AN: Hey, guys – first and foremost, for those of you still tuning in, thank you for sticking with it! I know it's been a hell of a long time since I updated, but I guess that's what a lack of passion and time on my part will do sometimes. I just lost the groove for it, I guess.
But anyways, here's the next chapter. Hope you like it :)
James' POV
Well, this is one hell of a mess we're in. Walkers are nearly bursting at the seams trying to get in here, Ellie's been kidnapped by Clementine, I'm currently locked inside of the medical ward, and Bo is basically nowhere to be found. Seriously, out of all the times for him to have gone wandering off to play the hero, this was easily the worst opportunity of them all. Where in the world did he wander off to? Doesn't he realize just how urgent things are right now?
Thankfully, I happen to know the guy pretty darn well at this point, and I realize that he's more than capable of keeping himself out of danger. Bo's probably either somewhere upstairs trying to keep the panic levels down, or he's at a good enough vantage point that he'd be able to shoot at the walkers from above. So really, all things considered, I don't truly need to worry about him.
There are much more pressing matters at the moment, I'm afraid. For instance, the situation with Jane and Lilly is looking pretty grim – for me. They keep looking back here and talking amongst themselves, probably plotting something else besides what they've unleashed upon the space centre. Could they have planned this all out from the beginning? How? Clementine was locked up in one of the most secure parts of the building! Unless one of them just happened to randomly develop some form of telepathy over the past day or so, then there's no way they would've been able to communicate.
No matter, there's no time to dwell on that right now, and definitely no time to lose. Somehow I need to get out of here without getting shot at by Lilly and Jane, who look as though they're one step away from letting go of the door and letting all of those monsters get in and wreck the place. I'm certainly not as much of a coward as I once was, but I should probably think about this. If I bust myself out, then what's stopping the walkers from just gobbling me up on the spot? No, there's got to be a better way. Something that's gonna…
"Oh crap…" I mumble, realizing that with the mass of undead starting to barge in here, that there's only going to be one thing stopping them from completely eviscerating me and everyone else, but it's gonna be risky. Very risky. Not to mention all the destruction and chaos it'll potentially cause inside. However, I don't see any other immediate options right now, and if I don't act fast, the entire complex could be overrun within the hour.
Let's see if my chemistry skills are going to come in handy here, shall we? Time to make some fireworks, so to speak.
Racing back towards the medical bay, and trying not to get too rattled about how all of my medical data about Ellie's progress had just gotten destroyed a few moments ago, I scramble to find what I need. Digging through shelves, knocking various things to the side and onto the floor as I continue to search, I grow increasingly frustrated. Normally, I'd be able to craft a makeshift bomb with some basic ingredients, such as a tank of gasoline and a match (likely what Lilly and Jane no doubt used upstairs in the first place). But with this place hardly ever being used up until today, and the room's purpose having been as a medical bay to start with, we never had really gotten around to stocking it full of harmful chemicals that could eventually kill us if we weren't careful.
But, I seem to recall having spotted something earlier that might end up working in my favour, if luck is still somewhat on my side. I certainly hope it is.
"Bingo," I praise, hitting half of the jackpot as I pull out the dusty box of baking soda from the back corner of the far end cupboard. Anyone who's made a volcano in science class can probably see where I'm going with this, but there's one small problem with my otherwise brilliant plan. How in the world would a baking soda and vinegar reaction help me get rid of the walkers? After all, it's probably one of the most basic chemical reactions in the world!
Well, yes, that's true. More than anything, if I just threw it at the walkers, the most it would likely do is entertain the mindless beasts for a few seconds, or just agitate them enough to chomp on my limbs more quickly. But, as I reach over near the sink for a small bottle of vinegar (the workers here used to love French fries back in the day), I quickly get set to work. I have some bigger plans for you, little fella.
I haven't heard any moans yet from the outside, so I take it as though Jane and Lilly either haven't left just yet, or they have and have simply barred the door with something. I have no way of knowing what's going on with the rest of the group, but I can only hope that they're safe and in somewhat good hands. That's all I can ask for at this point, as from down here I can't exactly be a knight in shining armour. That'd be asking for far too much right now.
A rush of nostalgia overtakes me somewhat as I gather my materials together, almost feeling like a young adult in my early thirties; blossoming in my career and enjoying my married life to Heather. Times were so very complicated back then, but that's what largely made it more exciting. We were doing all the cutting-edge research that I had dreamed about as a boy – rocket science, biochemistry, space travel, you name it. Every day felt like I was living in an episode of Star Trek, charting my own course across the universe with each new scientific advancement we had made. We were an outfit of NASA, and despite some of the major setbacks that happened, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. Pardon the pun, but I had the best of both worlds.
