Christmas Special: Her Favorite Christmas

Jane Cross
Friday 25, December 2009
05:08 Hours
Avatar City, New Mexico

Jane felt a little drowsy after having woken up so early. Somehow, she felt like today might pose a bit of a challenge, and her feeling turned into certainty when she heard a loud crash downstairs, which could only mean Beatrix was down there. Jane chuckled lightly and walked to the bathroom, where she performed her morning routine. Soon, she walked out, her long, wavy hair messy after towel-drying it. She had pulled on an old, oversized Linkin Park shirt her boyfriend, Joshua, had given her as a gift and shorts Beatrix herself had helped pick, so clearly it had the Amazing Spider-Man's logo in almost everywhere. Though totally missmatched, these were her favorite pieces of clpthing, and always wore them when just lounging around the house. With a yawn and placing her towel around her neck, Jane made for the stairs, when a eleven-year-old Greg pounded onto her path and said:

"The boss says Santa fell unconcious after being pounded in the head with a baseball bat." The boss was, Jane assumed, Beatrix. "So you need to stay up here until the mess is cleaned up and everything is ready."

Knowing that Beatrix would kill her of she (Jane) dared to go downstairs before time, she spun right around and retreated into her room. Looking around, her room could have easily passed for a guy's room. The walls were invisible under posters from different bands, such as Disturbed; AC/DC; and My Chemical Romance, while the contents of her hamper were, literally, scattered across the room's floor, clothes that could actually pass for men's clothing, in fact. A DBZ shirt hung from the ceiling fan; a Death-Note shirt with Kira on it was half-falling out the window; and her musical instruments were burried under assorted clothes. Her Converse were dirty and laying by the door, next to an overflowing trash can. Her bed was decorated by a blanket her mother made, which was divided in patches, each for a different Anime; Manga; TV Series or book series she became a fan of. She even had replicas of different weapons from lots of different Anime hanging from anywhere they could hang. Even though her room was a mess, she knew exactly where everything is, which is why she could easily dive into an extra-large pile of unused dresses and emerge holding her notebook.

This notebook wasn't just any old notebook. It contained her songs; thoughts; and poems, but most importantly, it contained her reports. Whenever something interesting happened, Jane would create a report and write it here, as if it were her newspaper or magazine, and only Joshua was allowed to see this most prized treasure. Today, she began to write a poem she might eventually turn into a song.

Today is Christmas Day,
And my parents are gone.
I honestly wish they would stay,
for once, but that's just dumb.
They are always here and there,
Working all day long, and I sit here, hoping they return.

Her eyes began to water when Greg walked in. He smirked and gestured her to follow, and so she did, her sorrow from before vanishing at the expectation of what Bea had prepared for her. The walk down the stairs was suspenseful, but when she reached the landing, her heart felt like it was going to explode. The house's chimney, which was for decoration, had a TV stuffed into it and was now playing a video of a crackling fire. A steampunk tree that wasn't there the night before stood besides the fake fire, it's branches pipes and it's leaves little multi-colored hairs. At the top was a TARDIS with it's door half-opened, from which emerged a silver path spiraling down to the bottom. Down the silver path, at random intervals, was a tiny plushie of a Doctor, starting from The First Doctor, leading to the bottom, where Joshua sat, dressed in a suit and a trench-coat. Jane was completely speechless, unable to say a single word, as Joshua stood and walked to her.

"Jane. I have but one Heart. I can't offer you time and space. I can't give you eternity as a Time Lord you so love. But I can; want; and will love you as if I had two hearts. Offer you what I have as if I had all of time and space. And I can give you a present that will last forever." He was looking into her eyes as he said: "Sure, we're young, and the army's waiting for me, while a long life awaits you. But I still wanted to ask you, before I go..." He proceeded to bend a knee. She gasped in surprise as he pulled a tiny box from his pocket and, opening it, revealed a plastic One Ring: "Would you be my companion?"

