This Is Not The End.

Chapter 6

The walk was easier before we could see the steel doors at the end of the tunnel.

I understood why we hadn't been attacked before, though. The Infected would keel over of boredom before they reached the facility, and they were already brain dead. The only good thing about the food supplements was that we wouldn't be hungry for another six hours, I didn't know what cocktail of chemicals they'd put in them, but they worked.

"So, I've been thinking," Kai started.

"Here we go,"

"Shut up, Skye, my ideas are better than yours,"

"At least we never got caught with my ideas!"

"So, you've been thinking," the Flame rubbed his eyes, interrupting us. This would be a long trip for him.

"Yeah, anyway!" Kai shot me a look and I gave him the finger, both of us breaking out in a grin, "Look, Flame-boy, you need to tell us your name, because-" he kept going so the he couldn't interrupt him, "-I, personally, am not calling you R0-whatever for the rest of this walk,"

"Order makes us survive,"

"For the love of God, I'll name you myself if it makes it easier," Kai studied him obnoxiously, making his point, "Yeah. You look like a Digby,"

"What about Quincy?" I offered, trying to come up with the most pretentious ones I could.

"Well we can't use both,"

"Rock-paper-scissors you for it,"

"Oh, you're on,"

"Fine!" the Flame held up his hands in defeat, "I'm Jack,"

He said it delicately, as if he hadn't spoken his name aloud for years, and I didn't doubt it. He probably hadn't stepped a toe out of line since he was 'rescued' by Hunters, although he was the type of person to turn himself into SWORD. He was in for a real shock with Kai and I as his only human contact.

Kai exaggerated shaking his hand, "Absolute pleasure to meet you, Jacky-Boy,"

Jack smiled and Kai ripped his hand away, shaking it and wincing.

"No fair!" he shouted. I could see the palm of Jack's fiery hand as it cooled, and I stifled a laugh.

The door got closer, and as Kai's moaning died down, I realised how much he and I would have to depend on Jack to keep us alive. My knife was nothing. To use it I'd have to get far closer to a zompires than I'd ever want to or have a particularly accurate aim.

I wouldn't put my money on either happening anytime soon.

"What was the code again?" Kai asked, reaching the door first with his unnatural speed.

It was bigger than I expected. A towering panel of the reinforced steel and a lock mechanism so intricate that not even a computer genius could crack it was the only thing keeping us from the wide world of The Push and the Infected.

"Two-seven-four-nine," Jack told him, relieved to not have to keep repeating it in his head.

Kai punched it in, and the door buzzed, a silver handle opening from a compartment so we could pull it open.

"What if it's not day out there?" I let the doubt in my head have a voice, "What if they're lying to us?"

"They've been lying to us since we got there," Kai shrugged, and without taking anyone else's comments, he dragged open the door.

The light hit me first.

My vision went red and I threw my arm up to shield myself, groaning.

"Holy shit," I couldn't remember the sun ever being so bright, but it had been quite a while since I had been in the sun, properly. Everything inside was artificial to give us our vitamin D without the risk of attracting the hordes, but I'd never expected them to tone it down so much.