I can see Abel Township ahead, standing proudly in its place even though it's still pretty pathetic in its makings as a settlement. I've never been happier to see it though. It's home. My home. And now we're so close to getting back to Abel so Janine can make the sealant.
"So, it's decided then?" Sarah asks. "Time to let Runner Five in on the details of Greenshoot?"
"That part of the project which is relevant to the mission," Janine says sharply, and I blink in confusion.
"Wait, I thought Project Greenshoot was making Great Britain zombie free." I say.
"It is, but there are many things we have to do to make that happen, Runner Five," Janine says. "And there is a bit more to it. Greenshoot's developed in Eight's absence, but I know I can scarcely expect you to unsee what you're going to see today."
I gulp.
"I'm raising the gates. Runner Five, Runner Eight, come inside."
The alarm blares as we race through the gates, and with each swing of my arms a wave of soreness spikes into my muscles. I'm thankful I was able to shove that larger canister into my backpack or I'm sure my arms would feel like they're about to fall off.
"Ten pounds of polycyanate in my backpack. Same in Five's," Sarah says unto her headset. I take a look around the buildings, expecting to see sticky green fluid leaking out of buildings or something. I actually never saw any chemicals leaking out; I was rushed away as soon as I heard the news, but I expect it to be from Dr. Meyers's small lab that was made for her awhile back, but as we get closer to it, I see nothing.
Strange.
"Over here!" Janine calls. "Double time please. The situation is critical. Bring those cans to me."
We follow her into Maxine's lab, and I find that it's pristinely clean. The other ingredients for the sealant are in the corner of the room, far away from the samples for the zombie slowing agent and the ingredients used to make it.
"So, um, what is it that I still don't know about Project Greenshoot?" I ask as I place my backpack down near the other sealant ingredients.
"Greenshoot's always been what the name implies, Five-a chance for a new start for Abel and for humanity," She answers. "Abel is important, not just because of the people here, but because of what's underneath it."
I cock a brow. "The armory?"
"Not exactly. You've brought enough for me to make a sealant, but I need you to bring the leaking canisters to me."
"Are they underground?" Sarah asks, and she gets a nod in reply.
"Yes. The canisters are in a bio lab beneath Abel, entered by the armory sub basement. It's that lab I was always meant to protect."
I gape at her. An underground bio lab... Jesus on a boat.
"You mean the weapons research facility?" Eight questions.
"Not just bioweapons. We have a whole research complex with yes, some defense capability, but also seed banks, medical knowledge-enough to let the human race recover from an apocalyptic event if necessary."
She nods. "It's been time-past time-to get some of those goodies from the Aladdin's cave for a while." She looks over at me, who is still trying to comprehend the fact that Abel has an underground lab. "You were supposed to help relocate Abel residents while we did that, but the rocket launcher attack on your chopper meant it wasn't a safe time to move."
I nod. "That.. does make sense, I guess."
"These underground labs are the reason the Major decided to establish a civilian community here in the first place-to disguise Abel's real purpose-hide any suspicious comings and going from anyone who might be watching," Janine informs, and again I nod.
"That also makes sense, and since it doesn't look like much from the outside, settlers don't usually bother coming here, so you won't have to worry about the township becoming too big. Smart."
"Janine, if Five has clearance to know this, why can't we just take the sealant down to the lab?"
Janine pulls at her fingers, almost seeming anxious. "The combination of chemicals that are leaking out aren't just toxic. They're extremely volatile and highly flammable. The slightest spark could set it off. Up here the fumes will dissipate until I can get the sealant around the canisters. Down there, we could lose the whole lab."
"So you want me and Five to go into a confining space with volatile, toxic gas?" Sarah grins devilishly. "Sounds like my kind of afternoon."
She frowns at her expression. "Don't take risks. It's very dangerous and you have to hurry. We may only have a few minutes left before the whole place blows."
My eyes widen, and before I can think twice about it, Sarah and I are both sprinting towards the armory, our feet hitting the ground in fast, repetitive beats that sound is not at all in sync. But we don't care about being in sync, not as we reach the armory. Thankfully the gates leading to it has already been opened, so we don't have to worry about stopping.
