Left 4 Dead: Gemini Strain.

Chapter XIII: Incoming Transmission – Adam

A loud, garbled static came so suddenly it made us all freeze at the door. Our expressions would have been priceless if we all were not concerned about what and where that noise was coming from.
"The hell...?" Russ began to say mirroring the awkward and scared expression we all were exuding.
"Where is it coming from?" Latvia spoke in a meek voice.
"I'm not sure" I muttered in a low voice. It was Robert who was the one to figure out the source.
"The sound is coming from your backpack, Adam." He said politely with his ear outstretched. I was all too ready to assault him with a rather degrading and profane retort when it came to me.
"Latvia, did you turn off that radio from before?" I asked her with a serious tone as I headed back to the couches and began to peruse through my belongings. Russ seemed ready to question my actions but kept it to himself. At least he understood my tone when I spoke.
"I thought I did..." She answered me hesitantly as she came over to me as if she would help look for it. After much scavenging I found the contraption and held up the small radio for all to see. It brought a lot less interest than I had presumed.
The static was the same. It was odd that there was no transmission and yet a giant surge of radio waves. I looked at it with a sigh all to ready to exhale.
"Try the stations, Adam." Latvia said to me encouragingly as I fiddled with the dials. I only managed to receive varying degrees of static. Fun.
"I know how to solve this problem!" Russ exclaimed and before I could protest, snatched the radio out of my hands and tossed it against the floor harshly with a resounding crack. My gun was already pointing at his head now.
"Adam, calm down!" Robert said with haste, urgency in his voice. I thought I heard someone else say something to me but my voice overwhelmed theirs.
"What the hell WERE YOU THINKING, RUSSELL!!" I boomed at him. My temper was flaring off and an angry scowl lit my face. I would not be one to blanch at committing murder. He looked at me with a frightened face at first but it slowly changed to a cocky smirk.
"You don't have the balls to shoot me, Adam." He said flatly to me. He was trying out a gamble, shame I would not fall for it. The unfortunate thing was that I had an Uzi pointed at me now.
"Adam, put your gun down. I'm not going to let anyone else die." Robert said, his voice stammering at his action.
"Shame that you would have to kill me then if Russ...bit the bullet so to speak" I said in a deep voice. Why was I so angry? Better yet, why was I tempting fate?
"How about you all quiet down and listen to the radio, something is coming up." Latvia said as she shoved the two weapons away from their targets and held the radio out in front of the four of us.
"What?" I exclaimed amazed at the situation. I holstered my weapon and listened in intently to the small contraption. I ignored the stunned looks from the two others and did my best to interpret the message it was broadcasting.
"Evac points have been found to be over run or discontinued: Due to word of military collapse and abandonment, Regale Hotel, Mercy Hospital, and Shepherd's Skyscraper have been reported as dangerous and non profiting extraction points. Only hope now is local or independent means of escape. Also reports of global scale infection. We of the Survivors warn and wish you luck on staying alive." The radio chirped before crackling in Latvia's hand causing her to drop it in shock where it began to catch aflame. Great.
"That was informative..." I said all too calmly as I sank into the dingy sofa.
"Adam, are you okay? You're pale..." Latvia said to me concerned as she sat next to me.
The severity of what we just heard was intense. My mind was jumping now. I might have been on the edge of intense panic when I go back to hearing that news that night.
We all sat in silence. Everyone was now aware.
"Well, the radio worked and we got this bad news, right?" Russ said as if that would validate his actions before. He was right about the importance of knowing that the hotel was abandoned now, however. The outcome of being stuck on that roof with no hope for rescue would have been excruciating. I opened my mouth as if I had some kind of idea but quickly closed it shut. Latvia grabbed my shoulder, doing her best to console me.
"What do we do...now that no options are present?" Robert said softly. Uncomfortable to hear worded aloud but it was necessary to understand. That's Robert for you.
I said nothing at all in response. Latvia did though with a forced strength.
"The broadcast said that we have independent aircraft at possibilities for an escape. There might also be boats and other marine vessels that would do the same. That leaves the question as to how we would contact these for rescue..." She pulled the map deftly out of my bag and spread it out for all of us to see. Unzipping a compartment on my backpack she brought out a Sharpie marker and circled our location on estimate. "Any ideas?"
"Police." I muttered.
"What about the police?" Russ asked with confusion. "I'm sure that the police have been eaten or zombified right now, dude."
"That isn't it, Russ." Robert piped in. "This city is expansive. It would make sense to have some kind of radio or channel that would allow us to contact police vehicles of any nature or even various local vehicles."
"Great!" Latvia said with glee and shifted her focus back to the map. Upon finding her mark she circled it and labeled it Police. It was almost 6 miles away from out location. This would be tough.
"Alright!" Russ exclaimed jubilantly and stood up as the others did also after I put everything back inside my bag. We made our way back to the exit, Latvia tossing a broken chair leg to him as a weapon as casually as she would please. He chuckled.
"It's good to know that we all are on the same page again!" He said with a tone that was way to excitable. "Not like anyone would go around killing one another, right Adam? Like you would honestly kill me."
"Latvia are you going to take the lead?"
"Yeah, Adam."
I purposefully left Russ hanging. He brought it up once months later to me asking if his luck had not rubbed off on the radio, would I have shot him. I told him that odds would not have been in his favor. Whichever way he took it I told him with a smile that he saved my ass enough throughout that hellish nightmare his luck might have rubbed off on me. He responded that it was okay. He had to make a decision about my life enough that it was bothersome anyway he told me as he laughed and walked away to busy himself with something. I'm still not sure how to respond to that one.