"I still can't believe anyone would do that with V-Type blood. You know what I mean, Five?" Jody asks, her face pinched, green eyes filled with disgust as we stand and wait. "The pills are bad enough, but V-Type pills? What's wrong with them?"
Paula sighs. "At least the children survived."
"Where's the horde now though?"
Peter's grip on my wrist tightens a bit before he answers. "Heading north, towards us. They destroyed Marlow Castle and the Alexandra Colony. It's the biggest V-Type horde there's ever been."
I shudder. So much destruction in just a few days. It's not even been a week since the Exmoore fell.
"Yeah, because nobody's ever been stupid enough to make pills with V-Type blood before," Sam grumbles through my headset. Grief is still present with us as we mourn what happened, but now there is anger along with it. So many people died. That's something to get angry about.
I'm happy that I got the day with Peter a few days ago to take my mind off of things, but I can't take my mind off of it forever. It's happened and now we have even more V-Types to worry about, and now we must move forward. And a part of that means getting angry.
"Did we find the guy?" Jody asks, and Paula raises a brow.
"The man in the red cap Five tackled?" She shakes her head. "Missing, presumed V-Type. We can't know for certain he was a Last Rider. Suicide attacks breed copycats."
"We have to get back into the fungus farm where we found the accelerant, Five," Sam says. "That stuff must have been how they made the pills."
I frown, bouncing my leg anxiously. "Uh, yeah. Plus there's a device in there that could help me regain my memory. I saw something in there, but I can't remember what, and not even Moonchild could tell me what I saw. Ugh, I hate it when there's blanks in my memory. It's a really helpless feeling."
"I know, sweetheart, but it's taking some time. And this conference is important. Sage wants me to run the briefing again."
The deadpan look on Peter's face makes my giggle. "It's one of his things. Repetition until your brain gets sick of it, but you'll always remember it."
"Ah, so like when you tell me your jokes," I smirk, and he sticks his tongue out at me which makes me giggle again. Sam clears his throat to get our attention.
"Alright then. Mission briefing. After what happened to Exmoore, we desperately need to unite the factions across the UK. Sage is the obvious contender now. He's a leader everyone can live with."
"He's more than that, Sam," Peter says. "Anyway, I think he only wants to be interim battle coordinator."
Paula hums. "Ah. Caesar refusing the crown."
"Look, someone has to run this. We have to work together, but the faction leaders are all terrified that they'll be stuck here if-"
"If someone doses the champagne," I finish.
"Or anything else," Sam adds. "Yeah. So that's why we're running this exercise. We need to prove the emergency procedures are airtight. When the whistle goes, you've got twenty-five minutes to get everyone off the rig. We're being observed by people from Wales, Cornwall, and-oh. From the Hebrides. Sage's team is throwing in surprises, apparently. So that's fun."
"It's for the Psychoanalysts Enclave," Peter says with an eyeroll. "They're being really resistant. Sage things they don't want to join the coalition at all, and they're using safety fears as an excuse. Mind games, basically. Which, to be fair, is their job. So we have to get this right. If people don't come, chaos will just keep rising and rising and rising..."
"And we all go the way of Marlow and Alexandra," Paula finishes, and I gulp nervously, then gasp when a shrill whistle hits the air.
"That's it. Head up the staircase to your left to level 2," Sam instructs. "Go, run!"
We take off, Peter sprinting and dragging me along with him, with Paula and Jody behind us. I know Peter wants this to go well for Sage's sake. He's become extremely close to him and seems to have put in a lot of trust in him and his methods. I can't really blame him. Sage was willing to help me when I told him about my immortality almost immediately, and because of him and his work, I'm mortal again.
Which is why I wince whenever the bandages around my chest rub against my sensitive skin. I have topical medicine to help keep it from scarring, but it still hurts quite a bit and will until it's healed. I forgot just how much of a nuisance a burn wound could be. I'll have to get used to it, obviously, but still, I thought I'd be more prepared for this pain.
I've dealt with it before, and I can do it now. After Van Ark tested on me, I didn't actually start healing quicker until much, much later. I sustained wounds and just had to deal with them, and I can do the same now.
