Chapter 24: Bolter

(The Tower's Roof - 19:13...)

"Kyle, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm still in one piece,"

"Good. I just got back to the Tower and I'll give the explosives to Sa'id, whilst you talk to Rahim. Make sure he stays away from that hive,"

"Will do, don't worry,"

"Don't worry? ... Right,"

...

After I left the school and nearly had an encounter with another strange biter with the green blisters, I sort of had a feeling that I was in for something terrible.

Despite me having knocked some sense into her, Jade was still behaving in an over-protective manner over Rahim and on top of that, the latter wasn't himself. He wasn't the excitable yet volatile kid I knew anymore and... him telling me that he didn't want to disappoint his sister again and he wished he could believe me when I told him that he didn't let her down - those signs alone screamed that something was up, only I couldn't figure out what it was.

And now, I have to respect Jade's wishes and tell him that he can't blow up the volatile nest. I... I-I-I don't know if I can do this!

"Hey, Rahim," I greeted the older kid after I arrived back at the Tower and ventured up for the roof.

"Hey, Kyle!" My buddy replied enthusiastically, beaming happily. Oh god, he knows about the explosives, doesn't he?! "Sa'id told me about the explosives you guys found! How perfect is that?!"

"Yeah," I agreed, secretly feeling guilty over what I had to do. I f*cking hate myself already. "That was a lucky find, though it would have been better to turn up some Antizin,"

"I get your point," Rahim replied in understanding, before joyfully explaining "Anyway, my buddy Omar's making sure Sa'id's putting good timers on those things. We have to be able to get our *sses out of there before they blow,"

Now's your moment, Crane. Do it.

"Whoa, we? I hate to say this, but there's no we here," I sadly got straight to the point. "I mean, yeah, that nest needs to go and now it's possible. But if it gets done, I'm doing it on my own,"

Poor Rahim looked utterly devastated, almost like he had his heart ripped out of his chest. F*cking kill me, I shouldn't be doing this! "But... it's my plan!"

Hearing this, I placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "And I will execute it perfectly, you have my word," Silence followed, and I fleetingly caught my buddy on the verge of tears. "Look, I'm really sorry, okay? I truly am,"

The older kid made eye contact and gave me the most fierce and hateful glare I had ever seen in my life! "No, you're not, Crane. Because if you were my friend, you'd let me help you - but no, you're just like her,"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked worriedly.

"You two and Brecken would be better off without me, wouldn't you?!" Rahim accused, furiously wiping his tears away. What the f*ck?!

"No!" I exclaimed with horror, earning an angry scoff. "No, that's not the case at all! Why would you think that?!"

"Because...!" The kid shot back, trailing off and throwing his googles away with a frustrated yell. "Because, I... I-I can you just get the f*ck out?!"

"Rahim, please talk to me," I tried calmly, reaching out for him. "What's bothering y—"

"GET THE F*CK AWAY FROM ME, *SSHOLE!" My friend screamed with rage, turning round and violently slamming his fist into my right eye - which forced a yell of agony to rip out of my throat as I stumbled backwards.

Rahim had frozen with an expression of pure shock and remorse, trembling. "K-Kyle, I'm... I'm so sorry!"

This was Step 4 for the beginning of the end. Looking back, I should have reacted differently when I heard the kid's apology. But all I could see was red and almost all the same negative emotions I felt when Jade had pushed me away resurfaced, prompting me to stare at him coldly.

"I'm telling the trut—"

I wasn't having any of it. Off I went storming into the building and rudely giving him the finger, too wrapped up in the throbbing pain I felt and ignoring the little voice in my head yelling at me to go back and listen to him...

Maybe if I knew what he was going through, I would have done...

(The Tower's Hospital - Floor 19...)

"What happened to your eye, Kyle?" A concerned Lena was the first to greet me after I had stormed down three flights of stairs for the hospital.

"I..." I huffed, wincing in agony. "I got into a fight with Rahim," Thanks for the black eye as well, kid.

"Okay, let me get an ice pack for you," The woman replied, walking off to grab the latter in question and earning a "Thanks," from me. It only took her a couple of seconds to return and hand it over, before heading back to work - just as I managed to catch Spike emerge from the right corner of the hospital. "What's up Spike?"

"Nothing much," The African-American answered in a friendly manner, approaching me. "I've just been helping Zere with a new experiment of his',"

"Cool, is he here now?" I asked. "I'd like to talk to him about something,"

"Yes, he's just around the corner," Spike revealed. "What happened to you, anyway? Did you get into a fight?"

