“They’re walking into their deaths. We need to stop them!”
Elise exclaimed, but Natalie was already running forward.
“MATT!” she shouted, frantically waving her arms as she
called his name, “MATT!!” It wasn’t his name that made him freeze, it was the
sound of her voice. A voice he thought he’d never hear again.
Matthew glanced towards the cluster of trees. She appeared
through the forest, arms outstretched and a smile on her face. Tossing Dominic
his weapon, he rushed forward. They met halfway, his arms instantly enclosing
her in a warm hug as she bounded into him. “I can’t believe it’s you,” he
whispered against her ear before their lips met. He could feel the moisture on
her cheeks as her hands slipped around his neck.
Dominic backed away from the window and started for the
stairs. “We need to get to the weapons and get out there to help,” he said.
“Well, you might wanna hurry,” Aisha stated, moving out of
the office, “Those zombies I told you I saw before, they’re coming back towards
us now…and it looks like they picked up some friends along the way.”
“Shit,” Ryan hurried after Dominic, followed by Troy, Mathew
and Katrina. Grabbing up a couple rifles and handguns, they geared up for a
fight.
“We have maybe thirty seconds before those things are up our
asses. We get out there and we move quickly. Stay together and watch each
other’s backs. This thing is gonna get crazy real fast,” Dominic said.
“Everyone got it? Let’s move.”
Group 1: Veronica, Elise, Natalie, David, Amélia, Eddie Location: Warehouse
“That’s where they prep the intake for treatment,” David
said as he, Natalie and Elise scouted the safe zone. He had led them there
shortly after the attack. Natalie was seeking revenge. Ignoring the dangers of
walking into such a heavily guarded location and against David’s advice. Eddie
and Amélia hung back to watch over their prisoner. She’d blamed the man for
Veronica’s death, but deep down she knew the real source of the problem was the
medical company that started it all. BioCore workers transported boxes into the
facility out the back of unmarked trucks.
The place was cordoned off by a large electric fence and several armed guards. Working cameras were posted on every corner of the building as well as what appeared to be command dogs and even alert sirens.
“Where do they go from there?” Natalie asked, formulating a plan.
“There are several research rooms within the facility,
there’s no telling where each individual is taken,” David replied. “I can tell
you, however, it’s never good. Some of the ‘research’ I witnessed…it makes
prison look like a trip to the spa.”
Edward scratched at the bandage on his arm. That damn
mongrel really did a number on him and now his skin felt like it was on fire.
He eyed the animal as it trotted along beside Nina, playfully nudging her arm making
her rub her head. It was bad enough he was forced to wear a dead man’s clothes
but now he had to deal with that mutt; and he hated dogs. Five minutes along
with that animal and he’d send it to doggy heaven where it belonged. Sensing
the man’s eyes on her, Lucky looked back with a happy expression as the group
continued down the road.
“It’s just up ahead,” Matthew said. The group had been
walking for nearly an hour, heading to the rendezvous. Upon arrival, they could
see no one was waiting, but it appeared someone had been here recently. Tire
tracks, two distinct treads, were imprinted in the soft dirt. One appeared to
belong to a large vehicle of some kind while the other, possibly a truck. The
wide wheel base gave Matthew the impression that it could have been one of the
pickups from the compound.
Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe Location: School
The door wouldn’t budge. JC tried putting all of his weight
into it, but it gave resistance. Lucky sniffed the ground, her head lowered to
the floor as she followed the scent around the side of the building. She was
onto something. Giving up on the barred entrance, JC followed the dog. Directed
by her keen sense of smell, Lucky led him to another point of entry. She
whimpered and clawed at the bottom frame. JC immediately pushed against the
door. It inched away a tiny bit. Placing his gun in the waistband of his jeans,
he pressed both hands to the weather-beaten wood and shoved. The door swung
open with a whirling gust of air, and out with it the smell of rot.
Group 1: Veronica, Elise, Natalie, David, Amélia, Eddie Location: Warehouse
Eddie rushed forward, tackling one of the men to the floor.
His gun flew, landing near the door and misfired another round. Amélia fell to
the ground, covering her head with her hands as chaos erupted. Elise fired at
the second gunman as he rushed towards the other injured shooter, hitting him
in the leg. He turned to fire at her and David moved to wrestle away his gun.
Finally grabbing hold of the glock 19, David quickly aimed
and fired. The bullet drilled through the man’s chest and he fell on top of David.
“No!” the injured shooter screamed, watching the life drain from his brother
and pool around him. “You son of a bitch!’ The man struggled to retrieve a
knife from his boot. Natalie stood to help. The throb in her knee crescendoed
and she tumbled to the ground.