She never replied, for as hee finshe talking she tossed herself at him and gave him a long, loving kiss, tears of pure happiness flowed freely from her eyes, because she knew he wasn't into anything remotedly similar to fandoms. He didn't watch Doctor Who; or read Lord of the Ring, but still showed her he didn't mind. That meant a lot more to her than the whole thing. She might have never verbalized her 'yes', but he knew he had achieved his purpose.

Later on that day, Greg; Joshua; Beatrix; and Jane opened their presents. Joshua got a Swiss Army Knife from Beatrix, and she promised she didn't steal that one; got the complete collection of Harry Potter movies from Jane because, like she said, 'once you watch them, you'll love them'; and he got a hoodie from Greg. Beatrix recieved a new lockpick from Joshua, who knew she broke her last one trying to sneak into the local police department (he might have helped a bit); a pair of glasses from Jane and a Three Musketeers from Greg. Jane got Joshua from Joshua and the steampunk tree (and it's decorations) as a gift from Bea; while Greg got her nothing. Greg got Joshua's old combat boots; a camera from Jane; and a strange box from Bea. 'it's pretty, I guess', he commented. That night, as Greg slept, he began to hear an odd cackle. He sat up, then saw the box Bea gave him slowly open and watched the Jack-In-The-Box slowly emerge as the cackling laugh grew louder. When the Jack-In-The-Box was completely visible, Beatrix jumped out of his closet dressed like a clown and shrieked. Ever since then, Greg disliked Christmas; Clowns; and Beatrix.

Chapter 14: Juan Sierra

John McCloud
Saturday 14, February 2015
22:39 Hours
Location Unknown

Torches off and weapons ready, the team approached their target location. Upon reaching it, they watched from afar an ancient bunker now surrounded by buildings. A hellipad stood someways off, while a patrol walked past the gates. This scene was in a hole, high natural walls surrounding the makeshift base. Olive dashed to the edge and scanned the area with her binoculars. Four sets of guards patrolled the area while a watch-tower overlooked the whole base.

"We need to neutralize the watch-tower before going in."John mused. "Leaf?"

"On it." He left swiftly.

"Olive, take the girl and follow Leaf. I need your eyes up there."

"Roger that." Olive went off, closely followed by Yanai.

"Peter, there's a few second opening during which that door-" John pointed at the door. "-isn't within a patrol's sight. Once Leaf takes the tower, you head for that door. Understood?"

"Aye."

Several minutes later, Leaf used their communication system to inform them that the tower was theirs. Swiftly, Peter ducked into the building as Olive watched the area with her rifle. With the help of Olive's skilled sniping, the four patrols were taken down. The team, minus Olive, made a quick rendezvous at a warehouse, and in they went. The door opened into a small, office-like room, where a man was tied up. Shoulder-long silvery-blond hair was covered with blood, and he would have been talen for a dead man if he hadn't looked up at them. His bloodshot eyes made the team train their weapons at him, but then he spoke.

"Ya era hora! I thought that useless colonel of yours was gonna abandon me here!" The man laughed. "What flies through the sky with charcoal-black scales?"

"A winged furnace." John replied, then began to unbound the man. "Juan Sierra?"

"The one and only, man. You are late. I would have been killed!"

"Luckily, we made it in time." Leaf smirked. "We have to go, before-"

"It's too late, gringo. The helicopter is here to bring me my ironic death." Juan said as the helicopter was heard.

"We need to go now!"

As John shouted that, an enormous figure slammed through the door brandishing a chainsaw. It hacked at Peter with it, but he had already moved. Swiftly sidestepping the chainsaw, Peter brought his fist into his attacker's stomach, then spun and, grabbing his enemy by the neck, made him fall on his own chainsaw. The others dashed out, ducking into cover as reinforcements arrived. The helicopter oversaw the whole gunfight going on, then lowered itself to fly very close to the ground. Two shiny gattling guns were aimed at the team, when a loud bang pierced the air. One well-aimed bullet went straight through the helicopter pilot's skull and lodged itself into the co-pilot's throat as Olive shifted her scope to provide support to her fellow soldiers. Joshua made a mental note never to mess with Olivia as she skillfully sniped most of the remaining soldiers. A slight chill began to settle over the base as the group rejoined at the base of the warchtower.

"Hello, lovely lady. Is your name as radiant as your eyes?"

