2094: Chapter Eleven
“I think I could do cannibalism. If I had to,” Chase admits starring at his food. He then looks up to Reagan, River, Dani and me. We all sit in the cafeteria room eating breakfast.
“Suck on my stringy calf-meat,” River says jokingly.
“Gross, you're not a girl,” Chase yells. We all give him a confused look.
“I don't think I know how to respond to that,” River says quietly.
Dani sighs, and we all go into a long silence.
I’ve been at the rebel base for one and a half weeks now. Most of my time here has just been Warren watching me while I fight in the training room. The whole was very nerve racking, but eventually he pulled me over to him, and told me that I pasted his test.
I guess it wasn’t literally a test. He just wanted to see how I am in a fight. Warren had also told me that he was so amazed with my skills that he wanted me to come on the next run above ground. I was confused on why he had accepted me so quickly. Maybe I’m confused because I know that I had lied during the truth serum, and they don’t know, but I still feel as if they trust me too easily. Not that I have anything against that.
River has been extremely trustworthy of me lately. And I hang out with him the most while I have been living down here. Mostly all we do is fight in training room, and he has yet to be me. I’m not sure what’s up with him though. When he first saved me it seemed like he hated me, but I know he it perfectly fine with me.
Whitford hasn’t made an appearance yet, but people seem to not be worried, so I guess I shouldn't either. I’m not the biggest fan of Whitford, but I still feel like we should’ve made him come with us, instead of walk.
Sophie, my roommate, does remind me of Whitford the tiniest bit, but she is different. Her and I have started to talk more, but we only see each other at night when we go to bed because she gets up extremely early to spend the entire day in the training room. I also found out that Reagan and her go back pretty far. Their families knew each other before the zombie apocalypse happened. But Sophie’s parents had died during the beginning of it. So Warren, Reagan, and Sophie were the first people to be in the rebel base.
I notice Warren walking over to us. He has his eyes on Reagan in particular. When he reaches our table we all stop talking. “I’ve already told Imogene about the run we’re going to do, but I might as well inform you all now,” he begins, everyone listens intently. “All of you,” he points at everyone sitting at the table, “Will be going to a town named Chersons. Last run, some of the other rebels ran into this town, and saw that there were piles of ammunition. They weren’t able to get it all back to the base, so that’s why I need you to go and get it.”
“Where is the town?” Reagan asks her dad.
“Not too far away, but I will give you guys a map, so you don’t get lost.”
“When are we leaving?” River questions.
“Tonight.”
Pounding steps run up to Warren. “I want to go too.” It’s Sophie. “You never let me go on any of the runs. I want to help the rebels, not just be one of the people that watch from the sidelines. Have you seen me in the training room? I’ve become a lot better,” she asks strongly, not in a whiny voice, but more of a professional voice.
“I told your parents that I would keep you safe, and I don’t want to break that promise,” Warren tells her sternly.
“My parents aren’t here anymore. It’s just me. I can have a say in my life,” Sophie demands. There are only two people in the world that can talk to Warren like that without getting slapped, his daughter, and the person staring him down right now.
“If I could interject,” River begins.
“No, you can’t,” Sophie mutters.
River smiles. “Well, I’m going to anyways. I think Sophie should come with us. She can see how it actually is out in the real world, and not all buttered up like it is down here.”
It’s quiet for a moment before Warren says, “We’ll talk about this later.” With that being said he walks away. Sophie storms out of the cafeteria as well.
The room is quiet, even the people sitting at the other tables are silent.
Chase breaks the quietness. “We should probably get ready for the run.” He gets up from the table, and so does everyone else. We all walk out of the cafeteria, and go our separate ways.
Everyone else lives in a different section than Sophie and I, so I walk back by myself. I’m not sure whether or not Sophie will be in the room, but I sort of hope she isn’t.
I wonder if Whitford’s room is near mine. I also wonder what happened to him that made his so...so cold. I haven’t heard him talk to a single person without getting angry.
I bump into someone’s chest, and I fall to the ground. When I look up I see who it is. Speak of the devil.
Whitford.
I quickly rush to my feet when I notice Whitford isn’t going too give me a hand up. “When did you get back?” I ask him.
