Chapter 2: Chance
The last thing she saw was the red moon. Afterward was the blackness, the pain inflicted by the debris and the numbing sense. But soon thing seems to change, the wind blew around her as if it wrapped itself around her. The wind was warm, like a mother's touch. The pain on her body become duller and duller as the time she was in the wind's care. Beside the whistling of the wind, she could hears soft whispering around her. There were multiple voices, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She was fully awake but she just couldn't seem to open her eyelids. The last thing she heard before all her sense was once again robbed by her was.
"iter itineris*."
The first thing Ada could feel when her senses were given back to her was, something seems to jerk her pant constantly, and it kept pulling down. Her head hurt, the last thing she wants now was wake up. But the pulling seems to keep getting harsher and harsher. Ada squashed her eyes tighter, with a soft growl, she opened her eyes. The first thing her eyes met was no something you hope to see when one just wakes up.
A man with dirt covered face and untrimmed facial hair. The man was kneeling between her legs and his hands holding her side-packs on each of her hips. He was trying to pull down Ada's pant with the belt on, since the belt was just bought, it was tight around her waist. The man stared at Ada a few moments before Ada kneed him in his ball. The man seems to be in his 50 or older judging by the size of his body. The man wore a dirty blue shirt and a pair of worn out black jean, a khaki bag pack on his back. Ada quickly sat up and get away from the man a few inches, there was no pain in her quick movement. As if she was not hurt at all, Ada looked at her body, there should be cuts and bruises cover her body when the bomb when off. Instead of been tattered condition, her body and cloths were perfectly fine. Her body is fine, but something was off, her body seems lighter. Ada looked up at the man trying to assault her earlier, then she found the reason she felt lighter. Her crossbow was strapped behind the man's bag. She was about to reach out and take back her crossbow when a baggy-like object dropped on the floor. She was about to question the object before it went off, the smoke covered the whole area, making Ada choke on the smoke and coughed violently. She heard footsteps, the footsteps got further and further away from her.
When the smoke clears away, the man was gone. So does her crossbow and it appear that the crossbow was not the only thing the man took away. Her other gadgets was stolen from her as well, even her phone, the stupid phone. But other than her phone the other thing was important to her, without them, things could get quite inconvenient. Ada took off after the man, running out from the alley she woke up from. The moment she stepped out from the alley, she stood there stunned. The city looked like a blackmarket, there were rubbish everywhere, posters with faded word, some building's door were bar with wood planks, broken windows, and the wall were smirched with some words and symbol she can't make out. There were soldiers standing guard at some place, and a few people were asking about rations. One of the building's door burst open with people in radioactive suit with rifle running out, two other suited men pushed out some people without suit on the floor, demanding them to put their hands in the air. One of the suited man took out a device can place it near one of the kneeling man's neck.
"He infected!" the suited guy said and quickly he get away from the man, the man turned around begging for his life before the other suited men shoot him in the head. Blood pooling out from his head, as the other people started to panic. The suited men pushed their gun on those men head to maintain order. Ada frowned, when had the world became so cruel and when did she end up in a town looked like a blackmarket ran by soldiers. She saw a soldier just finished talking with a citizen, and his attention was fully back to the surrounding. Ada sensed a bad blood, she decided to act normal and walk away toward where she assume the man ran off to.
The soldier looked around as the citizen walked away angrily, he huffed and saw a red across the street. A woman in red was walking away from the execution screen with her back turned away from him. The thing interest him is her cloth, her shirt was still brightly-red, and her black leather pant shone as the sunlight hit on it. Both garments looked new as if was just bought, which was impossible. Even a newly scavenged cloth won't look so nicely. "Hey! You in red top!"
Ada heard the soldier calling her, there was no other people in red top except her. She kept her paces and walk away as if she doesn't heard him. Ada looked beside her for any easy way for her to escape, in front of her was a open door. She smirked and headed toward the building, she could chase after the man afterward, after she gets away from the soldier. As she near the building she made a quick turn into the open door. Once out of the soldier sight, she sprinted along the empty corridor, while looking for a way to get out from the building in case the soldier came after her. The doors in this building were mostly shut, and some were bar. Ada slowed down as she heard no footsteps following her, she looked around the interior of the building. The paint was decayed, the windows were mostly shattered and there have nothing decorating the place or anything on the floor, only some trashes and dust covered the floor.
