===== Chapter 13 =====

Welcome to First Platoon

Nine years ago… in the year 2042…

It was just after the start of sophomore year at MC State and Blair and Roxanne were already enjoying their first semester as a couple. The two friends had decided to room together and were sharing the same dorm room Roxanne had last year. The residence hall was nice and their room had its own bathroom, meaning they didn't have to share it with other residents. That was why Roxanne wanted to stay in hers instead of switching rooms which Blair didn't mind.

Blair and Roxanne were leaving the dining hall after having dinner. As they were exiting, Blair overhead a group of students discussing something interesting in front of the dining hall's bulletin board. She told Roxanne to wait up and follow her over to see what they were talking about.

"What's that about a campus-wide game happening soon?" asked Blair to one of the students in the group.

The people in the group turned towards her and motioned to the flyer on the bulletin board. "The first week-long HvZ game of the year is going to happen in a couple weeks," said one of the students.

"HvZ?" asked Roxanne as she stood beside Blair.

"Humans vs. Zombies. It's a game involving players taking on the roles of human survivors or zombies. Best part is that it involves NERF guns, and it gets the entire campus involved," said another of the students there. "I played before and trust me- it gets pretty intense."

"Oh yeah. I think I remember seeing something like that. That was this?" asked Blair, remembering the game from last year. "Looked kinda fun. So it's going to start again soon?"

"Yeah. In a couple weeks," said a student. "Are you thinking about playing?"

"I dunno. I'd like to," said Blair as she turned to Roxanne.

Roxanne met her gaze and gave a nod. "Sure. Why not?" she said before turning to the other students. "Is it played on the weekends or after classes are mostly over? I'll play if it doesn't interfere with my studies at all."

"Well… it happens all week starting on a Sunday evening, then during weekdays between the hours of five in the afternoon to five in the morning. During the day, the game is paused so people don't have to worry about potentially missing any classes because of the game," said the student who'd played before. "But don't worry. If you have a class after five in the afternoon, there are still rules and stuff to make it easier on you. Like, it's only active outside, so when you're inside a building, the game is paused."

"Huh, well that's okay, I guess," said Roxanne. "How is the game played exactly? What are the other things we should be aware of?"

Two of the people in the group hadn't played before and were clueless, but one of them was very familiar with the game. "I can fill you in if you got time. I'm Gale, by the way," said the girl as she looked to Blair and Roxanne.

As the other two students in Gale's group left, Blair and Roxanne introduced themselves to her. After the pleasantries were out of the way, Gale offered to explain the whole thing to them. Blair and Roxanne had some time to spare, so they followed her off to side and found a picnic table to sit at while they continued their conversation.

Gale, who was a junior and a veteran of several HvZ games, sat down with them at the table and explained everything they wanted to know about the game. The basic goal of the game was to survive until "extraction" at the end of the week, but a human only survived if they made it to the extraction point. If they survived the week but only hid in their dorms and didn't attend the extraction event, they were considered lost to the zombie horde. In addition to just surviving against zombie players during game hours, every night during the week, the HvZ Game Committee organized events that gave an advantage to either the human survivors or the zombie horde depending on which side won. The events were completely optional, but if there wasn't enough human participation during them, the zombies would gain an advantage or the humans would suffer a disadvantage based on the event's objective.

At the beginning of the game, there was one person who became "infected" with the zombie virus, and they were transformed into the first zombie called the Alpha Zombie. They were normally an anonymous volunteer chosen from the player population. Everyone else got to start the game as a human survivor.

While they talked, Blair, Roxanne, and Gale touched on other things besides HvZ. Blair and Roxanne learned that Gale was in Navy ROTC and told her that they were AFROTC cadets. After explaining everything she knew about HvZ, and finding out that Blair and Roxanne had aspirations of joining the military, Gale decided to try and recruit them into her special HvZ group.

"So, you two are certainly wanting to play when things start in a couple weeks?" asked Gale.

"Sure. It sounds like a great time. Just seems like there's going to be a lot of running," said Blair.

Gale chuckled at that. "That a problem? Thought you were in ROTC. Don't you guys do PT in the Air Force?" she asked.

Blair sighed at the jest. "Yeah. I don't mind the running. Just haven't done it as much as I was used to," she said. Back in Japan when she was still in high-school, Blair was a member of the Soccer Club and did loads of running, but when she came to the United States, she stopped participating in sports. When she began ROTC at the beginning of her freshman year in college, she had to get back into the groove of running, and she still hadn't reached the level of fitness she had during her Soccer Club days.

