Chapter 13 September 26th, 2037

We’ve been in the van for the last couple of days, only getting out when we find a proper safe house or when we are looking for gas. The whole time driving on the road we have not had a clue which way we are going. Gas stations have been few and far between, and sometimes just finding a gas station isn’t the only problem. Many places have been tapped out; others are overrun with infected. Many of the stores have also been cleaned out or destroyed leaving us with minimal provisions. Kennedy hasn’t even talked to me since the incident, choosing to do most of her night shifts with Fanny. When I took over driving earlier this morning, I noticed a sign that welcomed us into Washington D.C.

“Are you kidding me?” Connor says from the passenger seat.

“What?” I ask jerking at the wheel.

“We’ve only just arrived in D.C. We couldn’t have been more than an hour away a few days ago,” he says visibly upset.

“How are you surprised?” Natalie says sticking her head through the opening dividing the front and back, “I mean come on we were driving in circles for a while. Hell, I’m surprised we haven’t seen a moose welcoming us to Canada.”

“Yeah I’m sure that would have gone over well,” I say with a chuckle.

Natalie starts laughing with me while Connor stares at us with a disgusted look on his face. A loud “POP” sound is heard from underneath us and the van starts to sway back and forth across the road. I try to slow the van down, but by the time I hit the brakes it’s too late, the passenger side tire catches the curb, flipping the van onto its side as it continues to keep gliding on the asphalt. We keep going until the van crashes into a building. I can hear the others in the back hit the side of the van hard. Connor is upside down beside me, I watch for a second, worried that the worst had happened. I can hear him gasping for air before opening his eyes. I try to free myself from my seat but the buckle gives me problems. I shuffle through my pocket searching for my knife, the rest of my contents dropping as I search. It takes me a moment but I finally manage to pull my knife out. I flip open the blade and furiously saw at the safety belt. I hit the roof of the van hard when I finally free myself but I don’t let the pain stop me. I try opening the door but it fights me. I stretch out uncomfortably, my head nuzzled in Connor’s stomach as I use my feet to kick the window out and slide out. I kick the glass away before getting back on the ground and tugging Connor’s body out through the window. His eyes are still half open and his breathing is sluggish, but I swear I could see him smiling slightly when I prop him up against the side of the van. I rush to the back door and tug on the handle as hard as I can until finally I get one door to open.

“Is everyone all right?” I ask hopefully.

“No,” Natalie calls out, “I’m bleeding heavily. Kennedy and Penelope were knocked out.”

“What about Fanny and Matthew?” I ask.

“She took a lot of damage. She’s unconscious and barley breathing, I kind of crushed her when we stopped,” Natalie says, her voice showing considerable pain, “Matthew hit his head pretty hard but he’s still breathing.

I climb into the back of the van, and see Natalie staring at me, pain in her eyes, her hands pressed forcibly against her right side. I reach out for her hand, and she resists for a moment before giving me one. I can feel a warm sticky substance on her hand as I grip it tightly and pull her to her feet. I manage to get her out of the van with little trouble and I sit her down beside Connor.

“Wait here,” I say before rushing back into the van.

“Where else am I going to go?” I hear her say sarcastically.

I look at Matthew and the three girls, each passed out and sprawled across the inside. I decide to take Fanny out first, grabbing her under her arms and sliding her along the ground and out of the van. I place her on the opposite side of Connor and she struggles to stay up. I sob lightly as I try to make her comfortable. I manage to lean her head against Connor’s body before I head back into the van. I get inside and stop in front of Matthew who is lying face down on the ground. I roll him over and notice all the blood escaping from the gashes across his face. I grasp his hands firmly and pull him out. I lean him up next to Fanny before I do a quick check of the abrasions over his face, luckily they are nothing major. I take a quick breath before heading back inside the van. I stop when I’m inside, I look at the two girls lying unconscious as my head jerks back and forth trying to decide who to take out first. I sigh heavily before reaching down and grabbing Kennedy’s limp body and dragging her outside. I place her next to Natalie who has started to breathe heavily, her teeth clenched tightly together.

“How you doing?” I ask.

“Just fine,” She grunts, “and you?”

“Peachy,” I try to joke.

I leave Natalie one last time and head back inside for Penelope. Inside the van I spot the bags and weapons. I start searching through the bags until I come across Kennedy’s. I throw it over my shoulders before wrapping Penelope up in my arms and dragging her outside with the others. I sit her up next to Kennedy and take a few steps back, watching to make sure both of them were breathing. Natalie lets out a soft cry, getting my attention. I kneel down in front of her, swinging Kennedy’s bag off my back, and begin digging through it.

“What are you doing?” Natalie asks.

“Looking for something to help you,” I answer without looking up. I stumble across the box Kennedy keeps wrapped up with needles and pain medicine. I read the labels on each of the glass vials until I find the one marked ‘Toradol’. I open a syringe and begin to fill it.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” she asks.

“Not really,” I answer as I jab the needle down into her leg. I slowly push the plunger down releasing the medicine into her body. She lets out a soft sigh when I finish the injection. “Now, let’s take a look at that wound,” I say pulling her hand away. Her shirt is covered with blood and sticks to her body as I try to lift it up to get a better look.

“Just rip it off for Christ’s sake,” she cries in pain.

Hesitantly I rip her shirt free of her body revealing the black sports bra underneath. The wound isn’t too big, only about three inches long, but I can tell it is deep. I pull out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and twist the top off.

“This is probably going to sting,” I warn her.

“Stop talking and just do it,” She orders.

I pour a sensible amount out of the bottle causing Natalie to cry out slightly. I wipe the wound softly with my hand. I feel something inside the gash but I can’t see it.

“Wait right here, I’ll be right back,” I assure her as I jump to my feet.

I rush back inside the van and search for Connor’s bag. I find his bag as fast as possible and rush back out to Natalie’s side.

“You left me for a bag?” She grunts.

“No, I left you for these,” I say pulling out the needle nose pliers from Connor’s bag.

“What are you going to do with those?” she asks concerned.

“There is something inside the cut. I’m going to reach in and pull it out,” I answer.

“Are you sure that’s safe?” she questions.

“Safer then leaving it inside you,” I nod.

“Maybe we should wait for Kennedy instead,” she debates.

“We don’t know how long she’ll be out for. I think this is the best idea,” I urge.

“Fine, do it quick,” she says through her teeth.

I nod in agreement as I wash the pliers thoroughly with the alcohol before opening them slightly and digging them into the wound. She sobs as I dig deeper into the wound. I close the handles and slowly pull it back out of her. I can see an item grasped at the end of the pliers. I wriggle it free slowly trying not to hurt her. It finally slides out and I notice it is a piece of metal, most likely part of the van that broke off during the collision.

“Did you get it?” she asks full of tears.

“Yeah,” I reply showing her the small piece of metal, “now why don’t we wrap you up.”

She nods in agreement. I pull out whatever gauze I can find in the bag and place it on top of the gash. I have her hold it tightly as I search frantically for something to wrap around her. There is nothing in Kennedy’s bag that will do me any good. I start digging through Connor’s bag hoping that he might have something. I continue to dig until I find a roll of packing tape at the bottom of his bag.

“What are you going to do with that?” she asks, a nervous look on her face.

“I have to wrap the dressing so that it doesn’t get infected,” I reply, “unless you have another idea.”

She sighs before giving in. I start to unwrap the tape, gently applying it around Natalie’s stomach. I go around one more time to make sure nothing gets through.

“There, good as new,” I smile at her.

“Yeah, just like the day I was born,” she laughs before cringing in pain. “What are we going to do now?”

“I don’t know, but I need to find us shelter, fast,” I reply.

“No, I meant about that,” she says pointing behind me.

I slowly turn my head not wanting to deal with anything else, only to find half a dozen Zombies coming my way.

“Son of a bitch,” I say exasperated.

I pull out the guns in both Kennedy and Connor’s bags before rushing back inside the van for my sword. I swing my sword over my back and check each magazine, both full. I run back to my friends and stand in front of them, both guns cocked as I wait for the Zombies to engage us. The first Zombie swipes at me, its mouth wide open, saliva dripping from its mouth. I unload two bullets through its mouth. It staggers backward a few steps before regaining its balance. It starts back at me, more enraged then before.

“On your left!” Natalie calls out.

I turn sharply to my left just in time to see another Zombie coming at me. I shoot another bullet, hitting this one directly in the forehead. I press my boot down on the felled Zombie’s neck keeping him on the ground as I pocket one of the guns and reach for the handle of my sword. I shoot the first Zombie in the chest, again backing it up. I remove my foot before swiping downward, removing the head from the second Zombie. I look around and find myself cornered by the remaining five Zombies, one making his way towards Matthew’s body. I shoot the one working its way toward Matthew, knocking it to the ground. I continue to unload on the rest of the Zombies until the gun is out of bullets. I toss the empty gun backward and start swiping my blade back and forth. I manage to decapitate one more Zombie before my right arm is grabbed by a Zombie who digs its teeth deep into my arm. I stab my blade through the beast’s face, peeling it off my arm. My sword still stuck in its head as it starts coming at me again. I look down momentarily reaching for the second gun and blood flowing from the teeth marks but adrenaline is pumping that allows me to block out the pain.

