SEVEN: JUST A FRIENDLY TALK
There were a lot of things Crane wanted to ask himself. But even if he was given the answers, it was either they weren't the ones he wanted to hear or he knew what they already were.
"What the hell am I doing?"
And right now, one question stuck right at the top of all his questions. And that was why did he decide to go after this woman?
"-this is the same zombie that tried to eat me! Twice!"
The noises of aggressive pacing and her voice irritated his ears, forcing him to try and stay awake. There she was, going back and forth.
"Bones' gonna tell you you've gone completely mental. Again-!"
Back into the darkness again. Right now, he was nothing. Didn't matter if he had this new body, he was weak and powerless. He had absolutely nothing, and the people at the Tower, he knew they wouldn't give a second thought if they saw him. He'd do the same honestly. Crane was on the brink between human and infected, not on either side of the coin.
This couldn't go on any longer. Did he really want to subject himself to a life of being turned and sound? Everyone, anyone would see him as a big, fat threat. He might as well just let the other side take over and be done with.
"Well, know what? I'm already on the road to insanity. I can tick off 'voices in my head' and add 'zombie friend' to my bucket list-"
But Kyle Crane was stuck here, inside a monster. And if you get lemons, you might as well make lemonade. But he was going to need help. And that was something he had never asked before. He had always been the lone wolf, soloing his way around.
As crazy as it sounded in his head…he was going to have to rely on this lunatic woman.
And that was if she wouldn't kill him.
It wasn't really much of a choice. But this woman knew more than she was letting on. Maybe it was stalling, maybe it was lies but he's got nothing better to do anyway.
"Uggggh. For once, I'm hating myself for this." She then boasted with hands on her hips, "You're very welcome, Jackie."
Darkness again. But his conscious swam back out. He needed to stay. And suddenly, he saw…
The Mother. Looking down at him with that mask of hers - hiding her true face.
Fucking...he wanted to move. Rip off that head again. She was right in front of him.
Kill her-
"Hey, Freakoid." The image was interrupted violently by the thick accent. Where the Mother was kneeling down before him, the woman in the red hoodie took her spot. Her eyes were unreadable behind those sunglasses. She waved her hand, waiting for a response.
Crane was in and out of conscious. He didn't even feel himself being carried.
"Urgh! God... You're fucking heavy. Lose some weight, why don't you-"
Shaddup… He had a long few days.
What he wanted was for the things to go back to normal. Even better, change the decisions that royally fucked him up: not join GRE, not be a lying bastard, not listening to the Mother and more. The list was extremely long.
Just once...he wished he didn't have to wake up as a monster. And who was to say he wasn't before he got turned?
"Hey!" Click, click, click!
His eyes snapped open to the sound of fingers clicking close. Ouch, now he wished he didn't have such powerful hearing with such a terrible drawback to nearby sounds.
He tried to move. His body refused. Glancing down at his hands, he found himself tied up with cable ties. GRE and military standards if handcuffs weren't available. The brunette must have picked it up during her flee.
...Ok, did she really think this could stop an infected from cutting these off? But then again, Crane was still between la-la land and reality to put that to the test.
Jack kept her distance from the infected, on the other side of a hotel room. No Biters nearby other than the signs that she had whacked a few before dropping Crane's body right on the carpeted floor. The bed in the room had been destroyed completely - good enough space for her to maneuver if she'd get pounced on.
"Now today has been a wild ride for me," she started. "I mean, it's not every day you get a zombie that 'talks'. For all I know, I could be crazy. And I'd fully accept that." She let the silence drag, a stern glimpse behind the shades. "But you're not like the other infected. You clearly know how to fight."
Fight with his claws, tendrils, and teeth or fight like a human? But Crane refrained from saying that.
"So I'm going to take this chance. If you're really are some kind of zombie with high awareness and you're not gonna rip me to shreds, I'll take the binds off. Have a 'friendly' chat with ya. But if you jump on me, you're getting a face full of UV." She held up an unlit flashlight as a warning. Fair enough. And with that out, the brunette took a seat at the furthest part of the room, weapon ready in her other hand. "Now...let's talk."
The demand, let's talk, just made him feel like he was back at school in front of his strict middle-grade teacher. Her tone, though, was more thr "I'm been through too much and if you pull one more stunt, I'm shutting you up."
Crane was partially regretting his early decision. He thought about the pros and cons. A talking zombie to her might be something of a gem in the rough she could use and that was something he didn't like - become someone's pet zombie. But she could very well be the only person willinh to listen, someone who knew his secret now. That was only if his other self didn't decide to murder her.
Should he risk it? He had just as less trust in her as she did to him.
"Yeah, Jackie," she uttered loudly, slapping her thighs as she bolted for the door. "You were totally losing it."
No. Wait. She did something to him. He needed answers.
"W-Wait."
The distorted voice came out of him out of impulse but it was enough to send shivers in Jack, making her whip her weapon high up like a baseball pitcher. She was primed and ready.
He tried again. "Wait." Hell, his head was still swimming. "Please, just wait."