"Where in the earth am I?" Ada whispered to herself as she looked around the building, clearly not where she live. While she was talking to herself, a clacking behind her caught her attention. Ada turned around just in time to see a dirty blue went into a door, followed by a click. She walked toward the door, and twisted the handle, only to find it was locked from the inside. Ada sighed and said "Child Play."
Ada kneels down and took out her lock pick and started to pick at the lock. After a few second she was rewarded with a soft click. She smirked and stood back up, she twisted the door with this time the door gave open.
Ada walked inside the room with caution, wary of the man might jump on her. Making sure the course was clear she walked inside, and shut the door behind her back. She looked around the place, a table was placed near the windows, the glasses on the windows were all shattered, some of the broken windows were barred with wooden planks. On the table was littered with empty bottles and some rags. Far beside the table was a set of wore out sofa, the stuffing were all popped out from the sofa, one of the sofa was beyond repair. Then Ada saw a old woman walked out from the other room, holding a glass of water, the water was filled with brownish particles.
"Is there something I could help you with?" The old woman asked. Ada only nodded.
"Is there someone enter this room before me?"
"Before you…. Let see… Well, I'm sorry. I have no idea." The old lady walked toward the broken television and placed the glass of water on top of the TV. Slowly she reached her hand behind the TV when Ada looked away from her, which she did not know Ada could see clearly what she was doing.
"DIE! You Bitch!" the old woman yelled as she drew out a handgun behind the TV. Ada duck down just in time to avoid the bullet before it hit her between the eyes. Wasting no time, she rolled herself behind one of the decay sofa. The old lady kept firing at the sofa, when she realized she couldn't hurt Ada by firing the sofa, she walked around it, hoping to catch her off guard. Ada meanwhile ducks behind the sofa clutching her injured arm. Just as the old lady came into view, Ada sprang out and graded the woman's hands. The old lady panicked and squeezed the trigger, luckily the gun was pointing on the roof and it put a hole in the roof. Both women stopped their struggle, looking up the roof, then Ada looked back at the old lady, narrowing her eyes. With full strength, she hit the old lady hands on the sofa, knocking the gun out of her hands.
Before Ada could ask anything from the old lady, there were voices coming from the outside. The soldiers must have heard the gunshot and came rushing in. Ada pushed the old lady on to the floor, and picked up the gun immediately. Ada aimed the gun at the old lady's head.
"There should be another exit, where is it?" Ada asked. The old lady only nodded to the television.
"There?" The old lady only nodded again.
"Open it, Go." The old lady went to the TV and started to push the TV sideway, while keeping her eyes on Ada and the gun. Behind the TV revealed a wooden board covering a huge hole, like a cave. The old woman moved the wood and wait for Ada next order. Ada nodded to the dark hole, one hand leave her gun and switched on her LED light beside her right ear.
"Move." The old lady lead way into the cave, Ada slowly walked inside behind the elder.
"Close the hole."
"What a demanding young one." The old woman sighed, she pulled the board inside the cave and laid it beside the wall. Then she pulled the TV set to cover the hole, turning back to face Ada. She used the gun and motioned her to advance deeper into the cave, the old lady dragged her feet along and walked pass Ada and went deeper into the cave.
Outside the cave…..
Ada watched as the elderly covered the hole they crawled out. There was a tunnel dug from the room to the outside. The outside considered building covered with vegetations, plants grew all over the place. Algae grew in stagnated water, rusted road signs, run down cars, decay buildings, broken windows and crumpled posters. Ada waited until the old lady fully covered the hole before she open her mouth to ask the thing that been bothering her since she woke up.
"Where am I?" Ada asked as she looked around the place. The old lady stared at her and grumbled an answer "Boston".
"Boston? Doesn't look like Boston to me. What happened to this place, why is it all abandoned?"
"You bumped your head, or you been hibernating all this time? It has been like this since that "incident"."
"What incident?" The moment the question left her mouth, Ada regretted she asked that question. The old lady was looking at her with a bewildered eyes, like she seen a ghost. Then the old lady snapped out from her daze and stared at her with offending eyes.
"Are You Making Fun Of Me?! You don't know what happened 21 years ago?!" the old lady raved at Ada. Ada crossed her hands in front of her chest, the gun still in her hand. She looked at the old lady with disinterest.