I set the ingredients, along with a thin roll of paper towel, onto a side table as I clear off a handful of old books and pamphlets that I don't need anymore. The urgency of what's waiting for me outside only quickens my pace and strengthens my resolve, so with that in mind, I get to work. In order to save the human race, as farfetched and utterly ridiculous as it sounds at this point, I need to be alive. There's no two ways about it.
But just as I'm about to unscrew the lid off of the vinegar bottle and conduct my seventh grade experiment, I catch a glimpse of another white, plastic bottle with the label largely having been torn off. A small grin tugs at the corners of my lips as I realize what its contents hold inside – rubbing alcohol.
This will definitely give me the extra push I need to get things heated in here. Time to have some fun.
Alright, almost all of it is set up now. Bo, despite the constant lectures I gave him about the dangers of smoking and how we had just given him months of chemo, still insisted on keeping a pair of matches around, and had left them on one of the work stations inside. That'll give me more than enough to light the small strip of paper towel that I've got hanging out the side of the bottle, but I'm going to have to time this properly.
Earlier, after giving me what I perceived to be a sympathetic frown, Jane and Lilly had left; hopping up to the upper deck and disappearing before I could tell which way they were going. They had taken some kind of map with them, but without knowing their destination it'll be almost impossible to track them down.
And naturally, the walkers have since then flooded the spaceship room. What a gigantic surprise.
Sigh… Oh well, I can cross that bridge when I get to it, I suppose. Time to put this baby into action. Quickly grabbing the computer monitor that I had just dragged over here from the medical bay, I begrudgingly hold it up in my arms and start to swing my arms and torso in a fluid motion. With a mighty thrust, I toss the monitor at the glass, leaving a fairly decent crack in the middle as I pick up the computer screen once again. Attracted by the noise, the walkers start to lurch forward at an impressive pace. It's such a shame that Clem had to go and do something like this, especially since I was considering getting her out of her cell myself at one point. I never wanted her to be caged up like that – I cared about that girl more than anybody had ever realized. Despite her secret, I didn't really have anything against her. Whether we care to admit it or not, she kept us together, her, Lilly and Jane. Nobody else had the same survival sense that those three had, not even Bo. Without them, we'd probably have sunken years ago, and none of this stuff – the Fireflies, the food, the shelter – would've lasted for as long as it has.
More than that though… they were my friends. Each and every one of them. We had struggled together for so long to maintain a place that we could call home, shared more meals together than I could possibly count, and somehow managed to work out our differences enough to really build a tight-knit community. Our system wasn't perfect, but it was working, and it kept us breathing.
But then she went and threw all of this away. With one incredibly immature, short-sighted mistake, Clem's now become the most wanted person in the state. Possibly the entire country, or at least what's left of it that hasn't been claimed by the dead. My own personal feelings can't get in the way this time – she needs to be stopped. We need to hunt her down like a wild animal, and make sure that Ellie stays alive. That's the priority now, and as harsh as it might sound, Clementine has only herself to blame. She brought this upon herself.
Ignoring this for now, I give the monitor another couple of swings before finally shattering a good chunk of the window, with jagged edges of glass shards still hanging dangerously close by. I manage to slam one of the walkers' heads down onto the glass in order to buy me a little bit of time, but my window of opportunity is wearing thin, no pun intended.
With fast, delicate hands, I shake up the mixture a little bit so that the rubbing alcohol and baking soda can combine. The vinegar probably won't cause the thing to explode on me right away by doing this, so I quickly pour a whole bunch of it into the glass bottle before screwing the lid back on and shaking it again. My breath becomes heavier as I shy away from the walkers reaching out to grab at me. "Showtime," I murmur, standing up and lighting the match as I prepare to set the fuse.
A Molotov cocktail would be a fairly effective way of getting rid of a handful of walkers on their own, but I'm thinking bigger. I'm thinking the giant, unoccupied (I hope) rocket ship standing idle over in the centre of the launch pad, and how not all of the rocket fuel has been completely sapped out of its massive engine down below. If I can aim this properly, and get it close enough under the rocket, it should create an explosion large enough to knock all of these bastards straight on their asses… and probably set the whole room on fire.
Here's hoping my throwing arm's in top form today!
My heart palpitates with each passing second as I try to compose myself. There's probably a ninety percent chance that no matter what I do, I'll either end up as a fresh meal for the walkers, or get completely barbecued by the resulting combustion. But, steeling my nerves and crossing my fingers, I light up the paper towel as time seems to come to a standstill. There are at least two dozen walkers out there all converging on my position, each with a hunger for human flesh and a thirst for my blood. Each one of them would waste no time in killing me, and everyone, friend and foe alike, would be doomed to this miserable existence until another miracle would happen to come along.
