The standoff between Mattie and Eleanor continues, the knights tearing down that storage room piece by piece, desperately looking for the group members. It feels like a predator hunting their prey, waiting for the correct moment to pounce.
However, Mattie, the prey, hasn't given up yet. She won't fall under the pressure of handling such a powerful force like Eleanor. She knows that this dominant, powerful being isn't one to toy with, but Mattie doesn't have another choice. She needs to protect her newly founded allies the best way manageable.
On the inside, Mattie's trembling with fear, solely thinking, How can I get out of this situation? She displays a confident demeanor as she stands up to a leader with a high reputation. One wrong word, and she's finished.
"Oh Mattie, I thought you were smarter than this! Now, tell me, where are these delinquents?" Eleanor acts all giddy-like, caught up in her own self-worth.
Mattie is absolutely anxious, unaware of the consequences she's about to receive. Defying a dictator like Eleanor equates to execution. There's no telling what these merciless people will do to her.
However, she must stay confident and express her pride. There's a reason why she stayed behind for this group. There's a reason why she risked her life. It was to give these lively souls each and every dire minute they need to escape this treacherous hospital.
She reapplies her poker face, stalling Eleanor for as long as possible. Mattie's aware that there's a strong likelihood that she'll never live freely again, but it's a chance she's willing to take.
"I've informed the others about all your wrongdoings. You will pay soon enough; just you wait," Mattie says sternly, earning a chuckle from Eleanor.
She sees the comparison now; Admiral Johnson was infamous for his abrupt laughter during the strangest scenarios. It was like he didn't even contain a soul. This apocalypse slowly crushed his old personality and replaced it with a vicious, savage-like Neanderthal.
"Cute," Eleanor mutters, the knights practically leaping at Mattie.
They pin her down to the floor, making her defenseless. She struggles to break free, but their grip is too strong, the exhaustion is too much for her. One knight hands Eleanor a gun, repeating the similar process of kidnapping like they used on Debbie.
"W-Wait! Let go of me!" Mattie wails uncontrollably.
"Not so tough now I see. You'll pay for defying me," Eleanor chuckles.
She whips Mattie in the head, losing consciousness almost instantly. The knights carry her seemingly lifeless body as if it were a religious sacrifice. This only shows how much control and power Eleanor has on the population as a whole.
Everyone's way too terrified to double-cross this tyrant. For if this dangerous woman were to find their location, the outsiders wouldn't just have to face her; they'd have to battle a whole nation of trained knights.
However, if she loses her brigade of knights, it could lead to her downfall. The knights carry away Mattie, Eleanor looking as satisfied as ever. She looks back at the wide opened window, formulating a trap for these peasants.
Suddenly, a knight brings over a woman, practically dragging her towards Eleanor. She gets turns around, instantly smiling at her wicked thoughts. She has just located a huge pawn that will benefit her in the process of finding this group of misfits.
"Well, hello there Laura! I'd like you to follow me please. I need you for a specific task. This will certainly allow you to be a part of this glorious community," Eleanor says cheerfully.
Laura doesn't respond. She's clearly conflicted with her loyalty while she also looks out for her selfish desires. Her only crave in this world is to keep on living. She must prove to herself that she can achieve anything no matter what major obstacle is in her way.
Meanwhile, the group dashes through the hallways as quickly as possibly, periodically running into mutants. They're scattered everywhere in these halls. There's no telling how much mutants there may be around one corner.
Their senses are heightened as they navigate through the ominous hallways, darkness playing a factor. Every sound sends shivers down their spines, making them grow rowdy.
Matthew, Myracle and Jeannie remain on the frontlines, battling the mutants head to head. Tara shouts out directions while the rest of the group members keep the injured at a safe distance.
For the first time, Chris is a part of that category. He hates the feeling of vulnerability and uselessness, it makes him feel weak and hopeless. At this point, Chris might go against the group's collective judgment when it comes to fighting.
"Tara, what direction are we going next?" Ryan asks nervously, struggling to keep Chris at a relatively consistent pace.
She grasps at her head, desperately trying to deal with the stress. They must get as far away from Eleanor and her army as quickly as possible. In order to do that, she must be on top of her game. She must be observant if they're going to survive.
"We need to turn left up here. We all need to stay alert," Tara states in a serious tone.
"Got it! Make sure you watch the people in the back," Myracle says worriedly, constantly thinking about Chris.
She despises the sight of Chris unable to protect the group. That's a large part of his identity. He always prepares the group for the inevitable, constantly having their backs every step of the way.
