a simple life.”
____ “But it was a nice life.” Shelley insisted.
____ “I know. It’s just that it feels a bit selfish.” Stanley said, “And I think it’s worth being through with it. Those people we housed are nuts—actually leaving this perfect place for the sake of maybe helping the rest of the world. Risking their lives on a fortuitous maybe. But I want to go with them. I think I’m done being a shut-in.”
____ Shelley paused as he finished his little spiel, “Stan… I think I feel the same way. I don’t want to be the one who spent the apocalypse lounging around underground sipping tea and reading books while everyone else continues to suffer. Even if the most I can offer is a bad shot.”
____ “Honey, you realize this is going to end up being the dumbest decision we’ve made in years?” Stanley reminded her, “We’re going to get ourselves killed doing this.”
____ “I know. It’s kind of exciting. It’s like we’re imbecilic kids again.”
____ He smiled, “You’re right. Speaking of which, lock the door.”

____ Miles stared up at the bright florescent lights of the ceiling, actually twiddling his thumbs in contemplative thought. It was a rather rushed proposal, Thomas’. Now everyone was off on their own or in small groups thinking things over. Despite how much of a gamble the decision to leave was, he was confident that most of them would actually go through with it. It was the heroic decision, after all. If things did work out. But he wasn’t so sure.
____ He shared the room with Abbey and Guy, Jaxson walking in and glancing at them all, “Not seeing a lot of confidence in here. Thoughts on Thomas’ proposal?”
____ Guy ran both hands through his hair, “I don’t know, man. I—I mean Louis and I almost died just getting here. I don’t wanna leave.”
____ “Don’t tell me you’ve already made up your mind?” Miles asked Jaxson.
____ “I think going’s the right thing to do.” He replied, “We might be onto something. And I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself otherwise.”
____ “Is your leg even fully healed?”
____ “Healed enough. I’ll deal with it.”
____ Guy slumped deeper into his seat, “What’s with you people? What’s wrong with VACC? Why can’t you just let Nazar and the others handle all this stuff?”
____ Jaxson shrugged, “There’s nothing wrong with VACC—it’s just fine. I suppose I just can’t spend my time lying around when I could be helping fight this virus. Not as a soldier, per se, but helping nonetheless.”
____ “Jaxson’s a regular goody-good if you hadn’t noticed yet.” Miles explained.
____ “Well what about you, Miles?”
____ “I don’t know… I’m thinking about it.”
____ He didn’t sound quite right. Jaxson frowned, trying to be understanding. For him it was an easy decision. He liked VACC, but along the way of their journey there, he’d kind of grown to like travelling. They’d met quite a few people, helped them get to safety as well. He didn’t mind the chance to go back out there and maybe help a few more. That was more worth living for than sitting around here waiting. Not everyone was going to see it that way, though.
____ Case in point, Abbey merely stared sadly at him, “Jaxson, please don’t go.”
____ “I want to help, Abbey.” He explained.
____ “You don’t have any idea how relieved we all were to see you all make it here alive.” She said, “Think of how much trouble it was getting here. Don’t throw that all away.”
____ “…I’m sorry.”
____ Miles understood her view. He’d made her a promise before they all split up. No reason not to keep it still, even though they were together again. Maybe Jaxson saw their previous adventures as more thrilling because nobody in his group had been killed. Maybe the especially idealistic members of that group would continue risking their lives until they learned the hard way.
____ Maybe Thomas would find the supposed cure out there and save the world. Or maybe he wouldn’t. It was a huge gamble. Better to just stay inside, as Mom would say, wide-eyed and whispering.
____ ”Just go and stay in the closet, okay? Just close your eyes and cover your ears, okay honey? Just close your eyes and count to ten.”
____ Just stay safe and count to ten… Going outside was just asking for trouble. Nowadays it was straight-up death instead of just a pulled arm or being chewed out. It wasn’t unfounded anxiety. The only pressure here was how many other people seemed so easygoing about leaving VACC. Popularity could certainly override common sense.
____ “Miles?” Jaxson asked again.
____ Miles looked back up at him again, unable to fish out another jab, “Uhm… no. I’m not.”
____ “You’re not?”
____ “Sorry. You can take my pistol with you… Thorn’s pistol, anyway.” Miles offered.
____ Jaxson raised an eyebrow, “Any particular reason why you can’t come?”
____ “Look, don’t act like it’s abnormal to want to stay here, okay!?” Miles snapped, “If anything I should be asking you why you’re so dead-set on going back out there!”
____ Jaxson backed off, “Okay, sorry… I understand. It’s just that we’ve all been travelling together for so long. I guess it just felt natural that we’d all stick together too.”
____ “I’d stick together if you stayed.” Miles said, calming himself down, “But leaving… I can’t. I’m sorry.”
____ Jaxson nodded and silently made his leave, the door sealing shut behind him, leaving the staying people to themselves again. Miles rubbed the sides of his head, sighing but appeased. He used to like going outside all the time. But sometimes it just wasn’t worth the pulled arm. Simple as that.

____ Header and Thorn decided to check out the armory, finding nothing but scarce ammo. Apparently there’d been more here than the people relocating it all could carry. At least the two could finally reload their rifles, Thorn finding a carbine to replace the one he'd lost at Luckmire Street. He could literally feel his chances of survival increasing with each round he fit into its magazine.
____ “So.” He said to his superior, “Are we stocking up to leave?”
____ Header just grunted, unintelligible.
____ “What do you think of Thomas’ find?” Thorn continued, staring at Header since he didn’t need to look to reload. Neither of them had spoken up while the rest were discussing it, perhaps waiting to see what they’d think first, or what each other thought. The civvies didn’t have orders, they did.
____ “Still registerin’ it all.” Header replied, “This sh*t’s bigger than us, ya know?”
____ “I know.” Thorn agreed. He looked back down at the magazine, clipping in the last bullet. They had a clean, golden shine to them, juxtaposed against the dirtier used mag. He’d done a lot of shooting recently, unable to recall the last time he spent all his ammo over the course of an Op. Like with every mission, he hoped the death he’d dealt would benefit those he was protecting. Now he was reloaded and ready to go again. The Corporal set the magazine down, “I think I’m going, though.”
____ “Why’s that?” The Sergeant inquired.
____ “I’ve got a feeling.” Thorn explained, “Feeling that some of them are going to go anyway, no matter who tries to stop them. On to something or not, I can’t let them go alone.”
____ “Heh, my thinkin’ exactly.” Header set aside his last loaded mag as well, “’Sides, what if it is true? Suppose this way is how we really git to the bottom of this? I’d like to be there to do some of the shootin’ if we do find those responsible.”
____ Thorn smiled but warned his friend nonetheless, “General’s gonna be mighty bummed if he sends for us and we’ve both split, sir.”
____ “I know, kid. But until his chopper gets here I’m still on old orders. If civvies are out there, I’ve gotta protect them. Take ‘em to safety. Nobody said I can’t take ‘em to safety after we take a detour to this cure place first. General can wait. Maybe I’ll leave ‘im a note. Here, catch.”
____ The Sergeant picked a frag grenade off the table—the only one left behind—and carelessly pitched it at Thorn.
____ “Heh. Fair enough, old man.” Thorn caught the grenade and clipped it to his vest, then finished readying up his M4, loading the first cartridge with a satisfying click. Locked and loaded.

____ That night Thomas rounded everybody up again, ensuring everyone had reached their decision over the hours before reconvening in the kitchen. Having talked it over between each other and a bit by themselves, most everyone seemed to feel better about the situation, adamant in their choice. Whichever their choice would be. The sound of beer caps snapping off from the Doctors’ corner of the room signaled the beginning of the second discourse.
____ “So.” Thomas finally said, “I'm going. Who’s with me?”
____ Jaxson was the first to respond, “I’ll go. It’s worth it.”
____ “I’m going.” Reed pledged, “Nice place you got here. But it’s better to clean this up ourselves than relying on the higher-ups with their own agendas.”
____ “Count me in.” Brooke vouched, “I’ll do anything and everything for hope.”
____ “And me!” Stacey added, “Just give me a knife and I’ll be good to go!”
____ “Well…” Gene talked as if he hadn’t thought about it up until this point, “I don’t see why not. I’m yet to prove my worth, after all.”
____ Thomas nodded his approval, “Is that everyone?”
____ “Not quite.” Stanley stepped up, holding Shelley’s hand. They both nodded together, equally set, “We’re coming too.”
____ Header lit up a cigarette, “An’ I imagine if you find this cure, yer gonna need to git it back here safely fer ‘nalysis, yeah?”
____ “Yeah.” Thorn agreed, “We’ll make sure you all make it there and back alive. The General’s gonna have to wait.”
____ Thomas was surprised to have the soldiers’ support, “Quite a few takers. Anyone else?”
____ Miles shrugged halfheartedly, “Sorry, man. I just can’t do it. It was too much grief getting here in the first place. But best of luck.”
____ “I can’t.” Abbey added, “Sorry…”
____ Montag crossed his arms, “You don’t need to apologize. I suppose I can’t stop you people from leaving. Just know it’s not your own life in your hands anymore, Thomas. You’d better be right about this.”
____ Louis jammed his hands into his pockets, shrugging, “Ease up. If they don’t find anything they’ll be right back. I’d probably go with you, but you seem to have a sizable number at this point.”
____ “I second that.” Guy added, finding it a feasible excuse.
____ Mr. Collis sighed, “It’s not that I don’t believe you. Really I do. It’s just… there’s got to be some other way. Aren’t you worried about your own lives?”
____ “Sometimes there are more important things, Mr. Collis.” Brooke informed him.
____ He grimaced, “Don’t say that. Let’s not let poetry cloud common sense. Ugh, well I’m afraid I’d be no use to you out there. Not at my age.”
____ “Me neither, unfortunately.” Lynn apologized, “Even if it were only to help make sure you all got back alive, I still couldn’t go with you. It’d be too much strain on my legs and back.”
____ While it was never stated directly, over two weeks one could gather Lynn’s physical state merely by observing how long it took for her to get up out of a chair or by the fact that she never ran. No one could really ask anything of her, so Thomas was understanding. He had more than enough volunteers anyway. He just wanted to know where people stood.
____ “Sorry to hear that.” He said, “So it’s settled then?”
____ “I suppose so.” Dr. Brett observed from behind folded arms draped over the chair he was sitting in backwards, “Obviously the good Dr. Lance and I can’t leave our stations, but if you do actually find anything out there, you bring it right back here for analysis. I’d like to see what this guy purportedly has that we don’t. Got it?”
____ Stacey saluted, “Yes sir!”
____ “Just don’t let your boss lump the cure in the trash heap too.” Gene joked, “...So anyway, uh, when do we leave? Right now?”
____ Thomas hadn’t thought about that much, “I suppose we can wait until tomorrow. No use in leaving while it’s dark out.”
____ “Tomorrow morning then?” Brooke asked, “At least we’ll have one more night together.”
____ “So be it.” Montag said.
____ It was decided. Tomorrow it was. Again everyone disbanded, much the same as last time but now armed with the knowledge of who’d still be left come tomorrow. Thomas at the very least was satisfied with how many had chosen to come with him, alarmed for their safety, even. Perhaps they just felt the same way as he did, unable to sit out and rely on those who they weren’t certain they could trust to fix the problem. By that same logic it wasn’t terribly surprising then that no one in Montag’s group had chosen to leave, the five of them clearly satisfied with their miniscule role in this conflict. Just the difference in people, he supposed.
____ It was a short night, like all the nights one might wish to go on forever. But people had made their decisions, and before anyone knew it, it was tomorrow. And time to leave. The future couldn’t be staked on uncertainty or unaccomplished longing. Things were only going to get worse unless they were made better, and that took big risks. Maybe it’d pan out, maybe not, but at least they could say they tried.