"This is who we were sent to get?" Olive asked, looking at him with something similar to disgust.

"Juan Sierra, at your-" He was suddenly forced to his knees by Peter. "What is this, eh? I am on your side!"

"A codeword isn't proof enough. These people are heavily loaded, and I can't afford to sacrifice my team for your sake." John stated.

"You're soldiers. All soldiers are expendable." Juan smirked, then Leaf put one of his handguns against Juan's forehead. "Threats aren't gonna help, gringo. So stop playing around."

"I don't play around." Leaf stated. "Prove to us you're on our side and that you're of actual help, and I'll gladly die for your sake."

"Easy. The girl." Juan pointed at Yanai, who had been silently standing besides Olive. "I can show you how important she and I are."

"You're not getting anywhere close to her." Olive growled, aiming her rifle at him.

"Then look at the back of her neck."

"Why?" Joshua asked.

"Proof. Proof of her importance and my knowledge."

Nervous glances were exchanged among the team as Olive placed her rifle on the ground. Yanai obediently turned around and allowed Olive to move her hair out of the way. A circular pattern of punctures was perfectly visible. The marks were an ugly blue, and the surrounding area was pale white. Upon seeing this, Olive gasped and backed swiftly away, mosty due to surprise.

"Olive?" John asked. Only Olvie had seen the marks. "What's wrong?"

"She's been bitten." Olive stated, shock and confusion settling over the others.

"The question, my odd friends, is why hasn't she turned." Juan mused.

"I take it you know the answer." Joshua glared at Juan.

"Of course. And I'll tell you as soon as you get my little butt to safety." Juan stood and dusted his clothes off, then smirked. Turning to John, he said: "Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

Chapter 13: Mission Starts

Peter Gordon

Saturday 14, February 2015

22:00 Hours

Location Unknown

The silent, rot-infected wooden home gave a feeling of total abandonment. It's slightly greenish planks of oak revealed the house's long life, while the pitch-black darkness in the windows showed no sign of life. The door was ajar, and slightly off-hinge, with long scratches down it's center, as if a wild bear would have broken in. The night that surrounded this house was cold, enhanced by the tightly-knit trees of the forest around, while a crescent moon glistered like silver between gray clouds. This scene is what greeted Colonel Santos' hand-picked team as they traveled through the forest on their search. John McCloud, leader of the team, gestured his men to stay on their toes as he advanced upon the house. He reached the side of the door and gingerly stared inside. The darkness hurt his eyes, so he activated the flashlight on his rifle and gestured the others to advance. Alexander Franklin, Codenamed Leaf, went inside several steps and crouched, gun at the ready and flashlight on. Quickly, Joshua Adams and Olivia Collins dashed in and separated, heading into the two adjacent rooms. Once securing the room, Cloud and Peter Gordon, guns at the ready, headed further down the hall and up the stairs as Leaf proceeded to follow, still watching his back.

"You think this is it, then?" Olivia asked Joshua as their paths reconvened once again at the front door.

"I don’t know what to think. My every instinct is telling me to flee this place, while my intrigue informs me this place holds more than just rot and dust." Joshua glanced about, trying to sort through his thoughts. "I fear this place might be our downfall."

"Or our glorious objective." Cloud stated as he walked down the stairs, Peter and Leaf behind himself. "We'll hole up here for the night. In the morning, we'll move to checkpoint Alpha."

"We should move on, Cloud." Joshua advised.

"No, we rest here. There's several rooms upstairs that aren't too badly damaged."

The team went to the second floor and prepared for a night of uneasy sleep, while Peter was given first shift as a guard at the stairs. Peter's uneasiness disallowed him stay put, so he began to pace back and forth, right besides the stairs. After a bit, he checked the others, one by one, and noticed that they were all asleep. Silently, he stole into Olivia's room, where she was sleeping, using her jacket as a pillow. She was sound sleep, but with one hand under her jacket. Upon inspection, Peter realized she had a handgun in her hand, which proved she was, even while asleep, ready. He silently took his own jacket off and covered her torso with it, then turned and left. 

