Chapter 3 DEAD MEMORIES
Matt: no… it's just something I don't want to discuss… it has been stuck in my mind for a while and I can't just get it out…
Rei: Willamette… you mean the outbreak that happened in 2008?
Matt: -he looks at her, almost willing to kill her- how the hell did you know? -he walks to her, holding his nail bat-
Rei: a friend of Frank West, I think his name was, told me.
Matt: -stops walking- Frank West… that's a name I haven't heard… for 5 years… god I was only 11 when the Willamette Outbreak began…
-everyone looks at Matt, waiting if he will tell them everything about the Willamette outbreak until Matt notices what's going on in the TV-
Matt: hey, turn up the volume on the TV.
-Saeko does so and the watch what is currently happening-
Reporter: this just in, it appears that riots have broken out across the entire country. It is confirmed that over 1,000 people have been killed and the numbers are climbing. The governor has already claimed a state… -gunshots are heard- a state of emergency. It appears that the police have opened fire and… no, no get away! -screaming-
Matt: oh my god… this can't be happening -looks at the TV as it goes to static-
-as the group watches what happens across the world, from the US evacuating the president to looting across London and Paris, Matt remembers what happened at Willamette, Saeko standing next to him-
Saeko: is there something wrong?
Matt: I guess you can say there is… holding a memory like Willamette…
Saeko: what exactly happened at Willamette? -Saya is also explaining things that can be compared to the given situation-
Matt: let's just say… what happened at Willamette would scar you for life if another zombie apocalypse occurred… it just started as a normal day in old Willamette. Guess you can say a "beautiful day like what today was", and just like today, it occurred out of nowhere… the outbreak -he remembers the loud screams from back at Willamette, a flashback comes in as he remembers everything-
Janet: Harold, we need to find a safe place to hide! -she's running with Matt along with his brother, all three of them hear screams from every corner-
Harold: we will! Just keep on running! -he keeps running until a zombie jumps out and attacks him- gahh! Jan, just get Matt to a safe spot!
Matt: Harold! -he runs to him but is pushed out of the way by Janet as a zombie attempts to bite him- no!
Janet: just keep running to the mall! Just run!
Matt: brother… sister… -starts to cry a bit and starts to run to the mall- I love you always… -he keeps on running until he sees the mall, the zombies are all packing to the entrance- dammit… -looks around to find an alternative route but no luck- I need to find somewhere else I can hide at -some zombies hear Matt and they start to walk to him- oh shit… -he backs away and starts to run to a building, meanwhile a news helicopter flies inside of the town limits-
Frank: let's see what kind of news story we can get out of this…
Ed: Alright, I'll try fly in closer so that you can get a closer shot of what's happening down there!
Frank: Good idea! -he notices Matt running up the roof of a nearby building- Hey, drop down here!
Ed: Are you sure!?
Frank: Yeah! -the helicopter gets close to the building, Matt running to the edge of the roof- Hey kid! Get over here! Quick! -he signals him to run over to his direction-
Matt: I-I'll try! -he begins to run to the helicopter, avoiding the zombies that try to bite him-
Frank: hurry kid! You can make it! -he holds out his hand, Matt jumps to the side of the helicopter, nearly missing until Frank grabs hold of his arm- Hang on! Get us higher Ed!
Ed: You got it! -he increases the elevation so that the zombies don't grapple onto Matt's legs, Frank pulls Matt up-
Frank: you alright kid?
Matt: -doesn't reply, hugging his knees, eyes blank-
Frank: kid?
Matt: no… no I'm not… my brother and sister are gone… -buries his eyes onto his knees, crying-
Frank: -sighs and pats his back- you'll be fine, promise. What's your name?
Matt: my name's Matt… Just call me Matt… and you are?
Frank: Frank. Frank West. I'm here to do a news report of what happened here.
Matt: well… all I can say is that this place… this place is going from peaceful to slowly turning into a hellhole. That's all I can say…
Frank: wait, what do you mean by "slowly turning into a hellhole"?
Matt: long story short, someone pulled off a major act of terrorism here… and if you want to pull out a scoop out of this, be my guest…
Frank: look, I can help you get out of here. Where are you parents? Maybe we can find them.
Matt: they're alright. They are all the way down at New Mexico, I believe somewhere at the capital… they'll be fine… god, how will I explain what happened to my brother and my sister…
Frank: how about this; I can help you explain everything to your mom and dad after we handle this story. How does that sound?
Matt: wait, what do you mean by "we"?
Frank: I mean, I'm pretty sure you would want some payback on the guy who let out these "things". And besides, I can take care of you until we get out of here.
Matt: well… I like those odds… but how do I know I can survive with you?
Frank: well I have covered wars you know.
Matt: that's good enough for me… I guess. I'll help you out then -smiles a bit- but leave whoever decided to kill my brother and sister to me.
