A/N: I meant to ask this ages ago, Did anyone advertise for this fic or something? As soon as it hit the second page the views doubled in a few days and I was left wondering 'how the hell?' Anyway here's the next chapter, enjoy.
The shouting was the first thing that alerted the nurses, when the resounding smash of machinery rang throughout the hallways orderlies sprinted into the room. A young man had a nurse griped around the neck and a doctor was slumped on the cold floor, his hand dripping eye catching red blood. The young man, when shouted at by one of the orderlies took a double take as his mind registered what he was doing. Dropping the nurse he backed into a corner and hid his head in his hands.
._.
Eventually the people left after taking off some bandages that had encased his chest. They left him in a bed, left him with questions, left him alone. After a while his mind searched through the hazy gloom that was his memories and produced a word hospital, a safe place, somewhere you went to get fixed. But Matthew's senses told him otherwise, the air was tinged with the scent of blood old and new and death, death permeated everything. Even the wind carried ill tidings in the forms of screams and shouts.
Eventually he fell into a fitful sleep filled with looming figures, gunfire and blood.
Waking with a start Matthew took in his surroundings, he was still in the hospital. Getting up quickly he realised he was dressed in a gown, luckily not an open back. Rummaging through various cupboards he found a pair of trousers, an inch too short, a t shirt, an inch too long at the arms and to top off the raggedy look, his shitty runners (Trainers to you Americans) stolen from a body at the site of his escape. The colours were very lacklustre to his eyes, but they did their job.
Opening the curtains, it was still dark outside but Matt could see like it was daytime what the hell he questioned. Thinking nothing of it he began to make his escape, a more conventional method this time, climb out the window and run like crazy.
He didn't know where he was going, all he knew was it felt good to be able to just run free.
._.
After the next day Matthew felt hunger clawing at his stomach, meandering slowly through crowds of people he came upon a table on the walkway packed to the brim with coloured round things. Passing by the table, his hand darted out as quick as a snake and clutched a smooth round object.
An apple, he remembered, the vibrant green enticing him to bite. Bringing his teeth down on the fruit he took a bite and promptly started gagging. The vile taste repulsing his senses and rejecting the bright orb. After the disaster of the apple Matt was apprehensive about trying new foods, he spent the rest of the day exploring the city he didn't know the name of. Finding himself in an alleyway Matthew threw himself to a sitting position on the cold ground hugging his knees and hiding his head, weary and hungry he fell into a deep sleep.
._.
Footsteps echoed trough the corridors, they echoed worry. Upon reaching their destination a man knocked twice on the hard wooden door, voices, arguing it seemed. He shuffled his feet, uncomfortable with 'eavesdropping' on his superior.
"…Yes, all were followed",
"..I don't know how…"
"no…"
"if we don't send people in it might… yes that was the estimate"
"…some were, off by certain amounts, you've seen the specific files…"
"we never predicted for one of them doing that and therein lies my concern…no…you don't decide those matters"
"…very well, this is on your head"
With that something was slammed on a table..
The man winced with the end of the call, he whispered under his breath and stood still for a few seconds, gathering his wits. He pulled the reason for his visit from under his arm, he knocked again.
"Enter" the voice answered, grasping the door handle he entered the office.
"Sir, sorry for the interruption but you need to see this".
Doctor Kerins snatched the folder from his hand, his eyes darted from side to side, scanning the files like an automaton. The man stood static as the doctor read on, ten minutes passed, doctor Kerins's head shot up.
"How…" He questioned.
The other man stuttered, trying not to ire his superior
"I d-don't know s-sir, the report only came in recently , I came s-straight here".
Pointing to the door the doctor ordered 'out, now', while the other man skittered out the doctor approached his telephone.
"It's me, we have a problem, the estimates were off, way off".
._.
Matthew turned at the hissing emanating from behind him, approaching the blackened door cautiously his arm stretched out. He paused as the door rattled slightly then gripped the worn rusted handle and pulled.
"Oh holy shit" he yelled hoarsely as something flew out of the doorway at lightning speeds, a cat. Rubbing the back of his neck he chuckled nervously, a small dirty brown cat. The small creature sized him up from behind an overturned wardrobe, deciding he wasn't a threat the dishevelled feline sauntered over to Matt with it's tail in the air.
Well aren't you a cocky bastard he observed as the cat rubbed itself on his leg, purring like a buzz saw.
The decrepit old shack was a perfect hideout, in amongst a cluttered group of old houses pushed to the side didn't garner any attention.
Two days before Matt had been staying at a shelter, a place to stay and keep safe. He had been there for about four days along with other vagrants when each day more and more would either go missing or get extremely sick. On the fourth night one of the men began screaming and howling he started to wildly flail about and when another tried to restrain him, he bit the man. Both were taken away to a hospital and Matthew fled, again.
Now, now he wasn't sure what to do, walking through the closest city block in search of a new place to stay he took notice of less and less people. Some buildings had been blocked off with a poster adorned with the letters CEDA which held no meaning to him. Some soldiers had rolled into the shopping centre but he stayed far from there, on the side of caution.
He didn't know what was happening, but he could feel in his gut that it was bad. For now he had 'acquired' spare supplies from the shelter, enough to last a few days and had found a place to stay, he would wait to see the coming storm.
._.
The city was at the breaking point, the military had begun rounding up people 'for relocation to a safe area' and now due to his inability to hide Matt was cooped up in a group of people heading to the mall. Even with his head down Matt could smell the fear and tension, the air felt heavy and threatened to suffocate him. Listening to the murmur of the crowd he became engrossed in his own thoughts and as soon as his reverie started, it ended.
At the back of the group a woman screamed, the crowd panicked and the soldiers shouted. People began to run in different directions yelling frantically, Matthew was shoved to the ground as he tried to rise the crowd surged like a wave, knocking him down again. Unintentional kicks rained upon him and as he turned in an attempt to shield himself the crowd parted before him. He witnessed figures rushing from alleyways and pouncing on stragglers, he watched as a soldier was set upon by five, things. Matt gagged at the sight as one began to feast on the young soldiers neck, blood coated the already patchy ground as the arteries were torn open.
Still on his backside he back pedalled furiously as one of the things locked eyes with him, it was once a man, that much was clear wearing a now bloodied grey formal suit. But that was no man, rage filled it's features, it's face contorted into a snarl, gore dripped from it's mouth and it's eyes devoid of life. Releasing a guttural cry it advanced on Matt.
It sprinted at him, getting closer and closer, Matthew held his arms up to defend himself and in a heartbeat it was on him.
Blood sprayed his face as the things head exploded, behind him stood a soldier, pistol raised.
"Run for the mall" he yelled and raised his pistol again firing at the creatures littering the street. Wasting no time Matt jumped up and ran restlessly in the direction of the retreating remainder of the crowd.
And finally it gets interesting... Don't forget to review!