Skyy notices Chris's reluctant acts, moving further and further away from Ryan. She can tell how much he wants to get in on the action. She's had the similar feeling for awhile now, desperately craving the spotlight.
She dashes around aimlessly through the compound, her prosthetic leg hesitating at random points. She gets frustrated, solely thinking, How can I live in this horrid world with a handicap like my own? She decides to speak up, hopefully preventing Chris from doing anything reckless.
"Chris, I know what you're thinking. Please don't do anything you'll regret," Skyy says worriedly in between breaths.
"You better listen Chris. Don't be stupid," Rosie barks, soon shifting into her tranquil demeanor.
She must stay calm in order to persevere through this heist. They must reside in a secluded room before arranging a game plan on how to avoid Eleanor. Rosie's the type of strive during stressful circumstances; it's time to use that ability.
"Proceed with caution around the corners. We never know what we're about to walk in on," Rosie says informatively.
"Got it. We'll keep an eye out," Matthew says solemnly, not once letting his focus slip.
They pass by the ominous scenery, focusing solely in front of them. However, Chris doesn't agree with this idea. Although it may seem necessary to watch your immediate surroundings, there's still a wide variety of blind spots that contain unknown factors.
His eyes are peeled as he glances around him, prepared for any outcome. They've all come too far to be easily taken out by a simple act that could've been prevented. He wants to prove that he can still lead despite his injuries.
Suddenly, he senses a peculiar sound come from an oddly cracked door just beside him as the group breezes by it. As he approaches the room, the sound becomes more distinct, causing Ryan to glance around as well.
The crawler leaps out, its sharp, unnatural nails acting like razor blades approaching delicate skin. If he hesitates, he's dead, a goner. Watching a speedy death like that would absolutely destroy everyone. They would never forgive themselves.
Chris leaps into action, Skyy noticing his sudden action as she tries to hold him back. However, his tenacity is too strong. He barely budges back towards the safety of the back. He wants to save his allies; he needs to save them.
He tackles the crawler, its limbs acting unmanageable. Chris has completely demobilized this demonic force as he finally plunges his blade into the crawler's skull, it's body going limp.
Jeannie quickly makes her way to the back, Ryan still in shock. She quickly checks Chris's wounds after pulling him off the corpse. She's absolutely livid; they can all tell.
Ryan watches as the black blood slowly oozes out from the irrecoverable laceration. His mind shifts somewhere else, all he could think about is, How is Chris still standing? His once graceful, loving friend has now turned into a terminator all because of this apocalypse.
Although Chris's personality hasn't been altered, his mindset has clearly been affected. The Chris that he knows absolutely despises violence like this to occur. However, he was never afraid to get his hands dirty when it's absolutely necessary.
The group pauses for a moment, crowding around Chris and the deceased mutant. This injured young adult who got treated with a mediocre surgery has just slain a threatening mutant. Even when he's damaged, Chris will always remain to be their leader.
"What the hell just happened!" Jess runs over worriedly, gazing at Chris's stitches.
Luckily, they haven't been tampered with. She sighs with relief to see Chris in a functional state. However, she's petrified of what's to come in the near future. There's no telling how hard Chris will try to protect the group considering his condition.
She doesn't wish for her long-time friend to abuse their own body for others. If he continues this careless cycle, he will have a hand in his own foreseeable death. This moment is absolutely painful to watch.
"C-Chris. How could you?" Jeannie yells furiously, surprising the rest of the group along with Rosie.
Rosie has never seen her own sister officially scream at anyone like that. She's not one to express her emotions through confrontations like these.
"You know how much you mean to me! I need you to stop putting your life on the line for just one fucking minute!" Jeannie starts to sob uncontrollably, turning her vulnerable self away from the others.
It feels like Chris's tough exterior has just been mutilated. All the times where he stepped up as a leader, have been secretly killing Jeannie on the inside. If her younger brother were to die, she would never let that go. She'd solely blame herself before rotting in her own self-pity.
"J-Jeannie. I'm sorry," Chris says apologetically, slowly starting to lose his voice.
"Cut the crap Chris. She has a point ya know," Simon intrudes, finally talking for the first time in a while.
Everyone looks over at Simon with bewilderment, knowing how damaged both Chris and him are. This simple confrontation could soon spiral out of control with their mental states.
However, Simon doesn't only look angry, he's also acting conflicted. He hates to reveal his true emotions to the group, but he can't watch them die anymore. This reckless act by Chris only dwindles his hopes even more.
