Chapter 36: Volatile Nest

(The Slums in Harran, Turkey, The Middle East, Europe - 8:30am...)

K-L

I don't think I've seen Rahim as happy as he was, when his plan started to come together.

This was something that he had wanted to accomplish for a really long time and... even though blowing up a volatile nest did sound dangerous, it meant that doing missions at night would be more easier without having to worry over getting ripped to shreds - so, I did understand why Brecken and Jade were concerned at first. But I also saw Rahim's perspective and honestly? I was going to support him, no matter what.

Sure, we've had minor disagreements here and there. But, you know, he's my buddy. Plus, I was glad to see him cracking genuine smiles again.

His plan was basically like this: he was in charge of setting the bombs and strapping them to three support columns - whilst Omar, Mel and I cover his back. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Well... if we were a part of some Hollywood action film with plot armour, then maybe. Real life however was a different story, because I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge the warning bells going off in my head. Each of them were reminding me of what had transpired with Amir and Paul - but like a dummy, I chose to remain in denial. I remember thinking: Naaah! History's not going to repeat itself! You're worrying for nothing, Libby - you always do!

If only my suspicions were correct...

"Libby?" Melanie's concerned voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I forced a smile on my face. "Course, I am,"

"Okay, as long as you're sure," She responded kindly, before we proceeded to catch up with Rahim and Omar on the rooftops. "So, anyway - I know there are a lot of countries in Europe - but if you had to pick one, where would you want to go?"

"God, I don't know where to begin," I answered in a surprised manner. "I mean, the only country I can think of right now is Spain and I've only been there once,"

Hearing this, the older girl's eyes lit up with understanding. "How old were you, again?"

"I think I was six?" My brows furrowed. "Probably?" Cue an innocent shrug. "I can't remember," What else don't I remember about my childhood?

"That's okay," Melanie reassured me. "I can't decide on which country I'd like to visit, either. But, uh, judging from what I've read online - I'd go for Romania,"

"Hm, sounds interesting," And also, familiar. I wonder why that is?

"Yeah," My best friend piped up excitedly. "It's not that far from here, actually. It's got these amazing mountain views and I imagine that it could be nice to have a look around the towns. There's also a lot of fortified castles to visit," An amused chuckle. "You know, that could be up your alley - considering it's medieval,"

"It could be, yeah," I smiled in agreement. "Are there any cities there? Like Harran?"

"Um, I know there's one," Mel revealed. "I haven't looked into it much, but it's called Villedor," What?!

I almost froze in my tracks. "V-Villedor?" Okay, that definitely sounds familiar. Ugh, why do I...?! Why do I feel like I know that from somewhere?

"Yep," She confirmed, somehow picking up on the slight fear in my voice. "Have you been there?"

Yes, you have. You have been there, Libby. Try to remember!

"To be honest, my brain is telling me that I have," I explained nervously. "But, it's difficult to think about,"

"Oh," The older girl frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that,"

"No, it's alright," I quickly reassured her. "I mean - it's probably best if I leave it, anyway," Is it, though?

It didn't take long for an idea to come to my best friend's mind. "You could maybe write a mind map of the things you remember, when we're back? That could help you figure some things out?" Hm, that's not a bad idea.

"Okay, sure,"

Following this, the four of us decided to make a quick stop at one of the safe zones that our sanctuary had set up and I couldn't help but notice Rahim's eyes gleaming with excitement due to how close we were getting to the overpass. I know, man. I know. Omar appeared to be just as eager, too. I don't remember speaking to him much at the Tower, but... he didn't seem like a bad person to have a chat with - though, I'll admit that he was a little different. Why? Because he regularly referred to himself in third-person (I didn't understand the reason for that, initially) and on top of that, he liked to brag about paying only $275.00 for his fishing reel - which he had bought used instead of paying $649.00, which was the list price for a Tobunga Mark 12 Super-Caster.

Now that I think about it, I also didn't understand the concept of fishing in general. Still, Omar was a nice guy...

"Guys," Rahim decided to speak up. "I don't know about you, but I'm actually wondering what my sister will think - when we pull this off,"

"You sound excited," Melanie commented kindly.

"Well, yeah - I am," The older boy chuckled. "Plus, maybe this could be what gets her to apologise?" Okay, still holding a grudge. What if Jade's sick, though? I mean, did you see her holding her stomach?

If the redhead sensed my thoughts, I couldn't tell. "Ah, who knows?" An innocent shrug. "Let's just focus on executing your plan, first,"

"Alright,"

"Is there anything else you need us to do, when we're in there?"

"Nope," Rahim answered in a pleased manner. "Just keep the volatiles off my *ss, and we'll be out before we know it,"

Hearing this, Mel shook her head amusedly. "You make that sound so easy, you know that?"

