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The men left, they opened a door on the side of the building. Rose and Imogen started talking. Imogen said, “I watched some of the video's that you made. It was pretty brave of you to get out in all of this and tell people.” Rose said, “Thank you. I just wish that I had found out sooner. I wish that there was something we could have done to stop it. All of it.” She shook her her from side to side, and looked down at her feet.” Imogen said, “You tried. You did more than most would do. How long was it, before you found out about all of this?” Rose said, “It was pretty far advanced when we got the interview with a government official that would talk. They killed him.” Imogen said, “I'm sorry. Was he a friend of yours?” Rose said, “No. A friend set up the meeting. I tried to get the information out as soon as I was getting it. Keith set up another meeting with one of the people directly involved. When he told me that there was no cure. I was floored.” Imogen said, “I'll bet.” Rose asked Imogen, “How did you get away from your city?” Imogen said, “Kyle.... he ..... helped me.” Rose said, “Be glad that he did. The last reports that we received, were that, some cities were being blown up. And, in other nation's where it happened first, it was much worse in those places. They were a walking graveyard, with reports of no survivors. When we started going out to film what was going on in different places, we could not believe it. I really thought that we would find cities and towns that had been protected by the military. I was wrong. And, the children. We could not find hardly any children. Unless, they had turned.” Imogen asked, “ Did you see children that had turned?” Rose said, “Yes. People were getting attacked by mobs of those things. Children, too. Some of them survived the attacks, only to not survive the bite. Then, people just... disappeared.” Imogen agreed, “I know. In my town, it seemed like everyone disappeared within a few days. I mean, one day, people were in the stores, or doing their business. I saw cars traveling up and down the street. Then, all of the sudden, there was no one.” Rose asked, “Is that how you figured it out?” Imogen said, “No.” She looked down at her feet. “My parents were out. They called and warned me. They didn't make it. I went looking for them, and Kyle saved me.” Rose said, “I am sorry about your parents. You and Kyle are welcome to come and stay with us. There is safety in numbers. Those dead ones, they don't stop coming at you. If you have numbers, your chances of fighting them off is better. My sister and her husband found that out.” Imogen tried to comfort her, again, “I am so sorry about your sister and brother-n-law. Were they alone?” Rose said, “ Yes. They also had a cabin. They had moved their things to Granny's with us. They went back to the cabin for the day. They were ambushed by those things. Tyler, my nephew, jumped into the drivers seat of their vehicle and drove himself and Tessa to our place. By the time Will and Keith got there, they were gone.” Imogen said, “That is terrible. Those poor kids. I can help with check ups for the them, if you would like? I will talk to Kyle about going to your place. But, is there room for us? I mean, we will need some kind of shelter.” Rose said, “There is a school at Renee's place. And, some of the people in group were talking about looking for RV's. But, the school is pretty big, so...” Imogen thought about what she was saying. She would talk to Kyle about it. Kyle and Will were on a platform that over looked a large warehouse. It was full of supplies. Will said, “Now, we need trucks.” Kyle said, “There is a loading dock in the back. But, we need to scout, first. I am surprised that there are no people here. And, if there are, they will be a threat to us.” Will said, “We need to get that docking area and look around. Do you think the trucks have any fuel? Kyle said, “ Yes. If they do not,there are fueling pumps. But, we don't know if the area is filled with walking stiffs.” Will held the radio to his mouth, “Keith. Jimmy, anyone... What did you all find?”
