BEYOND THE DEAD ZONE | COMPLETE

Twenty |

Twenty |

We moved forward through the tunnel for what seemed like forever. The longer we followed the dark space, the deeper the rancid smelling water grew. By now it had gotten just above our knees. It felt disgusting and I knew it'd take much longer for the stench to leave the fabric of my pants.

Eventually however, a light formed in the distance. I paused for a moment, my eyes narrowing at the sight of the exit. Just like the entrance into the tunnel, the exit was barred by a grate. My eyes squinted as they adjusted by the sudden light, my fingers wrapping around this new grate. As the light cleared my eyes widened as I gasped loudly.

It was...amazing.

Buildings. Ones that reached for the sky and were solid. There was no vines nor moss, there was no cracks or destruction. There was only steel and glass—each crafted sturdy. But that wasn't all, there were roads that looked like smooth brush strokes and cars that purred like mechanical monsters. People walked to and from the compacted buildings, they were dressed in lab coats, and some in brown vests with rifles, but none looked equip to deal with zombies.

It's like we had been connected to another world.

The world before the end.

"What do we do?" Cerci asked quietly.

I shook my head, I didn't know what to do but I knew we needed to get closer. I pressed on the bars. As soon as the metal creaked, a sudden red light flashed on us. I looked up and over at the ceiling and there I noticed a camera—it's red light casted across us.

"What the fu—"

And then a siren went off.

Then, nothing else.

Darkness engulfed me.

"You shouldn't have come."

Through the darkness I could hear Rose's voice, but it didn't bring comfort.

"This is how it starts, they knock you out and then..."

"And then?" I asked.

"You end up like me."

I let out a gasp, my eyes flying open as I sat up. My heart hammered against my chest, and I looked around quickly. I was in a room, dressed in a white lab gown, much like the clinic one. The room I was in also looked like a clinic room, I was on a cot, wires connecting me to a series of machines and screens. My mouth felt dry, my tongue thick—like it was full of cotton. The room's walls were a starch white with no windows and the ground was cement I think.

It was a style that would fill Dr. Brown with utter joy.

I sat up slowly, swinging my legs off the cot and pressing them against the cold floor. I glanced down at my arms, my head dizzy. I felt weak and confused. How did I pass out? I remember looking at the settlement past the metal, and then the camera and nothing. I swallowed the lump in my throat before moving my fingers to the wires.

The door clicked open and a woman stepped through. My eyes widened, as my body tensed. She was tall, with short blonde hair and thick glasses sat on her face. She wore a white lab coat over a white blouse and a pair of black slacks. She also wore heels—I didn't find them functional in combat which was a strange choice to wear. The woman also held a clip board in her hand, and a pen sat on her ear. On her face was a smile—it was extremely unsettling.

"I wouldn't pull those out, unless you'd like to bleed," she said warmly.

My eyes narrowed, "Why are they in?"