Frank: you're too young to be holding weapons though -looks at him-
Matt: trust me. You'll be surprised on what an 11 year-old like me can do with a trashcan and a roll of duct tape -chuckles a bit-
-as they get closer to the mall, several UH-60 Blackhawks begin to intercept the news helicopter-
Ed: oh shit! -he maneuvers around the Blackhawks-
Frank: Land us near the rooftop of the mall!
Ed: alright! -the Blackhawks continue to follow the news helicopter, more coming up to follow-
Frank: -as the helicopter lands, Matt and Frank get out of the helicopter- Don't forget to pick us up at this same spot in 3 days!
Ed: alright! I'll try! -he starts to fly up and move away from the rooftop, getting out of the area to avoid the Blackhawks-
Matt: well. Guess we have 3 days before pickup. So, Frank, what are we going to do in the meantime?
Frank: What I just explained in the chopper; we are going to get the scoop of a lifetime, and you're going to kill whoever killed your brother and your sister.
Matt: oh trust me. I won't know who started it until we start getting to the bottom of the outbreak -walks to the railing and oversees the entire parking lot of the mall- hey Frank, I think I found your first big picture for your article
Frank: what is it? -he walks towards the railing Matt is standing near and sees zombies all over the parking lot, some people being pulled out of their cars and being eaten alive from the zombies- holy shit. Guess it's more serious than I thought. What are those things down there?
Matt: don't laugh when I say this, but the things that you see down there are zombies.
Frank: Zombies?
Matt: unfortunately. At first, I thought it was nothing more than a little joke and a mere movie thing. But after I saw those things eat my brother and my sister alive, that was when I figured out that they are much more real than most people think.
Frank: so what you're telling me is that these things are actually zombies?
Matt: pretty much. -looks down- I need to give photographic proof to my mom and dad that these things are real. And not just a hoax -looks directly at Frank-
Frank: and I'll be the one to help you on that, Matt.
Matt: yeah -smiles at him and heads to the door that goes downstairs- oh and West, one more thing. Thanks for saving my ass back there -looks at him, holding the door open-
Frank: no problem. Just didn't want a kid to end up dying down there.
Matt: yeah. Just get your picture quickly and head downstairs. We'll see the seriousness of the situation once we head down.
-back to normal time-
Matt: after we got downstairs, we saw plenty of them, more than 500 zombies at the front door of the mall. I was pretty scared at the time, knowing that if we opened the door to the mall that all of us would have gotten mauled or eaten alive…
Saeko: but I'm assuming that's what happened… right?
Matt: yeah… just as me and Frank got back from exploring a bit, we saw this old lady open the door to get her little poodle. What a fucking retarded old coot she was, knowing that she would compromise every single one of us to the zombies pounding the doors from the other side.
Saeko: did Frank make it?
Matt: that, I don't know honestly… after all that we went through, after being saved the special forces, they escorted me out of the town and I never saw Frank. I just assumed he took the turn for the worst. Really never got the chance to say goodbye. He was more than just a friend; he felt more like my father.
Saeko: -pats Matt's shoulder- do you remember where he last was?
Matt: I was assuming that he died with Isabela Keyes…
Saeko: wait, wasn't she the terrorist behind the Willamette Outbreak?
Matt: that was her brother; she was the one that helped with the effort of creating the Zombrex anti-zombification drug. Even though seeing Carlito die was more of a blessing to me, the fact that his sister has to know about… it just makes me feel bad… just like my brother and sister…
-Rei and Takashi notice Matt talking a bit about the Willamette Outbreak, Matt looking away-
Saeko: when Rei mentioned Willamette and her knowledge on the name, why were you going to attack her?
Matt: it was supposed to be between me and Frank… only me and Frank…
Saeko: but other survivors from the outbreak would have told others about their experience at Willamette. You weren't the only one to make it out of there alive you know.
Matt: I'm aware of that… that's the reason why I hope West is still alive… there were so many things that he was going to tell me, but never told me in the end…
-everyone in the room begins to look at Matt, curious to learn more about Frank West; meanwhile, Juggernaut moves through the streets of Tokonosu, seeing people die as she walks by until someone grabs her by the leg-
Civilian: please you have to help me! My leg is busted! You have to help! -begging-
Juggernaut: aww how sweet of you to grab me by my leg -points her M249 SAW at the civilian- unfortunately, you are nothing more than a waste of my time
Civilian: no, please don't kill…
-gunshots are heard from afar, a pool of blood comes out of the civilians stomach and chest-
Juggernaut: too bad, so sad. You could have been saved but instead, you were killed because of a small miscalculation -she reloads her M249 and continues to walk- I am not here to make friends and save people; I am here to do my job and that job is to kill Chuck Greene and Matt Kawasaki.