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Scott came on the radio, “We found a cafeteria. There are some supplies that we can use here. It's awfully clean, though.” Kyle and Will turned to look at each other. Kyle whispered, “Awfully clean, huh?” Will noticed that, Kyle looked concerned. Aidan spoke next, “The east side of the building has make shift apartments. Looks like military families were hiding out here. Don't go in. Repeat. Stay away from the east part of the complex. There are dead here.” Will and Kyle exchanged another glance. Will said, “You be careful.” Kyle said, “We still have a lot of ground to cover. There is enough stuff to supply a city here. It will take us a while to get through each wing. I have not shown you the armory... yet.” Will repeated, “Armory?” Kyle said, “Yes. It's in a classified area.” Will repeated, “Classified area?” Kyle said, “Only people with clearance can get in. But, that does not mean that it is not crawling with living dead. Even if it is clear, it is locked down. Will asked, “I take it that, you have clearance?” Kyle kept quiet. Will, continued to ask, “If it is locked down, do we need power on to get to it?” Kyle said, “I have to check it out, first. We don't know who, or what, is inside this place. If it is clear, maybe, I can get in, and get the back up system on.” Will asked, “Back up system? This place has a back up system?” Kyle answered, “Yes.” Will said, “Okay, then.” They walked towards another hallway. Kyle stopped at the corner. He turned to Will, and gestured for him to be quiet. He pointed around the corner. Will peeked in the direction that Kyle was pointing. There were three zombies coming their way. Kyle whispered, “Don't shoot, unless you have to.” He pulled out a long hunting knife. As the zombies walked past them, Kyle quickly, grabbed one by it's hair, and stabbed it in the eye. As fast as he took that one down, he stabbed another in the temple, then the third, up through the throat. Will watched him. He knew that Kyle had been more than just a soldier before the world slipped into total anarchy. He motioned for Will to follow him. Will obliged. They moved down the hall, with Kyle in front, holding his knife and flash light aimed high. He was carefully scanning for any threat. They heard a voice. Someone was coming towards them. It was a man, and he was talking to someone on a radio. He said, “I don't see any biters, here. Are you sure they were here?” Kyle and Will stopped at the end of the hall. In a flash, a man rushed out of a near by door way. As soon as he and Kyle saw each other, they lunged at each other. Kyle punched the man twice. The man hit Kyle back. They struggled. Kyle flipped over, then around the man. Then, took him into a choke hold. The man was out cold, within a few seconds. Kyle cracked open a door, and peeked into a nearby room. Will stood there, dumb founded. When he knew it was clear, he pulled the man inside by his feet. Will followed him. Kyle said, “We have to warn the others.” Will said, “We should find his people and talk to them.”
Kyle was already tying the man up. After the man was hog-tied, Kyle stuffed a rag in the man's mouth. “This man viewed us as a threat, the second he saw us. Even if he is a former soldier, his people are not going to talk to us, they will kill us. We have to warn the others. Let me see the radio.” Will said, “We don't know that.” Kyle said, “The only people who were allowed in here, are black ops, government officials,and military with special clearance. He is dressed in street clothes. The soldier in the guard shack, is dead.” The realization of what Kyle was saying was starting to sink into Will's mind. Without protest, Will handed him the radio. Kyle held the radio to his mouth, “Imogen.” She answered, “ Yes.” He continued, “You and Rose get out of here, now.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked. He kept talking, “Take Rose, and you two go to her place, or ours, now. Which ever place is closer. You both wait for us. Do you hear me? Don't hesitate. Don't talk about either place, or give any details on this radio. No matter what.”
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Rose, obviously startled, was now talking , “What are you talking about? What is going on?” Kyle said, “There are other people here. I am sure they are dangerous. Will and I are going to find the others and meet you back at home. Get off the grounds, now.” Rose said, “Keith. You guys .... Are you there?” Jimmy said, “We heard.” Major Scott said, “Yeah, we heard. Okay, people. We all meet back where we sta
rted. Ten minutes. Girls, you should scat.” Kyle said, “Come on. We need to be more careful.” As they excited the room, they heard more voices. They ran to a near by room to hide. Kyle pulled his knife back out. He held the knife up, ready to swing if anyone came into the room. They listened at the door. The voices passed by the door. Kyle peeked through the crack in the door, to see where the men headed. They kept walking and walked through an exit. Kyle motioned for Will to follow him.
