TEN: TO DAWN
The rich smell of iron and dirt was everywhere. It was making Crane feel high in the head like he had been drugged. He could feel himself off the rails again - the other side of him having a stronger grasp on his body. Like a tiger having the taste of human flesh and now it couldn't have enough of it. It needed more.
Worse, something was yelling at him to do it, to come after her. And it wasn't even inside his skull.
But then the taste of something foul and bitter made some sense come back to him. It was horrid to his taste buds but his teeth still wouldn't unhinge.
Actually, it was more like a hand underneath him was gripping his worn shirts, stopping him from backing off.
"God, this reeks," he heard someone speak out. From behind. Leaving from the gate he was shoved through. "This is gonna take weeks."
A small fragment of his mind knew what was going to happen - they'd be zapping him like cattle and herding him into one of those cages he had been locked up until his release. Escape, the other side was telling him to do. Slingshot his way up and over the fence, that would be the best option.
But-
"Front's heavily guarded," the soft whisper seeped into his right ear. "We'd be swiss cheese if we leave from there."
The sparks of the man-made electric prods could be heard closely behind him. He needed to act now. But the grip wouldn't let him go.
"Only way out is through the gate you came from. They brought you in here somehow."
Yeah, he vaguely remembered how he got here. The prisoners had a boat.
"And that's likely where they're keeping the Antizin."
Crane hunched an eyebrow. What, why the need for Antizin at a time like this-
"There's a group of people who really needs it." Jack swallowed between gasps. "I don't know where but I'm gonna find it with or without you."
Are you crazy?! he thought. Not loudly for her to catch it but even he found that ludicrous.
"Alright, you creepy fuck. Enough of playing with your meat," warned his captor.
But he wouldn't back off, his ear kept down as close as possible as he kept a careful eye on the surrounding four men.
He should cut his ties now and run, argued the other voice.
"Maybe it does seem pointless looking for a solution to this whole outbreak," she hissed. "But I'd rather die trying than give up. That's what everyone is doing."
Crane glanced down at the woman. Alive. Her life was in his hands - well, jaws. And this time, he found himself locked in her stern gaze behind her sports sunglasses.
"How about you? Are you done trying?"
Trying?
He had been done with it. He had tried again and again, looking for the answers this woman was searching. And trying got him nowhere. But...surprisingly, this annoying persistence from her was catching up on him.
He wanted to try.
"Hey!" the thug taunted.
"What are you doing, talking to that thing? It's a zombie."
"Just hurry up and move him! I wanna beat this woman's corpse until there's nothing but mush."
Ok. Crane was in. Not completely because he was running through the chances of them surviving in his head. There was still the problem of getting out of here alive!
"Guy to your left," she whispered. "I busted up his shoulder earlier."
The one who yelled the men to hurry had an arm in a sling, sending a cold, angry glare at the body of Jack.
"She's already dead, man."
"I don't fucking care," he barked. "I'm gonna do every single horrible thing to her damn fucking body. Now get off, you stupid zomb-"
Crane unhinged off the woman - Jack letting out a gasp - and turned sharply around. In a split second, the man froze at the sudden change.
"SRRAAAARHHH!" the Hunter roared, the strong burst like a gust of wind. Tendrils fired right out of his claws and onto the loudmouth. Instead of leaping forward, Crane hurled him right off his feet and into one of the capture teammates. Crack! went the injured man's neck on impact.
One prisoner quickly wheeled about-face. "Shit-!" Then all of a sudden, the taser prod in his hand didn't move.
Jack had immediately seized the long pole, avoiding the high voltage. With a sharp kick to the stomach, the thug was thrown off and Jack was now dangerous with the device. She jammed it into one captor on her left, right into his mouth.
"Kafph! Gah! Gack!" Jack finally coughed out and proceeded to massage her throat. If those teeth had sunk any deeper, she'd really be a goner. "Geezus. I thought you were really gonna kill me!"
"Blegh! Phootey!" Crane finally spat out the disgusting, odd, iron taste from his mouth. "Why the hell do you taste terrible?!"
"Oh, excuse me!" she snapped. "Sorry I'm not to your liking. Want me to put salt and pepper for the next meal?"
