Jessica and Andrew walked out the room, while she cried softly, and Andrew’s arm around her, consoling her from her shock, and overwhelming sadness. Jessica pulled in tightly to Andrew’s body as they reached the kitchen. There at the table, was Barry, and Jupiter. They were eating corn, and soup, while the other rebels in the room prepared their own meals.
There were two open chairs left at the table, and they each took one. Jessica held back her emotions as they sat down. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of Jupiter, Barry, or the other rebels.
“Where have you two been,” Barry asked, as he sipped his soup.
She explained to him, “We were with Ethan getting the lay of the land.” They believed her, and continued eating. She wasn’t hungry, so she didn’t eat, but Andrew was, and he did.
The food smelled better than the boiled potatoes that they used to cook at their Cluster. Andrew noticed that Jessica didn’t have any food on her plate, so he broke his cob in half, and shared it with her. She didn’t want to not take the food, which would look very suspicious. She picked it up, and to touch, it wasn’t too hot, so she bit into it. The crunch popped throughout her head, and the juices squirted into her mouth. It was so sweet, and delicious; she couldn’t stop herself from taking another bite, then another. She had been eating bland potatoes for so long, that she forgot what flavor was.
Soon it was gone, leaving her wanting more. Andrew saw the way she ate the corn, so he threw a whole one on her plate. She turned to him, and smiled, little did she know she had corn stuck in her teeth. They finished eating, found their rooms, and went off to bed. It was hard for her to fall asleep with all of this new information that they had just received. That just meant that no one in Cluster Two had to die, and more importantly Gracie didn’t have to die. Soon her overwhelming sadness began to manifest into hatred, and anger, anger for Gracie, and anger for the others that had died senselessly.
She found herself trying to fall asleep, but she couldn’t get the images of Gracie out of her head. Then the other victims crept in, and the thought of them being executed was too much to handle. The only way to get these thoughts out of her mind would be to close her eyes, but in this case, she kept her eyes opened. This way the images weren’t as clear, or vibrant, they were muted, and muffled. She continued to see the images, as she tossed and turned in her bed. She should have been happy to be alive, but something inside wanted more, wanted answers that she couldn’t handle right now.
Andrew saw that she was not sleeping, and all her fussing with her blankets was agitating him. He whispered loudly to me from across the room, “Jess, just go to sleep. Things will be better in the morning.”
He was probably right; things were always better in the morning. Well at least that’s what my father always said to us when we were upset, and couldn’t sleep at night. He would tuck us in, kiss our heads, and wipe away our tears. Then he would tell us, things would be better in the morning. He always knew how to make us feel at ease with our issues. Tonight, my father will be sleeping next to me, and thoughts of him were putting me to sleep. Then I remember the time we ate ice cream at the beach. So clearly, I could almost taste my bubble gun flavored treat. She whispered to herself as she fell asleep, “Good night dad.”
The next morning arrived as the bright sun shined through the uncovered bedroom window. She could feel the heat radiating off her forehead. Jess tossed her blanket over her head to try to block it out, but it was too strong. She soon gave up trying to hide from the day, what’s the use it’s going to happen with or without me, she thought. She rolled out of bed, stretched, and sluggishly headed down to find Andrew or Ethan.
Chatter was coming from the living room, so she made her way there first. She appeared in the doorway, and all three of her friends were in there, including Ethan, and some rebels.
“Morning Hellcat,” Ethan joked.
“What time is it,” I asked.
Andrew answered her question, “Noon.”
“You let me sleep till noon…why?”
“You looked like you needed your sleep Hellcat,” Ethan added.
Andrew patted the cushion of the couch, “Come on Jess, and sit with us.”
It was an awkward moment, everyone was already probably judging her for sleeping so late, she did not want to not sit down with them, but on the other hand she wasn’t his dog, just come running, and hop up on the couch like a good girl. The awkwardness got the best of her; she walked over, and sat on the couch like a good dog.
Andrew joked, as he tussled her hair, “Good girl.”
That was it, she leapt out of her seat, face flushed with anger, and embarrassment. If he couldn’t tell, she was pissed off, he would now as she shouted, “I’m not your dog! You treat me like a lady, or don’t treat me like nothing at all!” She finished what she had to say, and stormed out of the room, and she found herself in the kitchen, leaning on the counter sobbing with her hands cupping her face, to hide the embarrassment from the strangers already in the room.
There was hand on her back, it moved across it gently. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. Then Andrew spoke softly, “Jess. Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t—“
She whipped around quickly so that no one could see her tears. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and placed her head on his chest. He didn’t say anything, nor did he have to. She knew he was sorry, and she knew it was a harmless joke, but in her fragile state, she couldn’t handle much right now. He just let her hug him for a few more seconds, and then they broke apart.
Jessica wiped her tears, and looked at him, “It’s fine. I just don’t know what’s going on anymore.”
“Listen, we’re still alive, take that for what it’s worth, and be grateful.”
“I know.”
“Ethan, and the rebels, they’re great people who just want to help. Let em’ Jess.”
