My heart thrums in my chest, my pulse racing as a few birds twitter and fly around to land on snow covered branches. I can hear the river, water flowing endlessly, peacefully.
But there is no peace here, not right now.
"They've ducked behind those rocks!" Jones shouts. "Keep laying down fire, boys!"
I flinch at the sound of gunshot, ducking my head down as bullets fly above me, Janine and Amelia.
"Okay, we've lost a crate of Sage's medical supplies, no one can agree on how, and now people are shooting at you!" Sam forces out a panicked laugh. "This is not how I wanted to start off my New Year."
"How do you think we feel?" Amelia hisses, and she tenses when Jones yells again.
"Oh, I see you there, Colonel De Luca." He laughs mockingly, and I twist around to try to find him. He looks a lot like he did before, tall and large with thick, coily hair. It looks a bit more well-kept, but that doesn't make him look any less intimidating. He's still got that scar on his face, going from his temple to his lips.
His laughter ceases after a few seconds, and he yells at us again. "It's me, Jones! I know you remember me. And I remember you, Runner Five, and Ms. Spens, as well. Surrender and we'll take you alive."
Amelia rolls her eyes. "Yes, of course I'm willing to trust you, because I've completely forgotten that you're a conspiracy lunatic who took me hostage!"
His reply to her is more gunfire, and I let out a squeak when a bullet ricochets off the rock I'm hiding behind and hits a tree.
"If I recall, Mr. Jones moved to New Aberystwyth," Janine whispers. "Colonel Sage has been helping people like him find lost loved ones. Perhaps he's discovered what happened to Jones' wife, Millie."
"Maybe," I say with a shrug, before peeking out from the rock once the gunfire stops. "Jones, I think there's been a misunderstanding! Abel is New Aberystwyth's friends, remember? We have an alliance with Colonel Sage!"
He laughs again. "Oh, that's what you want me to believe. But Colonel Sage trusted you to deliver meds, and you stole them! I saw you break into the crate myself! You're here to salvage it."
I groan and curse under my breath as I duck down again. This day just keeps getting worse.
"Guys," Sam murmurs lowly, "Veronica's revised her calculations. If Jones can't see the crate from that outcrop, it's probably further down river."
"Five, we cannot allow our allies to suspect us," Janine says before narrowing her eyes at Amelia. "We are not Ms. Spens."
She scoffs. "Not with that attitude, you're not."
I nod in agreement with Janine. Sage is doing me a real solid by helping me find a cure for my and Peter's immortality. He's doing me an even bigger solid by keeping this confidential. He's even keeping it from Peter, which is a pretty big thing since Peter's been working with Sage and will continue to do so. He's actually been staying in the settlement some instead of traveling back and forth to Abel, which hurts a bit, not going to lie, but he's happy.
The fact that Sage is keeping this from someone in his own settlement is a big thing, and I owe it to him to fix this.
I watch with wide eyes as Janine slowly stands from her crouch. "Mr. Jones, we always intended to deliver the crate. We know where it is. We can lead you there."
It's not exactly easy to see his expression from where he is, but I'm sure he's narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion. "No tricks, Colonel. You lead, my men will follow behind you. One wrong move, and we shoot. And you better keep up a good pace. There are zoms around."
"Zoms you helped attract by firing weapons," I mutter, which gets a soft chuckle from Sam, despite the situation. We start off with me in front, Amelia behind me, and Janine taking the rear. We follow the river, going downstream with Jones and his crew following.
They're fast, practically racing after us to reach us on the ground. It's a stupid move for them, since if we did decide to run, it would be easier for them to spot us and shoot if they were at a higher vantage point, but I suppose they want to be closer to avoid all the shouting. They move less noisily than I thought they would, but there's still noise, and I can hear faint moans that are too far away to worry about at the moment. They'll most likely be something we'll have to worry about later, since our noise is attracting them.
As we continue on, our steps quick and conversation short, I can't help but think just how messed up everyone's perspective is. I know that sometimes we see things differently because we all have different perspectives, but it's because of this that none of us seem to know what has happened. I mean, I know some of their memories are wrong, because Sam's recollection didn't have me getting hurt, and Amelia's didn't have me healing after I got hurt, something I was trying to cover up that no one noticed.
But now Jones thinks we were trying to steal the medical supplies, and while I know I have sticky fingers sometimes, I'm not going to just take something from our allies, especially when it's something as important as medical supplies.
Although I do have to wonder just why they have the need for hazmat suits. I barely got to see what was spilling out of the crate when it fell, and what I see in these memories changes because of who it is and their belief on what is there. So while Sam thought there were syringes and Amelia said pressure cuffs, both remembered hazmat suits.