Well, whatever it was, it somehow snapped him back. The moment he put the chompers on her, the odd taste woke something back up inside.
"W-What the hell? Are you loco?!" the last captor hollered at Jack.
"Shaddup, you're one to talk!" Then Jack quickly hurried down, picking up a throwing knife from the body of the fallen prisoner. With a swift throw of the wrist, before the thug could get to the fighter's gate, she hit his back and down he went, screaming in agony.
The crowd above them rattled louder, some out of shock, some out of "what in the world is going on?!". There was no Director on the scene to calm the storm, only several armed guards telling them to sit down or get out.
"Let out some of the infected!" someone yelled.
Jack was rushing over to the trashed door, failing to notice someone in the darkness opening up a cage at the side.
BAM! "Gah!" she shrieked at the barrier shaking. A red-muscular claw thrust out through the gaps.
"Hey! Lady!"
Jack wheeled round at the Freakoid's urgent thought-yell. And she immediately saw the firearms point at them from the audience.
"What are you waiting for?! Shoot them!" one man nearby yelled.
There was a pause in the chaos. Guess the shooters thought the fence was enough for protection-
Fence?
"Fence!"
Crane wasn't too sure why when she suddenly hollered that word. But Jack was down, pillaging off the bodies around them. She picked up a grappling hook and a pistol.
"The fence! Pull it!" she yelled.
"O-Oh!"
Thankfully, because of all the previous fights, the barricade had been battered down by the Brawler and the Demolisher. She hooked onto one of the broken ends. Crane followed - his tendrils seizing the other. And just as the armed men on the other side were ready to fire-
Keee-keee-KLANK!
The enclosure plummeted forth, together with a portion of the audience and the gunmen falling in. Like lemmings over a small five-inch cliff.
Ok, isn't this a bad idea? Crane thought. They were just adding more numbers down in this pit.
"Here! Catch!"
Splosh!
"Gaack!" One prisoner was soaked in red from the broken blood bag thrown purposely at his feet. She had snuck two inside her hoodie before the fights - one busted open by Freakoid when he pounced on her.
"Keep them busy!" she hollered at Freakoid.
"Wait! What?!" But Jack was already off at the broken gate. "Ah, shit!"
The first armed man got up but the tendrils were faster than his trigger finger. Just like before, Crane swung his grabbed prey right into the pack of people, watching them tumble back down onto the bloody ground - their brown uniforms darkening. And boy, was the scent making him really wanna tear them apart even more.
Wait, was it the blood?
CLANK! He heard that sound from behind. With a glance over his shoulder, he eyed Jack suddenly backing away from the other entrance, the door off its hinges.
"Chow time!" she hollered madly.
"GAARGH!"
Swooshing through were two Volatiles, diving into the red-covered crowd. They were famished, the night and the scent of blood bringing out their wild, savage side. But Jack didn't stick around to watch the carnage. Once the door was opened, she quickly darted into the tunnel, ignoring the wails and gunshots behind her.
"Hey! Lady, Wait! " Crane wasn't going to stick around. He swooshed right in, passing large cages packed with 'undead' contestants racking their claws through the gaps.
And up ahead was a downed man. Then, a second one. And another. It wasn't that difficult to look for her - with the trail of incapacitated criminals. He finally caught up around the bend, spotting her frantically searching.
"All men, get me that fucking woman! Dead! And make sure she doesn't get our cache!" a voice boomed over the speakers.
"Fucking bastard," she cursed. "Of course he'd do that."
"That's not good," Crane pointed. "We gotta get outta here- " And again, she was off. "Hey! Wait! Are you listening to me?!"
"I'm not leaving without that Antizin!" she snapped.
"We can always find that elsewhere! Somewhere safer-"
Then he noticed it at the corner of his eye. Beyond a few walls, he noticed a few men oddly positioned lower than they were. Two were on guard, two were loading objects onto a separate small and shaking platform.
"Crates?"
"What?"
But they were small in size, enough to keep something even smaller safe and secured. And those men were taking something away.
"Right! There's a pier to your right!"
Jack forced herself to a stop, uncertain why that was an important point. But there was a click in her head and she ran down to the direction, along the large container-walls.
And right in sight was what looked like a secluded area of an open-air boathouse with two men in front of the sprinting duo.