____ “Okay folks.” Header announced as everyone finished breakfast, “We’d best get leaving early. The fewer nights we hafta spend out there the better.”
____ The Sergeant hadn’t had anything to eat other than a frozen waffle, instead spending most of the meal rooting through the kitchen’s supply to see what they could take with them. It was more difficult to plan out than merely carrying basic rations, certain foods more compatible than others in regards to lifetime, ease of carrying, storage needs, etcetera.
____ Montag frowned as his supplies were raided, “Don’t take too much. How long will you be gone?”
____ “Hard to say, so I’m preppin’ for the worst.” Header replied.
____ “It shouldn’t be too terribly long if all goes well.” Thorn consoled the writer, “But things can always complicate. Anyhow, we should get going soon. Any goodbyes left unsaid?”
____ “Well first of all I should say Thank You again for letting us stay here.” Shelley told her hosts, talking specifically to Lynn next, “Thanks for the books, Lynn. I’ll make sure to bring some more back if I find any out there.”
____ “Oh, that reminds me!” Brooke ran off, quick to return with her guitar, unslinging it and handing it to Louis, “Keep this.”
____ He raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t you say this was precious to you?”
____ “It is.” She smiled, “Which is why I’m not taking it with me. I don’t want to slow anyone down with it anymore. Just hold onto it for me until I get back, please?”
____ Louis accepted the instrument, staring down at it as he tried to hold the unwieldy thing, “Right, sure. If you get back. When you get back. I’ll smash it if you don’t.”
____ “Don’t you dare!” Brooke looked to Montag next, “Thanks for letting us stay here, Montag.”
____ He sighed, “…Any time.”
____ He still seemed plenty upset, not entirely with their decision but more so the fact that they were putting themselves in danger. The best Brooke could do was to try and justify her decision, “I’m sorry. I just have a feeling about this. It’s the right thing to do.”
____ “I don’t like death.” Montag told her, “Even in my books I can’t bring myself to kill off any of the characters because I get too attached to them. For once I’m in control, so why would I put them through any cruelty? Maybe it makes me a bad author, but it’s still a luxury compared to here. Where nothing I do will stop you.”
____ What a somber outlook. Brooke lost her smile, instead just reaching out and squeezing his arm, looking him directly in his eyes, “Listen. We will come back here. I promise.”
____ “I’ll see to it myself, sir.” Header reassured the author, having finished loading up and walking over to the door, “We all good to go, folks?”
____ Gene gave him an uneasy two thumbs up, “Well, we’re ready as we’ll ever be.”
____ Everyone made their way to the upper level and headed for the exit. It was a short walk nonetheless fraught with the last strains of “are we actually doing this” anxiety. Although it was a new journey based on the hope for a chance in this world, it was also an exposure to the dangers that world contained. Like a life-and-death variant of simply getting out of bed early in the morning. And it was time they got up.
____ One by one, the ten of them climbed up the ladder. The Sergeant went first, and Stacey last, Miles calling out to her before she went to say goodbye.
____ “Good luck out there.” He said, “You’re a lot braver than I am.”
____ “See you later, alligator. We probably won’t be gone that long.” She assured him, “But we’ll still miss you.”
____ “Same.” He felt like he should say more, but didn’t. Stacey gave him one last smile before disappearing up the ladder, gone.
____ And VACC was behind them.
____ The air outside was crisp with the changed season, cool coming on cold. Again it was like turning a new leaf, hopefully a precursor to that leaf turning full circle back to normality should the claim be true. There were still so many questions and lack of context. About all the files being deleted, and Nazar’s motivations, and the origins of the virus to begin with.
____ Thomas looked up to the sky, where the moon was still visible in the daylight. It was huge, almost twice its normal size, like in the overdramatic movies. Here in real life though it looked vastly unnatural.
____ “I swear, it just keeps getting bigger.” He noted.
____ “Not bigger.” Stanley grimly corrected him, “Closer.”
____ It was a terribly eerie observation but not one any of them could do anything about. Just another unanswered question. All Thomas could do was take what information he had and bank on it. He knew there was word of a cure out there, at this supposed location. So that was all he needed to focus on at the moment.
____ “So we’ve already got a problem.” Stanley continued, looking about their surroundings.
____ “Yeah? What’s that?” Thorn asked.
____ “Well, there’s ten of us.” He explained, “And we’ve got one car that seats five on a good day.”
____ “Oh… Right…”
____ Reed scowled, “Sh*t.”
____ There was an awkward silence, certainly no one amongst them willing to set out without a car again. It had frankly just slipped their minds, ten volunteers really a lot more than they’d expected.
____ Stacey lit up, “Ooh! I have an idea! Let’s take the limo!”
____ Nazar’s fancy black car was parked adjacent to the group’s own, clearly more suited to drive a sizeable number in its excessive length.
____ “But that’s Nazar’s car.” Brooke said, “We can’t just steal it.”
____ “Why the hell not!?” Stacey tried the door, finding it not only unlocked but with the keys sitting right there on the dashboard, “He hid the documents about the cure. That’s karma, baby!”
____ Jaxson shrugged, slowly growing on the idea as he cautiously approached the vehicle, “That’s true. And he is just one guy.”
____ “Exactly! That prick shouldn’t get a whole limo to himself! He can have our car if he needs to go someplace!”
____ Thomas wasn’t opposed to that kind of thinking, merely looking to the soldiers for the final permission. Header sighed and shrugged, “Jus’ make sure there ain’t anything important in there. If there is, move it inside before we take off.”
____ Stanley opened the back door and looked around. It was both nice and empty. Shelley peered in besides him, clearly impressed, “Copious. I can’t believe we’re stealing this guy’s limo.”
____ “You heard the young lady: the prick doesn’t need the whole limo to himself.” Stanley reiterated, fending off a grin, “Besides, you remember, it’s like we’re rambunctious kids again.”
____ The limo didn’t have much, so nobody worried about accidentally taking any important files or whatever with them, everyone piling in. Header took the driver’s seat, Thomas sitting next to him up front with the map. He was no navigator, but they’d made it to VACC in one piece with little trouble, so how hard could finding somewhere else be?
____ Everyone else went in the back, feeling a strong sense of juxtaposition being in the back of a limo during the zombie apocalypse of all times. Not a single one of them had ever been in one before: not for weddings, proms, anything. So it was still the sort of thing one only saw in movies. And now they were actually in one, for all intense and purposes potentially driving off to their doom, in style.
____ “We all set back there?” Header looked over his shoulder at his passengers.
____ Jaxson glanced around at all the space he had, tapping his hands on the leather seats around him, “I’d say so. This is extravagant.”
____ “It’s your hard-earned tax dollars at work, right there.” Reed scoffed, “Hopefully nobody tries robbin’ us on the way.”
____ “If they do they’ll be sorry.” Header put the car in Drive and began pulling around back to the fence. It opened up as they neared, someone down below still watching them, and the Sergeant drove on through. Thomas took one last glimpse at the deceptive tip of VACC as they left it behind. The die was cast.

So a new chapter of the journey begins. And the ball continues to roll. The only question now is where it will lead to? Nobody knows because nobody reads.

~TAF, until next time...

[TheAverageFan]

Well it's been a while but now it's time to hop back to business with another chapter. And since this one's a bit shorter than usual, you can expect another chapter earlier than usual too. How much earlier? Only time will tell!

Without further filler, here's Chapter 19:

Spoiler Alert!

19
Head Out

____ Sgt. Header lit up a cigarette, his stock thankfully replenished thanks to Dr. Lance. What a refresher: he could stay on the road forever so long as his smokes were in steady supply. Still, there was no knowing how long they’d be out here again, so he kept careful track of exactly how many he had left. And again he was coming up two short.
____ “God damn it!!” He snapped at everyone, “Ya know, I thought we’d gotten past this. If you wanted goddamn cigs, then you shoulda taken some before we left!”
____ Thorn’s only condolence for him was a careless smile, “Cool it, old man. We’ll be back to VACC before you know it. And you’ll have all the smokes your wheezy old heart can desire.”
____ They’d been out a full day now, driving just about every hour, car parked off the side of the road for a breath of fresh air and a bite to eat before turning in. They hadn’t seen a lot of zombies over the drive, so it seemed safe enough for a break. There was no making dinner in the limo, after all.
____ It was difficult to gauge if the lack of zombie encounters was a good or bad thing. Obviously the undead hadn’t just disappeared, more likely they’d all wandered off in the same direction for food. While that meant run-ins with the monsters were less common, it also meant that what hordes they would find would be increasingly large. And the fewer survivors there were, the more unwanted company the group would have. Good thing they had a car at this point.
____ Thomas glanced down at his gun as he mulled over these thoughts. Jaxson had returned it to him shortly after they’d left, armed with Miles’ pistol now. He was surprised with himself just how happy he was to see it again. He wasn’t a gun guy, never was, but he’d grown attached to this particular weapon. Not that it was uncommon for people to get attached to inanimate objects just by being around them, but Cecil’s old gun had saved his skin multiple times now. Maybe that was it. Regardless, it was good to be able to properly defend himself again.
____ He had a bad feeling he’d need it. Everyone here was in danger again, out of VACC’s reach, and all of it was his idea.
____ Thorn speaking up broke him out of his thoughts, “Heads up. There’s one.”
____ A lone zombie had wandered up to the group, limping out of some foliage and slowly making its way towards them. Thomas smirked, Thorn’s warning practically on-the-nose commentary about his feelings. It’d been quite a while since they’d encountered a zombie up close since being at VACC. Even though there was only the one here, it still made him feel on edge. They were back in the world of death. Rehearsals were over: one mistake out here and that was the end of it.
____ Thomas readied his gun but Thorn reached out and lowered it. The Corporal shook his head, “Cool it, folks. No noise.”
____ Both he and Sgt. Header got to their feet and approached the zombie. It stumbled forward as they neared, loose flesh dropping from its rotting arms as it reached for them. The Sergeant kept his distance from its reach, merely sticking out his rifle and giving the undead monster a good shove. Thorn advanced on that note and did the same with his M4, the zombie falling over and getting entangled in some brambles.
____ “Good enough.” Header declared, “Pack up, folks.”
____ “You think we should skip town?” Gene asked him.
____ “Yes sir. I’m willin’ to believe there’s more of these guys out there.”
____ Brooke sighed, “That’s fair. We should find somewhere really open to park.”
____ “I’ll keep an eye out.” Header promised, returning to the limo and getting in.
____ Everyone grabbed their things and piled in, the limo taking off before the zombie could recover itself. It aimlessly limped after the car as it sped off, fruitless endeavors lost on its brainless instinct.
____ Jaxson glanced out the rear window and watched the zombie slowly fade from sight, “That could’ve been bad.”
____ “I’d almost forgotten to—watch it!!” Thomas snapped, spotting a cluster of zombies wandering onto the road ahead.
____ Header’s reflexes were luckily fast enough to avoid collision, the Sergeant swerving the limo around the undead pack before they obstructed too much of the road. They were hard to see in time with just the help of headlights—it was getting darker out, after all, and a head-on collision with all but the most rotted of zombies could be messy.
____ Thomas breathed a sigh of relief at not having to deal with another undead encounter, “That could’ve been bad indeed. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like trying to avoid those things.”
____ “You don’t think there’s more around here?” Brooke asked.
____ “Ya know what?” Header dismissed, “We’ll git there faster if we keep driving through the night. Y’all sleep if ya want to. I’ll let you know if I find somewhere more secure to spend the night.”
____ Gene sighed, “I suppose that means no dinner for tonight?”
____ “No sir. You was gettin’ spoiled at VACC anyhow.”
____ “Right, spoiled, right…” It got rather quiet at that, a close call reduced to just more driving. It only got darker out as time went on (new moon tonight—dark as sin without its light), a soft drizzle picking up only making the road more difficult to see. The sound of fast-spinning tires on wet pavement was all there was to listen to.
____ Still necessary to direct while on the road, Thomas opened up the glove compartment and held the map down on it, illuminating it against the light within. It cast a vague yellow light on his face in the darkness, the lights of the dashboard similarly posing a cold green glow on the Sergeant.
____ It was about all that could be seen besides the road, almost making Thomas feel like it was just the two of them out here. In a sense that was the case, people in the back gradually succumbing to the fact that they’d be trapped in the car overnight and turning in. The two at the front had directions to contend with.
____ “When’s our next turn?” Header asked him after a long period of awkward silence.
____ Thomas eyeballed the map and waited for the next sign along the road, “Probably not for another several hours. A long time.”
____ He folded up the map and leaned back, not entirely needed but still not as tired as he should be at this hour. As per usual.
____ “Far out, huh? Is this place outta state?”
____ Thomas wasn’t sure why that mattered, “It’s a much farther drive there than it was to reach VACC.”
____ “Well damn.”
____ “Just be glad it is somewhere within our reach.” Thomas reasoned, “Besides, the farther out we get, the longer it’ll be to go back to VACC if you change your mind about this venture.”
____ Header scoffed, “Naw, I’m game fer this. Yer a funny guy, Thomas.”
____ “People keep telling me that.”
____ Another chuckle, “No, you is. You being the one crackin’ the whip for such a heroic gamble.”
____ Thomas frowned, “What’s so funny about that? I’ve been getting a lot of that empty ‘hero’ flattery lately too.”
____ “Idunno. People are what they do, not what they say. So I guess you’re a better guy than you let on. Usually folks equate grump with coward an’ all that, but that’s horsesh*t.”
____ Thomas’ turn to smirk, “So that’s it, then. Expectations. Suitable that it’d take an apocalypse to make people realize that. Personally I’d be more shocked that the goody-goods amongst us haven’t turned out to be the spineless ones.”
____ Header shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road, “Everyone’s spineless, son. You learn you that real quick in a battle. Really it’s a contest of who can suppress it the longest.”
____ It felt odd coming from the one among them who’d shown the least emotional instability throughout this disaster. While they were all emotional wrecks Header had acted like it was a trip to pick up groceries. It was to the point where Thomas often wondered if the man had difficulties expressing emotions. Only swiping his cigarettes seemed to have an effect on him. Even now the Sergeant’s dull green-lit face was completely neutral. Did he truly feel the same way as the rest of them, or was he just trying to make Thomas feel better? Who knew.
____ After a few more hours on the road the limo passed a rest stop. Header, apparently decidedly tired, pulled over and stopped.
____ “Rest stop, huh?” He figured, “Guess we is crossing state lines.”
____ “Guess we is.” Thomas repeated, “Are we staying here for the night?”
____ “What’s left of it. I’m tired.” Header took out his M16 and a flashlight, “Help me have a look around?”
____ “Sure.” Thomas loaded his pistol and stepped out. The rain was light enough to ignore, only making it slightly harder for him to use the touch screen on his phone as he turned on the flashlight. Having a look around revealed no immediate threats, so he went on ahead after the Sergeant and ventured up to the rest stop.
____ Header shined the light on the building, “Welcome to Nebraska.”
____ “You sure this is necessary?” Thomas inquired, glancing at the dark windows in uncertainty, “Everyone’s already asleep in the car.”
____ “Sh*t. I don’t wanna sleep in no car.” The Sergeant denied, “’Sides, I need a few good hours of fresh air and shuteye before we set out tomorrow. An’ hell, folks are gonna want somethin’ to eat when they get up. Why not here?”
____ “Whatever you say.” Thomas wasn’t going to argue beyond that, stepping inside and slowly having a look around. All the while quietly assuring himself, “It’s the Midwest; there’s not going to be too many zombies around…”
____ There was one, a lone undead loitering in the restroom. It was laying on the floor when Thomas peered in, looking up at him with empty eyes and immediately scrambling to its feet.
____ “Shoot…!” Thomas stepped back, suddenly realizing that he was only going to be able to shoot one-handed while holding his phone.
____ The zombie got to its feet and rushed forward with surprising speed. Thomas held his weapon tight and leveled it at the creature’s head, then fired.
____ Bang!!!
____ In the secluded room the shot rung out tenfold, Thomas flinching from the noise alone. It’d been so quiet for the last few hours; that didn’t help either. Good news was that it was a good hit, the zombie knocked down for good. The contents of its head spilt across the dirty tiled floor, creating quite a mess.
____ “Ugh.” Thomas awkwardly stepped around it, trying his damnedest to ignore the smell as he checked the other stalls for any other unwanted occupants. Nothing to report. He walked out, Sgt. Header already heading over.
____ “Everythin’ alright?” He asked.
____ “Just one zombie.” Thomas assured him, “Is that everything?”
____ “Everythin’ except the outdoors. We’re good.”
____ Cool. Thomas shook off the shock of the second close encounter that day and headed back outside. Now Cpl. Thorn was up, likely spooked by the gunshot, standing through the sunroof and cautiously aiming his M4 at the dark building before him. Thomas squinted at the light the Corporal shone at him and held his hands up, not taking any chances. Sleepy people with guns weren’t good to be careless around.
____ “Thomas. What’s up?”
____ “Header decided to stay here for the night.” Thomas waited for him to move the light away but he didn’t, “Either come on in or sleep in the car.”
____ “Right. I’ll ask everyone the same.” Thorn ducked back into the car, stooping down and shaking Jaxson awake, “Jaxson, wake up.”
____ Jaxson rolled over and pried his eyes open, not looking quite as ready to get up as he usually did, “Ugh, what is it?”
____ “It’s time for sleep.”
____ In his exhaustion and confusion Jaxson looked for a word to say, a face to make, any kind of motion to express his thoughts, “…What?!”