We reach the building, and when we go inside I'm greeted by the empty room that's bare and plain as can be. Oddly enough, the door that leads to the hallway and stairs is open as well. I send Sarah a raised brow, but she just shrugs, probably assuming Janine left it open for us.
But wouldn't Janine be worried about intruders coming in. I mean, it's unlikely, but this Janine we're talking about. Why would she just leave this open when she's nowhere near here because she's preparing the sealant?
We're already halfway down the metal stairs, so I guess I should just drop it. After all, I need to focus on saving Abel more than anything. Like Janine said, we may only have a few minutes until the whole town blows.
We reach the sub basement, and surely enough, the large door that is usually locked up tight is open as well, but the room itself isn't empty-not of guns, not of people.
"Showed up at last. Could've been a bit quicker." Jaime sighs in annoyance. "Follow me then."
He turns on his heel and starts heading towards the very back of the armory, while I just stay in my place, face contorted into a expression of confusion. "Um, Jaime's supposed to be here, right?"
"Yes," Janine replies through my headset. "I sent for Mr. Skeet because we need his expertise. As a fireman, he's been trained to deal with volatile substances, and I believe he can be trusted to be discreet. Archie certainly thought so."
I cringe. Did she really have to say that last sentence?
"Arch thought I was fit for it. She didn't care about discreet," Jaime snaps.
"Maybe not, but we know that you're... not eager to talk about anything with anyone. And I'm certain Archie would have wanted you to help us."
Jaime scoffs. "Yeah, she would've nagged and nagged and nagged. That girl could talk." A sliver of pain flashes across his face. "Guess now I don't have to imagine her nagging, and at least you lot sent a babysitter. Runner Three can talk too. Left him singing Abba with the kids."
I laugh lightly. "That's Simon for ya."
"Are you plugged into our head cams, Janine?" Sarah questions as we reach the entrance to the bio lab. A concrete slab with a metal door to the side. That's the best way to describe it. Not much detail, since really I don't think it's supposed to be seen. It's smart, since we don't want any enemies to get in there.
"Yes, I have a screen hooked up in Dr. Meyers's lab so I can see what you see. There was a reason no one was allowed in this sub basement. Input the access code and swing it open."
Sarah steps forward, turning towards the keypad that had a brightly lit screen. She presses a button, then another and another and another, each time the keypad letting out a high pitched beep. After she's put in the code, a loud, long beep sounds off before a lock unlatches.
"Go on in."
Sarah grabs the door's handle and pulls it open, and as soon as she does, all three of us are hit with a strong, putrid smell, almost reminding me of rotten eggs.
Jaime's face becomes pinched. "Gah, that's rank."
"It's pretty dense in here already," Sarah says. "Breathing won't be easy."
"Unfortunately the gas masks and hazmat suits are deeper inside." She hums in thought. "Now that I think about it, perhaps that was a strategy misstep on my part."
"Yeah. Perhaps," Jaime spits out with an eye roll. "Great. This is going to be a whole load of fun."
"Let's not waste anymore time," I mumble, clearing my throat a bit. "We have no idea how long we have, so let's get going."
Neither of the two object, and we all start running down the corridor. There are doors lining up the hallways
with red lights shining above them. Some of the doors have markings-letters or numbers-but some don't have anything at all written on them. But I guess I shouldn't really be asking all these questions and instead be focusing on my breathing.
It's hard, breathing and trying to decide just how I should breathe, since breathing in slow, deep breaths or quick pants will get the gas into my system either way.
"Help us."
I slow down, looking around with furrowed brows. "Did you guys say something?"
"No," Sarah replies as Jaime shakes his head. "Did you hear something?"
"I thought I did. It was probably nothing though."
"Don't leave us here."
I look around again, but there's nothing in front of us or behind us.
"What the hell?" I mutter, but shake it off and keep running. It's probably the atmosphere. Me and two others running through a dark corridor of an secret underground lab.
Definitely the atmosphere, I decide.
Jaime lets out a small cough, but shakes his head as if to push it away. This is the start of the gas's affects, I'm assuming. It seems that everything deadly starts with a cough. We'll have to move quickly if we want to make it out alive.