Just why on earth would they need those?
I suppose it could be because of the nanites, but those are supposed to be being worked on in Banktown.
Curious.
"Veronica says to follow the river until the bank goes pebbly," Sam instructs, humming at the soft sound of the river running. I wish I'd brought my head cam, even though I hate wearing the thing. I'm sure he'd be fawning over the sight, even with the situation. He told me once he was a sucker for pretty views.
He said that while staring at me, so it may have been an attempt to flirt that went right over my head, as it does sometimes, but I still think he would like the view if he could see it.
"Mr. Jones, we were not attempting to abscond with your supplies," Janine says, looking back at the man that's a few steps behind her. Jones' face hardens into a glare.
"I saw you. I was out gatherin' wood when I saw you by the waterfall. I thought about saying hello." He smiles, almost sheepishly. "Ever since I last saw you, Colonel Sage has helped me to understand that... you were probably right about what happened to Millie. Sigrid killed any ordinary person who stood in her way. I wanted to tell you I was sorry about what happened before." His jaw clenches. "But then I saw one of you trying to pick the lock on the crate."
"It was probably Janine," Amelia says quickly, which earns her a glare from the dark haired woman.
Jones ignores her comment. "You even tried smashin' the crate open on the rocks! Then the zombies came, and you ran for it. You promised me Abel was trying to make the world a better place, but you lied! Just like the Ministry!"
I flinch at his shouting, then sigh heavily when I hear the moans of zombies. Just as I predicted, they've caught up to us, although they did so much faster than I thought.
"We didn't lie." Janine frowns. "And I know Colonel Sage is an honorable man. He's also an ally who has helped Abel and has saved many of our important people. We would not betray him, not after all he's done for us. But for now, we've made too much noise, and there are zombies!"
He looks over his shoulder at the zombies that are crawling out of the trees and snowy bushes, his lips pressing into a thin line before he looks back at her. "We know what we're doin'. Keep movin' forward, Colonel De Luca."
The men following with Jones start firing, and a few of the zombies fall, but only a few. The rest keep moving, even after several shots to the head. I swallow thickly.
"Look, I know you don't trust us, but those zombies are surrounding your men." I give Jones a hard stare. "The number of V-Type zombies has been increasing, even with all we and Sage did at the necropolis." I look ahead, spotting a patch of trees. "We can lose them if we duck into the trees, and then we can head back to the river. Come on. Run!"
I head for some of the thicker groups of trees, not looking back to see if the others are following. If they're smart then they'll make a run for it with me, and if not then Jones or one of his men will shoot me. But considering how the gunfire has died down and the sound of fast paced footfalls has taken their place, I can assume they chose just to follow me. I look down at my feet, careful to not lose my balance on a rock or trip over a tree root.
We all have a constant ear open for the zombies that are stumbling after us. Even as V-Types, they have trouble staying upright with all the slush and mud, making our steps slippery. The terrain makes it harder for them to move quickly, which is good for us, since otherwise I'm sure some of us would have been bitten already.
I think taking out some of their numbers have helped weaken their knowledge. Veronica mentioned the V-Types might be a fungus, which explained why they got cleverer the more hosts it got. I'd assume that if they got cleverer with more hosts, they'd become less so if V-Types were killed. That might be why it's a bit easier to lose these zombies.
"We should head back to the river," I say after a few more minutes. "I don't hear the zombies anymore."
Janine nods at my suggestion while Jones narrows his eyes at me. Of course I'd be the one he's most suspicious of. Still he says nothing against my suggestion, and once we get back to the river, which is easy to find since we can hear it, there are bits where the water is more shallow so that we can cross. That's going to be necessary, since the crate is floating on the opposite side of the river, trapped between two rocks.
"There's a fallen log we can use to crest," Janine points out. "And while we do, Mr. Jones, let me tell you precisely how we lost that crate, as I recall it."
My eyes widen and my stomach churns, but before I can yell out a warning, I'm thrown back into rain and sleet, the darkness of night replacing the light of day.
"Oh, this mission is so exciting!" Sam exclaims as the rain pours. "It's just like the films I spend far too much time watching. But be careful, guys. Runner Seventeen spotted V-Types near that forest, and the trolley you're using makes a lot of noise."
"Thanks for the warning, babe," I reply with a laugh. "I love calling you pet names and blatantly flirting with you even though this is a crucially important mission."
I pout at the words that leave my mouth. Hey...