“Natalie?” I call back.

“Yeah?” she says slightly drugged.

“I’m sorry, but I think we are going to die,” I say waving the gun randomly back and forth unsure of who to attack first.

Smashing sounds catch my attention as fire starts burning. I look up and see a bottle overhead, fire trailing behind it until another smashing sound is heard releasing another rush of fire on the ground. A grunting sound can be heard before a third burst of fire is seen, this one connecting with a Zombie. The Zombie squeals as the fire consumes the entirety of the Zombie. The rest of the pack back away from the fire growling as they do.

“Don’t go away, I have enough for you all,” a man calls out beside me. He is dress in brown pants that are stuffed into his black army boots, a white tank top is noticeable under his camouflage jacket. He has another bottle in his hand half full with a brown liquid, a rag hanging out from the top. He has a sheath strapped to his waist and shotgun on his back. He lights the rag and I take a step back as a smile grows on his face. He tosses the flaming bottle connecting with another Zombie, sending it bursting in flames. He then pulls the shotgun off his back and struts over toward the remaining three Zombies, cocking his shotgun as he walks. He points his gun at the closest Zombie and pulls the trigger sending the shell scattering out of the barrel. The Zombie’s head explodes as the man pulls the shotgun back and cocks it again. Another Zombie heads his way hissing as he points the shotgun at the approaching Zombie, the barrel slides into the creature’s mouth as the man smiles. “Good-bye,” he taunts before pulling the trigger again blasting the head completely off the undead creature. He slides the shotgun back over his shoulders and onto his back. He then reaches down for the handle at his hip and pulls out a curved bladed machete. He tosses it sideways like a boomerang, the curved blade slicing through the last Zombie’s head.

“Alright, that was freaking awesome,” Natalie says her voice slurred from the pain medicine.

I look back at Natalie who keeps falling in and out of sleep, “my friend is right, that was pretty intense,” I say to the man as he gathers his weapon from the ground.

“Thanks. I’ve killed so many of these things I’ve started to make a game of it,” he laughs walking over to me, “The name’s Mason, Lieutenant Mason Daily.”

“Nice to meet you Lieutenant,” I say shaking his hand, “I don’t suppose you have any medical training? My friends are hurt.”

“Me? No, I prefer to cause trauma, not heal it. But Dr. Fairfield does, that’s why he sent me here to help you,” he says.

“Wait, who is Dr. Fairfield? And how did he know we needed help?” I ask.

Mason points to a surveillance camera pointing toward the van, “Those cameras are placed all over the city. The doctor hacked into the system and has been keeping an eye on everything.”

“What about other survivors?” I ask.

“No, it’s just me and Dr. Fairfield,” Mason answers as a soft rumble is heard above us, “We should hurry up, a storm is coming.”

“But how are we going to carry them all?” I ask.

“Who said anything about carry?” Mason asks with a smirk before walking back the way he came. I hear a loud noise that sounds like ‘la cucaracha’ coming from where Mason went. A few seconds later I hear the rev of an engine as Mason pulls up in an El Camino. The El Camino is black with bright orange and red flames along the side. He revs the engine a few more times before getting out. “Pretty sweet huh?”

“Isn’t it a bit much?” I ask.

“I like it,” Natalie says with a thumbs up.

“Hey, if I’m going out during the apocalypse, I’m going to do it in style,” He replies with a smile.

“Are we all going to fit?” I ask.

“It will be a tight squeeze, but I believe so. You and the other one can ride up front with me. The others will have to manage in the back,” he answers.

I don’t know how we manage to do it but somehow we manage to fit all eight of us into the El Camino with little problem. Mason is the last of us to jam himself in, just as the rain starts to fall. He revs the engine a few times before peeling out. He flies through the city wildly, taking sharp turns and aiming for dead bodies in the road. I can feel the thumps under the tires each time.

“Don’t you think you slow down a bit? I mean what if the others fall out?” I question with my hands wrapped tightly around the safety bar.

“Nah its fine,” He replies, “I made sure to strap them in before we left.”

He speeds around another corner, coming to a long stretch of road that leads to the Lincoln monument. He picks up speed as he drives straight for the side wall.

“Um Mason?” I start, fidgeting in my seat, “Wall. WALL! WALL!!” I scream, my eyes closed as I brace for impact.

I hear Mason laugh and I open my eyes slightly and watch him push a button on the dash. An opening in the side of the monument opens up just big enough for Mason to drive through it. Lights line the inside of the tunnel, but there is nothing to see with the exception of cement. He drives a few moments longer before slamming on the brakes.

I jump out of the passenger side door, my heart still beating fast as I walk around the front of the vehicle, reaching the driver’s side just as Mason gets out. “Alright I want a straight answer, who the hell are you? Batman?”

“No, I’m just a soldier. At least I was. There are many of these secret bunkers hidden all over this country,” he starts.

“I know that. We found one in New York a while ago that had about two hundred survivors in it.

“Really? That many. Are they still there? How is there food situation?” he asks visually concerned.

“They aren’t there anymore. Matter of fact the whole bunker is gone. Emmanuel, the leader of that bunker blew it up when we were forced to evacuate,” I answered.

“What forced you to evacuate a six billion dollar government secret bunker? There should have been enough supplies to last them at ten years,” Mason asks.

“Food and water became scarce, they squandered it, eventually having to send teams out in search of supplies. A massive horde surrounded the bunker leaving us little choice but to evacuate,” I respond.

“How many made it out alive?” he asks.

“Out of the two hundred? Six,” I answer feeling sick as I answer, “Of those only the priest, the little girl, and one in the front seat are still alive. That we know of. I got knocked out as we started fleeing the city.”

“Either way, I’m glad you survived,” a voice calls out from the shadows. A figure steps out of the darkness, revealing himself in the light. He looks older than the rest of us, somewhere in his early fifties. He has brown hair with graying patches, small glasses sit on the bridge of his nose and a three day beard graces his chin. He has on a white lab coat over black slacks and a blue button down shirt. His fingers fidget at his side before he clasps his hands together.

“And who are you?” I ask suspicious.

“I’m sorry, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Doctor Jeremy Fairfield. Now what do you say we unload your friends and I have a look at them?” he responds.

“How do I know I can trust you?” I ask softly.

“You don’t,” he replies, “but how long do you think your friends can survive without my help?” he extends his hand to me.

I stare at him, my mind racing as I decide what the best choice is. I sigh before giving in to him, “alright, heal my friends. Can you start with the one still in the front seat? I had to remove a piece of metal from her stomach.”

“Will do,” Doctor Fairfield says with a smile.

Mason rolls over a gurney before helping me lift Natalie out of the front seat. Doctor Fairfield and Mason roll her into an examining room as I wait patiently outside the room for Mason to come back out some time later with another gurney for the next of my friends. We load Fanny onto the next gurney. It continues one by one, Matthew, Kennedy, Penelope, and Connor each get rolled into the examining room before Doctor Fairfield comes back out and sits down beside me a pad of paper in his hands.

“Thank you for being so patient,” he chuckles after the word patient, “I’ve finished examining your friends. The first one I examined…”

“Natalie,” I say as he struggles to remember her name.

“Yes Natalie. She had some minor cuts and bruises along her back and chest, along with a deep gash in her lower abdomen. I didn’t find any remnants of metal left inside. You did well, in both retrieving it and covering the wound,” he says patting my hands, “but I removed your dressing and stitched her up. I also gave her a shot of antibiotics to keep it from becoming infected.”

“And the others?” I ask impatiently.

He flips though his notepad, “the smaller male, he woke up during the examination. He became irritable so I gave him a shot of valium to calm him down, he’s resting now. Other than that he seems fine. The bigger male on the other hand looks as if he hit his head rather hard, there was a small abrasion in the back of his head. We managed to patch it back up without having to shave his head, but I’m going to have to keep an eye on him tomorrow. The young girl has a cracked sternum, nothing to serious, but she is going to be in some pain for a while. The two other girls I have Mason watching, they both have major concussions.” His eyes drop to the floor.

“What does that mean?” I ask getting his attention back.

“Quite simply they have head trauma and I don’t know when, or if they will wake up,” he says softly.

“Can I see them?” I ask.

“Tomorrow would be better. I can have Mason show you to your room. We have clean running water if you want to take a shower. We have some clothes in the supply closet that might fit you if you want to check,” he replies.

“What about weapons?” I ask.

“Oh don’t worry, we have plenty of those,” Mason says from the doorway.

“What happened to your weapons?” Doctor Fairfield asked.

“There wasn’t enough room in the El Camino for our bags. The only other thing I managed to take with me is my sword,” I answer.

“Then it’s settled, Mason, take our new friend here to the supply closet for some clothes, the armory for a weapon and then show him to a room for the night,” Doctor Fairfield says with a smile before getting up and walking back into the examination room.

“Do you always take orders from him like that?” I ask after the doctor leaves.

“I’m a soldier, I do better when I have orders to follow,” Mason smirks.

“Sounds familiar,” I whisper to myself.

