"Alright. Veronica, Runner Five-gates."
"The Ministry sent word? It's here?" Veronica gasps, and I sigh as I adjust my headset, heading towards the gates at a leisurely pace.
"Cargo plane's headed this way. They want you at a drop point in twenty."
"Ugh, finally!" She groans.
"Thought you only put the requisition for new equipment in two days ago, after Five and Steve made it out of those caves," Sam says, most likely with a pinch of his lips.
"You try spending two days staring at blood samples you can't analyze because you don't have the right equipment."
"Well, it's not like we could've gone yesterday. I could barely move," I say, and I can almost see the knowing smirk on Sam's face.
"Yeah, hangovers are the worst, aren't they?"
"I wasn't hungover," I reply with a scowl.
"You barely moved at all because of your headache yesterday and you barely remember anything from the night before, right?"
I huff, not saying anything for a long moment. The night before last is rather fuzzy, especially the date. I'm assuming it didn't go very well from how Sam doesn't seem to want to talk about it, but there is something I remember.
And that's Nicole's bullshit story about our mom. About how she was chased by zombies, but they were shot down by a group of roaming people who just happened to have raided a gun-show that was a few towns over. She said they rescued her and when she told them about us, they wanted to wait until morning, so there would be less of a chance of zombies swarming them.
By the time she found the old building we'd been staying in, we had already left, believing her dead.
She is dead.
Nicole's lucky I only gave her one solid hit, because I wanted to do worse so badly. How dare she think I'm that stupid. I'm not stupid. Whatever game my sister is playing at, I'm not buying it. I haven't even opened her gift yet. I'm honestly a bit too worried to do so. It could be some sort of trap, or some way to taunt me.
"No, I... I don't remember anything." I clear my throat. "Guess I won't be winning any contest involving shots, at least, not the shots that are made up of liquid. But uh, anyway, Veronica, the wait is almost over, and soon you'll have shiny, new... what are they again?"
"Mass spectrometer circuits," She answers, obviously excited. "The Ministry pulled them out of a genetics lab down south. We had a machine in New Canton, but the electronics corroded. This will mean we can get it working. So get these gates open, Sam! Now!"
"I'm on it! I'm on it!" He says defensively. "Raise the gates! And uh, I guess I don't need to tell you to go. But what's the rush? The thing's not going to get here any faster."
Veronica's eyes are shining when we leave the gates of Abel. It's a type of shine that usually means she's planning something, something that I possibly will not enjoy.
"I have a test that I need to run on our way to the airdrop point."
I tsk. There it is.
"Need to run, or want?"
"It's an idea I've been working on. It's not going to take long, but it requires an outdoor trail with two people. This is a perfect time. Five's the only one of your runners who doesn't mess up my notes by talking too much."
"So that's why you wanted me to come along." I sigh dramatically. "And I thought you just really liked me."
She looks at me, blinks once. "I do really like you. You're the one who almost always gives me promising results."
"Ah. Right."
"Well, if you're gonna do this, make sure to watch the clock," Sam chides. "Ministry is on a timetable, and they'll only drop if they see you there waiting. If you miss them, you'll have to wait until the next flyover to get your uh, mass spectator circuits."
Veronica frowns. "Weren't you studying engineering before the apocalypse?"
"I'm... I must have missed that lecture."
I have to bite back my laugh as Veronica rolls her eyes. "Alright. Come on, Five. We'll be fast."
"I always am," I murmur, giving the dark haired girl a sideways glance.
As we run in silence, I can't help but think back to Veronica's words to me. She said she liked me because I brought results. I mean, I understand that a lot of people like me because of certain things I've done, but hearing it come from Veronica is just... weird, mostly because it seems that results are the only thing you can use to get Veronica to like you. As far as I know, there isn't much she seems to do for fun. She's all work, no play in the most literal sense.
So why does Milo like her so much?
I sigh because I already know the answer.
Because she likes to take risks. Because she's ambitious and will do whatever she has to to get the job done.
I'm only scared of a few things; Veronica is one of them.
I push the thoughts away as we keep running. These shouldn't be thoughts I dwell on right now. And to be honest, they are probably just passing thoughts that I'll forget later, unlike the nagging thoughts of what could've happened on my fake date with Sam to make him seem so closed up about it.
At first I thought maybe in my drunken state I confessed and told him I was in love with him, but I know Sam and even though he doesn't love me back that way, he would be kind enough to actually tell me that and not just go silent about it. The same with if I told him about Moonchild. He definitely would want to talk to sober me if drunk me had told him about Moonchild.
