Chapter 1 "Suicide Mission"

Bill...

Whether I saw it with my own eyes or not, it is still hard to believe what the boys and I just witnessed. Our comrade, Zoey, failing to reach safety alongside the rest of us, was not something I expected. We all watch, horrified and gaping with our eyes wide open, as she plummets to the ground below. Following her down was an avalanche of those infected streaming down behind her. They mindlessly fall one by one, not knowing the consequences of what they could have faced in their previous lives. However, none of that would matter anyway. Not for them now, at least.

It just kept going, the swarm of zombies falling over the edge of the hospital. I turn to look at Louis and Francis, my hand still gripping tightly on the helicopter's roof handle, to see Louis storming over to the pilot and yelling at him. That dumbass, he can't hear him, nor could we hear each other. Francis exhaustingly falls onto one of the seats lined up in the rear of the helicopter.

In that split second, I feel a tight grip around my left ankle. I snap my neck back out to the skid of the helicopter's cabin door, and notice one of the infected had clung onto the skid. It snarls at me, shaking its head in all directions like the rabid animal it was.

"Shit..!" I shouted.

I shake my leg furiously, while still holding onto the roof handle. I pull out my pistol and shoot it, watching it fall with the rest of his buddies. The bang from the handgun was loud enough to alarm the pilot and Louis, for they turn back to see what happened. I look over to them, taking my finger out and away from the trigger, and wag my firearm in front of my body, indicating I got rid of the nuisance. Louis, still frowning with fiery anger, turns back to the pilot and continues to yell at him.

The helicopter steadies as we fly further away from the hospital roof. I shut the cabin door, preventing any more wind to blow in my face every other second. I also spot a pair of headphones hanging on the hooks behind me, and place them over my head. I grab another pair and walk over to Louis, who was still preaching the bible verses to the pilot. I tap the side of his arm firmly to get his attention. Louis spins around once more, looking more aggravated. I hand him the headphones. He looks at them then back to me confusingly. I wasn't able to hear him over the helicopter rotors, but I was able to read his lips.

The hell is this for?

I look over to Francis, whom got the memo and had already taken the opportunity to find a set of headphones of his own. He buckles himself in his seat and adjusts his headphones to fit his dome more comfortably.

I bring down the microphone to my mouth. First things first. I look over to the tattooed pessimist.

"Come in, Francis, can you hear me?" I said.

Francis signifies his answer with a thumbs up. I turn back to face the front.

"Bugs, do you read me? Are you in the same frequency as us, over." I said, looking over to the cockpit.

A static buzz hums in my ears.

"The name's Ledger, buddy." Said the pilot.

"Well your call sign will be Bugs from now on 'til I say otherwise, capice?" I smile solemnly.

Bugs remains facing forward and maintains control of the steering. I could hear him sigh softly behind the microphone.

Louis doesn't seem to get what's going on, as he flails his hands in front of him. He shoots his finger in one direction, and quickly shifts it to another, all while blurting out inaudible commentary.

Francis stares at Louis with a vexatious look, and yells from the back of the helicopter.

"Put on the damn headphones..!" He said, pointing his index fingers on each side of his head.

The palm of my hand introduces itself to my forehead, knowing he still didn't hear what Francis had just said. Given from Louis' blank expression, I'm pretty sure he didn't catch that.

What?! Louis screams.

I snatch the headphones from Louis' hands and slip them onto his head.

"You mind repeating what you said there?" I said in a sarcastic tone.

We fall silent for a brief moment.

"Ooh~..." Louis utters followed by a sheepish laugh.

The giggles were short-lived, as he reverts back to his unnecessary anger.

"Well, now that I know we can all hear each other," Louis side-eyes the pilot. "Turn back, land somewhere, something! We need to go back for Zoey!"

"Son, there's barely enough fuel in the engine to stay for your friend. And in case you already forgot, we just watched her fall to her death with all those other... things!"

The pilot was frantic, though I don't blame him, or any of us, really. I grab Louis' shoulder and shoo him over to Francis. He quietly listens and grumbles as he takes a seat. I lean against the back of the vacant seat across from Bugs'.

"Listen, Bugs..." I began.

"It's Ledger." He replied almost immediately.

I point the handgun at his head. "Hurry and land this thing, Bugs." I said sternly.

I notice his body stiffen from the subtle brush of the firearm on the back of his head.

"E-Easy..." He stammers.

"Alright, alright I get it..!"

He curses and flies to the nearest building with a high plain.

. . .

I bring my windproof lighter close to my lips, and set ablaze my last cigarette. The clink of my lighter rings in my ear before I slip it back into my jacket pocket. I was sitting with my feet resting on the skid of the helicopter, the cabin door wide open and the others lounging around the vehicle. Wasn't sure what they were waiting for, this old man just wants a smoke in peace.

Bugs paces back and forth beside the helicopter uneasily. I found it a tad bit vexing, considering we could all breathe easy for now. Also made me wonder what's there to be so tense about. Though, I never said my thought aloud, since it's probably better to not know everything.

Francis hops out the helicopter and takes a few steps away. He sighs and takes in a deep breath before turning to me and Louis.

"So, now what?" Said Francis.

His arms held out, open for suggestions.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" I said before throwing my cigarette to the ground and stepping on it.

I follow my little trend and crumple my empty cigarette packet in my hand, throwing it over my shoulder as I walk past Francis. I approach the roof access door to check if it's unlocked. Thankfully, it was, and I crack it to see if there were any infected on the other side. Coast is clear.