It's odd. This is a race against time and, in a way, our own bodies. It's not against zombies or other people, but something that we cannot stop, or divert for extra time. This is something that isn't good nor evil. It's just there. With zombies-they can be fast, and humans-they can have a good aim or be stronger than the opponent, which is you, but this... if we die, it will be because we weren't fast enough.
That's terrifying, knowing that the only person that will be at fault is us, and no one else.
"You did this to us."
"Oh, my word," Jaime coughs. "This corridor's a mile long."
"This facility is meant to provide a living and working space for up to 1000 people," Janine replies. "Take a left here."
We do as told, taking the left instead of going straight, and heading dark room that leads to another hallway. Through the dark room I can see tables and some equipment, but none of it I can actually name. Although, that would make sense since I remember very little from science and lab class.
"Good. You're entering the medical research section now. The labs you're looking for are beyond."
Sarah coughs loudly before cursing under her breath. "Just when I'd lost the last cough. Oh, Janine, we're going to want to want to circle around the Blue Section. That's definitely need to know, Five."
I open my mouth to ask if the 'need to know' comes with a reason as to why we want to do that, but Janine's amused chuckle cuts me off before I can even start.
"Yes, let's hope none of us ever have to go in there," She agrees. "The intention was always to brief you on the crop duster project, Five. We've had it as one of the several long term options, and with the doctor's research, it's becoming a real possibility. Turn left here and be careful. There are sharp instruments about."
"Sharp instruments and... toxic gas. What a treat," Jaime coughs.
"Why did you leave us?"
My breath suddenly catches in my throat. I recognize this voice, and the other voice that keeps asking for my help down here. Two voices for two people. I swallow thickly.
Just act normal.
"Of course," Janine continues, "things became even worse when Van Ark attacked. We suspected for a time that he knew about this underground facility; Hoped that he didn't. We couldn't be sure, and we didn't want to tell anymore people until we were. With the way he's been able to predict our plans... we're concerned someone might've been working for Van Ark, even one of you two."
"Excuse me?" I shriek, my voice cracking slightly. "In case you've forgotten, I have three children, one of which is mentally disabled because of Van Ark. I wouldn't do that to them. They're my family."
"This is bigger than friendship, Five."
"I said family-"
"They aren't your actual children. Abel's held the primary research lab for years. When the zombie plague struck, my orders were to protect it at all costs. That's more important than I can possibly stress. I need you to keep quiet once this is over."
I humph in reply but say nothing more. Instead my eyes turn to Jaime, who's stopped suddenly. His eye are wide, staring at an a blank space on the wall.
Sarah and I both stop and look at him in confusion.
"Jaime," Sarah says, "why'd you-"
"Do you see that?"
"What?"
"It's Archie. There." His face suddenly falls when Sarah and I give him looks of bewilderment. "Can't you see her? She's standing right next to you."
"Damn it," Janine curses. "I knew this combination could be psychoactive, but I hoped it wouldn't work this quickly. It's a hallucination, Jaime."
Sarah nods in agreement. "There's no one there."
Jaime shakes his head, his gaze snapping away from us. His face becomes full of fear and desperation. "Archie, where are you going? Arch, come back!"
He suddenly takes off, sprinting down the corridor as fast as he can, calling out for Archie. Janine sighs in annoyance. "For God's sake, get after him."
"Yes, we were just getting to that," I sass before sprinting after him. He's incredibly fast for someone under the influence of toxic gas. But at least now I know why I'm hearing the voices.
Better it being because of toxic gas than me actually losing my mind.
But even with that thought in mind, it doesn't help when I actually see a figure in front of me, standing there, saying my name.
"It's not real," I mumble. "He's not real. Jaime, stop running so quickly!"
"Why did you do this to me? Why did I have to die and not you?"
"He's not real. He's not real... Jaime!"
I pass right through the hallucination.
"Where are you going? Stay here! Help me! Don't leave me here alone!"
I keep running, not daring to look back. I can't look back, not if I want to stay focused on the mission. If I look back, I might believe he's actually there. I can't let myself believe that, not even for a minute.
