Dan

Alice wanted to go to that lab where all this hell originated, all because of Shun. Me and her both knew damn well, that Shun was ancient history. Gone like most of the living people in the world now. I looked at her and said, "Alice. Why the hell do you want to put our lives in danger by going to that lab, just cause of a slim possibility that Shun might still be halfway alive."

She didn't face me, but I saw tears falling from her face. "I just want to know. You'd do the same if it were Runo, wouldn't you? You'd want to know that if she were dead or alive." I bite my lip. It hurt every time to think about Runo, and the horrible thing that had happened to her. So far, not a day had gone by that I wished that it had been me instead of her. "I know that she's dead though. And you know that Shun is gone as well. You just don't want to admit it."

I didn't mean to sound to harsh, but Alice needed to get out of her little dreamland where there weren't any zombies wanting to eat our insides. The room was silent, except for the raging storm going on outside. I did feel bad for her though. Runo and I had years worth of moments, while Shun and Alice had only maybe one or two.

They had spent all those years waiting for one of them to confront the other and admit they had feelings for each other. "Alice, I'm sorry. But our top priority right now is getting out of here alive. Don't you think that's what Shun would want?" I was walking on this ice.

I knew of Alice's temper, and if I hit a nerve just right it would come out. I was surprised she had gone this far keeping it contained. I sighed and turned to the zombie killing team that Shun had put together. "Let's finish up the job and get out of here."

Shun

I was floating. Floating in water, and sunlight was being distorted above me. How did I get here? It was a peaceful place though; no pain whatsoever. My hair drifted with the light current. All my worries were nonexistent. If this was death, then I was happy for it. I smiled as a small fished swam above me. It turned and looked in my direction, then darted off.

Something wasn't right about that. Hands then grabbed my shoulders, and I turned and saw hundreds of waterlogged zombies swimming up from the deep and pulling me down. I screamed, and now I felt like I was drowning. The water around me was turning to black, and the zombies that were dragging me down were biting my arms and legs. I kept screaming, but the water had filled my lungs so much that I couldn't keep it up. My body then jolted awake. I felt like I had been drugged to no end.

I reminded myself what happened when I saw the white room, and my reflection in the ceiling mirror. I couldn't see straight though. Everything was blurred and shaking, but I could make out my figure surrounded in bloodstains. I still felt as if I were drowning. My breaths were escaping my grasp every minute. I felt that the restraints on my wrists and legs had been removed.

They must know that I'm too weak to put up a fight now. My body stung with pain, but it wasn't as bad as when I blacked out. My mouth was bone dry, and I knew I must be going through dehydration from my spiked body temperature. I saw the blurred figures of the people who had done all of this to me. They were still monitoring me, and I knew that they would keep on until I was good as dead. A voice came over the speaker. "Well, we're surprised you've made it this far.

We were sure that you'd die once your body started fighting the virus. But the worst of it is over for the moment." More pain to come. At least I have a break. They didn't say anything else, and I knew they were done with me for the time being. I sighed. I wanted this to end. I didn't want more to come. I wanted this thing to hurry up and kill me. I closed my eyes, and saw Alice. It hurt me inside to see that. I opened my eyes back up, and she was gone. But her thought still lingering in my mind.

Alice

The sound of the storm drowned out that of the zombies, and I enjoyed that. But even with you unable to hear them, you knew they were still there. And that was a scary thought. You almost trick yourself into thinking it was just another day, but then your mind flipped back on and reminded that if you stepped outside you'd die.

I was on my back in my room, under several blankets to keep myself warm; the air conditioner and heater had given out. If we didn't work quickly, then the power and so on would burn out and we would slowly be forced out of hiding to find more power to meet our needs. A bolt of lightning lit up the room for half a second, then sent it back into the darkness. Even though it was dark, I felt safe. As if I were in a little bubble and not in a tall building that was enclosed by monsters. The dark hid those monsters, while the light revealed them. I crawled out from my warm bed, and stepped out in the hallway.

We all had grown so used to the halls being safe, that we no longer checked for sets of teeth coming for our necks. It was a bad habit we had developed. I walked to the sitting room, and sat on a couch. The Brawlers had spent so many years here. I pictured where everyone sat. And when I turned around, I saw where Shun would stand. Far away from everyone else. I never noticed that he always stood right behind where I sat. "Couldn't sleep either?" I jumped up, and saw Dan standing in the doorway. Well, more like made out his shadowed figure and voice. "Yeah. Same with you?"

He walked over next to me and looked out the rain soaked window. "Yeah. Guess I've grown so used to those things making all that noise that now that I cant hear them it's weird to sleep. You were thinking about him. Weren't you?" I sighed. "Of course I'm thinking about him, Dan. If I wasn't, then something would be wrong with me." He tapped his fingers on the window and turned towards me. "You just need to accept he's gone." I didn't face him. "How can you be so cold, Dan? Shun was your best friend in the whole world. And now you act like he didn't mean anything. Is it cause he left? Well guess what. He's suffered for that cause he's being experimented on by some sick people."

Dan put a hand on my shoulder and looked at me right into my eyes. "No. None of that is the case, Alice. I'm not mad at him for leaving. And I know that he's probably suffered. But you have to understand that staying in the past won't help get us where we need to go."

Shun

My stomach felt like it had just done a back flip, and I forced my body to roll over and I threw up next to the bed. I rolled back over and felt my hand shaking as if I were freezing to death, but I knew it was the serum returning for another round. Everything started to spiral, and the room began spinning. My drugged mind didn't react though. I felt my heart rate speed up, and I felt as though I'd be sick again.

I kept everything down though. I knew those people were up there observing me again now that something was happening. I began to think this was some kind of sick, twisted game to them. I was probably the only one that had made it this far. What would they do if they had made the antidote though? They'd probably use it for their own selfish gains. I forced my weak body to sit upright, and I had to catch my breath when I succeeded. I knew they were having a field day up there seeing me sit up. I glared up at them and said, "Tell me this. How does this prove the antidote works, if it's on a living person? Shouldn't you have one of those things in here instead of me?"

I almost fell forward, and knew that I should be laying down instead of sitting up. The same voice came over the speaker. "Because, we need a person who is infected. We can't cure one that has already turned." I held myself up with my hands, and never took my eyes off of them. "But I'm not infected. I heard you say that yourselves." I started to get too dizzy, and fell back on the bed. "You weren't. Until we injected the virus into you. You see, we have to make the antidote strong enough to kill the virus, but weak enough to not kill the host. We've yet to accomplish that. But you've lasted longer than any other subject. We're truly impressed. We may of found our antidote."

I cringed at a sharp pain that shot through my body, but it quickly subsided. "But making this antidote is in vain. There's barely anyone left to give it to since you've taken so many people and killed them." My eyes started to grow dark around the edges again, and I knew I was on the verge of passing out again. "Ha-ha! You know, we were really shocked when we saw you laying in the street. Specially since you had snuck into the lab and saw some of our work."

My eyes widened in shock. "Yes. We knew you made your way into our lab, but we didn't worry about you. We knew that even if you told somebody about us, that nobody would do anything." I was about to say something when that lady walked back into my room, carrying another syringe. "Don't worry, hun. This is to just help you sleep. It'll work quick." They didn't clean an area this time when they stuck the needle in. She was right though, it did work quick. Because I fell asleep before the serum even went into my body.


well, again. if you havent gone to my profile, please do to see a poll and a cover/poster for the story. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~