They crept out into the hall and around the corner. Kyle said, “I need to get in there.” He pointed to a door. Will asked, “What is inside there?” Kyle said, “Something that I need.” They went to the door. As soon as Kyle made sure that it was safe to go in, they hurried inside. Kyle closed the door. And locked it.Will looked around the room. It was a large room that looked much like a studio apartment. There was a bed on one side, on the other side of the room was some living-room furniture. On one wall, there sat a double locker, like those that are used in a school locker room. Kyle went to the locker door. Will expected him to open the locker door. Instead, he pulled on the locker, and it moved. He pushed it aside, to expose a door way. It looked like it was a closet. Kyle went inside. He said, “Uh. A little help. Please?” Will followed Kyle into the small room. Will watched, as Kyle pointed his flashlight at a lantern sitting on a desk. Kyle picked it up, then turned it on. “It still has a charge.” He placed it back down on the desk. Will could see a make shift office. There were guns, too. Kyle took a small chest by it's handle, then pushed it towards the door. He asked Will, “Is this too heavy for you?” Will picked it up. “No.” It actually, was pretty heavy. Will didn't want to admit it. He watched, as Kyle stuffed a lot of guns and ammunition into a a large military duffel bag. What caught Will's attention, was the large sniper rifle, and several boxes of large bullets. He took a satellite radio, built into a metal case, then placed it on the desk. Then, he took a a computer that looked like it was built into another stainless steal case. He said, “Come on.” He turned the small lamp off. Then, hewalked back into the main room, carrying the two cases. He had the large duffel slung over his back. He placed the items onto the floor, then turned to push the locker back in front of the doorway. Picking the items up, he said, “Come on. We have to be careful. We make it back out to the vehicles, and get off of the grounds.” Will said, “We should not waste time with this stuff.” Kyle opened the door, and peeked out into the hall. When he saw that it was clear, he opened the door and walked out into the hall way. He whispered, “This stuff will help me figure out who is here and how many. If we run into trouble, you take these cases and the duffel and get back to the vehicles. I'll catch up, later.” Will looked around nervously, as he followed Kyle. Will asked, “What is inside this other case?” Kyle said, “I'll explain, later.” They made it back out to the vehicles. Rose and Imogen were gone. Keith and Jimmy were standing there, waiting. When they saw Will and Kyle walk to where they were, they both let out a sigh of relief. Keith asked, “Where are the others?” Jimmy said, “They will be here.” Jimmy asked Kyle “ Who is here, Kyle?” He looked at Will, “Will. Who is it? Are they military?” Will said, “Not sure. They didn't look like it. Kyle took one of them down. We better hope the others make it back. We don't know anything about them.” Kyle cut in, “Or, how many?” Jimmy mumbled under his breath. He asked, “Did either of you hear names mentioned?” Will said, “No.” Kyle asked, “You a defector?”
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Jimmy nodded, and asked, “You?” Kyle half nodded. He drew in a deep breath. Then, they saw the others coming their way. They all started to get inside the vehicles that were left. Scott asked, “Have we been compromised?” From the open Suburban window, Keith said, “Not yet. But, we better hurry.” They hurried into the vehicle. Keith started to drive away,while Will followed behind him. After they got away from the complex. Will asked Kyle, “I am going to ask you something. I don't want to know all your personal life history, or anything. Just, who are you? I know that you have got more information on this thing then the rest of us do. So... What gives? What is all of the guns, and fancy equipment about?” Kyle thought about it. He knew that he was not going to prison for talking, now.
He answered, “The equipment will allow me to listen to government chatter, if there is any. And if, there is any coming from that place, I may be able to figure out who they are.” Will turned to him. “Alright, then.” They made it back to the highway. Keith spoke into the radio, “Rose. Did you and the girl make it back, okay?” Rose responded, “ Yes. We are at Renee's place. What happened? Is everyone okay?” He replied, “Yes. It was a wash. There were people there. They aren't very nice, either. Will and Kyle know more. We are on our way back.” They made it back to Renee's place. They all exited their vehicles. Renee and the others came out to meet them. Will introduced Kyle to the rest of the group. He said, “We need a meeting. All of us need to be there.” They all decided that, they would go to the school and use the conference room. They all made their way there, and took a seat at a large conference table. Will started speaking. He said, “I am not sure how to start this. When we went to the complex, we drove up and met Kyle here, and Imogen.” He pointed to each one of them. Then, he continued, “We saw other people in a government building. Kyle knew his way around there, and told me that he would tell us what he knows. So. I am going to let him talk first. I think we need to let him finish. Then, we all discuss our next plans. After, he introduces himself and tells us what he has seen.” Kyle introduced himself, “I am Kyle Morgan. This is Imogen Cole. I was Special Ops Force...Mostly top secret Recon, with some intelligence. Last year, my unit was sent to three places. Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the central part of Africa. We were sent there to chase down a couple of rogue scientists that had gone back to their home countries with bio-warfare samples. People in the government believed that, it would be used to carry out a terror attack on the country. The story was that, they were using their samples to produce bio engineered viruses, and were using what they created to experiment on their own people. We went in, before a special haz-mat teams, ready to extract them and any stolen or created samples. During the last op, we found the dead. We called the e-vac and hazmat crews. Then, were whisked away. What the officials forgot about... was travel. People who had been bitten, were still allowed to move around the world. A couple of months later, this thing was already wiping out whole villages over seas. Most of the middle east, and third world countries were off of the map six months before we saw it here. Then, we were sent into various places within the country to contain the infection. We would go into a place, find the walking stiffs, then kill them. The haz-mat team would be right behind us. They would clean it all up. Most of the time, while Mr. and Mrs. Jones slept right down the street. After it got out of control, they started sending crews in to remove all people that were near any attacks. Even if, they were not infected. Then, they started clearing whole areas. In some places, people from whole towns and communities were locked up in government camps. Prison camps.” Jimmy said, “Sounds familiar.” He and Major Scott exchanged a look. Kyle continued speaking. “That complex, houses supplies and quarters for the executive military and their families on any special assignments. Mid-level Pentagon types. One part, is a secret headquarters for intel dissemination. Those inside were mostly of executive rank, with special clearance. That guy that we ran into, didn't look like a higher ranking executive.”
