Chapter
1 – Five Bullets, Hundreds of Enemies
I need to reach Curaga to let them
know I’m still alive and that I have the other half of the cure. The communication
device on me is all static so I guess I have to reach a radio tower to enhance the
signal. Luckily enough, there’s one in the distance. I just have to get there
safely without attracting the attention of the hordes of flesh zombies. The
flesh zombies are all congregating in the streets and appear to be combining
together just by bumping into one another. This doesn’t appear to be deliberate,
but this will be a problem if I don’t get out of here quick.
I look around the mechanic’s shop
and find a door to the back alley. It’s empty back here and I find a fire exit
above me. I use a nearby garbage can to climb my way up to the rooftops. The
situation looks way worse up here with most of the streets crowded with flesh
zombies. The town doesn’t look that big from where I am. I wonder if anyone is
still alive.
While traveling across the
rooftops, I do see people trying to fight. They appear to know that these zombies
can regenerate, and that fire is the only way to kill them as they’re using
sticks with fire on it. They appear to be holding their own so if I interfere, they will probably die, but I have no idea how they’re going to
survive. I’m not even sure if Curaga want them to survive. There’s nothing that
connects them to the infection except the hidden lab, but no one is going to
find it unless they know where it is and unless they can completely burn this
town to ashes.
The zombies haven’t noticed me, but
I’ve seen them on the rooftops. It looks like they can crawl and climb
relatively quickly though I don’t know why I haven’t gotten their attention
yet. I know sound and smells have something to do with it. Maybe it’s because
they seem to be focused on fusing with one another. They appear to know that
fusing makes them stronger. I see two trying to break into a store. They meld
together with each other to finally break down the door then turn around to
meld with a few others before going into the store. That place better be empty.
Some of the zombies that have
noticed me are a pain to deal with since I have so little that’s effective in
dealing with them. I throw whatever I find on the roof at them and sometimes
light things on fire with the heat from my knife to keep them away. This is
already turning into a big problem especially since I’m so close to the radio
tower. Hold on. It might not be. I see a bar not too far from here. I quickly
get to it and start making as many molotov cocktails as I can. This place looks
like it was a hideout before it was overrun. Who would want to make this place their
hideout? It looks like they escaped out a secret exit behind the bar, which is
where I’m going because the zombies are coming in.
Before leaving, I make sure the bar
is set ablaze so the town can catch fire. The zombies won’t react to the fire
until they feel its heat and by the time that happens, they all should be spreading
the fire to one another. Now that I’m out of the bar, I sparingly use my molotovs
on the crowds of zombies around me so they’re pre-occupied as I get to the radio
tower. Once I reach the tower, I’ve used up all of my molotovs. I could only
make so many in the time that I had. Damn. I can see in the distance that the
bar collapsed on itself and some of the zombies are sacrificing themselves to
put out the fire. At least there aren’t any zombies around here and I should
have enough time to ask questions.
I link up my radio to the radio
tower and call to Curaga, “Come in command. This is Retto. I’m-”
“We know you’re still alive, and we’re
glad because of it.”
“What? How do you know?”
“The armor and equipment we gave you
tell us your status and health. I guess that got brushed over in the briefing.”
“I’m not even going to question
how, but what I’m going to need extraction. Several workers of yours didn’t
want to give up half of the cure and-”
“We know what happened. The cameras
there link directly back to our main headquarters.”
“Why didn’t they want to give us
the other half of the cure?”
“It’s because they didn’t like the
fact that they could only make it with our funding and that they won’t the
major credit. It’s a thing of pride really. We are the leader in medical advances
and the biggest in the business for a reason. Most other companies partner up
with us nowadays just for a chance to be noticed and profit.”
“Having a monopoly isn’t as fun as
it sounds, is it?”
“It’s not our fault most of the customers
and governments in the world decided to choose us for all their medical needs.
Well, maybe it’s partially our fault. We’re highly charitable to the world and
our workers, and it seems that it was our downfall for this event, but you can
change that if you bring us the cure. You can still save your daughter. We
already have a helicopter going to the roof of the police station, which is the safest
part of town that the helicopter can land on. Be quick about getting there. From
what we see from our satellites is that the flesh is growing at a rapid rate,
despite your efforts, and will soon overtake the town.”
“What about any survivors?”
“If there are any, you must make
them escape on their own if you want to save them. They cannot escape with you
because they may exaggerate what happened here and put all the blame on us.
Finding evidence to prove our innocence will be difficult with how things are.
Besides our recording of the recent event, we have no other evidence for our
case. The traitors must’ve done all their planning outside of our facilities so
that it looks like we are at fault for this outbreak.”
