Chapter Three:

Questions and Answers

*Hunter*

I glanced down at the women who were still sleeping. The dark skinned woman rolled and talked in her sleep a lot. However the younger girl laid completely still, her face not troubled but not peaceful either.

"Coach!" screamed the older woman in her sleep, "Watch out for the…hunter."

I sighed.

"Pretty boring watching two girls sleep all day isn't it?" asked my cell mate as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I want them to know they are safe when they wake", I answered.

He didn't say anything for a moment till he stood up.

"You know, it's not your fault."

I didn't look up at him. I knew what he was talking about and I knew it was my fault, no matter what anybody else said.

He sighed and shook his head as he walked out.

The dark skinned woman groaned as she opened her eyes.

I watched her intently as she looked around. She had been asleep longer then the young one, so I wondered if she was as lost in her thoughts as the younger seemed to be.

"Where am I?" she asked looking around.

"You are safe", I said quietly, "I am…"

Her eyes got wide as she looked at me, recognition filtering across her face.

"You… you are…"

"I am Hunter", I replied and looked away.

She didn't say anything as she stared at me and then looked down at the younger girl.

"Ellie!"

She shook the younger awake.

*Ellie*

I sat up, confused as someone was once again roughly shaking me awake.

"Would you quit it already", I said as I blinked, trying to wake up.

Glancing up, I noticed Rochelle sitting there with a smile on her face at seeing me awake.

"What time is it?" I asked, "We need to move already?"

She was confused for a moment before she seemed to figure out what I was talking about.

"We aren't in a safe house Ellie, we are…well I don't know where we are, but I do know him", She said pointing at the man who sat beside us, his head down.

"Hunter?" I asked.

Rochelle blinked.

"You know him?" she asked.

"Well that's what he said his name is, but…" I stared at him as he raised his face to us and recognition filtered through my head.

"Oh"

The man sighed.

"You don't look the same as you did", I said after a moment of awkward silence.

"That's what happens when you are experimented on", he said with obvious anger.

"Why would you be experimented on?" I asked, "That makes no sense Commander Douglas."

He sighed again and this time a nasty look came onto his face as though he tasted something horrible.

"DC sent a dog to hound me. When he arrived, he arrested all the doctors and nurses, placing them in the prison cells. When I tried to stop him, he had me thrown into the experimentation cell block.

Those he had brought with him thought it would be fun to see the infection mutate someone for themselves, so they took hunter DNA and … injected it into my bloodstream."

I grimaced as I looked at his snow white hair and golden eyes. He definitely had the look of a hunter and yet he still looked completely human.

"So why did you not become a hunter?" I asked confused.

"I was a green band, immune but carrying the virus in my DNA. When they injected me, my DNA mutated making my appearance a little more zombie like, but it didn't mess with my overall mental or emotional capacity. I am still me, just not me; I can only remember a limited amount, sort of like you girls."

"I see", I said.

The door opened and four guys walked in, all of them surprised to see us awake.

"So you told them?" one man asked as he sat down beside the commander.

"Yeah I did", he said as he looked at us, "Please, call me Hunter though. I…I am not the commander anymore."

"But you said you have his mind, so why can't you be?" Rochelle asked.

He frowned.

"He blames himself", spoke up the second man, "He thinks it's his fault we are all like this."

I looked around and realized they all looked a little mutated, but still mostly human.

The one beside the commander had the looks of a smoker. His skin was grotesquely deformed on the left side of his face, but he still looked human. His left arm looked just as gross as his face, but you could still see his human hand perfectly which he could still use just as flawlessly. A long tongue came from his mouth and he had the smoke that seemed to emit from his body, but he didn't cough and hack like most smokers. Instead he was quiet and well, still very laid back acting like a normal human.

"You can call me Smokestack if the commander here is going by Hunter; although my real name was Lt. Alexander Carter."

Behind him, I noticed an angry looking man who frowned a lot. He was wrinkled up looking and hunched over, his body almost closing in on itself. I was a little disturbed when I realized he must have been injected with Jockey DNA.

"Just call me Jock", he said with a deeper frown, "I was originally Dr. Mal Stark."

Behind him were two more men. One was very tall in size and he looked a little heavier then what looked normal for someone his age and size. He belched every other word almost and he seemed as sickened by this as everyone else in the room.

"I was given Boomer DNA", he stated with a sigh, "Just call me Bo. My real name was Corporal Beau Larkin, so it works I guess."

The final man beside him didn't seem very happy with his look either. He was very skinny and very tall with long hair that flowed past his shoulders. His skin seemed to sag a little and his eyes looked a lot smaller than his mouth as drool dropped from his lips.

"Call me Slim", he said with a pout as he wiped the drool from his face for the hundredth time, "My real name was Private Simon Rowel. I was given spitter DNA."

I grimaced as I looked at them all. They all still had their minds but not their bodies any longer.

"Well at least your alive", I said trying to stay hopeful.

They all looked at me like I was insane.

"Trying to be positive", I said with a hesitant smile.