Although I think after this mission I can speak with Sage and get that test to see if I really am mortal again, plus I need to ask if this will affect any of the other abilities I got from Van Ark's treatments, like being strong enough to punch through metal.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind if that part stayed. Could come in handy.
We reach level 2 pretty quickly, just like I knew we would, and head down one of the corridors.
"How are we doin' for time, Sam?" Jody asks.
"You are still on schedule. You need to evac the delegates from the main conference room, which... it looks like you've just reached."
We get inside, and my eyes widen at how big this room is. It's got to be the size of a cathedral.
"Wow, this is really beautiful. All polished metal," Jody says in awe. "It's so bright."
"They store oil in here," Peter remarks. "It has to be polished to stop impurities getting into the supply. That's it, ladies and gentlemen. Just uh, head for the lift. Uh, Five, can you hold the doors open for them?"
He lets go of me so I can open the doors and everyone in the room can file out.
"How do you know about oil rigs?" Paula asks as people walk past her.
"Sage just thinks that everyone should learn as much as they can about the affordances of the world, and how things work. It can save a life."
I remember all the things Nicole told me she was taught while she was at the A.M.T.B. Her extended time there allowed her to learn about a lot of things, and I'm glad she's on Abel's side, since she has a good bit of medical knowledge as well as knowledge about certain poisons and weaponry, along with the ability to be an operator or runner.
"It's true," Sam agrees. "Four people at Exmoore survived by hiding under the manure, breathing through straws for two days. Masked the smell."
My stomach lurches in disgust.
"Did you know New Canton's comin' to this peace conference?" Jody snickers as she tucks a blonde strand behind her ear. "Amelia, workin' together with other humans."
"She's probably just trying to angle her way to being leader of the UK," I scoff, which gets a laugh from her.
"Can you imagine? Amelia Spens, prime minister? To be fair, she'd be good at knifing people in the back. Have you heard anythin' from her about it, Peter?"
Peter stiffens, looking a bit surprised that she'd ask him. "I try not to spend time with her. She's not good for me."
By now everyone's out, so I stop holding the doors and we all start heading down the corridor to be told wherever else we need to go. Peter grabs my wrist again.
"Also I doubt he'd have the chance to see her if he wanted to, since anytime he comes down, Five's clinging to him; and we all know how well Five and Amelia get along," Paula says.
While her words don't have any malice, I still flinch. "I didn't-I didn't think I was... that clingy."
She cocks a brow. "Are you serious?"
Now that hurt, and a sinking feeling hits me as I wonder if Peter ever got annoyed with me being around him so much and just didn't say anything because he didn't want to hurt my feelings.
Oh God, what if I am too clingy and that annoys him, and it drives him away? What if he decides to stay in Banktown permanently?
I grab at my invisible backpack strap as my mind races. I debate pulling out of Peter's grasp, but then he speaks.
"Well, it's not like anyone else comes to meet me at the gates when I drop by." He shrugs dismissively. "Also do you not remember how much I annoyed her at Noah Base?"
I smile in relief, but then I hear moans echo down the hall a second later.
"Looks like we've got guests."
"That's a more dangerous surprise that I was expecting," Sam says. "Can't be V-Types, but don't take chances. Guys, your next job is evacuating the accommodation block eight levels up. Get away from those zoms. Run!"
We've already reached the stairs by the time he's said that, although the zombies sound close. Incredibly close. I know Sage wouldn't be stupid enough to bring V-Types in, not with Peter with us, and not with the V-Type horde rising. And since they're regular zombies, it should be easy to lose them by climbing the stairs.
I almost trip up one of the stairs, letting out a slight squeak which gets Peter to look back at me. I give him a quick wave of my hand to let him know I'm fine. It's sweet how much he cares, or maybe he's just trying to make sure I don't fall and pull him down with me.
That's happened a few times and all of them ended up with us in positions that neither of us were comfortable with. One time it even made Peter blush.
I hear the clattering of the zombies as they reach the stairs. They're moans sound... a bit off. They're not animalistic like the V-Types, but rather, more humanish than what I've heard of regular zombies. But I can't focus on that since the sound is accompanied by footsteps-extremely fast footsteps.
Normal zombies usually aren't that fast.
