Part Eighteen

Eden: Paradise Lost

Part Eighteen

Prime 1

Max and Terry look at each other shocked as General Weaver lay motionless as Max rubs his chin. 

Max: I... I'll look for what we need. 

Terry:  Yeah, hurry. 

Max nods and goes scourging around the office as Terry rubs his head, not saying anything as suddenly his radio crackles. Lance: (over radio) Terry, Terry come in!

Terry pulls up the radio as he closes his eyes and presses the button. 

Terry: Boss? boss! Did y'all make it?

Lance: We're fine, damn warzone out here. Your end alright?

Terry: Got pinned down by some rogue soldier's, but Cody and Mandy have them covered. 

Lance: Max found what he was looking for?

Terry: Still searching. We found something else though, or rather, someone else. 

Lance: What?

Terry: President Geer is dead. And so is General Marcus…

Shane's face drops as Lance looks at the radio in disbelief. 

Lance: You're sure…?

Terry: Died right in front of me sir. 

Shane: Ask him if the general gave him anything, told him anything?!

Lance: Terry, did the general tell or give you anything?

Terry looks at the distress beacon.

Terry: Yeah...a distress beacon. 

Shane: So TY can find us…

Shane walks away sullen faced as Lance turns and speaks.

Lance: You need to hurry your asses.

Terry's nods and replies 

Terry: Yes, boss. 

The two end the conversation as Max holds up a laptop.

Max: I think we're in business…

Finch watches the two from across the hall, Finch thinking as he smiles. 

Mandy and Cody are pinned behind a desk as Mandy watches as the nine or so remaining soldiers are taking cover as well as six new soldier bodies sprawled about. 

Mandy: Reloading!

Cody: Covering

Cody draws fire from her as Mandy reloads, Cody getting a good shot as he drops a soldier as Mandy aims and then watches with bulging eyes.

Mandy: Cody, look out!

The soldiers turn as suddenly a Jeep comes crashing through the Prime's Lobby Doors as the soldiers dive out of the way, but one is struck head on as Hockmeyer gets out and guns three of them down quickly as Adam blows another's head off as Cody takes two more out as Mandy kills the second to last soldier as Adam notices her as Hockmeyer kicks the one he shot and then executes him with a .45 round to the skull at point blank range. 

Adam: Mandy!?

Mandy: Adam?

Hockmeyer: We don't have time for this!

Adam: These are my..

Adam notices only Mandy as Cody has his gun leveled at Hockmeyer

Adam: Where the girls, Mandy?

Mandy's face drops. 

Mandy: They're…

Cody: Runners!

The four watch as Runners come sprinting towards them through the busted open Prime lobby as Walkers are shuffling in behind them as the four go up the stairway as  Hockmeyer and Cody quickly barr the door shut as Runners slam into it. 

Hockmeyer: Top floor!

The four don't wait around as they sprint up the stairs quickly. 

Terry and Max are still in the president's suite as Max turns the laptop on, Terry smiling at him as Max smirks 

Max: Boy, ain't I the shit. 

Terry: Yes, yes you are. 

Max starts typing as Terry suddenly turns and aims at Finch who hobbles inside with his hands up. 

Finch: Don't shoot!

Terry: You…

Finch: Lower your guns, please…

Terry does as Finch hobbles over. 

Finch: I'm lucky I found y'all. 

Terry: What's wrong with your ankle?

Finch: I was shot. 

Terry and Max snicker as Finch sneers. 

Finch: I'm happy my pain draws laughs. 

Terry: You're a scumbag politician, I'm sure you deserved it. 

Cody: Terry!

Terry runs out into the hall as Max follows, the two watching as the four come down the hallway. 

Terry: Who the hell are these guys?!

Cody: No time, we got runners inside the stairway, a few minutes tops for they bust that door down.

Max: Dammit

Terry: Anyway out of here?

Max: From the top floor?!

Terry: Find a schematic and look!

Max goes back inside as Hockmeyer and Adam nod at each other. 

Hockmeyer grabs Mandy and puts his .45 go her head as Adam does the same to Cody as Terry aims both .357s. 

Terry: Maxwell!

Max: Yeah…?

Terry turns as Finch steps out behind Max with his gun to Max's head as Hockmeyer notices Finch. 

Hockmeyer: Good, you're alive. 

Finch: No thanks to you…

Terry: You sons of bitches, you're to blame for all of this aren't you!?

Hockmeyer: What can I say. 

Mandy: Adam!?

Mandy looks at him and he avoids her gaze. 

Terry: What now gentlemen…?

The Runners burst through the door at the ground level and begin up the stairs.

Hockmeyer: You're going to find us a way out of here, you do that and you live, promise. 