“Are you sure about the survivors? It
doesn’t look like there’s any way to escape by vehicle or on foot. Do you
really think that they’ll just blame the outbreak on you and not take us on our
word?”
“Unfortunately, it’s the way things
are going to have to be. This outbreak is the reason their home is destroyed. It
is not likely that they will cooperate with us. Mr. Retto, you must be getting
to the extraction point now. The helicopter is quickly approaching and once it lands,
it cannot wait for long because of the dangers in the town. Good luck and Godspeed.”
I guess that’s the way things are
going to have to be. The police station isn’t that far from here but getting
there is another story. What am I going to do? What the? An explosion went off
on one side of town. It looks like it took half the block with it. There’s my
chance to move. I’m hoping what caused the explosion isn’t what I think it was
because I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with it.
The now barren streets where the
zombies once were are covered in blood without one piece of bone or flesh in
sight. It looks like the explosion that gathered them together may prove to be
a problem. Thankfully I find a nearby gun store. There should be something here
I can use to keep the zombies at bay even if it isn’t that effective. Maybe
there are some grenades I could use? Please?
Oh no. A group of four people come into
the gun shop. We point our guns at each other.
“Who are you?” a slender man who
looks like a gambler says.
“I’m just a survivor like you.”
“Really? Because I’ve never seen anyone
wear anything that you do.”
“We don’t have time to interrogate
him,” the teenaged girl says, “Are you going to let us take what we need from
this shop or not?”
“You can have whatever you want as
long as I take what I need.”
“Deal.”
I slowly lower my weapon first as
the other four lower theirs. They then look through the shop while I go back to
looking for explosives.
“What’s your plan, mister?” the teenaged
girl asks me.
“I’m going to the police station
then getting out of here.”
“Huh. Do you have someone there
waiting for you?”
“I’m meeting someone there, so yes.”
“What’s your name?”
“Call me, Mr. Morte.”
“I’m Clarrisa.”
“I thought you said we don’t have
time to interrogate him.”
“Shut it, Tony. I can talk to him
if I want to. Did you find what we need?”
“Not yet.”
“Then mind your own business. Don’t
mind him, Mr. Morte. He hasn’t learned how to listen to his superiors yet
because he’s a rookie.”
“You guys are cops?”
“Yeah, and I’m the daughter of the
chief of police, so you know I’m tough.”
“I used to be an officer until I did
my job as an officer and brought a person of a protected class to justice.”
“If you were an officer here, you
wouldn’t have been fired. Heck, I’d say you be promoted to chief of police just
for that one act. You can still be since my father recently died and the position’s
open.”
“Thank you, but I have to decline.
I have to get a job done first.”
“Suit yourself then. We can escort
you to the station. Think of it as a favor from one officer to another.”
“I’m fine on my own. You need to
get out of town before it’s too late. I’m sure you’ve seen the growing number
of flesh zombies that are melding together to form one enormous freak of
nature.”
“You call those things flesh zombies?
We just call them the flesh.”
“Don’t ignore my point. I’m used to
doing jobs on my own. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Listen, old man. The place we’re
going to is past the police station, and we’re going to need more weapons from the
armory there, so we’re not bothering you if we tag along.”
She really wants to help even though
she doesn’t know me. Her dad must’ve taught her well. I respect that, but I don’t
want to be dishonest with her. I’ll have to make sure they leave before I’m
picked up.
“If you’re going to be so persistent
about it, then I guess I don’t have a choice. You can come along.”
“You got that right.”
Something in the corner of my eye catches
my attention. It’s a flesh zombie that’s crawling on the glass outside of the gun
store and it’s noticed us.
“Watch out!” I try to say as quickly
as possible before the zombie attacks while pulling out a shotgun.
The zombie juts out its sharp bone-like
tongue through the head of one of the cops. I shoot the zombie three times
along with the other cops until the zombie is paste.
“Damn it!” Tony says as I gather my
things.
I take out my knife, burn the
remains of their friend, then burn the remains of the zombie.
“What are you doing?”
“These zombies come back to life if
don’t burn everything. Don’t you know that?”
“No. We’ve been surviving for a
while and haven’t figured that out. How did you?”
“I pay more attention.”
Crowds of zombies start appearing around
us.
“What the heck?” Clarrisa says as
she readies her weapons, “I thought that explosion we made would’ve held their
attention for longer.”
“I think we attract them more than
sound.”
I take out the grenade launcher I
found and start blowing up the nearby cars to start fires in the streets.
“Let’s hurry!” I say as I run through
an alley, which is the only area without zombies.
I’m glad and terrified at the same
time that I have help with me. What am I going to do to save their lives while
also keeping my secret? I’m going to have to come up with an answer soon, and I
already know that it’s going to be difficult.