"Well, it is to an extent," He shot back with a grin, before proceeding to address Omar. I don't blame him for feeling hopeful. "What's on your mind?"

"Digging for worms to go fishing, of course. What else is there?"

"Do you want a list, when we're back?" My best friend asked curiously. "Because, I'd be happy to sort something out for you. I'm sure the girls would, too,"

"Sure," The redhead agreed politely, whilst I flashed him a smile. It would only take about five minutes or so, no worries.

"I appreciate that," Omar thanked us. "But no, I would like to go fishing this afternoon. If one of you will take me to my secret fishing spot, I will reward you with something I couldn't care less about, but you will think is wonderful. Then, we'll be even. Deal?"

After a shared glance with Mel and I, Rahim nodded. "Okay, I'll take you to your fishing spot later,"

"Brilliant!" Our acquaintance smiled. "There are a couple of stops on the way, but I promise you will not regret it,"

"I'm sure I won't," My best friend responded, turning his gaze to the overpass ahead. "Anyway, um, how would you guys suggest we get up to the overpass from here?" He then pointed to one of the nearby tall buildings, which had a fragile yet wooden roof. "Because, I don't want - for example - something to cause that roof to break, since we all know what would happen if it did,"

"Yeah," I murmured solemnly. One word: virals.

"So, any ideas?"

"Hold on, let me think," I told him as Omar, Melanie and I began to observe our surroundings. "We could maybe, I don't know - climb up one of those houses, there," I pointed out the row of tall buildings he had gestured to. "Of course, that would mean crossing the risk hazard you mentioned. But we could try that and get onto the scaffolding underneath the overpass, climb up that way?"

Hearing this, the older girl nodded. "I'm on board with that,"

"Omar likes that idea, too,"

"Alright, let's do it," Rahim said hopefully. Bingo!

With our goal set, the four of us resumed our trek towards the overpass. Now looking back, I think that this was another moment that my brain has mostly blocked - because... the next, I'd say, fifteen to twenty seconds, were a bit of a blur for me. I can't remember exactly what set things off and I imagine that if you asked Rahim and Melanie, they'd probably give you the same answer. Here's what I partly remember, though:

It wasn't long before we had come across some of the car traps that I had originally assisted Crane with setting up and of course, there was numerous biters taking a casual wonder around them. No surprise, there. Bad news, though: there were a handful of virals accompanying them - nine, at the latest. Melanie and I were quick to start ascending one of the tall buildings, whilst Rahim and Omar decided to make use of their firecrackers in order to distract them. Initially, I thought we were all going to climb up together - but... whatever floated their boats, I guess. So far, so good...

Until, a number of shrill screams suddenly rang out.

"Oh f*ck, start climbing!" I heard Rahim yell, seconds before Mel and I pulled ourselves up onto the building. What just happened?!

"Guys?!" Melanie called out worriedly, just as a cry of agony greeted our ears. Oh nononono! "Guys, get the f*ck up here now!"

Whilst she frantically kicked a handful of virals away from the guys, I whirled round to face a female viral who screamed right in my face. NO! The second she lunged forward; I pulled her into a headlock, repeatedly thrust my knife into her neck and threw her onto the roof - just as Melanie helped our friends up to their feet. Alright, let's move! The four of us then took off sprinting across the rooftops and leapt across to the scaffolding I had mentioned earlier, with Omar barely managing to break free from a viral's grasp. Following this, we hurriedly climbed up onto the overpass and made a running start towards a row of buses ahead - whilst Rahim switched on his radio in a sheer state of panic.

"Hey! Is anyone there?!" He shouted with terror. Come on! Someone, please answer! "It's Rahim, does anyone copy?!"

"Yeah, I copy. What's wrong?" Brecken's concerned voice came through the other end. Oh, thank god!

"I f*cked up! I f*cked up bad!"

"H-Hold on, hold on, slow down! What happened, and where are you guys?!"

"We're on the overpass and it's all going to sh*t, Brecken!" Rahim yelled, just as the three of us scrambled up onto one of the buses. "Goddamnit, we need help!"

Hearing this, Brecken swore under his breath. "Right, head to the trainyard and find a place to hide! I'll send some runners out!"

My best friend sighed with relief. "Thank you! We're going to the trainyard now!" His relief, however, was short-lived when he turned to see two virals sprinting towards a fearful Omar - who had just stabbed another biter in the neck. "Omar, behind you! Behind you!"

"Omar!" I quickly unsheathed my knife and lunged forward ... only for Melanie's right arm to wrap around me and tug me back. Hey, what the hell are you doing?!

"Get up here!" Melanie shouted, keeping a strong grip on my shoulders.