"I'll join as well. I could always use the extra exercise," said Roxanne who also wasn't a stranger to running. Since she knew in advance she wanted to be in ROTC, which required a lot of physical conditioning, she prepared her body in high-school for the eventual daily PT routine as a cadet.

"That's good to hear," said Gale as she looked to Blair and Roxanne. "So how about you two join First Platoon then?"

"First Platoon?" asked Blair.

"It's the premiere anti-zombie fighting force here at MC State. They were formed when HvZ first came to the campus in 2011, so it has a long and venerable heritage. It just so happens that I'm a member and friends with the current leader of the group," said Gale.

"Oh. That sounds fun," said Roxanne as she considered the offer. "Are there other groups like First Platoon?"

"Other groups, sure. Maybe. Like ours? Nope. At least, not at this campus," said Gale. "We're the best of the best at MC State."

"Is that so? Then why do you want us as part of your crew? We haven't even played before," said Blair.

"Well, a large chunk of our core membership graduated last year, so we need to fill the vacancies. I've also been thinking about forming a special group within the platoon," said Gale.

"What kind of special group, may I ask?" said Roxanne, curious as to what Gale's plans were.

Gale smiled slightly, eager to outline her idea with Blair and Roxanne. "I want to form an all-girl squad, one composed of like-minded individuals with passionate dedication and the motivation to become the best. I'm preferably looking for ROTC cadets, since they all more or less have the same tendencies anyway, but if someone else has the same thing, I'll give them consideration," she said.

"Okaaaayyy, but why an all-female team? Not that I'm complaining or anything. That's sounds pretty cool," said Blair, not minding that the unit was for females only.

"The main reason is because I've found that the guys in First Platoon, or rather more specifically the guys in my team, are too gung-ho and often don't adhere to the para-military style of playing that we're most known for. It's a constant struggle to keep pace with them and I'm no rookie sporting the Freshman Fifteen," said Gale after sighing with mild frustration. "I'm currently part of Gray Team, First Platoon's elite independent strike force. We mostly tackle the hard stuff no one else wants to do. We're supposed to be the most tactically adapt unit within the platoon, but most of the time, Gray Team resorts to just running around the entire game with guns blazing. It's not covert or spectacular whatsoever."

"Then why don't you just get the leader to talk to them? You know, make them be more in line with the Platoon's theme of para-military tactics?" asked Blair. "You said you were friends with the guy, right?"

"I tried, but he said results are results. He said as long as Gray Team continues to outperform the rest of the Platoon by a large margin, he'd leave them be, even if it means them being able to continue operating the way they've been," said Gale.

"Well, you did say this Gray Team of yours is an independent unit meant to handle the tasks no one else wants. So what's the big deal?" asked Roxanne.

Gale groaned out loud in frustration. "It's just not cool enough! I want to be part of a squad I can be proud of and look good doing it. I want everyone else to be in awe of my squad and whisper about how awesome we are," she said as she began to speak more passionately about her project. "Even though Gray Team achieves its goals, I don't find much enjoyment in doing it with them or as part of one of the other squads. No offense to them, but they just aren't good enough for me to join. However, if I get to form my own squad and pick and choose its members, I can turn it into something to even rival Gray Team. And I'm sure we'll look a hell of a lot better doing it."

Blair and Roxanne just exchanged apprehensive looks. "You're pretty serious about all this, aren't ya," said Blair.

"Yeah. I am," said Gale before continuing with the explanation of her plans. "With an all-female squad, we'd all more or less be on the same playing field and could carry out operations more efficiently and fluidly. We'd operate like a true Special Forces unit, moving and conducting missions like the pros do. That's why I need cadets like yourselves. You all go through physical training and can keep up with me. You all can stick with the training and have the discipline to follow orders and conduct yourselves like true soldiers. Eventually, I want my squad to be the poster-child of the Platoon. If everything goes how I envision, it'll be glorious!"

"That's a lofty goal you got there," said Roxanne.

"I know it sounds like a lot, but I want to make the most of my remaining time with the Platoon, and perhaps even leave a lasting legacy to add to its tradition. I've already scouted some other new members and people from other squads within the Platoon. I'm sure I can get the greenlight from the Platoon commander if I talk it over with him," said Gale. "I just need two new members, and you two fit the bill perfectly."

Blair and Roxanne exchanged staggered looks and a few words before focusing back on Gale. Blair sighed then gave her a smile. "Where do we sign up," she said.

