Say Something
[I imagine this takes place after the events of S2M40 but before the final cliffhanger. Insert a week of time into that mission and that's when I'd like to think this takes place. Yes, that means Season 2 spoilers. I also tried to keep Five gender neutral. Hope it's not too clunky]
The news from Rofflenet spread through Abel faster than a kid going grey. The fact that it was top secret and completely confidential only ensured Jack and Eugene brought it up on Radio New Tomorrow within the hour of its arrival.
A lieutenant from Mullins military base was due to make an impromptu visit by helicopter, no doubt to discuss the future of Abel since the major was no longer around to run it. The last time a helicopter had arrived at Abel had been, well, rather eventful, so everyone was eager for the visit. Unfortunately, Janine had decided that a visit from Mullins meant an inspection, and everyone in Abel had been assigned a cleaning or maintenance task to keep Janine satisfied.
Only two people in all of Abel were spared; one was Sam Yao, working the comms desk while pretending to tidy up his desk. The other was Runner Five, out on a food run.
Sending Five out had been an act of mercy. Since the news arrived, every citizen had hounded the runner for details about Mullins. Five was reserved on a good day, so the extra attention had seemed cruel and when Janine ordered a last minute supply run Sam knew the perfect candidate.
"I could probably make a blanket out of these wrappers," Sam chuckled. "Maybe if I'm lucky I'll find some lost Curly Wurly in one of these. Janine's wrong though – this isn't nearly as bad as Runner Four's yarn knot."
That was as far as Sam's self-restraint could take him. He had to ask.
"So Five," Sam said, rifling through a pile of papers that he hoped weren't important, "excited about the mystery guest tomorrow?" Silence. "Nah, didn't think you'd be. You're a professional. I don't know why everyone's acting like this visit is such a big deal. Before you arrived we got monthly rations from Mullins. Did you know that? Yeah, they stopped after the, uh, incident with the rocket launcher. Couldn't risk their copters. Or their pilots."
Sam paused, checking the monitors for activity. Nothing but Five. Some zoms to the north, but nowhere near close enough for concern.
"Did you have any friends back at Mullins? I mean, obviously you did, not saying that you wouldn't but…you really don't talk about your time there. Ever." Sam grimaced. He really didn't want to pry but he couldn't think of anything better to say, unless Five wanted him to describe the clean-up process of what had once been his desk. "I mean, you've been here in Abel for so long, sometimes I forget that you came from there. It's been ages and I don't even know if you had friends.
"Sorry, that came out as harsh. I just…You're still a mystery, Five. You don't have to talk about what your life was like before but…if you want to, you can. Does that make sense? We're your friends now. Simpatico. You know you can trust us with anything."
On the monitors, Five seemed to pause. Maybe something had finally broken through that protective outer shell.
Or maybe Five simply had to remove a crawler from the path.
"Sorry, didn't see that one. The rest of the way is clear. Few shamblers by the old hospital but they can't get down the stairs…It's actually kind of funny, there's some gurnies in the way and they can't figure it out."
Nothing. Sam rubbed his eyes, suddenly tired.
"But yeah. If you ever want to talk…we're here for you, Five."
When the helicopter arrived the next day, it landed some distance from Abel. The official reason was to keep from attracting zombies, but the secondary reason was to keep any mysterious rocket launchers from attacking. Sam had sent Runners Four and Seventeen to guide the lieutenant to Abel, giving Five just a little more time to prepare before seeing a familiar face.
Two people arrived. The pilot had stayed behind to make sure no zombies damaged the helicopter. The lieutenant was rather grizzled, like a male version of the major. The other man was much younger and had somehow managed to keep impeccable hygiene in the end times. Both greeted Janine with a professional stiffness and began a tour of the base.
That's when it all went pear-shaped.
Five had come around a corner, about to escape on a medical supply run, when the younger man had rushed over and delivered perhaps the biggest bear hug in history to the reluctant runner. The lieutenant, to his credit, had only raised an eyebrow at the sight of Five before whispering to Janine.
All of Abel seemed to be watching the awkward reunion. With Five it was hard to tell whether it was a happy or upsetting situation. Sam eventually stepped in.
"Sorry to interrupt this, uh, thing, but Five here-"
"Five? What on earth did you just call my Robin?"