"Tell me, why would I make fun of you? What would I get from you, an old lady? My question is innocent. I really don't know what "Incident" you referred to."
"You really don't know?" the old lady asked. She looked Ada in the eyes with her old yet sharp eyes, if she was lying, Ada sure the old lady would has knows it. After a little staring, the elderly satisfy and nodded.
"Alright, you seem serious. I'll tell you. 21 years ago, the scientists found this fungus thing. They don't know what it was, they ran a research and… someone in the department get infected, become violent and the hospital get havoc. The next thing we know, people were running everywhere. Now, we survive." The old lady gushed without stop, she looked as if her was making a joke to pair with her. And Ada was taking her words seriously then she sighed, thinking the elder would take her serious and tell her everything. She dug her hand into one of her side pack and pulled out a chocolate bar, she was about to tear off the cover before she caught the old lady's expression. The old lady was looking at the chocolate bar in her hand like it was the world rarest item. Her jaw hung open and Ada swear there was saliva in the corner of her mouth. Ada swung the chocolate in her hand side to side, and the elder's eyes were following the chocolate. Ada laughed in her heart, it was like in the movie where people swung the food where the dog follow it.
"You want this?" Ada asked, shaking the chocolate bar in her hand. The old lady nodded her head violently.
"I'll give it to you. Tell me what happen here, and is there any people went into your house before me?"
"I already told you what happen here. As for the come and goes….. Yeah. There is one." The old lady answered as her eyes never leave the chocolate bar.
"No, I want detail and this person, is he or she? Do he have a crossbow? Or any weapon looked new?" Ada asked, she crossed her hands over her chest, covering the chocolate bar from view. The elder bit her lower lip and stared hard at Ada's hands.
"…. Alright. The person that came before you is Henry. Yes. Now you mention it, he had this new crossbow strapped behind his backpack….." before the old lady could finish her sentence, Ada cut in.
"Where is this Henry guy went?"
"Around here somewhere, close to the city, he never scavenge far from the city."
"Never far. So he will come back." Ada looked at the further building, the old lady nodded.
"Continue, what happened around here?"
"Like I said before, the scientists found this fungus. It called Cordyceps Brain Infection."
"Cordyceps? Isn't that only affecting the bugs?"
"I don't know much about that thingy, but listen to what I say. That thing affects the human brain, turning them aggressive, hyper-aggressive. It grows in the human brain, and what I heard it took away our higher brain function, our humanity."
"Why I always end up in the same circumstances, infected….." Ada mumbled to herself.
"You saying?" the old woman asked,seeing Ada mumbling to herself.
"No, nothing. Do continue. What about this infected? If the city is surrounded by army and wall up. That mean those infected are still around the place, isn't it?"
"Yeah, those things still out here. Turning into something different."
"How do they look like?"
"Runners, they still look like human, but they will come chasing you, you wouldn't miss how different they looked. Clickers, they are the one been infected longer, the fungal would grow all over their head, so they were basically blind. But they developed echolocation to compensate their sight lost. Oh, and there is Stalkers, they looked like a runner but they could stalk you, like the name stated. One day the infected would die, when they do. They grow stalk-like fungal projection. That thing release spores, if you breathe in the spores, you will turn into one of them."
"By air, huh? What about bite? If one got bitten, what will happen?"
"Isn't that obvious. You will be infected."
"Tell me, how you avoid the spores?"
"Mask. There is one in the tunnel." At the mentioning of mask, Ada pulled out the mask she bothers to bring it along. The moment the old lady saw the mask, she pointed at it.
"Where you get that?"
"In the tunnel,like you say. It was on a table."
"You took people stuff without asking? That is very nice of you."
"Why, thank you. I was just scavenge…." Before the sentence left her mouth, a scream echoed across the place, judging from the scream. It wasn't that far, the old lady walked back to the tunnel.
"That is going to attract the soldiers, have to get out of here." The old lady mumbling, more to herself. But Ada caught what she said, she turned around facing the elder.
"I'm going to check that out. Thank you for your hospitality and information. Here your chocolate bar." With that said, Ada tossed the snack to the old lady, which she caught it with glee. With the last look, Ada took off to the direction of the scream.
PS: iter itineris mean journey in Latin.