"Is it a bit weird that we know Pit Viper has the contract on Selma?" Jody questions. "Do they usually advertise that sort of stuff?"
"In general, their favored form of advertising is heads on spikes," Amelia responds from the front seat of the van, and I pull my knees into my chest. "I don't know how the Laundry learned Pit Viper have Selma's contract. Perhaps Sigrid wanted it broadcasted to discourage others from running."
"Discourage others from running?" Paula repeats. "From her Handmaid's Tale-style fertility baby serum factory?"
"And they weren't even injecting babies with zombie spit in Gilead," Peter mumbles as the van slows to a stop. Amelia turns to us from the front seat.
"Well, this is as far as I can take you. Highgate, the badlands of London. Well, some of the worse lands. Anyway, I'm not getting nearer the Pit Vipers than this."
Understandable. I stand and open the door, hopping out of the van and waiting for Peter and Paula to follow.
"I'm surprised you got as close as this, to be honest," Peter says, giving the blonde a raised brow. "Are you going soft?"
"Or do you like us, Amelia?" Paula grins.
"I've always liked you, but liking you has nothing to do with business," She answers curtly. "And this is business. Buying out Selma's contract is worth a shot. If you manage to make a deal with Pit Viper, they'll be grateful I sent business their way. If you don't make a deal with them, they'll be grateful I sent their targets their way. It's a win-win-win."
I was expecting her to say that, in all honesty.
"I'm always surprised," Jody sighs. "I should try to stop bein' surprised. That could be my New Year's resolution, actually: don't be surprised when Amelia seems helpful, but actually has an angle."
She pouts. "Oh, but if you weren't surprised, it would hardly be as much fun!"
"I hate you," I growl, and she smirks.
"Right, you lot. Pit Viper's HQ is in the London Underground. You have my directions. You'll have to do some fast talking when you get there. See up there?" She points amid the plumes of oil fires and burned out, abandoned buildings that remind me of the decay that eats more at modern civilization with each passing day. "That hellscape is what remains of Highgate Station, and is absolutely the safest way into the Underground this side of the wall. Well, I've got to get back to New Canton for an oil treatment. Go on. Do what you do. Run!"
We turn and head off. I hear the van go into drive before driving off, back to the safety of New Canton. As we run through the streets of London, memories of the last time I was here hit me like a truck.
"I can make you happy, Five! I can make everyone happy!"
"Doesn't have to be Five's brain. Mine's never done anything good for me anyways."
"Simon, you'll die."
"It will be excruciating, Simon."
"Just give me your damn hand!"
"You know, the more I think about it, everything happened exactly as it should... I didn't think that I'd be meeting you-that yours was the face my death would wear... Now your aura's gold! Gold like the sun. We're both headed in the same direction, man, but I bet I'll get there first.
"Race ya."
I shudder, trying to block out those awful memories and push them far, far away into the deepest corners of my mind. It's been around two years since that happened, and yet the memories are still fresh in my brain. I wonder if the others are reliving their memories of that day as well.
The streets are as I remember them, filled with rubble and burnt out shells of what might be vehicles. There aren't as many zombies around. I'm guessing Sigrid had her people pick them off while she was spending her time here in London. Whatever buildings or facilities she was using were probably nowhere near this area. She likes to have things kept clean and tidy. It makes her look more organized, more put together, and therefore more trustworthy.
The heat from the oil fires makes me flinch back. There's so much chaos above the surface. I can only wonder how the underground is doing. Since Pit Viper has taken over some of it, I'm sure that alone has forced everyone else to flee. I hope Tony's doing alright. He stayed and helped his friends after Moonchild. We haven't heard from him in months, not since he sent us a message about Sigrid's soldiers patrolling London, which was before the wall was built.
I can only pray that he's still alive.
I can see the entrance to Highgate, and pick up the pace. I keep getting the feeling of eyes burning their gaze into my back, and it wouldn't surprise me if Pit Viper has people watching aboveground. Still, if they are watching, then they've decided not to kill us yet, which is good. But, I don't want to push their patience by taking too long to meet them.
When we reach Highgate's entrance and head inside, we're met with the sounds of groaning metal and moans of the undead. The sounds echo against the stone, making it impossible to tell how close any of this might be.
"This doesn't sound safe," Paula says, and we step down onto the tracks, heading forward, making sure not to step on any exposed wires that the rats have gotten to.
"It's likely not safe," Peter replies. "I heard the London Underground was totally filled with zombies."