Rattling the concoction once again, I let out a grunt and toss the cocktail away from me; watching it soar above their heads as it lands just before the rocket. My heart plummets as I see the bottle smash and the fire burst, thinking that not only did none of the biters die, but that it also didn't meet its target.
I'm dead. I'm so fucking screwed this time.
But just as I'm about to cash in my cheque and call it quits, the flame starts to spread closer and closer, with the remains of the bottle practically jumping around in joy as the baking soda and vinegar violently react. It's spreading the mixture closer! Maybe I'm not done for this time around!
I cut my celebratory hopes short though, as I widen my eyes and instinctively dive back into the medical bay; covering my head with my arms just in time as it finally happens. The loudest noise I've ever heard in my entire life erupts as the rocket fuel ignites and consumes the entire room in a thick blanket of fire. The air above me singes as I shriek out in pain from the heat, but I can't even hear my own voice right now. Everything is drowned out as I open my mouth and taste the bitter scent of smoke and ash on my tongue; my eyes stinging and watering as the medical bay is practically flipped upside down. I can only imagine what's going on back out there.
Seeing that the sleeve of my lab coat has actually caught on fire, I firstly try to stop, drop and roll before giving up on that and simply chucking the thing off into the corner. It doesn't take long for the whole material to get completely roasted, but other than a couple of burns that I'll no doubt be nursing for a little while, I think it's safe to say that I'm okay for now.
Flipping onto my back for a moment, I carefully raise my head and start to chuckle a little bit. Despite destroying everything in here, I can see that at least four of the walkers have been killed, and the rest are likely roasting to pieces in the other room. My god, James, you've done it. You've really done it.
Katie's POV
For a moment, none of us know what to do. No bullets are flying from our guns, nobody's saying a word… hell, I even hold my breath for a moment of anticipation as I look over to Rachel, who's equally as speechless.
We all heard the earth-shattering boom from downstairs, every single one of us. You'd have to be deaf in both ears not to have heard it. And even if you were, the floor and walls shaking probably would've given it away regardless. The small batch of kids are absolutely terrified, as are most of their parents, and the rest of us really don't know what to do.
"…what the fuck was that?" I break the silence, noticing that most of the walkers outside have been dealt with except for a few stragglers.
Taking it upon herself to take out those that remain, Rachel straps the gun across her back and shakes her head. "The three of them, no doubt," she remarks with a frown, not needing to elaborate further as I clue in to who she means. "But it doesn't matter. I for one am not getting stuck in here while the whole building collapses around us. I'm hauling ass out of here. You in?"
"Right behind you," I tell her instantly, not having to be asked twice as I place my pistol into my back pocket and sling my backpack over my shoulders. It's about time that we hit the road anyways, but not before stopping by James' place first. If I'm going to leave this place behind once and for all, I want some reassurance before I do. Whatever cure or vaccine he's got cooking downstairs, I want a piece of that action.
The rest of the group, particularly some of the younger ones, don't look too happy when they notice us starting to set off.
"Where the hell are you going?!" one of the geezers demand as Rachel and I brush past him. "Hey! I asked you a question! Stop! You can't just leave us behind like this!"
"Why not? You're not my responsibility," I shrug indifferently as I knock a woman's hand away from my arm. Unfortunately, they're not the greatest at taking "no" for an answer.
Indignantly, the group tries to get us to stick around just so that, in their opinion, they can have an actual fighting chance to get to safety. But you know what? The only thing that tells me is that these people are incapable of defending themselves, even though I know for a fact that many of them have already been trained in the use of firearms. Most of them were helping us clear out the walkers just a little while ago.
"What was the point of staying here if all you were going to do was up and leave? What's your plan here?"
"Our plan is none of your business," Rachel spits, kicking the fire exit door open and knocking down some of the barricade that Lilly and Jane had created before asking me to help out. "Look, this is real simple, ok? We're going our separate ways here. That's it. Kaput. End of discussion. As far as I'm concerned, you guys are on your own," she mentions as we finally break through the barrier; groaning as she spots these idiots following us along. "Get lost already! We're not your caretakers, and I'm not letting the rest of you drag us down out there! Figure this shit out for yourselves!"
