"Mr. Lynne, Runner Five, there you are. At last."
I don't miss Janine's little huff, nor the passive aggressive tone she has. With an annoyed look I rub my eyes, sleep still clinging to me like dead weight. The air outside is pleasantly cool, but after being snug and warm under the covers with Sam, it feels absolutely freezing, and it will probably stay that way until my body gets used to it.
Peter looks no better, with dark circles under his eyes. His expression is barely visible because of the darkness that surrounds us, devouring everything. I can only make out a tight-lipped smile sent Janine's way, and her gaze softens ever so slightly.
It's something only he can do.
"Peter, Callista, sorry to get you out of bed at this ungodly hour," Sam apologizes, and I'm sure he's hating this just as much as we are. "It's that Love and Peace Conference Jody found out about."
"By found out about, you mean read about on a flyer she got from a bloke she met on a run?" Peter asks, and I look at him in confusion.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"No one told you? Huh," Sam hums. "About a week ago, Jody got a flyer from someone about a peace conference being held in that old storage place by the lake in the woods. They must be expecting a lot of people. And with what happened with your little adventure a few days ago with Amelia, I think going to a peace conference would be a pretty good idea, don't you?"
"Oh," I blurt out dumbly, still slightly dazed from lack of sleep. "Uh, yeah, yeah. Totally-"
Janine cuts off my ramblings, her face stony and serious as always. "I've made inquiries. It appears multiple local settlements are sending delegates."
"Which is pretty impressive," Sam says. "Well, with the way people have been hunkering down lately, it's hard to get anyone together. No one seems to trust anyone. Sigrid's misinformation is still doing its job."
And it probably will for a long time, I mentally add. I mean, Sigrid was exposed as a liar, but because she sprinkled half-truths and twisted some sincerity into her words, people can't tell truth from lie. And she's only been dead nine and a half weeks. We can't hope for everyone to forget her reign immediately, or the lies woven within it.
"Not like back after Z-Day," Peter comments, pulling me from my thoughts. "We need a bit more of that old blitz/zombie spirit, if you ask me."
Janine nods, and Peter's eyes brighten. "Precisely. This is an opportunity we can't miss. We are on a hearts and minds mission, runners. The country needs unity, and a combined effort to defeat the Last Riders. Today, we begin to forge that unity. So, I suggest we run."
"Raise the gates!"
The alarm goes off as the gates raise, and I cringe at the sound. It's much too loud for that right now, and I'm sure everyone sleeping in the dorms nearest to the gates agree. That's why we leave quickly, so the alarms can stop and the gates can close and we can get this hearts and minds mission over with.
I do wish I knew what this was beforehand. I would have put more effort into my appearance. I can't exactly not wear my uniform, and wearing makeup while running is pointless since I'll end up sweating it off, but I at least could have brushed my hair a bit more, and put it in something other than a plain ponytail.
Oh well. I suppose I just won't look all that great. Although if Jody found out about this through a flyer, I doubt there will be a strict dress code. Also, why is it so damn early in the morning? No one wants to talk about peace then. The sun hasn't even risen! And it won't for another few hours!
I guess we'll find out soon enough. Janine certainly believes it to have enough merit to investigate, so that says something.
Peter reaches back and grabs my wrist as we continue, as if in his fatigued state he finally remembered his habit. I smile gently, allowing him to pull me along. It's probably a good thing, since I'm still swaying slightly from tiredness. My mind is fully awake, but my body is still getting into gear, probably because these last few days have been nothing but continuous kitchen duty and runs to other settlements we're in alliance with to get things such as seed plants and letters.
One of which was from my mother, something I have yet to read.
A crackle from my headset gains my attention, and Sam's calm, but slightly exasperated voice follows.
"Okay, right, you're nearly there. According to the uh, very bad map on the flyer, we're looking for a factory by a road or a river, and in the middle of a clump of... it's either trees or really big sheep."
I squint at the small blotches or orange and neon green in the distance, and my confusion only grows when I hear something rattle through the air. Music, maybe? I don't know if it can be called that, but the sound is so loud it vibrates down my spine.
"Is it just my imagination, or are there some fat beats emanating from the direction of the peace conference?" Peter asks, smiling disbelievingly.
Sam hums. "Hmm, yeah. They've uh, they've definitely turned their bass up quite loud."
We're closer to people now. We even pass a few. I'm quick to point out that the bright colors we saw are glow sticks.
"Oh, I loved wearing those on like, the Fourth of July and Halloween. A bit weird for a peace conference, though."