Maybe we had a fight about something. I'm honestly really scared to ask. Maybe it's best if I just don't.
"Looks like four zoms ahead of you by about two kilometers," Sam says. "I-I don't think they've noticed you yet."
"What's their physical condition?" Veronica questions, and my face scrunches up in confusion.
"Uh, dead," He replies, sounding as confused as I feel. "I mean, they look alright, for zombies."
"They've got all legs in working order? No crawlers? No fast zoms?"
"One hundred percent shambling."
She hums, giving a curt nod to no one in particular. "That should work."
"You know, you are allowed to have a nice, normal run. Doesn't have to be science 24/7."
I smile at the concern I hear laced within his voice. Veronica keeps a neutral face.
"We need data, Sam. You know that more than anyone. Dr. Cohen is close to the end. She's been sleeping chained up in case she turns in the night."
There's a long pause.
"Yeah, I know."
"We're as close as we've ever been to a cure, but there's still so much we don't know. We're identifying key changes in the blood during the progression of the zombie virus. If we can disrupt just one of them, we could stop the catastrophic brain damage from occurring. All of this messing around with archaeology is all very well, but anything we find out has to be subject to a rigorous test. We can't just start trying any old thing we think these Vikings or Dr. Dee might have done."
"Can't we, oh, I don't know-suck it and see?"
Her eyebrows furrow together in frustration. "And what if we manage to create a super zombie? An unkillable zombie? Or mutate the virus that it became airborne for real? Remember what happened literally four days ago? That was just a few particles that went airborne in my labs."
Sam hums. "Yeah. That's a good point, actually."
"We need to observe minute cellar changes, learn all the stages of the zombie virus' progress. Zombie behavior in the field can give us vital clues as to changes in its brain structure."
"Well, yeah. I get that."
"So your problem with me using any available moment to do testing is...?" She asks with a raised brow.
"Well, i-it's just... the Ministry," He stammers. "I mean, don't they slightly worry you? And their people..."
"Oh, yes. They worry each other. Sigrid's told me she doesn't know if she can trust the Builder. Did you know he was an agent provocateur during the Afghan war? And I don't think he'd stay around very long if she wasn't in charge of the most extensive set of resources in the country."
"So-"
"They're using him, I'm using them, they're using me. That's how biological organisms operate: mutual benefit, symbiosis."
"But are the benefits really mutual?" I ask. "And how do we know that the playing field is leveled and that they won't double cross us sooner or later?"
Veronica simply rolls her eyes. "Five, Sam, I'm not like you. I don't have to like people to work with them. Why do you think the Ministry is so quick to send us equipment? They know the value of the work I'm doing here. They want to be the ones who 'save the world'."
"And what do you want?" Sam asks.
"I just want to find out how it all works. And Dr. Cohen is dying and my experiments aren't producing any useable results, and I know that if I don't come up with something quickly, then they'll take this project away from me." Her eyebrows pinch together in frustration. "I'm only fifteen. They're going to notice eventually."
Sam laughs, but it rings hollow. "Yeah. I know the feeling."
I remember how Janine was with him when I was Sargent Ellis. Sam was seventeen when he became an operator. I mean, he sort of made himself become one, but still. I know it probably took him awhile to get Janine to trust him to do his job well.
"Okay. Okay, you're going to make visual contact with those zoms pretty quick here."
A smile spreads across Veronica's face. "Good. We'll speed up. I want as much time on this as possible."
I open my mouth to ask her just what her test could be, but decide against it, seeing that one of the reasons she says she likes running with me is my silence. I guess she must've really enjoyed those months where I refused to talk.
It's only been just over a month since I started talking again.
Weird.
It doesn't take long to reach the zoms. They're slow, but our speed has allowed us to reach them fairly quickly. Veronica has a certain gleam in her eye as we approach them. I'm not sure if I should be afraid or excited.
But I understand why she's doing this. The Ministry needs something or else they'll stop helping her, and that's the last thing we need seeing that-even though I hate to admit it-we need their help if we're ever going to have a chance at finding the cure.
"Here," Veronica says, holding out a measuring stick to me. "It folds out. Split off and run about two meters away from me, but make sure we stay level with each other."
"That's like six feet, right?" I ask.
"Should be. I forget that you like to use different measurements."