"Understood, Mr. Yao," Janine says while giving me a slightly disapproving side eye. She doesn't seem to see herself any differently than reality, although I notice I feel a lot smaller. Does she see me as small? "We're trusting you to guide us through."
Amelia scoffs. "She's trusting you, Sam. I'm trusting myself to keep me safe. This apparel isn't nearly lavish enough for me to die in."
She gestures down to her clothing, and I blink. She looks nothing like she did in her own memories. She looks like Amelia, although there's glint in her eye that seems positively evil. I can understand Janine seeing Amelia like this.
"Your devotion to teamwork never ceases to amaze, Ms. Spens." Janine sighs, but then her eyes widen at the sounds of moans. "Zombies, three, closing fast." She pulls out her pistol and fires. Perfect headshots, but the zombies don't fall. "My sidearm is ineffective. V-Types. Mr. Yao, we need an exit strategy. Ms. Spens, I see you trying to break into the crate with your hairpin."
She pouts. "You spoil all my fun, Janine."
"Sam?" I call out.
"Righto. Give me a minute... Aha! Yes. There's a waterfall up north. It's the quickest way out. Run!"
"Yes, sir," I say, as I fight the urge to groan as we trudge along like before. I make my comment about the mud, but no one replies this time. We keep going until we reach the waterfall, and the ledge. It's beginning to get kind of boring, going through this part again and again and again.
"Okay, guys, the waterfall should look like a pop culture reference," Sam says, and I have to stop myself from bursting into laughter because of course Janine would just think of something generic like 'pop culture reference' instead of actually making a guess as to what Sam referred it to.
Still, I feel myself smiling until I slip on a rock, one of the sharper ones slicing into my calf. My fact twists in pain as blood begins to pour down my leg. Amelia gives me a hand, and I take it, limping away from the rock that cut deep into my skin.
"We're on the ledge now, Mr. Yao. It's difficult to keep the crate steady on these wet rocks," Janine says.
"Sorry. Should have thought of that."
I yelp when the crate clatters as it falls off the trolley, the lid cracking open.
"Five, help Ms. Spens get the crate upright. There are hazmat suits and lidocaine vials spilling out. Ms. Spens, touch nothing."
I look down at my bleeding calf, only halfway crouching down to help Amelia. I hiss in pain, looking back at the blood that's running down and staining my white socks. I hear gunshots as Janine tries to shoot some of the zombies that are getting closer.
"There's five more coming from the opposite direction!" I say as I look up. "We're going to be surrounded."
"If only there were some way I could bargain your lives for mine," Amelia huffs.
Janine sends her a disapproving side-eye but says nothing. "Options, Mr. Yao?"
"Well, you could try jumping off the waterfall, like a pop culture reference concerning an escapee," He suggests. "Uh, no. Sorry. That would be foolish." There's a faint sound of papers rustling. "Aha! According to this map, the cliff behind the fall is full of caves, like the curly confectionary product I enjoy. They're too narrow for the crate, but-"
"We could leave the crate behind, come back for it later," Amelia suggests, and a devious smile spreads across her lips. "And if my forces happen to arrive first..."
Janine narrows her eyes. "Step away from the crate, Ms. Spens."
"I was just securing the lid."
There's a growl behind me, and I look over my shoulder and gasp at a V-Type only a foot away, reaching for me and Amelia.
"Five, pull Ms. Spens aside!" Janine commands, and I grab Amelia's arm and pull her away from the ledge. Janine gives the crate a hard kick, and it slams into the zombie, knocking them both into the water. My eyes dart around. The zombies are closing in and we need to move.
"You kicked the crate over the edge!" Amelia gasps, sending me a glare when I start to drag her towards one of the cave entrances.
"And it took the zombie along with it. Mr. Yao? The crate is lost, but Five has spotted a cave entrance. We need to move now. Run!"
•
"Guys, are you at the crate?" Sam asks as I'm flung back into the present. Apparently while that happened we crossed over the fallen log. That's nice.
I let out a soft sound as my head spins. Going back and forth like this multiple times has left me spent. I can already taste metal in my mouth.
"Affirmative, Mr. Yao. We're across the river and have reached the target." Janine has a small, pleased smile on her face. "The crate seems intact."
Amelia rolls her eyes. "Say what you like, Janine. I don't remember any zombie behind me."
"You couldn't hear it over the waterfall, and you were fixated on the hazmat suits in the crate."
"Yes, I'm well known for being obsessed with hazmat suits."
I'm unsure if her words were meant to be sarcastic or not, since they could be true in this case since she so badly wanted a peek inside that crate.