I wanted to drop a line and let everyone know why the posts have stopped on Outbreak: Extinction. A family emergency this weekend has left me really far behind and scrambling to play catch up. And because of this, I think the best plan of action would be to just release the last 4 episodes sans pictures so that we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Very sorry about that. Tonight, I will have 21-24 posted and get the votes up so we can figure out what happens next.
Group 4: Matthew, Josh, Liz, Jeremiah, Edward, Nicole Location: Barn/Farmhouse
“I’m telling you, we need to run! We need to get out of here
while we still have a chance,” Edward bemoaned, backing away from the door and
deeper into the barn.
The door to the outside stood open and Josh took careful aim
above Matthew’s head before firing off a shot, sending an approaching zombie to
the ground. Matthew immediately got to his feet and shut the door. “No,” he
said sternly, eyeing the room as he searched for handy items with which to bar the
door. “We’re not going anywhere. It’ll be dark soon and there is no way I’m
putting anyone in this group in more danger out there. We’re going to stay and
fight. We can defend this place; all of us.”
“That’s suicide!” Edward said, pushing himself once more
into the corner.
“Do you ever shut up?” Liz yelled, turning to face Edward.
“I’m so sick of your whining! Get up and help or we’ll throw your ass outside
as bait while we run!”
His face turned ashen and he nodded as Liz gave him
something to do. With Josh’s arm not at a hundred percent, he, Matthew, and
Jeremiah were tasked with rebuilding the barricade. Large crates from inside
the barn were once again placed in front of the door. This time, however, they
took the extra step of nailing broken boards across the windows and doors,
leaving just one area for escape and one, they’d hoped, would be where their visitors would enter.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m hungry,” Jeremiah
said once everything was in place. It was almost a simultaneous realization
that it had been a while since any of them had eaten. He dropped his bag beside
Nicole and started into the kitchen. The place was a health hazard at best.
Blood soaked into the linoleum floors as well as stained the walls. Someone had
been brutally murdered in this room and the smell was enough to put him off of
food for a month.
Jeremiah started to leave when something in the corner of
the room caught his eye. Someone else was in the kitchen. They were lying on
their back beside the refrigerator. The only visible part of them were their
two, booted feet sticking out from near the wall. “Hello?” he called as he
slowly approached. The man didn’t move. He just lay there, staring blankly at
the ceiling and Jeremiah quickly assumed he had been the source of the
bloodshed.
Slowly, Jeremiah leaned closer, lowering his head to get a
better look. It didn’t appear as though he was breathing. Blood dripped from
his forehead and he was suffering from an apparent bullet wound to the stomach.
A gurgling sound emerged from the man’s mouth. Startled, Jeremiah fell
backwards—just as the man sputtered blood all over himself. His eyes darted
around the room before he lifted his arms, reaching for Jeremiah. “Matt! Liz!”
he yelled, quickly scrambling towards the other side of the room.
Matthew was the first to enter, gun at the ready as he moved
around the corner. “Are you hurt? Did he touch you?”
“No,” Jeremiah’s swift response made Matthew turn to look at
him.
“You sure?”
“Positive. But I don’t think he’s dead…not yet.”
Matthew redirected his attention and called over to the man
who was now sitting against the countertop, resting his head on the wall. “Who
are you?”
“Help me, please.”
“Who are you?” Matthew repeated, ignoring the man’s plea for
help.
“Jason McMann,” he angrily replied. He grabbed hold of a
stool nearby and tried to lift himself up, glaring at Matthew as he continued
grilling him. Groaning in pain, he placed himself in a seated position,
applying pressure to his bleeding abdomen.
“You were with them, weren’t you? Who are they and why are
they after us?”
The man laughed, the motion causing him to choke in pain and
another mouthful of blood to spill from between his lips. “We were hired for a
job. You and everyone in the area were on the list.”
“Start explaining or I will stand here and watch you bleed
to death!” Matthew shouted, outwardly frustrated at the man’s half answers.
“BioCore hired us to assassinate anyone we found outside the
safe zones.”
“What? The sons of bitches that started this shit is trying to
take everyone out? What about the ones who aren’t hurt? Like us. We’re not
infected.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the man shrugged, again choking on blood. “We
have orders. Anyone in the red zone has to be exterminated.”
Matthew thought for a moment, taking stock of the group and
their reaction. Exterminated. The
word bounced around his head. The idea that someone would hire a group of
mercenaries in a time like this to kill living, breathing humans trying to
survive outraged him. He took in a deep breath and transferred that energy back
to the man in the kitchen. “Where are these safe zones?” The man smiled but
didn’t speak. “WHERE?” Matthew shouted aiming his weapon at his head.