"Robin?" Sam asked, incredulous.
"Yeah, like Batman and Robin. Ever heard of them? Famous crime fighters from Gotham City."
"Yes, I am familiar with the most famous superhero of all time," Sam managed to say with a completely straight face. This guy was worse than Lem ever was.
The man leaned in. "I'm Batman in this scenario. And this right here," he clapped Five on the back, " is the best sidekick in the entire world." Five turned the color of an eggplant and grimaced. Definitely not fond of the nickname.
"Oh, well, here this is Runner Five. Best runner we've ever had," Sam said proudly. That seemed to cheer the runner up a bit.
"Wait a minute. Are you – You're Abel Township Runner Five? The same Runner Five that brought down Van Ark?" The man asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
"One in the same," Sam answered. "And since Five is so important, it's time for a supply run."
"Let me go with. Please. Robbie, we have so much to talk about. I mean," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "we all thought you were dead."
"I'm not sure if -" Sam started to say but then he got a look from Five and caught himself. "Let me get you a headset, Mr.-?"
"It's Wayne. Wayne Baldwin. Or you can just call me Batman." Wayne looked mighty chuffed at his own joke. "The Dynamic Duo, together again. Just like old times."
Judging from the look on Five's face, old times hadn't been that good.
"Raise the gates. I always love saying that. Right, the mission is simple: there's a pharmacy that we don't think had been looted yet. Apparently it's tucked away behind some kitschy tourist shop. Anyway, we need the basics. I suppose two backpacks are better than one," Sam mused.
"I know all about supply runs. Did my fair share back at Mullins. Although there it's standard procedure to send two out at a time. That's how I realized I made such a great team with Ro-, er, Five," Wayne said into the headset before turning to Five. "You'd always run ahead to scout and I'd be the muscle for carrying whatever we found back to base. You were so fast back then. I've had three different partners since you left. None of them were fast enough though. Good thing I still keep my old tennis racket."
"A tennis racket?"
"Don't sound so surprised, Sam. It's built to be aerodynamic so it's light to carry. The frame is aluminum, so it can take a good beating. Perfect for knocking zom heads. And it even makes a cool swooshing noise as it does it."
"Sounds lovely."
"You better believe it. Now, where're we headed?"
"Keep on the road you're on. I'll tell you when to turn."
"Now, Five, I've got to say, seeing you was a bit of a surprise. Like I said, we thought you'd died in the crash. Had absolutely no idea you had simply adopted a number here. If we had…well, we would have gotten you out of here sooner.
"I've got to be honest, I still don't know why you volunteered for Greenshoot. Seemed silly at the time, didn't it? A wonder drug that could kill a zom? Why bother when all it took was a good whack to the head?
"But then you figured out to make it a spray. Genius. Absolute genius."
"That's Runner Five for you."
"Yeah. Always had a trick up your sleeve, eh?"
"There's some shamblers ahead. Might want to take that next side street to avoid them."
"I have missed this. After I lost my third partner they had me stay at a desk inside the base. Can you believe that? How are you supposed to save the world from a desk? Uh, no offense, Sam."
"None taken," Sam said drily. Five could tell from the tone that yes, offense had been taken.
"But with you back at Mullins, they'll just have to let me stretch my legs again. It feels so good to be-"
"Sorry, but did you say something about Five leaving Abel just then?"
"Well, yeah. You're not going to stay here? Now that we know you were Runner Five all along, we'll be taking you back where you belong."
"I, uh, I'm not sure that's how it works, Wayne. Runner Five is…We need Five here. Five's happy here."
"Is that true?" Wayne looked at Five, who was guiltily looking at the pavement. "You'd really rather stay here with these strangers than go back to Mullins? What about Bertha? She cried her eyes out after word came round of your crash. And little Millie, who used to dress up like you and dream of going on supply runs. Not to mention the guys on the rowing team. And, well, me. You were never supposed to stay here long, Five," he spat out bitterly.
"Hey! There's no need to shout," Sam said quickly. "How about you two focus on the horde of the undead that's now following you and argue later? Six zoms are on your tail, so you'd better run."
The rest of the run was uneventful if painfully quiet. Wayne wouldn't even look at Five, although given how grainy the images were it was hard for Sam to tell for sure. If not the occasional grunt of effort he would have thought they'd turned off their mics. They had reached the pharmacy, grabbed what they could, and turned back towards Abel when Sam got an idea.