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Renee asked, “I don't mean to be rude and interrupt you, but don't they have underground bunkers for those people?” Kyle said, “That would be for the President and his cabinet. It spread so fast that, people were infected everywhere. Of course, people at the highest levels were sent to the bunkers, in the beginning. Within weeks after it all started, no one heard from higher ups. They just kept sending different Commanders to direct different units. Then, they started blending units. And, of course, schools and hospitals were not alerted until it was already too late. By that time, many of them were tak
en over by law enforcement and what military was left.” Major Scott said, “I believe you, Kyle. They were doing the same thing in all branches of military. Jimmy and I encountered a similar situation that you did. Maybe, at a lesser degree, though.” Kyle said, “That is not all.” Pastor Dom cut in, “Tell us the rest, Kyle.” Kyle said, “There are still military people out there. Some of those left, turned on innocent people.” Chloe asked, “Did you see them?” He said, “Yes. Some of them started to kill people. I think that, maybe some of them could not get their heads around what was happening. I don't know. But, they started to rob and kill people, instead of helping them. When we were sent into this area, it was to close off sections of the city that was infected. Then, we were supposed to secure the area for the search and rescue of non- infected. One day, we had to close off an area that was over run, and some of the guys just, they just started executing people. Some of us got together. We talked about how to stop them. No one knew who to go to. Most of our up line was gone. Anyway, one guy named Gary, he went to the Commander. He told him that we had to stop the bad guys. Not help them. He shot Gary. All hell broke loose. They were shooting at us, and the dead ones, too.” Mrs. Sandoval said, “That is terrible. Is that when you left them?” Kyle said, “Yes. Someone needed my help. When Imogen and I went to the complex, it was so that, I could see if we could use it as a safe haven, and supply route. But now, I have to figure out who is inside that building. I don't know if they are or were government.” Kyle looked over at Imogen. A look of concern came over her face. Mrs. Sandoval understood. It was Imogen that he had helped. Major Scott said, “Just like our unit. They turned on the people. Too much power in the hands of a small group, always corrupts.” Jimmy asked Kyle, “Kyle, do you think that they are a danger to us?” He answered, “I didn't recognize the guy that Will and I ran into. But, yes. Imogen and I need to get back to the cabin. We would like to get back before dark. It was nice meeting you all. I would like to help each other out with intel, or whatever we can.” Renee asked, “Do you two have supplies? Are you safe where you are staying?” Kyle looked at Imogen and said, “We're working on it, Ma'am.” She said, “Please, call me, Renee.” He repeated, “Renee.” and nodded. Will extended the invitation that Rose had already proposed to Imogen. He said, “ Now, if you two get into trouble out there, or just need a place with more people, you can come here.” He extended his hand, and the men shook. “Thank you.” said Kyle. Renee agree, “ Yes. If you would like to come here, you are both welcome.” Imogen smiled, “Thank you, Renee.” They said their goodbye's, then Imogen and Kyle went back to their cabin. As soon as they made it back, they both fell into bed. They were so exhausted that they didn't hear the herd coming their way. Early the next morning, Kyle heard it first. He opened his eyes. The sound of snarling and growling was as loud as someone screaming. He jumped up out of bed. Imogen woke up to Kyle leaning over her, while holding her mouth. When she was able to focus, she saw him holding his finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet. She heard the mass growling, right away. Kyle was already pulling her out of bed. “Get dressed! We have to get out of here.”
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