She nodded her head in agreement, as she saw Ethan standing in the doorway. He was looking at them, not in a judgmental way, but more of a concerned way. Like the way a comrade watches over another comrade in battle.
“You good Hellcat? Come on, I’ve got some stuff to show you in my office. Andrew you come too,” he said, as he turned, and walked away.
They were right behind him, as he made his way to his office. He unlocked the door, and headed in; they followed. Inside Ethan made his way to his desk, and sat down in his chair. Andrew and Jessica did the same. Ethan looked towards both of their directions, and said, “Now I know that yesterday was a lot to digest, but today I’m hoping I can clear things up for you both.”
“Sounds good to me, how bout you Jess,” Andrew asked.
“I need to know more, I want to know more,” she said, as she expressed interest.
“Good, because now that you’re one of us, you should know what you’re fighting for,” Ethan replied. He placed a black, and white picture down on the desktop. It depicted to vials in a ringed holder behind glass. “This is the last known evidence of the Reversal Serum. A serum that could reverse the infection from a flesh-eater bite, essentially stopping the changing progress from happening all together,” Ethan explained.
“Is it real,” Andrew asked.
“Real enough for the U.F. to kill hundreds, maybe thousands of people in search of it.”
“Why are they killing people, I thought they were here to protect us,” Jessica asked.
“They want to destroy it, so they will have the control over the Clusters. They would be the ones who says who lives, and who dies.” He places another black, and white photograph on the desktop. This one shows a city with trees, flowers, bushes, and other plant life.
“What is that,” she asked.
“This, this here is called the Lush. It’s a place where the top one percent lives. There are walls surrounding their precious city from the likes of us. Plant life, and vegetation grow wild there. They are said to be the ones who control the country.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. There’s no place
like that here,” Andrew said.
“This picture is the only proof, no one really knows where it’s location is. Who knows it could be from before the air raid. All we know is that there is a serum, and U.F. wants it for something.”
“Why don’t they just make their own cure,” Jessica asked.
“They can’t, our technology isn’t there. They need the original to reverse engineer it, and make more.”
“How will they find it,” Jessica asked.
“The cure is in blood, not just blood, but in a person’s DNA. These guys don’t just take random samples of blood; they take random Cluster citizens in the night when no one could see the abductions. Then they bring them to their testing base, and place them in a controlled environment.”
“Don’t say what I think you’re going to say,” she said, as she placed her hands to her face covering her open mouth.
“I’m sorry to say this Hellcat, but there’s a flesh-eater in the room with them. They let the eater attack the Cluster member, and then remove them from the room. They wait a while, monitoring the victim to see if they turned or not. If they turned, then they add them to the collection of eaters that they already have on staff. Then they move on to the next subject. That’s about it guys, you’re officially up to speed with this information,” Ethan says as he leans back in his chair.
“How can we help,” Jessica pleaded.
“Well, now that you’re here, and a part of the rebel cause, you’re doing your part.”
“How do we go about brining down the U.F., and exposing them before they murder more innocent adults, and children?”
“Good questions Hellcat, and I can’t say I have all the answers just yet. The UF is a powerful organization, what we have going for us is our ability to strike without warning, and disappear without a trace.”
Andrew interjected, “We need to cut the head off the snake, and we need to disable them from the inside out.”
“Whoa, we can’t just go waltzing into the U.F.’s headquarters, and tell them to surrender, that would be suicide. Guys we’re just fending them off for the time being, saving as many people as we can, and then waiting for something to give. When the time’s right, we’ll act.”
“You mean strike,” Andrew said.
“Strike, that’s what I meant.”
“So you have no plan on how to win this war,” Jessica asked.
Ethan ponders for a moment or two, and then he sat up in his chair, “There is something… Never mind.”
“No. Never mind what,” she questioned.
“There’s a plan to knock them down a peg, not totally cripple them, but to set them back a bit. Hopefully giving us a chance to launch an attack on their compound.”
“We’ll do it. My team and I. You said the team needed to small, my friends and I are only four people, that’s perfect,” she quickly volunteered.
“Hellcat, this plan isn’t something for even the most seasoned rebel. It’s not for four rookies mind you. Besides you’d need intense training to pull it off.”
“Then train us.”
Andrew helped her cause, “Barry, and I can help, we’re U.F. soldiers. We’ve been trained by the United Front for battle, hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, and land-cruiser driving.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair again, and shook his head slowly, “I don’t know, it seems too risky. Yet your group size is perfect, you do know how to fight, and you’d have two soldiers accompanying you. Give me some time to think about it, I’ll get back to you.”
“Fair enough,” she said, as she, and Andrew stood up from their chairs. They made their way towards the door, but we’re stopped as Ethan called out to them.
“Hellcat.”
She turned around, “What’s up?”
“If I’m going to really think about this, then so do you, and your team. It entails a lot more than training for battle.”
She turned, and continued out the door with Andrew, but before she headed out she said softly, “I know, and so does Gracie.”