“Go ahead. I’m as good as dead anyway,” he coughed, no
longer afraid by the threat of death. A loud crash made them all jump. It took
a moment to realize it was the outer barn door. Once again, they were in for a
fight.
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Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe Location: School
The group walked in silence, some breathing heavily, others
taking quick shallow breaths, all trying to keep their calm which was growing
increasingly hard to do. Blood dribbled through Mike’s fingers as he tightly
pressed his hand against his side. They’d been running for several blocks and
he felt himself growing weaker with every step he took. The shirt he wore was
drenched in his own blood. He’d closed his jacket to keep the others from
noticing, but it wouldn’t be long before the exhaustion made him collapse. “How
much farther to the school?” he asked out of breath as he stumbled along behind
them.
“Not much,” Jake replied, keeping his eyes on the road
ahead.
JC had made it a point to watch their rear, ensuring they’d
all made a clean get-away. “We need to get off the street,” he said,
redirecting them off road and through the trees.
Mike could barely lift his leg to get across the guardrail
and a grunt escaped his lips. “Are you ok?” Nina asked, stealing a peek at the
man and the heavy sweat beading on his forehead.
“Fine. Just tired,” he replied, trying not to exert too much
breath on his reply.
Lucky trotted between them, her attention flitting between
all the movements of the trees as wind caressed bare branches. Leaves rustled
to the ground around them with every step they took. If she let herself, she
could imagine being back at home and playing in a freshly raked pile of leaves
with her mom. The sound of her mom’s laugh always made her smile and brought with
it a sense of warm comfort. But those carefree moments seemed so long ago. Nina
sighed and ran her hand over the soft fur on Lucky’s head. The dog returned the
gesture with an affectionate lick and carried on with her excited exploration.
“Wait,” Jake instructed as they began to emerge through the
other side of the forest. He took a quick look at the building across the
street. He could see several dark alcoves and barred doorways. Someone had
secured the location…or at least tried.
Suddenly, gunshots rang out, and everyone ducked. Instincts
took over and JC whirled around, faster than he’d ever moved before. Likewise, Lucky
snarled, her brown eyes shining brightly. They both bolted out of the woods
towards the building.
“No!” Jake snapped as Nina took off after Lucky. “Stay down
and try not to make a sound. Mike, stay with Nina.” He gave a nod watched as
Jake hurried after the others.
Reacting entirely on impulse, JC reached for the handle. The
door wasn’t locked and he found himself stepping in a pool of blood. Lucky,
too, pushed her way inside, sniffing the air with furious concentration.
There was someone alive upstairs and they were fighting to
keep it that way.
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Group 2: Katrina, Troy, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Aisha Location: Police Station
“Are either of you hurt? Did everyone get out?” Katrina
asked as Ryan slammed the door shut behind them.
“Aisha, throw me that chair,” he said before shoving the
back beneath the handle, securing them all inside. “Alright, first thing’s
first, how much ammo do you have?” he asked of Katrina who was still having a
mini-meltdown near the back of the room.
“Ammo? How could that be your first concern? Our friends are
missing and we have no idea if any of them have been hurt. And now there is a
hallway full of zombies out there and the only thing separating us from them is
a tiny metal chair!”
“Exactly! And if they get in here, I’d like to know we’d at
least have a fighting chance. Focus, Katrina, ammo, how much?” Ryan repeated,
cutting through the shit.
“I think…half a clip,” Katrina said. Removing her weapon,
she checked the load and nodded to confirm her answer. Down to eight bullets.
There was at least twice that amount of undead waiting outside the door.
Panic overwhelmed Aisha as she gazed down at hands covered
in blood and trembling. She was tired but she couldn’t sleep. Didn’t want to.
The images played out on the back of her eyelids were unpleasant enough without
having to recount them over and over. This had been her hell since that night.
And it all started with her parents. That night on the bridge and every night
since. She had been trying to cope with the death. The loss. The never-ending
loneliness and the constant fighting.
She’d watched as the Joe Mason Bridge collapsed. Stood by
helplessly as hundreds of people trying to drive out of town were sucked into
the giant pit the military had blown into the ground. They claimed they were
there to help, but Aisha saw it much differently. She and her parents were on
their way out of town to one of many “safe zones” the military had set up. But
once they arrived, they realized it was anything but safe.
They had constructed a fence and everyone was forced into a
containment area until they were given clearance to proceed inside; no
infection detected. Aisha made it, her parents were not so lucky. Dozens of
cars flooded the bridge. People were jumping out of them, rushing the gates,
all running from the undead and trying to get into the walls; to safety. The
safe zone was quickly overrun with the living and the others.
Given the go ahead to “take control” the military opened
fire. Aisha watched as innocent people were gunned down by those sworn to serve
and protect. Men, women and children were murdered in cold blood, dying beside
the undead only ten feet away from the gates.