“When was my appearance your business?” he replies back.
"That’s nice. I've always wanted to answer a question with a question not only does it make you seem extremely intellectual while also making you seem witty, but it's also so damn funny," I say with a smile on my face.
“What?” he questions, confused.
“Nothing,” I roll my eyes. “But really, when did get back?” Whitford sighs. He is completely covered in dirt and blood, so he obviously hasn’t showered yet. “Well, you must’ve just gotten back since it looks as if you haven’t bathed.”
“Thank you Captain Obvious,” he mutters.
“No problem Sergeant Sarcasm,” I reply wittily.
Whitford looks irritated, but he finally answers. “You’re right. I did just get back. And the trip was way better than if I had gone back with you and the Brady Bunch.”
“Who is the Brady Bunch?” I ask, my eyebrows furrowing. “Does Warren know you’re back?”
“Never mind,” he says. “What I’d like to now is how you were able to get in here. And why so many people are trusting you. But yes to answer your question Warren does know that I am back.”
“People like me. Plus I went through the truth serum. They know everything. Now I need to go back to my room, since I’m going on a run with some other people. If you don’t mind moving,” I motion for him to get out of the way, but he just stands there like a rock.
That’s when it starts. The screaming.
The sound tore through the light and back again on to the point where it began, the sound was filled with fear towards the on coming breath. It was high and loud. The scream attacked again, and I suddenly realize it was me screaming. Along with most of the people around me.
A sharp pain attacked my side. A bullet. It wasn't so much the pain, but the shock, the surprise, of almost anticipating, feeling the hot, wet pain in my side, the hole the bullet made. It wasn't what I expected. I thought there would be more pain. I stumble forward into Whitford, taken aback he catches me. Still looking dully into the air, I don’t know what will happen next.
The screams in the air get louder, but fainter, every second. I hear Whitford swears under his breath, as he picks me up bridal style, running down the hall away from the shooters.
I don’t understand what’s going on? Who’s shooting people? Are we under attack? Obviously. I mentally smack myself in the forehead.
My side is leaving a trail of blood behind me, and my eyes flutter shut every now and then.
The world was spinning around me. Black dots like insects swarm through my vision. But I use all my strength to keep them open. I lift my hand up, and push it to my side trying to stop the blood from poring out of me.
“Don’t close your eyes Imogene. You’re going to be fine,” Whitford tells me.
I can’t feel the pain in my side. It seems as if my whole body has gone numb. Sweat dripped off of me, as I pleaded for my life.
Whitford came to a stop in front of a room. He opened up the door, and I saw that it was a bedroom. No one was in it. Whitford set me down on one of the beds. He then goes towards the door, locks it, and pushes a table in front of it. When he comes back towards me, he pulls up my black tank top, it’s soaked through with blood, but you couldn’t tell, since I was wearing a dark tank top.
His eyes widened a tiny bit, he must’ve seen my wound. Whitford went to one of the drawers in the room and pulled out a white shirt. He wrapped it around my stomach. The bullet hit me on the side, but you can barely even see the hole with all this blood.
My eyes closed shut a tiny bit, but Whitford’s voice pulled me back. “Imogene you’re going to be fine. It’s just a flesh wound,” Whitford says, but I can see the way his eyes are looking at me, that I am not fine.
I try my best to chuckle, but it comes out like a cry. “Just a flesh wound,” I mumble. “Is it Nova Vida? Did they get into the rebel base?”
Whitford looks away from me, and down to his blood stained hands. “It must be. I don’t know who else it could be. I just don’t know how they got in here.” He’s breathing heavily, but I don’t think it’s from the fact the he just carried my bloody body while running.
The room were in is neat, and it looks like an exact replica of the one I’m in. Is this Whitford’s room? Or is it just some random persons room.
“How long will it take for the shooters to be killed?” I breathlessly ask. Crimson blood has attacked the white shirt on my stomach, and my skin has turned a sickly white.
“I don’t know. Soon. This is our territory. Warren will be able to take them down. That’s his job,” Whitford runs a hand through his thick dark hair. All aspects of his mean outside are gone, and he just looks insanely worried. “I just don’t understand how they got in here.”