Peter giggles, looking at me like there's some secret I don't know about. "I forget you were a good kid sometimes."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I just-anyone would have guessed, but in my opinion, this looks like we're going to a rave." He giggles again, blue eyes dancing with familiarity as he glances at people wearing their glowsticks and... some of them even have on neon face paint. That can't be safe, since it probably expired five years ago.
"A rave?" I repeat, swallowing thickly.
"I suppose there may be a musical event as a part of the conference," Janine says, keeping her professional tone. "An icebreaker, perhaps. At least we can be sure where everyone is heading. I shall ask that woman for directions."
Peter and I share a glance at the woman Janine is referring too. She has neon green dreadlocks and her pupils are extremely large.
"Should we ask her for drugs?" I ask. "What kind? The only drug I really know anything about is heroin."
The shocked look Janine and Peter give me is priceless, but it's quickly forgotten when Janine stalks over to the woman. We follow.
Janine clears her throat, gaining the woman's attention. "Excuse me... my good woman. Do you have any drug tablets that we could enjoy at the peace conference? And where is that, by the way?"
She sounds stiff and awkward as she speaks, and while I don't think heroin is the type of drug taken at raves, given Peter's reaction, I think it might have been less awkward if I had been the one asking for drugs.
The woman blinks. "Uh, I've got some E."
"Is it fresh?"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, don't mind her," Peter jumps in, slinging an arm around Janine's shoulder. "She's completely off her face. Um, where's this warehouse?"
"Oh, uh, left at the level crossing, then follow the railway. Can't miss it," She replies, staring at Peter for a moment. I can't tell if she's staring because of the drugs or if she thinks he's attractive. Either way, he smiles gratefully and gives her a wave as he starts leading me and Janine off.
"Cheers."
"You're welcome. Oh, here. Have these." She hands something to him. "We're all taking them when Dead Pig Six comes on. Have a great time!"
"Oh, her parents should be proud," Sam says as we move on. "They raised a very polite drug dealer. Peter, um, what is Dead Pig Six, and what did she give you?"
Peter removes his arm from Janine's shoulders before studying the pills in his other hand. "Dead Pig Six is that DJ who wears a pig helmet, and the dealer has given me, uh, the pills of... well, unknown ingredients. Fancy taking one, Five? I know it's not heroin, but..."
I roll my eyes at his teasing grin, still allowing him to grab my wrist. "Shut up. I only know about heroin because it's the reason my mom and dad got divorced."
His smile drops. "Oh. I-"
"I wanted to know why my dad saw it as so great that he would ruin his marriage and family for it, so I did research on the internet." I glance at the pills in his hands. "And uh, no thanks. I have enough unhealthy addictions. I don't want to add drug addict to that."
He hums. "Well, then I guess I'm taking all three."
"No, you are not," Janine says sternly, glaring at him. "I do not wish to spend an hour persuading you your polka dot wings are imaginary and that flying from the roof would be unwise."
Sam laughs. "Surprised you used to be into that sort of thing, Peter. Didn't you run a gym? Bit silly to obsess about a healthy body then shove a load of drugs in it."
"Not as silly as shoving a load of drugs in an unhealthy body," Peter mumbles with a cough.
"Right then," Janine sighs. "That dreadful repetitive thumping is bound to attract zombies as well as idiots. Come on. We need to run."
It doesn't take us long to get to the warehouse the nice drug dealer was talking about, but there is surprisingly someone attending the door. The... bouncer, I guess? She's only a little taller than me, but the look she wears tells me she is not afraid to fight someone. When she asked for our names, and Janine gives them, she frowns.
"Sorry. Name's not on the list."
"Didn't realize we needed to be on the list," I murmur. "Why were people giving out flyers to this place if you needed to be on the guest list to get in?"
The bouncer shrugs. "Don't know. But if your name's not down, you're not comin' in."
Janine narrows her eyes at the bouncer, leaning forward and keeping her menacing gaze. "Yes, we are."
That's all it takes to convince her. I hold back a laugh at her terrified face as she opens the door for us. Sam, on the other hand, is just near wheezing.
"Thank you," Janine says politely as we head inside.
I'm instantly hit with fog and bright colors and loud noises, and the shock of it causes me to latch onto Peter's arm at a speed none of us knew was possible. There's something about the crowded people, the noise, the darkness that's suddenly broken through by brief flashes of light-it makes my chest tighten almost painfully.
When these things are separate, I can usually handle them... But here, when they're all put together, it makes every nerve in my body spark in a really unpleasant way.
"Alright, Five?" Peter asks, and I shake my head.
"I don't like this place."
"Oh, don't say that. We just got here," He replies, but his excited demeanor falters a bit when I look up at him, probably resembling a scared animal.