"Five? I'm just patching through to your headset, so don't freak out. I just wanted to say sorry about…that. From before. I didn't realize Batman could be so…prickly.
"I can understand that you'd want to leave. I guess I hadn't given it much thought. But…if I found out that my sister was alive somewhere…well, I guess I'd want to be with her. And I'd try to get her to come to Abel first, obviously, but she could be real stubborn. Maybe she wouldn't want to leave wherever she had managed to survive. Maybe her boyfriend's still with her. He's nice enough but we never really clicked…
"Come to think of it, maybe just knowing she's okay would be enough. I don't think I could deal with her and him around all the time. Maybe just for holidays.
"Oh, come on Five, that was a joke. Laugh a little. At least a chuckle? Well – Hey, what are you doing in here?"
"Five? This is Janine. Sam's told me about your situation-"
"Don't-"
"And I just wanted to have my say. While I will not deny that, as a runner, you are a valuable asset to Abel Township, your primary function here as a liaison for Project Greenshoot has become defunct. Should you wish to return to Mullins, you will not be stopped."
"Janine!"
"What would you like me to say, Mr. Yao? Order Five to stay? It was the Major's orders and the Major is gone. We have an alliance with New Canton. Van Ark is dead. We have a successful formula for destroying zombies. Project Greenshoot is over. I will not keep someone here against their will."
"But it wouldn't be against anyone's will. Well, except Wayne's. We need Five here. Five wants to stay."
"That's for Five to decide. The lieutenant leaves tomorrow, and there's room on that chopper for one more. That's all I'll say on that matter."
Even through the headset Five could hear the door slam shut. Janine was usually blunt and precise during transmissions but this time there had been a hint of anger in her tone.
"That was unusual," Sam muttered. "Just…run on home, Five."
The next day, after a very long conversation with Wayne, Five agreed to run to the chopper as an escort for the lieutenant. Almost everyone in town was speculating as to whether or not Five would come back. Jack and Eugene had tried to be nonchalant on-air as they took wagers from listeners but both conceded that they didn't want Five to go. The other runners and Sam had gathered to discuss what they would do it Five left. Although their numbers had recently surged, they still needed everyone they could get. Discussing the technical aspects of Five's departure kept them all from thinking about how much they'd miss their best runner.
Janine refused to discuss the subject or try to intervene with Five's decision. Maxine had tried to sway her to at least ask the lieutenant about the situation but had been shot down. The lieutenant had allowed Janine to keep operational control of Abel and would resume sending rations when possible. In exchange, Maxine and Paula would have to provide large quantities of the zombie-killing drug to all military bases. She wasn't going to risk control of Abel over one runner.
"Raise the gates," Sam said, so quietly that the posted guards almost didn't hear him. "And, run."
"I can't wait to get back to Mullins," Wayne said, chipper as ever. "I can almost taste Bertha's cooking. Any idea what's on the menu tonight?"
The lieutenant shook his head. It looked like running wasn't really his forte, as he was already covered in a sheen of sweat.
"Are you sure about all this? I'm sure Bertha would make those little cakes of hers just for you."
Five stayed quiet. The same could not be said for the occupants of the comms shack.
"What's he talking about?"
"Does that mean-"
"Someone tell Jack and Eugene-"
"Good thing we didn't bet with money."
"Shut up, all of you," Sam barked. Letting all the runners in had been a bad idea. "Five, are you…are you staying?"
"Surprisingly, yes," Wayne answered. "Despite all my incredibly well-thought out reasons as to why Mullins is better than Abel, and believe me there's a lot of them, Five's staying put."
"Yes! That's, that's brilliant! I mean," Sam coughed. "Not that we thought you'd leave us, Five, but…When you get back here we're going to have a party. Seems like we're overdue for one."
"I'll get the music!"
"Paula and I might be able to spare some of the medical alcohol for the occasion," Maxine added.
"Enjoy your celebrating," Wayne said. "It'll be like losing you all over again back at Mullins."
As the other runners continued to chatter about party preparations and Runner Six insisting that a choreographed rendition of Don't Stop Believin' was in order, Five remained silent. Although returning to Mullins had always been out of the question, it hurt to think that everyone at Abel had thought differently.