By that point, our acquaintance had unfortunately whirled round a little too late and he found himself overwhelmed by the virals in the blink of an eye. He fell to the road, screaming in agony as the virals ripped him apart! NO!

"OMAR!" Rahim screamed with horror.

"NOOOO!" I cried out, my heart violently tearing into two.

"Guys, we have to go!" A saddened Melanie raised her voice, so we could hear her clearly. "We have to go, there's nothing we can do for him!" She then addressed the older boy, as she tugged me away. "Rahim, take us to the trainyard!"

I'm so sorry, Omar...!

(The Trainyard in Harran, Turkey, The Middle East, Europe - 8:38am...)

I honestly felt like I was going to be sick.

Normally with negative situations, I would tell myself to remain calm and that I would figure out how to resolve them eventually - but this...! This was one of the few times where I felt genuinely helpless. I had no idea how we were going to explain this to Brecken when we got back to the Tower and I-I hated to admit it, but a part of me was also beginning to understand how Jade must have felt when she witnessed Amir's death. Seeing someone die that horrifically would have haunted anyone and...! This was another instance where I felt like a failure, because...! I believe that I should have done more to try and help Omar!

He didn't deserve to go out like that, either! He really didn't...

"I'll make sure this place is clear," Melanie told us calmly, once the three of us had made it safely to the trainyard. "I, um, I'd ask if you guys are okay - but I know that's not the best question, given our circumstances right now,"

"No, no, it's fine," Rahim was quick to reassure her, grimacing in pain. Oh no. "We know you mean well,"

"How's your leg?" The older girl asked, glancing at his left leg worriedly.

A grunt. "Not great,"

"Okay, we'll have a look at it - once I check this place out," Mel walked off, prompting us to tag along at a slow pace for Rahim's sake. You're going to be okay, man...

I don't think I've had a reason to go to the trainyard until this point, but it had clearly seen better days. It had a large space with multiple train-cars spread across the area, all of which were stained in dirt and dried blood. There was also an unpleasant smell coming from a nearby sewer entrance and it didn't help that the numerous mutilated corpses sent the smells of blood our way. God...!

"Libby, I need to ask a favour of you," Rahim told me worriedly, just as I swallowed back a wave of nausea.

"What is it?"

"I...!" A pained grunt. "I don't think I'm going to make it to the nest...!" What?!

"Hey, you're going to be fine," I tried to comfort him. "We'll finish this together and we'll do it for Omar, okay?"

"And everyone else we've lost?" The older boy choked out, holding back tears. Oh god...!

Upon seeing his terrified expression, my heart gave a painful lurch and I forced a brave smile on my face. "Yeah, we'll do this for them, too," Okay, something's clearly going on. Rahim, can you please tell us what that is? Please?!

"We're clear!" Melanie called out, before she approached the two of us. Within seconds, a confused frown painted her face. "Um, Rahim? What are you doing?"

Our mutual friend had slid off his backpack and knelt down to unzip it. "I need to arm the bombs,"

"W-What, now?!" She glowered at him, whilst he pulled out said explosives and started to set them. Why?!

"Yes," Rahim answered sadly. "They'll blow in less than five minutes, which leads us to the favour I need to ask of you, Lib," Cue him to address me. "Can you execute my plan?" WHAT?!

Hearing this, my eyes widened with shock. "You want me to blow up the nest?!"

"I do," The older boy confirmed, grimacing in agony. "Look, girls...! I-I got bit, okay?" NO! "I got bit when we were climbing up to the overpass and I'm not going to make it to the nest - so, please, Libby, can you execute my plan?!"

"I-I don't know if I can...!" I stammered fearfully, whilst Melanie was frantically searching her backpack for our injector and a vial of Antizin.

"You just have to strap them to three support columns, that's it," Rahim told me firmly. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to do this,"

I found myself shaking my head in disbelief. "Goddamnit, fine. I'll do it," I then took notice of the clocks ticking on the three bombs and I didn't hesitate to place them in my rucksack. "Where do I go from here?"

"You see that sewer entrance there?"

"Yeah,"

"Go through it, and it'll take you to the hive," My best friend instructed, just as Mel injected a shot of Antizin into his left arm. "Let me know when you get there,"

"We'll explain everything to the runners, too," The redhead added worriedly, hoisting him up to his feet. "Please be careful, Lib,"

"Okay," I swallowed back my terror. "Okay, I'll see you guys back at the Tower,"

With that, I rose to my feet and took running towards the sewer entrance Rahim had pointed out; turning round to climb a ladder down to a sea of dirty water. Oh god, okay. On the count of three. Three, two, one! I sucked in my air supply and dove into the water, clawing and kicking as fast as I could go. I then swam up and heaved a gasp of air, before I scrambled up metal railing and hurriedly ascended another ladder.