But when none of them even bat an eyelid at Rachel's stinging remarks, obviously not swayed by the fact that she's basically just told each and every one of them to fuck off and leave us alone, I turn around with my pistol hanging loosely down at my side. It's odd… this isn't how I pictured a catastrophe like this to have gone down. I figured that at the first sign of trouble, everyone would be out for themselves, with no goodbyes or anything. I had expected people to be indifferent… that this would be nothing more than another failed attempt to survive out in this shit-hole we call a world. Not in a million years would I have seen this coming, let alone for some of them (mainly the kids, but a few of the adults as well) to have tears in their eyes. Jesus, don't they have a stern bone in their body?!
One of the younger boys – I think he must be around nine or ten – then slowly approaches me, all the while staring up at me with his bright, scared little eyes. "Please don't leave us here…" he whimpers, taking some of my fingers within his hand. "We… we don't know what to do. Please help us…"
God damn it Katie, pull it together! For fuck's sake, why are you still holding onto his hand?! How can you possibly be buying into this shit?! Let. Go. Now.
I try to do it. I try my best to shake him off, being the stubborn ass that I know I can be at times. I even raise my other arm to strike at the kid after he refuses to let go, but no impact ever comes. My arm shakes in place as a newly-found shiver courses up my spine. I… I can't do it.
What the hell is wrong with me?
"C'mon already," Rachel interrupts, holding the door open with her shoe as she tries to usher me along. But I can tell that even she is looking incredibly guilty and torn about the whole blasted thing. "Let's go, Katie. Before… you know…"
"…what if we just took a few of them?" I suggest with a massive sigh, feeling my shoulders sag as my mind becomes clouded with hesitation. "Trust me, this wouldn't be permanent. We'd go our separate ways as soon as it's clear. But what if we just lead them to the countryside, Rach? Might be safer for everyone that way."
"Are you listening to yourself? Safe? Travelling in a pack of twenty-odd people is more dangerous than going alone!"
I want her to be right about that. Damn straight I want her to be right. But for some reason, after seeing all of these people's desperate faces, I don't really know what's right anymore. I can't stand this fucking knot in my stomach that's forming, especially since the damn pipsqueak over here still hasn't let go of me. His grip may be small, but it's enough to keep me glued to the spot without doing something drastic.
Our situation is growing bleaker each second that we're still standing around here, twiddling our thumbs. It's not that we're in any immediate danger now – whatever that big kaboom was downstairs seems to have kept things pretty quiet regarding the walkers. But people like us? Scavengers and raiders and bandits scouring the city and the surrounding countryside? We've just left them a massive welcome door downstairs, what with the spaceship having fallen over and taken down a huge chunk of the wall with it. Not to mention as well the flames acting as a beacon for every single being, living or dead, to know exactly where we are.
So we need to make this quick. If we want to live, we have to be smarter than this. We need to make sure that our defenses are up at all times, and right now, our guard is down for the count.
I finally manage to shake the kid's sweaty hand off of me as I spot the rest of the gang – Kazuki, Marcus, Alden, Scott and Kelly – all heading into the building like firefighters, guns in hand. "We should head down there first… sort this mess out," I suggest pointedly as Racheal, arms folded, says nothing but shoots me a doubtful glance. "We're running low on bullets, and besides," I remind her as I sling one of our automatic rifles over my shoulder with a grimace, "it might do us some good to check in. We can round up some supplies, do a little last-minute shopping before hitting the road."
Apparently taking that statement as some sort of confirmation that we'll be taking them with us, the kids smile broadly for the first time in ages as a couple of the adults help an old man down the stairs. I never really bothered to learn half of their names before, figuring that I wouldn't end up seeing any of them again within the next couple of months anyways. But now, without even agreeing to it, I may have just told them that we're in this together.
Great. Just what I needed today. Another wave of idiots following us along like a dog on a leash.
"Never would've pinned you as the softie."
"Shut up, Rach."
Nobody's POV
Chests heaving and breaths heavily pouring out of their dry lips, the survivors had heard the thundering blast from across the field. Marcus hadn't even finished burying the head of the second corpse before dropping the shovel like a ticking time bomb. They had no idea what was going on inside, yet each and every one of them knew and could feel it in their gut that something had just gone terribly wrong.
Alden, being the first to arrive at the scene, stops just short of the collapsed rocket ship as he holds his hair in between his fingers. His pistol drops to the ground beside him as Kazuki jumps a bit, worried that it might go off.
Unable to process this, Alden gawks at the burning rubble as he stands on tiptoe trying to peer into the room; hoping that nobody was killed in the aftermath. "Can't even imagine what could do that sort of damage," he murmurs, getting a consensus from Kaz and Kelly as they both nod their heads. "You don't… you don't think it could've been…?"