But it can't get much worse than this, not with the voices that I've heard, not with who I just saw. Anna, Katelyn...
Wesley.
"Jaime!" Sarah calls. "Jaime, come back here!"
Suddenly he stops and whirls around, eyes becoming alight with joy. I don't think I've ever seen him look this happy-this relieved.
"There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere."
Sarah's face scrunches up. "What?"
He places his hands on her shoulders. "Oh, God. Arch, I thought you were dead."
"What are you doing?" She asks as he tries to pull her closer. "Let go of me!"
"He thinks you're Archie," Janine chimes in. "Play along."
"He's gone crazy!"
"It's just the gas. Psychoactive chemicals and the grieving process are a potent combination. Tell him to come with you. You'll need him to carry the third canister."
"Okay. Okay." She gently pushes him away and clears her throat. "Come. Come this way, Jaime. We need you to get those canisters, remember?"
I simply gape at her. Maybe it's the toxic gas messing with my mind too, but Sarah sounds exactly like Archie. The impersonation is perfect.
That's when I hear Archie's voice in my head.
"Why didn't you save me?"
"Yeah, yeah," Jaime mumbles. "Whatever you say, Arch."
"Hurry," Janine says. "You have to get the canisters and get out before the gas overwhelms you completely."
•
"That's it. I can see the canisters ahead of you."
Praise God!
"How're you holding up?"
"Five's not looking good," Sarah says.
"I'm fine, Eight," I argue, although I know that's a lie. They won't stop. They won't stop grabbing at me, trying to pull me back and keep me here because of what I've done. They won't stop talking to me. They won't leaving me alone.
"Why did you let me die?"
"You've been muttering 'you're not real' for the past five minutes."
"And how're you doing, Eight?" Janine asks.
"I-I'm okay. I guess I've got a strong constitution."
We reach the canisters, and I can see where they are leaking near the top. I think we'll be alright if we just don't touch it. Well, we aren't necessarily okay now but...
A hand swipes through my shoulder, and I nearly scream when I see a rotting face only inches away from mine.
"Look at what you did to me! You locked me out! You could've saved me!"
"You're not real. You're-you are not real."
"Arch, are you..." Jaime groans and leans against the wall. "I ain't feelin' so good."
"Oh, it's alright... darling. Pick up the canister. You too, Five."
I have to blink multiple times to snap out of it, to get that image-those words-out of my head. But I do as told and pick up the canister.
"Why? What am I doing here?" He asks, picking up the canister anyway.
"Just follow me, Jaime." Sarah takes off running, but she doesn't look like herself. I'm following her, and Jaime is beside her, but she doesn't look like Sarah. She looks like Arch-No!
"It's not real," I mumble. "They're not real. She's not real. It's all fake. It's all in my head. It's not real. It's not real."
But what if it is?
"What if we are?"
"You must speed up. You're not going to get out in time," Janine says worriedly.
"Come on, Jaime," Sarah says in her Archie voice. "A little faster; You can do it. No. No! Be careful!"
Jaime walks right into a bench, his eyes glazed over as if he can't even see what's in front of him. I keep going, passing them, but they-the ghosts-are all in my way. Wesley, Mrs. Robin, Lem, Chris, Jeremiah. All of them. They're all appearing in front of me, grabbing at me, trying to get justice for what I've done.
I jump out of one's way, but a new person appears, and I have to lurch just to evade them.
"You did this to us! You killed us!"
"Five, quit lurching from side to side!"
I try to keep running. I have to make it out. If I don't, they will catch me. They'll catch me and then they'll kill me. I don't want to die. I want to live. I have to live so I can try to make up for this. Why don't they understand that?
I trip, dropping the canister and hitting the floor with a loud thud. I turn on my back, desperate to get up and away from this place, but I'm too late. They're already on top of me, clawing at my skin, at my throat. My eyes widen in horror. They want my voice.
They want to take away my voice!
I scream, trying to get up, but their hands can grab me now. Their arms can hold me down. There's no escape. I'm going to die.
"Five, what are you doing?" Someone... Sarah... Archie? I don't know. Someone screams it, but it's not real. She's not real. Only them-the ghosts that have ahold of me-people that died because of me. Them and also Katelyn. They're here and they're going to take my voice. I can't let them take my voice.