"Rahim, I'm back on the surface," I switched on my radio, as I ran for the tall tower ahead. Volatiles, don't mind me. I'm just passing through!

"Good - once you get into the building, head up the ramp and get up to the floor above!" The older boy explained. "You need to strap the first two bombs there!"

"On it!"

Looking back, I'm willing to admit that this was one of the most terrifying things I've ever had to do - one hundred percent. It didn't help that my anxiety had practically skyrocketed in about five to ten seconds, hence why I kept reminding myself to stay focused on executing Rahim's plan and avoid the snarling volatiles that had already seen me. Don't freak out, just strap the two bombs on the support columns. Simple as that. Bearing this in mind, I leapt onto the next floor and narrowly dodged a viral's claws during my sprint into a nearby room. And there are virals here, too. Goddamnit! My fear quickly turned into short-lived relief, when I spotted two big support columns not far from each other. Bingo!

I then hurriedly tore the first bomb out of my rucksack and strapped it on the column. Rince, repeat for the second one, and... "First two bombs are set!"

"Okay, pay attention," Rahim's voice came through the other end of my radio. "Find some stairs and get to the next floor up! You're looking for another column, like the first two!"

Just as he spoke, I took notice of a door leading to said staircase and took off. Okay, one more bomb and I'm out. Let's do this. Once I got up to the second floor, I made a right and ran straight for a large area with a shallow pool of blood and a small group of biters roaming freely - almost like they had their minds occupied somewhere else. Excuse me, zombies! Pardon me! I didn't think twice about bailing past them and hauling myself up a blood-stained wall, before emerging in a large room filled with biters and at least one volatile. Oh, for god's sake!

Pushing my terror to one side, I ripped the final bomb out of my rucksack and strapped it onto the closest column I could find. "Okay, I'm done!"

"It's done? Great!" My best friend let out a small gasp of relief. "Now get your *ss out of there!" Rahim, if I get killed trying to get out of here - I swear to god...! No. No. This is on you, Libby! You agreed to this!

It took everything in my power not to punch my own head in, so I resorted to turning around and sprinting away. Peace out, biters! Now, if this was a Hollywood film or a video game, I probably would have made it out in one piece - no injuries, nothing. B-But...! As much as I hate to say this, I wasn't lucky enough to achieve that in real life. Why? Because mere seconds after I took off, a hoarse scream rang out and before I even knew what was happening, the sounds of rapid footsteps greeted my ears. Ignore i—

CHOMP!

I screamed as a pair of razor-sharp jaws slammed into my left leg, the resulting thunder throbbing like a needle had just been thrust into my arm. NO! Without hesitation, I delivered a hard kick which sent the volatile flying back and took off sprinting.

"Aiden!"

"No! Libby! Nooo!"

My terror grew even worse when I high-tailed it back the way I came and realised that nearly half of the infected were after me. Just ignore them and run! Allowing my survival instincts to kick in further; I shoved my way past and by the time I re-emerged on the first floor, distant sounds of explosions greeted my ears. Oh nononono! I jumped down onto the ramp and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. You're almost out, Libby! You're almost out! My legs soon gave way and I found myself collapsing, just as remnants of the volatile nest slowly crashed to the ground...

Oh, good grief...!

Breathing heavily, I hurriedly fished out my radio and switched it on. "H-Hello? Anyone copy?"

"Libby!" Jade's relieved voice came through the other end. "Rahim told me that he just saw the volatile nest go down, are you okay?"

"N-No!" I wheezed hoarsely, grasping my chest in severe agony and trembling. "Volatile bit me...!" The knowledge that something warm was bubbling in my throat only worsened my anxiety. "I need help! Please...!"

Hearing this, the woman swore under her breath. "Okay, hold on! Henry and I are coming to get you, just stay on the radio!"

My chest suddenly convulsed and a series of violent coughs gradually tore out of my throat. No, please no! Don't tell me I'm about to turn! PLEASE! The pain wouldn't stop throbbing and no matter how times I tried to swallow, a lot of fresh blood continued to spill down my chin and cake my clothes. NONONO!

"Hold on, Lib!" I heard Adam's fearful voice reassure me. "Henry and Jade will be here any minute!"

"Try to breathe slowly...!" Hannah suggested, just as worried as he was.

I desperately tried to follow my younger sister's advice; but the coughs, the blood and the pain all tore through my body like a knife was repeatedly piercing my heart. This slowly escalated to the point where I was hunched over with a hand clutching my chest tightly and my eyes screwed shut. Tears were now streaming down my face and it was only a matter of seconds until I found myself heaving hysterical screams...!

What is...! What is HAPPENING TO ME?!