Chapter 10

Wow, can it be-

Skele is actually updating?! Wow!

And with a five-page chapter?! No way?!

Well, enjoy my sweethearts!

Jayson Garra

I rolled my eyes, "Leo, that won't help."

Leo looked up from the tangle of ropes tied around him and sighed, his head drooping. A worried look drifted upon his face. "I wonder where they're taking Chloe and Holly."

"Well, they're anywhere but here." I shrugged.

"Why did they attack us?" Leon asked.

I shook my head. "Whatever the reason. The obviously don't care who makes it out alive, though they did leave more females than males…"

"Do you think-,"

"Possibly."

"How'd you know what-,"

"You were about to say? Leo, I know you well enough to know what you were thinking of. That's likely what they're trying to do."

"Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep." A new voice groaned.

"Sorry Tyler!" Leo shouted. "Anyway, how would they do… that… and not be worried about Infected? Do you think they might have the cure?"

"No, they don't have the cure." I said. "They're trying to find the cure. It's at a place called S.T.A.R.C.L.A.N."

"How-,"

"I heard them talking while you were sleeping."

"Hey… I think I've heard of that!" Tyler spoke up.

I turned around, and snapped, "What?!"

"Yeah, the organization used to be called just S.T.A.R., or Special Tactics And Research. They did research on animals to try and find the driven-in instincts to use for armies, I think. My dad used to work for them."

"And where are they now?" A gravelly voice snarled. The three of us turned around to see the biggest man we'd even seen.

Tyler gulped. "Somewhere near California, I-, I think."

"Scott! We've got more information!" He blared, and started to stomp away.

"Jay!" Leo hissed after a few minutes of silence. In the dim light, he shoved two hands in my face.

"Wait, you're free?!" I whispered.

"Yeah, I'm going to untie you!"

A few minutes later and I felt the bonds tying me tight loosed up. I whispered, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Leo smiled at me, and went to work on Tyler. I stood up, and looked around. There was a window near the door where the man came through, and I walked up to it, and peered through it. Across the hall there was another window, with a face peeking out of it, tapping on the window. That was Chloe!

I looked down at the door, and found a handle, but I couldn't open it. It was locked from the outside.

Chloe mouthed something, 'Get his attention.'

I nodded, then frowned and mouthed, 'Why can't you?'

She shook her head. 'Later.'

I turned back to the now untied Leo and Tyler, and said, "We need to get the guard's attention. Did he have a gun when he walked in last time?"

"No," Leon said. "He had a knife strapped to his belt, but not gun."

"Good." I nodded. "Tyler, I need you to shout, 'Hey! Guards! I know more about S.T.A.R.C.L.A.N!'. Okay?"

"Got it." Tyler nodded. He looked up and shouted, "Guards! I know more about that place, S.T.A.R.C.L.A.N, was it? Yeah, I know where it's located!"

Almost immediately the same man stormed in. "What-," He finally got a good look at us, and before he could shout anything, Leo tackled him, and grasped the knife from his pocked and stabbed him in the temple.

"Nice work," Tyler said. Soon, we all ran out.

"Leo, Jayson, cover me." Tyler said, and started to work at the lock. No one came.

"Leo!" Chloe gasped, and nearly tackled him in a huge bear hug. Holly soon raced out and grasped everyone in another hug.

"Let's go." She said sternly.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

Holly's green eyes narrowed. "Two of the brutes took Theresa and Helena, I don't know what happened to them except that they screamed like the devil moments after they were gone."

"We have to find them." Tyler snapped.

"I know, but right now our first priority is finding an exit."

"Let's go." Leon said. We all followed him, when suddenly, he stopped.

"Well, what is it?" Holly snapped. Leon gulped.

"I think-, I think I found Theresa and Helena."

"Well?! Let me-,"

"No." Leon said sternly. "We have to leave. Now."

"What happened?" Tyler asked.

"They're gone by now. Be quiet, we can't let them know we're here."

Tears welled up in Tyler's eyes.

"Tyler, I know that was your mother, but we have to go now!" Holly snapped.

We started walking down the thin hallways, until Tyler said, "Guys, guys. Stop."

"What?! Can we please go without stopping again?!" Holly snapped.

"No, there are people in here!" Tyler snarled. "Cover me."

He turned around and started to work at the lock when three armed men came into vision. I yelled, "Guys! Fight!"

In a flurry of arms everything went crazy, and in mere minutes the three men were lying on the ground unconscious. Holly leaned down and snatched all of their weapons from them, and distributed them to everyone.

"Got it!" Tyler whispered, and opened the door. "Guys, you can come out."

Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven people flooded out of the cramped room. A young girl whispered, "Thank you."

"Let's go." Holly said. "Run fast."

We all exited the building as quick as we could, when suddenly six people stood in front of us, blocking out way out.

"Not so fast," A man sneered in front of us. He, and the five other people sported guns and weapons everywhere. "Did you really think you could escape?"

"Seriously?" A woman from the crowd of people behind us rolled her eyes. "That's all you could come up with?"

"Attack!" Holly shouted just before a flurry of bullets rained towards us.

It was literal hell, everyone fought. For their lives, probably. Whatever it was, the smell of blood had tainted the air sooner than later, with the smell of death not far behind. Finally, someone had shouted, "STOP!"

Everyone did.

I looked around. The six people who had attacked us were now two, which meant that the other four had ran for it, and those two remaining people were on the ground. There were a few of us on the ground dead, two older woman and a little girl.

"Mom, Mom!" A girl had shrieked, collapsing to the ground next to one.

"Pandora, Macy, and Amber are dead." A woman shook her head. "What a shame."

"At least Willow didn't have to see that." A younger girl shook her head.

"Willow is still in there for all we know!" Wait, that was that girl we rescued that ran with Brandon… Ivy?

"She's probably dead." Holly snapped. "Remember Theresa and Helena? Raped. Dead. That's what happened to Willow."

"Alright, Holly, calm down!" Leo snapped.

"Okay, obviously some of us we don't know. Who's who?" I said. "Everyone, one at a time. I'm Jayson, you can call me Jay."

"I'm Holly, everyone." Holly said. "I'm the leader."

"And I'm Tyler," Tyler said. "Assistant."

"I'm Leo." Leo smiled. "This is my girlfriend, Chloe."

"I'm Chloe," Chloe grinned.

"My name is Dove," A pale girl said.

"I'm Ivy," A girl said from her crouch towards one of our dead attackers, and snatched her shirt, pants, and coat. "What? I came here half-naked."

"I'm Charlotte." The girl who had been crying over one of the dead women spoke up.

"I'm Dawn-, oh my god!" A blonde started to freak. "Tyler-,"

"Dawn?!" Tyler's eyes widened.

"Oh my god!" Dawn tackled Tyler in a huge hug. "It's been so long! How's Blaise and Mom and Dad?"

"They're dead." Tyler shook his head.

"Moving on, I'm-," A small gasp was heard from the brunette, and she screamed, falling to the ground. We could all see the knife piercing her back.

"Ambush, run!" Holly shouted. We didn't protest, and we followed her into the forest.

Helena Bracken-Honeyfern