"Who else could it be?" Kelly cuts in, still sore after witnessing their group torn apart on two opposing sides. "But god damn, I wish I was wrong… Sigh, Scott? Do you see a way in?"
Said boy's cheeks flush crimson after he's caught trying to fan some of the flames away, a pointless task given how much the place is engulfed, but Scott narrows his eyes and shields them with his hand as he tries to see any openings. "Side door's no good – it's melting to shit," he mentions, watching as the top half of the steel doorway turns into nothing more than goo and paste from the intense heat. Telling the rest of his group to hold up for a brief moment, Scott jogs around to the side to try and get a better angle.
Most of the side is in ruins, with various metal beams and bars sticking out in all directions. Every now and again he can see little crackles of flame shooting out from the ceiling as the smoke paints a dark mark upon the tiles. What worries Scott more, however, isn't just the fact that he can't see anybody inside, but also the smell of ash, charred drywall and burnt flesh. Sure, it could just be (hopefully) some of the walkers that had gotten scorched, but what if it's not? What if somebody's trapped inside with no hope of escaping? What if they're squished underneath a fallen support beam, or have already burned to death in a slow, agonizing way? What if –
"Yo, Scott! Did you find anything?!"
Snapping himself out of these dismal thoughts, the boy hollers for the rest of them to come over and try to aid in his search. "Now there's something you don't see every day," Marcus whistles astonishingly, getting a glare from Alden as he shrugs his shoulders. "What?"
Having been abnormally quiet for the past five minutes or so, Kazuki stares at the building; absolutely paralyzed with fear. Traumatizing memories of Josh that she had forced herself to forget are suddenly pouring back in, with images of his shrill, grief-stricken screams hovering about in her mind as she puts a hand over her mouth. Forcing her eyes shut, she violently shakes her head before turning around and trying to keep everything together. So long ago… yet still too soon, she shudders, feeling the urge to flee as Kelly softly places a hand upon her shoulder.
"Can you get us in there?" Kelly hollers, knowing fully well that any attempts to try and console the girl would be fruitless. Right now, all they can do is hope that she can work this out within her own head and help them to save some lives.
Like a game of Jenga, Alden assesses some of the pieces to try and figure out which is more likely to fall than the rest. "Wait a minute…" he says, tilting his head to the side as he beckons for Marcus to come help him out. "Scott and Kelly, stay back and watch for walkers," he instructs, holding the left side of a slant of concrete in his hands as Marcus holds up the other. "Ready?"
"On three," Marcus nods, gritting his teeth all the while. "One, two…"
"Three!" finishes Alden as they struggle to lift up the rubble. Having only a limited amount of strength for this sort of thing due to their limited food supply (crops had been drying up this month), the two men find their energy and strength increasingly waning under the load. Thankfully Alden had managed to spot an area that looked cool enough to touch, but he's keeping his fingers closer to the concrete part just to be safe.
Carefully laying the slab down to the side, Marcus sneezes from the dust as the both of them wipe the dirt onto their faded jeans. "Really hoping we didn't just do that for nothing, Ald," Marcus dryly comments, heading over to do the same thing again as he spreads his legs to avoid one of the metal rods protruding out.
"Trust me, we'll be golden when this is out of the way," Alden reassures, slapping the next piece of rubble with his hand as they prepare to move again. "Same deal, here we go…"
Meanwhile, Scott, feeling a tad awkward just standing here with two girls and not saying anything, frowns sympathetically towards Kazuki's way before doing a little circle around the perimeter. There are a ton of dead bodies littering the ground just down the hill, with some of them having fallen in through the hole out in the street where apparently a bridge used to sit. Many of them had likely been put down by Katie and her team up on the second level, but as he goes to check on a few others, he can't help but notice that they are actually free of bullet holes. Despite being mindless killing machines, these walkers make no move to attack him; not having the energy to do so as one of the beasts simply looks over at his direction and gargles at him from the back of its throat. Judging by how scrawny these things are, having almost nothing on them but skin and bones and the ripped clothing hanging loosely on their backs, Scott can only assume that they hadn't eaten in so long that they… well, starved themselves to death, essentially.
"Even the dead need to eat, I guess," he acknowledges, taking out a silver kitchen knife that he had "borrowed" this morning and shoving it into the temple of two of the decaying husks. He's about to go for the third when he sees some kind of shadowy figure marching forward in the distance. By the looks of it, it's a person… a very familiar person, indeed.
All while this is going on, Kazuki has been trying to calm her nerves. She can't help but kicking herself for feeling this way, and scolds herself for not bucking up and showing resolve. But things like this have been building up over time, despite all the advancements she's made and the courage she's shown. Kaz had gone from a scared, little girl caught in between two groups to somewhat of an example for those younger than her, even taking it upon herself to help out with many of the different projects they had at the space center. It was really something she could hang her hat on, something she could stake a claim to.