"Yeah. You should've seen me when I first got here and people started talking about kilometers. Took me forever to figure out the measurement from eyesight. Learning about it in math class and actually using it was more difficult than I'd thought. Anyway, six feet away. McShell maneuver, basically."
"Oh, that was one of your dad's favorites," Sam says, and a sad smile appears on her face.
"Yes, he always took good notes. Anyway, now we're going to keep moving alongside them, so as long as we keep to their speed and maintain positions, I think we should be able to control where they go."
"You mean like herding them? Why would you want to herd zombies?"
"The Ministry wants a way to deal with zoms in populated areas that doesn't involve firing guns at innocent people," She answers. "And if it works, it will mean that their ability to detect equidistant objects has remained intact, a fairly complex form of spatial reasoning."
"And if it doesn't work?"
She shrugs. "I'll have learned something interesting about zombie hippocampus. Now we get to the fun part. Get your measuring stick up, Five. Now run!"
•
"You know what this reminds me of?" Sam asks.
"Five, you're falling back. Speed up a little." Veronica frantically shakes her head when I quicken my pace. "No, only a little! Slow down now!"
"The night after we finally decided to do it. Paula got absolutely plastered on home-brewed cider, and Janine and me had to walk across the township and put her bed so she wouldn't end in the armory or something by mistake. It was a lot like this, except I don't think the zoms are staggering as much."
"The zom in the lead's getting too close to you, Five. Back up!"
"I'm trying!" I yell back, gritting my teeth in frustration as I try to do as she says.
"Veronica, watch that zom at your five o'clock!" Sam warns.
"Ugh, why does he keep coming so close to me? Five, move in on your side. Closer. No, not that much!"
"It's going for your arm!"
"You're too close!"
I yelp, pulling away from the bony fingers going for my arm.
"Don't let it get ahold of you! Kill it! Kill it!" Sam yells, and with a pounding heart I hit the zombie with the measuring stick. The force of the blow causes it to fall, hitting its head hard on a rock. It doesn't get back up.
"Like that?" I pant, pulling away from the group of zoms just a bit.
"Yeah. Like that."
"They're out of formation!" Veronica states. She sounds frustrated, afraid. "If they're not being funneled equally between us, they'll each pick someone to attack."
"They're definitely attacking!"
Veronica uses her measuring stick to push one of the zombies away. "Get away from me! Five, we need to reposition."
"No," Sam jumps in. "You've lost control of them. Both of you, get out of here!"
"Wha-Sam!" Veronica screams.
"Now! Go!"
Veronica looks over at me, almost desperate for backup, but I give her none. Sam's right. This is too dangerous. So instead I increase my speed, forcing her to do the same in order to not die.
Another zombie tries to head over to me. I wack it with the stick, not killing it, but pushing it away so I can sprint ahead and lose them. I try not to run too fast, since I don't want to leave Veronica behind where she could get hurt, but she manages to evade the zombies and catch up to me. Together we sprint ahead of them, and she wears a scowl on her face the entire time.
I almost want to scold her for being angry at Sam for wanting to keep her safe. I understand that his panic doesn't always make us feel any better, or him pointing out the obvious can get a bit annoying, but I know it's because he can't help it. He just gets so scared and then he just word vomits. It's because he cares. When Sam went out on the mission with me I nearly went into a panic attack every few minutes, so I can't imagine how he must feel doing this everyday.
I mean, I know he doesn't care for me the way I do him, but I know he loves just about ever Abel runner as if they're family. And he feels the same way about Veronica. How can she be angry at him for being worried about her?
"Okay, you're losing the zoms. Just keep running. I don't want there to be any chance of them catching up," Sam says, and while he isn't yelling anymore, it's clear that there's tension in his voice. I feel my shoulders start to scrunch up into my ears as I prepare for a lecture for both me and Veronica.
"It wasn't that bad," She states, warning a scoff from the radio operator.
"You and Five nearly got yourselves eaten! And even though you're losing the zoms, they're still chasing you and they've picked up another one, so it replaces the one Five killed. Also, how could I forget? The Ministry of Recovery's plane is only a few minutes away from the drop site."
"But the theory holds up! If we try it again, and we were more careful with our speed-"
"No!"
"What if we reduce sample size? Five killed one zom, but she hit another one pretty hard. Another couple hits to the head and we'd only have three to deal with."
"All I want is for you two to shake this pack, get the equipment, and then get back inside Abel's gates." Sam sighs heavily. "Veronica, this is how your dad died. Please."