"Holy shit…" she gasped, lowering her weapon. "And I thought I was hearing things."
"Ha...you're not the only one," he managed to drone. Ok, Kyle. Try and not make this more awkward than it should be.
It wasn't working. He couldn't even tell what kind of expression this woman had behind her shades, other than a frown. The weapon was still at a level that could do some damage if he'd make a mistake.
"How...how are you doing that?" she dared ask. "What are you?"
"I wish I knew how." The fog in his head was slowly clearing up. "Hrgmm… But...I have an idea or two on what."
"Oh. Ok," she chided. He wasn't sure if it was an attempt to shake off her discomfort or not. "How about sharing it with the class then?"
Share? He had no reason to keep it as a secret anyway. She was dead. There was no way the Mother could return.
Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered how his other side was dead set on hunting this woman down. All because he thought the Mother was back.
...Why did he think that?
He could clearly see right then and there the lady wasn't. A Caucasian woman in her thirties, wearing an attire sorta compatible for parkour and survival - if it wasn't for that flashy red hoodie. Not a sentient Volatile with her tongue drooping behind her rotten mandibles, dressed in old traditional clothes and jewelry.
And now that he had a good look at her...there was something off. A vibe telling his "infected" self that she wasn't like the other survivors in some way. Well, obviously she hadn't turned yet like him.
"You...why are you like the Mother?"
He could have sworn he spotted the eyebrows furrow tightly together, the shades slipping down the bridge of her nose. "Excuse me?"
"No...I…" Crane groaned, unable to get another word out because of the dizziness. That sounded so stupid now that he thought on it. "Geez, how hard did you hit me?"
"Well, clearly not hard enough," she droned, sounding utmost offended that she was prompted to throw out a laugh. "I have to be one hella of an ugly mother to birth you, Freakoid. And I don't even have children."
"N-No. No. Not you… Someone else," he struggled so much with both the grogginess and the hatred. Even the thought of calling her 'mother' was nauseous. OR that fucking Volatile freak.
The woman cocked up an eyebrow, not seeing the connection there. "Ok, creep level to the max here. I think I've had enough for my fill of the day." And she wheeled for the door. "Goodday."
"W-Wait a minute." Crane gave himself a hard shake of his head, overwhelmed with disbelief. Was she really going to walk out? "You're gonna leave like that? You just discovered a monster that is talking to you."
"Until you called me mother. That's good enough for me not to stick around with a demented person, human or zombie."
"Hey, it wasn't my intention. And look who's talking. Who tries to pick a fight with the GRE?"
"Well, it's not like they were going to let me live." She slapped her hands as she stepped away from him. "Look. There's probably some sob story before you got turned into...this. But I got better things to do than listen to the voice in my head. So goodbye and good luck, mate." With that, she turned for the door.
Crane couldn't believe it. Why, you arrogant, little… He wasn't gonna let her go.
She may have gotten him tied down but she forgot about the tendrils. Out of spite, Crane spider-webbed at her legs.
"Whoa!" Jack suddenly lost her footing, the floor whacking her hard. The tendrils snaked further up her body and pulled her forth - the sudden jerk making her drop the flashlight. Closer she got to the Hunter, now purposely expanding himself to snap free off his binds. "You fucking bastard!"
Freakoid towered over her. Right now, he wasn't the past Crane and he certainly wasn't going to give her the courtesy and politeness because she was a woman. He was done getting walked on and an infected didn't need tolerance.
"Now you listen here." The ex-kickboxer tried to worm her way out but he had made sure the wraps were tight. Really tight. "You did something to me. I don't know what or how. But whatever it did, it somehow made me get my mind back. And I'm this close to switching back. So unless you don't want me 'eating you', you're gonna tell me what you did."
"What I did?" she hollered. "You were trying to kill me! It was self-defense."
He clicked his teeth. That was all true. He couldn't deny that. And he wasn't trying to put the blame on her. "I…I know... But I shouldn't even be back." He was definitely making it worse by delaying, even confusing her. "And right now...I've got nothing to go on except you…"
That was the honest truth. Crane had finally said it. He was showing this weak side inside his monstrous shell to a complete stranger.
Up close, he could see her eyes under the shades, noting a hard, serious look from her. Her breathing was slowing down - sorta, she had a freak right on top of her but she was unusually calm for someone in this kind of situation.
Then suddenly, she grinned. Her head tilted to the right that her hair swaying from her hood brushed against his vein-covered arm.
Wait. That wasn't on purpose...right?
"Hm-hm." There was an odd hum in her voice. "Is this your way of softening me up so I can go easy on you?"
Crane's animal eyes widened. He felt a lump get stuck in his throat for a second. "What?"
"I mean, I suppose this would be appropriate if this was before the outbreak. And you're not a creepy Hunter on top of me. We are in a hotel room and all-."
"W-Whoa! Hold on there!" Then his voice cracked. "Time out!" Was she seriously suggesting what he thought she was suggesting?! Also, what?! His brain couldn't proceed this!