As he stepped out onto the landing, a muffled, distant noise reached him from below. Rifle at the ready, Peter headed downstairs to investigate. The whole of the ground floor proved to be empty, but more crashing sounds informed Peter that there was a basement. A basement where there's something that most probably won't be friendly. Once again Peter searched the whole ground floor, this time looking for a way down. 'No need to worry the others,' he thought. With that one thought he found the stairs and went downstairs.

"Is anyone there?" He called out. "I'm one of the good guys. Is anyone there?"

"I'm hungry..." A voice, that of a young girl, answered. "Help me..."

"Where are you?" Peter called back, investigating the large basement in search of the girl. "Come out, I won't hurt you."

The girl walked out from a cupboard. She was bruised and dirty, evidently haven't been taken care of in several days. She was skinny beyond what a girl her age, around twelve, should be. Peter escorted her out and gave her some of his own provisions, which she ate while sitting at the top of the stairs. Quickly, he awakened the rest of the team and their surprise was evident when they saw her. Once she finished eating, Olivia helped her clean up, then the girl stood before them in a plain dress.

"I know you." She stated, pointing her finger at Joshua. "You are Joshua."

"Yes I am." He said. "And, you are?"

"I'm Yanai." She replied, groggily. She mumbled something else, then fell asleep.

"Joshua? Do you know her?"

"We all do." Joshua replied. "She's like us. She's one of the survivors from the airport."

"You mean... Wait, what happened to her?" Olivia asked.

"I have no idea." Joshua said, gloominess settling over him. "I know one thing, though. She had it rough these past few days."

"Leaf, do you remember where she was sent?" Cloud asked, leaning against the wall.

"Not quite, sir." Leaf replied. "I do recall her, though, getting on an helicopter."

"Which one?"

"The one Francis was piloting, sir."

"Bound for Texas." Peter stated. "Francis' helicopter was bound for Texas."

"You sure?" Cloud asked.

"Sure as day. She and I are close friends." Peter stated. "Quite."

"I'm sure you are." Olivia said, shaking her head. "Francis Evergrande is close friends with every guy under Colonel Santos' command."

"Not me. I've never heard the name." Joshua stated.

"And I'm otherwise engaged." Leaf added, grinning.

"This is besides the point." Cloud stated, then looked at Olive and added: "I'm interested in someone else, by the way. Never talked to her beyond business."

"Fine. Every guy but you three." Olivia said, shaking her head. "Anyway, Pete, word to the wise, that girl goes around faster than a Nascar car."

"Hey, watch it." Peter growled. "She's not like that."

"I'm sure she'll continue to be a subject once we answer a very simple, yet incredibly important question." Cloud stated. The others attended to him in confusion, then he said: "What do we do with miss Yanai?"

"We can't surely abort the mission and just return, can we?" Peter asked.

"But we can't allow her to tag along." Olivia shot at him. "I won't allow it. It's too dangerous."

"I agree with Olivia on this." Joshua stated. "Yanai is young. I don't even know if WE can survive this, let alone with her."

"We could split up." Leaf suggested, hopeful.

"That'd just increase our chances of dying." Cloud countered.

"Then, what do we do?" Peter asked, annoyed. When Cloud took his time, Peter insisted: "Cloud! What do we do?"

"We'll take her with us." Cloud finally decided. "She'll be under your care, Joshua; Olivia."

"Yes, sir!" They all saluted, unaware of the true nature of the choice they just made. And what it meant for the future.

Chapter 12: Day At The Museum

Gregory Cross

Monday 16, February 2015

09:26 Hours

Paris, France

"Alright, but be careful."

"I will."

Gregory Cross snuck into a highly-secure data using nothing but a lock-pick and quick reflexes, both of which he owes them to Joshua. Finally, he reached the backdoor and in he went. The Museum was dark and silent, in stark contrast of the bustling city outside. He pulled out a small handgun from it's holster at his side, and slowly made his way down the maze of halls. Blood splatters decorated the exhibitions as a tribute to some pagan god, and from time to time Greg could swear he saw a limb or two tucked away behind some statue. His pathway led him through to the exhibition where it all started, the supposed terrorist attack, and his breath caught. The whole area's floor was covered by bodies. Little girls and boys; men; and women, all bloody and many maimed. The terror of seeing this kind of scene again sent him stumbling back, crashing against. He struggled to get a grip, knowing he had to go on, so he pulled back his jacket's shirt and bit hard on his hand, right under the thumb. The pain worked, and he stood, blood dripping from his newly made bite.