I sigh then turn to the group.

"Gentlemen, we're not leaving this city until we get our team member back." I declared.

Louis and Francis gawk at me astoundingly. They look at each other and turn back to me with bright smiles of approval.

"Sounds like a hell of a good plan." Said Louis.

"Let's get going then..!" Said Francis.

I bring my hand in front of my body and stop them from coming closer.

"Hold on..." I said.

The boys look at me confusingly.

"Hey, twitchy." I shout over to Bugs.

He was still pacing around the roof, holding himself close and mumbling faintly. I frown as Bugs purposely ignores me, and walk over to him. I grab hold of his shoulder and turn him to face me.

"You alright there..?" I said, still wearing an annoyed frown.

"We..." He mutters.

"...?"

We all look at him in puzzlement.

"We were supposed to head to the next town over before the following next day!" Bugs exclaims.

"Calm down, why don't you." I retort.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Said Bugs, slapping my hand off his shoulder.

"And don't call me Bugs, dammit!"

"Geez, what stick is up his ass?" Said Louis.

"I hate sticks." Francis adds.

I look over to the two stooges with my eyebrows heavily slanted.

"Not now guys!" I grumble.

I turn back to Bugs while pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration.

"Listen," I began, holding his shoulders. "Depending on how quick we can all cooperate, this won't take too long."

He looks down at his feet silently. I take that as a sign of him calming down and listening.

"Just come with us to find our friend, and we can all come back and leave together." I said in a cool manner.

Bugs shakes away from my hold and draw back a few steps.

"No way, I ain't going nowhere." Said Bugs.

Before I could add anything else, he trots over to the helicopter and enters it.

I scratch the back of my head, and sigh with my mouth shut. After clarifying a few things with our pilot, I think, I return to Louis and Francis' side.

"Alright, we're heading out."

The two banter with glee and excitement as I smirk with determination.

"But..." I utter.

The guys quickly look back to me with bewildered expressions.

"Whether Zoey is alive or... I can't say for sure. But we gotta try, and if we find her dead, we can at least give her peace."

Louis and Francis look to each other anxiously, knowing damn well anything goes in this zombie infested world.

I abruptly point my finger to Francis.

"You're staying here." I said firmly.

Louis raises a surprised brow, followed by looking over to Francis who's elation dies from hearing that. He gapes at me agitatedly.

"What?!" He shouts.

"Let me clarify. Louis and I will go find Zoey, while you stay here and watch over our friend." I said.

"Why do I have to play babysitter?!" Francis retorted.

"Because, out of the two of you, I'm keeping the black guy to make sure he won't die first."

Silence falls over our conversation as Louis and Francis stare at me with perturbed frowns.

"...Not sure if I should be offended or flattered from hearing that." Said Louis.

I make haste with the lack of voting or listening to whims and walk to the helicopter. I poke my head inside and see Bugs sitting in the pilot's seat. He holds himself again, rubbing his arms gently.

"Hey Bu..." I sigh. "—Lester."

He slowly turns his head.

"...It's Ledger." He said.

"Awesome. You said this baby is low on fuel, right?"

He pauses for a moment then nods to me.

"Okay. What engine is this helicopter running on?" I ask.

Bugs ponders with himself.

"I believe a piston engine..."

"So it runs on diesel?" I said.

"Most likely."

I nod to Bugs with acknowledgement.

"Thanks." I said.

I walk away from the helicopter and once again find myself standing in front of the two stooges. I beckon the two to come closer. We huddle ourselves into a circle.

"Alright ladies..." I said.

"We're going to get two things. The first, and most important, is Zoey. The other is fuel, some diesel, for the helicopter. Francis will stay here and watch over our ride, as well as keep Bugs in check while Louis and I make our way down to the streets."

"Why am I Bugs anyway..?" Said Bugs over from the helicopter.

"Because you're not good enough to be Tweety! You puttycat!" Francis exclaims over our heads annoyingly.

"Ugh, just hurry and go!"

Louis chuckles at Francis' frustration, and I nod to them while fixing my beret.

"Gentlemen, our suicide mission begins now." I said.

"We'll be back soon, Captain Boomerang."

With a quick salute, I swiftly turn around and head to the roof access door. Louis follows closely behind me, and Francis flips me off behind my back. I turn the knob of the door and open it. Still no sign of any infected. I turn the lights to my handgun on and enter the building descending the first flight of stairs. I look over my shoulder every other second to check on Louis.

Several minutes pass and we finally reach ground level. I spot the emergency exit, carefully push it and poke my head out. It was clear.

I slip back into the building, leaning against the wall and cocking my gun. Louis holds his submachinegun close to his chest, and takes off its safety. We look at each other as I softly push open the door again.

"You ready, Harley..?" I mutter.

Louis tilts his head back and rolls his eyes.

"Really?" He snapped.

I smirk at him and jump out into the alley. He stays close to my side. We simultaneously scan the area and aim our weapons in different directions. With no sign of any infected, we begin to move to the quiet streets.

"I mean," Louis said as we kept jogging. "Shouldn't I be Deadshot or something..?"

I look over my shoulder. "Keep whining and you'll be demoted to Jewelee."

"Alright, damn!" Said Louis.

He mutters under his breath. "Don't even know who the hell that is..."

Don't worry kid, we're coming for you.