Trouble in Paradise

It's been three days since we found the still-unconscious adult and sweet little Jerico and everything has been going on as normal as the apocolyps can get. Until today.

After Damian, Gerhard and I did the super easy obstacle course that Jerico had set up for us and hit the showers, the boys decided to play hide and go seek in Woolworths and I helped Jerico find a hiding place. We played a few rounds and I was finally able to laugh for the first time in a while, before an ear-piercing screech came from down the hall. Without a second thaught, Damian came running to me and picked up Jerico and held her tight to his chest as we all made a dash for the weapons room to get our gear.

Now I have rules in the apocolyps. My number one rule is :'Never let your guard down', but can you blame us when we have a blond, blue-eyed, sweet smiling five year old around?

No, no you can't.

As we got to the weapons room, I decided it was best to get a gun for a 'Screecher'.

A Screecher is overall the most harmless of all the zombie-looking types, but they attract Shreders and if we get one of those here, we are all screwed. So it's better to take out the Screechers as fast as possible, which is exactly why I'm getting a magnum era hand gun for this special deformity instead of a sword.

Damian kept Jerico in his arms as I fire a bullet, but the Screecher dodged and started to run towards me with a type of speed that I've never seen them have before. I began to panic and shot again, but this time the bullet lodged in its shoulder.

"GET DOWN!"

Gerhard screamed before he pulled me back as I see someone run out from the corridor adjacent from us with an axe in their hand. It was Mr Unconcious. He swung the axe and it took the Screechers head clean off its body with ease.

"Guess he had more screws loose than it seemed," He said before he passed out again. Gerhard ran to catch him and Damian brought Jerico over. I turned to her and pointed at her dad, "Does he do that often?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Well there is a first time for everything, I suppose."

I helped Gerhard hold him up and checked at his bandages and found that they were stained red.

"Dammit, guess I'm going to have to stitch him up again. Let's take him to the medical bay." I suggested and Gerhard nodded.

We got to the medical room; I took off his bandages and slapped on the heartrate monitor once again.

Damian bought Jerico in and they sat on one of the couches and talked about all kinds of things while Gerhard helped me prepare the stitching needle.

"Damn, this guy is a hassle." Gerhard complained.

"Jerico says that her dad's name is Blake." Damian piped up from behind me. I turned to him and frowned.

"How long have you known his name?" I asked.

"Well, since Jerico and I played dressup in Woolworths their first night here." Damian replied and gave a small smile. Gerhard passed over the needle, walked over to Damian and gave him a hard slap over the back of the head.

"Hey!" Damian protested.

"You didn't says something sooner?" Gerhard questioned.

"I didn't think it was important." Damian whimpered while rubbing his buzz-cut head.

"Hey, shut it over there! I need to concentrate." I ordered as I slowly pressed the needle into Blake's skin, but as I did Blake tensed and gripped the bed.

"Ow!" Was the word that escaped his lips as he opened his eyes.

"Sorry about this, but it is your fault for tearing your stitches in the first place." I pointed out as I continued stitching.

"But I did save your life." He stated proudly.

"Sorry, I didn't get a chance to say thank you earlier on, but you tend to pass out alot." I gave him a small smile as I finished the last out of 10 stitches.

"Can you sit up?" I asked before he pushed himself up with badly-hidden difficulty.

"Hi, daddy!" Came Jericos excited voice from behind me. Blake looked over my shoulder and winked at his daughter.

"Hey, baby girl. They been treating you kindly?" He asked and she nodded her small head. Blake looked back at me with slightly squinted eyes.

"Good, or else I'd have to..."

I pressed my finger against his stitches before he could finish his sentence and looked him dead in the eyes.

"You don't get to threaten us here. We make the threats. You're on our turf. Got it?" I said and removed my finger from his wound. Blake gripped his side and bit down on his teeth and hissed in pain.

"Daddy!" Jerico ran to his bedside and grabbed her dad's hand.

"I'm okay baby girl." He reassured and ran his other hand over her hair.

"How have you not been taken over yet?" I started to question and joined the boys on the couches.

"My baby girl and I were on the run ever since the beginning of the apocolyps. Until we saw a whole bunch of deadoes trying to get into this place and I instantly knew that someone had to be in this place that could help us or else the deadoes would just go about their dead lives and surpass this place."

"Seems fishy." Damian stated his opinion and I threw up my hand.

"How old are you?" I asked?

"24 years old." He replied as he helped Jerico up onto his bed.

"Where did you come from?" Gerhard asked.

"Brackenfell." He replied.

"Yip, I trust him." Damian stated and once again got hit over the back of the head by Gerhard.

"You have to promise us that you will never leave us for dead or sabotage our survival at any cost. Do you agree?" I asked and leaned forward. Blake wanted to lean forward aswell, but instantly regretted it and leaned back in pain.

"I agree" came his reply in a groan.

"Good." I said as I got up and walked to the door. "Then welcome to the Phantom teens team. Hope you don't mind being on probation for the meantime while we get to know you." I said before I walked out the room.

I was in the radio shack for a while, taping into different ratio frequencies on a long distance walkie-talkie, but it was just like every other time I tried. Nothing. That's when Gerhard and Damian walked in. Gerhard hopped up onto the teller's counter top and Damian leaned against the doorframe at the entrance.

"What happened out there?" Damian asked, looking a little concerned. "You never miss."

"It dodged my bullets." I replied and looked at the floor.

"How could it do that?" Gerhard asked with disbelief etched in his voice.

I looked at them and shook my head. "It was fast, faster than any others we've encountered."

"But how is that possible?" Gerhard asked.

"They're evolving." I replied.

"I've read up about this before. Any type of monster has a small capability to analyze their pray and become stronger than it, smarter than it. Faster than it." I continued

"That's how it stays on top of the food chain." Damian added.

I nodded and Gerhard looked at me with concern. "How did it even get in?" He asked.

"I don't know." I replied softly.

"Wait, did any of you see Blake's bandages before he swung his axe?" Damian asked and Gerhard and I looked at eachother with shocked faces then looked over at Damian.

"What are you trying to say?" Gerhard asked.

"Think about it. The guy has been on the run with his daughter since the beginning of the apocolyps. So he needs a place to stay and since he found this place that is already inhabited, he needed us to gain his trust in order to allow him to stay, and what better way than saving the life of one of the current inhibitors?" Damian theorized.

Gerhard looked at me, "It makes sense."

"Ya, I know it does, but I feel like that isn't the only reason he wants us to start trusting him. My gut isn't liking this." I said and stood up to stretch.

"This guy may have even more screws loose than it seems." Damian said and Gerhard chuckled.

"What do we do now?" Gerhard asked.

"We keep an eye on him. Act casual. Make small talk, anything it takes for him to spill the beans. Let's act like we trust him so that he tells us what he is up to on his own, but don't let him out of your sight. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!"