"I just want to remind you, though," Wayne said, ignoring the commotion over the headset, "that Mullins would be safer for you."
"Safer? How's that? Are there no zombies at Mullins?" Sam asked.
"No, but right before Van Ark was killed he sent out a transmission on all frequencies. It even reached us. He wanted anyone and everyone to know that he wanted Abel Township Runner Five's head on a platter."
"Yeah, we heard that bit. But he exploded, so it's fine now."
"Not really," the lieutenant huffed, speaking up for the first time. "Our intelligence, though limited, shows that Van Ark had maintained a tight group of informants and powerful friends. Wayne actually is right on this front. People loyal to Van Ark will try to come here just to harm Runner Five."
"But Van Ark's dead. Why would anyone risk their lives to avenge that madman?"
"Because some of his scientists are still around. The same scientists that helped him become otherwise immortal. Five's head is the price for anyone else who wants whatever it was that Van Ark got."
"A rocket launcher to the face?"
"No, immortality."
"That really didn't work out for him in the end."
"Based on what we've been hearing on some questionable frequencies, it's still tempting enough. Would you rather risk your life day after day with zombies or be able to live invincible amongst the undead?" Wayne asked. He turned to Five. "As long as you're in Abel, you're in danger. I know you want to stay, but please think about that. For me."
They had reached the helicopter landing site. It was a well-fortified former bank, complete with heli-pad on the third floor roof. The lieutenant went in ahead, making some excuse about catching his breath while quietly giving Five and Wayne some privacy. They entered the lobby and Wayne led the way to a seating area. Five remained standing, keeping an eye on the glass doors for any sign of zombie activity.
"You know," Wayne said quietly, "we all thought you'd died in that crash. We really did. When you hear that something's hit by a rocket launcher…We never realized that Abel's new Runner Five, the one everyone on Rofflenet was talking about for killing Van Ark, was you. If we did…If we did, things might have been different."
Wayne stopped. He actually looked like he might start crying at any moment.
"There's something I have to say in private. Sorry, Sam," he said as he deactivated their headsets. "And sorry, Five." Wayne pulled out a gun. He stood up and grabbed Five by the arm, pressing the barrel to the startled runner's forehead. "Up the stairs, Five."
They passed through the lobby in silence. Of all the times not to wear a headcam, this had to be one of them. As they walked, Five surreptitiously scanned the lobby for security cameras. Maybe Sam could see what was happening. Maybe he was already dispatching runners to come to the rescue.
But bullets were much faster than runners.
"I really am sorry. If I had known it was you…but it's done. I've already mourned you. I've already moved on. You're not my Robin anymore. You are Runner Five." Wayne pushed the gun closer. "Right after we heard you'd crashed, one of Van Ark's buddies showed up at Mullins. Of course no one knew who he was. Flew under the radar. I had just been chained to the desk when he approached me with an offer. He gathered information and I helped him transmit it. In exchange, I began to receive the first of several injections meant to make me effectively immortal.
"I was listening when it happened. I heard him make his offer. He might have been a right bastard but he kept his promises, one way or another."
They had reached the roof. The lieutenant was tied up against a railing, unconscious. The pilot was also holding a gun. Five mentally cursed. There was no chance of escaping now.
"When the lieutenant wanted to visit Abel, it was too good to be true. I volunteered to come along, said I was tired of being at the desk, when really I came looking for you. Well," Wayne sighed, "Runner Five. Like I said, we had no idea it was you all along. I wish it didn't have to be like this, but I need that final injection.
"Don't worry, someone will find the lieutenant. Maybe not someone alive, but he won't be all tied up for long. Once we're in the air, I'll send a message to your friends at Abel that you've changed your mind. You decided Mullins would be safer. They didn't think you'd stay anyway."
That was the last thing Five heard. Wayne had plenty of experience swinging a tennis racket and it seemed that a gun was little different in his hands.
When Five awoke, the helicopter was still airborne. The sky outside was dark and the only light came from the cockpit. Wayne was chatting away with the pilot, as if he hadn't just kidnapped an old friend in order to murder them for immortality.
Five let out a hiss of pain. Gingerly reaching back to the spot the gun had struck, hands bound by a zip tie, it was no surprise to find some dried blood.