#

After agreeing to join Gale and her HvZ group, Blair and Roxanne attended the First Platoon tryout session during the weekend a few days later. They only had a vague idea of what to expect based on what Gale had told them, so they prepared for anything and wore athletic clothing. Blair was wearing black athletic leggings, a sports V-neck, and running shoes along with her Japanese high-school Soccer Club jacket. Roxanne was wearing similar clothes except for the jacket; she just had a generic track jacket on instead. When they arrived at the athletic field where the tryouts were being conducted, they saw several people already conducting drills and exercises.

A good portion of First Platoon's current members were present at the tryouts, sporting their para-military paraphernalia and NERF guns; though, only a small number were actually wearing tac-vests and other military gear. A majority of the members were just wearing regular clothes.

The veteran First Platoon members were inspecting and evaluating the potential recruits, testing their physical abilities and basic teamwork. They were mostly looking for players who were willing and determined and not necessarily the most physically fit. Loyalty, dedication, and a strong sense of teamwork were the traits that First Platoon were most concerned about. Everything else could be worked on and taught if need be.

Blair and Roxanne continued to walk around and eventually found Gale talking with someone off to the side. Gale was completely decked out in her HvZ gear. She looked intimidating to the average player, but Blair thought the look was pretty cool. The person Gale was talking to was also decked out in para-military gear as well, but not as intensely as Gale was. He was dressed in camo fatigues, a tactical vest, and assorted items. Blair and Roxanne made their way over to them and said hello.

"Sup? So, what are we supposed to be doing now?" asked Blair as she looked to Gale.

Seeing Blair and Roxanne approaching, Gale and the person she was talking to turned to them after they came over. "Glad you could make it, Blair. Roxanne," said Gale as she gave a nod to each of them. "I was just talking my plan over with the commander, and he thinks it's a great idea."

"The commander, huh? So, you're in-charge of First Platoon?" asked Blair.

"Yeah. My name's Reed, but you can call me Fox," said the commander.

"Fox?" asked Blair.

"It's my callsign. We all use callsigns here to refer to each other. I'm Fox and this is Specter," said Reed, gesturing to Gale beside him.

"Oh. That's cool. How'd you get your name?" asked Roxanne.

"I chose it. You're allowed to choose your callsign as long as nobody else currently has it. You can even choose previous member's codename. I went with Fox which belonged to one of the Platoon's founding members," said Reed.

"Hmm. And yours?" asked Roxanne as she looked to Gale.

Gale just shrugged, not having a backstory for her callsign. "Just chose it. No special reason behind it," she said.

"Cool. Now I need to come up with one," said Blair.

"All right, Specter. I'll leave these two in your care. I've got to talk with the squad leaders about potential manning," said Reed before taking his leave.

Gale waved goodbye to the commander then looked to Blair and Roxanne. "We can talk callsigns later, but now we need to meet the other members of the squad," she said.

"Already? What about these so called 'tryouts' you're making all the new guys do?" asked Roxanne as she followed Gale along with Blair.

"You pass. Fox already gave his blessing," said Gale. "You two seem to be the most promising out of all the new potential members."

"What makes you say that? We just met," asked Roxanne.

"I've got a feeling," said Gale, looking over her shoulder at the two with a smile.

"Oh. Thanks, I suppose," said Blair.

Gale led Blair and Roxanne over to a set of bleachers where a group of five other girls were waiting. "Meet the rest of the squad," she said, introducing them to the rest of their squadmates.

In addition to Gale, there were three other girls there who were already First Platoon members. Two of them were wearing military gear while the other was just wearing camo clothing. The last two members were new recruits with one of them being a seasoned player already, just not with First Platoon. Luckily for Gale, she managed to find almost enough ROTC cadets to fill her entire squad. There was only one who wasn't in an ROTC program, though she wanted to join the FBI after graduating and become a field agent. With that in mind, Gale let her in and she was more than eager to learn what she could from the others. Along with Gale, there were two other Navy cadets, an Army cadet, and a Marine Corps cadet. Blair and Roxanne were the only Air Force cadets in the squad.

After the introductions were out of the way, Blair and Roxanne listened as Gale addressed the squad as a whole. The squad had the official designation of Fourth Squad, but Gale had re-designated it with the unofficial name of Strike Witches. In keeping with the theme of witches, Gale had her squad choose callsigns related to witchcraft or the occult. The three other First Platoon members already had callsigns loosely relating to witchcraft and the like, so it was up to the new recruits to choose names. Along with Gale's callsign of Specter, there was Voodoo, Phantom, and Jinx. Blair thought about her name and finally decided on Hex while Roxanne chose Spooky. The last two couldn't come up with one, so the others suggested one of them being Hocus and the other Pocus, like the spell. They liked the idea and went with that, one of the taking on the callsign Hocus and the other Pocus.