Her dad held her mom. She watched in horror with just a
fence between them as their bodies were riddled with bullets and left on the
street like roadkill. The last thing she remembered was the sound of the rocket
hitting the bridge and exploding one of the main supports. Hundreds of people
were dead and she was carted off by the U.S. Government.
“We’re all going to die in here, aren’t we?” Aisha
whimpered, her voice shaking just as bad as the rest of her.
“Stop!” Katrina said. “Stop that right now. Ryan’s right. We
need to focus. We need to keep our eyes ahead. Stay calm. We can get through
this. We’ll be fine.” She repeated the words as though she was trying to
convince herself. “We’ll be fine.”
“Get that table over here,” Dominic instructed, keeping the
double doors sealed shut as he felt the force of the zombies pushing against
it. “Hurry it up!” Mathew and Troy shoved more objects in front of the door,
barring themselves inside from the monsters trying to get in.
“Did you see which way the others went?” Mathew asked,
finally able to take a breath.
“No. There were too many. We’re lucky to have even made it
inside,” Troy replied.
“Luck…” Dominic scoffed. “It’ll be luck if we survive the
night. We never should have come up here. I led us here; I did this. And now…”
“Enough!” Troy shouted, cutting off Dominic’s sentence. “We
don’t have time for this. We need to figure out a plan.” Dominic was tired. He
could see it in his face, but he was tired too. And he was also determined to
not let today be his last day on earth.
“Alright, Troy, what do you suggest?” Mathew asked, slumping
down into a chair beside him.
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Group 1: Veronica, Elise, Natalie, David, Amélia, Eddie Location: Warehouse
Another series of bullets drilled the walls above them.
Glass shattered and fell to the floor as more of the warehouse windows
exploded. Elise, Eddie, Amélia and Veronica kept their heads down while David
did all he could to keep Natalie covered. Once the bullets stopped, she pulled
away and checked herself for injuries. “How’d they find us here?” she asked,
satisfied she wasn’t hurt.
“It’s the only building for miles,” David said. “Process of
elimination.”
“Come on out! You don’t want us coming in after you,” the
same voice cried out with an even angrier tone.
Veronica moved beneath the window, preparing for combat.
Eddie shook his head no. They were out gunned and in no position to shoot it
out with these people. She stayed her hand, knowing that if she did fire, it
would cause a reaction no one in the room was prepared for.
“This can be over right now. I can end this,” David said,
getting to his feet. “I’m what they want. No one else needs to get hurt.”
“No!” Natalie exclaimed pulling him back to the floor beside
her. “I’m not letting you commit suicide by walking out there. Besides, what guarantee
do we have they’ll turn and leave once they have what they want?”
“She’s right,” Eddie said, repositioning himself beside the
window. “The only way out of this is to fight.”
“Fight?” Amélia exclaimed. “There are four of them out there
with automatic weapons. We have what? A couple of glocks and a shotgun?”
“Then what do you propose? That backdoor is sealed up,
remember? We patched that nice and tight before holing up in this room. The
only way out is through them,” Eddie said.
“I say we let them in,” Veronica stated, her voice cold and
serious. “If they want to get us, any of us, they’ll need to be willing to
enter. And when they do, we’ll be ready.” The group listened closely as she
formulated a plan.
Elise and Eddie hid themselves on opposite sides of the
front door. Amélia and Natalie remained where they were, listening as the men
outside continued taunting them. The shouting stopped. And everyone waited with
bated breath as footsteps approached the building.
David stepped into the center of the room. He was bait, for
all intents and purposes, and he felt about as vulnerable as a baby deer in a
lion’s den. With no weapon to protect himself, he had to trust the others would
take out the gunman before they got to him.
The board fell from across the handle, landing with a
resounding crash. The door had been opened. He took a deep breath. The soft
padding of footsteps drew closer and he clenched his fists in anticipation.
This wasn’t such a brilliant idea after all. Why did he have to open his big mouth?
A window shattered. Shit.
They were encroaching from different locations. If they somehow got behind them
through the back stairwell…another window, to the east. Eddie switched
positons. Now he and Elise were guarding separate doors alone. David took a
moment to catch his breath and calm himself. He could feel his entire body
trembling.
At last, the door opened. Two men walked inside. The first
to speak was instantly recognized. “There he is. The man of the hour!” The
second gunman had David dead-to-rights. The first never flinched; even when he
heard the weapon click behind him. “Why don’t you tell your friends to drop
their weapons and move where I can see them?”
“No. Why don’t you drop yours,” Veronica said, dragging one
of the others out from the back. He was bleeding from a leg wound; a large
knife dangling from her left hand while she aimed her gun with the right.