"You could say that, and I think Rahim made it clear that he hates me," I sighed sadly. "Can't say I blame him, though,"

Despite the visible concern, my friend reassured me with "Look - I'm sure he didn't mean it, whatever happened between you both. Just give him some time, alright? Maybe that kid will come to his senses and apologise later?"

"Maybe," I muttered in agreement. "Anyhow, I better dash. Talk to you later?"

"Sure, looking forward to it,"

The two of us then went our separate ways and true to Spike's word, I found Imran busy at work. "Hey Doc, you got a minute?"

He turned round to face me in a friendly manner. "Oh-it's... Kane, yes? How can I help you?

"Crane," I corrected, offering a small smile. "Remember when I told you about that weird Infected I saw? You know, the one who took one look at me and hauled ass away?"

"I do, yes,"

"Well, I just saw another one and it did the same thing," I informed him.

"Hm," Zere began pondering. "I believe I've heard your colleagues talk about those creatures - Bolters, they call them. Apparently they favor certain areas of town over others, but only appear at night. I don't suppose you could catch one and bring me a sample of its' flesh?"

"Okay, sure," I replied kindly.

"Thank you," The doctor said appreciatively, proceeding to explain "You see, a thought occurred to me - a long shot, I realize - but if these creatures favor areas where Libby left my experimental bait," He then interrupted his own thoughts. "Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Please do obtain a sample. But it has to be fresh, so I'm afraid you'll have to get it back to me quickly,"

"That shouldn't be a problem," I reassured him. "Where exactly do I find these things?"

"I'm told that quartermaster chap has been keeping track of them," The elderly man answered, turning back to continue his work.

"Thanks Zere, I'll see you around," I bid him a fond farewell, before returning my ice pack to Lena and heading out for the elevator.

Ugh, this is gonna be fun...

(Floor 1...)

"How can I help you?" The Quartermaster asked politely as I approached him. Really don't want to have another barrel of laughs.

"First of all - hey, pal," I greeted. "Dr Zere says you know where I should look for these, uh, bolters - Super fast Infected? Covered in big green blisters?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I can point you in the right direction," The man told me, turning to pull out a map of the Slums as I responded with "Great! Where would you suggest I go?"

"The best place is the Black Serpent Bazaar, which is just up the road from here," My acquaintance answered. "You'll have to take a left and head straight in order to get there. Though, you ask me, if trouble don't come lookin' for you, no reason to go lookin' for trouble,"

"Words to live by," I commented positively, secretly managing to hide my annoyance. "Thanks,"

With that, I turned away and decided to head back up in order to prepare for my incoming hunt. But as I neared the elevator, a sudden blare of static erupted from my radio and much to my indifference, Rahim's anxious yet awkward voice came through the other end. "Kyle, do you copy?"

Oh, f*ck you!

I held back an annoyed sigh, before responding with an icy "What do you want?"

"Okay, ouch. I deserved that," The older dude put himself down sadly. Damn right, you did. "Listen - I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for, you know, lashing out on you. That's all,"

"Thanks," I replied appreciatively. "Kid, I can tell that you're holding a lot in and... I know you may not be ready right now - but should you change your mind, I'm here if you need to vent. So are Libby, Henry, Brecken and Jade - our lives would be f*cking terrible without you, you know? You're an awesome guy,"

For a matter of seconds, silence followed and it didn't take long for Rahim to respond in a pleased yet forced? manner. "Thanks, bro. I'm glad that we buried the hatchet and everything's alright. Look, why don't we just make what happened earlier history and make sure Libby has a great 18th birthday tomorrow?"

Hearing this, I smirked. "Sounds like a good idea. See you then,"

Well, glad to know that's sorted.

(The Black Serpent Bazaar in the Slums, Harran, Turkey, The Middle East, Europe - 20:00...)

I knew I had some time to kill before heading out, so I took advantage of that and met up with Jade to make her aware of her brother's worrying behaviour. She too became concerned because of the signs I brought up and insisted that I was in the right when I told him that he didn't disappoint her repeatedly, then going on to tell me that Rahim was a different kid all together before the Outbreak. He was an awkward yet friendly nerd who unfortunately didn't have a lot of buddies to play video games or joke around with, at least until Libby and a friend of hers' came along. Knowing that, prompted me to see him in an entirely new light - but... my girlfriend and I ultimately decided that his sudden personality change and behaviour was sadly a result of the Outbreak.