Mason extends his arm, gesturing me to follow him. I stare at the door to the examination room before letting out an exasperated breath and following Mason reluctantly. He takes me down a hall rambling as we walk. I tune him out, not meaning to be rude but my thoughts were focused on my friends. I almost walk into him when he stops in front of a door. He opens it and flips on the light switch revealing clothes lined along each of the walls with several racks placed in the center, each one stuffed full of clothes.

“This is insane,” I say as I step into the room.

“Impressive right?” Mason says with a massive grin on his face, “Now men’s shoes and under garments are along the right wall, followed by pants, shirts, and then jackets.”

“Why would you need jackets in a heated environment?” I ask.

“You know what, I asked that very same question the first time I saw this room too. Know what Doctor Fairfield said to me?” Mason answers.

“No, what?” I ask.

“He said, ‘don’t ask’,” Mason answers with another chuckle.

I wander around the room searching for clothes in my size. I pick through each rack, unimpressed with the selection of clothing. Most of the items are tailored for scientist and politicians, slacks and button down shirts. I give in eventually, taking a pair of boots, black slacks, and a red polo shirt. Curiosity gets the best of me before I leave and I thumb through the jackets. I pull out a long black jacket and try it on. It fits perfectly, the bottom flowing near my calves.

“That looks bad ass on you,” Mason says.

“It feels good too,” I say, “may I?”

“Take it,” Mason nods.

We leave the supply room and he takes me further down the hall to another door at the end of the hallway. He presses his thumb down on a scanner and I watch as a red light analyzes his thumb print.

“Access granted,” a computer voice says, “Welcome Lieutenant Mason Daily.”

I can hear the locks turning from inside the walls before the door cracks open. Mason pushes the door open the rest of the way, ceiling lights come on as we walk into the room revealing a mass assortment of weapons.

“Well I can see where most of the budget went,” I say amazed.

“This is where I spend most of my time,” Mason says patting me on the back.

“I can see why,” I say picking up on of the handguns closest to me, “this feels incredible.”

“It should, most of these guns never even made it out of research and development,” Mason says.

“That’s the government for you, always keeping the best stuff for themselves,” I retort.

“Yeah, well now it’s ours,” He says nudging me with his elbow, “so which one do you want?”

“So many to choose from,” I say looking around at everything, “but I think I’ll stick with this one.” I say patting the gun still in my hand.

“That’s a good choice. Now how about I show you to the showers, and your room?” Mason says.

I nod, I can’t wait to take a shower I feel so grimy. I place the gun in the pocket of my new jacket as Mason walks me out of the armory and scans his thumb again.

“Armory door locked and secure,” the mechanical voice says again after the door swings shut and the locks grinding closed.

Mason walks me back down the sterile hallway, past the supply closet and down another corridor. We continue on down this new corridor until he stops me in front of another door.

“This will be your room while you are here. Your friends will be assigned rooms later after they recover. My room is down this corridor, third door on the left. Doctor Fairfield’s is across from mine, but he spends most of his time in his lab. The shower is all the way at the end, think you can manage?” Mason asks.

“I think so,” I answer.

“Good, I’m going to head back to the Doctor now to see if he needs any help. You should probably rest after your shower, it’s been a busy day,” Mason recommends.

“Thank you,” I mutter, “for everything today.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just a soldier who wants to save as many lives as possible,” Mason smiles.

I watch him walk down the hall and turn back toward the examination room. I open the door to my room, it seems pretty plain after seeing the other rooms. The room is all white, looking something like a hospital room, it even smells sterile. I place my sword and jacket on the neatly made bed and head down the hall toward the shower with my new clothes firmly in my hands.

Chapter 14 September 23rd, 2037

I don’t know what time it is when I wake up, with no clocks or windows in my room and my watch smashed during the last Zombie attack. But I don’t really care, it just felt good to take a nice hot shower and pass out on a real bed. I get to my feet and stretch, my body feels more relaxed then it has in months. I get myself dressed and walk out of the bedroom. I look up and down the corridors looking for any sign of Mason or Doctor Fairfield. I don’t see anything that strikes me as odd so I work my way through the labyrinth of hallways until I find my way back to the El Camino and the examination room. I reach my hand out for the doorknob only to have the door open before I could reach it. I am greeted by Doctor Fairfield who pushes me backward lightly before closing the door behind him.

“Ah Damian, good morning,” Doctor Fairfield says with a wide grin, “I trust you slept well?”

I nod, “Yes, best sleep I’ve had in months, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, what good is this multibillion-dollar government facility if I can’t help out some survivors?” He asks with a soft chuckle.

“Yes, right,” I say clearing my throat, “Doctor Fairfield…”

“Please, call me Jeremy,” he says interrupting me.

“Right, Jeremy,” I say uneasily, “I was hoping I could see my friends now.”

He looks at me, his eyes trying to study me. He is silent for a moment before nodding his head. “Right this way,” he says as the doors to the examination room reopen. “You can see them, but I’ll ask that you keep your visit short. They still need time to rest and heal.”

“Understood,” I say.

Lights power on as we walk into the examination room. The room is sterile white, a stainless steel table in the middle of the floor with various tools surrounding it. To the left of the table there are swinging double doors that lead out into a long hallway. Jeremy holds one of the doors open for me, his free hand gesturing me to follow. The hallway is just as white and sterile and white as everything else in this bunker is.

“This is Kennedy’s room,” he says stopping beside a door on the left side of the hallway, “I’ll wait out here for you. Just remember she is still asleep so don’t expect much interaction from her.”

I nod before cautiously walking into Kennedy’s room, not sure what to expect. The room is small, just a little bigger than the bed where Kennedy is laying and the monitor showing her vitals. A soft light comes, not enough to bother her while she sleeps but enough for me to see my way through the room. I walk up to the left side of her bed and kneel down beside her. I place my hand over hers, taking care not to damage the I.V. that is slowly keeping her hydrated.

“I’m so sorry,” I start, “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I don’t just mean the van flipping over, I mean everything. I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry.”

I go to remove my hand from hers but I can feel resistance as her thumb squeezes down on my hand. My eyes dart from her hand to her face hoping to see her awake, only to find her still asleep. I take my hand back from her, disappointed and stroke her hair back softly for a few moments before walking out of the room.

“Was it what you expected?” Jeremy asks.

“For the most part,” I answer, “whose next?”

“Penelope. She’s right next door,” Jeremy says solemnly, “I wanted to keep them close, just in case.”

“Just in case of what?” I ask, my heartbeat slowing as I think of the worse scenario.

“Just in case they start to code,” he admits. He stops me as we make it to Penelope’s room, “I wasn’t going to say anything, we aren’t sure what to expect at this point.”

“Its fine,” I say turning my head away from him, hiding the fallen tears, “I understand.”

I push the door open and walking into the small room. It is identical to Kennedy’s. The soft glow of the ceiling light guides me to Penelope’s bed. Before kneeling down beside her, I press my lips against her forehead. The monitor beeps faster for a moment grabbing my attention.

“Penelope?” I ask hoping that it wasn’t a mistake, “Penelope can you hear me?” I ask again, my hand now firmly wrapped around hers. “Come on, you need to wake up. I need you by my side.” I plead. “I need you with me.” I sob.

The monitor beeps again, I can feel her hand twitching slightly. She starts to gasp for air, her body convulsing with each breathe.

“JEREMY! Doctor Fairfield!” I cry out never letting go of her hand.

Doctor Fairfield rushes through the door pulling me away from Penelope, my hand trying to hold on to her.

“What’s happening to her?” I ask.

“She’s seizing,” he replies pulling a syringe out of his pocket. He screws it into the port attached to the I.V. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave so I can take care of this,” he orders.

Reluctantly I leave the room. I press my back against the wall outside of the room, I slide down until I am firmly on the ground. Both my hands are planted on my head as I start to rock back and forth. Time seems to be everlasting as I wait for Jeremy to come back out of the room. His hair is disheveled and he has a drained look.

“How is she doc?” I ask breathing heavily.

“She’s fine. I managed to stop the seizing for now,” He says before kneeling down in front of me, “I just want you to be prepared for the worst. You know she might never wake from this.”

“She will,” I say through the tears, “they both will. Why? Because my team doesn’t give up,” I wipe the tears away, “who can I see next?”

“Are you sure you want to continue?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say getting back onto my feet.

“Alright. Next is Matthew,” Jeremy says, “He was up at last check.”

He points me to door next to Penelope’s. I slowly open the door, the light is already on and Matthew is sitting up in his bed muttering.

“Why are you punishing me God? Why? What did I do that was so wrong?” I can hear him ask I get closer to his side.

“Matthew?” I call out to him getting his attention. He looks at me with a wild look in his eyes, “Matthew, it’s me Damian, how are you feeling?”

“I’m doing as well as could be expected. Except God has forsaken me, turned a blind eye to me for no reason what so ever,” he says angrily.

“It wasn’t God that turned his back on you,” I say, a harsh tone in my voice, “it was you who turned your back on him.”

“Don’t try to lecture me in things you could never understand,” Matthew spat.