"Oh c'mon. You probably have smoothed your way into a lot of ladies' hearts in the past, right? Be that mysterious man with all the secrets kept in, got all the chicks thinking "He needs help getting out of his shell" or something along those lines?"
"N-Now wait just a second. This isn't what you're thinking!" Why was he feeling flustered? Wait, no! Why should a zombie feel embarrassed? Also, NO! He wasn't that kind of person when he was meeting new people outside of work-
Then all of a sudden, legs lassoed around his neck. There was a wicked gleam he recognized back at the office building but his whole world went round as Jack forced him over on his side. Now she was on top, shoving a forearm down on his apple.
It was all a ruse.
"Now you listen, jackarse," Jack demanded as Crane choked. "I have no idea why you're able to act like this. Heck, it might have me beating your skull one too many times for you to gain some humanity bullshit."
Well, that was a possibility he'd thought of. But he couldn't agree verbally with his throat being pushed in.
"But I don't have the time or the patience to be answering 20 questions. And right now, you might be the missing link we Ravs' been looking for."
Crane's golden eyes shot up to her with a confused gleam. "W-What?"
"Right now, you're a damn mystery that even I don't know about. And if solving it gets us one step closing to finding a cure, then you're gonna be cooperative. Capisce?" She gave another push to reinforce her point.
"What are you...talking about?" Crane choked. "There's already one being made."
"Of course, I know that. I'm surprised an infected like you has heard of it. Wait, can zombies read minds? Do you read minds?"
Now that was an odd answer. And he couldn't put his finger on why. And if he could, he'd love to know what she meant.
Wait a minute...did she know about Camden and the cure? No, only the people at the Tower and the Embers knew.
"Whatever. The fact is there are a lot of people out there trying to fix this problem. After all, GRE are fucking morons and they won't help us."
If only she knew she was dealing with an ex-GRE agent. Oh boy.
"So how about this? If you want answers, then you'll let me do my job."
"And what the fuck is your job?" he demanded, trying his best to get more air into him by worming his neck from her arm. No go.
"To find out what the fuck is happening to this virus and all of us."
Crane looked at her like she was mad. No, she definitely was. He knew what this virus was doing - it brought back the screaming damned. It turned him into this. What was the point of learning more from it?
But from what he understood, there were more besides him seeking an answer. Besides Camden researching on the cure. Besides the Mother with a secret base holding the vials. And this woman was part of some faction. Did she really know something everyone else, even himself, overlooked? Sounded like she was following a wild goose chase.
But he couldn't let it go - about what she said back at the GRE camp. And as stupid as it seemed to him, could it be the lead he was searching for this entire time?
"So. Do I have your cooperation?"
He was reminding himself of his past leads, where they ended up. But he didn't have any other choice. He wanted her off. Now. "C-Crystal."
"Good." She then zoomed right up, finally letting Crane breath in. "Glad we've come to an agreement."
"Geezus. Gack..." The shmuck attitude. "You're egotistical, you know that?" he hissed, massaging his bruised neck.
Jack simply shrugged her shoulders, her smirk still staying stubbornly strong. "Eh. It's one of my redeeming qualities on show."
Ok, what was she talking about? "I'm sorry?"
"You know, on TV," she pointed. "Though some fans would agree with you there. I tend to be too...eccentric at times."
"What?" What on Earth was she rumbling about? "What are you, some kind of super-actress?"
"Yes, I've won the award for best personality," she joked, pretending to hold an invisible trophy in her hands. "Jokes aside. Do you really think an actor can survive in a zombie world? Well, I guess you could get away with being part of the horde. Just slap on some makeup and fake blood."
"Oh great," he mumbled to himself. Hearing her rumble was making him regret ever speaking up. "This was a bad idea."
"Hey. You should feel honored you're with a famous face here. Not an actress like you hoped for but a pro is better than nothing."
"More like a narcissist," he barked. "Seriously. Are you so full of yourself?"
Jack gave an odd look of puzzlement from the disconnected vibe she was getting, the shades sliding down the bridge of her nose to expose hazel eyes and furrowed eyebrows. "Hang on. You know about GRE but you...don't recognize me on the news?"
"Why should I? You're some spokesperson or the weather woman?"
It was then Jack looked at him like she was insulted. Offended! She flayed out her arms like she was presenting herself. "Mad Jack." Still nothing from the shrugging Hunter. And that was baffling to her. "Previous kickboxing world champion? Four years in a row? 2013 showdown between the Wild Dog and the Scorpion at the Scanderoon Sports Palace?!"
Absolutely nothing but a shake of the head. To be frank, he wasn't much into kickboxing. Or any women's sports for that matter.
But that name she said...
Before he could think on it, Jack's arms dropped down to her sides with a loud slap. "Unbelievable… What was I even thinking?" she said to herself with a scoff. "As if an infected like you would know stuff like that."
"Of course I do. I was human," he hissed. Maybe he should have rethought before he decided to rely on the lunatic woman. Again, Crane. Lunatic!
"Well, clearly, you were more into the hockey channel before you got turned."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "...Ok, that was a good guess. I'll give you that."