"Shit! Shit! Close the gate!"
What was between the two and the gang was a storefront metal door slipping down fast. However, Jack suddenly pitched something at it.
Thud! Metal hit metal. A small axe had been thrown in at the right, precise time - halting the door from fully closing. Jack kept at her speeding momentum and skidded right under like a baseball batter sliding to home base.
One man stood by the door's button, baffled. And up she pushed herself with her kinetic energy, a foot smacked into his jawline.
The second guard barely had his gun on her. The distance was too far for her to rely on close-hand combat so Jack took aim and fired two rounds right at his chest. Two more men came around the corner of a boat hung up by pulleys. She also took them down before they had much of a chance to retaliate.
With all the danger gone, she searched frantically.
"Antizin, Antizin, Antizin-" Her eyes gleamed at the side of the familiar medical logo on six boxes. "Antizin!"
In a small section of water was a small boat where the two men were loading up the crates. This might mean once a night of betting was done, all of the riches these people had gathered would be hurled away off to wherever Cel's main quarters could be.
"There she is!" Popped around the corner was a new face. And the nuzzle of a pistol.
BAM! BAM!
"CRIPES!" Jack quickly ducked behind the hull of a small boat, turned upside-down and left alone. The bullets scratched the wood and over her head.
Crane quickly slid under the metal door, grabbing her axe in mid-dash and swooshed right next to her. Holy shit, the amount of fire they were giving to protect their loot.
"Here." He tossed her weapon back to her - there was no point for him to use it, he could easily deal more damage with his fists than with a weapon. "We can't stay here any longer." He spotted beyond the walls a few new humans coming their way, twenty feet charging. "More are coming."
"Really? The more the merrier," she jested.
"Seriously?" he groaned. "Look. I'll be a distraction, you shoot them."
"I don't do guns."
Crane's eyes widened. "What?"
Jack glanced back, serious eyes peeking over her shades as she instead holstered the gun to the back of her belt. "I. Don't. Do. Guns."
It left him confused, shocked. He couldn't comprehend what he just heard. As Jack hopped over the hull, all he could do with struggling shakes of his hands was shout, "What do you mean you don't do guns?!" He quickly joined her on the enclosed battlefield. "Everyone here uses guns! "
It was true. The added four men inside were armed but the distance inside the cramped space was small in proximity. The ex-champion was right up into one face, dodging the bullets. One sharp wrist to his jawline and seizing his arm behind his back forced him to be spun around. Jack let the wild firing commence - the stray shots hitting the thug's comrade.
As she gave a hard kick at the back of his knee, finishing him off, Crane was already on the next one. He felt two shots graze across his hardened skin but all of his focus was on keeping the lady alive.
The last man stood alone at the far back, his uncertainty switching between targets. He had no backup. One side was a madly-grinning woman itching to tackle him down and a monster with piercing golden eyes and blood-covered teeth.
"Aaaah!" he screamed and escaped through the back door. Crane didn't give chase and instead locked the exit up, pulling down a metal rack for good measure.
"C'mon!" she hollered, already hearing more commotion outside. This was probably the best time to leave. Hoisting the rope off the mooring, Jack leaped on board and went for the engine.
BAM! BAM! The door rattled violently with every shoulder shove.
One pull, two pull and the engine roared. Once the Freakoid climbed aboard, Jack steered the boat right out of the boathouse.
CRASH! The door flung open. And Celso was among the pack of gunmen.
"Stop them!"
The bullets of AK 47 fired blindly.
"Get down!" Crane pushed her head down, caring less of her yelling a "Hey!" at him. Nothing hit so far.
Well, except him. He felt them hit his back alright - but if he had to see one good thing about this new body, it was that he had hardened skin to pillow down the shots.
The prisoners with guns yelled out their curses and anger. It didn't seem like they were gonna hop on boats themselves and give chase too. Not when the haunting screams of the damned were heading to the gunfire. And as the noises dulled out the further the duo got away, Jack glanced back one last time at the man-made fighting ring on the dockyard.
She couldn't believe it.
She got out. With Antizin.
And she burst out in laughter.
"AH HA HA HA! I did it! We did it! We got Antizin!" she screamed. "AH HA HA HA!"