“LISTEN,” I shout back at him, “I may not understand God, or how you could so idiotically follow some false idol. But I do know one thing, if there is a God he already saved you. First he gave you the bunker, than he saved you again, even when he allowed so many others to suffer and die. Then once again you take it upon yourself to gather up the others and flee our safe house, getting everyone but yourself killed. So again I repeat, God hasn’t abandoned you. Instead he’s kept you with me. Yes you got it, he’s punishing you. Deal with it.” I turn my back on Matthew and walk away, my hands trembling in rage. “Who’s next?” I ask when I meet up with Jeremy out in the halls.

“It looks like Connor is the next one on the list,” he says, his eyes focused on his notebook. His eyes peer up over the notebook back at my trembling hands, “are you ok? You’re shaking.”

“Yeah I’m fine. Matthew just manages to get under my skin sometimes,” I admit, my hands rubbing my face.

“Oh my goodness,” Jeremy cries out, grabbing my arm, “You’re injured.” He rubs his fingers up my arm softly removing part of the sleeve that was covering the bite marks. My arm looks pale with the exception of the red irritation around the small oval marking. “You didn’t mention you were hurt in the accident.”

“Because I wasn’t,” I say pulling my arm away and rolling my sleeve back down, “I got this from a Zombie after the accident, but before Sargent Steroids showed up.”

“It’s Lieutenant Steroids,” Mason says coming up from behind me.

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“We need to get that looked at and cleaned up,” Jeremy says reaching for my arm again.

“Its fine,” I say pulling it away again.

“You don’t know that, for all you know it could be infected,” Jeremy says.

“I’ve dealt with bites, and worse before,” I say.

“Have they been treated properly in the past?” he questions.

I think about it for a moment. Kennedy always took care of our wounds, big or small. But I trusted her with my life, I don’t trust him yet. But I really don’t have the luxury of waiting around to find out if he is trustworthy, “Yes. Kennedy has some medical training, she used to take care of all our medical needs.”

“Then she would agree with me that this needs to be taking care of, right?” he debates.

“I suppose she would,” I admit, “but we really weren’t on speaking terms when we got into the accident.”

“Well then,” he says taking a back, “do it to spite her. Show her your will to live!” there is much emphasis in his voice.

Reluctantly I agree to join him. He walks me back down the hallway, Mason close behind. He takes me back the main area that we first entered. He pats the table wanting me to climb up and take a seat before turning and digging through a drawer behind the table.

“I’ll stand if that’s ok,” I say defensively.

“Alright, if you insist,” Jeremy says a tray full of tools in his hands. My eyes focus on the needles.

“Thank you,” I gulp.

“The first thing I’m going to do is take some blood. You’ve been away from proper medical care long enough, let’s see how well your body really is holding up,” he says rolling my sleeve up, checking for a viable vein. He finds one and sticks the needle deep into my skin causing me to flinch. I’ve always hated needles, now I hate them now more than ever. He takes two full vials and hands them to Mason. “Please bring those to my lab. Keep them close to the others.” Mason nods and leaves with the vials.

“Wait, others? Are you telling me you took everyone else’s blood as well?” I ask concerned.

“Yes,” he answers honestly, “It’s strictly routine I promise.”

I allow him to continue even as feelings of distrust build in my mind. He gives me a shot of antibiotics and cleans the teeth marks thoroughly with rubbing alcohol. Lastly he bandages my arm in gauze.

“We should check that again later,” he starts, “need to keep that wound clean.”

“Yeah, sure,” I rub my arm. It actually feels pretty good even though I hate to admit it, “Now can I see the others?”

“I suppose. But only because you were a good little patient,” Doctor Fairfield jokes.

I chuckle at his poor attempt for a joke. Anything that would make him think I still trust him. He brings me back down the corridor, past Kennedy and Penelope’s quiet rooms. I can hear Matthew still sobbing in his. Connor is asleep in his bed, his monitors look normal, at least nothing sounds bad. He looks peaceful and I don’t want to disturb him, I give him a smile before giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before turning to leave.

“This is why I should stick to driving,” Connor says weakly.

I look at him amazed, I can feel my eyes starting to tear as I speak, “I’m so glad you’re ok.”

“It’s going to take more than a collision to get rid of me,” He chuckles before breaking into a coughing fit.

“Just relax,” I say, “want me to get the doctor?”

“You mean Kennedy? Does she qualify as a doctor now?” he smiles.

My face loses all expression as I battle with myself. Should I tell him the truth or should I lie to him?

“Kennedy is still unconscious, Penelope too,” I reply, “but we were found by a real doctor.”

Connor turns his head away from me. I can tell he is absorbing the new information I just told to him.

“Are they going to be ok?” he finally asks.

“He’s not sure yet,” I answer, biting my lower lip as the words slide out.

“Ok then,” he says his voice lacking any emotion, “do you think they’ll be fine?”

“I’ve seen them both, and honestly? I just don’t know,” I sigh, “but you know them as well as I do, they are survivors.”

“What about the others?” he asks ignoring part of my statement.

“Matthew is awake and still coming to terms with being out of the bunker. I haven’t seen Natalie or Fanny yet,” I reply.

“Then don’t let me keep you,” he says closing his eyes and sighing.

“Connor I’m sorry, I really am,” I plead with him.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. I just need some rest,” Connor replies never opening his eyes.

I slink away, feeling defeated as I leave Connor’s room. Jeremy looks at me and shows me to the next room. I walk in expecting to see Fanny there alone in the bed, but there is Natalie sitting at the foot of her bed, the two girls chatting. Natalie turns her head quickly, hearing my footsteps as I walk closer to them. Natalie is wearing a lone blue robe, her pale legs noticeable below the knees where the robe ends.

“Hey, look what we have here,” Natalie says getting to her feet, “aren’t you looking snazzy.”

“They gave me new clothes,” I reply.

“They?” Natalie asks, “You mean that psycho wasn’t working alone?”

“I see you remember Mason,” I laugh, “but no he wasn’t the only person here, there was also a doctor, a Jeremy Fairfield. He’s the one who took care of us all.”

“So everyone else is Ok?” Fanny asks.

“Matthew is slightly crazier, Connor is resting,” I pause.

“What about Kennedy and Penelope?” Fanny wonders.

“They are both still unconscious,” I reply.

“Eh, they’ll snap out of it soon,” she says punching my sore arm, “they are both tough broads.”

I can’t help but laugh, “Yeah I think so too.”

“What about us? Are we free to leave?” Fanny asks.

“I don’t know about you kid, but there ain’t no doctor that can keep me against my will,” Natalie says with a wink at Fanny.

“As long as you’re feeling well, I see no reason why Jeremy would keep you,” I say.

I gather Jeremy from the hallway. He looks surprised to see Natalie out of her bed but he doesn’t say anything.

“Look doc, basically I’m feeling fine and I’m not going to be kept in some bed,” Natalie says blatantly.

“How are you feeling?” Jeremy asks.

“Look I feel fine,” Natalie says jumping up in the air.

“I feel good too,” Fanny says, “but I’d rather not jump if that’s ok.”

“That’s fine,” Jeremy says with a smile. He feels Natalie’s stomach really quick before checking Fanny. Fanny winces as he presses lightly on her chest. He gets back up and stands behind me, “I don’t think either one of them should leave here. They both need to be watched and still need medical treatment.”

“You can’t keep me here,” Natalie’s voice starts to rise. I get between her and Jeremy.

“It might be smarter at this point to let her out,” I say calmly.

“But she needs medical treatment,” Jeremy insists.

“I don’t think this is an argument you are going to win,” I dispute.

“Fine, against medical advice I will release Natalie. But I strongly believe Fanny should remain here,” Jeremy says finally.

“But I feel fine,” Fanny whines.

“No,” I say, “Just stay here one more day, let Doctor Fairfield make sure you are healthy.”

Fanny crosses her arms and sits back with a huff.

“Thank you,” Jeremy says, “would you like me to have Mason show her to a room?”

“Is she going to have a room near me?” I ask.

“Of course,” he answers.

“Then I can show her,” I reply.

“Alright,” he says with a half-smile, “It will be the room across from yours. I’ll have Mason come by later and show her the supply closet.”

I thank him again and we say good-bye to Fanny as I usher Natalie out of the medical area. She follows me along the corridors, keeping up with me as I rush toward the rooms. I show Natalie to her room and close the door behind us.

“What’s wrong? You seem nervous,” Natalie asks.

“Did you think it was weird how he wanted to keep you longer?” I ask.

“Maybe? I mean it seemed like he was just trying to take care of us,” Natalie answers, “Why? Do you think we shouldn’t trust him?”

“I’m not sure,” I say softly, “just keep your eyes open.”

Chapter 15 September 30rd, 2037

It has been a week since I last wrote in my journal, I just don’t feel safe keeping a daily record with Jeremy around. Kennedy awoke from her sleep a few days ago. She still doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. Penelope woke up yesterday but still felt groggy. Connor, Matthew, and Fanny have all recovered, at least as far as what Jeremy says is recovered. They have all gotten rooms near me, and Kennedy gets hers later today. I’ve basically kept to myself. Connor still blames me for injuring everyone, even if he won’t admit it and Matthew is still claiming that I am the Devil. Natalie comes by every once in a while, to check up on me and we compare notes. She says she hasn’t seen anything too strange, except that Jeremy spends most of his time in the medical wing of the bay, or in his lab. Although come to think of it, I’ve spent most of this last week exploring this whole bunker and I’ve never come across his lab. Mason has been having fun with Connor, spending a lot of their time trading war stories or checking out the weapons in the armory. Fanny has been having the hardest time finding something to keep her occupied. She has stopped by to see me a couple of times, never staying long. I suspect that Connor or Matthew have told her to caution going near me. I don’t know anymore.