"Of course, you're too easy to read."
And now she was talking out of her ass. Him? A monster was easy to read like a book?
"Well," Jack pointed, mostly to herself as she readied for comm. "Bones' gonna have a field day with this story-"
"No." Crane was very quick. He latched onto the hand holding the earpiece. If more people learned about him, it'd be like he was at a circus. And he was the freak show.
But his attempt to stop her put the crowbar right at his abdomen, the sharp end ready to pierce. There wasn't any cheery smile on her - she was prepared to give the first blow if he would overstep his boundary.
He clenched his teeth tight. "I'm not...entirely fine with you knowing about...this. And I'm not ok with more people knowing."
"Then you can leave."
Crane was dumbfounded at the response. But she wasn't kidding.
"I'm not gonna pretend I didn't just meet you and keep secrets. You aren't the only one looking for a cure."
His head twitched with even more shock. Did he give some signal she was easily picking up on?
"That's what you want, right? So do the Ravs. And everyone in this city."
His grip tightened on her wrist but she didn't show any reaction to the small pain. Negotiations were out the window. Moreover, there was a look of determination in her that he wanted to question: why she was so hungry on finding this so-called cure. Hell, he had never heard of this Ravs group. Sounded shady.
What was her game? Was it out of desperation? Afraid to turn into something like him?
No. She had nothing of the sort. Her whole body exhumed a strong aura. Reminded him a bit too much of himself in his first few days. Only that she had an 'older' look about her - not age-wise but experience-wise.
Crane could tell...there was no getting through to her.
With a grumble, like a child being forced to obey his parent, he let go of her hand and went to a corner. Completely brooding.
"Bones, do you copy?" Now how was Jack going to explain this?
With a click on the other side, her caller came on with an unusual chirp in his voice. "Heya, Jackie. Didn't expect a response so soon."
She narrowed her eyes tightly. "Ok, what did you do?"
"What? Psssh, nothing. Just doing the same ole radioman as always." There was an odd laugh at the end that went by too quick. "Why do you ask?"
"You've never called me Jackie. Ever."
"Whaaaat? We've been pals for quite a while now! Don't I get the courtesy to call ya that? Anyway, why the call?"
"Hm-hm…" Oh, she was going to get him for that change in the subject. "You're not going to believe what I've found." Jack paced around slowly, eyes still on the grumpy Hunter. Who was to say he wouldn't jump on her to stay quiet?
"Well, try me. We're already gotten a lot of strange things over the month."
"Um, well, how should I say this?" Oh, boy. This was difficult. She relayed over and over the words inside her head, before speaking them out. "Remember that Hunter I've been looking for and...our discussion about communication between the undead?"
"Yeaaah?" his voice trailed, sounding uncertain with where she was heading with this.
"Well…" She then rolled her lip in out of frustration. Forget starting off slow. "Ok. I'll get to the point. A zombie just talked to me."
There was a moment of silence through the comm. She had fully anticipated that.
"I'm getting Asem."
"Now hold on a minute! Stop! Come back to the mic, Bones! Listen, I'm completely sane!" Jack debated.
"I beg to differ."
"Oh, you shut up," Jack snapped at the Hunter.
"What? What did I do?" Bones suddenly uttered over the comms.
"No, not you. I mean him. The talking zombie."
"Uh-huh. Jack. You just told me an infected spoke to you."
"Yes, I'm making it much worse than how it sounded in my head. Especially with my case," she droned. "But I'm telling the truth. Freakoid's right here with me."
"Hey. Why am I being called Freakoid?" Ok, dumb question to think of but that nickname felt a little unnecessary.
"Wait, the Hunter's with you?! Kill it before it kills you!"
"Ok, now that's hurtful," Crane mumbled to himself. "I'm not an 'it'."
"Now that would be the logical thing to do. If he didn't have such a riveting personality," she chided, wheeling away so she could whisper softly, "And he's a big sordid whiner."
"I heard that."
Jack ignored him.
"O-K. So basically, you have a domesticated killing machine in the same room with you."
Ok, where was this loudmouth on the radio? Crane wanted to hit him.
"That can talk," Jack emphasized. "Telepathically, might I add."
"Right, ok... Jack. You've had a few rough days." Oh, god. Not this talk again. And the fact she was getting it from a person a couple of years younger than her was an insult to her age, it made her nearly roll her eyes all the way to the back. "Ender and Riza are arriving in the city soon. They can come get you and bring you back here."
"Ok. Fine. Send them to my location." Freakoid's eyes bugged out wide. He clearly didn't like this. "They'll see the proof. And if you run, Freakoid, I'm coming after you."
Crane murmured quietly to himself. And he actually believed her.
"Hey," she then snapped. "Why don't you say a word right now if you don't want any unwanted company coming here?"
He simply folded his arms. He wasn't gonna give her the privilege.
"You bloody fucking bastard." She should have gotten a recorder or something.
"And now she's playing with the zombie… Ok, I'll go get Asem. Just sit tight."