"Come on, Five," Peter says, and I let out a slight shriek when he pulls me up towards him. I have to jump about four stairs to avoid slamming my shin into one. I know that would for sure leave a bruise.
We've still got awhile to go, but we just keep climbing.
"I can't believe they used actual zombies in this exercise." Four's lips curl into a sneer. "I mean, I know we have the cure, but still."
Sam sucks in a breath through his teeth. "Actually, I didn't want to say because you're making really good time, but I think they're just people dressed up as zombies."
Her jaw drops. "Bloody hell, Sam, you could have told us!"
"We have to behave as if they're real, Jody." Peter says seriously. "If we relax, we won't make our time target and the Psychoanalysts will get the excuse that they want."
"I get it. I'm not slowin' down. I just-you could have told us. What if I suggested Five shoot one of them that got too close? You know she would have!"
She's not wrong.
"But I'm not slowin' down, okay? I had a nightmare last night about the V-Type horde. Haven't had a zombie nightmare in years. They're just part of the furniture now, you know? But the V-Types..."
"Yeah," Paula agrees. "I've had those dreams. Janine says the horde is doing that organized thing the other V-Type horde did. Marching in columns, attacking at once from all sides."
Suddenly a zombie-or, a fake zombie, jumps out from behind the stairway where it had been waiting. We're partially up the next flight as it grabs Paula's wrist. "Argh!"
"Oh God!" Jody places her hand over her heart as we stop, momentarily stunned. "You scared us. Do you really have to roar like zombies too?"
"I'm a real zombie," The girl says, and some of the others behind us catch up, pausing when they see us just standing there. "And you're really confronting us. We're biting you now. Look. Chomp."
She bites Paula, not enough to break skin, but enough for her to hiss and pull away.
"Ow! You bit me."
The fake zombie girl shrugs. "That's what we do. Now you're a zombie too. Have a badge."
The redhead takes it, her lips pressing together. "Now I'm a zombie."
The fake zombie girl frowns and looks back in confusion at the other fake zombies. "Um, are you not familiar with the setup of a zombie apocalypse? Did you just get out of a submarine? Oh, God. Sorry. You didn't just come out of the Undaunted, did you?"
"No, I-I just... feelings. Never mind. Alright, I'm a zombie. Roar."
Peter huffs exasperatedly. "Am I the only one taking this seriously?"
I pat his hand, half sympathetic and half teasing, to which he deadpans at me. A sheepish smile pulls at my lips as if to silently say, 'At least I tried.'
The fake zombie girl rolls her eyes. "Relax. That's Abel Five you've got ahold of, yeah? Pretty sure anyone with her could do an evac with their hands tied behind their backs."
My cheeks heat up at the compliment. "Oh, uh, thanks."
"But if you insist-now we're gonna chase the rest of you. Run!"
•
"Come on, ladies and gentlemen, quickly!" Jody ushers each person out with determination. "The zombies are outside the door, and it's only fastened with a chain. Look, their arms are reaching through already!"
"Roar! We want to eat you!" A fake zombie yells from the other side of the door.
"I don't know if zombies want to eat you, exactly," Paula explains. "It's more like you want to bite, and your jaw just starts working by itself. I wish I didn't know that."
"Because I'm a zombie, I have no curiosity, so I'm not asking."
"Oh, that's kind. Roar. Roar."
I can't hide my snickering, even when Peter gives me a look.
"I'm sorry. It's just Paula saying 'Roar. Roar,' with no enthusiasm is really funny."
He just shakes his head. "Check the rooms down the left side of the corridor. Four, check the right. I'll guard this door."
With a sharp nod I set off, motioning for everyone in the rooms to get out quickly, which they do. They all seem to just be waiting around for me to pop my head in and get them out.
"I never expected accommodation on an oil rig to be this nice. Did you, Callista?" Jody asks, gaining my attention.
"Huh? Uh, I've never really thought about what it would be like to be on an oil rig, but they are nice."
There are a lot of fresh colors and plush furniture. If Sage wasn't running this, I'd consider stealing some of the pretty vases and decorations. I think I also saw a nice communal kitchen, with silverware that I have to stop myself from taking.