“STOP!” she shouted at the gunman standing beside the ringleader. He’d made a
motion forward and she quickly redirected her aim. “Stay right where you are.”
“He’s my brother. He’ll bleed to death! Let me help him.”
“You really think I give a shit if he dies? You assholes are
here to kill us! For all I care he can join the rest of your friends in hell
and I swear to GOD if you don’t stop inching towards him I will put a fucking
bullet in his head right now!” Veronica yelled watching the other man slowly
move to comfort his brother. “BACK UP! MOVE!”
“Alright, I’m going, just…please.”
“Now, drop your weapons or no one is walking out of here alive.”
“I like option B.” The
man’s face twitched into a wicked smile. All his rage and strength accumulated
at his finger on the trigger. He looked between the two again and without
giving a second thought to her words, he pulled the trigger.
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Group 4: Matthew, Josh, Liz, Jeremiah, Edward, Nicole Location: Barn/Farmhouse
“Ok, we need a plan,” Liz said, hopping to her feet.
“No. We need to get out of here,” Edward said, cowering
deeper into the corner. “You don’t understand, those guys out there…they’re not
the warmly and cuddly type. They’re worse than those monsters!”
“Who are they?” Matthew again asked, checking the load on
his rifle.
Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe Location: School
“Mike!” Chloe yelled as she saw him fighting one of the men
who’d attacked them. The man lunged at him with a knife and Mike quickly
sidestepped. The blow glanced his side. The sharp edge of the blade sliced into
his ribcage and his hand immediately went to his injury.
The knife-wielding fiend grinned watching the blood drip
from Mike’s wound. Feeling confident, he again tried a forward attack, but this
time, Mike was ready for him. The moment the razor-tipped stiletto started
towards him, he leaned back, kicking his feet out fast and hard in a leg sweep
and knocked his assailant to the ground.
Group 2: Katrina, Troy, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Aisha Location: Police Station
Aisha waited out in the hallway as Katrina entered the
office. The foul odor of death permeated the room, seeping into the walls. She
thought she would have been used to it by now, but it still caused a reaction
in the pit of her stomach. Inhaling a deep breath, and releasing it slowly
through her mouth, she advanced, carefully looking over the partitions and in
the corners for any surprises.
Group 1: Veronica, Elise, Natalie, David, Amélia, Eddie Location: Warehouse
Stepping away from the door, Elise tried to catch her
breath. How had this man come into contact with Natalie? Who was he? Was he the
reason she was unconscious? And if so, what had he done to her? So many
questions were running through her mind, but Elise did not have time to ponder
them all. Pounding down the stairs behind her, she turned to find Veronica, Amélia
and Eddie standing in the corridor. Veronica was the first to move, aiming her
weapon at the newcomer. Right away he knew she meant business.
Group 4: Matthew, Josh, Liz, Jeremiah, Edward, Nicole Location: Barn/Farmhouse
His heart was pounding as he stared down the barrel of the
gun. The desperate beating found its way to his head and the throbbing made it
feel as if his ears would explode at any moment. “Matt? What’s…?”
“Welcome back,” Matthew said, lowering his weapon. “I saw
you stirring. I just wanted to make sure what woke up was really you,” he
explained, dropping to the ground beside him. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Josh replied. Relief overwhelmed him and he placed a hand over his heart as the pace began to slow. The ache, once settled between his temples, traveled south until it reached the wound on his shoulder. With great pain, he reached up and rubbed his chest just beneath. “So how are you doing?”
Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe Location: School
“It was here,” Chloe announced as she, Sara, Jake and JC
made it to the corner where she was attacked. There was blood on the pavement
and scuff marks in the sand, all signs pointed to a struggle; so far it seemed
she was telling the truth. But no matter the amount of evidence, Jake remained
wary.
“So what happened exactly?” he asked, keeping himself
distanced so Chloe remained in front of him at all times.
“Like I said, Mike and I were trying to find another vehicle
when this woman…she looked so desperate. She came running up to us, begging and
pleading for our help. She said her son had been hurt. Right away I thought something
was up. If he was hurt, why wasn’t she with him? But Mike wanted to help. He fell
for it hook, line and sinker; and I followed him.”
Group 2: Katrina, Troy, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Aisha Location: Police Station
Aisha stood there, palms sweating, heart pounding, watching Ryan
and Troy struggling to hold back the mounting horde. Dominic and the others had
pushed tables in front of the doors to relieve some of the strain, but it
was obvious the exertion was taking a physical toll. Their faces contorted in
pain as the monsters on the other side threw their rotting bodies against the
door again and again.
“This isn’t going to hold for very long!” Troy said, backing
up a little as Mathew placed a heavy filing cabinet in front of the growing
barricade. “We need to find another way!”