Crane was taken aback by her fanatic energy. That was a close call and they could have nearly died! But that outburst strangely gave him reassurance - they had just survived, and with a large stash, a feat he could barely succeed on his own. Or even imagined.
They lived and it was thanks to this crazy brunette.
He couldn't help but chuckle too.
"Well, that's the end for this engine." BAM! Jack gave one more boot just for good measure but it didn't come back to life. "Hole punctured the tank. And here I thought I could use this."
It took a long good distance for the duo across the waters until they both believed they weren't followed - then an extra fifteen minutes by boat. And there was a strange gurgling sound from the back. That forced Jack to quickly stir it to the shoreline, for them to hear its final choke.
Crane had quietly taken himself to perch on the red-tiled rooftop of a nearby restaurant to keep an eye out as she tended to the engine. Make sure the other walkers back off from her. Once she was done fiddling with it, she took out her earpiece and made a call.
"Yo, Siv."
"Jack?" The young voice echoed on the other end. "Omigod, Jack! Where have you been?" Then there was a cough as if the runner was clearing her throat. "You should have given us a call!"
"I had a busy night," Jack pointed quite literally. "Got a big present with your name on it. It's waiting at a pier for your runners. I think this is a resort?"
"Wait," Siv uttered softly, then the volume changed for the next two sentences. "Hold on! You found Antizin?!"
"Six crates worth. That should last enough for a while."
"I-I don't believe it!" The teenager was trying to find the right words and express her bewilderment. "H-How?"
"Well." Crane didn't peek back - he could already feel the ex-kickboxer glancing up at him. "I got some help."
"Help?"
"Yup. A runner was passing by in the neighborhood. Packs a real good punch too. Couldn't have done it without him."
That was a rather nice compliment coming from her and also weird to hear it from a person like her. He was expecting her to talk shit about him. Or take all the praise to herself.
"That's good. We need all the help we can get."
"Eeeeh, he's pretty much a shy guy. Don't think he'll be walking by the Junction any time soon."
"Ok, now that's exaggerating. In more ways than one," he mumbled to himself.
"Well, I'll wake Beta team up and send them over. It's the Karst Spring resort, right?"
Jack searched about for a name, anything. However, she was quick to realize how familiar this side of the resort was. "I think it's the Blueside Hotel. Stayed here for a few nights before."
"Got it. And that guy? Let him know…thanks. And you too, Jack. Thank you. Really."
"I think he already knows."
With the end of the call, Jack joined him up on his perch - feet swaying up and down over the edge with her perky grin. "Well, that was rather an eventful night." All the aches in her body told her just how much of a measure it really was.
He raised an eyebrow at the lady. Seriously, she was that daring to sit right now to a Hunter? No, wait. Yup, she was serious. So he did nothing of the sort to push her away.
"...I still can't believe it," Crane confessed.
"What? Escaping from big thugs with guns and zombies at the side? Sounds pretty normal to me."
"No. Well, yes. I mean, getting all that Antizin." He peered back at the stack on the boat. Six small crates. That was the most he'd ever made during his time in Harran. And in one night. " ...I've barely gotten a few bottles myself...you know, back when I was human."
"Really?" Jack droned. "To be honest, I thought I was walking out of there with just two or three bottles." She hunched forward, glancing at the horizon - a mix of red-violet, blue and a seeping orange. "And I couldn't have gotten this much without your help."
Crane almost wanted to laugh - really? A woman crazy enough to take on thugs like those prisoners? But the seriousness in her face stopped him. She meant every word and every gratitude.
"Just who are you?"
She turned back with her Cheshire cat smile. "I'm just a normal Rav member. I do what I can, when I can for people in need. Got to keep a good reputation for the name."
"Normal. Right. And this group just helps people?" he scoffed. "No way are you that charitable."
"And what about you?" she asked. "You sound like you had some history, 'helping people'."
He grimaced silently but Jack didn't push, looking back at the sky.
"You said it yourself, Freakoid. You don't remember much about yourself. But your body still seems to."
His body. Right. Crance glanced at his claws. How the heck did he come back a second time? He was sure he was lost in the head. And she wasn't wrong - he was still quick and nimble, a part of him knowing full well what his morals were. This virus inside him was just giving him a boost in surviving better, under whatever-right-conditions.