She muffled down a loud groan. "Both of you are not making this any easier on me."
"Easier? Do you hear yourself?" Bones asked. "There's no way the infected can talk like a normal human being. The chances are completely zero. Some of those zombies even had their cords ripped out by other zombies. Before they were turned!"
"Well, seems like I hit jackpot on this one," she uttered in hopes the conversation would go her way.
"Jack, the infected can only go "Grrrrrr!" before biting our heads off. They're too stupid to have any sort of vocabulary and be capable of forming any sort of sentence."
Crane's face darkened. Just as terrifying as the very beasts that chased his human self during the nighttime. Ok. Now this guy had done it. And the more he listened to this droning with his powerful hearing, the more he couldn't stand it.
"They're just rotting, walking piles of flesh without a minuscule number of brain cells left inside their skulls." Jack peered back to see the Hunter already up to her, kinda standing up like a threatening ape than a human. She wasn't 'too' afraid this time when he was giving some sort of expression that bored into her. Or into the voice over the comm. "Right now, you're hallucinating and that's already something to be concerned about. But if you're so convinced that this one's different, then alright. We'll play along with your fantasy and get him a collar and a water bowl. Just come back to the Outskirts so we can have you checked, Jack."
"Hand it over here," Crane demanded coldly with an open palm.
Jack blinked behind her shades at the surprise. So he finally grew a pair.
"Hang on, Bones. You've got a call."
"What?" Jack immediately compelled, handing over her earpiece. "Seriously, Jack. I'm getting worried about you. Vials, Biters, Volatiles, and this Hunter can't talk-"
"Are you sure?"
Crane said that right into the mic. Loud and clear.
There was a drop on the other end. The wise-ass guy had nearly fallen off his chair. Another quiet moment hung so tightly - good, he was having a hard time progressing what just happened.
"W-What? Jack, was that you?"
"No, it's the stupid zombie talking to you."
That completely took the guy's tongue. Crane could hear the panicked mutters as if this Bones person was trying to speak. "Holy shit. Holy shit. What? H-How?"
He tossed back the earpiece to Jack with a fit and went back to his corner to mope. He wasn't in any mood to explain - even if he had some idea himself.
"Told ya," Jack chided proudly into the earpiece.
"W-Wha...b-but-"
"Yes, Bones. It's a lot to digest. But we might as well get up to speed on this one." She glanced back at Crane. "If a zomb can regain back his senses back, then something is really up with this virus. Maybe it's also the key to reversing it."
"Um...give - just give me five minutes."
"I'll give you thirty seconds."
"What?! But, but, you don't just shake that off."
"And what? We've already gotten used to everything else back at base. This is just like that."
"Geez, man… Ok, ok. Thinking cap on. Um, m-maybe the virus has some repairing capabilities in restoring brain cells. B-But even then, a brain gone dead, then revived, it wouldn't guarantee any sense of personality back. It's not like a coma situation from those soaps and with tremendous brain healing power! Unless he created his own ego."
"So it heals the host's brain? Huh, and here I thought it was because of my punches that knocked some sense into him."
"Heh." Crane grimaced. The healing one sounded too far-fetched to him. The punches were more reasonable. "Same."
"Hang on! You fought him...with your fists?!"
"Nooo, of course not," Jack sang. "I did hit him with a piece of wood."
"You what?" Crane uttered but Jack ignored him again, twirling away on her heel.
"Jack! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Bones hollered. "Wait a minute. Then...you got bitten?"
"Twice."
"What - grrrah," Bones was doing his best to keep in his frustration. "Then he should be dead!"
"I know! That's what I thought too," she droned.
"Hold it. Back a few sentences up. What do you mean, 'dead'?" There was something they knew he wasn't getting any info on.
"You've got to bring him here! We need to run some tests. All the works," Bones immediately demanded. "Oh god. That is the stupidest idea I could ever say in my entire life."
"Actually, it might be your most brilliant one yet." She then stopped her chippiness, already sensing the disapproval inside the room. "But...I don't think he'll like that."
Even if there was not much of a 'human' face to tell expressions but the body language was already speaking volumes. He didn't like the word 'tests'.
For any survivors, the idea of sympathy for an infected would be unheard of. Unless they knew the person, which at that point, the only answer was to put them out of their misery. They were gone in the head. They shouldn't be left wandering senselessly looking like that.
He shouldn't be wandering at all like...this.
Jack could see it in Freakoid. Like anyone in this outbreak, she would take the liberty of axing down an ally if they were too far gone. She had gone down that route many times. Only this time, she met someone that just returned back to his humanity. So she had to question herself on that. Did she have the right to treat him just like those Biters? Because right in the room, he looked like a pitiful cat having escaped from the rain. And she was a dog person.
"Oh, c'mooon. He has that level of self-conscience? This is annoying! Uh, no offense to him. Just lie to him or something-"
"He can hear you, you know?" Jack pointed and out came a long-winded frustrated groan on the other end. "I'm not gonna force him to the Outskirts."
The surprised Crane. Or was she trying to con him? Make him think the conversation was going one way when she meant another?