“We need to take some out,” Ryan suggested. “Loosen the
tension.”
“Ryan’s right,” Katrina agreed. “Dom, remember how we took
out the door at the convenience store? It’s the same concept. We need to get
them back. Line bodies at the front to keep the others from getting close.”
“We had guns at the store, Kat. Molotov cocktails and enough
ammo to keep us sustained. All of our stuff is outside.”
“Then we get it!” she said, stepping away from the door. “I
didn’t fight this hard against those monsters out there only to starve to death
now or to let them corner me until they eventually break in and rip us apart!”
“She’s right. And if what Aisha said is true, there’s still more heading this way,” Mat added. “We need to get to those trucks before that
happens.”
“Fine,” Dominic sighed. He knew they were both right. He
also knew no one would be up to the task. With limited ammo and a lot of heavy
equipment to get into the building it was a dangerous gambit. “Mat
and I will go. We can keep Ryan and Troy here at the door, make sure they don’t
break through the barricade before we get back. Kat, you and Aisha look for
more stuff to keep this area protected. If you find some way of boarding it up,
even better.”
Katrina nodded and led Aisha from the room. Grabbing a handgun from the
duffel bag she’d brought inside, she gestured for the teen to stay behind her
but follow close. They moved back along the stairs and towards the main office.
Pushing against a closed door, Katrina tried desperately to pry it open but to
no avail. The door wasn’t locked, but something was blocking it.
The smell of blood and viscera drifted through the metal causing
them both to suppress their gag reflexes. Aisha’s stomach lurched and Katrina
could tell she would be sick if she continued behind her. Motioning for her to
remain put, Katrina continued forward, searching for another way inside. Gazing
over the partition, she quickly located the source of the foul stench; a woman,
likely a desk sergeant from the way she was dressed, was lying against the door.
The lower half of her body was partially disintegrated and rats were feeding
off of her rotting flesh.
At first she was set to ignore it and keep searching the
rest of the building for more material, but something caught her eye. Something
glinted beside the woman’s left hand that, if they were lucky, would be
their answer to everything.
Dominic scanned the street outside, searching for signs of
the undead. Nothing. Nothing except for the warm glow of the sun splashing its
rays across the pavement, the road, highlighting the destruction that took
place over night. Beaming over the smashed and abandoned cars and the bodies rotting out in
the heat. His breathing was short and shallow, fast like his heartbeat which
pulsed powerfully in his ears as he prepared himself for what he had to do. Mat
and the others would be safe inside. He, on the other hand, would be faced with
the possibility of never seeing another sunrise.
Barely able to breathe, he clutched the handle to the door,
threatening to tear it from the frame. “You ready for this?” Mat asked, situating
himself inside the stairwell. He was positioned in such a way to systematically dismantle
any threat that would approach Dominic while leaving him room to get in and out
of the building.
“No. But that doesn’t matter at this point. It has to be
done. You better be good with that thing. If something gets me, I’m coming back
to personally chew a hole in your ass.”
“I got your six, Dominic, don’t worry about that.”
Dominic bit his tongue. He wasn’t about to tell the man what
he thought of him while he had to count on him to keep him alive. And thanks to
Troy’s curiosity they were stuck together through this mess. It was time they
learned whether or not their new friends could be trusted. With a deep breath,
he pulled the door open and started to creep out into the parking lot,
listening carefully for any unwelcomed intruders. By the time he reached the
military transport, his heart was beating so hard he could feel his pulse in
every part of his body. Stepping near the back, he took in three deep breaths,
preparing himself for the work ahead.
*Author’s note: You may have noticed the lack of pictures.
Yep. I was betting on you being in a sugar coma by this time of night (or
other vice) so you wouldn’t, BUT, it’s not Halloween yet. Well, there’s a great
explanation for this. And I’d tell you but what fun would that be? Ok, ok. The
game was not cooperating, alright? Stop looking at me like that. I tried. I
did. And like previous nights I knew it would run late (yep, that’s why 8
starting time is more like 10). I think there is a gremlin inside my machine
and it’s causing all sorts of trouble. It takes a full hour to load my game.
And then most times it freezes on startup and well…we get 10pm EST post nights.
Anyway, just want to let you know why things have been slow on my end and
apologize. It sucks. But I am seeing this thing through, like always. Thanks
for your understanding!*
Continue----> (Clicking this continues the story in order. If you would like to move to the next part of this group’s story. Click the # below.)
The polls are now open. Vote for your chance to control the action! Remember, you can add your own choice to the plot through the comments section or the poll below. Polls close at 12 noon EST tomorrow and reopen at 8 pm EST.
Group 1: Veronica, Elise, Natalie, David, Amélia, Eddie Location: Warehouse
The sight of the opened fence swept away Natalie’s balance.