I like parties, but not like this.
Still, I close my eyes-which gives me slight reprieve from the random flashes of color-take a breath and find my composure. I loosen my grip on Peter's arm, trying to tune out the loud thumping of the music.
"Mr. Yao, do you have cams in here?" Janine asks.
"Uh, yeah, but I can't see much. Someone got carried away with the dry ice. Uh, Janine. Look, I hate to say this, but it really does look like a rave and not, um.... oh, you know, a very sensible peace conference."
"Does that mean we can leave?" I ask, not bothering to hide the hope in my voice.
She shakes her head. "While Mr. Yao is correct, I recognize several of the insignia on the attendees' T-Shirts. There are people here from quite a few different settlements. This remains our best chance to acquire allies against the Last Riders and spread information about the V-Types."
"If anyone could hear you," Peter scoffs.
"Uh, you could try the chill-out room," Sam suggests as we start moving, not wanting to block the entrance. "Next left, according to the flyer."
We reach the door and head inside, and the music from outside is all but blocked out, replaced by some weird music that reminds me of what Moonchild used to listen to when she was alive.
"Hello, Hippies," Peter greets. "Anyone-what are you doing?"
He jerks back at the sight of a zombie tied up by ropes that look very old and weak. My focus is on the numerous bite marks that litter the arms of the people inside the room.
"Give it a go, mate," One person says. He sounds terrible, his voice shaky and dry, his eyes bloodshot. "There's one more dose of the cure left."
I choke as realization hits me.
These people are letting this zombie bite them and then taking the cure.
"What the-why would you do that?!" The blonde beside me sputters. "Zombie bites hurt, and I should know!"
"The rush when you take the cure is intense," The raver replies, his eyes not really focused on anything. Just how many drugs are in his system?
"You are taking a pointless risk and should return home at once," Janine warns with a scowl, and I nod.
"She's right. There's a new kind of zombie called a V-Type, and they're very dangerous."
"My mate says they're just normal zombies. Some people got bad cure, apparently." The raver blinks before holding out his fist to me. "Want an omega?"
"Huh?"
He doesn't explain, instead looking at Peter, who sighs.
"Yes, but I'm not allowed."
"Give me that," Janine says, grabbing the raver's hand and taking the tablet from him. Peter's eyebrows shoot up.
"Or maybe I am allowed."
She looks at the pill for a moment, her lips pursed. "Look at this symbol. These pills are inscribed with an omega. Unless I'm mistaken, they were produced by the Last Riders."
Sam sucks in a sharp breath. "That's uh, that's not good, is it?"
"If there are Last Riders here, we must find them. Loud and obnoxious as it is, this rave represents an effort at working together, one of the only such efforts currently in existence. We must protect it." She looks at the raver. "Where are these tablets being sold?"
He blinks. "Um, there's a dealer up on the mezzanine, and I thought I saw a couple on the dance floor."
She rolls her eyes. "Idiots. Secure that zombie. Those ropes will not hold it. Runner Five, Mr. Lynne, search the mezzanine. I shall search the rest of this floor and rendezvous with you at the back stairs. There's no time to waste. We must locate those Riders. Go!"
•
"How's it going, guys?" Sam asks.
"Not well," Janine answers. "No sign of the Riders, and all the ravers are heading the opposite direction as us."
"Yep," Peter says, his grip on my wrist tightening when someone bumps into me, nearly dragging me back. Curse my short stature. "We can hardly move through the crush. Watch your toes, Five."
"I'm trying," I say a bit breathlessly. My skin tingles, everything around me seeming to spark with color in a way that's invasive and wrong. It takes everything in me not to bolt for the door.
He doesn't answer, instead turning to tap the shoulder of a passing raver who doesn't look like he's completely out of it.
"Excuse me, mate, where's everyone going?"
"Dead Pig Six," The raver says, grinning widely. "Always open their set with this song, don't they?"
"Song?" Janine repeats, because the noise that fills the air isn't what I'd consider one.
"It's sort of creepy, isn't it?" Sam asks. "Like the crowd's got a mind of its own."
Peter half shrugs. "Joy of the rave, Sam. Feeling like you're a part of something, like you're exactly where you're meant to be, with exactly who you're meant to be with."
"Mmm, yeah, I don't need drugs to feel that."
"Oh. Well, lucky you."
"I don't feel like I belong here," I state, although it's more like a wheeze. My free hand creeps up to clutch my chest. "I feel like I'm suffocating."
"Oh, shit," Sam curses. "Please tell me you're not having a panic attack right now."
"Um..." I choke on tears, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to ground myself as I feel my world begin to spiral.