"Man, I've got to think of easier ways to calm down."

Taking a deep breath, he finally walked into the big exhibition. He gingerly stepped around the bodies, from time to time poking them with his foot to make sure they were really dead. A loud noise, that of a metal door slamming shut, preceded hushed voices, and Greg instantly ducked into cover. He cocked the handgun and listened, hoping to get some information out of the voices.

"It'll be fine, don't worry." The voice of a young male stated to an unknown companion. "We don't have to go further than the offices."

"But, this is uncomfortable... People died here..." A girl voice replied. "Lets go home... Please..."

"Hey, babe. Relax. Everything's going to be fine." The guy answered. They seemed to get closer. "We'll just do what we came to do and get out."

"O-okay." She stuttered in fear. A clank was heard, and the girl detected it: "D-d-did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" The guy replied. They seemed to have stopped, but Greg wasn't waiting around to find out what they were going to do. He moved further down, keeping out of sight. "I think you're making this up to scare me."

"I'm not." She said. Greg was about to go out, when she added: "I think it's moaning."

"Don't be ridiculous! This place's been thoroughly scoured for body. There's no way-"

A grunt later and the girl was screaming at the top of her lungs. Greg cursed and dashed for them, when he saw what was happening. A baby boy was clinging to the guy's leg, chewing into it. What made it worse was how the lower torso of the baby was missing. The girl was clutching her head a tad further down the hall, and Greg quickly acted with remorse, shooting the infected baby. The gunshot was loud and clear, and the bullet's trajectory was dead-on, but something was wrong. Because the gunshot seemed to mingle into a too-close grunting sound.

"BEHIND YOU!!!"

The cry gave Greg enough seconds to turn around and catch the bloodied hands of an infected woman, but her momentum sent Greg stumbling back. His instinct kicked in, and as he fell he pulled hard on the infected woman's arms and brought his feet into her belly, sending her flying over his head in one fluent movement. The second he hit the floor, he spun onto his feet and picked up his handgun, which he instantly aimed and fired. Swiping his brow with his sleeve, Greg stood and went to the girl.

"We need to go." He extended his hand towards her. "This place isn't safe."

"But, my-"

"He's been bitten. From what I know, there's nothing anyone can do to help." Greg helped her stand, then added: "But, for now, we need to get out of here."

"Why?" She asked. "You killed those things."

"Doesn't mean there aren't others." Greg's ringtone then informed him he had a text message. "Either way, we're still somewhere we're not supposed to do, so lets get going."

He led her out of the area and finally delivered her home, where she informed him that she greatly appreciated his help. Once she was safe inside her house, Greg headed down the street and pulled out his phone. Opening it, he read the text, and grimaced. It indicated an address, but it was from someone who he didn't like at all. The text also informed Greg who the address belonged to and that they'd meet in the location. With a grimace, he walked to the place, which was quite close. Upon reaching the location, his heart skipped a beat. The house was an infernal blaze, with firemen trying to fight it all around the house. Greg spotted his sister and Beatrix among the crowd, and made his way towards them.

"What's going on?" He asked upon arriving.

"No idea." Jane stated, her eyes ever-fixed upon the blazing fire. "But I know for a fact that the people who lived here are dead."

"That's not good, right?"

"Right."

"Then, what do we do?" Greg asked. "What CAN we do?"

"We go back to Avatar City. We bide our time and keep our eyes and ears open." Jane answered, her voice stone cold. "We make sure to be ready. I might not know what's going on, but I know one thing: Something big is coming, and we're right in the middle of it."

Chapter 11: The Geek

Jane Cross

Monday 16, February 2015

09:26 Hours

Paris, France

"Alright, but be careful."