She stumbled forward. David snatched her back and pressed her up against the
wall. “Stay down or we’re dead.” With his hand covering her mouth, Natalie was
hard-pressed to turn her head, but she did notice the armed men standing on the
other side of the wall as well as lining the gate and outer bushes. “Ok, stay
behind me but try and keep up. We have maybe three minutes to get from here to
the other side of the woods before they realize we’re gone. You ready?”
Group 4: Matthew, Josh, Liz, Jeremiah, Edward, Nicole Location: Barn/Farmhouse
Matthew approached the door with caution. In his earlier
attempts to open it, the damn thing seemed stuck, but now it was practically
begging for attention. Nicole stepped into the room behind him. With just a
look exchanged, she communicated her plan. She’d open the door, but Matthew
had better be ready to kill any non-living thing that moved.
Slowly, she turned the handle. To Matthew’s surprise, it was
no longer locked and appeared to turn with ease. Nicole took a step to the
side, silently counted down from 3 and swiftly jerked the door open. A man,
dressed in only a bathrobe fell through, hitting the floor face first. “Close
it! Close it!” he yelled, backing up into the room as he stared down the
passageway.
Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe Location: School
“You wanna explain why you’re bleeding? Or should I just
eliminate the possible risk of infection right now?” Jake asked, still aiming
his weapon at the woman’s head.
“The fridge fell,” she replied, matter-of-factly. “I jumped
out of the way to keep from getting smashed and landed on some broken glass.”
“And you’ve just been trapped in here this whole time?” Jake
asked, looking around the room. “Are you alone?”
“Yes. It’s a little hard to make friends when everyone’s either
dead or trying to kill you. In speaking of which, do you mind pointing your gun
somewhere else?” She asked, breathing a sigh of relief as Jake holstered his
weapon.
“Sorry about that. Have to be sure these days. I’m Jake. What’s
your name?”
“Sara,” she replied and glanced over at JC who completed the
introductions. “Now, if we done with that, do you mind telling me…”
Group 2: Katrina, Troy, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Aisha Location: Police Station
Ryan reached the end of the parking lot first with Troy
right behind him. Looking around, nothing seemed out of place. For the moment,
the sound had stopped. Ryan glanced back at Troy as if to say “told you so” and
began loading more rounds into his weapon. “Come on let’s…” the last of Troy’s
words were swallowed as the thumping sound returned, this time louder and
closer.
“The trunk,” Ryan nodded, motioning towards the early model
sedan parked midways down the lot. “I think someone’s inside. Take a look, I’ll cover you.”
Group 1: Veronica, Elise, Natalie, David, Amélia, Eddie Location: Warehouse
“Slowly, put your weapons on the ground and take a step
back,” the voice instructed. Veronica gazed over at Elise and quietly nodded
no. “NOW!”
More shadows danced along the ground. The man wasn’t alone.
Veronica squinted, focusing her eyes in the distance. Two figures, struggling.
A frantic howl came from the other side of the house, cut off abruptly by the
smack of something striking flesh. “EDDIE!” a woman screamed; a desperate cry
for help.
Ignoring the women he held at gunpoint, the man rushed
headlong towards the large country home, disappearing from view just on the
other side. “Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here,” Veronica said,
grabbing Elise’s arm as she attempted to flee.
“Wait, they need our help!” Elise replied, snatching free of
Veronica’s grasp.
Group 4: Matthew, Josh, Liz, Jeremiah, Edward, Nicole Location: Barn/Farmhouse
Matthew cocked his weapon and walked into the abandoned
farmhouse. Well, almost abandoned. Dust in the air. The smell of sweat. Someone
had been here not long ago and for all he knew, they were still inside. The
farmhouse roof provided a reprieve from the sun, if not the heat and for that
Matthew was grateful. The faint stench of death rode along the stale air that
carried throughout the opened space and he could make out a trail of dried
blood leading into another room.
His first instinct was to call out for anyone; check in
hopes the recently disturbed dust meant there was a living person somewhere
inside. But Matthew thought better of that. Even if there was a survivor,
judging by the amount of blood and the lingering smell of rot, they were not
alone. He blew out a breath and crept towards the other side of the room.
Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe Location: School
The creature leapt out. Nina ducked just as the flash of fur
lunged above her. Falling to the ground, she covered her face, waiting to feel
the sharp teeth of the animal tear into her flesh. But when the pain never
came, she slowly opened her eyes to find the dog had tackled a zombie ambling
towards her from the other end of the alley. Nina sat up and watched as the
animal ripped and snapped at the monster’s throat until it stopped moving and
its head was separated from its shoulders.