All we had to do now was to think of ways that we could help him recover and allow the shy yet kindhearted nerd to break out again.

First things first, though - Bolter errand for Dr. Zere. Once the sun began to set, I left the Tower and managed to find one of Spike's safe houses as the Quartermaster had told me. Cue me positioning myself and I noticed a spot underneath one of the light boxes across the road, which stood next a tall block of flats painted in a dirt stained blue. Okay, this should be the right place. The sun then disappeared behind the clouds and allowed darkness to spread across the Slums, accompanied by a roaring howl. Oh god...! To finish things up, a singular Bolter innocently approached the area I observed and began to hungrily sniff around for dinner.

Alright, that's my cue. Go.

I sprung from the safe house and cautiously snuck behind the infected with my machete at the ready, aware of the sudden breathing belonging to volatiles filling the area. One stabbing in the gut followed by scalping out a piece of bolter tissue later, I instantly took off towards Dr. Zere's truck whilst remaining careful not to wind up becoming a tasty meal myself. Sounds like a disgusting painful way to go, if you ask me. It didn't take too long for me to spot the white van standing proudly next to the fenced in playing court and once I ascended on over, jackpot. Mission complete!

"Doc?" I called out after I knocked on his door. "It's Kyle,"

"Ah, Kyle! Come on in," Zere greeted kindly, allowing me into his lab to see a pleased Jade standing near his radio. Oh, hello! "Did you get the samples I asked for?"

"Right, here," I replied, handing them over.

"Excellent, thank you very much," The doctor responded, taking the samples and laying them next to his medical equipment before getting to work.

"It's no problem," I told him sheepishly, turning to address my girlfriend with a surprised "I didn't expect to see you here,"

"Zere's asked me to lend another helping hand," Jade answered happily. "We were just telling Dr. Camden about you too,"

"W-Were you?"

Before the woman could follow up with another answer, a man's voice suddenly spoke through the other end of the radio. "Hello, Mr. Crane. Glad to have you working with us. You sound like an impressive individual,"

"Thank you," I replied as Imran began to comment on the bolter samples he was currently testing. "Interesting stuff, what passes for blood in this creature. Photosensitive. Quite deadly if used on a weapon, I'd wager. But I digress. My last bit of reagent here, and a reserve vial of... Oh my word!"

"What is it, Imran?" Jade asked in a concerned manner.

"This tissue, it's testing positive for the recombined virus!" Zere explained excitedly, before facing his radio. "Camden, do you know what this means?!"

"The meat experiment worked!" Camden exclaimed, equally overjoyed.

"Congratulations, guys!" I complimented. Really happy for you both!

"When I dosed the meat samples with the altered strain, it's had an effect," The African-American went on to explain. "This could explain all the different mutations!" Cue a disappointed "But I can't, unfortunately. Camden could, because he has the equipment. But as far as we're aware, there's no possible way to get the research to him,"

"You can talk to him on the radio. Why not share info that way?" I suggested hopefully.

"There's too much data, Crane. It would take years! We'd both be dead and gone before he finished," Camden informed me.

Cue Zere to sadly quote "Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink,"

"What if there was a route, though?" Jade chimed in. "Rahim and I were asked to deliver the packages, if that was the case, and we were thinking about maybe inviting Kyle, Libby and Henry along. How would you feel about that?"

"Okay, sure," I responded eagerly.

But Camden wasn't too keen on this, yet it was understandable. "I appreciate that you're all willing to help - but getting from there to here would be insanely dangerous,"

"But it could mean a cure, right?" I couldn't resist pondering aloud. Maybe, things could get back to normal too?

My girlfriend and the elderly man both sensed this, promoting the latter to offer a hopeful grin. "You don't know much this means, dear boy. To me, to all of us! I'll contact you two when everything is ready,"

"Thank you, Imran," Jade kindly told him as she and I let ourselves out. "Have a good night,"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I agreed, sending a friendly salute before I closed the door and joined my girlfriend outside. "Well, glad to hear those guys are happy,"

Hearing this, Jade chuckled. "Yes. It's about time we get some good news around here,"

I smirked. "Fair point. Anyway, I'll see you in the morning?"

"Why don't you stay in my room?" She boldly suggested, attempting to hold back an amused grin when she saw the surprised expression on my face. What the?! "I know it may be a big step but on the plus side, you'll have some company. What do you think?"

"Alright, let's do it,"

Interesting yet sweet idea, there...