"Back in the world of the living, Five?" Wayne shouted back. "You're just in time for our arrival. Say hello to your new home."
Looking out the window, Five saw what must have once been a hospital. There was a large landing pad a few buildings away, no doubt their intended destination. On the roof were several men and women wearing surgical scrubs.
"This lot's been waiting for you. They want to see exactly what your injections were. They have a lot of ideas as to what they might be."
Memories of Van Ark came flooding back. The needles and the treadmill, the blood and the sweat. Five wasn't going to go through that again.
There were several tall buildings around the hospital. Five tried to imagine what instructions Sam would give in this situation. Probably something along the lines of "Don't be stupid, Five, that'd never work!"
But that hadn't stopped Five before.
Grabbing the handle of the back door, Five kicked wildly into the cockpit. Wayne started shouting and tried to grab his gun but Five ignored him. The pilot, confused, had to hover in place as he tried to see what was going on. The momentum of the sudden stop was enough for the door to swing open. Below was a building that probably wasn't close enough to land on safely.
Five jumped anyway.
The next five minutes were a blur of running and jumping and climbing and more running. In retrospect, it wasn't clear how Five managed to not break any bones or get bitten by the zombies that had been following the helicopter. It was a miracle that none of the guards had been able to follow the alleys and paths Five had somehow found in the dark.
It was probably over an hour of continuous running before Five stopped. The headset, though turned on, still wasn't picking up any signals, let alone one from Abel, so it was impossible to tell the time.
There was a choice to be made: run through the night in what was hopefully the direction of Abel without encountering any zombies or stay put until dawn and risk being found by Wayne and Van Ark's remaining followers.
Running it was.
Throughout the night, the headset would occasionally come alive with sound. Five had tried calling out for help but the mic was broken. Sometimes it was other settlements talking to their own runners, sometimes it was just music, and one station in particular seemed to be the result of some radio DJs going grey and refusing to abandon their hosting duties.
Jack and Eugene would love to hear that. That kept Five running for another few minutes.
The zombies seemed calm that night. No fast ones, no crawlers, nothing but the usual shamblers that were easy to outrun. It was almost refreshing to worry more about human attacks than undead ones.
At an abandoned house Five managed to get some rest. There was still no sign of Wayne but to be on the safe side Five kept moving.
They had left Abel at 6 PM, that much was certain. Janine had wanted to show off by giving the visitors a farewell dinner. The bank had only been a fifteen minute run. There was limited fuel on the helicopter, so they couldn't have gone too far. Still, there were no familiar voices on the headset. Even Nadia's voice would have been welcome at that point.
The sun was just beginning to peak out through the trees when Five collapsed. There was a farmhouse visible just ahead, and with a lot of effort Five got up and headed in that direction. The house seemed so inviting. No zoms around, no human noises either. The garden out front was overgrown yet beautiful. It was a picturesque haven.
Inside was a different story. Five had seen the damage from looters and zombies alike but this was another matter entirely. Furniture was overturned and broken trinkets lined the floor. Blood and other stains covered most of the room. The kitchen was little better, but the tap still worked and Five was able to drink, not caring about the fact that the water wasn't quite clear.
Climbing up the stairs, Five found a few bedrooms that, while not a five-star resort looked untouched. Whatever had happened to the former residents hadn't made it up here. Lying down on the bed in the largest bedroom (after barricading the door with an armoire) Five tried to sleep.
The roar of an engine woke Five a few hours later. Crawling out of bed, the runner headed towards the room's only window and gently lifted the latch. It made a small squeak of protest but the human voices coming from below drowned out the sound. Within seconds Five had shimmied down a drainpipe and had crossed the large field behind the house into some trees. From there, Five decided it was safe to take a peek.
In front of the place was a large Jeep, adorned with large floodlights that lit up the road. An armed man stood by the hood while a woman inspected the tires. Through the windows came flashlight beams, methodically working through all the rooms on the first floor. The lights then appeared on the second floor until there was a shout. The searchers had found the locked door.
The man with the gun ran inside to help and the woman hopped into the driver's seat. It was only a matter of seconds before they broke through the feeble defense and discovered the open window.