Jane hung up her phone as all around her the streets of Paris were already filled with cars. She had flown in two days ago, and only now did the reason she came was available. She entered a building and up the elevator she went, to the fifth floor. Her objective was room 509, where she knocked on the door. A rattling sound, like a lot of heavy objects clattering to the ground, was heard and the door opened a tiny bit. Through the crack Jane could see long blond hair and green, half-opened eyes.

"Hello, Beatrix." Jane waved her hand in an awkward salute.

"What do you want?" Beatrix Hobson said, angrily. "If you're selling something, I ain't buying it."

"Bea, it's me, Jane!"

"Hold on." Beatrix's head vanished and returned once more with glasses on. Upon seeing Jane, she cried out in glee and slammed the door shut. A rattle later and Beatrix was hugging her childhood friend. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too, Bea." Jane replied, equally thrilled.

"Well! Come on in, then!"

Beatrix Hobson, twenty one. A true genius, she grew up as the best friend of Jane and Joshua, but when they were still in school, she was finishing college. Soon, she was working full time and, eventually, moved to Paris. According to Beatrix, she moved to Paris to find the right French guy, but Jane always thought that was a lie. Her home was an utter mess, with books scattered all over the floor and any flat surface. An enormous desktop computer sat in the back, by a window covered with blinds. Several laptops stood open upon the table, and a half-eaten meal lay before an upturned chair.

"You really need to clean."

"Or get a French maid." Beatrix giggled. She shoved some books off of one of the chairs and gestured at it. "So! What brings you to my humble abode."

"I need information of some events that have occurred here in Paris. And, since I don't speak French, I require your services." Jane stated, knowing she couldn't afford beating around the bush.

"I'm a secretary-"

"Who got her bachelors' degree at the age of sixteen, and who currently has a Doctorate in Computer Engineering." Jane interrupted her. "I know you. No lock or password can keep you out."

"I dunno what you're talking about." Beatrix looked away, trying to appear innocent.

"Beatrix, please. I need your help."

"Fine..." Beatrix sighed. She could never refuse Jane. "But you'll owe me one, you understand?"

"With pleasure."

"Alright then. What do you need?" Beatrix stood and stomped to the desktop.

"Information concerning the outbreaks in the USA; France; and Japan on the sixth of this month."

"Not a thing." Beatrix replied a few minutes later. "There was no such thing, according to the world's eye."

"Can you dig deeper?" Jane asked.

"Can French sound sexy? Of course I can." Beatrix replied, smirking. Several minutes afterwards, she said: "Bad news, sister. This information you're looking for is deep. Very deep."

"How deep is that?"

"So deep that I could- and most probably will- get killed if they find out I got to it." Beatrix turned to Jane. "I can get it, but before I do: Why do you want it?"

"I survived the outbreak in the USA. Soon, I saw the news saying it was a terrorist attack. That caught my attention, so I searched up the intel I could without digging too deep. Turns out two other 'terrorist attacks' happened at roughly the same time in both Japan and France." Jane explained. "This clearly points out that there was no way the whole thing was a coincidence. So, I dug about and narrowed the terrorist attack in France to Paris. That brought me to you."

"Cute story. But, why do you want to run headfirst into this? What's your motivation?"

"Joshua gave up himself completely to the military so that I and the other survivors could be freed." Jane stated. "I won't stop until I find the truth about this because my job is to do so, and because Joshua's freedom stands in the balance."

"That's good enough for me." Beatrix smiled softly. "You've always had a deep devotion to each other." A the screen suddenly turned into a long document, and Beatrix turned her attention to it: "Well, it says here that there were survivors. No surprise, you're here, and so is Greg. Is he still afraid of clowns?"

"You did frighten him good, back then." Jane giggled. "Anyway, any survivors from Paris?"

"Yes. Three people. A family, as a matter of fact."

"Can you dig up their address?" Jane asked, standing.

"That's the one." Beatrix pointed at the screen, where the address of the family was clearly stated.

"Text it to this number." Jane said, handing her childhood friend a slip of paper. "Now, it's time to do what I was raised to do."

"Good luck. And, be careful."