"Oh, don't think I was fooled by that flimsy story for a second, Colonel," Jones sneers, and I look at him with a raised brow. "My men will be arresting you all."
As soon as the words leave his mouth, a scream comes from one of Jones' men across the river. I turn my head to see a zombie sinking its teeth into a man's shoulder. The men around him shout and start firing their guns, backing away from the zombies that are coming out of the hedges and trees.
"It seems that your men are either running away or dead," Amelia replies, and Jones stares at them in disbelief.
"What?"
"He's distracted. Five, quick, disarm him!" Janine commands, and I tackle him. My body slams into his, and the world becomes a blur as we fall.. I'm a bit surprised I managed to take him down considering how much larger he is than I. As soon as he hits the ground, I grab his gun that he dropped, since I know I won't be able to detain him for long.
"Impressive tackle, Five," Amelia praises while Jones snarls at me in anger.
"My gun! Give it back!"
I jump off of him, pointing his gun at him, breathing heavily and ready to shoot. I'm panting a lot heavier than I normally would be, and I get that odd feeling one gets in their mouth right before they vomit. I will myself to swallow down the bile rising in my throat.
"I think not, Mr. Jones." Janine crosses her arms. "We will prove our innocence by delivering this crate to New Aberystwyth as promised. There's no sign of the trolley, so we'll have to carry it."
"And how will we get through this zombie-infested forest?" Amelia asks.
"Uh, hello. Janine, Five? Veronica here," She says through our headsets. "Sam put me through. I can calculate a safe route through the forest, but I need to know how many zombies there were to start off with. Every variable changes the equation."
"One may have fallen into the lake. Ms. Spens and I disagree."
"I can solve that. I've been modeling your stories using your psych profiles to fill in the blanks. I can merge the accounts together to create a version I estimate to be 95.23% accurate."
She nods. "We cannot stay here. Five, secure Jones' weapon to your back and then help me lift the crate. The gunfire from Mr. Jones' men will attract more V-Types. Hurry."
With a nod I place Jones' gun on my back, pick up the crate, and then break into a quick jog. We can't run too fast or we risk slipping in the mud and slush, or tripping over a rock hidden by snow that's now turned an ugly brown color from its constantly being churned up by us and the zombies. That's always a shame when snow turns from its beautiful white blanket to dirty chunks of slush with bits of hard ice. The only reason I tolerate snow at all is because of how pretty it is.
But as for right now, it's kind of hard to think about beauty or anything of the like. My main focus is on my steps and where I'm placing my feet, and even that can be a challenge since bouts of nausea and dizziness keep hitting me at random. Tackling Jones only made things worse for me. I still taste copper in my mouth, although it's not too strong, and my nose has yet to start bleeding.
Since nothing is physically showing, I'll suffer in silence. No need to add another problem into the mix, especially since I need to carry this crate. My fingers ache from the awkward position, but I grit my teeth and bare it, knowing that if it's delivered, then we won't have to worry about Jones trying to kill us or arrest us.
Hopefully.
The man's proven to be unstable, which is why I wonder what possessed Sage to allow this guy to lead a team of men. I mean, while there are leaders in New Aberystwyth, it's clear to say that Colonel Sage has superiority in that colony, so what kind of skills could Jones possibly have to make Sage push away the flaws he carries and allow him to take such a position as this? I mean, I know Jones said Sage helped him, but even then, with how rash he reacted, you'd think Sage wouldn't make him a leader. Maybe a member of a team, but not a leader.
So just who is Jones?
"Oh, interesting," Veronica suddenly says, which makes me flinch and nearly drop the crate. "Janine, I have my simulation. I think I know what really happened by the waterfall."
My steps falter a bit. "Simulation? Do you mean-"
I'm falling again, running again, stuck in the freaking sleet and rain again! Although this time we're already at the waterfall, praise God, pushing the crate up onto the ledge using the trolley.
"Okay, guys. That waterfall should look like the one by Prometheus, or one of 137 other movies I often reference," Sam says, and I smile, although it drops when I slip and pain shoots up my calf from a sharp rock digging deep into it.
I curse internally when everyone notices. I give them a nod to say I'm fine as Amelia gives me a hand up, surprisingly.
"We're on the ledge now, Mr. Yao," Janine says. "It is challenging to keep the crate stable on these wet rocks."
"Ah. Yeah, sorry. Should have thought of that."
"A lesson for next time, Mr. Yao."
Amelia huffs in annoyance. "My outfit is getting soaked, Sam." She leans against the crate just a bit, and I yelp when the crate tumbles off the trolley and clatters against the rocks. "Five, help me get it upright."