"Fine. Fine… Yeah, I did sound cruel there. Sorry. To him, I mean. How would we feel if we were being poked around like in those mad scientist movies? And I should know."
"We're all desperate, Bones," Jack said understandably. "Only natural."
"Yeah, and we're getting real close too," he heaved a deep sigh. "Alright. Alright. Forget what I said earlier."
"And the Ravs will shoot him on sight if I do bring him over there."
"Right. Good point," Bones had to agree on that. "But he's a special case. Never heard of a zombie just turning back-"
"I'm not the only one." Jack wheeled over to Crane. "...But she's dead."
Ok, that was good to hear. She needed one voice in her head, not a billion. "He just said he's not the first."
"Wait. There's more?!" Bones shrieked.
"Were," Jack corrected him, hearing a sigh of relief. "But that means there's some kind of common denominator. Actually, that rumor the others were looking into isn't so far-fetched as we thought."
"Um...yeah, that's another good point… So if there aren't any infected like him...what should we do?"
In the end, Jack could only come to one conclusion. "Stay on course. For now, I'll continue on with your project. Get the samples and data. Asem's gonna need to hear about this too. She has to give the word on this one."
It was a suggestion Crane never expected to hear from...her frankly. He had pictured himself being pinned down, gagged, tied up and taken to this HQ place to be pricked with needles. Instead, she was giving him his space. Uh, wasn't she making such a big deal about his condition being important and the entirety of Harran and Scanderoon needed a cure?
"Boy. She's not gonna believe this," Bones groaned. "This day gets better and better."
"Sounds like you've gotten yourself some bad news over there," Jack pointed.
"Uh, I-It's nothing, really. What bad news? It's all fine in Harran. Totally fine."
"Hm-hm... Spit it out, Bones. I can read you a mile away."
"...Just don't go on a crusade, ok?" he asked with a heavy sigh. "...Runner's back from the Slums. Tower's empty."
Crane's golden eyes widened as big as dinner plates and his heart shot up to his throat.
The Tower was empty?
Wait. How did these people know about the Tower? No, forget about that, Crane! Everyone's missing!
When did this happen? When he was MIA? Another good question he asked himself - how long had he been out and running wild? How long had he been away from the Tower? He gave a snarl at himself, too muffled for the crazy woman to hear.
And the strangest thing he noticed was the lady, herself. She stopped, immediately looking like she had been delivered an unsettling punch to her side.
"What do you mean empty?"
"Gone. Everyone've gotten up and left," Bones explained. "And it's not that. GRE soldiers are everywhere in the Slums. Remember that psychopath that's been causing a ruckus over there? His men were everywhere that we Ravs couldn't even get there without getting spooked?"
"Yeah, I remember. We lost one runner to those bastards and three nearly lost their lives. But he's dead, right?" So even that man's reputation spread far and wide, Crane noted to himself.
"Yes, but not whatever's left of his crew. They're causing riots against the GRE. It's chaos in the streets. Our runner barely got out of there alive. Jack, whatever the GRE is doing, they're not sending in men to check on the problem or helping people. They're trying to clean up."
"Yeah… I kinda had a run-in with a GRE bigshot and her crew of burly men. Barely got out of there alive by a hairline."
"Shit… This is looking real bad then."
"Nothing we can't handle. We've gotten through the worst of this viral outbreak. A military assault should be fine."
Just how overly confident was this woman, Crane wondered. This was Global Relief Effect, not boy scouts selling cookies!
"Riiight," even her friend on the line didn't agree with her enthusiasm. "Asem thinks the Tower's gotten cold because it's not safe in the Slums anymore. We've even spotted a few Ember runners heading our way too."
Another familiar name for Crane. GRE was really stirring up the pot. It made him anxious inside. Restless. Shit, what had happened while he was gone?
"Everyone's moving. A full-on evac," Jack muttered. "Do you know where everyone went?"
"No idea. Asem's still looking into it."
And that was the cue she needed. She was already out the door. The leave surprised Crane. Why did this woman care so much about the Tower? He had never met her before. He then brushed after her, already close to her heels.
"Jack, stop. I know you're thinking of heading over to Harran now. You can't."
Basically, she couldn't try a large-scale search. "I can certainly try. I just need to find Lenny's boat."
"Boat?" That caught Crane's attention.
"Look. I know you're worried. We all are. But Asem's order is to focus on the project. You can't run off on a rescue mission."
"I can do both at the same time," she jested. "And who says I'm worried? Harris has a loose head when he's under pressure but he'll be fine. Or he could have been eaten. That's another possibility."
"Do you really not give two shits about him?"
Crane thought for a moment he misheard them. They weren't talking about the same Brecken, right?
"Look, Jack. The guys at the Tower couldn't have gone far. Asem says give her some time to comb the Slums. 72 hours at best. Can you do that for her?"
No, she wouldn't, not after being given this bomb on her. But...she wasn't the type to rush in. And Asem always kept to her word. "...Alright. You tell her she better find Harris and the others."
