"Where's this new destination?"

"It's Fort Collins, Colorado."

"What happened to California?"

"Lab's dark again. Maybe for good. You've been redeployed."

"By whose orders?"

"Well I started picking up a teletype signal on the old civil defense frequency. So delivery Murphy to Fort Collins. Doctor Merch will be there with her team to meet you."

"No more California?"

"Colorado is the new California."

"Copy." Amber said into the radio then turned to the group.

"Good news or bad?"

Warren nodded at her to continue "No more California we are now gling to Colorado to meet a Dr Merch?"

"Doctor Merch? Yeah, I got a bone to pick with that bitch." Murphy snarled.

"That bitch is the reason you're still alive." Warren said.

"Define alive."

"Well, Murphy. I think I'm gonna miss your sorry ass." Doc said coming up to stand next to him.

"I appreciate the sentiment."

"We logged some miles together, brother." Doc patted him on the back.

"Amen."

"Starting to feel like a damn family." Doc sighed looked around earning him a few looks "You know what I'm sayin'?"

Murphy chuckled "Uh, I... I dunno if I've actually ever said this to anybody before But I...I almost consider you a friend."

"Anyway, I'm gonna miss you, dude."

"Yeah, right." Murphy rolled his eyes but he was smiling.

"How 'bout you, kid?" Doc looked over at 10K.

"What do you got planned?"

"Uh, I don't know. Still got 6,998 to go. Might take a break for a while though, head up north somewhere cold. The Zs don't fare too well in the cold." He shrugged a bit unsure.

"Roberta?"

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe follow the sun west. I've never been to California."

"How 'bout you, Doc?"

"Maybe I'll buy a boat and sail around the world. Find me an island where there's not even a Z in their alphabet." They all laughed at him.

"You? What's your grand plan?" Murphy looked over at Amber.

She shrugged "I honestly thought one of us would of killed you by now..." this got her a few laughs but not from Murphy.

"I don't actually know I had camp blue skies then this. Never had a plan for after."

Doc put his arm around her "You ain't leaving my side kid. I aint getting any young weve been together since day one!"

Amber smiled and leaned into Doc. He was right they had met on day one. It was a horrible memery but he saved her life.

Murphy looked away.

"Hey I can always stay by your side. I know how much you'll miss me."

Murphy smirked "In your dreams sweetheart."

But in relaity he didn't mind that idea. He'd gotten us to her company. In fact each day he longed for it more and more.


"This must be it. Citizen Z said look for a metal shed with a roll up door." Warren said.

"Like this one?" Murphy pointed in front of him.

"What are they all looking at?" 10K asked.

"Our entrance."

"You think we're in the right place? Looks small."

Warren turned to Murphy, "Let me see your hands."

"What? My hands, why? Is this a hygiene thing again?" He asked stepping away from her.

"Just let me see them." She said and he complied.

"What the hell are you doing?" When he lifted his hands shes out cuffs on him.

"They're looking for a group of civilians transporting a prisoner. Idon't want anyone mistaking you as a zombie."

"Bullshit." Murphy spat at her. "You don't trust me. After all the times I've saved your ass."

"Trust has got nothing to do with it. I don't want anyone piking you after we got you this far."

Murphy started to walk ahead as the door lifted up.

With that Z's started to come out the door. Walking past Murphy to the rest of the group.

"Murphy!" Warren shouted.

"How much ammo do we got?" Warren shouted as the stood in a circle.

"Two bullets."

"I got one."

"One?"

"Murphy!" Amber yelled.

"What?! Oh, you want my help?! Sure, why not."

He walked back over to the group and stood infront of them. Warren cocked her gun.

"Don't! Don't do that!" Murphy warned her.

"Alright group hug."

Every huddled close to Murphy as they walked slowly inside.

"Maybe someday you'll learn to trust me." He said looked down at Amber in his side.

"Man, I hope nobody sees us." Doc whinned.

"You know before the apocalypse, I had the same effect on the ladies." Murphy chuckled to himself.

"Sure doesn't look operational."

"All those zombies up there must've wanted something down here." Amber said looking around.

"Same thing they always want. Brains."

"No. Something different. Something inside is attracting them like a magnet. I can feel it." Murphy said sounding scared.

"Happy damn birthday. Uh, reminds me of my 50th. Happy birthday Doctor Kur..."

"Dibs on the last rose." Murphy said wiping the frosting and eating it "What? I can't help it."

"Animal." Amber muttered.

"Damn vaccine makes me crave sugar."

"Well if you start craving brains, let me know." Doc looked at him.

"Ha-ha."

Amber walked over to a body slumped over a computer as it lit up.

"This is a new message here from Citizen Z. Operation Bite Mark. If you get this message, please respond. Hacked and searching lab mainframe. Discovered files you should be aware of. Really weird stuff. Find working computer. Search HZN1 test results backslash backslash code name level nine. Password, red death."

She pushed the body off the chair and sat down and started typing.

"Not surprising they were doing animal testing."

"Yeah, but what were they testing?" She said

"Look at the date on these videos. It's the year before anybody was infected. How did they know to be working on a vaccine before anybody was infected." Warren said standing behind her.

"What's this?"

"That's her. That's Doctor Merch. That's the bitch that did this to me." Murphy said moving closer.

A video has opened. It was Dr Merch interrogating what looked like an employee. She made him recount his day step by step.

After the video ended the phone on the desk rang

"Zombie apocalypse, how may I direct your call?"