But now it feels, to her at least, that things are starting to relapse. None of them are quite certain how they might've been involved, but it was definitely no coincidence that this had happened so soon after Clem had gotten locked up. Really, Kaz can't exactly blame her for trying to break out, since she had once tried a similar thing, after all.
She didn't have to blow up half the fucking building to do it, though.
"AGH! SHIT!"
Instantly darting their heads back to the noise, Kelly widens her eyes as she sees Alden's hand caked in blood, running down his wrist and all the way to his forearm. The worst possible scenario crosses their minds, but Alden is quick to dissuade any of those claims as he sees their expressions worry.
"I'm not bit! Just shredded my hand on some glass! Hurts like a bitch, too…" he winces, inhaling sharply as Kelly rushes over. Being the closest thing around to a nurse right now, he hesitantly holds out his hand as she gently grabs onto it and examines him. "So, what's the damage, doc? Am I gonna make it through the night?"
If he wasn't in so much pain right now, Alden would probably smirk at the jealous frown Marcus is developing on his lips.
"Looks like you gashed it pretty deep in there, so it's hard to tell," she jokingly grins. "Who knows? Might have to saw your whole arm off if it comes to that."
Paling considerably, Alden gulps before shaking his head no. "Don't even think of fucking around at a time like this!"
"Regardless," she ignores him, letting the hand go as he cradles it tenderly, "that's gonna get infected if we don't get it stitched up. All the more reason for us to get inside."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's do this thing, already," Marcus insists briskly, sending off a bit of a chilly vibe as Kelly rolls her eyes and goes over to help lift the remaining debris. She makes sure not to make the same mistake that Alden did and avoids the glass, and all of their eyes light up as they finally see it – just the ticket they were looking for.
It's tiny, and it doesn't look inherently safe from outside, but there's a little gap in the wall seems sturdy enough to fit through. There are obviously several problems at play here, least of all being the hanging, still-electrified cables dangling from above, but if there was going to be a sign that they could possibly get in and save their friends, then this has definitely got to be it.
Taking just a brief second to catch his breath, Marcus nudges his head towards the crevice as he lays his hands on his knees. "Open sesame," he chirps, glowering a little bit as he notices the size. "Way too small for us to fit through, though. I mean, you've gotta be some sort of midget or something to try and… oh."
"Are you sure that you're up for this, Kaz?" Kelly questions, clutching both of the girl's shoulders with concern as she steps up to the plate. "I mean, if you're uncomfortable, then maybe we can find another way in. There's bound to be a few other passages along the backside here."
"By then it might be too late," she disagrees with a shaky breath, outwardly seeming as nervous as she is on the inside. As frightened as she might be, though, she still feels that it'd be a stupid, selfish thing of her to do if she didn't at least try. "Nobody else is short enough for a job like this. I… This is something I have to do."
Pausing for a moment, inwardly Kelly doesn't think that Kaz is completely stable enough to try and make a daring rescue like this, but ultimately, it's not her choice. The decision falls to the one-eyed teen, who desperately wants to prove to herself and to everyone else that she can still pull her weight; that she can hold her own even in the direst of circumstances.
Needing only the slightest nod from Kelly in order to head on over, Kazuki squeezes onto her hand tightly before walking towards the breach. Marcus, trying to hold some of the concrete on his own so that it doesn't come smashing down onto her head, gives her some last-minute advice. "Make sure to keep your head down, yeah? All that hot air and smoke is gonna rise to the top, so try to keep as low as you can."
"Got it," she tells him, staring him in the eye for a second before he relents and allows her to pass.
Once she's started to crawl inside, blinking back tears as the air stings her eyes from the heat, Marcus, Kelly and Alden all watch her go with heavy hearts. "If you find someone, just tell them to follow you out! We'll be right here!" Kelly hollers after her, unsure of whether Kazuki heard that or not since she's already past the wires.
As the building starts to groan a little bit, with the roof starting to buckle underneath its own weight, the three of them are already silently wishing that she hadn't agreed to this.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Emily suddenly yells out, seemingly coming out of nowhere as she sprints towards them with Scott in tow. She's pissed, evidently, but there's something else in her eyes that none of them can quite pin down yet. Guilt, perhaps? Misjudgement? "I could hear them when I got here! There are walkers inside! Get her the hell out right now!"