Wow. I probably need to talk to Maxine when we have our next counseling session about how often I think of stealing things.
"Rooms one through nine are all clear."
"The rooms are nice because you can't expect people to work well together when they're living in squalor," Peter says. "A tidy room comes before any other accomplishments."
Jody shrugs. "I don't know. We managed plenty of accomplishments at Abel from a set of shacks held together by a string."
"Well, not everyone's like us. I mean, look at us. Some of our main runners is me-an immortal man, you-a woman who had ties with the mafia before the apocalypse, and Five-a child soldier who now is no longer a child. You know, for most people, a bit of discipline is a good thing. I've been working on fitness programs for Sage, and the key is little and often. Lots of people see a difference from my routines."
"I get it," Sam agrees. "It's the best thing, to feel like you're needed. Useful. Right, you've cleared that level. One hundred and fifteen people in three minutes! Great work. Head out towards the propellers now to get that last group from the engine rooms."
We do as told, and once Peter catches up, he grabs my wrist again. He doesn't even look down to find it. It's become like second nature, and I smile softly as Jody opens the door that leads us towards the engine rooms.
The light from outside makes me squint, but I can see the propellers. I gasp at just how massive it is, and suddenly I feel even smaller than I do most of the time.
"Oh, crap."
The panic in Sam's voice makes me raise a brow. "What?"
"Look up and to the left. Green engineering block. There're people up there on the roof."
My eyebrows knit together in confusion. There are two small groups on opposite sides of the roof. One group are dressed like delegates, and the other are wearing what I assume are the engineer uniforms.
Peter and I choke as one person pushes another into the ocean.
"Oh. Oh crap. They're reporting they were infiltrated. One of them was a Last Rider. She's taken a pill!"
My heart stops in my chest.
"We've got to get those people off that roof," Jody says. "Five, Peter, with me. Let's go."
"Is there anyone else on the rig?" I ask. "If so, we have to warn them we have an actual zombie on here!"
"No, no. I uh, I've called in via coms. We have those for backup in case something happens. I've warned everyone else and they're continuing procedures," Sam replies, which makes me feel a little better. "Final evac's almost complete, apart from-apart from those guys on the engineering block roof."
I can see them on the roof. The woman that took the pill has gone full zombie now, snarling and growling. Those around her are trying to keep her back using whatever's on the roof to push her away, but they'll get bitten eventually.
I can feel myself trembling a bit. I don't know how we're going to make it up there in time, and we can't have more people turning into V-Types. We've already lost far too many.
"I've got an idea," Peter says, biting his lip. "Sage has had me learning about the machinery on this rig. I can work this crane, move the boom so that it's next to the engineering building."
Jody tips her head to the side. "And what? Swat the zombie off?"
"No, you and Five run along the crane and jump onto the roof."
She ponders it for a moment and then nods. "It could work. Five, let's go."
As Peter lets go of my wrist to race towards the crane, I let out a squeaky laugh. "Oh, I hope this doesn't end the same it did for me the last time I run up a crane to get to higher ground."
"What?" Peter asks. "Oh! That was in the Natural History Museum, when we were up against Moonchild. Well, you don't have a chainsaw on you this time, so I think you'll be fine."
He's able to climb up into the driver's compartment of the crane and moves it, and once he's done Jody gives me a leg up so then I can pull her up. We start running. It's a lot more terrifying when I know that a fall from here would give me a serious injury. I mean, I don't know that for sure yet, but I think it's safe to assume it.
Plus the memory of chainsaw-ing myself in the arm that last time I did anything like this also makes my stomach erupt in butterflies, and not the good kind. It's why I keep my gaze trained on my feet as we go higher and higher, although it's a bit counterproductive since that forces me to look down and realize how high up I am.
I take in a slow breath, reminding myself that I've been higher before. I mean, just a little while ago I almost fell eighty-eight stories... Although that was also terrifying so it doesn't really make me feel any better about my current situation.
But we reach the top fairly quickly, with there being a small bit of space between the end of the arm of the crane and the roof.
"Go on, Five. You can do it. Jump!" Jody commands, and I take a running start and jump, being weightless for just a single moment before hitting the roof. I immediately grab my pistol. It won't do much against the V-Type, but it may buy us some time.