Virus. That word reminded him of something.
"You said you were looking into this virus. Why?"
It was there the woman in the hoodie gave him a hard look. As if she was deciding whether to reveal a secret or not. Or two.
Then she simply gave a humph of a laugh. "Yeah. Why not? Who's gonna believe anything from a zombie?"
"Hey, seriously?"
"Alright, then." She was about to jump off and leave. "I'll talk about it another time, when you're not so sensitive-"
"No. Garh, " he groaned. Man, did she really love to toy with him. "You really believe something's up with this outbreak. What exactly?"
She was quiet for a minute. Just to be sure. But the expression Crane gave told her he was as dead set as she was, with a newfound sense of confidence and more importantly, hope. "...Well, for starters, there's been new types of infected in the last few weeks. And I suppose now, you're one to boot."
"Geez, I'm flattered. What don't I know?"
"C'mon. I didn't mean it like that. But it's rather odd for some of these new types to be, well, fresh and new. Like they're evolving." Now that got his attention. And Jack continued. "It sounds crazy but nature's not one to speed things up. It's all too fast for a zombie evolution. A Rav friend of mine back home, he thinks the normal zombie population got into something recently that kickstarted this new trend."
Hm, ok. There was some ground to that logic. After all, Crane himself was one example.
"And it's not just the Biters. It's also the survivors."
Crane examined her sternly at the mention of the word, survivor. There wasn't any obvious sign he could see as easily as a big zit. She was an unturned, normal human, assumedly infected with the Harran virus because of him. "What do you mean?"
She lifted up a leg and rested her chin on her knee. "I'm not obligated to speak on behalf of my fellow members. Some things are too personal and others… Heh. You'd think I'm mad as a hatter."
He narrowed his eyes. Okkk, there was a red flag there that told him he should go. But he stayed firm on his spot. "Then what can you say?"
"Hmmmm… I guess I'll talk about myself." Yeah, Jack thought. Why not? Let's see how well Freakoid takes it. "I am infected after all."
"Well, of course, you are. I was the one who infected you."
A scoff ushered right out of her mouth. "Oh, please. Don't go taking the credit for someone else's work. I was bitten weeks ago."
Crane's yellow eyes widened. At first, he proceeded the sentence as if it were a joke. "What - wait, weeks?!" he did holler out his real voice, glancing the woman from head to toe. "Ok, if this is another bullshit-"
"Now when have I ever bullshitted anyone?" Then she suddenly thought on her own question. "Don't answer that question."
"You...you... W-Wait, you're on Antizin, right? You have to be."
"Hate to burst your bubble there but we had a period where Antizin stopped dropping in Harran. During the week I got bitten." It was so easy to read how much disbelief the monster sitting next to her had written on his face. Yet Jack stood by her words. "I'm telling the truth." She pulled down the bandages off her left upper arm. And right on the skin, clear as day was the evidence.
A bite wound. A healed bite mark, probably more than three days.
"What the shit," was all Crane could gasp as he grasped the arm, just to make sure it wasn't an illusion to him.
"And I've not turned yet."
"H-How is that possible?"
"Honestly, I'd like to know the answer too. What I do know is instead of turning into, well, like you, I did get a bit of a change. Whatever is in me, it's got this poisonous effect in my bloodstream. Every time a zombie's gotten a bite off me, they wound up choking dead. Like eating a box jellyfish or something. And we've done a couple of tests back home before my friend realized what was up with me."
And Crane rolled his eyes. This arrogant, over-the-top attitude. And this story was unbelievable. She was trying to sell him that? "Ok, now you're being full of it."
But her grin was uncannily wider than before. "You said I tasted terrible, right?"
Again, he grimaced. The idea of her devoured by him and her flesh inside him really did make his stomach do flip-flops. "Hey, look. I'm sorry I tried to eat you. I wasn't right in the head-"
"That's the oddest part about you, Freakoid," Jack pointed with a bit of a hum. Then her tone changed to earnestness at a drop of a pin. "You're supposed to be dead."