"You know her," Bones assured her. "And...I'm gonna, you know, tell her about the 'talking zombie'... Ugh, hearing that from my mouth just makes me sound like a madman."
"Welcome to the club."
"Just...keep an eye out on him. This is completely new."
"Roger that."
End of the conversation. It left Jack in a quiet fit that she simply heaved out a heavy sigh. Things just had to escalate.
So it was the waiting game. It wasn't in her style. And she didn't notice it wasn't Freakoid's either, with his own thoughts cramped in his head.
He laid down the facts. The Tower was gone. Lena, Brecken, everyone was missing. And that weighed down on him heavily. If only he had never left for the Countryside, if only he had stayed, then none of this would have happened.
Calm down, Crane. They...they could have moved. Just like they said. There were a lot of possibilities. Just calm down.
No. He had to know. He needed to go back.
Enough. He wasn't going to wait any longer.
"And where do you think you're going?"
He was about to take the window route when Jack's voice stopped him. She wheeled to him, looking all patient and bold. This woman was starting to look real dangerous to him and it wasn't just her skills.
"It's none of your business."
"It is when you're a talking Hunter. I got orders, and that's keeping an eye on you."
"Ha. I'd like to see you try." No way could she could keep up with him. He could barely escape a Volatile as a human-
"Hm… Ok, then."
And that halted him in his tracks. Ok, that utter was extremely suspicious. And turning back to see the brunette leaning against the wall, hands in her pockets, confirmed his notion. That smile of her dug irritably into him. "What do you mean ok?"
"Doesn't matter if you're all super fast and zipping your way across town. I'm gonna find you. No matter what. I did tag you."
Ooooh, he didn't like that. "You put a tracker on me?"
"Yup. Before you started talking to me," she boasted. "Hey, you were being animalistic at me."
Oh, definitely a no! If this woman was going to follow him, she'd be led to the Tower.
He growled a low click, leaping right up to her. He was so close to her face, he might as well bite off her nose."Where is it?"
"I'm not gonna tell ya." She gave a playful grin. "Maybe it's in your stomach. Or your eye. Who knows."
That prompted him to rest a hand on his stomach, feeling a twist inside. When-
"Or it could be on your back."
Once he heard that, Crane quickly lashed a claw at his back, spinning around like a cat after his tail. The only problem was his bulky chest and spikes made it difficult for him to reach out. He cursed out with a couple of snarls at the dilemma.
"Now. Tell me." Hopping away from the wall, she approached him with arms folded. "Where are you going?"
No fucking way was he telling this stranger. If he could, he'd be biting his tongue. But the grazing feeling of his sharp teeth refrained him from drawing blood. And Crane knew full well the answer to take the tracker off him was no. So he ended up answering. "...Harran. I have to go there."
That intrigued her, maybe even made her draw to some conclusion related to her call. "Hm… Were you someone from the Slums?"
That was a question he couldn't answer. At all. Crane knew nothing about this woman, or this faction she was with. Hell, if she really has a connection to the Tower, nobody there told him about her. And if she knew about them on an acquaintance level…
His brain was on overdrive. What he feared most right now was Brecken, Lena, everyone, learning that he'd been turned. And someone who knew about the Tower could actually tell them about him. A person with that deep of a connection for whatever reason could spill the beans - "Hey, guys. Kyle Crane has turned into a freak!"
No. No one could know.
He had to lie.
"I… I don't remember."
"You don't remember or you don't want to remember?"
The latter but he stuck to his act. "I don't know who I am. What my name is. Everything." That was the best lie he could give right now. "But I know I need to go there." Her face was unreadable but it didn't matter to him if she'd buy it or not. "And I don't need a babysitter."
He wasn't sure if that convinced her. But he wasn't planning on finding out.
"...You know. Nobody in Scanderoon can get to Harran. Unless it's by boat." That ceased him from taking off. "Roads all blocked and we're surrounded by mountains on one side and the Coast on the other. And I doubt you can swim."
"I can find my way back," he scoffed and said quietly to himself, "Just need to find a sewage system or something."
"And what? You've still got soldiers shooting down infected survivors and zombies. You're walking into a deathtrap."
"Why do you care?" he snapped.
"About you? I don't. Particularly, I have every right to be on the edge if you'd decide to chomp down on me one second later. But you want answers. So do I. As it stands, you need the Ravs to solve this. And we need you to help figure it out."
"Oh really?" He was now up close to her again, standing as straight as his body could allow him with a spiteful tone seeping from his mouth - correction, mind. "Your people made it very clear they want to open my body up."
"Ok, now you're exaggerating-"
"How am I exaggerating?!" he hollered, now using his real voice and not his inner voice. "I don't know a damn thing about you. Or this Ravs group. And you go around boasting that you're searching for a cure?"
"Seriously, you're acting like that hotshot lady. I've only just started-"
"Look at me!" His voice was shaking loudly as he presented himself to her. "This is what a cure did to me! Who's to say this lead you guys are finding won't be some dead end just like what the Faceless had?!"