"Maybe you can focus on how we feel for a change. Stop playing hero since it's not really helping your case anyways. It's time to get off your power trip Chris," Simon says discourteously.
Everyone is absolutely silent. You can practically hear a pin drop throughout the entirety of the hospital. They can see Chris getting visibly frustrated. He's about to crack like a ticking time bomb.
"Dimwit," Chris mutters aloud.
"What the hell did you say to me?" Simon says menacingly.
Chris glares at Simon, all he sees is red. Skyy can sense the animosity and pain in his eyes. She needs to stop this matter before it escalates even further. If these two keep quarreling, then it'll only result in chaos.
"How about we all keep moving. We need to distance ourselves from Eleanor," Skyy says deliberately, getting in between the two.
"Hell no! What was I supposed to do? Let Ryan get injured or possibly die by the crawler? I'm more deadweight than I've ever been, so how about you focus on your own problems," Chris growls, causing even Matthew to grow uncomfortable.
Simon prepares his comeback, desperately wanting to unleash all his pent up rage onto Chris. He knows that he isn't to fault for all his problems, but it would sure as hell feel mesmerizing to unload all that baggage out to the open.
However, before Simon prepares a comeback, Ricky has gotten fed up. He tends to keep to himself and let these leader-like individuals come up with the game plans, but this dispute is destroying the team's morale. He needs to stop this.
"Enough! I'm tired of hearing all this whining and complaining. This is not how you look out for each other. Let your disagreements fade for just one damn minute so we can finally escape this hellhole of a hospital," Ricky shouts angrily, making his way towards the next corridor.
The disruption forces the bickering to come to a halt, replacing the tension with a sense of bewilderment. They can't believe how far this crisis has heightened. This simple act could've costed their lives.
They all keep moving, exhausted from all the emotional trauma. Jess catches a couple glances at Ricky, wondering, How did he avert that crisis so effortlessly? She ponders for a moment as she realizes all the torment he's kept bottled up inside.
His body acts like a vault, containing all the negative energy/moments from his painful life. Whether it's the demise of his parents or the loss of his lover Jill, he's been hiding his true emotions throughout this whole experience.
The car accident with his family started this level of secrecy to grow inside of him. It took him months before he could come clean about the loss of his family to his friends. That horrid night has forever changed him.
Jess has just established even more respect for Ricky. He claims to be useless, but he's saved the day several times already. If he hadn't intervened with that pitiful argument, it could've resulted in a bloodbath.
Ricky has just inspired her to finally step up to the plate and enact any plan necessary to protect her people. The battle will be treacherous, but she's trained for it. It's now finally time for her to unleash her true potential.
The group continues their walk, looking anxiously around every corner. Tara can feel herself inching closer and closer to their destination. However, it's almost too quiet in her eyes. They haven't seen a single crawler ever since Chris took care of that ambush.
"It should be around the corner up ahead," Tara whispers carefully, wanting this stressful situation to be over with.
Suddenly, Matthew quickly recoils behind the wall, motioning everyone to stay away. He looks absolutely petrified as he analyzes the sounds beyond this corner. Tara can practically see the OR at this point.
She desperately wants to take refuge in a well fortified location. They've been at high alert ever since Mattie offered to stay behind, a thought that still bothers her. It's strange how Mattie would sacrifice herself for random people. It shows her loyalty to this sanctuary.
"What's wrong?" Rosie asks nervously, quieting her daughter.
She's been maneuvering her way around with Lily weighing her down. Her back has been aching for a while now. She craves the satisfaction of sitting down in a room that's secure for her family.
"There's practically a horde of them just down the hall. We can make it if we just move quickly," Matthew says carefully.
Chris approaches the corner, Jeannie growing skeptical of his actions. He perks his head around the corner, eyes widening at the sight. The slender black figure has returned, its army of crawlers right beside it.
This slender figure is like the ring leader, controlling all crawlers in its near vicinity. The cloner looks as menacing as ever, the constant fear of it shifting inside someone's body always present.
"We just have to make a break for it," Chris says boldly.
Everyone looks around skeptically, not wanting to take any unnecessary risks. The mutants are making their ways closer and closer towards them. They need to act now before it's too late.
"He's right. We need to move quickly," Matthew says, not once looking away from the mutants.
They all line up in an organized fashion, Myracle and Jeannie remaining towards the frontlines still with Matthew. Although Jeannie feels emotionally drained, this is the last true battle she'll have to face for the night. She just wants this process to be done with.
"Go!" Matthew yells, causing everyone to disperse.