____ Everyone moved inside where there was actually room to stretch one’s legs, most wasting no time trying to go back to sleep. Header and Thorn barricaded the entrances, making the rest stop a more suitable fortress. On the roof there was a large window in the center of the building, which the Sergeant shot out. He brushed aside the glass and then made a fire from a dismantled wooden bench. Finally satisfied, he slumped down in front of the blaze, sighing and leaning far back.
____ Thomas appreciated the heat, only hoping that the light wouldn’t invite any other dangers. It was pretty much constantly cold out at this point, and with a flicker of warmth he could finally feel better about it now. Even if it’d only be for a short while.
____ He slept while he could. Now it was Day 2.

____ “Ugh! No! Leemee ‘lone!” The sound of an exhausted Stacey’s whining woke Thomas up. He felt much the same, wondering if a few hours or a few minutes had passed since he’d drifted off. It felt like the same amount of sleep either way.
____ “Come on, Stacey.” Brooke said, “If you were going to put up this much of a fuss then why’d you even come with us? You knew we’d be getting up early.”
____ “Let’s go, everyone!” Reed shouted over her at whoever was still half-asleep, “Lass!”
____ “Don’t wanna.” Stacey mumbled, hiding under her blanket like a turtle in its shell.
____ “That’s pretty interesting.” Stanley commented in jest, “I’ve never seen someone get fifteen years younger when it’s 6 in the morning.”
____ “Actually she looks fifteen years older in the morning.” Jaxson corrected, glancing over at Thomas, “You too, Thomas?”
____ He yawned and nodded, keeping his eyes shut tight, “Give me a minute…”
____ Another back in the saddle moment, early morning and exhaustion. Lovely, lovely… Thomas caught himself yawning throughout breakfast and departure, the disease spreading amongst them all even hours into the drive afterwards. Only Sgt. Header seemed unaffected, surprising to Thomas since the two of them hardly got any sleep at all last night. But the Sergeant was a superhuman monstrosity, so it made some sense, he supposed.
____ What did it feel like, being so tired? Reminiscent of older days like having to wake up early for school after weeks of break, or the end of an extended weekend. In a way it did sort of feel like being on vacation, or at least driving to some far-off vacation spot. Spending a long time stuck in a car poring over a map certainty felt like it. It almost made one forget the importance of their destination, or even the zombies themselves in their scarcity. That was the hidden secret of the zombie apocalypse: uneventfulness. People would get tired, forgetful; supplies would gradually dwindle. If the zombies weren’t stopped, time would be their greatest weapon.
____ Thomas brushed such thoughts aside and stayed focused on the map. With any luck they were going to stop the zombies, before boredom and decay made things any worse than they already were.
____ “Ah, nuts…” Header grumbled, the limo suddenly slowing down significantly along the road, “Wake up, people. Heads up, people.”
____ Thomas snapped himself awake again, spotting numerous undead clogging up the highway road ahead of them, “Oh.”
____ “Well sh*t.” Header said as he pulled up and stopped the car, dragging out the last word. “Zombie crossing.”
____ Sure enough, the way was completely blocked off, paved over by a thick road of countless zombies. It was almost quite the sight, more zombies in one spot than any of them had seen before. Even in Chicago they were more spread out, hunting prey in any direction they desired.
____ “Wow. ‘Sh*t’ is right.” Gene noted as he observed the moving horde, “It looks like they’re going to a convention.”
____ “That’s not funny, Gene.” Stacey reprimanded, “What do we do?”
____ Already a large chunk of the horde broke off and began making its way to the limo, the undead monsters instantly on to them. Header put the car in Reverse and began backing up, faster than the pursuing zombies even at a soft 20mph.
____ “Can’t ‘xactly plow through ‘em.” He noted as he continued moving back, “Thomas, alternate routes?”
____ “Just back up to the next Exit.” Thomas recommended.
____ “Woah, Header! Deer!” Jaxson warned, looking wide-eyed out the back.
____ Header cursed something about not being able to see all the way out the back of the limo, halting the vehicle. A cluster of deer sprinted past and around them, the group apparently caught between two wandering herds.
____ Already the zombies pressed their advantage while the car was stopped, the fastest in their number racing up. Header wasn’t about to let them get close, giving the rear-view mirror a single glance before putting the limo in Reverse again and pulling out.
____ “Screw it, they had their chance to split!” He reasoned, most of the deer having already bolted away.
____ Thomas watched the numerous animals sprint around with some odd sense of wonderment, “Oh, wow.”
____ He had bigger problems. As Header put the car back into Drive, slowly turning the vehicle around to backtrack, the zombies began to draw near again. Thomas whipped out his pistol and aimed out his window, hoping they’d be moving again before he was forced to fire.
____ Surprisingly, neither came first. A panicked buck raced over and careened right into the closest zombie, impaling the monster with its antlers. The zombie thrashed about as the deer pranced wildly, its loose rotting limbs flailing madly. The animal kicked another zombie right in the face, hoof caving in the creature’s decrepit skull. Thomas stared at the bizarre sight, everyone on the right side of the limo sharing the same view, “Oh sh*t.”
____ More zombies moved in and pressed close to the lone deer, one after the other. Without even needing to think about it Thomas aimed and fired, picking them off the animal. But more came, all of them toppling the animal over and covering it like a football player pileup. It didn’t take long for them to begin gorging themselves on the pinned animal, its still flailing legs and antlers making for a gruesome sight.
____ Header threw it into Reverse one more time and backed up before taking off again down the road. The rest of the deer had scattered by that point, the road they’d taken all cleared up again. Still Thomas kept firing at the zombies as they sped off, Thorn finally leaning over and holding his pistol down.
____ “Save your ammo, man!” The Corporal scolded, relenting his grip and leaning back.
____ Thomas sort of snapped out of it, “…Sorry.”
____ Momentary danger passed, it got quiet once again. Thomas paused and stared down at the gun in his hands.
____ What did he just do? Buckle under the pressure of some animal biting it? There was some sort of raw connection he had felt in that split second. Whatever it was, he didn’t like Thorn and the others being privy to it. Thomas took a deep breath and refocused his attention to the map, at least feeling more awake now. Just get over it and find a local reroute to the expressway. If Louis were here, he’d offer some snarky remark on how regular humans kill a lot more deer than zombies do. No need for him to get so worked up. He was just tired, that was all.
____ Thomas flipped through the map and looked at the spot marked down upon it. Refocused his attention to their final goal. They were getting there. One mile at a time.

~TAF

[TheAverageFan]

Holy one-liner Batman, we're already back for more! Yes, because this chapter was finished before the last one was, it's already all edited up and ready to go. Not to mention last time was a bit short, so we're already back in business. I think I'm finally ready to begin uploading chapters at a more reasonable rate, but only time will tell.

In the meantime, here's Chapter 20. Goodness, we're already up to 20.

Spoiler Alert!