The possibilities ran through Five's head. While stealing the Jeep would provide a fast and safe drive to Abel, it would mean having to fight four heavily armed people. Flat out asking them for help was out of the question, as no decent folk drove around at night when zoms were at their most active.
Still, it was incredibly tempting just to call out, to see who these mysterious people were. Maybe they were friendly, maybe they would want to help.
Maybe they worked for Van Ark.
Five went back to running.
It was a few hours later, after a run-in with a fast zom, that Five tripped and fell down a ravine. It wasn't the fall so much as the landing that was the problem. Within a few minutes of running, the left ankle had swollen to twice the size of the right.
Muttering a curse, Five climbed into the nearest tree to take a look at the damage.
Back at Abel, Maxine would have refused to let any runner out with such an injury. It would be a week or two of working in the kitchens in order to allow time for healing. Of course, the good doctor wasn't there and Five didn't have the luxury of recovery time. Instead, Five had to settle for wrapping the ankle up with the remnants of a shirt found along the road.
Five looked at the ground. The idea of climbing down wasn't pleasant but it had to be sooner rather than later. Plenty of novice runners made the mistake of climbing into trees or up fire escapes after encountering their first swarm. Problem was, the zombies were perfectly happy to wait it out since, well, they had no place else to be.
So despite the pain Five dropped down and started running again. The headset crackled and for the first time in days there was a familiar voice.
"So, citizens, just a reminder that no, there's nothing we can do about the cooking."
"Really, Phil? I had expected more from you. Sure you have some Cordon Bleu training?"
"No, what makes you think that? Actually, no, I'd rather not know. Besides, it's time for another update on the Runner Five situation. First, a description of the missing runner: real name-"
The signal cut out. Five spun in a circle, trying to find which direction had more sound than static. The transmission from the New Canton radio hosts could only mean home wasn't that far away.
"-but often is just called Five-"
More static. More turning.
"-wearing-"
Just a little more-
"-and wearing running shoes, which, well, should be obvious." The signal stayed. Five started running again, hoping to see a familiar sight to accompany the old voices.
"If you haven't been listening these past few days, please keep an eye out for Abel's missing runner, believed to be the subject of a vengeful kidnapping. Last seen with Wayne Baldwin, a man from Mullins Military Base, described as tall, dark-haired, and clean-shaven."
"The kidnapping was confirmed by Lieutenant Galbraith, who was left behind by Baldwin during the escape. Abel runners found him tied up on the roof while attempting to rescue Five based on footage from local cameras showing that something had gone wrong."
"As you no doubt remember, Van Ark put a price on Five's head and it seems this Baldwin fellow wanted to collect. If anyone has any information, please contact Abel Township. Now, onto some music-"
"Wait, Sam wanted me to add something," Phil said. "Runner Five, if you're out there and you're listening, we're waiting for you. Keep running and come home."
A song started playing but Five could barely hear it. They knew. They knew they knew they knew. Abel knew that Five hadn't abandoned them for Mullins and they were searching.
It was time for some quick calculations. How much range did Radio New Tomorrow have? Was it possible to send a transmission back through the headset?
It was while fiddling with the headset that Five noticed the sign on a nearby building. Faded by time and weather, it took a second to read the faded red paint. It was an arcade. Not just any arcade, the one just outside Dedlock territory.
It was both good and bad news. The good news was that Five suddenly had a very exact location and a known route back to Abel. The bad news was that Dedlocks were very dangerous under the best circumstances. They had a proclivity for sniper rifles, and with the injured ankle Five wasn't up for ducking and dodging.
Sure enough, a few shots rang out as Five dived into an alleyway. Ahead was the zebra crossing that marked the end of their territory. It might not stop them from taking a few last potshots, but Five envisioned it as a finish line into safety.
"Attention unidentified runner. This is Nadia, an operator over at New Canton. If you can hear this, turn left."
Five acquiesced.
"Good, you can hear us. You gave us quite a surprise, showing up on our scanners in Dedlock territory out of all places. You seem to have some pretty good speed as well, at least once they started shooting you really took off. If you're interested, you're welcome to come to New Canton. We can give you a place to stay and in exchange you can help a retrieve supplies by running. Just keeping heading in the direction you're going and you'll be here in a matter of minutes."