He gazed at her with a puzzled expression. The word dead hung with a tight grim proverbial vice. But she really meant it. "...I don't believe you." It sounded ridiculous once he connected the two dots together. No way-
"Freakoid, I could barely survive six rounds of zombies nonstop. I wouldn't have lived past the last two. I had to cut my own hands so I could have an advantage." Jack raised up her wrapped up hands, the redness still staining through the bandages. "I even coated a rebar with it, thinking I could use it on one of the big guys." She breathed out a deep sigh. "Of course, it didn't go exactly how I'd planned but it worked out in the end."
Crane was still digesting what he had heard.
"And right now, you're the weirdest one of all. You should have died. And I mean that literally. You're the only infected that has somehow survived my venom, I guess you can call it that."
"There's no way…" He struggled but couldn't think of a rebuttal.
"Freakoid, I bit you." He wheeled back, eyes relatively wide at her sober face. "When we first met, I bit you. And I've had a couple of zombies go down when I do that. But you didn't go down."
Yes. He remembered. And still had the bite mark on him. Crane massaged that area, as if the ache came back.
"It might actually explain why you're ok in the head." Now that was something he couldn't honestly believe. She simply shrugged at his body response. "Hey. I don't really know how this all works. But so far, you've lived twice. And twice, you've stopped being all feral and zombie-like. So something's working."
"I'd say those were flukes," he pushed. "Who's to say a third time, this...venom in you isn't gonna stop me?"
Wait a minute, Crane. What are you saying? That meant he might lose it again.
"Or you might finally drop dead. Have you ever heard anyone surviving lightning three times?"
"That's a completely different thing."
"Well, we can always test it if you lose your marbles again, Freakoid."
"You-" he held back a groan. "Ok, let's say I'll believe it for a second. How is it even possible?"
"Like I said before, wish I knew the answer myself. " Another surprise out of this woman. "All I know is I had an epiphany, blacked out and after I woke up, I became like this. And before you ask...I dunno." The silence hung tightly and yet she still persisted with her causal personality. "Lost a whole day of memory a while ago. And nobody back at Base could figure out what happened. Was out for weeks too."
Oh. Uh. Crane wasn't too sure how to respond to that. In the end, all he could usher was a, " ...Sorry."
"Eh, I've lost much worse than that." And now he was even more concerned. What exactly did she lose inside that skull of her? "But hey, I did gain this nice, little perk instead."
"You really think the virus in you has that kind of effect? And I'm supposed to take your word for it?"
"Like I said, I don't know. But I've been surviving this long. And it's something I need to look into," she explained. "My boss gave me...this little pet project. I'm supposed to monitor how new types get affected from my venom. Gather blood samples from them if they survive and jot down whatever new things they do."
He recalled back the important note he saw on that phone. "Why?"
She slouched back in her seat, arms on knees. "Another group we know is working on a cure. At least, that's what they've told us over the radio."
Again, the Tower. But Crane forced himself not to ask questions on that subject. "Ok. What does that have to do with your project?"
"It's simple, really. We wanna make sure this 'cure' won't fail on us."
Crane's mouth dropped agap with his eyebrows knitted tightly. And in fact, he felt offended. What was all that running around, trying to get that research back, for?! "C'mon. This is a cure, right? How can it fail?"
Jack didn't share his skepticism. "My friend I was talking about? He's afraid that this virus' adapting too fast for a cure to beat it."
It was something that never crossed his mind. But he thought about it with a terrible feeling.
Before all of this, he truly believed the cure research could solve everything - given time and resources. Of course, he didn't have any knowledge on how pathology works or the whole rundown of how an antivirus was made. That was left to Camden to figure that out.
But if the Harran virus could build a resistance...that could certainly spell disaster for everyone.
"So, I'm collecting all the data he needs. And once we can get contact again with this other group, we can help them out with strengthening this vaccine research."
This other group, Crane instantly took a gander. He was almost hesitant to continue but he really needed to understand how she knew. "...This group, it's the one you and that radio-guy were talking about?" He then added a moment of feinting ignorance. "The Tower, right?"
Jack nodded, this time her fingers tightened at the mention of the name. Still no news from Asem on that either.
"Why should you be worried about this cure?" he then pushed, spin the question around to gain more information. "At least, one's being made. It sounds like this experiment you're doing is a waste of time."
"Well, it's an idea to look into."
"That might not lead to anything."
"Same goes for that cure the Tower's looking into. We don't know the outcome."
