Thank you to everyone for your amazing comments! Here's chapter two, enjoy!
The road in front of him shook.
The heat reflecting off the tarmac made Doyle feel nauseous. He had drunk half the bottle of water already, and he was only half way through the day.
Yeah...this wasn't gonna last long.
Sighing, Doyle took shade under a nearby tree, its branches stretching out like fingers, casting odd, glimmering shadows on the grass below.
Summertime.
Doyle laughed wryly. Summer.
Usually he'd be joking around with Delta squad, on lunch break. Maybe they'd fool around - Doyle remembered with a smirk how he'd tricked Flynn into thinking they were being chased by a pack of Infected, and boy, had Flynn legged it.
"Like a chicken with its ass on fire."
Doyle found the memory a comfort.
He shifted, feeling the bandage catch on his shoulder. He took a sharp breath, wincing. Ouch.
Opening his eyes, Doyle saw a helicopter flying a few miles away.
Flynn.
Goodbye.
Blinking, Doyle saluted. He knew it was Flynn. The small red mark on the wing confirmed his thoughts, too.
"Good job, buddy." He spoke quietly.
Doyle straightened his back, and began walking again, suddenly feeling very alone.
"Sir, we have an unknown lifeform headed our way."
"What?"
"A person, sir."
"Infected?"
"Doesn't look like it, sir."
General Stone took a moment to think. Hand on his chin.
"Sir..."
"What, Jacobs?"
"He's...he's in uniform."
"Military?"
"Yes."
"Shit." Stone hit the desk with his fist in annoyance.
"Alpha Squad, we want you in sniper position." Jacobs spoke into a radio.
"No." Stone growled.
"Sorry, sir?"
"I said, no."
"But sir-"
"No!"
The soldier piped down, keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Send a squad up there. If he's one of ours, and a survivor, have him cleansed. I wanna know what's going on out there."
"If he's Infected, sir?"
"I'm sure you're familiar with out protocols for that, Jacobs." Stone snapped.
"Yes, sir." Jacobs answered, "Okay! I need B Squad up top. All precautionary gear, shoot if target is Infected."
Stone grabbed the microphone, " This is General Stone- and if he's not Infected, bring him back."
"Yes, sir." The order was acknowledged.
"I just hope this guy can give us something." Stone spoke quietly.
Doyle swayed slightly, his headache getting worse.
There was a small vibration under his feet, and Doyle stepped back clumsily, "what the fuck now?!"
A few yards head of him, Doyle saw a small, steel flap open up in the tarmac.
"Sweet fucking -"
Two men exited, covered head-to-toe in safety gear. Doyle almost laughed at how stupid they looked.
Wow, these hallucinations were so real!
Doyle felt his legs give out, and he fell awkwardly. Pulling himself up on his knees, he yelled, "I come in peace!" Before laughing giddily.
Ha. This was fun.
If this was in front of a load of Infected, they'd probably have no idea...
Doyle chuckled at the thought.
"What the fuck is wrong with that guy?!"
"No idea, Rick. No fucking idea..."
"I come in peace! Haha!"
"He's demented."
"Yeah, Cody."
"Well, he's not Infected." Cody pointed out.
"He sure ain't." Rick stared,"Why the fuck is he laughing?"
"That's what de-hydration does, I suppose..."
"Really?"
Cody nodded, "yeah, think so."
"Don't just stand there you mother-" came Doyle's delirious yell.
"I think he wants us to go over," Rick spoke, "y'ok, Cody?"
"Ready when you are."
Rick spoke into his radio, " 'kay, we're now approaching the target - AKA Hyena."
"Hyena?"
"They laugh, don't they?"
"Oh. Right."
Rick shook his head.
Doyle squinted.
Those shapes were definitely getting bigger...
A hand grasped his injured shoulder.
"Fuck!" Doyle cried out angrily, pushing the arm away, "that fucking hurts, y'know?"
Then, Doyle stopped.
How was he imagining this?
"Who...who are you?"
"I'm Commander Cody Hants, this is my Second In Command, Rick Douglas."
"Wha-?"
Rick rolled his eyes, "who are *you*?"
"Uh...Doyle." Doyle replied, still trying to process the information, " J-James Doyle."
"Okay, James, let's get you outta here." Cody spoke, looking around warily. "Rick, gimme a hand."
Rick bent to help pull Doyle to his feet, and the two soldiers supported the sniper as they travelled back towards the small hatch in the road.
A voice sounded over the radio, "you guys had better get in quick, you've got a pack headed your way. ETA; three minutes."
"Got it. Over." Cody spoke, "okay, James, we need you to jump down there."
"You want him to jump? The guy can't even walk on his own." Rick questioned.
"What other choice do we have, really?" Cody retorted.
"ETA; one minute thirty." Came the voice over the radio again.
Rick stood staring at Cody, before finally nodding, and turning to face Doyle, who was wretching.
"Niicee..." Rick commented.
"Shut up." Doyle snapped.
"We need to get in there now, Rick."
"Okay. Fine." Rick rolled his eyes, "James, in."
Doyle - who was being supported by Cody, slid his foot down the metal railing that lined the vertical tunnel. "Geesh..." He said aloud.
"Cody, get him in there, now." Rick spoke, an urgency in his tone.
Cody's eyes widened. "Oh shit."
"Yup. The party is about to start." Rick replied, kicking the loose bits of tarmac on the road.
Doyle landed with a 'thud'. Sharp pain shot through his legs as he did so, and he groaned.
Cody was just above him, sliding down the ladder like it was something he did daily.
Yeah. Doyle used to do that daily, too.
Delta Squad. His comrades. Everything. Gone.
There was a sudden sense of emptiness - like nothing really mattered anymore. Everything became a blur, like Doyle had been dropped in a pool of water...sinking...further...
The screams went unnoticed in Doyle's ears.
He fell.