Terry: I oughta drop you where you stand…

Cody: do it!

Hockmeyer pushes the barrel deeper against Mandy's skull, Terry hesitating as Hockmeyer smirks. 

Hockmeyer: I will kill her…then your other two friends…

Terry: Max…

Max: Four floors down there's an emergency hideaway, I don't know where it leads too…

Terry: There. Let them go. 

Hockmeyer: Finch…

Finch hobbles over towards them, gun still aimed at Max as he keeps Max in front of him as Terry waits for their move. 

Hockmeyer: Drop your guns...and kick them to your left…

Cody: Don't do it!

Terry reluctantly does as Mandy looks on frightened as Terry holds his hands up. 

Terry: Let them go. 

Hockmeyer: Sure, the girl comes with us though…

Terry: Son of a bitch…

Hockmeyer: later, boys. 

Finch pushes Max into Terry as Adam kicks Cody forward and then shoot him behind his right knee as Cody screams in agony as  Adam and Hockmeyer help lead Finch down the hall as they drag Mandy along as Terry grabs his .357s as Cody moves to get off of him and Max as he grabs at his knee which was gushing blood as Hockmeyer gets his group down to the end of the hall. 

Terry aimed at them just as the elevator door closed as the backup generators were working, Terry screaming in frustration as Cody held the back of his leg and applied pressure as he looked to see the Runners appearing at the top floor door. 

Max: Shit they're here!

Terry: Help me with Cody!

Cody: No, leave me!

Max: What!?

The door crashes in, knocked nearly off as the unrelenting crashing of dead weight is just too much. Terry and Max look shocked and worried as Cody sits up. 

Cody: I'd only slow you down...I can at least buy your time…

Terry: Cody we don't leave misfits behind…

Cody: You don't have time or a choice! Let me do this for you… 

Cody grabs his machine gun as the Runners can be heard down the hallway. 

Cody: Go!

Max grabs Terry and the laptop and pulls Terry along.

Terry: I'm sorry, Cody…

Terry watches as the Runners appear around the corner and screech at a full sprint towards them but Cody trips them up with precise shots and takes a few down before he begins to empty his clip at them. Terry runs away with Max reluctantly as Cody screams at the runners as he empties his last rounds before he grabs his handgun and takes headshots for one, two, three runners, but now they were upon him as a few continue after Terry and Max as the rest stay behind for the easy meal. Cody tries to put his gun to his head but a runner rips a large chunk out of his forearm, tearing flesh from his arm as Cody is screaming as a runner chews through his gunshot knee, another biting into his chest as they begin to tear Cody's intestines out. 

Terry and Max run for their lives as some Runners gain on them, Terry fires and hits one in the head as Max grabs him and pulls him into a room, both shutting the door as Terry looks about as Max locks the door and Terry whistles for him to help him move an old soda machine as the two move it and tip it over, blocking the door as the Runners began slamming into the door as Terry screams in frustration as Max just slides down a wall. 

Max: This is so fucked…

Hockmeyer drags Mandy through the elevator door as it reaches the four floors down. 

Hockmeyer: Spread out! find the hideaway space!

Adam and limping Finch begin to look about as Mandy bites Hockmeyer on his forearm, Hockmeyer screaming as he turns and pistol whips her in the back of the head, knocking her out cold. 

Hockmeyer: Crazy bitch. 

Adam taps a wall and smiles

Adam: Got it!

Adam opens it up and Finch looks down to see a dark spiral staircase and hesitates. 

Finch: I'm not sure about this…

Hockmeyer: It's either this or go through the front the way we came, see how well that goes. 

Finch: You lead the way then…

Hockmeyer begins down the stairs first as he has Mandy slunk over his shoulder, As going down next as Finch still hesitates but follows.

Elsewhere, Pier

The Captain's watch as Citizens are panicking as Runners and Walkers have found their way towards the pier, coming also out of the tunnels as people are being viscously attacked as we see the man from earlier that one of the Terrorists let inside the tunnel was eating a woman's corpse. The boats were still docked as one of the Captain's hurries to his crew. 

Captain: Set sail, now!

The crew quickly react and cast off as the liners pull away from the pier as the remaining people are quickly attacked and flee as best as they could as the pier descended into chaos. 

A Man is sweating profusely as his family now cheering as the boat's pull away as the Man holds his left arm as blood drips between his fingers. On the first ship, a woman who looks relieved wipes tears from her eyes as she goes into a room but as she does a zombie allears and bites out her throat as her scream disappears and the two look like a couple in a loving embrace as a couple walks by the open door and doesn't notice a thing as the zombies chomps away and pulls at her vocal cords as the ships have been compromised. 

End of Part Eighteen.