Crane groaned. He was trying to fight a wall - who was right too. He had no idea what Cameron's current progress was on the studies.
"Ok, how can this pet project of yours help?" It was really vague, to begin with.
"Well. Think of it this way. How is antivenom made?" She waited but only got puzzlement and silence. "You have an animal take the snake's venom to create-" She purposely let the word hang long, eying him to finish the sentence.
"...Antibodies."
Now he was seeing the connection. With a confident nod, Jack continued. "This little project's all about making immunoglobulin-something. And my venom might be a key to that. That's what Bones said anyway."
A key. That was the thing, both her and this Bones guy didn't sound certain on their own bullshit. And it was riding on this one woman to be doing this assignment on her own. These Ravs were also sounding a bit incompetent to leave this whole 'study' on one person. The more he thought on this, the less he was feeling optimistic about it. It was a terribly long shot if anything.
"What? You want to sit around, waiting for any news to come?" Jack asked. Good point. Even he wanted to find out the results. "Especially when there's something up with the virus every day. Not us Ravs. We've been through this outbreak longer than anyone has here and in Harran. No way can we sit this one out."
"This is crazy..."
"Oh, c'mon. There's no harm done."
"Except to yourself. You really have a death wish to be doing this. Alone," he scoffed, lowering down his head. Boy, if he was the normal Crane before, he'd be heading for the hills once he'd listen to this lady's bizzare, loony goal.
"Well. If this project bears fruit, it might help you out too. You're still an oddity anyway."
"Hah! Do I look like I need help?"
"Well, do you?"
He stopped, his curled up fingers opening up at that. He didn't openly want to admit it but he was having a hard time getting around as a sentient infected. He was treated like an animal by his captors after all. He was feared by all, even that poor kid the previous night.
How on earth was he going to last like this-
"...Why don't you hire me?"
Crane glanced at her. "What?"
"Hire me. A Rav is supposed to help people. With compensation, of course."
"Hmph," he chuckled, almost buying this woman's humor. So he might as well entertain her a good bit. "People. I'm nowhere close to being considered human."
"Really? So chit chatting to me isn't human? Well, that's a first."
"And you're deranged to be talking to me, lady."
"Better than no one to turn to. Right? And the name is Jack. Call me Jack."
Crane was baffled. There was so much honesty behind this crafty, insane woman a person wouldn't be remotely sure if she was being sincere or not. "...You're serious, aren't you?"
She shrugged. "I'm always serious. You and everyone else just assume I'm not."
"W...Why?" he forced himself to ask, adding one important fact to her. "I nearly killed you."
"And yet, you didn't. And the second time too."
"What… How can you trust me that I won't go off the rails again?"
"Trust you with my life?" That line surprised him. He was almost certain she would laugh at her own statement. But she didn't. "Freakoid, I'm far away from my own people. And no one except them knows what I'm doing. No one else can know about this project. Or my blood. And now you do. So...that makes you the only one I can fully trust with this 'campaign' going smoothly."
Now when she put it that way, ok, that was a bit too much for his plate. She was really going to let him be her support? Watch her back without thinking it looked delicious to him? He was close to a sheer drop the last time and he could easily take her with him in one go. And this lead of hers, it could possibly end just like his others. Like the 'cure' he sought in the Countryside.
It was one big, crazy burden too.
He was about to say, "are you sure?" but one look told him it was pointless.
"So? What say you?"
He breathed in and out. Unbelievable, it felt like this was all a fantasy - that this woman was a part of his imagination he created.
But maybe that was better than being alone as a freak with no goals in mind - provided he kept his distance from her for a lot of good reasons.
"...What's the catch?"
Jack's grin slowly and steadily weakened, just a bit. It was now a stern, thin line.
"Helping me. To find out everything about this virus. And what's happened to you," she gave her most honest answer. "You seem to know your way about finding things, for a zomb."
He was left stunned. Then he gathered himself. Well, at least he wasn't going need to pay her with money or stuff. But it sounded exactly like what he's been doing the whole time before he was turned.
So was he going to throw himself back into the fire again?
"Sun's up."
The orange rays soaked across the dark sky. Everything in the coastal city was baked under the eerily breathtaking light. The night was over, the terrifying things that preyed on the humans were gone.