"Operation Bite Mark?"

"Uh, yeah, what's left of us. This is Doc speaking."

"Excellent are yoi still together?"

"Correctomundo. Nice to hear your voice. So what fresh hell awaits us?"

"According to the operations manual I've hacked into, you're going to need to go through decontamination."

"Well that sounds great to me cuz I ain't had a decent shower since, let's see, New York."

"Well it's not exactly a shower. But here's the most important thing. It is imperative that you decontaminate again before going back to the surface. This lab is equipped with Def con One level quarantine assurance."

"Def con One? Well isn't that some kind of nuclear term? In the event of the breach of the quarantine system, the lab is targeted to be incinerated by a tactical nuclear weapon?"

"Why am I not surprised?"

"And there's one other thing about the decontamination process you need to know."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Naked?" Amber asked she wasnt sure if she heard right.

"That's what he said." Doc shrugged "Naked."

"And then we got to put all our clothes and stuff in this chute here to get decontaminated with some liquid nitrogen."

"So what are we waiting for?" Murphy asked.

"For y'all to turn around." Warren replied "And no peeking."

They stood with the backs to each other. This had to be one of the worst things they'd done as a group.

"Eyes up front, young man." Warren warned 10K.

"Sorry. Sorry." He quickly stuttered.

"Oh, we got to put these on." Doc said handing goggles to his side "And... and then you got to hit that button marked decontamination in front of you, 10K."

"Murphy." Amber said taking the goggles from him.

"Your scars. It looks like it's spreading."

"That's what I wanted to talk to Doctor Merch about. Well put your goggles on and quit staring." He snapped.

"I'm not the goddamn elephant man."

She jumped at his harsh words and looked away putting the goggles on.

After they had gotten dressed no one looked each other in the eyes.

"There's some kind of emergency lights flashing."

"Dude, it says quarantine. Can't we just believe them?" Doc pleaded.

"What are you, high? We're infected already, remember?" Murphy said walking ahead into the room.

"What is this place?" Warren looked around at the doors.

Looking through the small windows on the door they could see what looked like experiments.

"This one's gone. The door's open." 10K said.

"What was it?" Amber asked.

"Better question is where'd it go?"

Growling came from the dark corner.

"Its still in here." They got their weapons out.

"Go talk to them. Do... do that thing you do." Doc said nudging Murphy forward.

"Guys. These aren't regular zombies. They're some kind of mutant thing." He said stepping back.

"And they don't like me!" The mutants lunged at the group.

They tried to push the back Warren knifed one but it made no difference. The other grabbed Amber by the throat and flung her into the wall.

Crying out in pain she sat up as the mutants approached her she was cut off from the group.

Unable to move further back or go around them she closed her eyes tight.

But nothing happened. Instead she head squelching and bones breaking. When she opened her eyes Murphy was stood in front of her holding the mutants heads.

He dropped them to the floor in disgust.

"Murphy!" She said using the wall to pull her up.

She swallowed hard looking at him. Before she could say anything he moved quickly and pressed her against the wall grabbing her face in his hands.

He kissed her hard pulling her against him.

"Oh god really?" Doc said displeased at the sight.

Murphy stepped away and rubbed his thumb on her cheek "Let's go find Merch."

"What's he gonna do when he catches up to Merch?" Doc asked.

"I dunno, but I'm glad I'm not her." Warren replied.

"This trail of gore leads to here." Murphy said.

"Could this place get any creepier?" Amber shivered.

"Yes."

"Oh my God." Half a disfigured man laid on a trolley in the room.

"It's alive."

"Is that Doctor Merch?"

"No. Somebody else. It's the lab tech in the video. He wanta us to watch something." Murphy said.

He played the video on the computer near the disfigured man. It was a follow up video from before. It showed Dr Merch forcing a vaccine on the man before the camera shut off.

"The vaccine must have worked. Kept him from turning zombie." Doc said.

"But it won't let him die. Did Merch do this to you?" Murphy asked. His voice sad.

The thing mumbled and gargled the words "Kill me." Over and over.

A man and two guards came into the room. He claimed to be Dr Kurtz. He said he was Dr Merchs boss and that they were to take Murphy the test of the way.

"What if I don't want to be your guinea pig?" Murphy asked.

"Well then you'll eventually wind up just like Brendon Doyle, Patient Zero over there. Speaking of which, someone should really give that poor creature mercy."

"I'll do it." Murphy said taking Ambers knife from her side and walking to the man on the trolley.

He bent down and whispered he was sorry before giving it mercy.

Standing up his wiped his eyes "I'm not going."

"Murphy. This is why we came this far." Warren said.

"Explain to me again why I should believe anything you say."

"Let's start with you have no choice." The guards raised their gun at Murphy.

"What are you doing?" Amber asked stepping forward.

"Just a precaution." The Dr smirked.

"Now just hold on a minute." Murphy protested.

But before anything else happened a Z came into the room and bit one of the guards pulling him to the floor.

Warren took down the second guard.

Murphy grabbed Ambers hand and started pulling her "We have to leave!"

"Wait! The others!" She argued.

Murphy looked at her then looked at the exit.

Letting go of her arm he left through those doors. Her stomach dropped.

Amber ran over to Doc who had been pushed to the floor in all the commotion.

"Guys we have to go! NOW!" Amber shouted.

They'd managed to get outside and in the truck just as it all happened.

They took shelter under a bridge.

The noise was loud and everything shook.

How had this gone so wrong?