Jack's eyebrow hunched up. It was clear she didn't know what he was talking about. But she remained firm in place and let him spill out.
"Is this what you are looking for? Because here, you have it! There is no cure! We're all gonna become like this! This is how it's gonna end. So why don't you keep your heroic crusade to yourself and stop dragging others in? Because you're not helping anyone!"
Stop following a dream. Stop becoming like him. Those were all the things he wanted to tell her. She'd only end up like him!
"I won't make the same mistake again."
She was quiet, taking his outburst all in as he breathed heavily. Let her soak it all in.
"...So you're gonna sulk and not help us?" she mocked softly.
Crane scoffed. Why was this woman so stubborn?! "Help you? Why should I even trust you?!" All of his anger, his vent from way back had finally spewed out. Laid waste to her.
"Then the feeling's mutual."
The statement was said in such an unfazed demeanor, it surprised Crane. And the next one took it even further.
"Because I don't know who you were. And what you're gonna become."
That did him in. The calm, collected response left him with a distaste in his mouth.
What he was going to become…
He balled up his claws. Not hands, claws. The thought never crossed his mind until she said it right to him - he had just regained back his humanity so what was the next step? What else could he change into? Be like the Mother, a deluded infected with a twisted agenda to kill off everyone in Harran? Or something far worse? He would rather die than become like that manic.
He swallowed. Finally, he had realized there was no salvation for him. No hopes of returning back to being a human.
Why did he think this brunette, or any other person, could help a monster like him? He shouldn't have even tried.
"I should have never saved you."
Crane then realized his mistake. He had only done that because he was boiling up from the inside. He was tired of himself, of everything, of this woman being an asshole to him. He could have sworn he saw her expression in a way that the comment hit her. And that pinched at his guilt.
Then she smirked.
Just like that.
"Oh, you're gonna be an interesting character, mate. I can tell."
"What?"
She gave a nod of the head, unfazed by Crane's bafflement. "Alright, then. Thanks for the leads you've given me," she spoke, looking very relaxed against the wall. "Guess I'll be seeing you around."
"Wha..." He struggled with his words. "Are you out of your damn mind?! Leads?! What leads?!" Crane couldn't stay in control, both thought and voice spurred out as one. It was like dealing with a troublesome neighbor with an attitude or passenger on the train. He literally wanted to shake her down. "What is with your damn deal?!" he yelled.
"My deal?" she hummed. "Why don't you go and find out?"
It was a taunt. A lure. A mystery waiting to be open up but she had a lot of confidence that he was never going to find those secrets.
He didn't want to. He didn't want to care about her anymore. Let her go find those vials and get herself killed. His concern now should be getting back to Harran.
"Forget this... I'm leaving."
"Ok. Fine."
"Good!"
"Glad we've come to an agreement, Freakoid." Her beam stayed annoyingly strong it was mocking him.
"Oh my-" She...just had to have the last statement! He hoped he'd never meet her again. Without a second thought or a remark, he was off across the roofs.
And Jack was left alone. No more voice in her head - only the silence in the room. That was an interesting event, she admitted to herself. The ending, however, wasn't what she thought would go down to. Sure, she had just let her one lead walk right out on her but she had other priorities on her mind. A talking zombie wasn't and shouldn't be of her concern. Especially when she had to wait for the Ravs' word about this situation.
"Guess I should get back to work," she told herself.
She didn't move.
"...Screw it."
And Jack was out the door.
"Harran, here I come."
A/N: Weee, this took a bit of time becuz of dialogue and some extra work on the side but yeah! So yes, we're gonna have those dramas between two people you tend to see in movies, fiction and games. Which is understandable in this situation: Crane DOESN'T want Jack to end up like him in finding a cure and Jack's being Jack (as always). And I kinda picture that he would try to convince her otherwise, even more so, after all the hell he went through, he would be having doubts at this point. So yup! Was fun trying to work out how the conversation would go. And Jack being an asshole.
Though I also hope she's not too unlikeable for a first drama. I like character design, right down to the bone and that includes all their perks and flaws. It's still a bit a while's more to show more about her and why she's like this but hope she's still keeping you interested. Though, yeah spotlight's on Crane anyway. XD Him and his dealing with his zombiehood.
Also, I actually have done some art for my fanfic. I've decided as an artist, I wanna exercise my concept art stuff so I'm actually gonna try and make art based on my fanfic. I don't know if I can do Dying Light level of concept but drawing what I kinda picture Scanderoon and the enemies to look like will be a challenge to look forward too. And the characters, heck even Hunter Crane after his encounter with Jack. I'll post the rest on my tumblr and put the links up when I've done it in later chapters.
You can check out my art pieces on Mad Jack (just heads) over at my AO3 fanfic, at the end. Though fanfiction has a weird thing about links. Hope you'll like this chapter and the first art pieces! Take out the spaces. (archiveofourown . or g works /13795185 / chapters / 32302509) If you can't access because FFN is being horrid to this link, my link will be in my profile. :l
PS. I find it funny that Jack called Crane fat. lol.