I lean down, but don't help much, my eyes on my cut that's bleeding heavily. I try to cover it up, pressing my ripped pant leg against it as Amelia whispers something to me.
"Just between us, I thought a push might crack the lid," She says, but I barely listen. "I've been dying to get a look at Sage's supplies. The man's so mysterious. And I can't deny it interests me that he's commanding so much of Peter's time."
"Peter?" I repeat.
"I see those supplies spilling, Ms. Spens. Don't steal anything," Janine commands, and she looks up with eyes wide at zombies approaching. She fires at them, trying to push them back. "The zombies are slipping on the rocks. It may buy us some more time."
I finally look up, and a gasp leaves my lips. "It won't. I spot five more coming from the other direction."
"Oh, God. It's a trap," Sam says with a trembling voice. "Can they do traps?"
"It's possible, Mr. Yao. Options?"
"Uh, well, you could jump in the water, like Harrison Ford in the Fugitive. Uh, no, sorry. That was a dam." He pauses. "Wait. My map says that the cliffside is full of caves. Like a giant curly-wurly, only obviously, not like that at all. They're too narrow for the crate, but-"
"I suggest a plan now that has a 98% probability of ending with myself in possession of the crate," Amelia says, and Janine glares at her.
"I do not agree, Ms. Spens." Her eyes go wide as a zombie growls, and I turn my head to see a V-Type only a few feet away, reaching for me and Amelia. "Ms. Spens, get away from the crate!"
She rolls her eyes and shifts in her crouched position, her heels becoming dangerously close to the edge. "Calm down, Janine. I was just securing the lid."
"Five, grab Ms. Spens!"
"Look out!" I yell with wide eyes, grabbing her arm and pulling her away as Janine kicks the crate. It slams into the zombie and they both go tumbling into the water. As Amelia gasps in shock I look around, trying to find somewhere we can hide.
"You kicked the crate over the side!"
"And saved your life," She replies. "The crate survived the fall. Veronica will be able to reacquire it."
"This way," I say, pointing to a nearby cave entrance.
"Good eye. Everybody, go!"
When I'm slung back to the present, I feel like I'm going to pass out. I close my eyes for several moments, simply allowing my feet to move because opening my eyes and letting light in only makes my dizziness and nausea worse.
Warm blood drips down my nose and runs past my lips, but I keep my head down so no one can see it.
"Simulation complete," Veronica says. "I've plotted your route to New Aberystwyth. Head through the conifers to your west. That is your fastest path. Run!"
•
When we enter New Aberystwyth, the people waiting by the gates erupt in cheers and applause. I keep my head down as we lower the crate, only looking up after I wipe my face to hopefully get rid of the dried blood on my skin.
"Goodness. New Aberystwyth do seem thrilled with their supplies," Amelia says with raised brows.
Jones sighs, looking slightly embarrassed and remorseful. "I must thank you-carrying the crate all the way. The supplies are everythin' we need. You're a true friend to Colonel Sage. And so is your AI friend. Must be amazin' to have an AI friend."
Janine nods slowly. "Yes, our AI friend is an invaluable asset. I've been thinking, Mr. Yao. After all the assistance Colonel Sage has given us, perhaps we should introduce him to our AI friend. And tell him more about how she was... constructed."
"Huh," He says with a slight chuckle. "Weirdly, Veronica just said the same thing. Her simulations apparently suggest he'd be a more valuable ally is he knew more about her. She's gone off to recheck her models. And she said, and I quote, 'I'm glad to be free of the vagaries of human reasoning and recollection.' Hmm, it's funny how we all remember things differently, isn't it? Still, at least now we know what happened."
"Please," Amelia says with a scoff. "Veronica's 95% accurate is a long way from 100% true."
I hear the smile in his voice as he speaks again. "That's funny, because Veronica also said there's a 97% chance you were hiding something in your story."
"See? She isn't even sure she has all the facts."
Janine sends her a pointed look. "Who can be, Ms. Spens, with people like you in the world? Let's get back to Abel."
"Can we take the way without all the zombies?" I ask, not caring how desperate I sound in asking the question. "I'm not feeling super great."
"Are you okay, love?" Sam asks, concern dripping from his voice.
"I'll be fine once I get home and take a nap."
"I'm sure Mr. Yao will find us a route that will make our trip back less exciting than our trip here," She says. "On the way, Runner Five, do tell us. Which version of events do you remember?"
A/N: Here you go, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please be sure to vote and comment! This chapter is dedicated to Blank1234567
Thank you all and have a blessed day!