As they made their way to the living room to meet up with Barry, and Jupiter, Jessica turned to him and tried to apologize, “Andrew, I’m sorry for what just happened in there. I had no right volunteering you, Barry, or Jupiter for this.”
“It’s okay Jess. I’m on your team, always have been, and always will be. The other guys too.”
“What if Ethan turns the idea down, and decides against it?”
“Then it wasn’t meant to be.”
“You’re right, let’s not say anything to the guys until we know.”
“That sounds like a good idea, but for the time being, let me train you.”
“I know how to fight, and shoot.”
“Not like a soldier you don’t,” Andrew said in a nice way.
“You want to train me… Then train me.”
“Okay Hellcat training starts today.”
“Bring it,” She responded jokingly.
The Solution is Easy
Cunningham made his way to the medical unit, limping the entire way. Everything around him appeared to be business as usual. As he walked towards the medical wing, he delved into his book. How could I have been so stupid, he thinks to himself, as he read deeper into the pages of his writings. He reached the medical unit corridor doors, still nose deep in his book, and he didn’t even notice the chaos, and carnage of zombies behind the glass doors, given the corridor was sound proof. He swiped his ID badge, and unlocked the doors.
They automatically opened with a soft hiss. As Cunningham stared at his white-paged book, a few drops of crimson plopped onto the pages. This got his attention, and he looked up. There he was standing face to face with an evil zombie. He didn’t know what to do. He froze up, that was just something he never did being a soldier.
The zombie lunged at him with a gaping jaw. Cunningham jolted out of the way, and fell to the ground. As he sat there with his back up against the wall, he scrambled for his sidearm. The creature quickly whipped around, seeing Cunningham on the floor, it made his way towards him. Cunningham released his weapon, and pointed it at the zombie’s head. As it got closer, Cunningham pulled the trigger sending hot metal into its skull. The creature fell to the floor in a pool of black blood.
Cunningham got to his feet, and wiped himself off, making sure he straightened himself out. He heard low throaty growls coming from the doorway. He was shocked when he saw a group of the undead just inches away from him. He raised his gun towards the group of flesh-eaters, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened as his weapon jammed. Cunningham threw the gun at the group, turned, and ran.
The eaters saw him running away, and the quickly chased after him. Three or four zombies might not sound like a lot, but when you’re not expecting them, and they catch you off guard, they might as well be a hundred. Cunningham made his way to the conference room from which he just came. As he made his way through different departments, unsuspecting soldiers, and support staff were attacked by the horde.
Cunningham looked back to see only destruction, mayhem, and two eaters still hot on his tail. Limping, and running was hard, but with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he was managing to get by. He slammed open the double doors that lead to the conference room corridor that he was in earlier. Behind him the doors swung closed, but they then busted open by the two zombies that have been chasing him. He tried the handles for various rooms, but to no avail, they were locked. Finally he saw the open door to the conference room he left earlier.
His momentum carried him the short distance he needed to reach on his messed up leg. The zombies gained ground, and now where only steps behind him. Cunningham slipped into the open room, and slammed the door closed. He leaned his back against it, and slid down to a seated position. He could hear the flesh-eaters behind the door pounding away, and scratching against the wooden door. Their moans were loud enough to hear through the door. Cunningham, out of weapons, sat there praying to God that they would just go away.
&n
bsp; With that prayer, somebody must have heard it, because Cunningham heard two shots, then the sound of two bodies falling to the floor. His heart was beating so loudly that it was all he heard. Then there was a knock at the door, Cunningham waited until he knew what was on the other side.
“Cunningham,” a muffled voice yelled.
He knew the sound of that voice, and whom it belonged to; it was General McHale. Cunningham slowly got to his feet, heart still pounding, and opened the door. He looked to the floor, and saw the two zombie bodies lying in a pile. Then he made eye contact with McHale, and straightened his posture.
“What the hell is going on here,” McHale asked.
“Sir, I don’t know,” he replied.
“You let these things out?”
“On accident Sir. I just opened the doors, and they all came rushing out after me.”
“Are you bit?”
Cunningham looked at him like he didn’t understand, then asks, “What Sir?”
“Where, you, bit, soldier?”
“I don’t… No, Sir.”
“Good. Here’s a weapon,” he said, as he handed him a gun, and then instructed him, “Use it, and clean up this mess.”
Cunningham took the gun, and nodded his head letting McHale know he understood what it is he must do. In the background, he heard screaming, and gunfire. Cunningham turned, and rushed towards the mayhem that was down the hall. He didn’t know what to expect once he got there. He didn’t know much about zombies, except that you shoot them in the head to kill them, you don’t get bit, and if you do get bit, pray.
He reached the end of the hallway, and peered around the corner. He could see zombies devouring other soldiers, and staff. There were a few remaining soldiers engaging in a battle with the creatures. To Cunningham, they seemed to be outnumbered, and it was only a matter of time before they were turned into one of those creatures themselves. Fear got the better of him, and instead of helping the other soldiers with the fight, Cunningham retreated, and bolted for the exit.
A Regressive World: Book One Page 10