To Be A Survivor

Chapter 58: Dog Days Are Over

The alarms of the gate sound off as I watch a group of runners speed off, heading off towards somewhere I wasn't told about.

"Okay, that's Team Two away. Team Three, get ready. That's Runner Seven, Runner Eight, Runner Five, Runner Three, and... oh. Are you sure this last one's right?" Sam asks.

"Yes," Janine answers. "We may not know what went wrong with the zombie spray, but we know it's not harmful to children anymore. So he's a little more amenable."

I raise a brow. "He?"

"Runner Ten," Sam replies. "Jaime-Runner Ten will be joining you."

"Where?"

"At the rendezvous point," Janine says, and Sam lets out a shaky breath.

"Um, guys, I know several of you have been running triple shifts since uh, our little mishap with the drones. Runner Seven's been away on another arms recce."

"Very successful recce, Seven," Sarah praises, but Evan just shrugs.

"Just doing my job."

"I'm sure it hasn't escaped anyone's attention that after we sprayed the surrounding country, it's now-"

"Swarming with extra strength zombies," Simon interrupts him.

"That's right," Janine hums. "So the entire operation to spray the countryside with the trans-variant spray has been bolted at the moment, until we discover what went wrong."

"Well, the doctor thinks that-" Sam starts.

"The doctor's formulation is just one line of speculation. We must establish what went wrong."

"And we... you've got an important mission today. I can't tell you what it is; I don't even know, but you'll be met at rendezvous point. Runners Three, Five, Seven and Eight, go."

And we do. We run out the gates like we would any other mission, but we're less talkative than usual. Well, Evan and Sarah don't talk much anyway, unless it's something they really feel needs saying. But me and Simon, we're being far quieter than usual. When we go on runs, Simon will usually tell me a lot of jokes that I don't get most of the time, but will still laugh anyway just to make him smile.

I know what we want to ask, but that doesn't mean we're going to ask it. It's obvious that Sarah's either not worried or doesn't feel like asking, because if she was, she'd be the one to ask what none of us seem to have the courage to ask. Evan is quiet like usual, and he's never been one to question a mission, but I know what Simon and I are thinking.

What exactly are we doing today?

It's an innocent question, but no one really wants to ask it. Sam's not even stayed tuned in to talk with us. There's some really repetitive song playing on my headset, and no Sam. It's kinda weird for him to just tune off so quickly.

He said he didn't know what the mission object is, but he didn't say Janine didn't. Maybe that's why he didn't want to listen to the guessing games we're too afraid to start.

Either way, Sam did say it was important, and the only thing considered important right now is doing something to stop Van Ark or to put the zombie spray plan back on track. So which one is it?

Sending multiple teams doesn't seem like something we'd do to get to Van Ark, since there's the chance he'll see us coming and either flee or attack, both of which could end badly for us. That being said, this has to be about the zombie spray, right?

Well, it seems I as well as the others will soon find out, since we are reaching the rendezvous point. I can see Jaime leaning against a tree with the Major standing beside him, her chin held high as she waits for us. We speed up as the music in our headsets click off.