The crawlers respond to the sudden noise rather quickly, instantly blocking the path to the OR. Myracle takes care of the stragglers, slicing their heads in half like a samurai.
Suddenly, two mutants surprise Chris as they leap towards him. He quickly dodges the first one, Jeannie instantly taking care of the matter. Next, he stabs the crawler directly in the eye, black blood splattering onto his skin.
During that altercation, most of the members have resided in the OR, Matthew finally dragging Skyy to safety. Ryan and Jeannie cater to Chris as the mutants inch closer and closer towards a vulnerable Chris.
Ryan can tell that Chris is losing energy. He's completely gassed out; it looks like he was in a street fight. He's completely beaten as his dedication has now faded to a point so subliminal.
This once energized and tenacious being has now transformed into a liability who's on the verge of giving up. Even when he could barely walk, he still insisted on partaking in clearing out the mutants.
Chris slowly starts to lose stamina as the group prepares barricades. They await for everyone's arrival, desperately wanting to block the entrance from the dangers of the hallway. Jeannie and Ryan practically dive in, Chris shortly behind.
This brings back an excruciating memory for Ricky. The vivid memory of Hayden's death in the supermarket, just barely reaching the door before being viciously torn apart by inhumane creatures. That sight was painful to endure.
However, in this case, the victim is Chris as he's the last one to reach the door. He almost looks identical to Skyy when she got her leg amputated. He visually looks broken as he loses his footing, falling hard onto the chilling tiles of the white floor.
"Chris!" Rosie and Myracle yell collectively before he's dragged away by the crawlers.
Jeannie and Ryan jolt up, hesitant to witness Chris's problematic scenario. The crawlers are dragging him along the floor instead of going for the kill. It's like they're leading him to the cloner.
This slender figure has controlled these powerful creatures to fit its own desires. Chris is about to be mutilated in front of all his loved ones. Myracle and Rosie look in disbelief, forgetting about the barricades.
However, before they act recklessly, Ryan shushes them while aiming his bow. He hasn't used it ever since his training session, but this is a vital moment for him. If he misses the shot, his best friend is dead.
Chris fights back against the cloner using every bit of his might. He swings his knife aimlessly, desperately trying to break free. He can feel his body grow numb as he gets captivated by the cloner's close presence.
He's about to be taken over by this creature. If he doesn't fight against this unidentifiable force, he'll be dead. To make matters worse, his group members would have to put him to rest.
If he submits to the immense pressure, one of his group members will have to pull the the trigger. One of his group members might even die from not being brave enough to do so. He can't let this situation resort to anyone's demise.
Ryan's arms tremble from the nerves, scared of losing his best friend. He finally releases one of his limited arrows, it's a headshot. The cloner falls to the floor as the crawlers return to their vicious state.
A rush of adrenaline hits Chris as he springs up, killing the three crawlers almost instantaneously. He finally dashes into the OR while a separate horde follows behind him. The excessive noise has just revealed their location.
He dives into the safety of the OR, panting from the exhaustion. Eyes of the group members peer onto him like glue. Mixed feelings of anger and relief float in the tense atmospheric air as the battle finally fades away.
Suddenly, Simon rises, the attention setting on him. He gives off cold, standoffish demeanor as he riles in his own thoughts. He's been a ticking time bomb ever since his mother made an appearance.
Chris looks at Simon with lifeless eyes. He doesn't even care about what happens to him at this point. He just wants the others to live a healthy, stable life. In his eyes, he's too far gone for a full recovery.
Simon twitches from the anger, swinging his hand around, slapping Chris directly in the face. He doesn't even budge. He just smiles awkwardly while Rosie doesn't appreciate the sudden violence.
"Would you stop risking your life, idiot," Simon says timidly.
Before Chris has the opportunity to answer, Rosie expresses her emotions by swinging her right fist out in a curved punch at Simon's temple, balancing her weight on her left foot. Simon instantly recoils, brutally hitting the floor as everyone grows rowdy.
"Rosie! What are you doing?" Jeannie exclaims loudly while separating the two.
"Sorry for sticking up for our brother! I'm not just gonna sit by and watch someone slap him while he's already defeated," Rosie roars, steam practically fuming out of her head like a train ready to depart.
The noise makes their location even more known as mutants begin to crowd around the OR, not one person shedding light on the situation. Chris despises these meaningless acts of hatred. He wants it to stop already; they're in this together after all.
"Enough!" Chris shouts fiercely.