“Dani told me that Nova Vida got in here before, and killed a couple a people. Is it possible they got in the same way as before?” I ask.
“No, last time there was rat in the rebel base that let them in. But we just had everyone retake the truth serum. No one had anything to do with Nova Vida,” Whitford yells, but soon quiets down when he hears footsteps run by the door.
I want to tell him that you can lie with truth serum. I did. Maybe someone here is like me, except they’re working for Nova Vida. Maybe they started this riot, and let Nova Vida guards in. That has to be it.
My thoughts get fuzzy as my vision darkens. “Go. You need to help everyone else. There are people worse of then me right now. Kids. I can take care of myself,” I tell Whitford, while gritting my teeth from the pain.
“I’m not going to leave. As much as I dislike you, I’m not going to let you die,” he states. Once he says this I know I won’t be able to change his mind, but I still try.
“You said it before, it’s just a flesh wound. I’ll be fine.”
“I was trying to make you feel better,” he mutters. Whitford stands up from the bed, which sheets are now stained red. He turns away from me and puts his hands on his head.
A shiver takes over my body, and I clench my stomach, which makes me bleed more. Two tears slip past my eyes, and I painfully take my hand up to my face to wipe away the tears. “It worked.”
My breathing gets slower, and Whitford turns around. “Don’t die on me now Imogene.”
“I thought you hated me?” I ask with my eyes closed.
“I do.” he answers. “But I don’t hate you enough to have a death wish against you.”
“It hurts,” I breathe out.
“I know.”
It feels like it’s snowing in the room even though I know it isn’t. A cold chill has shot up my hands, and it is slowly tingling its way to the core of my body. I could feel my self slipping into the darkness. I have already lost so much blood, that it feels as if I’m swimming in it.
Before I take my last breath, I know I have one thing left to say. “Whitford...” my voice drags out. My eyes are closed, but warm hand wraps around mine. “I’m not human.”
“Of course you’re a human,” his voice rings through my ears.
“No...” I whisper. “Nova Vida created me,” his warm lets go of mine, “To make a cure. I can save everyone. My blood can help everyone. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save you.”
Whitford whispers something so quiet that I can’t hear him. “That’s impossible. You’re impossible.”
“I’m sorry.” I whisper, as my chest stops moving.
I like to think of it as though if you have done bad things in life, you are scared to leave life, and you don't want to get away from Earth. If you haven't done sinful things, then you leave your body in happiness and are forever free from pain, and you also enjoy the feeling of leaving Earth, the place where your memories are hidden.
I have lied to too many people. But I am not afraid to leave earth from my bad choices. I’m afraid to leave because I wasn’t able to help anyone. And that’s all I want to do. That’s why I left Nova Vida. I didn’t want them to take away my life, just so they could manipulate people with it. I wanted someone to take away my life, so they could save the lives of others. But I failed. And now I will spend an eternity in god knows where.
All my senses have left. The only thing I have left is my thoughts, but that’s not enough to keep someone happy. It’s only enough to keep someone sane.
Is this death? Is this where I will spend the rest of my life? Or my death?
I hope Whitford was able to get my some of my blood to make a cure. I hope no one else died. And I hope the resistance beats Nova Vida.
At least I died a rebel. I had the key that signifies the resistance burned on to my skin two days ago. Nobody can take that away. I am and will always be against Nova Vida. Even if I’m not physically there to show it.
I’m in no more pain, since every feeling I have is gone. I wish I were in pain. I wish I were able to feel. But I can’t. This is it.
I wish I were able to say goodbye. I never really got to have a good relationship with any of the rebels, but they still felt like family. Even though I’ve never actually felt what it’s like to have family.
I wonder if the shooter knew who he shot when the bullet hit me. I wonder if he knew I was the cure, if he knew I could save everyone from the ultimate doom of being destroyed from decaying dead beasts.
Probably not.
I know! I know! It's a short chapter! Kill me! Actually don't, I appreciate my life at the moment. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm at a total of 41,000 words in the story. Just 9,000 to go to beat my score! Please vote/comment!
Question of the chapter: Where would you go in a zombie apocalypse?