They just shook their heads as they sat down around us.

"So Ms. Hayden", started the commander who I was trying to remember now wanted to be called Hunter.

"Please call me Ellie", I said with a smile.

He nodded.

"Very well. Ellie, do you remember everything now?"

"I don't know", I said, "I remember you and Rochelle and me…but I know I am missing something important. Maybe it's someone…"

I shrugged, perhaps I would remember later.

"Well no matter, we should continue on."

"Com…I mean Hunter, do you remember everything?" I asked.

He looked down at me and shook his head.

"I remember some things and then these guys remembered some things. We matched up stories to try to get the truth."

"Well perhaps we will all remember as time goes on" I said with a sigh.

The commander nodded.

"Hopefully you're right Ms. Hayden"

"Ellie", I reminded him.

He smiled, "Forgive me; Ms. Ellie."

I just laughed and he smiled wider.

*Nick*

As Dr. Barkley drove down the darkened side roads, I noticed I still had the clipboard from before in my hands. Bringing it close to my face so I could read it through the darkness, I read the name listed.

Elissa Hayden

Memories of a beautiful young woman swept through my mind; her long curly light colored brown hair pulled up in a sloppy pony tail. Baggy coveralls tied around her waist with a yellow V-neck on her upper torso. She smiled at me in the memory as she aimed a rifle at creatures and opened fire, her aim perfect as she killed them.

"Ellie", I whispered.

"What was that?" Dr. Barkley asked.

I leaned forward, lowering my head into my hands. I couldn't believe I had forgotten about the love of my life.

"Ellie", I said again, louder so that Coach and the others could hear the name.

"Oh, I remember that name", said Coach.

"Yeah she was my patient", said Dr. Barkley.

I glanced at the doctor, irritated she just now was telling me this.

"You should have told me her name sooner", I practically yelled.

She glanced over at me in surprise before a look of understanding passed across her features.

"Oh I see", she said, "She is yo…"

"My fiancé", I interrupted her, "I can't believe I couldn't remember her."

"It's understandable that you couldn't. After sleeping for so long, your minds and your physical bodies will be somewhat slower for a while until you have caught up on proficient sleep."

"What about the girls, are they like us?" I asked.

The doctor nodded.

"More than likely", she answered, "They have been asleep just slightly a shorter amount of time then you boys, so they may get their bearings quicker, but I doubt it. They probably can't remember you either."

I sighed, thinking about Ellie and Rochelle. They were somewhere out there, now we just needed to find them.

"Do you think they will be in the city?" I asked.

"If they aren't there now, they probably will be soon. It's the only place you can get supplies around here. After the city, there isn't another populated area for miles."

"The city is overrun with zombies' right?"

The woman nodded.

"Yeah, but I do happen to know of a small band of resistance there."

"Resistance?"

"Yeah it's a group of humans who refused to leave the city and instead decided to fight off the zombies, hoping to one day clear them all out of the city for good."

"Oh", I said, surprised.

"Hopefully we don't run into them", she continued, "They aren't exactly kind to CEDA employees, even ex-ones, but I doubt they would kill us if we do. Most likely they would just question us as to why we are here in the city."

"Well like you said; let us hope we don't meet them."

*Ellie*

As I looked over the shoulder of Hunter at the map of the city, I noticed Rochelle staring at my left hand.

I looked down and just now noticed for the first time, a ruby ring and a diamond ring. They looked oddly familiar but I couldn't place how I had gotten them.

"I don't remember you having those on before", she said as she studied them.

I shrugged.

"I kind of remember someone giving them to me, but…I can't remember his name."

Rochelle nodded.

"Yeah I remember we were travelling with someone, but I have tried and tried to get a name with the face, it just isn't coming."

"It's because of how long you were sedated", said Dr. Stark as he came over to us, "It's playing havoc with your brain waves. It's also why your physical bodies are probably extremely weak and tired feeling."

"If I am remembering correctly", started the doctor, "and don't quote me on this considering my own memories a little hazy; I think they kept you under because they were going to experiment on you."

"Did they?" I asked looking down at my yellow scrubs, "I don't feel any different"

"I don't know", he said, "I only even slightly remember hearing those DC doctors say that."

"Will our memories ever come back?"

"Oh they should", he replied, "All of ours should, but I think they come back quickest with reminders; things that look or sound familiar, in other words."

I nodded as I stared down at the rings, trying to place them, trying to remember.

"It will come back, don't fret", said Hunter as he placed his hand on mine.

I nodded as he turned back to the map.

"Alright, the city is back the opposite way, but it's the only landmark I see around this area that we could get supplies at before heading off to another area."

"I suppose that's where we have to go then", said Lt. Carter with a sigh.

Hunter glanced up. "You got a problem with the city smokestack?"

"I just remember there being something there that we need to be cautious of, especially I think with how we look now."

"Well whatever the danger is, we will be careful, but we need supplies. That being said; lets head out."

I followed them out the door and back into the truck from the shack by the river that we had been resting in, and started back down the road towards the city.