The bickering instantly stops as they gaze at this beaten and bruised leader-like persona step up during this time of crisis. Although he's fighting against the immense pain, he still manages to keep this group afloat.
"If you haven't noticed, we have company outside. Stop screaming at each other and start focusing on how to get out of here," Chris blurts out, sitting down on the numbing floor, chills going down his spine.
Silence makes a revival as the groups disperses away from each other. They're too unfit for a stressful scenario like this one. They're trapped with no way out. How will they escape this hospital?
Ricky lounges next to Skyy and Jess, both clearly shaken up from their experiences with the mutants. This evident divide has taken a toll on the group's bond and morale as they find it more challenging to battle through this huge obstacle.
This feeling of uselessness that Ricky contains has proven to be stronger than ever. He's mindlessly living in a life filled with unknown negative forces that risks his way of life. He's been riding the coattails of Chris and the others. He wants to feel useful; it'll make him feel motivated to live.
He misses that satisfaction of saving another person. That time where he saved Mathew from the mutants on the highway was a monumental accomplishment for him. He felt so proud; he felt so alive.
He needs an extra push to motivate himself to stay alive throughout this mess. If he can obtain that factor, he will make it through this. He glances over at Jess and Skyy, clearly thinking about their ineffectiveness just like him.
He knows Skyy rather well. She's always the adventurous one who wants to perfect this strange, difficult way of life the best way she can. However, this handicap has constantly made her feel weak and spineless. She's ready to fight. It's time to get her hands dirty.
"I know what you guys are thinking," Ricky begins, Skyy and Jess looking at him like they've been caught.
"W-What do you mean?" Jess stammers over her own words.
She already knows where this conversation is leading to. There's been times where she's felt like her only use was being a mediocre doctor. She could never lift a finger to help everyone during a crisis or enact in any violence against the mutants.
It's a reminder of her mother's demise. She felt like the doctors didn't do enough to save her. How could she have pancreatic cancer and be dead in the next minute. Simply being in this OR is painful for her.
That's why she became a doctor in the first place. She wants to save people in honor of her mother. Saving a life temporarily takes the numbing feeling of uselessness go away.
Jess always feels the presence of her mother. She wants to show her how much she's grown and matured throughout this seemingly hopeless scenario. Perhaps, it'll get her over this emotional blockade.
They all share a connection of mediocrity where they're surrounded by people who'll go to any lengths necessary to survive while they just live aimlessly. There needs to be a time for them to shine in this world.
They desperately want a chance to save their group member's life for a change. Jess not being able to save Sasha all those years ago still stick with her to this day. Her area of expertise wasn't perfected. She took way too long to come up with an idea.
However, the moment finally came just a few hours ago. She saved someone. She saved her leader that put himself through torture to protect them in the past. If she ever expires, she wants to feel satisfied with the impact that she left on this world, they all do.
"That feeling of uselessness isn't just felt by you alone. Even Chris can feel it sometimes. They can all see how hard we try, so we shouldn't worry about what's considered as a useful or brave moment," Ricky says reassuringly.
For all his life, he's blamed himself for the death of his parents, even Jill. That immature argument he had with his father distracted him from the road ahead, causing that dreadful accident.
He's always hated that belittling memory. It feels like a stabbing sensation inching closer and closer to his heart, his life fading away. He's learned that he can't control the uncontrollable. That's a factor that even Chris manages to achieve.
"He's right Jess. We have to stop blaming ourselves for these deaths. They just happen. The only thing that we can do now is live in honor of the ones we've lost," Skyy says proudly.
Perhaps this handicap of having a prosthetic leg will make her stronger. She already has the strength and willpower to fight. Another obstacle won't get in her way of returning to her old, confident self.
Jess chooses not to speak, but her expression says it all. She portrays a slight smile as all her past fears and anxiety seems to have vanished. She knows the proper way how to fight now, so does Ricky.
They've all put in the work to become better contenders in this apocalypse. They never felt ready before carelessly walking out from that deceptive bunker. However, times are different now. They're finally ready to fight; they'll do anything to protect the group from any outside force.
Their next step will be to find a way out of this impossible situation. It won't be easy, but no one's life is ever easy. If they all stick together, there will still be a future. It's time to lose this ideal of negative thoughts and arguments. They have one thing to focus on, survival.
YOU ARE READING
The Aftermath
Science FictionSeveral years ago, nuclear warfare was enacted upon the world which resulted in many of casualties. The lucky ones were able to be placed into bunkers. People had to learn to adapt to their new environment and try to go back to the way it was before...