20
In The Wake Of The World

____ “Gentlemen. These are the spoils of war. Drink up.” Alex Silvin leaned back against the bar cabinet, holding forth two empty shot glasses between three fingers. It was a toast to whoever was still left of his group.
____ They were in a dingy run-down bar, drinks stale but still left untouched ever since they were hastily abandoned. There had been two others in here, looting. After a short firefight and another man down, Silvin’s group decided they could use the break and the drinks. The dumb Neanderthals of soldiers he commanded only had the patience to grab straight liquor, the blunt idiots. But he'd lost two crews in a single year (both to helicopter attacks no less) so he couldn't expect quality troops to choose from. Silvin meanwhile was willing to take the time. While they rushed to drunkenness he meticulously made himself some strawberry daiquiris. Adib refused to drink anything, but his own men didn’t share his discipline. To each his own, really: they all deserved the respite and a chance to actually celebrate what destruction the zombies had wrought on their enemies.
____ Silvin eyed his soldiers, their attention focused on drinks more than anything. For them the excitement had gradually fizzled out as survivors became increasingly difficult to find. But Silvin didn’t feel that way. It was so sweet to finally have the town to himself, everything for grabs free of charges or consequences. He’d found the cutest black dress and sunhat hanging from a storefront manikin and swiped them. How good it had felt to be able to just walk in and take it. The dress clung tightly to him, carelessly thrown on over his regular uniform. Adib always got mad when he wore women’s clothing, so he made sure to do so at every available opportunity.
____ Sure enough, Adib scowled at him as he ogled himself in the mirror behind the counter, “You’re a shameful disgrace, you know.”
____ “Ooh, you’re normally so jolly.” Silvin mocked him, “I’m surprised you have the time, priorities, or even the taste to judge clothes. For a murderer from whatever backwards desert rock I found you under, anyway. Where was that again?”
____ Adib was used to constant attempts to get under his skin, “I’m from Oman, you bastard. 'Desert rock'... spare me.”
____ “Whatever. Why do you do what you do then, my old friend?”
____ “Is telling you going to make you remember the last thousand times?” He groaned, “We will rebuild the caliphate and rule this world. The West should fear and respect us as they once did! We were one kingdom once. To think the imperialists ever had the nerve to tear us down and carve up our lands, time and time again...! And to think so many of us bent to their will!”
____ Silvin snickered at him, “Ah yes. Revenge: the most worthless of all causes.”
____ “At least I have an end goal. Once your undead demons leave the West in ruins, we will rise again. People will flock back to faith and we will wash over the world. A second golden age.”
____ “Oh Adib... y'know, you're an endlessly fascinating individual to me—you hardcore fundy, you—because your english is so good, and you're so well-read, and yet... your plan is so dumb. Caliphate, pfft... I've heard that joke before. It sounds awfully Ottoman for an Omani man, if you ask me.” Silvin snickered again, biting the tip of his thumb to stifle the laughter. How his boss had managed to convince this idiot that his homeland was somehow going to come out on top of this was an unfathomable mystery. How he’d managed to juggle all manners of terror cells without their separate goals and ideologies clashing. Keep them far away from each other and their darlings, he supposed. There was no other reason he'd be paired with a group from Oman all the way out here in the States. It was almost literally the other side of the planet.
____ Adib frowned at his mocking look, “Short-sighted snake. Do the miraculous signs not rattle your faithlessness? Don’t you care about what will happen after this is over? Or even after you perish?”
____ “I’m not going to die.” Silvin denied, “Not now, not ever.”
____ “You’re delusional.”
____ “‘We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?’” Silvin replied, clearly emulating someone in his manner of speaking. He looked to each member of his group as he said it, looking for some kind of reaction. When there wasn’t one he frowned hard, “Norman Bates, anyone? Psycho? You have seen it, haven’t you? Anyone?”
____ Again no reaction, people mostly confused at his twisting his answer into movie trivia.
____ Silvin leaned back and swept his arm across in disdainful dismissiveness, shouting at all of them, “C’mon!! Where do you get these guys!? You call yourselves men?”
____ “Sorry we’re apparently not ‘man’ enough to watch movies, sir. At least we can manage more than some p*ssy drinks.” One of the soldiers muttered, earning a few snickers from his fellows.
____ Silvin frowned at him, a sudden change from lighthearted teasing to dead-serious in an instant, “Oh, funny guy, huh? Hold on, Adib. You there. Come here.”
____ The man in question glanced over, a little taken aback by his boss’ sudden humorlessness, “What? Who, me?”
____ “Yes you. Come here.”
____ At first the soldier in question didn’t move, unsure of what his boss was planning; ideas formulating in his head only growing increasingly dreadful. He slowly pried himself from his chair and approached as commanded. Dread slowed his steps as he drew near, unable to see where Silvin’s other arm or his gun were behind the counter. Still there was no disobeying orders, so he gradually walked up to the bar.
____ “Good.” Silvin said, “Now say what you said again.”
____ The soldier said nothing.
____ Silvin smiled and egged him on, “Go on, don’t be shy. Say it to my face, is all I ask.”
____ “…I said you couldn’t manage more than a p*ssy drink, sir.” The soldier replied.
____ His boss craned his neck, “Sorry, I’m a little deaf in this ear. One more time?”
____ “I said you couldn’t manage more than a p*ssy drink, sir!”
____ “How clever. Good.” Silvin waved him off, “You’re dismissed.”
____ The man turned and slowly returned to his seat, stopping to look back at Silvin every few steps, just waiting for the inevitable. But Silvin did nothing—just sat still and smirked—so he went ahead and took his place at the table again in silence.
____ Silvin grinned at the shamed look on his subordinate’s face and the awkward silence that lingered after their talk, sipping at his drink in gleeful quiet victory, “That feeling you had when you walked back: it’s far more pathetic than any preconceived notions about drinks.”
____ “Yes sir…”
____ “Remember that.”
____ “Yes sir.”
____ Silvin maintained his smile, setting the glass down on the counter and pushing it aside carelessly. It slid off and satisfyingly shattered on the floor, a loud startling noise amidst the silence. And still after that the quiet persisted, all but ruining any feeling of relaxation any of them had hoped to muster during this break.
____ Noise didn’t return again for a minute or two, Silvin’s flip phone ringing. He immediately flicked it open and answered, maintaining eye contact with his men as he talked, “Allô? C’est Silvin. Merci de votre appel. Pour l’anglais, presses deux.”
____ Silence for everyone else, only privy to a one-way conversation.
____ Silvin continued, “Oh, it’s you. What do you want? …Yes, what of it? …Huh? What about 'im? …What?... Since when? Well who told you that? …Okay...?”
____ He swiveled around on the barstool, his manner turning from a sneering confidence to a low growl rather quickly, “What!? You are aware we’re sort of stranded here? I have been! …Can you send someone to pick us up?”
____ He leaned back and rolled his eyes, probably listening to some long-winded explanation. His free hand stuck one finger out and twirled it around, as if he were some tween girl from decades past playing with an invisible phone cord while on the line.
____ “Look, I ain’t your lap dog. I’m here for one reason: to kill people. I have no stakes in this race; I don’t run stupid errands. Yeah…? Oh yeah? Okay. Well here’s an idea: why don’t you take care of it? …Yeah. I do. I will! Love you too. Ta ta now.” He hung up, scowling and throwing his sunhat in frustration, “This is why I never do contract work, Adib! Nothing good comes from partnering up. It’s a waste of my talents.”
____ Adib grinned haughtily, “I thought you Americans were comfortable with trading your principles for funding.”
____ Silvin pointed at him, using his middle finger instead of his index, “I’m not an American by choice, you bearded bastard. Assert upon people as people, not cultures. Now then, let’s get going. I’ve got to make the most of my newly earned free-time before my associates get back to me. They’ll be making me do more boring odd jobs before I know it. Just not today. Let’s go.”
____ He wrenched his dress off and threw it onto the booze-stained floor without a second thought, grabbing his pistol from behind the counter and holstering it with a kind of careless haste. He’d had his way on the phone but was still clearly grumpy.
____ What a spoiled child, Adib figured grimly as he shouldered his rifle and prepared to leave. A brilliant mind when it came to inventive insurgency yes, but he just had to be a diva on top of that. Yet still he was on Silvin’s side over the matter. He too was wary of their masters. There was a strange cause to be discouraged. The vile lands around them were in ruin and they had free reign to do as they pleased in the wake of it. And yet somehow they still felt like they were being overshadowed by something greater, a different kind of heel against their necks. There was a void in the world fashioned by the risen dead, but men like Silvin and himself weren’t going to fill it. So who was?

____ Thomas woke up, staring at the car ceiling above him. The limo’s fancy pattern was a constant weave of diamond-shapes, as if someone was dangling a leather couch right above his head. He could barely see it because it was still very dark out. Couldn’t quite act surprised: it wasn’t terribly comfortable sleeping cramped in a car, especially after getting used to beds again during the stay at VACC. He’d even settle for sleeping outside as usual, but it was terribly cold tonight, so no one felt keen on braving the sharp icy winds while trying to get some simple shuteye. Yup, it was back to business as usual.
____ Thomas felt no urge to go outside anyhow, but the smell of smoke from the open sunroof caught his attention. Yet Header was still in the car, helmet tipped down over his eyes, the Sergeant fast asleep. If not him then who? Ah yes, the thief. Thomas couldn’t care less about that ordeal, but curiosity and sleeplessness urged him to go on outside.
____ He carefully and quietly slipped out of the car. Brrr. He shivered a bit at the biting cold, watching his breath and wishing it’d be either a short winter or a short journey. At least it was pretty out, silhouetted empty trees moving in the wind and the distant lands beyond well-lit by the damn winged moon. They’d parked on higher ground—smarter than the alternative should any undead pay them a sudden nighttime visit—so the limo had a nice view.
____ The smoking culprit sat on the roof of the car, Brooke staring longingly out at the scenery, letting the cigarette between her lips slowly waste away. Thomas stared at her, not terribly surprised, and alerted her to his presence, “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but as an adult you are entitled to not having to feel guilty for stealing cookies off the top of the fridge.”
____ “Huh, what?” She glanced over to him and then down at the smoke, “Oh, this. No, I’m not feeling bad. Just didn’t feel like taking a pack for myself before leaving, is all. I’m quitting anyhow.”
____ Cute. “Since when?”
____ “Since right now.” She replied, “I’m always quitting. But somehow the stress always demands just one more.”
____ “I think your staying sane is driving the Sergeant insane.” Thomas climbed up onto the car next to her, “Some view, here, isn’t it?”
____ “Do you smoke, Thomas?”
____ “Count the number of times you’ve seen me do so and get back to me.”
____ “You don’t mind?” She offered to put it out, Thomas shaking his head returning it to her lips, “I know some people who can’t stand to be around it.”
____ “Compared to Sgt. Header and those indoor-smoking VACC scientists, you’re perfectly fine.” Thomas argued, “If anything’s going to get to me, it’s this weather.”
____ Brooke tapped ashes off the cigarette, nearly depleted, “It’s cold weather all right but at least it’s clear. I’d tear my hair out if we did find this cure only to get stuck in snow on the way back. Still, I think it’s worth weathering the weather, wouldn’t you say?”
____ “I think we’d endure it better sitting in the car, not on top of it.” Thomas pointed out.
____ “I didn’t want to wake anyone else. Besides, I’m keeping an eye out.” Brooke nodded to the landscape before them, “Maybe it’s needless paranoia, but I can always feel the zombies’ presence out there. It feels like an ever-beating drum. Now’s one of the rare times I can see them too.”
____ Down below, about a mile or less out, a horde of zombies could be seen shambling about. An empty highway stretched on across the land, only a few of its lights still sputtering life, illuminating the migrating undead. Thomas watched them nervously, relieved to see them apparently moving in another direction. He was sick of being hounded down by the monsters, but even if it wasn’t a direct confrontation knowing they were in the area didn’t ease his concerns.
____ He sighed, “Even if the people at VACC wanted to, I just couldn’t get myself to forget.”
____ “Forget what?”
____ “How ruined everything is.” He clarified, “I know it’s just not that kind of world, but I’ve got to at least attempt to restore it to some semblance of normality. Maybe there’s a chance.”
____ “Getting hopeful again?” She asked.
____ “Just giving it a try. Not optimism, just searching for certainty. Montag’s probably got much better chances of being right than I do, but I just can’t hide from this.”
____ “It’s a noble goal, and there’s a good reason you got more than half of us to agree to go with you on it.” Brooke said, “There’s always hope. Really that’s all we need to keep us going.”
____ “You say that, yet you still need to comfort yourself with those.” He nodded to the cigarette.
____ She frowned at it, trying to think of an explanation before instead just forfeiting the smoke, “I told you I quit. Keep watch with me?”
____ “In this cold?” He scoffed, not giving in so easily.
____ She caught his drift, “I’ll give you a kiss.”
____ “But then you’ll get one too. Zero-sum game.” He was only teasing, of course. Trouble sleeping was easier worked through when one had company.
____ “Give me a break. You’re one of the most dry people I ever met!”
____ He smiled a bit at that—nobody had ever quite put it that way before—and dismounted the car, opening the passenger door, “Sure I’ll stay with you. Someone’s got to do it, and it’s not like I can’t sleep on the road tomorrow.”
____ “True that.” She followed him into the car, taking the driver’s seat, “I hate day-long drives anyhow. It gets so cramped and boring.”
____ “You should’ve stayed at VACC then.” Passenger side door shut.
____ “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Driver side door shut.