Except Crane.
The horrid feeling of his skin burning wasn't as bad as before - if anything, it was much bearable. He had a moment of pain in his eyes once the sunlight pierced over the mountains yonder but his sight quickly adjusted, faster than his first sunlight as a Hunter.
It was as if his body got a bit better dealing with the light. Not great but it was something. That irked him a little, just a little.
He turned back to the woman, Jack. She was looking at the beautiful scene straight on, shades protecting her eyes while she smirked cheerily. She survived another night and it was particularly nothing to her.
Overconfident, much. But maybe having company like her would be...alright - it was the one difference between now and back before he was turned.
Crane wasn't going to be alone doing a big job like this. And with that, he heaved in and out a deep sigh.
"...Alright," he gave his answer verbally. His quietly monstrous voice didn't make much of a dent into Jack's overzealousness. "I'll accept the offer."
"Heh," she chuckled. "Well, then. Guess that makes you an honorary Rav member now."
"Really? You just give membership like that? "
"Unofficially. If you want the dental care and five vacation days, you're gonna have to talk to our leader for an interview." Jack hopped right up on her feet, giving herself a stretch that only prompted out a muffled groan. "Regardless, welcome aboard, Freakoid. We start at two."
Crane raised an eyebrow at that statement - mainly the choice of time - but she had already dropped down to the open-air parlor. "Wait. Where are you going?"
Now it was Jack's turn to look at him like he had grown an extra head. "To bed. What? You think my service is 24/7? I've been up the whole night and right now, I need sleep. And a bath. And some first aid for my bruises." She strolled off with her rambling and a bit of a staffer in her walk. "Maybe some painkillers. Aspirin. Anything for this killer headache."
What an oddbird she was but nothing alarming. And a bit too trustworthy, now that Crane noted it to himself. He was going to have to be careful around her.
Crane jumped down to the lower floor-
His vision suddenly warped. Everything spun around him with shapes and circles of light. He almost lost his footing, having to brace himself down to let the dizzy spell go by. What was this?
This was very much different but at the same time familiar. When did he feel this before? And for a moment, he could have sworn he saw Jack morph and shift into the Mother, her back in red robes towards him.
The dark whispers came back and it wasn't the voice of his other self. Something was wrong-
"Yo, Freakoid."
Then he snapped. Like he had a wake-up call. His whole world went back to normal and Jack was Jack again, glancing at him with a look of mild concern behind her shades.
"You ok?" she asked.
Ok?
Was he?
No, that wasn't a moment where he was losing his mind. He'd gone through twice and he was able to tell now. His mind was just playing tricks on him, right?
He wasn't sure.
In the end, he did what he always did, to give a peace of mind to the other person.
"Y-Yeah. I'm alright," he lied. "I'm ok."
A/N: Hello, all! I've finally updated this new chapter! Which took a bit of work but I finally got over the hurdle! And yes we have these two numbskulls working together - or in this charge, Crane hiring Jack to be his partner. I guess this is how I can picture the gameplay to be like coop. You have two different characters, Crane sliiightly the same in his but with the zombie boost and Jack being more of the fighter kind of person, and if in a game, you can be either one and the same is said for your partner. And I'd like to think that in an open world, you should have the choice to split up to do small quests or team up on harder ones, divide and conquer. Of course, that would mean a shorter game but I think with the situation on Crane, it offers new ideas on how to approach a quest and work it out.
Meh, I'm just rambling. In any case, I'm also hoping from now on, I have the narration be more focused on Crane, cuz he's the main protagonist to boot. Though like I said, the biggest challenge for him is not to be out with people or else they'll gun it so there are situations Jack's gonna have to take the wheel. Moreover, there's more bout Jack I wanna write so I guess it's gonna be an experiment to keep both narrations around but also have Crane take a bit more of the spotlight. LET'S SEE HOW THAT GOES! Eh.
Also, I'd like to give a shout out to one fic I've been enjoying alot, Shadows of a Dying Light by UranicSubseter34! Please check it out and see a different side of Crane struggling with his new situation and dealing with the monster inside his head! Fanfiction Link: s/12780940/1/Shadows-of-a-Dying-Light
Anyway, hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Catch ya again!