Meanwhile

June 24, 2075

1033 CDT

Central Winner, South Dakota

Winner Tower

Teresa Young's Point of View

Oh, we somehow made it inside. A large dried-up fountain and a shattered statue of some essential-looking guy are in front of us, the securely barricaded glass doors we came in from behind us, behind the fountain is a large staircase that leads to the fifty stories above, to the left and right are empty stores and barricaded exits, and a skylight is on the ceiling. Sigh, teenagers had it so good in The Old World. I would’ve eaten all the junk this place had to offer if I had the chance. Heh, actually, it would’ve been more beneficial to create my own unhealthy establishment. But no matter where I look, everyone shares that same look on their face, that look of despair and the sound of dead silence. Sigh, time to sit down on the fountain and join them, I guess.

“TERESA?!” A girl’s voice screams from several floors above.

“SHHHHH!” Everyone shushes her.

“Oh, go, SHH, yourselves!” The girl shushes back.

“Quiet, Ruby,” Sonya loudly whispers.

Oh my god!

*

“Ok, ok, ok. I can’t buh-lieve Duy got shot, though!” Ruby vociferously whispers in the huddle.

“I can’t believe I got shot either,” Duy whispers as he shakes his head.

“Di-did it hurt?” Rachel asks.

“Yes, it hurt!” Duy responds in frustration.

“Oh,” Rachel says with a blank face.

“Does it still hurt?” Clueless Billy asks.

“Yes, it still hurts!” Duy replies in disbelief.

“We’re even now Duy, just in case you forgot,” Luke says with a proud look on his face.

“You shouldn’t be keeping track! Boys are and will always be oh, so stupid!” I say.

“We’re all about to die, and you guys are being immature,” Drew chimes in with a snobby tone.

“Drew man, we’re all just excited that everyone is ok,” Luke kindly explains.

“Yeah. We’re ok, for now,” Drew says in a snappy tone as Rachel offers him her hand. “No, I don’t want any bubblegum, Rachel!”

“But it’s delicious!” Rachel pleads with a dejected look on her face.

“No, it’s stale and is probably 147 years old,” Drew smartly denies.

“You’re 147 years old,” Rachel mutters under her breath.

“Captain, what’s the plan?” Sonya asks Duy.

You’re as intuitive and focused as always, Sonya. At least when you and Luke aren’t unknowingly flirting. Heh. Who am I kidding? Flirting undoubtedly gives you a power-up, but love is like a double-edged sword. It can make you feel like crap, but it can also make you feel like the strongest person in the universe.

“Well,” Duy says as he scratches his head. “I want to, but at the same time, I don’t want to listen to how Battalion A is doing,” Duy nervously explains.

“Well, it’s worth a try,” Rachel cheerfully says as she takes out her communicator.

“NOOO!” Battalion A shrieks in horror.

“Oh,” Rachel says as she turns off her communicator. “I-I regret that,” she pouts as she sits down and puts her face into her knees.

“Well, Captain? What the fuck are we going to do?” Drew asks Duy.

“I don’t fucking know, Drew!” Duy answers back.

“You’re the Captain, so do your job!” Drew whines.

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“Drew, shut up,” Sonya demands.

“No, you shut up. You’re the strongest soldier in our Battalion, so why are you just sitting on your ass?” Drew inquires angrily.

“Hey, don’t tell her to shut up!” Luke says as he steps forward towards Drew.

“You two are the most experienced, but you haven’t accomplished shit!” Drew points out. “You’re in the same grave as us!”

“Drew, we’re friends, man, but I’ll beat your fucking ass if you continue to talk down on Sonya and me,” Luke threatens in a serious tone.

“Oh, did I offend the lovebirds? Well, too fucking bad! And who said we were friends? I don’t know you. You, your guardian, and your girlfriend have shady pasts. I wouldn’t even interact with you if we weren’t squadmates,” Drew angrily continues.

“Hey, nobody is kicking anybody’s ass without my permission, and I don’t recall giving my permission,” Duy steps in.

“Please don’t fight,” Rachel and Billy plead as they get in between Luke and Duy.

“No fighting! We should be spreading peace and positivity, yo!” Rachel cries in desperation.

We’ll kill each other before the undead does at this rate.

“Listen, you, idiots,” Ruby says as she approaches Luke and Drew. “People are dying while we sit on our asses and pout and fight amongst ourselves! If anybody needs their ass kicked, it’s all those zombies out there for fucking up our world and hurting our friend! So instead of arguing, we need to figure out a way to send all of these zombies to hell!” Ruby whispers loudly. “Teresa Young!” Ruby says as she turns her attention to me.

“What Ruby?” I ask.