____ It was another couple days’ travel, lack of eventfulness only mounting nerves. Thomas dedicated himself to keeping the group on the right track to their supposed destination, hoping their find wouldn’t disappoint. Maybe it was just seeking a purpose, that deadly human fallacy. But he couldn’t pass the chance up, and not knowing was killing him more and more with each passing day.
____ And then suddenly, surreally, there they were. The coordinates matched up and a building came into view. Not quite so secluded as VACC but out in the middle of nowhere nonetheless. And they’d arrived upon it.
____ “Holy sh*t.” Thomas just stared, “Is this it?”
____ It was actually kind of hard to believe, but there it was. A large, dim facility with few windows, assembled like a jumbled collection of short, wide boxes. There were only two entrances on this side, no doors but openings like garages or truck docks. One was shuttered, the other only halfway so. This had to be the place, right? It was in the exact spot the coordinates pointed to. It looked practically abandoned, but as long as the so-called cure was still there, it didn’t matter.
____ Header pulled up to the halfway-shuttered entrance and parked, rolling down the window and cautiously examining the situation. Seeing no immediate danger, the Sergeant slowly opened the door and crept out, Thorn exiting from the opposite end of the limo and covering his fellow soldier.
____ They were finally here, but it was quiet and dark, almost eerie. Suddenly it was difficult to leave the car, most everyone just looking out the windows at the building before them. There was a sort of “what now?” mentality that paralyzed the drive to continue onward from here.
____ “…So is this another VACC lab?” Stacey asked.
____ Jaxson eyed the building up and down, unable to ascertain an answer for her, “I don’t know… It doesn’t look like the other one.”
____ “…Right… Okay…” She leaned over and opened the car door, “You’ve got a gun; you go first.”
____ Thomas brushed off their stage fright, knowing the best way to approach would just be to get out and do it, together. He got out of the limo and followed the soldiers, pistol at the ready. VACC lab or not, being in this much a state of disrepair could probably only mean one thing: the undead would be nearby. And as much as he disliked the concept of scouring this big building while it could be chock full of zombies… well, they’d come this far knowing they were going back into the world ruled by the undead. Can’t exactly stop now.
____ The more people were willing to get out and approach the building, the more everyone got that idea through their heads, the whole group abandoning the limo and sticking together as they guardedly entered.
____ As it looked from the outside, it was very dim within. The ground here was cracked concrete—this room did look like a indoor truck dock but the floor was unmarked by tire tracks, as if nothing had come or gone in quite some time. An acute-angled ramp ran up the right side, leading to a pair of heavy closed iron doors. More industrial looking than the exterior of the building would have you believe. Other than that, there wasn’t a damn thing in here.
____ Thomas examined the room, feeling like missing something could potentially lead to death if they weren’t careful. This was unknown territory they were treading, so excessive caution felt well-earned. Still, he couldn’t see anything worth noting, and as such moved on carefully to those closed doors, hoping zombies wouldn’t burst out of the other side upon opening them.
____ Apparently Header and Thorn felt much the same way, the two soldiers approaching the doors and aiming their weapons at them. Header tactfully covered the Corporal as he listened for movement and slowly pried the door open. Thorn silently slipped in, M4 at the ready, and vanished into the hall within. Thomas could tell when they were being seriously efficient with their work—both of them dropped any jest or attitude and became very quiet when they did so—and tried not to get in their way as he followed.
____ Finding nothing of worth in this first room, everyone gradually kept up, moving in a group and trying not to bunch together or thin out too much. Really it got very quiet for everyone, quiet as this mysterious place was.
____ The hall beyond those doors was wide and spacious but even more decrepit. The tiled floor was torn at places and worn down with neglect and even smears of blood. The ceiling was in an equal state of disrepair, multiple ceiling tiles having fallen to the floor long ago and leaving the vents and wiring above exposed like wounded flesh showing innards within. Yes, this whole scene wasn’t unlike a rotting corpse. Not like any other building left unattended after the virus outbreak; this place felt long dead, as if it’d been abandoned even before the zombie infection had struck.
____ In spite of all this, there was no immediate danger to be found. Just the unsettling nature of the place being so ravaged yet silent. The blood on the floor at the very least was an indicator of potential undead. Whether or not they’d left a long time ago or stayed ever since was yet to be seen.
____ The only sign of human personality left on the place was something written in blood on one of the walls. Big, smeared capital letters spelled out “BLOODLETTER” in a vague statement lost to the group wandering in.
____ Cpl. Thorn pointed his gun at the message, “Cryptic. No body nearby either. Whoever lent their guts to write this is long gone. Whaddaya think it means?”
____ The best answer anyone could give him was a shrug, “Idunno.”
____ Stacey shivered and rubbed her arms, “How hideous. This place gives me the creeps. How can the fix to the virus really be here?”
____ Thomas thought it through, “It doesn’t matter a whole lot what this place looks like. Someone was in contact with Nazar, and they were here. As long as they’re still here, there’s a chance. If nothing else they might have some answers for us.”
____ “I know, but did they have to pick such a creepy place to meet?”
____ “Maybe they wanted to meet here because the cure was made here.” Jaxson hypothesized, glancing around curiously, “This place is some sort of lab, right?”
____ Header kept up the lead, slowly moving further down the hall, “It looks to be a pretty big place. I’m sure if we have a good look around, we’ll find our own answers.”
____ Shelley was a bit less enthused, “Don’t you see the blood? This place is dangerous. And what’s more, it looks like it’s been abandoned for who knows how long. How do we know anyone’s even still around here?”
____ The Sergeant answered by pointing upward, where the dim fluorescents struggled to light the hall without flickering, “Lights’re still on. Somebody’s still here, or was recently, at least.”
____ It was the same logic he’d used to find Shelley and Stanley in the first place. Someone was conserving power long enough to have it still working. Or at the very least someone was maintaining the power infrastructure to keep it functional. If everyone had died when this place was apparently abandoned, then it would have fizzled out a long time ago. The Sergeant grinned grimly. This place didn’t look so good, but it was actually a good sign for Thomas’ theory. Maybe they would find someone here.
____ The group moved down the hall, slowed to a crawl with wariness. It was a long passage, only the occasional door popping up to the left or right. Thorn peered into each one, finding no zombies but nothing terribly useful either. Just the odd cramped office or supplies room, all trashed and useless just the same. The Corporal bit his lip—they hadn’t run into such a wrecked place since the initial outbreak. And things got trashed so quickly back then for one simple reason: lots of zombies. Either the undead were long gone, or further in the facility, hiding and waiting for prey. He didn’t have the luxury of assuming it’d be the former.
____ “Keep your eyes peeled.” He warned the others as he headed back into the hall, “No sign of zombies yet, but there are signs of them here. If that makes any sense.”
____ “So far this cure of yours doesn’t seem too effective, Thomas.” Reed jeered as they finally reached the end of the hall, where yet another doorway stood.
____ “Look, I don’t know about this place any more than you do.” Thomas replied, “But this is where they said it’d be.”
____ He opened the door, finding only more halls ahead: three directions to go in a perpendicular crossing. Still no zombies, nor any clues about where to head next. Ugh. It was clear from outside that this was a big place. They could be lost in here for hours. No way around it, he supposed, but to just search high and low.
____ Thomas took the first step forward, keeping his pistol off safety and at the ready more than ever now that potential undead could come from multiple directions. The first sign of trouble didn’t come from any of the doors, however.
____ CRASH!!!
____ It only took one foot forward, the floor beneath Thomas’ shoe suddenly giving way completely out of nowhere. A large swath of floor caved in, Thomas having approximately zero seconds to even register what was happening. He turned as he fell and reached out to hang onto anything—a wall, a door, an arm—but there was nothing within reach and no one’s reflexes were fast enough to catch him. He fell.
____ “Thomas!!” Thorn was the first to react, reaching out to grab his falling friend’s collar. But he wasn’t fast enough, the Corporal stepping back, scarcely evading a similar fate himself, and then peering down the hole. Just darkness down there. It wasn’t terribly unreasonable to think that there could be a basement level to this place, but if there was it was far deeper underground than Thorn could make out. He turned on his flashlight, but it only illuminated a tunnel of collapsed flooring, ceiling tiles, and jumbled vents and wires. Thomas was nowhere to be seen, “Sh*t!”
____ “What’s going on!?” Reed demanded, catching up to the commotion and peering down, “The hell?”
____ “Thomas fell.” Thorn explained, glancing over his shoulder at the others as everyone gathered around with morbid curiosity, “Thomas fell. Don’t get too close.”
____ Brooke ignored him, squirming past Reed and Header at the doorway and shouting down the hole, “Thomas! Thomas! Can you hear me!? Thomas!!”
____ No reply.
____ “Sh*t.” Thorn tried to pull her back, “Be careful! The floor is unstable!”
____ She still didn’t listen to him, “Thomas! Thomas!! Damn it! Can’t we get down there?”
____ Thorn just shone his light back down the hole, the inability to see where it led even under such a bright light saying more than enough about that idea. It was a steep drop on all sides to boot, no easy way to climb down. Or up for that matter. Brooke just sighed—long, defeated—and hung her head low. Even when zombies attacked their fate was still at least in part in their own hands. But Thomas had just been snatched away from them in an instant.
____ “What do we do?” Reed asked, breaking the silence before it developed too strong a hold over them all.
____ “This hole wouldn’t just be here.” Thorn figured, “There’s got to be underground floors of some kind. Maybe if we can get down there, we’ll find him.”
____ “Well, we’d better get started then.” Gene said, “If he’s alive he’s going to be in trouble.”
____ “Yeah.” Brooke looked back up, looking more determined than broken, “Deep trouble. Let’s go.”

Well aren't things suddenly getting interesting again? What will happen next??? What happened previously? You probably don't know either! STAY TUNED!!!

~TAF

[TheAverageFan]

Anyway, being consistent on coming out quick now, I'm here with Chapter 21 a week early. What's gonna happen now? Well, let's take a look and find out, yes? And since Chapter 21's another of my personal favorites, let's not waste any time.

Spoiler Alert!