I close my journal, the thought of being even more alone then usual just doesn’t sit too well. I walk down the corridor outside my room and follow it back to where Penelope is being observed. Jeremy is in her room when I walk in, his back is turned to me but I can see him writing down her vitals. Penelope smiles when she notices me. She still looks pale, a small purple bruise above her left eye is the only bit of color on her face.

“Hey,” she says weakly.

“How you feeling?” I ask.

“Better then yesterday,” She smiles, “how do I look?”

My eyes examine her injured body before I speak, “you look beautiful.”

“You lie,” she chuckles.

“How is she doing?” I ask Jeremy.

“Super. Her vitals are strong, and brain activity is normal,” He replies.

I want to punch him in the face each time he opens his mouth, but I have to play nice for now. “When can I take her out of here?”

“As long as she keeps progressing like this, I don’t see any reason we couldn’t let her out tomorrow,” Jeremy says with a smile before leaving the room.

“How is everyone?” Penelope asks after he closes the door.

“Good, I guess,” I answer her.

“Except?” she asks, catching the slight doubt in my voice.

“None of them will talk to me,” I sigh.

“Give them time,” She reassures me.

“I wish I could,” I say with a whisper, leaning close to Penelope’s ear, “I don’t think we can trust Jeremy.”

Penelope pulls her head away from me a look of confusion washes over her face, “What do you mean? He took us in, he healed each of us.”

“He also took each of our blood for unknown reasons and had each sample sent to ‘his lab’ which I can’t seem to find, and he has been very reluctant on letting us out of his ‘care’,” I murmur to her.

“Maybe he’s just being cautious? Better to keep us and make sure we’re healthy instead of rushing it, right?” She says optimistically.

“What about the lab?” frustration is heard building in my voice.

“I don’t know,” she sighs, “maybe you just haven’t found it yet?”

“I’ve been through this whole place,” I defend, “it isn’t here.”

“I don’t know,” she says visibly upset. Her heart monitor starts to beep louder. I look up and see the number climbing higher. I try to calm her down, panicking until it slowly starts to drop.

“I’m sorry, I really am,” I say almost sobbing.

“It’s ok,” she says breathing heavily, “I’m just worried about you. We have finally found a real safe house, and I’m just worried that you are creating a monster in your mind. It’s like you need to fight something.”

Her words hit me hard, almost like a blow to the gut. “I’m sorry,” I say with sterile tone, “I’m sorry I bothered you with my insane theory. I’ll leave you alone.” I turn my back to her and head for the door.

“Damian,” she calls out, “Damian come on I didn’t mean it like that.”

I walk out of the room my head hung low, my eyes watering as I keep them focused on the ground. The idea that I had just left the last person who was still willing to talk to me, I can’t believe I did that. I walk into my room and close my door swiftly behind me. I rest my back against the door and slam my head backward into the door several times. Each time my head hits the door I hear the loud thud. I keep hoping to knock some sense into my dense head.

“Rough day?” Mason’s voice calls out from my bed.

I lift my head up and see him sitting at the edge of my bed, almost as if he has been waiting for me. “What do you want?”

“I just want to talk,” Mason answers.

“I don’t feel like talking,” I snarl at him.

“Tough,” He replies getting to his feet, “I’ve heard whispers. You don’t trust me or Jeremy do you?”

I slowly start to get to my feet. My heart beat slowly starting to beat faster, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Come on Damian, you don’t need to lie to me,” Mason says slowly walking toward me.

My hand fumbles behind me, searching for the door knob, “I’m not lying,” I persist.

His hand slides right beside my head, his arm keeping the door closed. His face inches close to mine. It’s like he can smell my fear, “I’ll give you one last chance to be honest with me.”

I take in a deep breath trying to be a stern as I could be, “I have nothing to say to you. Get out of my room.”

He pulls his arm away, I watch the left side of his lip curl into a snide smile. “Good. But I know you have been wandering. What could you be looking for?”

“A few days ago Jeremy said he sent vials of our blood to his lab. I was looking for his lab to see if there is anything weird in our blood,” I lie.

“Why didn’t you just ask Jeremy?” Mason questions.

“I can’t seem to find him half the time. The other half he’s usually too busy to answer silly questions,” I swallow hard unsure if Mason will buy it.

He looks at me dead in the eye. I can almost feel him staring into my soul, “well then, perhaps we had better rectify this.”

His hand reaches out beside me, I shudder as his hand reaches the doorknob and twists it. I slink away from the door and away from him as he opens the door. He gestures for me to follow him out into the hallway.

“Where are we going,” I stutter.

“To the lab,” he answers, “That’s where you want to go, isn’t it?”

I nod hesitantly, uneasily I follow him through the hallways. Part of me wants to turn back, but I know there is no place I can go or hide from him in this place. My mind has been racing so fast I lose focus on where he has taken me. I stare vacantly at a plain white wall. I look around hoping to figure out where he has taken me but there is nothing around us.

“What now?” I ask, beads of sweat budding on my forehead.

“Now?” he repeats placing his hand on smooth wall. A bright light shines from behind his hand. The wall trembles as it slides open revealing an elevator. “Now we take a ride down to the sub-basement.” He walks into the elevator and waves for me to join him. “Sub-basement level 1,” Mason calls out after I grudgingly join him inside.

The doors slide shut and I listen as the gears begin to whir sending us downward.

“How far does this elevator go?” I manage to ask.

“There are three levels to this bunker with the sub-basement being the lowest point. The main bunker is the basement level. Above the basement is the ground floor,” Mason answers.

“There is a ground floor?” I ask.

“Yes, there this elevator goes all the way up to the surface. It opens up in a garage, where I keep most of my bad ass vehicles when I need to explore the city,” Mason winks.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask as the doors open in front of us.

“You’ve been here a week, and it doesn’t seem like you are going anywhere anytime soon and I thought about it, and it only seems fair that we are honest with each other,” Mason explains.

“Seems fair,” I say, a slight sound of relief escapes from my mouth as I feel myself breathing a little easier.

He stomps his foot on the ground and the lights above us flash on. Row after row lights shine down on the sub-basement. On the right side there are rooms noticeable through huge windows showing into the laboratory. I can see the various tools and equipment through the glass. In the far end of the laboratory I spot a headless Zombie strapped down to a metal bed.

“Are you kidding me?” I yell, “You actually have one of those things down here?”

Mason smirks, “relax, its dead.”

“I’ve heard that one before,” I say backing away.

“Well this one is,” Mason says firmly, “I killed it myself. Also I left its head outside. So I can guarantee that it isn’t coming back.”

He walks me over to the laboratory door and pushes me inside. He walks over to the filing cabinet and starts shuffling through the drawers. My attention gets pulled back to the decapitated Zombie. I wander off from Mason and examine the body. I circle the table, the straps wrap around its legs and chest. My eyes focus on its hand, the thought of it coming back to life and grabbing my wrist sends chills down my spine, forcing me to take a step back. I shake the images out of my head and continue to snoop. I turn my focus toward the piles of papers on the tables behind me. I sift through them looking for anything of importance. Many papers seem to focus on Doctor Fairfield studying the corpse behind me. I pick up one of the papers that entice me the most.

Doctor Ming and I never imagined the Virus could be used this way. I have performed many initial tests on the corpse’s body that Mason has brought to me but I haven’t found any cure yet. If I can’t find something soon I fear that the virus will completely wipe out humanity in less than a year.

The note ends there, I search both front and back for anything else.

“I found it,” Mason calls from the filing cabinets.

I stuff the note into my pocket hoping that Mason hadn’t noticed what I was doing. I rush back over to Mason as he is reading through a file he has obtained.

“What did you find?” I ask casually.

“Jeremy’s reports on each of your blood samples,” Mason responds, “That is what you were looking for right?”

“Yes,” I say reaching out my hand out for the report.

He hands me the file and I shuffle through the paperwork Doctor Fairfield has on each one of us.

“This says everything is normal,” my voice sounds slightly upset as I speak, “but why wouldn’t he just tell us that?”

“Maybe he figured it was pointless to bring it up?” he shrugs, “I mean if there is nothing of importance, he probably shrugged it off. He has a tendency of doing that.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I sigh.

“Come on, why don’t we go back upstairs? You can check on your friends,” Mason suggests patting my back.

“I don’t know if my friends really want anything to do with me,” I reply exasperated.

“No matter what you did, they are your friends and with a certain amount of time they will forgive you,” Mason says adding his two cents.

I don’t say another word, I just nod as I follow him out of the laboratory.

“What’s over there?” I ask looking at the left side. There is a wall with a solid metal door in the middle. Three metal bars rise out of the floor in front of the door.