Once the names were decided on, Blair, Roxanne, and the rest of the squad rejoined the platoon after the tryouts were over with. Out of the 25 people who showed up, only 12 were allowed to join the platoon, bringing the total platoon strength to 36 members. Once First Platoon leadership had the total roster of members finalized, they assigned everyone into squads. In the end, four squads consisting of eight people each were created alongside Gray Team, which was traditionally a four-man team.

While Reed had everyone together, he announced that there was going to be a training day before the beginning of the upcoming game. There was also going to be a dinner get-together at one of the dining halls after he dismissed everyone. He and the other veteran First Platoon members were going to attend, and he opened the invitation up to all the new recruits, just in case they wanted socialize and grow closer as a unit. Once he said everything he wanted, he dismissed the platoon for the day.

Before leaving, Gale had her squad form up on her once more. She wanted to address them before they joined the rest of the platoon for dinner. She thanked everyone for coming out and becoming part of her squad. She vowed to do her best and lead them to victory without losing a single squad member. With that being said, she appointed Jinx as second-in-command of the squad, being the second most senior First Platoon member in the squad after herself. Jinx was put in charge of Bravo Team which consisted of Hocus, Pocus, and Voodoo. Blair and Roxanne were fortunate enough to be part of Alpha Team along with Gale and Phantom. Once the formalities were taken care, Blair, Roxanne, and the rest of the squad went to have dinner with the rest of the platoon.

During dinner, the Strike Witches manly sat together, chatting amongst themselves as they got to know one another better. Once in a while, they'd chat with one of the other platoon members, but not often. After dinner, Blair and Roxanne said goodbye to their new friends then went back to their dorm room together.

#

The next day, Blair and Roxanne went to the store to buy some gear to use during the game. Blair decided to splurge a bit more than Roxanne was willing to, though, both of them were going to eventually go all-out during the next semester. In the meantime, they sported a beginner's loadout of sorts. Not knowing about the vast amount of awesome airsoft gear available on the internet yet, Blair just went with some generic black clothing and NERF-branded gear, even though it was cheap and really meant for kids way younger than she was.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this…," said Roxanne as she followed Blair into the store towards the toy aisles.

"Oh c'mon. NERF guns aren't that expensive," said Blair as she looked down each aisle in search of NERF guns. "It's not like I'm going to be sinking hundreds of dollars into this game. I just want to use something I'm comfortable when I play with is all."

After finding the right aisle and looking her options over, Blair decided to go with a stock NERF Intruder as her primary weapon; it was a semi-automatic rifle with a 20-dart magazine. For a backup, she chose to buy a stock NERF Maverick II, a single-action magnum with a 4-dart capacity. It was a vastly improved version of the original Maverick which was widely used during the first HvZ games at MC State. She also found a NERF brand tactical vest and decided to get that as well. It had loops sewn into the flimsy vest that allowed for extra darts to be carried.

Roxanne decided to go with the bare minimum and just bought a NERF Intruder as her primary weapon. Since she only wanted to buy one gun, she also picked up a NERF bandolier and a set of extra mags to increase her survivability during the game.

Once they had everything on their list, they went to the checkout area to pay for it all. Roxanne suggested that they use the self-checkout option instead of the usual lanes; she was a bit embarrassed buying toys meant for kids in public. After grabbing their bags, they headed on back home via a campus bus.

#

Over the next week, Blair and Roxanne went over all the training material on First Platoon's private social media page and in their online document archives. They even found some videos on the internet from previous HvZ games that featured First Platoon. The more they watched, the more they became excited and eager to play. Eventually, the fall semester Week Long was upon them.

It was Sunday night and Blair and Roxanne were in their room preparing to head out. The game hadn't started yet, so it was still safe to roam around the campus without worrying about any zombie players. The two of them were wearing plain black clothing and sporting the NERF brand gear they got at the store.

"How many people do you think will get infected tonight?" asked Blair as she secured her tac-vest and began filling the loops with foam darts.

"I don't know. Probably not a lot. The Alpha Zombie might single out a few slower players and chase them down, but that's all I see him getting tonight," said Roxanne as she picked up another magazine, making sure it was fully-loaded before putting it in her bandolier.