From the sounds we're hearing, what he heard was most likely true.
"I heard there were enclaves down here. Found their way to the Cold War bunkers and have been living off tinned spam ever since."
"We're got to do this," Jody says. "Pit Viper are after us and after Selma, but they're neutral. Like Amelia, they just go after the highest bidder. So if we can buy out both our contracts, they'll be working against Sigrid instead of against us. And I'm sorry you guys have to do this, but you three have proven to be the most indestructible."
"Well, we volunteered for it," Peter says. "Plus it's fair. I've got more lives than a Christmas number one, and I like to think I'm not quite as annoying."
Paula laughs. "If you want annoying, I'll sing you the dreidel song if we get through this. Now let's head down this tunnel into the pit of Hades."
"Amelia's map is pretty clear," Jody says. "She's put it together from-oh, nice. She's written, 'Compiled from the reports of those of my people who made it back alive.' She says at the end of the tunnel, you turn... towards the skeletons."
We reach the end of the tunnel just as she finished saying that, and, as it is, there are actual skeletons nailed up to the wall towards the second set of tracks.
"What a delightful taste in interior decorations the inhabitants of these tunnels do have," Peter says with faux cheeriness. He gasps. "You could ask Phil and Zoe to do a radio segment on it, Jody. 'Post-Apocalyptic Décor: Dos and Don'ts.'"
A chorus of moans echo through the tunnel, louder than when we entered.
"And to add to the ambiance, there are zombies," Paula says. "How chic. Five, you take the lead. Time to run."
I scramble over to the second set of tracks, the others following. I head down the tracks, trying to keep at a pace I know will rid us of the zoms while also not running into any traps. Of course, I feel like Amelia's map might tell us if there are any, but then again, it might not. Amelia did say it was a win-win for her if we lived or if we died, so I honestly cannot be sure about her.
The cracked tunnel walls echo with each and every step we take, the sound overwhelming. With how many cracks and crevices the walls have I sometimes fear the entire tunnel will collapse from the sound. It doesn't though. The thick concrete stays as strong as ever, to my relief.
"Hey, Jody, since we're hoping we can buy out Selma's contract, and as soon as we do we want to head after her, have you pinpointed a location on her? Jaime said those tags could last for months," I say, and the sigh that I get in reply makes my heart sink in my chest.
"About that. We didn't want to tell you until after we bought out the contracts, but..." Her pause makes me even more worried. "We think the reason Selma ran was because they found her tags. But before she could run they must have found a way to turn them off."
"So what you're saying is we have no idea where she is?" Dread creeps into my chest as I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah. Sam's looking into it right now with Tom, trying to find out where she might be. They're lookin' at past movements, places the Laundry might have recommended. So far though, we haven't found anythin'."
Poor Selma. She could be anywhere, waiting, hoping for us to find her. We promised we'd come for her as soon as she ran, but we have no idea of where she might be.
If she dies, her blood is on our hands.
"Oh, look!" Peter says, his voice strained as we head through a different section of the tunnel. "Someone's smeared this part of the wall with their own blood and feces."
My face scrunches up. "Ew."
"How do you know it's their own?" Paula asks, eyeing the wall as we pass it. "There are viscera there. I suppose it might be someone else's body cavity contents."
He hums. "You make a fair point, Doctor, as you always do. Someone smeared this wall with blood, feces and viscera of unknown origin."
"Pit Viper's certainly doing an efficient job of trying to put people from trying to find them," I say with disgust.
"That's what everyone says about them," Jody says.
"Yeah, I know, but still. The Torrencers never did this. We just did all our work under the higher-ups' noses at the A.M.T.B."
"Oh, yes," Paula says with an eye roll, "because that is so much better."
"It was cleaner, I'll tell you that. I mean, there were times I got drenched in someone else's blood, but that didn't happen often."
Peter looks at me in horror. "Weren't you twelve when you were with them?"
"I was twelve when I joined them, yes, but they sent me to England about a year later," I answer, looking ahead and refusing to meet his eye. "I can't say I enjoyed their ways of training us, but it was effective. They wanted us to be able to do whatever means necessary to get the job done."
"Sounds a lot like Pit Viper," Jody says. "They're an unstoppable killin' machine. Once they've taken a job, they never give up. There are no lengths they won't go to to do what they've set out to."
"Well, if you're going to be a deadly assassin force, at least be an excellent one, I suppose," Peter says, glancing around. "You know, I think this is almost as bad as commuting in London before the apocalypse."