"You've literally had the most powerful people in the world wanting you dead, but a party sends you into a panic?" Peter says, and while I know he's saying it out of shock, I can't help but feel a bit insulted.
"I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't know this would happen!"
He flinches when my voice cracks and I bite back a sob.
"This is useless," Janine says. "Five, take in deep breaths. We need you calm, and we need to find an elevated vantage point. There are far too many people to identify any possible Last Riders."
"Yeah... well, there's a lighting platform right about the main room. Just take the fire escape up the top floor."
"We need to get there before the room fills up completely, or we won't be able to see. Come on."
We weave through the people, heading for the fire escape. Each inhale feels like a stab to my lungs, and I'm grateful Peter drags me along because it's becoming hard to tell which way is which.
"I can't breathe," I gasp, tears leaking from my eyes despite my efforts to keep them at bay.
"Yes, you can," Sam replies, his voice gentle but firm. "Just keep moving. Once you're at the platform, there won't be any other people around you. You'll be safe there."
Safe. Yes. Safe. That one little word helps considerably, because even though I know it will still be loud and there will still be lights, it will be safe. There I can cover my ears and close my eyes and block out all these blinding lights and deafening sounds that seem to push me in a position where I'm the backseat driver of my own body.
A strangled sob still manages to escape my mouth when we head up the stairs, and my limbs feel as if they've turned to jelly. Every crevice of my mind is screaming to run, run to safety, get as far away from here as possible. We've established where safety is, and so I allow myself to listen, sprinting up the stairs, practically ripping myself from Peter's grasp.
I run up and head to the gantry, ignoring the agonizing pain in my chest and the tingling of my skin, just knowing that I have to get to safety.
When I do, I collapse to my knees, breathing heavily. An odd sense of numbness washes over me. Tears still slip past my lashes, but the pain is fading, and by the time Peter and Janine reach me, I'm able to stand on shaky legs.
I'm okay for now.
I don't look at the crowd though, or the lights, instead allowing Peter and Janine to do so for a few minutes while I try to come back to reality.
"Well, this place certainly provides a good view," Peter says. "Wow, now that's a realistic pig helmet. Sam, are we sure Dead Pig Six isn't some kind of pork Minotaur?"
He ignores his question. "Any sign of the Last Riders?"
"Yes," Janine answers. "I can see five-no, six of them in the crowd. Their vulgar jackets are at the very least distinctive."
I finally look up, and I notice Peter frowning in confusion. "It's weird, though. They don't seem to be doing anything sinister. I mean, their MO would be throwing Molotov cocktails at a crowd like this, but they're all heading for the doors."
"We should follow them," Janine says, but I hold out a hand to stop her, my eyes on the crowd.
"Wait. What are-the people, what are they doing?"
I watch as the crowd raises the drug tablets over their heads, then take them all at once. Another feeling of dread hits me, but it's different this time. This isn't the 'about to have a panic attack' dread, but the 'something very bad is about to happen' dread that I frequently get on missions.
Sam feels the same way, given the noise that just left his throat. "I don't like this. Something's up. There's a reason those Riders left."
Suddenly the strobe lights come on at a fast setting. I shriek, covering my eyes and shaking from the sudden shock on my still fragile state. "What's happening?"
"Well, there's a lot of trembling and twitching going on. Uh, spasms. Is this what coming up on E looks like?"
"No!" Peter shouts in fear. "No, it's not. I-I think... Jenny, they're all turning."
I peel my hand from my eyes, squinting. I look down into the crowd just to see a girl in a neon orange tank top rip out a boy's throat with her teeth. Blood spews everywhere.
"The Riders must have spiked the drugs with zombie blood, and some sort of accelerate, judging by the rate they're turning," Janine states, and Sam's voice shakes as he replies.
"How could anyone to that to another human being?"
"I don't know. Runners, Mr. Yao, this building will be overrun in minutes, and the idiots in the chill-out room have used up all the cure. I'm going down."
She hooks a cable up to the gantry and around her waist then slides down. If this situation wasn't so dire, I'd stare in awe.
"Listen, they didn't all take the pills," Sam says. "There are still people we can save. Peter, Five, round up as many as you can and take them to the fire escape. Run!"
We take off, down the stairs and through the crowd of screaming, twitching people. With trembling hands, I grab a small pocketknife from my backpack and stab a growling, coughing girl in the head. I don't even look to see her corpse fall as we keep moving. I have a gun, but it's so hard to see, and my hands are shaking a bit too much as I recover from my panic to aim properly.
I let Peter grab a few of the people who are simply screaming in terror while I kill any infected person near us. It's hard to see with all the flashing lights, but I don't miss the fear in some of the eyes of those that are still turning.
