Part Twenty Six
Eden: Paradise Lost
Part Twenty Six
Kris watches as zombies were beginning to break through the panes of glass between prime one and two.
Mary: I've been watching the area to make sure it was secure, came upon this and laid out a booby trap with some tripwires and grenades at the base there in case they get in. Noise from the blast would give us ample time to get out. Or barricade elsewhere.
Miles: How long we got?
Mary: At this rate...twenty minutes.
Nick: Goddamnit.
Amber: Where are we going to go? What do we do?!
Nick: Boss…?!
Kris watches the sight with a resolve.
Kris: We have to be ready to move.
Kris heads off as the others followed, Nick staying as Mary keeps surveying.
Nick: What were you really doing, Mary?
Mary: I was securing the…
Nick: Don't lie to me.
Nick locks eyes with her.
Mary: I tried to contact a crew I was in before I joined the 23rd.
Nick: Why?
Mary: The Zero Company is the best line of defense Eden has left until the generals' forces get here. By then it may already be too late. But if there's anyone out there that could help us, it's them.
Nick: Get ahold of them?
Mary: Not sure.
Nick: Why hide that?
Mary: They're not…
Kris: Hey…
Kris reappears.
Kris: Stop wasting time, let's go.
Kris heads back off as Nick follows as Mary looks concerned before she follows.
Elsewhere
Kolton swallows another handful of brains as seven remaining cultists all come forward, dropping to their knees before him as Kolton wipes his blood stained mouth as he holds his arms out.
Kolton: My children, you offer your flesh, your brain's, to power me.
Kolton paces around them as he sniffs a cultist's head and shivers.
Kolton: I will consume your brains, and I will grow stronger. And in my strength I will sweep across this city and cleanse it of every living soul, and then, we will be free, in the arms of death. Be free my children.
Kolton tears into the Cultists right next to him, his fingers prying the skull open as he viscously devours the man's brains straight from the inside of his split open skull as the others watch horrified but with a never wavering conviction.
Elsewhere, Prime 3
Mary helps Amber gather some food from the kitchen in the lobby into a less than full ammo bag as Nick comes over to Kris.
Nick: We may have a situation.
Kris: How so?
Nick: Mary hailed the Zero Company. Didn't seem to want anyone to know why. Any idea who they are?
Kris: Not really. They're a solid group from what I do know. Large company, about 3000 men.
Nick: Is that it?
Kris: Can't say. Why's it matter?
Nick: Don't know. Just get the feeling Mary knows about them in a way she doesn't want us to know about. And that may be an issue. I'm just hard of trusting right now.
Kris: If they show up, we could certainly use the help. But we'll keep an eye open.
Nick: That's not our only pressing issue.
Kris looks over to the three as Brianna was with Miles and Lyndsey.
Kris: What's that?
Nick: The doors are automated and Max locked them when he left. Without Max or his computer we have no way of getting out.
Kris: Then we'll blow the doors.
Nick: With what?! Mary used the last of the grenades to rig the triplines. I counted two when we got back. And they're better off being with us if we get into a bad spot out there.
Kris: What do you propose we do then, Garza?
Nick: Someone's got to go to the control room and unlock the doors, problem is, once they do, the doors to all the all Prime's will probably unlock. And you know what that means.
Rebecca came over and caught the end of it.
Rebecca: We'd be overrun by the dead heads.
Nick: Right.
Rebecca: So let me guess, you're volunteering to go on this suicide mission.
Nick: I am…
Kris: It is just that, Nick. A suicide mission.
Nick: And it's the only choice we have…
Millie: I'll go.
The three turn as Millie as they watch her look everyone over.
Millie: I know where the room is, and I can easily figure out the locking codes. have it done in three minutes.
Kris: No let's just think about this…
Millie: Not your choice anymore, sir. I wanna do this, I need to make sure as many people survive this. I owe everyone that.
The three are left speechless as Millie nods and heads towards the elevator without saying another word.
Mary watches her go and she quickly runs to her and grabs her arm.
Mary: Where are you going..?
Millie: To do something I have too.
Millie quickly kisses Mary and smiles as she hits the floor number button.
Millie: Take care, Mary.
Mary: Millie…
The doors closed as Mary reached to try and stop it but was too late.
Mary: Millie!
Kris comes to her as she looks distraught.
Kris: Let her do this. She wanted to do this.
Mary: We can't leave her!
Kris: She left us! So we could leave, so we can survive! Get your head together, and come on, we don't have much time to get ready.
The group all get together as Dustin cuts the leg bindings to the three prisoner's but keeps their hands bound as everyone gathers their gear and bags and heads to the doors as the walkers outside are spread out.
Elsewhere
Lance fires from his AK as he drops some runners as Makayla leads up front and stops as some runners cut them off from an adjacent alleyway, Terry shooting them dead as he has to holster his .357 and pull the other up as he couldn't reload in time as Makayla takes the others down as Lance covers the rear as they veer towards the right and run across a large chain link fence. Makayla is able to climb it and jump it with ease as Terry does the same, Lance and Max coming up as Terry fires through the chain link and hits four Runners in the head.
Terry: Hurry up!
Lance makes the jump and is able to climb over as Max struggles, Terry pulling his repeater around as he opens fire to cover Max as Lance drops to the other side.
Lance: Max!
Makayla: Hurry up!
Max: I am!
Terry drops another and another but they kept coming as he fired six more shots before he heard the dreaded click.
Terry: Max!
Max swings both legs over just as a few runners slam into the chain link and grab at him.