"No, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please!" I scream.
"Do something!"
"I'm open to ideas!"
"Mr. Skeet cared about Runner Twenty. He was devastated when she died. Use that!"
"And what about Five?"
"I'll handle Five."
"You deserve this!"
"You killed us!"
"You betrayed us!
"Runner Five, listen to me," Someone says harshly. Whoever she is, she's caught the attention of the ghosts.
"Don't you dare."
"She isn't real."
"You're ours now."
"You have to get out of here alive. If you don't, you'll have left all of you're friends devastated."
"They aren't real."
"Mr. Shelly."
"Not real."
"Mr. Yao."
"Not real."
"Your children."
"Not-"
"My-my kids?"
"Yes, your kids," Janine says. "Milo, Willis, and Penelope have lost their first mother. They won't be able to lose another one."
Within a second I'm out of it, pushing myself up. The ghosts are screaming. All of them, but I push them away. They aren't real. They aren't real, but my kids are and I can't leave them.
"Jaime, listen to me," Archie-no, Sarah says. "You have to get out of here. We have to run."
"I don't think I'm gonna make it, sweetheart," Jaime croaks out. "Save yourself."
"You have to get out of here, or you'll be as dead as me, which is not exciting at all. It's boring being dead; I do not want you to be dead."
He shakes his head weakly. "No... no, I don't want to be dead, Arch. Don't-don't want either of us to be dead."
"Then follow me."
She turns and runs towards the exit, with Jaime following. I pick up the canister I dropped and start running. I can still hear them-the voices-the ghosts. It's like my worst nightmare has come true, and each step drains me more and more, and with each step they get faster, closer.
I tell myself over and over to do it for the kids-that I have to keep them safe and I can't do that if I'm dead. I have to protect them. I can't leave them.
Those thoughts play on repeat until we reach the armory , but even then... that room has filled with the gasses as well, so it isn't any better. We nearly trip going up the stairs, but we make it out of the building in only a few minutes , and Janine is waiting for us a few yards away at the armory's gates, holding a large can connected to a nozzle.
Jaime coughs, swaying on his feet as he barely manages to keep hold of the canister. "What... where am I?"
"Quickly, bring those canisters to me!" Janine yells.
"Jaime, are you back from the land of the fairies?" Sarah asks almost jokingly.
"Back? I don't-I don't remember what happened... Was Arch..."
Sarah drops her canister in front of Janine, and both he and I do the same. "You were hallucinating. You too, Five, but I don't think yours had anything to do with fairies."
"Stand back," Janine instructs, and after we do just that, she sprays down the canisters, making sure to coat them thoroughly. The sealant foams and sticks to the canisters, causing the creator of the said sealant to smile proudly. "That's it. Now we just wait for the pumps to clear the gas out of the lab and we can bring Abel's residents back none the wiser."
"Oh, good," Jaime snarks. "I remember. I did see Arch."
"We got you out of there," Sarah says. "We're all okay."
"Except Arch."
Janine sighs. "I'm sorry, Mr. Skeet, but that wasn't real. You were hallucinating."
I nearly cringe at the pain and grief that crosses over his face. He masks it by rubbing his temples. "I need to clear my head."
"The gas should be out of your system within an hour."
"That's not what I'm talkin' about," He growls, before turning on his heel and stomping off.
Sympathy claws at my chest almost the same way the ghosts did. I know how real that felt. I know Wesley would never have tried to hurt me, but I whole heartedly believed that that was him trying to claw out my voice. I know why it hurts him so badly-it's because it seemed so real.
"Jaime, wait-"
"Let him go, Five. He's done enough. You all have." Janine gives a small smile. "We've still got a chance now. Project Greenshoot has a future. This war's not over, thanks to you."
A/N: A bit of a longer chapter today, guys. I actually didn't expect it to be this long, but that's okay. This chapter is dedicated to @Saxophone_Obsessor
I hope you enjoyed it, and yeah... I sorta feel bad for traumatizing Five... again, but you know how the zombie apocalypse life is. Anyway, please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day.