She tenses, but doesn't back down. "No, I have to do it now! Stop arguing with me. It has to be now!"
"Veronica, no."
"You know Sigrid's got plans beyond the cure. Crop growth, clean energy, medical aids. After this is over, they've talked about letting me have my own lab, letting me bring in anyone I want to help, even someone like Nadia or Milo if they wanted, and Nadia barely likes chemistry and Milo only knows basics. And I want that! I can give them what they want. I'm learning so much about how the zombie virus works. I just need another couple lucky breaks, and just to show them something like this, something useful in the meantime! If I can keep showing them my work is good, I know they'll make a place for me. I don't want them to forget."
"We'll always have a place for you."
"Will you always have a mass spectrometer for me?" She asks, and if we weren't running I'm sure she'd have her arms crossed like the stubborn teen she's being. "Please. It's just a short test. I'm so close, Sam. We're so close. And I'm with Five. She'll keep us both safe. She always does."
Sam sighs again, and Veronica smiles because she knows he's caving. "Oh, God. I am so going to regret letting you do this. I do not think this is good soon-to-be-dad behavior."
"You're actually-" I start.
"Yes. Yes. Veronica, go herd your zoms, but at the first sign they're getting to close, Five-pistol."
"I only have about four bullets in here."
"There's four zoms. You do what you have you have to and then-and I mean this literally-drag Veronica back to Abel."
"Okay," Veronica says, clasping her hands together for a short moment. "Uh, yes. We need to keep up the pace, but maybe some more zombies will come follow us to the drop site if the ones behind us don't manage to catch up. Come on."
•
"You're coming up on the drop site now."
"Yep," I say, looking ahead at the big open clearing with what looks like paint sprayed on the ground. I think it's a bullseye, but it's hard to tell when you're on the ground.
"The Ministry says if you can draw the zoms on the bullseye, they'll do the rest."
"I knew they'd help," Veronica says with a small smile. "And this test has been very interesting. The fact that we can't hold the zombies at a steady pace when close to us suggest that some pheromones or one of their senses is interfering with the spatial reasoning centers."
"And that trying this again will definitely get you killed."
She nods, looking up. "Probably, yes. The aircraft is here, though."
"Once you've got the zoms on the target, peel off and get out of range as quickly as you can, yeah?"
"We know."
Veronica and I continue herding the zoms, making sure to stay more than six feet away from their side. It makes sense, really. The only time the McShell maneuver held through with us getting really close to the zombies was when we immediately killed them as soon as we got close enough.
"Nearly there. Plane's cargo hold is open already. You need to get out of the way."
"We're going. We're going!" Veronica says as we start to peel away from the zoms. "Five, if we split off in opposite directions, it should confuse them long enough for-"
"She knows the drill," Sam interrupts. "Both of you, move! They must be lining up the shot any second now."
I'm already running, making sure to look over my shoulder and keep a hand on the pistol at my hip just in case the zoms turn towards one of us since we're no longer going at the same speed.
"Wait!" Veronica yells as she runs. "That's-"
There's a loud sound of organs splattering and bones crunching, and I slow to a stop, breathless and panting and wide eyed while Sam starts laughing his ass off.
"When they say they'd take care of it, I thought they meant guns, not offloading your package of circuits taped to some breeze blocks right onto the zombies," He wheezes, and Veronica and I head over to the package.
"The bile's only on the outside," Veronica says, stepping over a mushed up spleen, or maybe it's a liver. I can't tell. "Do you think we should wipe it off?"
Sam's breathless with laughter. "Maybe that's the Ministry's next plan for you-see if crushed up zoms attract regular ones."
"Based on the available data, I think what would happen-"
"I was joking."
"I know."
He clears his throat, all laughter ceasing for a moment. "Also, for the record, all I'm trying to do is keep you safe here."
"I know. But this thing can't always be safe, you know? Not completely safe. We're working in something so much bigger than any one of us."
"Fine. But we all have our jobs, and mine is to look after my runners."
"Yes, I know. Thank you."
"Yeah. And Veronica?"
"Yeah?"
"We're still not luring zombies on the way back to Abel."
"I know that," She huffs.
"Good."
"Also I'm pretty sure the corpses of the fallen zombies should repel, not attract them. But don't worry. Runner Five and I can find that out as we run."
A/N: Hey, guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please be sure to vote and comment. Thank you and have a blessed day!