To Be A Leader

Chapter 20: Windmills Of Your Mind

But even if I happen to be immune, no one else here is. Still, Veronica isn't going to stop now. This is the reason I'm afraid of her, because she'll willing to risk everyone's lives to get the data she needs. I want to know what's going on in my head more than anyone, especially since Kytan believes I'm the special one Sigrid apparently wants, but none of this will matter if those zoms end up getting in this house and eating everyone alive.

And from what Kytan said, Sigrid doesn't know I'm the alpha. She does know I have Moonchild Syndrome, but that doesn't mean she thinks I'm the one she's looking for.

I keep running, sweat starting to drip from my face while everyone watches the graphs and networks on the screens. I don't know what any of them mean, but from the disappointed look on Veronica's face, everything looks normal. Moonchild's disappeared since I was led down into the basement, probably because she knows this is an attempt to find out what's going on in my head so I can maybe be cured. There's no way she would want to help with that.

Kytan comes back downstairs, his hands in his pockets. "The shutters are down and the doors are locked. I've got everyone locked in a safe room on the same side of the house as the equipment. They should be safe if the zoms get in."

"And what about us? Will we be safe?" Milo asks, and he gets a shrug in reply.

"These doors in the lab can seal shut, and we can use the equipment to barricade it if we need to, but there aren't any other ways out."

My breath hitches. That means if those zombies get into the house, we'll be trapped in here with no way out, and we'll be forced to wait it out-either wait for the zombies to leave, or wait for them to claw their way through the doors.

I hear a sudden bang from above, and my steps falter. "What was that?"

"Uh, right, yeah. Those V-type zombies have arrived, and they're bashing on the steel shutters on the windows on the floor above you," Sam says, his voice shaking slightly.

"I thought you said we had ten minutes before they arrived."

"Well, I thought so too. I didn't think they'd move this fast. Kytan, I know those are steel shutters, but are you sure they'll hold?"

"If they get in... they get it," Tom says nonchalantly, and Kytan nods in reply.

"Yeah. You know, sometimes, it just has to go down like that, you know?"

"Oh, for Gaia's sake, Five!" Moonchild shouts, causing me to flinch. "We're not dying of indestructible zombies here. I have a plan. Get off this treadmill now."

I give her a raised brow. Why?

"Now!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh," I say aloud, stepping off from the treadmill, only to stop when I hear Kytan gasp.

"Whoa, Five, something really interesting just happened to your brain!"

"Oh, yes," Tom murmurs. "Look at that, Maxine. The graph spiked."

"Don't listen to them, Five! Sorry, but I'm taking control. Peel off these patches connecting you to those sceens."

I rip the patches off of me, not completely sure if the actions are my own choices or Moonchild's, but I ignore Veronica's shouts of protest and Milo's worried questions.

"Now, turn right out of this room and run to the end of the long corridor. Go!"

I obey, running out of the room without a second thought.

"Five, what are you doing?" Maxine shouts. "Come back!"

I don't. I keep running, my steps mechanical, cold. I see Moonchild beside me, her eyes ahead, looking for something I can't understand. I don't question her.