“That’s detainment,” he replies.

“Is there anyone in there?” I ask feeling the wall.

“Honestly?” he says in a rather ominous tone, “there are two Zombies in there.”

“Please tell me they are dead,” I say in shock.

“I wish I could,” Mason states, “But I’m afraid Jeremy prefers to keep them alive, err undead? You know what I mean.”

“This isn’t right,” I panic, “what if they get out? What if they get to us?”

“There is no chance that they will ever get out. The door alone is electrified, fifty thousand volts every time they touch it. There is also a failsafe program that supplies a knockout gas through the air vent if either Jeremy or I enter the proper code into the computer, and lastly, if they ever do manage to get out of the room they would never be able to access the elevator,” He answers in a smug tone.

“That still doesn’t give me any hope,” I reply walking away from the prison.

I wait by the elevator door as Mason slowly takes his time walking over to me. We ride the elevator back up to the main bunker. He walks me back to my room and I thank him for being honest and showing me the laboratory. I enter my bedroom and find Natalie sitting on my bed waiting for me.

“What are you doing in here?” I ask.

“Waiting for you,” She replies, “Where have you been anyway?”

“Mason showed me the laboratory,” I answer.

“Really? Where is it? Is it full of all kinds of cool science stuff?” she asks with a wicked smile.

“It’s in the sub-basement, but it’s not as cool as it sounds. He keeps a headless Zombie body strapped to a table in plain sight,” I answer.

“That’s insane,” She says, “at least its dead.”

“Yeah, but the other two aren’t,” I rant.

“What the fuck is wrong with these people?” she cries out.

I tell her about my experience in the laboratory and show her the note I took. She takes it all in rather well considering how angry she became.

“I’m going to kill them myself,” she says gritting her teeth.

“Not yet,” I say, “as much as it kills me, we still need them.”

“Should we tell the others at least?” she asks still steamed.

I think about it for a moment, “no. I think it is in their best interests that we keep them in the dark. At least until we confront Jeremy.”

“What about Mason?” she asks, “can we trust him?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I nod, “he’s at least been more honest then Jeremy.”

“Alright,” she sighs, “Then we play the waiting game.”

Chapter 16 October 10th, 2037

The days have begun to blur by. Natalie has been the only person I have been able to fully trust. Jeremy was true to his word, medically clearing Penelope the next day as he said. Penelope has moved into one of the ‘dorm rooms’ as we have become to call it. She was given the room across from mine and next to Kennedy’s. It feels nice just having the old team back close together, even if it does feel weird not all sharing the same room, or even having to take shifts. Connor has slowly started talking to me again, he seems to have forgiven since Penelope has made a full recovery. Doctor Fairfield has been teaching Kennedy and Fanny different medical techniques. He says it is crucial that the next generation learn how to heal as well as kill. I hate that guy. He has everyone else fooled and all I can do is bite my tongue, waiting for him to screw up.

I get up from my bed, my journal tucked safely away in my bag as I venture out of my room. I don’t really know where to go, I just know I don’t really want to be alone. I look in Penelope’s room but find it empty. I can hear laughter coming from Kennedy’s room, so I head over thinking she is having fun with Fanny. I knock on the door but there is no answer. I open the door slowly, sticking my head in. I can see her in the room with Matthew, she is giggling and laughing and for the first time since meeting him so is he. He leans in and kisses her gently. When they pull away she giggles again. I feel sick as I watch him lean in and kiss her neck sparking a series of giggles and moans. I remove my head from her doorway and softly pull the door closed behind me. I feel slightly uneasy, I guess this is how Kennedy felt when she found out I slept with Penelope. I wander off from Kennedy’s room. I don’t even know how I ended up in the bathroom. I clasp my hands tightly around the first sink I see, my eyes glaring at my own reflection in the mirror in front of me. My face is pale, paler than usual, I can almost feel myself trembling as I turn on the water and splash myself in the sink. The cold water actually feels quite relaxing on my face.

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize anyone was in here,” Penelope says. I can see her reflection in the mirror, her skin slightly exposed a towel wrapped around her midsection.

“It’s alright,” I say turning around, “it’s a big bathroom.”

“I know, it’s just,” she pauses, her head looking away from me.

“Hey,” I say my fingers gently wrap around her chin lifting her head back up, her eyes teary as she looks into mine, “I’m sorry about everything.”

“Sorry about us?” she asks, her voice almost muffled by tears.

“No, of course not. The one thing in this whole fucked up world that I am not sorry about is you and me,” I say, my hands resting on her silky smooth shoulders.

She wraps her arms around my waist, “Are you sure about that? I mean Kennedy…”

“Don’t,” I say interrupting her, “I’m not concerned with Kennedy, or Connor, or Matthew, or anyone else. I’m only concerned about you.

She pulls herself closer to me pressing her lips to mine, her towel unrevealing between us until it is laying sprawled on the floor between us. My hands explore her naked back causing her to pull away from me, wincing in pain.

“Are you ok?” I ask.

“Yeah. Still just a little tender I guess,” she says pulling away from me slightly.

I can see the black and blue bruises around her chest. I turn her around and see a purple bruise under her left shoulder blade, roughly the size of a quarter.

“Does that hurt?” I ask brushing my hand across the bruise.

“Slightly,” she says clenching her teeth, “Jeremy said the pain would be normal, that it would go away soon.”

“Then perhaps I shouldn’t touch you until they heal,” I say sadly.

“Or perhaps you shut up and touch me softly,” she says placing my arms around her waist. She presses her lips against my neck and proceeds to take it nice and slowly.

The day seems to progressively pick up after we leave the bathroom. I take her back to her room and help her change.

“See, I told you it would be fine if you took it slow,” she smirks.

“Yeah, you were right,” I chuckle.

A soft knock comes from her bedroom door.

“Come in,” she calls wringing her towel through her hair.

Fanny pushes the door open and steps inside, a concerned look on her face.

“What’s up?” Penelope asks.

“I’m not sure,” Fanny says in almost a whisper, “but Natalie is in the medical wing of the bunker yelling at Doctor Fairfield.”

“What about?” Penelope asks.

“I’m not sure. But she is shouting a lot, something about lying to us and some kind of conspiracy,” Fanny replies.

“Oh shit,” I mumble, fidgeting back and forth.

“What is it?” Penelope asks, a frigid tone in her voice, “What do you know?”

“I know that Natalie shouldn’t have opened her mouth,” I growl backing away from my friends, “not yet anyway.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” Penelope asks, “I thought there were no secrets between us.”

Penelope’s eyes look sternly at me while I see a look of desperation in Fanny’s eyes.

“We have a right to know,” Fanny pleads.

“Alright,” I sigh, “a little over a week ago Mason brought me down to the sub-basement and showed me the laboratory.”

“Wait there is a sub-basement?” Penelope asks confused.

“Yes. There is an elevator in the third hallway that leads down to the sub-basement, it also goes up to the street,” I nod.

“Alright, but why were you in the laboratory anyway?” Penelope asks still confused.

“You know Natalie is with Doctor Fairfield right now,” I remind them.

“I know. I also know how unstable she can be,” Penelope reasons, “I need to know why she is upset before we find her.”

“Alright, the short version,” I say giving in, “Mason figured that I was having some doubts about being here, since we never heard back about our blood samples. He said he was going to show me the laboratory to help ease my mind, to show me that they can be trusted. But when I was down there I found an odd note. Doctor Fairfield scribbled down some odd things about the Omega virus and Doctor Ming. Mason showed me the blood results, they seemed normal. But then he showed me something that made me feel queasy, they were storing Zombies in the detainment area. I told Natalie when I got back to my room. I figured she was the only one I could trust at the time, seeing as how you were still being treated medically, and you’re too young.”

“That’s bullshit,” Fanny says. I’m slightly taken aback by her choice of words. She always seemed like such a timid young lady, I forget that she must have some pretty rough edges to have survived this long.

“It may be bullshit, but I was putting your wellbeing ahead of everything else,” I growl at her. That’s the first time I ever had to get harsh with her.

“So what? Now Natalie is down there confronting Doctor Fairfield?” Penelope asks.

“Most likely,” I sigh, “even though I told her it wasn’t worth confronting him yet. I wanted to wait, to gather more evidence. To talk to you.”

“We need to get to Natalie before she hurts him, or worse kills him,” Penelope nods.

“I’ll meet you there,” I call out as the three of us rush out of Penelope’s room, “I have to grab something first.”

I watch as the girls rush down the corridor and out of sight. I burst into my room and rummage through my belongings and grab both my journal and the note I found in the laboratory. I shove the note into my pocket once again and rush for the med lab. I’m out of breathe when I finally reach up with the others. Jeremy is cowering over in a corner, Connor is behind Natalie, his muscular arms wrapped around her waist holding her back. Mason is standing in front of Jeremy ready to protect him.

“Why don’t you stop lying you son of a bitch,” Natalie hisses.

“I keep telling you I have no idea what you are talking about,” Jeremy snivels.

“Damian tell him,” Natalie calls out when she notices me there, “tell him you have proof that he is a liar!”

“What proof do you have?” Mason asks.