21
The Bloodletter

____ “Ugh…” Thomas slowly clutched his head, gradually coming to. It’d been a long, sharp fall, broken by a shift in direction, then another… At least he hadn’t gone splat when he hit the bottom, but he had been battered quite a bit on the way down. He was alive, and nothing felt broken, but… ugh, aching all over.
____ His vision was still dark and blurred, Thomas struggling to get up and snap out of it. He could be anywhere in this facility, as could untold numbers of zombies. Get up, get up. Sh*t. Where’s my gun?
____ His pistol was miraculously unharmed, laying only a few feet away from him. Thomas groggily reached out for it, seeking armament before he could have a good look at his surroundings and figure out a way to the others. As he did so, however, a sickly-green tentacle wormed its way into his field of vision. It wrapped around the handgun and swiped it away.
____ Thomas just paused and stared. Yes, he’d just come to, and his consciousness and eyesight were still adjusting. But did he really just see a tentacle? The hell?
____ His eyes followed the tentacle as it darted away. Its source was less than seven feet away from him, what could only be described as some form of monstrous creature boasting a mass of uncountable tentacles. They were long and slimy—sleek and without suckers like an octopus’ would be—each and every one of them wrapped around a different object. While one held his gun captive, most held sharp tools: everything from knives to scissors to scalpels to broken bottles, shards of glass, the list went on. The monster at the center of all those tentacles was little more than a giant misshapen head—over a meter in diameter—half of its face a wall of sharp needlelike teeth and the other half home to five yellow eyes, the one in the center of its face notably larger and more humanlike than the rest.
____ Thomas jumped at the sight of the monster, its mere existence simply too unreal for him. The fact that this… thing… had the audacity to be in his field of vision made him question if he was even awake at all. People turning into zombies via infection was one thing to take in; this monster bore no resemblance to any human being whatsoever. But it was real enough here, demanding that he accept its existence.
____ Well aware of his presence, the monster advanced toward him. It glided across the concrete floor, carried by its tentacles in a manner that made it almost look like it was hovering in the air. The countless sharp weapons it held closed in like the shutting door of an iron maiden, all pointed directly at Thomas.
____ “Ah!” Thomas snapped out of the surrealism of the situation and quickly backed up, away from the wall of knives heading his way. The monster almost seemed to gleam with delight, pressing its advantage and keeping up with him. With no gun in hand, Thomas didn’t have many other options, the wide reach of the tentacled creature forming a broad semicircle of weapons around its prey.
____ “Damn! Sh*t!” Thomas’ back pressed against one wall and then another, cornered. Countless ideas of escape ran through his head as he desperately tried to register his current predicament, each one immediately foiled or impractical. No, there was no way out of this one. Everywhere he looked there were knives pointing his way. Thomas just gulped and waited for it to be over, helpless despair roiling within his heart at what he knew was going to be a miserable end.
____ Again the creature seemed to grin at him, suddenly relenting its advance. Instead it backed off a bit, having demonstrated its ability to kill him on a whim. Its toothy mouth opened up and the strangest thing happened: it spoke.
____ “You’re the first I’ve had in a while.” It said in a deep and booming yet calm voice, sounding remarkably human in spite of the lack of lips, “Where did you come from?”
____ Thomas just stared at it, dumbfounded twice over now. This couldn’t be real.
____ The monster spoke again, “Where did you come from?”
____ “I—I fell.” Thomas shakily pointed. The rust-colored ceiling above had caved in on the corner, where he’d fallen and broken through, “I c—came from the outside.”
____ The monster’s central eye darted up, seemingly running through several thoughts before glancing back down to him, “That’s impossible. The way above was sealed. There is only one way into the lab.”
____ Despite how unreal it was to hear this creature speak so fluently, its human voice did calm Thomas down a bit. Undoubtedly it was the most human thing about the creature. If he closed his eyes it wouldn’t sound so strange. Slowly he accepted his current situation, conversing, “The shutters were open. I swear.”
____ “Hm.” The creature eyed him, slowly drawing nearer, “Do you know who I am?”
____ Thomas rapidly thought it through, hoping answering incorrectly wouldn’t result in death. He threw out the only possibility he could reasonably think of: the writing on the wall he'd seen above, “You’re… Bloodletter?”
____ The answer seemed to please the monster.
____ “Yes, yes...! The Bloodletter. I see my reputation has spread beyond this facility.” It said, “Yes, that is what I am called. And what is your name?”
____ “I’m Thomas.”
____ “Thomas…!” The Bloodletter mused, “That doesn’t sound familiar. You’re not from here, are you?”
____ “I came from Chicago. I just wandered in.” Thomas felt it best not to mention his friends or his mission. This creature was obviously intelligent, and if it turned hostile he’d be putting them in danger by sharing that information.
____ The Bloodletter shifted, still looking like it was floating, moving around restlessly as it talked to him, but always maintaining perfect eye contact, “Hmm. Yes, Chicago sounds familiar…”
____ “…What are you?” Thomas asked, looking the monster up and down as it moved, finally having worked up the confidence to do more than answer its questions.
____ “Me? Hoho…” The Bloodletter chortled, “Yes, I’m not like the zombies, am I? Carved from the same ideas perhaps, but not otherwise one of a kind. A mass of molded cells and DNA, that’s what I am. But I’ve maintained my human intelligence, unlike those mindless abominations upstairs.”
____ “You were human once?”
____ “Once. Most of what you see here was created in the labs upstairs, but some part was once a man. They couldn't make it all from scratch; at least not at first. Who exactly I was is another question. My memories and personality have been lost, but I am still me.” The Bloodletter explained, “Perhaps that’s why they didn’t want more of me. I’m not an eating machine.”
____ It flaunted its weapons as it continued, “I was made with the preprogrammed desire to slaughter, told to do so to anyone who tries to enter this place… but such urges bore me, innate as they are. For a man it is not enough to kill and eat. I need the sport.”
____ It sunk its teeth into that last word, making Thomas feel more uncomfortable again. Although they were talking civilized enough at the moment, the Bloodletter was hardly his friend. Thomas was already piecing together why he was spared, and where this was going.
____ A slimy, lengthy tongue wormed its way out of the Bloodletter’s mouth, running along its jaws, “Yes, such a worthless look in your eyes when you were cornered. Given up and surrendered to me. Prey feels so much better when it thinks it has a chance.”
____ “So is that it?” Thomas asked, “How long have you been down here? Stayed down here? Wouldn’t you like to find out who you were before?”
____ “You misunderstand me, Thomas.” The Bloodletter said, “My predetermined lust for blood doesn’t weigh on me. I relish the chance to satiate it. Only the manner in which I gratify myself matters to me. I don’t care who I was. Now get to your feet.”
____ It backed off, giving its prey some space. Thomas slowly got up, staring past the monster to see what he was dealing with here. He was indeed in some kind of basement level, this place even worse off than the floor above. Everything was a dead yellow color, metal rusted and paint faded. Beyond the Bloodletter was a hallway stretching on, branching off multiple times as it went. Looked like a complicated maze. Multiple zombified corpses littered the ground, butchered in advance by the Bloodletter. Seems the two of them had the whole floor to themselves.
____ “There is a map of this floor over there.” The Bloodletter pointed to the doorway where a laminated layout was pinned to the wall, “Run now or spend as much time as you dare looking it over. You have ten seconds either way.”
____ Thomas just stared. The Bloodletter stared right back.
____ “…Ten… …Nine…” It said.
____ Thomas didn’t need further compelling. He turned and sprinted over to the map. Now his fate was back in his hands, but how fair of a game the Bloodletter would play was another matter entirely. And now every single second literally counted.
____ If I have ten seconds… He desperately computed, I should spend half looking at the map and half getting a head start. No, four and six!
____ The layout was a complicated mess, this floor clearly a large one. It was impossible to digest it all quickly, simply too much to take in.
____ “…Seven… …Six…”
____ Thomas tracked down the first and only stairwell leading up he could find, knowing that’d be his way out. It was on the other side of the floor, Thomas silently cursing as he traced it back to where he currently was.
____ “…Five… …Four…”
____ There were two main halls, a long roundabout way on the right and the central main passageway leading directly to the stairs. However the map noted that it was sealed twice over, the letters A and B written over each block, as well as over two single rooms respectively. What were they, sealed? Oh but of course it was a lab: checkpoints or decontamination rooms or something. Just great: he’d have to open the way as well.
____ That was the most Thomas could gather, already having spent more time than he’d allotted on the map. While it counted, the Bloodletter inched nearer to him, its tentacles excitedly squeezing the handles of its weapons. Thomas turned his back to it and bolted, more on edge now than he’d ever been before.
____ Struggling to maintain self-control, the Bloodletter did not pursue him, merely staying behind and continuing to count down, “…Three… …Two… …One…! Run, run, Thomas! I’m coming!!”
____ Its voice boomed down the hall, Thomas running as fast as he could. Only once did he dare to look back, regretting it immediately as the Bloodletter came after him. Its tentacles waved around wildly as it rushed down the hall, surprisingly fast. Faster than him. Thomas stared back down the long corridor ahead of him, already knowing he wouldn’t make it to the first gated off-section before being run down and killed.
____ Panicking under the pressure, he made a left into the first door that popped up and ducked inside. It was a dark and cramped room, more like what he’d originally imagined a VACC bunker to be like. There was a cot and a desk, as well as multiple dingy lockers. None of those were good hiding places at all, but the Bloodletter was right behind him, goading Thomas on to hide anyway. He didn’t have the time or the levelheadedness to think of anything better, cramming himself into a locker.
____ The first one he’d opened had a lab coat inside it, Thomas opting for a more spacious empty one. Now he regretted that, unable to hide behind anything and forced to look through the tiny horizontal slits on the locker door. If he wasn’t dead before he felt so now, hiding and letting the dread wash over him.
____ He could hear the tentacles writhe all over the doorway, the light of the hall obscured as the Bloodletter peered inside.
____ “Well, well…” It said, knowing Thomas could hear it, “Honestly, trying to hide while I could still see you? Such a short game; I'm of half a mind to let you try again. But that would be poor sport to my other victims. Now wherever could you be…?”
____ The monster floated into view, quickly dismissing the cot and desk, facing the lockers. It peered into the wrong one, Thomas considering running out right there. Unfortunately the Bloodletter’s mass of tentacles were wide enough to obstruct all the lockers, anyone trying to run past them likely to get tangled or tripped. Thomas bit his lip and waited for the tentacles to part, but they didn’t.
____ “In here, perhaps?” The Bloodletter spoke up, obviously aware that Thomas was hiding in one of the lockers.
____ CHANK!!! The sound of countless knives piercing an empty locker made Thomas jump. He grit his teeth, trying to stay as still as possible while he struggled to find a way out of the situation.
____ “Not there… how about here?” The Bloodletter chortled, running another empty locker through with its weapons. The muscly tentacles slamming into the lockers made them all rock, Thomas muttering more curses.
____ Now the Bloodletter moved onto his locker. Its big central eye peered through the slots, immediately spotting Thomas within and glaring at him. Thomas could barely make out those big teeth forming a wicked smile.
____ “There you are…” The Bloodletter gloated, “How now—?”
____ Thomas did the only thing he could think of while it talked, slamming the locker door open right in the monster’s face and barreling past it.
____ “Agh!!” The Bloodletter recoiled: not really harmed at all, but still surprised.
____ Thomas didn’t need another chance. Its guard was lowered and he took that for all it was worth, running out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him. He had the hall to himself, if only for a couple seconds.
____ “Damn you!!” The monster shouted, its weapons already making short work of the door like piranhas devouring flesh, “I’m coming for you, Thomas! Run while you can!”
____ It was destroying the door instead of opening it: that gave him another second or two. He'd have to do better with these seconds than his starting ones: Thomas darting down the hall and turning left again at the first four-way split. The Bloodletter was faster than him, after all, so the best way to bide time was to stay out of the monster’s line of sight. The more time he had the more distance he could cover, and the more levelheaded he could become. Panicking—difficult as it was to avoid doing—would only lead to a gruesome death.
____ This hall wasn’t so different from the last, a long stretching corridor lined with more doors and forks in the road. All of it soaked in an ugly yellow-orange color lit by the dim fluorescents gasping above. Thomas tried to remember where that room marked A on the map was in relation to his current position but came up short. Best to keep moving and stay out of sight. He sprinted down the hall and took the first right in the road.
____ As Thomas kept running he could hear the Bloodletter’s booming voice far behind him, reverberating down the halls, “Now, where did you go off to? Heheh… now things are getting interesting. The hunt is on, Thomas.”
____ Thomas stalled his run and pressed tightly against the wall, just listening. As the sound of his shoes hitting the hard floor during his sprint stopped, it became eerily quiet in the halls. He probably shouldn’t run that hard unless needed, the noise plenty traceable. Then again, the slithering sound of the Bloodletter’s numerous tentacles was notably audible as well.