“You need to stay strong because you’re the spirit of the squad, remember? I mean, I know I hog all the style, personality, and sexiness, which I do promise to share one day, but you’re the most intelligent one here. When the Captain and even Sonya don’t have an answer to a situation, we all turn to you,” Ruby explains to me.

I guess…

“Teresa, we’ll have plenty of time to pout and be sad later, but we can’t do that if we’re dead, so listen,” Ruby says as she kneels to my level and grabs my shoulders. “You have the largest head of us all. That means you’re the smartest one here, and knowledge is power which also makes you the strongest, despite the hindrance your anxiety provides,” Ruby says with a calm look in her eyes.

Ruby, you’re finally growing up.

“Heh. Only someone with a head as large as yours would say something like that, but the truth is, I-I don’t see a way out of this,” I say. “I’m honestly not sure what to do for once.”

“What are you talking about?” A wide-eyed girl says as she approaches us. “There’s only one thing left for us to do now,” she says as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a knife.

Shit! Sh-she fucking cut her own wrist!

“Selena!” A boy quietly screams as she rushes to her aid.

I thought I got used to this shit, but I haven’t! I can’t, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing! How can I ever expect to survive The New World if I can’t even handle something as small as this?!

“Look at the sky!” Billy says as he points at a bright green flare.

Our communicators are buzzing!

“Hello? Battalion B? Is anyone there?” A girl’s voice calls out as we all open our communicators.

“It’s Michelle!” Ruby announces excitedly.

“… to anyone who’s listening,” Michelle continues. “I’ve been bitten, so I don’t have a lot of time left on this earth. It’s so scary, knowing when you’re going to die. It’s like watching a countdown timer to your own death. You can feel your own body slowly get weaker and weaker, but the infection doesn’t even compare to the cold realization that you’re never going to get better. It’s the last time you’ll ever be sick again, no matter how much you try to trick your brain into thinking otherwise. This plague or whatever truly is an incurable disease, but that doesn’t mean we should stop fighting. Never stop fighting, no matter what. We might not have been able to experience what it was like to be normal teenagers like the ones in The Old World, but that’s all the more reason to fight. I don’t know if there will ever be a cure or a weapon strong enough to kill all these zombies, but I do know that I don’t want the next generation to go through the… the hellish nightmare we’ve been thrown into. The difference between us and the undead is that our hearts are beating, and there aren’t. We are all living, breathing, beautiful creatures capable of doing anything we put our minds to. The undead are just the soulless corpses of our fallen brothers and sisters. They might look like someone we once knew, but don’t let those devils deceive you. The zombies are evil, monstrous creatures with only one goal in mind. Eat. We are currently in a new age, The Age of Zombies, however, this is just another obstacle in humanity’s path. The Zodiacs, Azrael, and even the Halos are all dangerous things to think about, but never forget that human beings are the ones who invented these things, which proves we’re capable of ending The Age of Zombies. I, along with many others, will never see that day, but as long as someone gets to see the next age, then I believe that all of this pain and suffering is worth it! Never forget that we are all humans! This is our Earth! Our kingdom! Never forget that everyone fighting here today are all Olympians! We are all brothers and sisters in arms! This horror must not reach the next generation! Our generation must find a way to cure this plague and annihilate every single zombie motherfucker that roams across this earth! All I can do is hope that my words and actions will bring people out of despair for one last final push. Battalion A is relying on us, and we’re relying on them. All we have to do is be brave enough for one last push. I gave everyone the first spark of hope, and all I can do is pray that it was enough inspiration. This is Michelle Fox, Captain of Squad Hades, over and out.”

Heh, There’s that noise again.

“There’s more!” Someone suddenly yells out as they point towards the inspiring green flares in the sky.

Maybe, just maybe we’ll get a happy ending after all. A happy ending is the least we deserve.

“Well?” Luke says as he stands on top of the fountain ledge. “You all heard Michelle. We can do this! We have to do this! Battalion A has the firepower to annihilate every single one of those ugly bastards, and all we have to do is distract those fucks long enough for them to safely set up the Deathbringers!”

“One final push!” Duy says as he stands beside Luke.

“For our kingdom!” Billy and Rachel say as they stand beside Luke and Duy.

“For Michelle Fox and Squad Hades!” Ruby says as she stands with them and drags the reluctant Drew along.

“For our fallen brothers and sisters!” Sonya says as she stands beside them as well.

Heh. I guess I’m next.

“I’m so little. Hungh!” I say as I climb on the fountain with help from my friends.

“For Olympus!!!” I yell at the top of my lungs.

“FOR OLYMPUS!!!” A mixture of voices yells in unison from the very bottom to the top of the mighty tower.