“Yes, what secrets have you been keeping from us?” Kennedy asks from the darkened corner of the room, Matthew huddled behind her.

My hand fumbles around in my pocket, searching for the piece of paper in my pocket, “it isn’t much, but I found this in the laboratory,” I hand the paper over to Mason who examines it front and back before handing it to Jeremy.

“So what? It’s just a note, thoughts that Doctor Fairfield had after the virus began to spread. It’s no different than that journal you’ve been keeping,” Mason argues.

“Agreed,” I say tossing my journal to the ground at Mason’s feet, “but there is nothing in my journal that I’m hiding from others. You can read it for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“My notes are available for all to read as well,” Jeremy says defending himself.

“Then why are you hiding them in a laboratory deep underground with several Zombies?” I ask angrily.

I can hear the gasps and groans from the others.

“You can’t seriously be honest,” Matthew cries out from behind Kennedy, “I mean those things they can’t really be in here are they?”

“Be honest Doctor, because our patience is running thin and I can’t hold Natalie all day you know,” Connor growls.

“It’s true, there are Zombies here in the sub-basement. But it’s not what you think, they are completely locked up with no way out,” He says assuredly, “there is nothing to be afraid of.”

“Nothing to be afraid of?” I ask in a mocking tone, “Let me tell you a little bit of what there is to be afraid of doctor since your sense of pride is likely to get us all killed. These creatures, these Zombies are like nothing you could have ever dreamed of before, not in your wildest nightmares. These things have killed countless other people, many right before our own eyes, most our friends or family. We watched them killed before our eyes, gutted and eaten and we were powerless to stop them. They are the only things in our minds when we go to sleep at night, gruesome images plaguing our dreams. Maybe you have nothing to fear, but that’s only because you haven’t seen what they can do.”

“That’s not true,” Jeremy says with a whisper, pushing his way in front of Mason.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Natalie asks, still trying to free herself of Connor’s grasp.

“I do have nightmares,” Jeremy replies, his voice growing louder as he gains confidence to speak, “I have more nightmares and haunting visions then you will ever know. You see all those monstrosities out there, well I’m partly to blame for their development.”

“You had better start explaining,” Kennedy says pulling out a gun.

Mason draws his gun and aims it back at Kennedy. Jeremy intervenes forcing Mason’s arm down. I wave at Kennedy motioning her to lower hers as well.

“No, they have a right to be mad at me, I’m mad at me,” Jeremy admits.

“What happened?” Fanny asks with a shudder.

“It all started years ago,” Jeremy starts, “I had just obtained my Ph.D. in applied medical sciences and I was assigned to work with Doctor Xi Ming. He was a brilliant man with an incredible dream. He said he was on the verge of developing a serum, which would with all intents and purposes effectively ‘kill’ the patient. The serum would literally stop the heart and brain but still manage to keep them both alive for a short manner of time.”

“What’s the point of that?” Kennedy asks, “I mean if the brain is dead, even for a short period of time without oxygen, there would be some loss of motor skills, or brain damage.”

“No, that was the beauty behind the whole thing. The serum would supposedly keep the brain alive, still supplying it with oxygen. This would allow doctors time to remove foreign objects from the body that otherwise would kill patients. It also gave them a chance to go in and remove diseases. As a matter of fact, in one trial run doctors were able to use the serum to ‘kill’ a lab rat and successfully remove Cancer that was otherwise thought to be irremovable. It was a new age for modern medicine, we could cure almost anything. Imagine a world where people could live well past one hundred and still be functioning members of society. But something went wrong,” Jeremy says somberly.

“I’ll say something went wrong,” Matthew comments.

“No, before the whole Zombie apocalypse. It was years later when we were finally able to test the serum on human patients. The study worked several times, patient after patient survived the beta test and the serum was close to receiving F.D.A approval, but then patients started reacting differently. They would become enraged and lose all control lashing out at anyone near them. The worst case came from a military hospital in Washington D.C. a patient was administered and given the serum only to have the patient lose control and kill several staff and a civilian. The government heard of the incident and tried to shut us down,” Jeremy explains.

“I wish they did,” Connor growls.

“It wouldn’t have stopped this from happening. If anything it would have just delayed it,” Jeremy reasons.

“That loss at a military hospital,” Connor snarls, “that was my wife. You bastards killed my wife, and my daughter.”

“I’m sorry for the loss of your wife,” Jeremy sighs, “but if she was given the serum then she was close to death anyway.”

“Yeah that’s true,” Connor drops Natalie before rushing over to Jeremy and hitting him as hard as he can in his jaw, “but my daughter, my daughter was a causality because you people were busy playing God.”

“We were trying to save lives,” Jeremy yells getting back onto his feet, his hand rubbing his jaw.

“And instead you helped cost millions of people their lives,” Kennedy rumbles.

“I say we kill him now,” Natalie says pointing her gun against his temple.

“No,” I say, unsure of what I just said.

“What?” Natalie growls, “This man just confessed to the murder of hundreds of millions of people and you tell me not to kill him?”

“Yes,” I nod, “He may have helped create whatever it was that infected our friends, but that’s his sin and I believe it will hurt him more if he has to live with it. He’s not worth death, not yet.”

Natalie lowers her gun, an evil look on her face as she punches Jeremy in the stomach before walking away.

“What happened next?” Kennedy asks, “After the government tried to shut you down.”

“We stopped working on it,” he admitted, “We instead focused our energies into figuring out why the serum was causing adverse reactions.”

“What did you figure out?” Kennedy asked obviously taken by the conversation.

“Well as you know there are many genes that make up the human body, and for years we were only able to barely scratch the surface on genetic makeup,” Jeremy explains.

“Get on with it Einstein,” Natalie threatens.

“We did a study, found a new Gene in the human body,” Doctor Fairfield says excitedly, “it was an amazing discovery, and Doctor Ming decided to name it the Omega gene. It was the Gene that the serum effected. It seemed that the Omega Gene was responsible for basic functions in the body. More to the point it was the Gene that kept basic motor skills alive for some time after death. After some study we found that not everyone had this Gene, although it was dominate in ninety percent of all humans. The other ten percent had one of three different genes, the first was the ‘Kappa Gene.’ We found the Kappa Gene in roughly five percent of patients that we studied. The Kappa Gene was similar to the Omega Gene except the serum didn’t shut down the eye sight. It was interesting to say the least because it helped shut down the rest of the brain, but for some reason it left the connection the brain has was this eyes active. Three percent had the ‘Beta Gene.’ This is most likely the Gene your wife had,” Jeremy says acknowledging Connor, “with the Beta Gene we found that the serum shut down every part of the brain, just like the Omega Gene except this one had the added effect of sending ridiculous amounts of adrenaline to the feral side of the brain. This caused patients to become enraged and violent. They have no other basic instincts, all they know is how to attack and kill. The last Gene is the least dominant, with only roughly two percent of the population having it. Doctor Ming named the ‘Alpha Gene.’ This Gene is completely immune to the Omega serum, and virus as far as I can tell. Also as far as I can tell from your blood cultures each of you have the Alpha gene, which is probably the reason you are all still alive.”

“Does that mean that everyone who is still alive has the Alpha Gene?” Kennedy questions.

“No, not necessarily. For example, I don’t have the Alpha Gene, I actually have the Omega Gene,” Jeremy says. “It’s all a matter of environment. You see the virus is spread through oxygen, first infecting the lungs causing extreme discomfort and a burning sensation. The lungs then help distribute the virus to both the heart and the brain. But people like me who have spent most of their lives in places like this, with purified air. It’s all about where you were when the virus was unleashed upon us.”

“So those people have a chance?” Fanny asks trying to get involved.

“A slim one. You see as the virus mutates more and more, so do our Genes. As humans our bodies eventually learn to adapt. So eventually someone with a Beta Gene, or a Kappa Gene, or possibly even the Omega Gene can theoretically adapt themselves over time and eventually become immune,” Jeremy clarifies. “But that’s the theory. The biggest problem is time. Time is needed for one’s body to adapt, but too much time and the person will then become infected.”

“So really there is no way to protect people from this,” Connor tries to understand, “unless they have the Alpha Gene.”

“That’s what I’ve been working on here,” Jeremy nods, “I’ve been working on finding a vaccine of sorts. An inoculation if you will, that will help speed up the adaptability process and hopefully saving as many survivors as possible.”

“But how would you know who is left to inoculate?” Kennedy questions.

“The bunkers,” Jeremy says, almost as if we should have already known the answer.

“What about the bunkers?” Penelope asks breaking her silence.

“Well, all the bunkers are connected remotely through video communications,” Jeremy answers.

“Did you know that?” Connor asks Natalie.

“No,” Natalie replies, “there was much about the bunker we never knew about. Emmanuel kind of stumbled upon it.”

“So you never found the communication equipment?” Mason asks.

“No. At least I never did. Emmanuel was quite good at keeping secrets though,” Natalie laments.

“Do you have regular communication with the other bunkers?” I ask.

“Fairly regular. I dealt mostly with other scientists and doctors who were secured in the Denver and Houston bunkers and I know Mason had weekly chats with his superiors. I don’t know where they are located though,” Jeremy replies.