Group 2: Katrina, Troy, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Aisha Location: Police Station
“We’re here,” Dominic announced as he pulled the truck into
an available spot in front of the Cabot Creek Police Department. Glancing in
the rearview mirror he watched as their new friends found a spot nearby.
“You sure about this?” Katrina asked, watching the large
transport vehicle navigate into the parking spot.
“No. Which is exactly why we need to remain on guard at all
times,” Dominic said, grabbing his weapon from the center console before
hopping out.
“This the place?” Mat asked, stepping around the truck as he
took in the large, vacant building. “Doesn’t seem like anyone’s home.”
“As we may have mentioned before,” Katrina snapped. “Nothing
and no one is around besides rotting corpses. Whatever news report brought you
here was a lie.”
Group 1: Veronica, Elise, Natalie, David, Amélia, Eddie Location: Warehouse
“Keep running,” Veronica huffed as she charged forward in
front of Elise. Coming from the dark, thicker area of the woods into the
lighter open one, she could finally see where she was going without the use of
a flashlight and quickly tucked it into her backpack.
“Wait, Roni, we need to go back. The kids. Jeremiah and
Nina, they’re gone,” Elise said, leaning her body against a rock as she tried
to catch her breath.
“What? SHIT!” Veronica cussed, looking around and seeing
Elise was right. She had no idea at what point they’d lost the other two but
looking at the blaze, now visible above the trees, there was no way they could
go back. They would stand no chance of getting out alive. “We can’t go back. We
have to keep moving.”
Group 4: Matthew, Josh, Liz, Jeremiah, Edward, Nicole Location: Barn/Farmhouse
“I’m hit, I’m hit,” Josh groaned and fell back to the floor
dazed. Blood poured out of his shoulder and onto the floor. Liz moved quickly,
placing her hand over his wound to help stanch the bleeding.
More bullets riddled the wall over Matthew’s head and he
returned fire, watching the men outside scatter to new positions. “We need to
get out of here before one of two things happen: either this building is coming
down on our heads or those assholes outside are coming in,” Matthew said,
cracking off another round.
“Or, door number 3,” Liz chimed in, applying steady pressure
to Josh’s arm. “We run out of ammo.”
“That’s NOT happening,” Matthew replied, throwing his rifle
over his shoulder and reaching his hand out for Josh. “Can you stand?”
“Yeah,” Josh groaned, pulling himself to a seated position.
Matthew got him to his feet as Liz collected the rest of their weapons.
“The back is covered but we can probably get out through the utility door beside the kitchen. When we get outside, move as fast as you can for the gate near the pool. With any luck, we may be able to make it over the fence and through the woods before we’re seen. Alright?” he asked, waiting for confirmation from the others. “Alright. I got Josh. Liz, you take lead. Shoot anything that moves,” he said, tossing Josh’s good arm around his neck.
Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe Location: School
Cold, hard, autumn
winds brushed harshly against Jake’s face as he and JC sprinted as fast as they
could through the forest behind the compound. Left with very few options once
the reserve tanks went up, they grabbed what little they could find and huffed
it over the back fence. They had been surrounded instantly by trucks but
somehow managed to get away before the men fired upon them. But now it would
seem, their luck was running out.
His breathing was
labored, panicked, and seemingly short. They were still being chased. That much
he could tell. The sound of footsteps echoed through the woods around them and
every now and again he would see the beam of a flashlight bounce in the
darkness behind them. His heart thumped wildly sounding like one long, hard
beat nearly drowned out by heavy panting. They were running with no real idea
to where.
Group 2: Katrina, Troy, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Aisha Location: Police Station
Dominic drove, passing over the dry dirt of the desert
towards the heavily used trail they’d trekked on numerous occasions before. Katrina
kept his company while Troy snored in the backseat. They’d been driving for nearly
an hour, stopping only once to refuel the truck before continuing on to their
destination. For most of the trip the scenery was pretty peaceful, aside from
the occasional zombie, they hadn’t encountered anything rather unusual. Still,
Katrina remained on guard just to be sure.
The lights could be seen from the highway. At night, the
place lit up like the Rockefeller Center at Christmas. For the last two weeks, he’d
been watching and planning. He’d gotten to know the ins and outs of the place
rather well and everyone was set in a routine. He shut the walkie-talkie off
and retrieved his binoculars from his bag. Adjusting the focus, he gave a look
out over the compound, watching as his unknowing prey went about their day.
In three minutes, the two he’d come to know as ‘Spirited
Redhead’ and ‘Annoying Jock’ would be making their patrol. They’d pat along the
outer edge of the gate, keeping their backs to one another. When they reached
the rear of the mountain path they would split up, searching opposite ends of
the forest. It would take less than five minutes to make the trek around the
compound before they called it and headed back inside.