Paula gives him a look. "I don't know. At least we're getting somewhere. No one's cancelled our transport, and we don't have to deal with Southern Rail apologizing for our inconvenience in a totally unconvincing way, which makes it clear that, ideally, they'd like to inconvenience us some more. Possibly using blood, feces and viscera of unknown origin."
"I am so thankful I grew up in a small town where you just drove to get where you needed to go," I say, freezing at the loud sound of metal wheels shifting on a metal track. "Please tell me I'm having vivid flashbacks to the last time I was in a train station and that that sound wasn't real."
"Sorry to disappoint," Jody says, "but a train has just come lose from its siding uphill from you. It's rolling towards you!"
"Is that a coincidence, or does someone know we're here?" Paula asks.
"No time to find out now. Run!"
•
"Paula, Five, up here!" Peter yells, having pulled himself off the tracks and onto a platform. He grabs Paula's hand and pulls her up, and she turns and holds her hand out to me.
"Five, take my hand!"
I can hear the train behind me, metal scraping against metal, wind rushing by. I jump up, grabbing her hand. Peter grabs my other arm and pulls me up off the track. Pain erupts in my body as I smack onto the cold concrete floor of the station, wind rushing behind me as the train passes. I groan as I push myself up, my hand coming to wipe the blood from my busted lip while Paula and Peter laugh from the adrenaline high.
"That was close," Jody says, sounding as if she'd been holding her breath.
"You know," Peter says, "the last time I was in London, something similar happened to me. Your wife almost didn't save me, Paula. Five had to pull me off the tracks when I got stuck. I think she'd have left me to be crushed by the train."
"But would you rather she had?"
He laughs bitterly. "I think maybe I would have, then. I don't know. It's funny, isn't it? Keep expecting for this grand moment, flash of meaning where I realize what I'm for, and why I'm like this. It didn't come. Had to work it out for myself."
She nods. "Yeah, I know what you mean. For a long time, I asked myself, why me? Why was I infected? Why is it me who can't even play with my daughter without checking myself for nicks and scrapes every time? There's never an answer. Why did one person die in the apocalypse and another didn't? Because we're all subject to the laws of randomness of the universe."
A soft smile spreads across his lips. "I like that. We're a playlist on shuffle. Things just come up. Sometimes you think you see a pattern in them, but it's you making the pattern, not the world."
"I don't know if I believe that," I say, and Paula scoffs.
"Of course you wouldn't. You're religious. You believe that everything happens for a reason."
"Well, yeah, but also... I know things happen for a reason. I know we each have a purpose. I failed my original one, but I was meant to, so I found a new one."
She looks at me, almost amused as we hop off the platform and back onto the tracks. "And what do you think your original purpose was?"
I sigh, wondering how much I can tell without sounding crazy. "I know Van Ark's treatments did something to me. I don't get sick anymore. I have superhuman levels of strength when I need it... It made me not completely human, but I don't think I was ever human to begin with."
I swallow, not looking at them as we walk. "I've met someone who's looked exactly like me. There were two more that were dead before I could meet them, but they had my face, and there's one more still alive out there. Four people-they all looked like me, except for different eye color. At least three of them have the same initials as me, and at least three of them were all corelated with the number five. Tell me how the laws of randomness did all that."
They don't say anything, so I continue.
"I think I was meant to do something with them, but they died before it could happen. I failed my purpose before I could even begin it, but I think if they would have lived, I never would have come to Abel."
"This sounds like a very large conspiracy theory, to be honest," Peter says, and I sneer at him.
"Oh? So did the other things I told you about, and I was right."
I wait for him to understand what I mean, what I told him about the visions, and he sighs. "Yes, I suppose that's true."
Paula opens her mouth to question what I mean, but she stops when we heard sounds coming from behind us. "Ugh, more zoms I think, Jody."
"Uh, Amelia's map says it's an enclave of city commuters."
"I can see them coming out of a dark corner of the platform behind us," Peter says, squinting. I turn to look, seeing ten people wearing loin clothes and-is that blood or paint on their chests? Their teeth have been filed to points. "They're holding-are those broken shards of iPad tied to sticks?"
"That doesn't seem too dangerous," I say.
"Uh, Amelia's map says they dip them in a noxious compound of flesh-eating bacteria that can destroy even zombies," Jody says, and I flinch. "She also says, 'Do remember, bankers are the ones who ran the economy off a cliff. They know how to muck stuff up'."