Coughing furiously as beads of sweat start to cascade down her forehead, Kazuki wipes it off with her arm as she tries to make out where exactly she is right now. She's not very close to where the rocket had fallen, but with so much destruction about she can hardly make out her lefts and rights. And despite the place being wrought with flames in several spots, she still finds it hard to see because of all the smoke. The fact that she's only got one eye isn't helping matters, either.
"James?! Bo?! Ellie?!" she calls out, cupping her hands over her mouth as she chants out their names. She's about to end it at that, but guilt compels her to try for the others, too. "Jane?! Lilly?! Clementine?! C'mon, seriously?! ANYONE?!"
The only answer she gets is the low growl of a roamer, partially singed in the blaze as she, trying to remain calm and collected, pulls out her pistol and shoot the beast down. For a split second, the tuft of long, brown hair had made her think that it was Lilly she had just gunned down, but this walker must've turned a long time ago. Its skin is all rotted and its eyes are practically milky white from weeks of being in this state.
She goes to take a few steps forward, just to see if she can get to a better vantage point, when the walkway up above her head becomes unhinged. With a creak that scares her deeply, the entire balcony comes crashing down to the floor, sending more sparkles of fire to rise up for a second and effectively blocking the emergency exit.
Kazuki, only having just dodged the impact by falling flat onto her stomach, is growing more panicked by the minute. Forget gun training! They should've taught her to be more prepared for things like this!
With so much riding on her getting their people out in one piece, Kazuki starts to feel the weight of that pressure building up on her back. Perhaps it wasn't the greatest idea for her to volunteer to just wander inside with no idea what to expect, and no real plan in effect to try and sort this thing out. Besides, the others would've gotten out before something like this would happen, right? They're smart, every one of them, and they'd know what to do if something like this were to happen.
Maybe she could just go back…
….no. No! Damn it, as much as she wouldn't like to admit it, this is exactly the sort of thing she would've done before – back when she was so insecure that all of her problems just seemed to multiply. Even so much as a scratch would've sent her running to the hills, but not anymore! All she has to do is keep on moving forward, and to silence the little voice in her head that keeps on telling her "no".
Even if… that voice is Josh's… and she can't stop hearing without feeling… completely… useless…
You're a fucking disgrace! You're gonna die alone, and nobody will even know the difference. That's just how much of an impact you really have out here… you're nothing!
"He's wrong…" Kaz stands up, repeating her mantra over and over again to drown out his twisted voice. That bastard was nothing more than a bully who had nothing better to do than to pick on people who were smaller than him, but he's not around anymore. Kaz took care of him and put an end to that…
Spitting out some of the saw dust onto the floor as her saliva sizzles like an egg on a stove, Kazuki scans the room for any sign of life. Against all odds, the radio is still intact somewhat, and one of the space suits is still hanging from the hook over by one of the eyewash stations. The "e" for one of the exit signs has been scorched, but Kazuki makes her way towards it regardless. Aside from that and the medical bay, which she doesn't think would be safe to try and get to right now, there aren't any other options anyways.
Pressing onward, Kaz leaps over a fallen ladder and keeps one arm out to shield her somewhat from the elements. It's faint, but up ahead through one of the glass doors, she can see a shadowy fixture up ahead, kneeling in front of something as it shakes its head.
"I can do this," she reassures herself, her confidence slowly beginning to balance itself out again as she spots her target. This is her chance to prove to everyone else, but mostly herself, that she has what it takes to make it out here. She's not useless, and she's certainly not a coward – not anymore. Now, Kaz is a survivor. "Hang in there, I'm coming for ya."
So convinced is she on looking towards her goal that Kazuki doesn't notice the four walkers starting to retract themselves from the fallen rubble over by the rocket ship.
James' POV
I don't care that the room is falling apart, and that at any minute I could be crushed by the roof caving in on me. I don't care that I didn't manage to take out every single poor undead asshole with that concoction of mine, and I don't care that through all of this, I know deep down that this is going to be my last day at the Houston Space Centre.
I just don't care anymore. After all, what the hell is the point, when I can't even keep my best friend safe?
I found him laying against the wall here, as dead as they come. Bo. His neck ripped right out of him, an empty gun laying idly on the floor beside him. A bullet hole nests deeply within his head, so I can only assume that he chose to end it himself before the walkers closed in on him for good. In that sense I'm glad that I found him this way – perhaps he didn't suffer as much before his final demise. There are bite marks in other places on him as well, to be sure. I found them on his arm, his stomach and his legs, and the biters had even succeeded on ripping his prosthetic limb off to use it as a chew toy. But it's the bullet that did him in.