"Well, I don't see us seeing too much action tonight, if any, so there's no need to go all out on the mags there, Rox," said Blair as she gestured to Roxanne's full bandolier, complete with three fully-loaded magazines.

Roxanne looked at her loadout then gave a nod. "You're right. I'd hate to lose something on the first night. I have a feeling we might do some running, and these mags will get easily jostled around in this cheap thing," she said as she began taking out some of the magazines. She kept the loose darts in the loops and only carried a single extra magazine which was easier to keep tabs on.

After getting ready, they left their dorm and began making their way to the Brickyard across campus. That was where the start of the game was going to take place. It was also where the rest of the platoon were gathering.

As they got closer, they began to see more people around carrying NERF guns. Blair and Roxanne exchanged enthusiastic smiles, thrilled to see so many other players around. When they finally arrived at their destination, most of the regular players were gathered around a raised, stage-like area, but the platoon was nowhere in sight. Blair and Roxanne looked around, eventually spotting a group of organized players off to the side by the Wolf Ears, a campus landmark. They began walking over and started to recognize people from the group.

Blair and Roxanne quickly hurried over and looked for their squad before the game began. The other members of the platoon were gathering around their squads as well, their squad leaders doing their best to keep everyone organized. As they approached Fourth Squad, they found Gale at the head of their unit, dressed head-to-toe in her intimidating HvZ gear.

Gale looked over and saw the pair approaching. "About time. You two are the last ones to show up," she said as she turned to face Blair and Roxanne. "Have you two registered yet?"

Blair and Roxanne exchanged blank looks. "Uh, not yet. Where do we do that?" asked Blair.

Gale pointed back to where all the other regular players were gathered in the Brickyard. "There are some tables over there. After you register for the game, you'll be given a player ID number and player card. They'll explain everything once you get there. After you're done, hurry back. Fox will be doing accountability soon," she said.

Blair and Roxanne gave her a nod and went to get registered for the game. They made their way over to the large group of players and got in line behind one of the tables. When it was finally her turn, Blair stepped forward and started the registration process which was super quick and easy. All she had to do was give her name, campus email, and student ID number. After her information was verified by the volunteer student staff member, she was given her HvZ player ID number and a player card.

The volunteer explained to Blair that the HvZ ID number was unique to her and if a zombie player tagged her, she had to hand over her player card to the person who infected her. The zombie player then had to turn in the card to a game moderator at their earliest convenience. Using the ID card, the moderator marked the player that it belonged to as "turned".

Before Blair was allowed to leave, the volunteer student had to check that her headband was within the game's regulations. Players wore headbands on the arm to signify that they were still human; zombies, on the other hand, wore them on the head. The headband had to be clearly worn without being hidden or obstructed. It also had to be a certain width and of a solid, bright color, so it was easily visible to players. When Blair and Roxanne joined First Platoon, they were given custom headbands which were bright orange and had the platoon's logo on it. Every member had one to distinguish themselves from the regular players. It was a tradition that first started with the original commander of First Platoon. Gale and her squad wore their bands high on their right arm around their bicep, so Blair and Roxanne did the same.

After checking her headband, the staff member gave Blair a nod, so she was allowed to leave. Blair thanked the student and took her player card, standing off to the side as she waited for Roxanne to finish registering. Once she was done, they headed on back to the platoon together to report in.

In the distance, they saw the squads of First Platoon begin to form up in preparation for roll-call. Each squad lined up in two columns of four with First Squad forming up on the right. Second Squad took their position to the left of them and the rest followed suit in a similar fashion.

Gray Team was providing security for the platoon while they were in their vulnerable formation, standing in a square perimeter around them. One year, the platoon made the mistake of letting their guard down. The Alpha Zombie managed to sneak up behind them and infected two members right at the start of the game. The Alpha Zombie was unique in that it didn't have to wear a headband to help give it an edge in infecting players during the beginning.

Blair and Roxanne jogged over and rendezvoused with Fourth Squad, getting in place with the rest of Alpha Team. Once everyone was in place, Reed stood in front of his platoon and called them to attention. The members who were in ROTC were allowed to stand at-attention according to how their branch dictated, since every branch had more or less a different way of standing at-attention. The Navy had their way and the Air Force had theirs. Those who weren't in ROTC just did the best they could, emulating whichever cadet they happened to see.

"Platoon, report!" said Reed as he took his place in front of his platoon, standing at-attention while facing them.

"First Squad all present and accounted for, sir!" said the Platoon's Second-in-Command.