____ But here it was silent. Thomas frowned. They were both taking the stealthy approach, it seemed. Best just be extra careful, and hope the monster had gone off in another direction. Then again, he hadn’t examined the map too thoroughly. Who knew how many of these corridors looped around or met back up? The monster stalking him undoubtedly knew the floor layout better than Thomas did. Sh*t. If Montag could only see him now, the self-righteous reprimanding he’d do…
____ Thomas discarded time-wasting thoughts and focused on the task at hand, creeping down the corridor as quietly as he could. It was difficult to know which way down the hall to look, potential danger capable of coming from any direction.
____ Morbid curiosity urged him to check the doors he came across as well, in case anything useful was in them. Some of the doors were locked while others were smashed in, probably during previous hunts.
____ Most of the rooms were similar to the one he’d hid in before: useless, obvious hiding spots offering no aid. Other rooms were bigger or more complex, laboratories similar to the ones at VACC with larger desks and spacious counters probably more useful for hiding in or under. But beyond that, nothing life-saving, and Thomas was here to escape, not hide. Indeed, there was nothing useful in any of the rooms he checked, any weapon he could use for self defense probably taken and added to the Bloodletter’s arsenal a long time ago.
____ As Thomas reached the end of the hall, one of the larger rooms on his right caught his eye. Not the room itself, but the wide window by the door peering into the room. Through that faded lookspace was another window on the wall within, and beyond that the Bloodletter, moving silently down the hall to the juncture ahead.
____ If it weren’t for the glance at the two windows lining up, they would’ve run right into each other at the meeting hallways. Thomas immediately ducked into the room on his right and crouched down low, not daring to peek through either window. Instead he just waited and listened, the quiet sound of the monster’s moving limbs slowly fading as it wandered off.
____ “Damn…” Thomas muttered, unable to stay silent under all the stress. He was having trouble breathing quietly. For some reason he couldn’t explain the idea of a creature that knew him was more frightening than the mindless nature of the undead. That a murderer was scarier than an animal. And yet the Bloodletter's sentience had initially saved his life due to not immediately butchering him when they first met. The same had been true of the nameless insurgent who'd held him up but never killed him so Silvin could have his fun with Thorn before ultimately losing control of the situation, getting his own men killed as a result. Thus it was irrational of him to be so shaken, Thomas figured. It didn’t matter though, his awareness hardly rendering him calm. Working up the nerve, he peeked back up through the window and, finding that the Bloodletter had gone, slowly made his way back out into the hall.
____ It seemed like the monster had continued down its way, Thomas only daring to get a glance at it lumbering off before moving further down his own hall. Its voice thundered through the passageways as it moved, calling to the prey it knew was listening, “I know you’re here. I can hear your blood calling to me. Begging to be set free…”
____ Thomas ignored it and laid low, moving down the corridor he’d been following before the chance encounter. With randomness on his side Thomas figured it was unlikely he’d cross paths again with the monster. The best thing he could do was to avoid any tells on his part, noises or the like; anything that’d indicate his presence to the attentive creature.
____ Still, the Bloodletter knew these halls better than Thomas did, so it likely knew where he was headed. According to the map there weren’t a lot of ways out of this maze, after all. Seems like they’d be sharing the same vicinity the whole time. Damn, but what other options were there? Thomas was only alive now because the Bloodletter wanted to play this game, so it seemed like he had no other choice but to go along with it. He kept moving.
____ The halls began to blur together as Thomas navigated them, the only breaking of the monotonous venture being when he heard a noise and had to hide in case it was the Bloodletter nearby. There were no taking chances, even the sight of the monster could potentially spell his doom without any truly good hiding spots.
____ This went on. For a while Thomas began to think he was moving in circles, the samey passageways doing little to differentiate themselves from one another. Another 4-way crossroad in the hall ahead finally broke that cycle, Thomas pausing as an object lying on the floor right in the center of the intersection caught his eye. It was a gun, some kind of assault rifle by the looks of it. His heart skipped a beat at the chance to potentially defend himself, almost too good to be true. But hell, if this crazy situation he found himself in could truly be real, then why shouldn’t the sudden gift of a machinegun be as well?
____ Thomas stepped forward and paused. Don’t get too crazy. There were plenty of good reasons to remain guarded. And it was too good to be true. A proper pessimist like himself knew perfectly well that the "crazy situation" beat only went one way. There was no way in hell that chance would drop a machinegun into his lap here when he needed it most. The Bloodletter had taken everything that could possibly pass for a melee weapon in this place. Sure it didn’t use guns, but it’d take them just the same, right? And as Thomas cautiously approached, the thought occurred to him that he couldn’t see the halls to the left or right, nor the taller ceiling at the junction either. He stopped in his tracks and took a step back.
____ It must’ve heard that step.
____ “GRAAH!!!” The Bloodletter dropped down from from the hidden ceiling above, slamming onto the rifle and lunging right for him. Thomas turned and dove away, only suffering minor cuts to one arm and the backs of both legs to the flurry of blades. He’d managed to not get too close, the monster forced to prematurely spring its trap. But it didn’t matter much: it was mere feet away from him and ready to continue the chase, prying itself from the floor and lunging for him again, “Come here, boy!”
____ Thomas scrambled to his feet and dove into one of the nearby lab rooms, slamming the door shut and locking it. Unfortunately, the Bloodletter didn’t bother with the door at all, simply smashing its way in through the window by the doorway. It squirmed as it tried to get through, all its tentacles waving about in an endeavor to make room for its body. What limbs it did get in reached out at Thomas, waving knives and scalpels at him.
____ “Agh!” Thomas backed up, not exactly eager to be sliced into ribbons by a hundred rusty blades. Thank God this particular room had more than one entrance and exit, another door at the far end leading into a different corridor. Thomas jumped to his feet and bolted out, slamming the door shut and running off.
____ “Damn…” The Bloodletter cursed, relenting and sliding back into the hall. It examined one of its knives, the one that actually managed to scrape Thomas. A thin line of delicious, beautiful blood trickled down it. Even that minute an amount could send its nerves into a pleasured frenzy, but it had to stay calm to claim the rest of it. It wasn’t a serious injury, but it would leave a trail of scarlet breadcrumbs from here on out. The Bloodletter chortled, turning and continuing down the hallway, picking its bait rifle back up as it went, “Can you hear me, Thomas? I’m coming for you… The end is near…”
____ Its booming, demanding voice echoed down the corridors. Thomas ignored its taunts as he kept moving, wincing at the pain of his cut limbs. It wasn’t terribly deep at all but it still hurt like hell, a burning sensation perhaps fitting for such poorly maintained knives. Thank God for tetanus shots.
____ The relief of progress was better than the pain, Thomas continuing to wander down the halls without much consequence. Finally one of the rooms ahead had a sign above it reading “Entry Gate A”. Thomas breathed a well-earned sigh and walked in.
____ This room was particularly small, little more than a chair, a control panel, and a wall of glass showing the main corridor ahead. Sure enough, there was a drawn metal gate not unlike a prison cell door barring the way down the hall. Normally Thomas would question the need for such security down here, but if the Bloodletter was really one of this facility’s finer works than it was understandable.
____ Thomas locked the door behind him and took a seat, looking over the controls, “Okay… let’s get this open and get the hell out of here…”
____ A fairly obvious switch was also marked with the letter A, Thomas turning it and the sweet sound of the gate opening following. One step closer to being out of this mess.
____ BANG!! The Bloodletter moved into view on the other side of the window and slammed into the glass. Thankfully this particular frame was far sturdier, the monster doing no damage. Still, it pressed close, rubbing its tentacles across the pane as it glared at him. Thomas jumped, startled at first, frowning at the beast and glaring right back at it.
____ “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.” The Bloodletter said, its many eyes narrowing in frustration.
____ “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Thomas denied, reaching out and tapping on the glass, “I’m plenty safe in here.”
____ The monster grinned, “You don’t want to hide. You want out of here. And while this place is a labyrinth of corridors, it has one simple design: this particular hall is the only way in or out. Clearly you know that if you’re deactivating the gates. What’s to stop me from just staying here?”
____ From his time spent too long looking at the map Thomas knew that wasn’t entirely true. But the side corridor he’d seen taking the long, long way around the gates was a bit of a journey. He didn’t want to let the creature know he knew about that path anyhow, but still needed another reason to get it to move before he did.
____ “You’re the one with the supposed blood fix.” Thomas argued, “Where’s the fun or the sport in just guarding a chokepoint? Don’t you want me to think I’ve got a chance?”
____ The Bloodletter laughed, “You’ve given me the slip enough times already. I think I’ll stay here.”
____ Thomas got to his feet and held his cut arm out, letting the blood smear against the window as he pressed it close, “Don’t you want to run me down? Don’t you want this blood? Doesn’t it taste so much better when it’s earned?”
____ The Bloodletter gave up its hesitance as he taunted it, its monstrous head pressing back against the glass. Its teeth grinded together with hunger, its tentacles banging against the window in a mad frenzy to bathe in Thomas’ blood. But it couldn’t get its fill from here. Enraged with its inability to satisfy itself or even overcome its base desires, the monster turned and darted off. Out of sight for now.
____ Thomas gulped, knowing it was coming straight for him. Time to go, and fast.
____ He fled the gate control room, sprinting as fast as he could (and wishing he was as gifted as Jaxson while he did so). The Bloodletter would undoubtedly take the shortest route to his location, so if he was going to circle around he’d need to, well, circle the long way around. Thomas swallowed hard, putting all his chips on that assumption, and ran. Hoping he was right. This seemingly simple game of cat and mouse required a lot more wit than he’d originally thought.
____ Thomas passed two halls before turning left. If the Bloodletter had made it to the main corridor while Thomas had found the gate control, then his best bet was heading back to the windowed lab the monster had chased him into. He retraced the occasional drop of blood from his wounds back to that spot and made his way back into the main hall. From there it was a simple run to the now-open gate.
____ “Found you!!” The Bloodletter’s voice echoed after him, Thomas quickening his pace.
____ Damn… Damn! He thought as he raced down the lengthy hall, He couldn’t have made it to the control room and back so soon. What’d I do wrong!?
____ How far off the monster was he couldn’t tell, not having the luxury to even look over his shoulder. But he could hear it sprint: the mad waving of its countless tentacles across the floor and walls a clear giveaway that it was another chase. Another chase he couldn’t win.
____ Thomas turned and headed down the hall, passing through the opened gate and ducking into another room without hesitation. Simply hoping for the best. This was actually a restroom, several stalls lining one wall. The light in here didn’t work, probably to Thomas’ advantage. So he ran into the darkest corner of the room, hiding in one of the stalls.
____ “Damn it!” He silently muttered, practically just mouthing the words, “How’d he find me?”
____ Peeking under the stall, he could see the faintest traces of blood having dripped from his injuries. Ah, that was it. The very method he’d used to retrace his own steps. The Bloodletter had probably just gone down the hall and seen that Thomas hadn’t been that way, moving back to its post.
____ A shadow blotted out the light from the hallway, “You know you’re not supposed to come into the ladies’ room, Thomas.”
____ Thomas knew that if the monster was tracking his blood loss, there was no point in hoping it wouldn’t know which stall he was in. Maybe he could make the most of that, army crawling under the stalls as quietly as he could. Hoping the darkness and the monster’s gloating would hide his movement.
____ “You honestly thought I’d come right for you?” The Bloodletter said as it slithered over to the far stall where the blood led, “It only took a quick glance at your doubled-up blood trail to know where you’d run off to. Let’s see that blood, oh yes…”
____ The monster stabbed the stall door through and wrenched it off its hinges, a flurry of blades rushing into the tiny space like a hurricane of tentacles and daggers. But they found no flesh.
____ “What?” The Bloodletter pulled its many arms back and looked around, spotting the smeared blood on the floor leading through the other stalls. Instantly it turned, only to the sight of the stall door on the far side swung open. Thomas had sprinted out of the restroom and out of sight, the Bloodletter’s roaring voice only putting more haste into his every step, “Enough! Come here!!”
____ Thomas raced down the corridors, taking a turn at every opportunity. Still trying to stay out of sight of his pursuer, hoping that the Bloodletter would eventually lose him. The monster barreled out of the restroom after him, its weapons madly waving around in the air as it chased him down. It was fast when it was angry, an occasional few tentacles swiping at Thomas’ racing feet. He narrowly dodged it at every turn, and suddenly it was gone.
____ Thomas ran and ran even after the monster ceased its immediate pursuit, not stopping until he managed to come across the Gate Control B room. It was identical to the first only reversed, being on the opposite end of the main corridor. Thomas shut the door and collapsed, breathing heavily. He’d been doing a lot more running than hiding, only now having time to recollect himself. His entire body ached with exhaustion, not in tip-top shape to begin with after falling so hard.