"Now you, Jody," Sam says, and there's a soft thump beside me as Jody lands on the roof.
"Now where's that Last Rider zombie?" She asks, tensing, but then a second later cocks her head in confusion. It's understandable since the zombie is nowhere to be found, and neither are the people.
"What's going on?" I ask suspiciously, then flinch when I hear a slow clap as the zombie emerges from around a large steel unit on the roof. It doesn't run after us, but instead smiles smugly and leans against the unit.
"Ah, that was brilliant work," She says. "Incredibly heroic. Unfortunately, everyone up here is dead now."
Jody's green eyes blink in shock. "Wait. Hang on a minute. This was also a test? What's it supposed to prove? What about the woman who fell into the sea?"
"Oh, she's fine. Lifejacket. Raft waiting for her. The point is, you fell for the trick, and that means we can't rely on you."
"That doesn't make any sense!" I shout, glaring at the fake zombie. "If it had been a real V-Type and we ignored it for a procedure, then we'd really have failed! Even if it wasn't, then we'd have gotten in trouble for ignoring a potential V-Type to follow procedure! It was a trap either way! A way to mess with our... heads." Realization hits me like a truck. "Oh. I see. You're from the Psychoanalysts Enclave."
They set a trap that no matter what we did, we'd fail, because that's what they wanted. They wanted no possible way for us to win so they wouldn't have to join.
She nods. "And now we're going to bite you, and Abel's going to fail its evac test."
"No, we're bloody not," Peter growls into my headset. "Northwest corner. There's an evac slide down to the beach. Get over there!"
I give the fake zombie a little salute before booking it. "See ya, sucker!"
"Wait, just a second! A real zombie wouldn't have talked to you!" The psychoanalyst chokes out.
"That wasn't our mistake, was it?" Jody asks with a smirk, but then it morphs into a deadpanned stare. "That's the problem with you lot. You're all talk. Come on, Five. With me down this slide."
I let out a happy shriek as we go down, but it turns into more of a panicked shriek when I see all the zombies along the shoreline of the beach. And from the way their heads all snap towards us and their eyes remain glazed over, they're real zombies.
"Oh, bloody hell," Sam murmurs underneath his breath. "Four, Five, you can still make your time slot. The finish line's just along the beach. Run!"
•
My heart feels like I'm about to explode by the time we make it to the finish line. The whistle blows, and while it's painful, I laugh, dropping to my knees as Peter meets up with me and Jody. They both help me back to my feet after a few moments.
"Abel Township runners, welcome," Colonel Sage says, a very satisfied smile on his face. "The rig is proven safe. The crew from the Hebrides were particularly impressed with the way you outwitted the Psychoanalysts. Thanks to you, they will now have to attend the conference or lose face with the rest."
"One... one little thing," I pant. "Not to be a... critic or anything, but please tell us if the zombies aren't really zombies next time. I almost shot," I let out a wheeze, "like three people."
"I will make a note of that. And I'll have those zombies on the beach dealt with tonight. You can bed down on the rig as honored guests before the conference."
The way the light dances in Peter's eyes has me in awe. "Thank you, sir. We're proud."
"Nicole and I have sat in on some of those conferences for Janine, Colonel Sage. It still seems like more bickerin' than anythin' else," Jody says, wringing her hands nervously.
He smiles. "Runner Four, it's good to see you. I understand your concerns, but the fate of the Exmoore Militia has concentrated the minds of the country. Several factions, including some emergency elected officials from New Oban, who have never sat down with us before, have agreed to unite under my leadership for now. We have several promising ideas for fighting zombies to discuss.
"And I have another piece of good news. I've heard from Jones. We're only a day or two from breaking through to the piece of the Edda. With Veronica's help, we'll soon have the V-Type weapon we need."
I let out a surprised laugh, excitedly grabbing Jody and Peter's hands. Peter smiles at me widely, and I almost want to cry because it's a real smile. One that reaches his eyes. One without a trace of sadness behind them.
"We can win this thing at last."
A/N: Here you go, guys! I think we all know that Peter jinxed it when he said they can finically win haha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day.