It hurts to know that their last moments are spent in pain and terror. The least I can do is give them a quick death.
We're only able to grab a few non-infected people. We can't tell if there are any more. We head for the fire exit at the ground floor. These people didn't take the zombie pill, but they must have taken others. There's no way they'll make it upstairs to the second fire exit.
We try to push the door open, but it doesn't budge.
"It's locked, Sam!" Peter shouts. "The Last Riders must have barred the doors. We need another way out."
"Um, okay. There's a-there's a skylight leading to the roof, but the only way up is on the other side of the dance floor," He stammers.
"Oh, the dance floor with the ever-increasing number of zombies?"
"Yeah, that one, yeah. Uh, Janine's down by the decks. You can pick her up as you head across the floor. How's it going, Janine?"
"Excuse me!" She shouts as Peter and I try to lead the few people with us across the dance floor. "Could you-oh, for heaven's sake!" She stops the horrendous music still playing as well as the strobe lights, and the speakers squeal loudly as she grabs a microphone. "Would everyone who is not a zombie make their way to the roof via the skylight? We will be sealing the building in four minutes." She drops the microphone and makes eye contact with us from across the floor. "Runner Five, Mr. Lynne, meet me at the record players!"
"And lose those zoms you picked up," Sam adds, and Peter ushers the people with us to go on to the skylight. "Run!"
•
"Runner Five, Runner Three, good to see you," Janine greets, her voice strained.
"Not so good to see our crowd of zombie admirers," Peter replies, before his eyes widen. "Watch out, Five!"
I turn to see a zombie lunge for me, mouth open and eyes glazed over by death. It snarls, and I immediately grab one of the small speakers and chuck it. The force takes off its whole head. It doesn't get back up. None of the zoms here are V-Types.
"Wow! Subwoofer to the face!" Sam laughs. "Boy, that deserves a line. Uh, Ace of base? Nah. Base in your face? Mm, still not great."
"Excellent work, Five. Now everyone, get behind me." She pulls out a foam cannon, but before I can ask here where she got that, she uses it.
I gasp at how powerful it is, the foam knocking down all the zombies like they're weightless. She turns to me once a good number are knocked down. "Five, please shoot any zoms who get back up behind us as we advance."
"I always wanted to go to a foam party, " Peter utters as we run. "This isn't what I pictured."
Sam whines in fear as we keep running. He sounds like he's breathing just as hard as we are as we step over the zoms, some of them trying to grab at my ankles.
"Oh, you're halfway there," He says, and I hear a zombie growl nearby. "Five, to your right!"
I fire, and he cheers at my headshot.
"Janine, twelve o'clock! Ha, eat foam! Now just..." He trails off when her foam cannon runs out. "Oh. That was fast. Crap! And the zoms are closing in from every side. Hurry! Run!"
I fire my gun, the sound ringing in my ears. I manage to shoot a path for us, but I barely evade the hands that try to grab at my clothes and backpack. The gunshots gets their attention on us rather than the people still climbing up the ladder. We reach it just as Dead Pig Six, who, fortunately isn't actually dead, gets through the skylight.
I throw myself at the ladder, climbing up as quickly as I can and then turning to help Peter and Janine through.
"Pull up the ladder," Sam instructs, and Peter and I both grab it.
"Ready, Five?" He asks, and I nod. "Pull!"
We both heave the ladder up, but it takes effort since there are zombies grabbing onto it, trying to get us to pull them up as well. My arms burn, but I grit my teeth and hoist the ladder up even as the zoms cling to it. They all end up falling after we bang the ladder against the skylight a few times.
We still close the skylight for good measure.
"Oh, bloody hell, that was close," Sam sighs, and I nod silently, exhaustion taking hold of me. The panic attack and all this excitement has left me drained.
Peter's blue eyes stay trained on the zombies below, even as I slump against him. "That's what, two hundred people? Three? God, it spread so fast."
"Ugh. I-I just can't believe someone would do that. N-not even the Last Riders. That's... I mean, it's insane."
"Look." I point to a few figures in the distance. They're Riders, getting on their bikes. I can hear their cruel laughter from here. Peter grabs my wrist so tightly it hurts.
"They're laughing," He growls, teeth clenched in anger. "They killed three hundred people, and they're laughing. I can't believe they did this at a rave. You know, every time anyone tries to bring people together, the Last Riders are tearing us apart. They want us not to trust each other."
"What they have done here is inhuman," Janine agrees, glaring at the retreating Riders. "They must be stopped."
A/N: Here you go, guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's dedicated to Saxophone_Obsessor Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!