____ “Damn… Damn…!” He slowly regained his composure, knowing it’d be yet another sprint once this gate was open. By this point the surrealism of the situation was lost on him, everything outside of this hunt and this lab floor nonexistent. It was just him and the Bloodletter locked in their game. Nothing else existed until he managed to win, not his friends, not the zombies, not the context of anything outside of this place. Thomas took the time to remember why he was here to begin with, the reminder getting him back to his feet. He couldn’t die here. He had a cure to retrieve. If nothing else what he'd seen of this place so far convinced him of its validity: it'd be the least insane thing to exist here.
____ Thomas resolutely caught his breath and thought things through, first tearing off part of his shirt and tightly bandaging his cuts. It wasn’t perfect, but as long as he wasn’t leaving behind a convenient trail of blood it’d do the trick. There, perfect. Now to get out of this place for good. He turned his attention to the controls.
____ Again, the control room here was identical to the other one. The biggest difference was the fact that the window showing the main hall was actually broken. Being able to just climb over it would certainly save him a lot of backtracking, Thomas wasting no time in flipping the switch and watching the door slide open.
____ Thomas leaned forward to climb onto the control panel and out the window. Before he could do so, a flurry of tentacles rushed in from the other side, flooding the control room in an instant.
____ “Ah!” Thomas fell backward and ducked down under the control panel, countless tentacles filling the room and probing around. Already he could feel the pain of numerous nicks on his body. And they wouldn’t be the last if the Bloodletter got ahold of him.
____ “Ha! A dead giveaway!” The Bloodletter roared as its countless blade-wielding limbs felt around the room, the creature trying to fit its body through the window as it talked, “Now you’re mine, Thomas! I’ll butcher you until there’s nothing but bone and hair and beautiful blood!”
____ Thomas dove for the door, reaching up and opening it. The Bloodletter saw him fall out into the hall, three tentacles shooting out for him. Two missed but the third jammed a broken bottle into his back, Thomas shouting with pain and struggling to get away. The tentacle dropped the bottle and shot out again, trying to snare him, but he’d crawled far enough away to evade its reach.
____ The tentacle darted back to pick up the bottle again, proving to be a mistake. Thomas took the opportunity to reach back and kick the door shut, turning and crawling off. Already he could hear the door being shredded, the frustrated Bloodletter too frenzied for blood to bother just turning the doorknob. He didn’t have much time.
____ Struggling to his feet, feeling woozy again upon being wounded a second time, Thomas hurried down the hall in front of him. He hugged his jacket tightly against his back, groaning with pain. It hurt like hell, but it soaked the blood up, keeping only the rare droplet falling to the floor.
____ Still, in spite of the pain and the hurry, Thomas forced himself to think. Again the Bloodletter had fallen back onto the main corridor to trap him. But his blood was less of a giveaway: now was the time to go to the side passage looping the long way around. It was better that than go all the way back to the main corridor, where the Bloodletter could backtrack more easily through the control room window.
____ Thomas pressed a bloody handprint onto the rightmost wall before stumbling off to the left, making his way East where the side passage was, hoping the Bloodletter would lose him. Finding a cramped supplies closet with the door smashed in, Thomas slipped in and hid inside. He ducked underneath the caved in door, struggling to both recollect himself and stay as still as possible at the same time.
____ The sound of heavy breathing and slithering tentacles came and went, then came and went again, the Bloodletter patrolling the halls and muttering to itself. Its increasing frustration with Thomas’ narrow getaways made its searches more careless, the monster only giving each room a quick glance before gliding off to the next. It was too worried about Thomas giving it the slip while it checked other rooms to be truly thorough. Thomas stayed put underneath the smashed door, finally leaving at the sound of the Bloodletter moving on to another hallway.
____ Probably going back to Gate B now, thinking I've given it the run-around. If it goes too long without finding me though it might figure out I know about the side passage. He figured, forcing himself to overcome the stinging wounds and continue onward, hoping his seconds-long research of the floor map would lead him to the real thing.
____ Sure enough he made it to the far end of the floor, a large service duct lining the wall. Thomas made his way inside, finding it cramped with pipes and needless wiring. The entire way was lit with an ugly faded red light, still giving it more personality than the rest of the floor. As long as it led to the exit, it didn’t matter.
____ Thomas made his way down the hall, the floor creaking horribly with each step. As long as the Bloodletter was far away it didn’t make a difference, but if the monster was nearby there was no mistaking the presence of someone in here. Then he’d be dead meat for good, the way too cramped to run or hide in.
____ Thomas kept moving as far as he dared, each second in here a hefty wager. How far he needed to go before he’d be close to the exit was up in the air, so he weighed every step carefully and gauged his distance as best he could.
____ It felt like an hour, but eventually Thomas determined that he’d passed the Gate B section by now and left the side hall at the first opportunity. Back in the maze, this place looking different than the other halls only because there were fewer bodies and bloodstains. Not nearly as many made it this far.
____ Okay… you’re out, and he probably doesn’t know you’re on this side of the gate… Just keep it quiet and find the exit. We’re almost done.
____ Creeping along the walls, Thomas continued along his way, trying his best to ignore the pain in his back. It was mounting agony, this game, only adrenaline and determination keeping him going strong. He had to see his friends again, he had to get to the bottom of this mysterious lab, and he had to find the cure. The sheer absurdity of the Bloodletter’s existence was proof enough to him that strange and unreal experiments had been going on here. If they could concoct a monster like that just by meddling with cells, they could make a cure to the virus.
____ There! Along one of the walls, finally the exit came into view: a simple stairwell leading up to the labs above. Only another barred barricade kept it closed off, Thomas rushing to the door and yanking on it. It made quite the noise but refused to open. What? Thomas looked down, expecting a normal lock (no gate control room for this one, after all). Instead it was a card slot, a key card clearly required to open this one.
____ “God damn it!” Thomas shouted in desperate frustration, regretting the racket he was causing a second later.
____ “Hm? There!” The Bloodletter’s voice echoed, the sound of moving tentacles telling Thomas all he needed to know. He turned and bolted, not looking back. He was too busy madly trying to think up where a key card could possibly be in this labyrinth.
____ Damn, sh*t, damn, crap!! He thought as he fled, That cheating bastard! No, there HAS to be some way…! This is a laboratory, first and foremost…
____ The image of one of the lab coats stuffed in the lockers he’d hid in earlier popped into his head, a much-welcomed epiphany. Employees of this building would obviously have key cards. If the Bloodletter had taken them it probably would’ve simply escaped this place by now. He just needed to find a lab coat and be lucky enough to have a card be in one of them. And there’s been no shortage of lockers in the rooms he’d checked.
____ Unfortunately the Bloodletter was onto him now, aware of Thomas’ presence in the area. The sound of the beast moving was never far off, Thomas hiding in the first room he could find with lockers in it.
____ “C’mon… c’mon…” He opened one after another, finding only one lab coat but no luck on the key, “Sh*t!!”
____ Here came the Bloodletter, Thomas muttering more curses and ducking into one of the lockers again. The best he could hope for was that the monster was still being more hasty in its examinations. Or that it’d think he wouldn’t try hiding in one of these things twice. Either would do.
____ “Where are you…?” The Bloodletter floated into the room, its central eye darting around. It didn’t have quite the taunting tone, perhaps not really knowing he was there. Thomas held his breath and his hopes.
____ “Hm.” The Bloodletter dismissed. It turned and glided out of the room, the last of its tentacles slithering out of the door and out of sight. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief and waited, finally reaching down to open the locker.
____ “Found you!!” The Bloodletter rushed back into the room, raising its weapons and looking around a second time. Thomas’ heart stopped mid-beat, his shaking hand not releasing the locker handle. It was silent, the monster glancing about and turning to leave again, its hopes of any prey hurrying out as soon as it was gone dashed. It slithered out for good, moving on to check other rooms.
____ This time Thomas waited a good twenty seconds before creeping back out, glad he wasn’t so hasty. One second earlier and he’d have been right out in the open for the Bloodletter to see.
____ Peeking down the hall, Thomas could see the monster at the far end of the passageway, pretending to leave another room before rushing back in. While it was out of the hall, he moved onto the next room. More lockers, Thomas wasting no time in looting them. Damn, again to no avail. He was wasting precious time here. But he couldn’t think of any other way to do it. Next room.
____ This third room was another lab, no lockers in sight. That didn’t matter though, a lab coat hanging on a swivel chair in the corner perfectly acceptable. Thomas rooted through its stained pockets, finally finding his key card within. The best he could do now was hoping it’d work. Time to go.
____ Excitement subduing the pain, Thomas moved back into the hall and made his way to the exit. Not a second to waste, especially when the Bloodletter’s roar came down the corridor after him.
____ “Thomas!!” The Bloodletter was there, its eyes directly on him, and closing in fast.
____ Thomas turned and sprinted, the monster on his heels closing the distance alarmingly fast. The exit was so damn far away, Thomas unable and unwilling to look over his shoulder to see how close his enemy was. There was nowhere to run to this time. He’d either make it or he wouldn’t.
____ Skidding to a halt by the gated off door, Thomas turned and swiped the key. It didn’t work the first time, Thomas swearing and swiping again. The lock beeped and the door popped open, Thomas throwing it wide so it’d obstruct the Bloodletter and rushing inside. The Bloodletter rammed the door as it lunged for him, its tentacles waving furiously.
____ Thomas leapt to his feet and slammed the gate shut—a satisfying electric click sounding off as it was sealed—then jumped back. The Bloodletter stubbornly threw itself against the closed door, its many tentacles worming through the interlocking iron bars and lunging out for him, Thomas staying out of reach by the stairs.
____ The monster kept banging against the door, “No, no!! No one gets away from me!!”
____ Thomas brushed himself off and finally relaxed a little, “Whew. Well, there goes your perfect record.”
____ The Bloodletter ceased its enraged hammering and simply hovered there, glaring at him. Its tentacles slowly wrapped around the bars of the gate, like a defeated, jailed villain, “I’m not going to forget this. One way or another, Thomas, I’ll find you. I already got a taste. Your blood will be mine.”
____ “Maybe, but not today, it seems.” Thomas replied, feeling more confident in his victory, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got places to be. A deal’s a deal.”
____ “So be it.” The Bloodletter held up his pistol, still wrapped tight in one spare tentacle, “Fine. Take your weapon and go, human.”
____ The monster tossed the firearm between the bars, Thomas catching it and turning to leave. It was willing to return his pistol to him, so he didn’t shoot it right there, instead just heading back to the lab above. It remained locked down here, after all. Some odd sense of honor had formed, forbidding the monster from killing him on the spot when it had found him; somehow forbidding him from shooting it now that he had the chance. He couldn’t explain the logic and decided not to linger on it, instead just taking his weapon and turning to head upstairs.
____ “One last thing, since I won...” He stopped to say, “Can you tell me what I'll find up there?”
____ “I already told you.” The Bloodletter replied flatly, mood still sour, “They couldn't make an entire being from scratch, not with any soul, not without some shred of humanity to mold it around. At first.”
____ He found that hard to believe, “You're saying they succeeded?”
____ “No. They just stopped caring about trying that part.”
____ Thomas grimly gazed up at the darkness atop those steps. In other words, there'd be no sparing or conversing going on up there. Any further monsters would be mindless abominations. But it didn't matter. He forged on ahead anyway.
____ “You should be mine you know!” The Bloodletter said as Thomas ascended, “You cannot waste your flesh on those mindless unappreciative zombies! I must have you! I will kill you, Thomas! One day.”
____ He didn’t bother with its poetics. He had friends to meet back up with. And a cure to find.

On a side note, the next two chapters were originally one. So back-to-back releases next time. Yaaaaaay. !denuT yatS

~TAF

[TGRF]

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

On a side note @The Grim Reaper's Friend , if you were ever going to read another chapter of this story, I'd read this one. In some ways Ch. 21 is my way of making up for what I consider to be my most subpar Fanfic Contest Entry to date. That's not deliberate, but I did note many similarities, and you seemed a little disappointed with the results of your "Suspense" prompt. So maybe this'll make it up to you. Probably not, but I'd recommend a look-see anyway!

(Or anyone else daunted by this story's length: this is a good Chapter to Sample, I think)

On a side-side note, the next two chapters were originally one. So back-to-back releases next time. Yaaaaaay. !denuT yatS

~TAF

I would probably want to start at the beginning of the tale, and not in the middle, which I might do once I'm not developing my own fan fiction. My attention shifts easily, and it doesn't take much to distract me from development.

~TGRF, perusing.