Instead, Five turned in the direction of Abel. Although relations between the settlements was better than ever and New Canton was closer, Five had to reach Abel. Abel was home. Abel was the thought that kept Five running for nearly three days straight.
"Unidentified runner, it appears you're no longer heading for New Canton. Won't hold it against you or anything, people have their reasons for staying outside settlements in times like this. But if you're hoping to avoid people I'll at least say that you are headed in the direction of Abel Township. Unless…"
Five knew what was coming next. Nadia might not be the nicest person under certain circumstances, but she wasn't dumb. She'd been in a situation like this before, where an unidentified runner had been responding to her instructions but not to her.
"Are you- Runner 27! There are now twelve zombies on your 6. Take that next left..No, your left!" Nadia let out an exasperated sigh. The signal suddenly vanished, leaving only static. No doubt Nadia had switched to 27's private frequency to give better instructions.
Back in familiar territory, Five continued to limp towards home. The ankle was even more swollen, if that was possible, and had turned a deep purple. But even limping was faster than a zombie, and Five knew all the best escape routes in this area. The danger was passing.
"I don't care how, just get those cameras working," Janine suddenly barked. "Is this thing on? Ahem, yes, this is Janine de Luca of Abel Township. Unidentified runner, we've received word from New Canton that you're headed this way and…how do I put this…Are you Runner Five?"
If not for the exhaustion Five would have jumped for joy. Instead, Five settled for raising a triumphant fist in the air.
"Right, Nadia said you didn't respond verbally. Can you – try going to the right if you can hear me?" Five did so. "Okay, now, if you're Five, go back left." Five did. "Oh my God…"
There was silence for nearly a full minute as Janine began shouting orders outside the comms shack.
"Five, Four and Six are on their way to your location. They'll bring you the rest of the way in. Dr. Meyers is waiting here for you. There are currently no zombies between you and Abel."
Five could barely stand straight let alone keep running when Four and Six appeared. It felt like only seconds had passed.
"Janine? Runner Five's not looking too good," Four said as she took one of Five's arms.
"Any sign of a bite?"
"No broken skin, but it looks like a nasty twisted ankle," Six said, giving Five a once over glance before taking the other arm. "It's alright, mate, we've got you now."
The rest of the run was a complete blur. One second Five was looking at a red light in the distance and the next Maxine was hovering overhead, shining a flashlight and wearing a concerned smile.
"You had us worried there, Five," she said, plugging an IV into Five's arm. "You've got a pretty messed up foot and are severely dehydrated but you'll live."
Five had somehow wound up on a cot in the medical tent. At the end of the bed the offending ankle was suspended in the air, looking more like a grapefruit than a human appendage.
"I've kept your admirers out for now," Maxine continued. "You could really use some rest. I would have given you sleeping pills but Janine used the last of it on Sam." She jerked her head towards the only other occupied cot in the tent. Slightly snoring there was none other than Sam Yao. "He stayed at the comms station for two whole days before Janine snuck some pills into his water. Unfortunately she got the dosage wrong so he won't be up for another few hours."
Maxine smiled again. "He was really worried about you. As soon as he saw what Wayne was up to he sent every runner out to that bank. Of course it was too little too late but he continued trying to send a signal through to your headset. He even managed to track you pretty far, so we have a good idea of where the last of Van Ark's cronies are hiding out."
Sam mumbled something that sounded oddly like Curly Wurly before turning over.
"He'll be in for a great surprise when he wakes up," Maxine said. "I'll have to change that IV later, but for now try to get some sleep, alright? You've more than earned it. Oh," she turned from the entrance, "and welcome back."
The next day, when Five finally woke up, Sam was sitting right next to the bed. His hands were in the pocket of his jumper and his head was forward. Seemed the sleeping pills hadn't quite worn off.
Five tried to sit up but groaned from the stiffness. The ankle looked a little better but still not great. Sam awoke with a start.
"Five!" he shouted, wrapping the runner in an enormous hug. "I thought we'd lost you." He squeezed even harder in assurance that there really was someone there and not a figure of his imagination. "I knew you'd make it back to us, somehow."
Even though it hurt Five didn't object. This was why running for three straight days was worth it. This was what it felt like to be home.
[I might add more to this if people are interested. I did it more as a writing exercise than a real thing. Hope you enjoy!]