"Second Squad all present and accounted for, sir!" said Second Squad's commander.

"Third Squad all present and accounted for, sir!" said Third Squad's commander.

"Fourth Squad all present and accounted for, sir!" said Gale loud and proud as Blair, Roxanne, and the rest of her squad stood behind her.

"Gray Team, ready to rock," said the leader of Gray Team as he remained alert for anything suspicious.

Reed looked to each of his squad leaders and gave an approving nod. "At ease," he said as he loosened up as well. "All right, Platoon. We've got roughly five minutes before the opening remarks and Z-Hour. Squad leaders, coordinate with your people to make sure everyone gets home safe and sound once the game starts. Keep alert and watch your backs." He gave everyone a nod before returning to First Squad and turning his attention towards the Brickyard.

After releasing the platoon back to the squad leaders, Blair watched as Gale turned to face her squad. She had them huddle around her, so Blair stepped closer and stood beside Roxanne.

"All right, things are about to kick off, so I need to make sure you all make it back home in one piece. I'll be damned if any of you get infected on the first night," said Gale as she looked to her squad.

Gale then outlined her plan to get everyone back home safe and sound. The squad was going to move together and escort everyone to their respective dorms, starting with the closest one that someone lived at. Since Gale lived off campus, she didn't mind escorting everyone until they all got back safely. After the plan was explained and all questions answered, the squad prepared for the start of the game.

Soon enough, the opening remarks began. Behind the tables where registration was happening, there was a raised area with speakers. One of the main game moderators stood up there with a microphone in their hand. The person spoke into the microphone and their voice boomed through the speakers, getting all the players gathered there to focus their attention on them. She started off by welcoming everyone to the 2042 Fall Z-Night, the beginning of the fall semester Week Long game.

Blair and Roxanne listened intently, eager to see how everything was going to go. The platoon had already explained to them the game mechanics and rules, but they didn't really touch on the lore behind the game. Apparently, there was a story that was interwoven into the game that helped explain things like game mechanics and events. Each year, it was more or less the same, but sometimes the game moderators changed it up to give the game more diversity.

The main moderator continued on and introduced herself along with her fellow moderators. Together, they were going to be oversee the game and act as referees. She then went over the basic rules for the new players and answered any questions there might've been. Once that was all taken care of, she started a countdown that signified the start of the game at its conclusion. After counting down to zero, the outbreak officially began and it was game on. As soon that happened, everyone in the Brickyard scattered as they began running back towards their dorms. All the new players were tightly packed around the stage while the veteran players were lingering more towards the edges. The veterans knew about the mad rush that came with the start of the game, so they stood off to the side to give themselves more room to move and keep a better eye on their surroundings.

By the Wolf Ears, First Platoon took a more organized and professional approach as they began heading out in squads. Blair and Roxanne readied their guns as they prepared to move out, following Gale's lead.

"All right, Squad! On me!" said Gale as she began to move at a jog.

Blair, Roxanne, and the rest of the squad followed Gale as she began leading them to the first dorm. They formed up in a line formation with Alpha Team at the front and Bravo Team trailing behind them. The Squad moved at a quick pace, keeping their eyes open for the Alpha Zombie or any unfortunate player who'd been turned within the first moments of the game.

Things were calm and quiet as Blair's squad moved through the campus, sticking to the shadows as they hurried to get everyone back to their dorms. As the squad approached the front door of a dorm building, the squad member who lived there broke off while the rest of the unit continued on. One by one, they managed to get another of their squad safely home until it was just Blair, Roxanne, and Gale left. Since Blair and Roxanne lived together, Gale was going to escort them halfway to their dorm then split off to head back to her car. The three of them continued at a swift and vigilant pace before finally parting ways.

Blair and Roxanne waved goodbye to Gale as she continued on her own, disappearing into the darkness with the sounds of her footsteps fading shortly after. Blair and Roxanne exchanged determined looks and kept jogging back towards their dorm, their guns held firmly in their hands. Fortunately for them, the remaining trip back was uneventful and without any hostile contacts. They successfully arrived back at their room and headed inside, safe from the zombie menace until the next day.

###

"Blair? Hey, Blair."

Blair snapped out of her daydream to see Roxanne giving her an odd look from across the table. "Oh, sorry. I was just reminiscing," she said.

Roxanne was about to ask what Blair was thinking about but held her tongue. Instead, she went back to sipping her drink as she looked around the resort. After the two were done with their drinks, they got up and went about exploring the rest of the resort.