"She's got a point," Peter says. "Which direction?"
"Straight ahead, then right. Go!"
We run, and I yelp as a makeshift spear flies by me and wedges itself into one of the cracks in the concrete wall. Peter grabs my wrist and pulls me along, practically sprinting along with Paula and taking a sharp right as told. More spears are thrown at us, the bankers behind us shouting out gibberish. Now I know all of the normal people that used to live down here are gone. There's no way Tony or his friends would stay around this madness.
Sometimes I forget how many psychos are here in the apocalypse, since these smaller groups aren't a constant threat to us, and I don't have visions about them like I do the Glass Protocol or Sigrid or A.N.N.I.E. It's like the Last Riders or that one zombie worshipping cult me and Louise ran into when we first met Moonchild. They're not constant threats, so they just get left in our memories to be forgotten until they show up again.
More spears fly by us, missing by a lot. I'm guessing not many people come down here, so the bankers haven't perfected their aim, fortunate for us. Still, their bad aim doesn't stop them from trying to hit us. All it takes is one hit and then that bacteria is on us, inside us. I hate to think the amount of pain any of us would be in, our bodies healing only for the bacteria to eat away at us again. We'd probably have to undergo plasmapheresis to cleanse it out of our bloodstream, which would also be terrible.
The bankers are still saying out gibberish, but as I look back, I can see them getting farther and farther away, which is probably why their aim is getting worse and worse. Plus, they're running out of their makeshift spears-only one left. One of them throws it, and I grab Peter and force him to duck as it flies over his head and impales itself into the tracks.
"Thanks, Five," He says as we carefully go around the spear. "Well, they're out of spears, so I think they've given up for now."
"Amelia's notes say, 'Don't kid yourself. They'll be back, and in greater numbers'," Jody replies. "I think she put those in because she thought Sam would be on this mission. Have you noticed how they're gettin' friendly since they've been workin' on the baby rescue together?"
"Yes," I reply, my face twisting in disgust, "but I don't like to think about it."
"Well, I've noticed she's tried to get closer to you too, but you shoot down any attempt she makes at conversation."
"I don't like being the center of attention, especially Amelia's attention, and I don't appreciate her flirting," I reply. "I've told her multiple times I do not like girls, and if I were to, I'd be into like, Janine or something."
"Well, at least you've got good taste," Peter says, and I snort.
"How far are we from Pit Viper now?"
"Amelia's notes-mmm, they get a bit sketchy here. She says, 'If you get this far, you'll have done better than most of the people I sent down here. I think the commuters ate most of them! Well, you should meet Pit Viper if you continue down the tunnel until you find another train, or a building."
Paula frowns as we leave the tunnel, the light of this station's platform flickering. "That's vague."
"Oh, God," Peter chokes, pointing at the wall of the platform. His grip on my wrist tightens painfully. "Look! The shadows! They're following us!"
I look at the moving shadows, and I tilt my head to the side. I hear no growls, no groans, but the way the shadows move aren't human, and-
My heart stops in my chest.
Some of them have no heads.
"They're the indestructible zombies," I say as they get closer. "The ones that were in the caves, and the mall."
Paula pales. "Who knows what would happen if one bit me?"
"Or me," Peter says. "Or Five. We're got to get out of here. Run!"
We sprint off, running as fast as we can. Zombies are one thing, and so are trains and crazy commuters, but V-types? That's a whole new level of scary. They keep pace with us, the ones with heads starting to snarl and growl, as if realizing that something-someone is here. I pump my legs faster, my breathing labored as I put all of my energy in putting one foot after the other, but when we speed up, so do the zoms.
Fear spikes through me. I don't know about Paula or Peter, but I can only sprint at this pace for a few short minutes before I start to tire out, and tiring out is something zombies don't do. If we don't find a way to lose them, we'll be dead before we can even come meet Pit Viper to see if they will decide to kill us.
My heart pounds in my chest, my blood roaring in my ears as the minutes drag on, my mind screaming for me to slow down, just a little bit, but I can't. The zombies are still keeping pace. If we slow down they'll catch us for sure.
Peter looks behind us. "They're not getting any closer."
"They're not getting any farther away, either," I pant, and his eyebrows furrow together.
"Yes, peculiar."
"Peculiar?"
"Yes. They've been keeping exact pace with us, just a little behind us the whole way."
"So?"
"Just a sec. Stop a moment."