Which also means that he didn't turn, thank god. There was no way of him coming back as one of them, which also means that there was literally no way out for him. The guy was cornered, if the evidence that's being suggested is true, with the windows having been barred up except for the spot that the walkers broke through. But does that mean that Lilly and Jane let this happen to him? Did he confront them before he was slaughtered like this? Hmm… I suppose I'll never know now.
Truth be told, I'm not even sure that I want to know the full story this time. I doubt that it would make these wounds heal any better, and it certainly wouldn't bring me any peace to know how Lilly and Jane were involved.
Two of the walkers had been munching on Bo's sternum when I had first arrived. Surprisingly though, I hadn't reacted the same way that I did with Diana; with Heather. I hadn't sobbed in the corner, or yelled out profanities like there was no tomorrow. I hadn't even shed a tear until after I bashed the first walker's face in with one of the rods that had fallen off the wall earlier. Weird, right? Well… I guess we had both sort of come to an understanding that it was gonna happen eventually. Each of us are on a timer, so to speak, of how long we have to fight another meager day on this planet.
Heh, Bo and I had even turned that acceptance into a game after a while. First one to kick the bucket has to buy the other a round of booze, old man! Wherever we end up, let's make sure it's at a bar first.
Naturally, I'd always indulge him with a laugh and reminisce on the days gone by, wondering if I'd ever experience the same, bittersweet taste of Budweiser on my lips again. And then, as if right on cue, Bo would always present the two of us with a beer each. Every time, without fail. I'm almost certain that he was holding out on me and had a whole stash that he'd keep to himself, but I never brought it up. Never seemed right to question his generosity.
Bo had beaten every odd imaginable, what with the cancer, to the limb loss, to the near-death experiences almost on a daily basis… I just didn't expect that his luck would finally run out today. Had I known beforehand, I would've…
Well, come to think of it, I'm not really sure what I'd say. I've never really been good at goodbyes, never really had the chance to do so before. Besides, saying goodbye is so… arbitrary. So basic. Anyone can say goodbye to a person on a normal day, but to do so when you know they're going to die? If you have to make up some phoney line when they're on their deathbed because you haven't been showing them that kindness while they were still living, then that's just wasted words. Bo and I had known we would die. Everyone does eventually, and we accepted that.
So why do I feel so empty?
"J-James?" comes an anxious call from my left, but I'm so zoned out right now with focusing on Bo's face that I don't even pay attention to the sound. As far as I'm concerned, it's just me and him right now, chugging back drinks and swapping stories on the roof. Just like old times.
Without even realizing that I'm doing it, I subconsciously take two fingers and shut Bo's eyelids closed, thinking that that's the least I can do to make sure he's comfortable wherever he's ended up. "Rest in peace, my dear, dear friend…" I solemnly tell him with a tight-lipped, teary grin. "Because you deserve it. I hope we see each other again. Someday."
Clutching his hand tightly, I calmly place my other hand on top of his as I sit back on my knees, not seeing that somebody is still waiting for me impatiently on the other side of the door.
Knock-knock.
Nothing in the world right now is going to make me leave his side, at least until I can safely get his body out of here. Funeral preparations will have to be made, and I'll have to clear some space for a burial.
Knock-knock-knock!
"James? Can you hear me?"
Christ's sakes, can't they just give me a minute? That's all I ask! Even when I'm clearly grieving for one of my friends, these guys always have to have something done for them! Every time!
Knock-knock-knock-knock!
"What, Kaz?! What do you want?!" I shout unintentionally, breaking away from Bo's body for just a moment to indulge her. "Because if you haven't noticed, I'm kind of in the middle of something here! Now, please enlighten me, what do you w-"
Unable to finish my sentence, I drop Bo's hand shakily as it happens. Kazuki, unaware of the roamers behind her, can only take a short breath before the first jaw rips the right side of her face clean off; sending blood to spurt out all over the glass door that separates us. I can hear every terrified scream as she howls in anguish; her one remaining eye getting clawed out by a pair of ravenous hands as the rest of the walkers bite into her legs and stomach. Desperation takes its toll as I shove all my weight against the glass door, but it's all in vain. Kazuki is barged up against it, her legs convulsing savagely as the walkers rip out her organs and tear her apart piece by piece.
I scratch and claw at the glass until some of my fingers start to bleed, unwilling to let her die like this, but I realize that it's far too late to save her now. With a grim realization, I suspect that Kaz was actually in here in the first place trying to get me out. That alone makes it hurt even more – that's two people I've let die today.
Right before I shakily stand up to get out by any means necessary, I make out a static-filled voice calling out on the radio.
"This is Ri… …imes, of the Alexandria Safe Zone, if anyone in Houston is hearing this, please resp…"