Jane and Beatrix bid each other farewell, and Jane went on her way. Beatrix texted the number the address, then went to the Desktop and began to work, making sure there would be nothing left to trace back to her; or Jane. If Beatrix knew one thing, was that Jane was getting into some deep trouble. And she wasn't going to allow her friend to go through it alone. So, making sure her tracks were gone, she shut down her desktop, bagged a laptop, and dashed out of her apartment.

Chapter 10: The Alliance

Joshua Adams

Saturday 7, February 2015

00:00 Hours

Phoenix, Arizona

After all the survivors were cleaned up and it was ensured they were unarmed, the military forces quickly separated them, placing them in tents. Joshua struggled to no end, trying to get his rights honored. Like a crazed animal he was sent tumbling into the tent where he'd await his destiny, but his mind was already racing. Strategies and plans formed and dissolved in his mind as he crouched in the corner, his eyes following every shadow that crossed the surface of the surrounding tent's wall. Finally, after much wait, a man walked in. He was tall, with silvery-blond hair and baby blue eyes.

"Hello,  Joshua. My name is Sylvester Johansen." The lab-coated man extended his hand towards Joshua, who never shook it. "I'm here to ask you a few questions."

"When will I see Jane?" Joshua instantly asked.

"I'll be the one making the questions, Joshua."

"If you'll keep me from leaving, that means I'm a prisoner. Therefore, according to law, I have a free call. Am I wrong?"

"Law speaks nothing of the dead walking." Sylvester countered. Then he added: "And you are neither a prisoner, nor a free man. You, and the other survivors, are nothing but test subjects."

"You cannot turn us into your guinea pigs. Not without our agreement." Joshua stated, and Sylvester noted something down on a paper. "And, honestly, if I wanted to, it'd be hard for you to keep me here."

"Is that so?" Sylvester's curiosity and pride made him lean forward. "And how do you plan to escape, huh?"

"Like a rat that's cornered by cats." Joshua smirked. "With claws and fangs."

In a second, with an agility Sylvester had never seen before, Joshua had pounced upon the doctor and taken a pen from him. Sylvester tried to struggle, only to find his hand stabbed through with the pen. Leaving behind Sylvester in agonizing pain, Joshua rushed out, taking down a guard in one fluid movement. With a new weapon in tow, Joshua made his way to wherever they kept Jane. As he searched for her, he began to wonder if he was doing the right thing, but knew he'd have to live with it. He knew that one would only know the outcome of a decision when one has walked down it's path to the very end. And, thus, he stepped into the tent where Jane was kept, gun at the ready, only to find an unsettling scene before him.

"Well, Joshua. I'm impressed." Colonel Zachariah Santos, the Commanding Officer of the forces that dealt with the infected in the airport. "You've come quite far relying upon your stealth and tracking skills alone."

"Thanks." Joshua pointed the rifle he carried at the Colonel, only to find six other rifles aimed at him.

"Now, now, boys. The one thing you should know about Joshua is that you'll never break him. Unless the threat is to someone else." With that, the soldiers shifted their aim towards Jane, who was tied up and sitting on an old, rusty chair. "Joshua, I'm a good guy."

"Is that why you plan to enslave us for the rest of our lives? Us and the children?"

"What? How dare you think I'd do something like that!" Colonel Santos pretended to be offended. "I merely want to take advantage of the situation. I have never seen anything like this before, and neither has anyone." He looked at his feet, then continued: "We lost many brave souls today, trying to save your butt. So, I think we deserve some credit. But, considering I'm such a good guy, I'll make you an offer."

"An offer?" The sentence took Joshua off-guard. "What offer?"

"I've got the permission, shall we say, to do all I can to eradicate this evil plague. So, if you join my hand-picked group of skilled warriors, I'll allow the other survivors to leave unspoiled and unharmed."

"And you'll deliver them to their homes? Within the week?"

"Yes."

"And you won't experiment on them?"

"I give you my word."

"Very well." Joshua accepted after some thought. "I accept."

 

"Good!" Colonel Santos clapped his hands loudly, then turned to a soldier. "Make preparations to release the survivors."