“What did you talk about with your superiors?” Natalie demands.

“That’s classified,” Mason replies with a slight nod.

“Well then, where are they?” Connor asks annoyed.

“That’s also classified,” he says becoming more frustrated.

“What isn’t classified?” Connor asked, his voice becoming more annoyed.

“My name is Lieutenant Mason Daily of the United States special forces. Serial number 2046458,” Mason calls out, his voice lacking any emotions.

“What is he doing?” Penelope asks.

“Name, rank, and serial number,” Connor answers, “He’s refusing to speak. He’s acting like a prisoner of war.”

“Good. Then maybe we should throw him in detainment,” Matthew snickers.

“No we need him,” Kennedy says, “he knows too much.”

“He’ll never talk,” Connor says cocking his gun and aiming it at Mason’s head, “not unless he is ordered too.”

“Put the gun down,” Jeremy orders, “I’ll talk, tell you everything I know.”

Connor thinks about it for a moment, you can almost see the gears cranking in his head before he lowers his gun. “Alright. But if you can’t deliver, my gun will. What are you working on down in the lab?”

“I told you already, I’m working on an inoculation to stop the virus,” Jeremy says in a stern voice.

“Stop the bullshit,” Natalie barks standing beside Connor, trying to box the doctor in.

“It’s the truth. I’ve been working on making amends for the mistakes I made,” Jeremy defends.

“Are you making any progress?” Kennedy asks.

“Honestly? No,” Doctor Fairfield sighs.

“Then it’s pointless,” I sigh trying to keep tension down, “I think the best thing that can be done now is for you to stop working on the whatever, we kill those undead fucks, and send them back up the elevator and out of our lives for good.”

“Is that really the only way?” Jeremy asks.

“The only way we’ll be able to trust you,” Penelope says before I can answer.

“Fine. We’ll go down to the laboratory now and take care of everything,” Jeremy nods.

Everyone agrees to the terms of the arrangement with the exception of Mason who is still standing still, unwilling to talk. One by one Jeremy walks us through the bunker toward the elevator. Kennedy grabs my arm and pulls me backward when the others leave the room.

“I don’t know why you didn’t think you could talk to the rest of us about finding that note, but I just thought I should let you know that it doesn’t help us trust you anymore,” Kennedy says in a soft evil tone.

“Say what you want, but I believe it was you who said you didn’t want to talk to me anymore. If you want me to be able to trust you with information I find, then I need to be able to trust you too,” I bark back at her.

“I guess we’re at a standpoint,” Kennedy growls.

“Guess so,” I snicker back at her before leaving her alone in the medical area, rushing to catch up with the others.

I manage to reach the rest of the group just as they arrive at the elevator, I can hear Kennedy’s boots stomp behind me as the doors open up.

“Are we all going to fit in there?” Penelope asks.

“Probably not,” Jeremy answers.

“Alright, then perhaps Matthew, Penelope, Kennedy, and Fanny should go back to the dorm area and wait for us,” Connor orders.

“That’s not fair,” Penelope whines.

“It’s not about fair,” Connor spits, “it’s about getting this done.”

The girls and Matthew reluctantly agree before turning around and walking back to their rooms, the rest of us pile into the elevator. Jeremy gives the elevator orders and we descend to the sub-basement in silence. The doors slide open and we pile out one by one.

“All the records I have on the virus and the inoculation are on my computer. I also have hard copies in the filing cabinet. After that we’ll have to release the neuron toxins into the detainment room so that the Zombies don’t try to attack us,” Jeremy sighs.

“Alright,” Connor smiles, “let’s get to work. Where is the computer?”

“In the back, I’ll show you,” Jeremy points.

“I’m sorry Jeremy,” Mason says before shooting him in the leg, “but I can’t allow you to do that. I was hoping it would never come to this, but I have my orders.”

“Mason, put the gun down,” Connor orders.

“I can’t. Connor you used to be a service man too, you know what it means when you get orders,” Mason says slightly trembling.

“I also know that not all orders are the right ones. And just in case you missed it, the world is in complete shambles, there is no defining orders, no one is in charge anymore,” Connor urges.

“That’s not true sir,” Mason says softly, “I got my orders from my General who is right now in a bunker with President Quinn, and they are in charge.”

“President Quinn?” Natalie snickers, “What is he president of? Because there is no more United States, hell there is no more world. They are just former top dogs still looking for that power trip. You’re nothing but there bitch!”

“NO!” Mason cries out turning toward Natalie and firing his gun. Connor manages to push Natalie out of the way, taking the bullet in his left shoulder blade.

Natalie jumps back onto her feet, rushing over to Mason. She kicks him in the hand knocking the gun across the laboratory floor. She then sweeps out Mason’s legs dropping him to the ground. Mason covers his face as Natalie wildly begins to stomp her boot across his chest. He cries out in pain with each crushing blow from her boot before finally he reaches up and grabs her foot and pulls it out from under her. Mason rolls to his side, pushing himself onto his knees before unleashing a fury of punches across Natalie’s face. A gun shot goes off from the other side of the room, stopping everyone in their tracks. Jeremy stands across the room, Mason’s gun pointed at the headless corpse, his chest rising and falling quickly.

“Look!” Jeremy yells, “I don’t care if you all want to tear each other apart or whatever. But down here this is my area and I’m going to ask you not to behave like a bunch of juveniles!”

“He started it,” Natalie said getting back to her feet, wiping the blood off her lips.

“I don’t care. Now start behaving or I’ll kill you all myself,” Jeremy threatens.

I work my way over to Jeremy slowly, trying to keep him calm, “its ok,” I assure him, “we’ll all get along. You have my word. Just give me the gun.” Jeremy stares blankly at me for a moment, his eyes not blinking before he finally lets out a loud shuddered breath before relinquishing the gun to me. “Thank you. Now if you would do me one last favor, could you look at Connor for me?”

Jeremy nods, “Yes. Just give me a hand moving him to the table please.”

Jeremy and I lift Connor off the floor, a stream of blood pouring out of his bullet hole. Connor is semi-conscious letting out soft grunts as we move him. Jeremy rips the back of Connor’s shirt, revealing the wound. Doctor Fairfield rushes over to a set of cabinets hanging on the wall, he grabs a tray of tools before hurrying back to Connor.

“It doesn’t look like the bullet hit any vital organs,” he says shining a light on the wound, his free hand pressing the skin around the hole. Connor whimpers lightly with each touch of Jeremy’s hand. “I can get it out, but it is going to hurt. Even with the anesthetic and pain medicine I can give you.”

“Its fine,” Connor says softly, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, “just get it out of me.”

“Hey what about us?” Mason complains, “I think this bitch broke my ribs.”

“Keep it up and I’ll break more than that,” Natalie barks back at him.

“Knock it off, both of you,” I order, my hand still clutching Mason’s gun tightly. “Why don’t you both clean up and then take care of all the records?”

“I don’t have to listen to you,” Mason spits out.

“Fine,” I smile, “Natalie would you mind tying up the lieutenant?”

“Not at all,” Natalie chuckles.

Natalie takes the gun from me and works Mason into a chair, using some spare straps Jeremy left lying on top of a table. I look back at Jeremy and watch and cringe as he drives a needle deep into Connor’s shoulder. I can’t watch any more, I make my way to the filing cabinet and rip the drawers open.

“Anything you need in here?” I ask.

“No, it’s all useless now,” Jeremy says never looking up from Connor’s shoulder.

I nod in understanding before pulling each file out of its respected drawer and tossing it off to the side.

“How are we going to dispose of it?” Natalie asks after cleaning herself up.

“Well the computers are simple,” I reply unloading a bullet into each one of the computer systems. “As for the papers, well I’m less sure.”

“Can we shred them?” Natalie asks?

“There is no shredder down here,” Jeremy replies slowly retrieving the bullet from Connor’s shoulder. Connor cries out as Jeremy holds the bullet up for the rest of us to see. “Well the hard parts done, now I just need to patch him up.”

“That’s a plus,” I nod, “what about fire?”

“No I believe the wound should be stitched up,” Jeremy comebacks as he readies to stitch up Connor.

“I meant what if we burn the papers,” I reply.

“Well it could work,” Jeremy nods looking up at me, “the bunker does have a fire safety network that is supposed to go off in case of fire.”

“Supposed to?” Natalie questions.

“Yeah supposed to,” Mason says in a mocking tone, “we’ve never been stupid enough to set it on fire.”

“Yeah, well, we’re a new kind of stupid,” Natalie smirks before tossing down her lit lighter into the pile of papers.

Smoke billows up from the files. The smoke wafts its way into the smoke detector, setting off multiple alarms. Jeremy finishes with Connor, who while still awake is dazed and confused. The fire suppression system above us begins to leak, a loud hissing sound is heard as a soft gray smoke drops from the ceiling.

“Is this safe to breathe?” Natalie asks as we drop to the floor.

“I’m not sure,” Jeremy says cupping his hand over his face.

The smoke fills the whole room within a matter of minutes. My head starts to get fuzzy, and the room starts to spin in front of me. I can already see that the others have passed out just before everything goes black.