The momentum sends Max falling and Makayla screams as Terry runs and takes the brunt of the fall as Max thankfully falls onto their side as Lance helps them up as Max pants and catches his breath.
Lance: Where are we?
Max: If I had to guess…
The chain link fence toppled and the four quickly moved before they took off again as the runners' weight and momentum caused the fence to fall as the zombies continued their never ending pursuit of their dinner.
Elsewhere, Prime 3
Millie rushes into the control room for Prime 3 as she runs and scans about as she searches through the files on the closest computer she could find as she eventually finds the locking codes and vegans to type up the sequence.
The glass panels of Prime two were giving way as the zombies were trying hard as hell to force their way in. Nick aimed his gun at the doors to Prime 3 as zombies had taken notice of their movement by the doors.
Nick: As soon as the doors open head to the Jeep!
Kris: stay bunched and do not stray far from each other!
The group all nod as Millie types in and presses enter, running to the nearby window as she watches
Millie: Go, go, go…
Kris hears the gym from the electronic locks and at the same time the zombies from between prime one and two burst through and run through her trap, going up in a loud and building shaking explosion as they tripped the multiple grenades, Kris screaming for everyone to go as Kris and Nick take the rear as the zombies who survived the blast were barrelling down the lobbies towards them as they poured inside like a swarm, Millie watching as she could see them coming into view as Miles had point and started the Jeep as Lyndsey and the girls get in, Dustin get the prisoners to get into the back as he covers fires for Brianna and Mary.
Nick and Kris cover as Rebecca gets in and so does Dustin, Mary firing from her crossbow as she drops a runner.
Mary: There's too many of us!
Nick: We won't all fit?
Mary: No…!
Kris: Take the civilians and prisoners and go! Get them somewhere safe as fast as possible!
Mary: what about you, sir?
Rebecca: Nick, I'm not leaving you…
Nick: We can't argue this…
Rebecca: I'm not leaving you!
Kris: Mary, go! Here they come!
Rebecca gets out and comes next to Nick, raising her sniper rifle as Mary curses and gets inside as Brianna gets in and shuts the door as Nick and Kris begin to move in unison to cover Rebecca as they draw the zombies away from the Jeep as Mary curses and tells Miles to go as he looks torn but does so as a large horde begins to swarm closer and closer to the others, Millie watching horrified as the three were alone as they began down an adjacent street and covered Rebecca who limped as fast as she could.
Millie: Run! Run!
Millie beats on the glass as she doesn't notice a countdown on the computer flashing as it reads " OVERRUN PROTOCOL INITIATING... ACTIVATING "CONTAINMENT" IN 5...4...3...2...1"
Kris, Nick and Rebecca go flying from the sheer force of the explosion as the intense blowback from the Prime's self detonating failsafe demolition, Nick flying to the right as he hits a parked car, as nearby windows explode from the force as the Prime's disappeared into a cloud of smoke and a giant fireball as the shockwaves can be felt as Miles barely keeps the Jeep from tipping as everyone screams in shock as Mary looks back at the carnage in horror.
Kris stands groggily as he can see the Prime's toppling as dust and smoke and soot go everywhere. Kris listening as he can still hear the dead slowly coming after them as he winces and covers his mouth as he goes and grabs Rebecca who sobs as she says Millie's name as Kris keeps his face stoic even though he was hurting. Nick leans up and shakes off the pain from hitting the car as Rebecca goes and helps him as Kris grabs his M16 that he dropped as the zombies were appearing through the smoke towards them.
Rebecca: Come on baby...we gotta go…
Nick watches as Kris begins matching towards the zombies as he opens fire.
Nick: Kris...boss let's go!
They both grab him and make him follow as they hurry away from the sight of the burning Prime's.
Elsewhere
Max clubs a zombie away as Lance reloads his AK, Terry quickly loading his six shots and his repeater as Makayla covers them as she looks around a corner.
Makayla: We need to hurry ..
Terry: We'll be done in a second…
Makayla: No time!
Lance: Go!
Max and Terry take the left path as Makayla and Lance continue on the way they had been going as more runners appeared and chase after the two sets.
Terry and Max run down an alley as Terry fires back, hitting two Runners as Max turns and tosses his spiked bat, watching it impaled into a runners face as Terry's pulls Max down a different path to their right.
Makayla and Lance alternate fire as they hurry off and come to an alley as another chain link fence is constructed.
Lance: Goddamnit…
Terry and Max allear running from the other side as Lance looks down to see the alleway had another diverging path Lance opening fire at the oncoming runners from their end as Max and Terry hit the fence.
Terry: goddamn fences!
Terry swings himself over and drops down next to Makayla as she helps with suppressing fire as Max swings a leg over but as he does a runner suddenly appeared and lunged itself against the fence, grabbing at Max's bother legs as tore into his ankle and stripped his tendon from off of the home as Max screams as the other runners caught up and pulled Max down as Lance turned and Max grabbed the chain link fence as the Runners converged over him.
Max: Kill me...kill me!
Terry: Max, Max, no! Goddamnit, no!
Lance: I'm sorry, Max…
Terry: Max!
Lance: Get him out of here!
Makayla grabs Terry and forces him away from the sight as they head down the diverging path as Lance switches the detonator to whatever Max's number was as Max screams as the runners tear know him, one biting through his left wrist as his severed hand still grips the chain link.
Lance turns and runs as he sees the other set of runners appear and gives chase as Lance let's a single tear escape his eyes before pressing the button as the Runners eating on Max disappear behind a flash of light and a small explosion as Max's thermal device goes off, ending a brilliant mind's suffering.
End of Part Twenty Six.