Joshua was allowed to untie Jane after he handed over the weapon. The two hugged, and her trembling hold informed him that she was scared. He held her tighter and whispered something into her ear. Upon this, she relaxed and was led away by the other soldiers. The Colonel soon rounded up several soldiers and they began to speak business. Joshua was informed of very important things, both concerning the infestation in the airport and things happening elsewhere.

"Joshua. When you were in there. Did you hear anything strange?" A soldier asked him. "As in, anything out of the ordinary?"

"How does any of that not fall into strange and unordinary?" Joshua shot back, annoyed. "You do realize those things were dead, yet continued to move, even when their organs fell out of their bodies, right?"

"Y-yes, sir." The soldier replied.

"Then stop wasting our time with stupid questions, Private." Colonel Santos roared. Then, turning to Sylvester, who sat some ways down the tent with his hand bandaged, added: "What did the research brought up?"

"Nothing so far." He replied, glaring at Joshua: "It seems like the bodies jus keep going, even after it's death. I'll have to return to my lab to do some proper research before making anything official."

I see. Understood." Colonel Santos turned, once again, to another soldier, and said: "What's the status of the other situations?"

"No news, sir. Last we heard, everything was going smoothly."

"Alright. Contact them again. No news isn't good news in situations like those."

"What situations?" Joshua finally asked, after much thought.

"This wasn't the first outbreak. Or, rather, it wasn't the only one." The Colonel explained. "There were outbreaks like these in England; France; and Japan."

"So it's not a random illness. It was premeditated." Joshua stated. "Did these happen simultaneously?"

"Precisely. It was neither coincidence nor random. Someone wanted this to happen." Colonel Santos nodded. "The real question is, who would want this. And that, Joshua, is what you and I will discover. Or die trying."

Chapter 9: Watching From Above

Follower

Friday 6, February 2015

23:00 Hours

Phoenix, Arizona

What do you do when death knocks on your door? Do you run and hide? Do you fight back? Do you welcome it like an old friend? Or do you shield yourself from it's evil touch? In this very eventful night, death knocked on many doors, but not everyone recieved that cold maiden. As the infected crowded through the broken door, cries of fright filled the air as rifles fired against the invading evil. Joshua, focusing on saving those around him, grabbed Jane's hand and the hand of a woman who was carrying a child and, ordering Greg to follow, headed to the upper rooms followed by several. Rebecca's flight took her to the hall that led to the kitchen, where Leo and Spirit were hiding. Together, the three of them dashed into the kitchen's big fridge and locked themselves inside, hoping the infected didn't know how to open the door. A mother was assaulted by the infected and died, using her body to shield her baby from the claws and bites. Cloud's team, shooting down as many of the infected as possible, slowly herded other survivors to the upper floors. The infected were slow, but moved more coordinately than before, like they were a hive. An old couple stepped forward, allowing themselves to be eaten to grant the other survivors enough time to get away.

Meanwhile, outside, the military had finally gotten ready. Tents and barricades had been set up all around the airport to keep the large quantity of infected inside. Wave after wave of infected attacked them, but the soldiers dealt with them quite easily. Slowly, as more and more of the infected were shot down, the military tightened their ranks, slowly approaching the buildings of the airport. Finally, they entered and the bloobdbath began. Infected after infected had their brains blown clean off, while soldiers themselves fell to the infected's large numbers, but that wasn't all. Some soldiers were shot by their own comrades by mistake, while others missed their targets and killed their fellow soldiers instead. The airport was red from blood and it's halls and rooms were littered with bodies. Infected crawled and stumbled to the closest soldiers, and many tried to flee, but by the time the whole airport was completely devoid of infected beings, the military force that had been deployed had become two thirds smaller.

The survivors, those at the hotel, were tied up and blindfolded by the military and Cloud's team led the way out to the current base of operations, where a very impatient Colonel awaited. As the small group of survivors were grouped on an area, John's team was suddenly unarmed by their comrades; bound and pushed in with the rest. And while this all happened, The Follower continued to watch like a ghost, not exactly there, yet being a presence, nevertheless, but only to those the Follower wanted. The watchul Follower turned around and left, invisible to those he had just been watching.