"Stop?" Paula repeats, looking at him as if he's lost his mind. He nods.
"Just for three seconds. I'll time it."
I look at him with uncertainty, but he doesn't mirror the look. He looks completely confident, so, after taking a long second to think it over, I nod, my feet screeching to a stop.
"One Mississippi, two hippopotamus, three extraterrestrial... Look."
As he finishes counting, the zombies come to a stop. They still growl and reach for us, but they don't come any closer. I pant heavily, looking at them with confusion.
"What the hell?"
"Intriguing, isn't it?" Peter says, letting go of my wrist and taking a step towards them.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Heading back a bit to see what's going on. I shouldn't think Pit Viper will thank us for leading a group of indestructible zombies to their hideout. Probably won't put them in a deal-making mood."
There's something in his eyes as he says that, an idea swirling within his mind, a guess. I can only imagine what it might be.
But he's right. Something definitely is up here. Tentatively, cautiously, I follow, with Paula right behind me, and things become more clear the closer we get.
"Woah."
"What?" Jody asks. "I can't see anything."
"The zombies with no heads-their heads are in their arms."
"So maybe get out of there?"
"They're nailed to a little wagon with remote controlled brakes," I laugh. When I take a step towards them, the wagon backs up away from me. "It's meant to keep an exact distance. That's genius!"
"And incredibly efficient," Peter says, crossing his arms. "Keep everyone at bay, minimum effort or danger. Brilliant tactical work."
"Yeah, I've heard that about Pit Viper," Jody says. "Always gets the job done."
"Yes... yes, they would."
I tense at the sound of footsteps, and on instinct I bring my hands up, thankful I've been training in hand-to-hand combat with Tom.
But then I drop my hands when I see a woman in a RMT uniform, a train guard.
"I see you've passed the final obstacle. You must be here for Pit Viper."
Peter nods. "Why, yes. Yes, we are."
She nods curtly. "Come with me now. Run!"
•
"Where are you guys?" Jody asks, and I ignore the classical music playing over the speakers. "My cams are givin' me nothin'."
"Oh, it's quite lovely, Jody," Paula says as she looks around. "Nice, quiet tube carriage. Upholstered seats, curtains on the windows. Pit Viper have set themselves up well. Protected and secure."
"Feared by everyone, they can go anywhere," Peter says. "Talk to all sides. How very, very clever."
"Are you ready to meet Pit Viper?" The guard with us asks, and Peter grins.
"Oh, I think we are."
The guard gestures to a door at the end of the carriage, and we all stand and head over to it. Paula tells Jody what's happening, and my hands shake as the guard opens the door.
"Step inside, please."
"Where are you now?" Jody asks as we obey.
"An office-an extremely tidy one," I say. "Utilitarian. There's a map of the UK on the wall and..." My throat goes dry, "a person sitting at a desk wearing a Pit Viper mask."
"I'll leave you alone with Pit Viper," The guard says. "You parley alone."
"Yeah. Um, th-thank you," I stammer, cursing myself. The guard simply nods before shutting the door. I turn to Pit Viper, who sits quietly at the desk. They tilt their head to the side, as if inviting me to speak.
"Uh, hello." I clear my throat. "I'm Runner Five, Head of Runners at Abel Township. We know you have a contract out on us, and we wanted to discuss it and one placed on an immune woman named Selma. We have this as a down payment, but we can discuss something else if it's not to your liking."
I pull out a kit from my backpack-something we found in the underground labs. It's medicine, extremely hard to find medicine. Insulin, antibiotics, and other things. They're still in date, surprisingly, which is another thing that makes them invaluable.
I place it on the desk, but Pit Viper says nothing. I swallow thickly.
"Uh, look, I get it if you don't want to speak, but could you at least sign something to let us know you're willing to discuss this with us? I know BSL."
To my surprise, Pit Viper doesn't do that. Instead, they reach up and grab the mask.
"What are they doing?" Jody asks.
"They're taking the mask off," Peter says, his eyes shining.
The mask comes off, and my jaw drops when black hair cascades down muscled shoulders, and bright blue eyes meet each of ours.
"Oh my Lord," I whisper, and Pit Viper's lips quirk up into a smirk.
"Who is it?" Jody asks, worry laced in her voice. "Oh, God. It's not Sigrid, is it?"
"No, Miss Marsh," Pit Viper answers. "It's me...
"Janine."
A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter! Were you surprised? Are you glad to see Janine again? Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!