NEST

"You people seem quite used to this…" said William. "We'd never mess around with nests like this…"

"They are usually packed with resources. Surviving is a gamble, but sometimes you need to take the risk. Still… This one is way too recent. I think we should have waited a couple more days before heading inside. Marcus has been restless ever since the outbreak…" replied the man leading the group.

"Um… Shouldn't we be quiet…?" asked Claire, her eyes zooming from side to side, as if expecting a shambler to jump at them from the shadows.

"It's pointless. As long as they are in the dark, they can sense our presence at all times, even if they are weakened. Their senses are weird, don't think about it too much." the man threw her a quick look as he spoke.

Claire nodded and kept walking behind the group. She didn't feel safe staying at the back. She kept throwing constant glances at the dark hallway behind her. The swaying beams of light from the flashlights bounced back in irregular patterns, making it look like creepy shapes were slithering after them at every turn. Of course, there was no such thing, but she was stressed enough to believe it.

There was something different about that place. Claire had already seen a couple of unsettling places before, but none of them had been as bad as those tunnels. Thinking back, the memories from her old skyscraper shelter gave her nothing but frustration and depression. William's apartments were disturbingly quiet and full of a strange sense of loss, like something was amiss. The sewers were scary and smelled like shit. Every location had its own twisted identity. But that subway… that was a new one for her. It smelled like death. Fresh death.

As they walked deeper into the hallways, they had to find their way around all sorts of stuff laying on the ground. Garbage, boxes filled with various items, clothes… All of them strewn all over the place. And it was no wonder why. The pools and stains of blood, not completely dry yet, were left as a testament of the panic that probably took hold of the place once the outbreak started; and of its deadly consequences.

Claire covered her mouth and nose with her hand. The smell of blood felt nauseating.

Deep within her mind, she had the impression of staring at the consequences of her own actions. All things considered, she hadn't expected Lilian's bite to actually spread the disease. But in all honesty, she should have. After all, even if she was resistant, she was still infected, and therefore was a carrier, yet another disease vector. However, all that death was caused by a single infected, and she had a chance of stopping him, a chance she missed. What if…?

'Come on, Claire… Stop it… You can't be carrying the guilt for every single thing that happens… This is just stupid, and you know it… Focus…'

She gave herself a couple of subtle slaps on the cheeks, shooing her intrusive thoughts away. She didn't need any more sources of guilt on her shoulders. She had enough of those already.

The sound of a dull, heavy impact brought her attention back to her surroundings. Another pair of shamblers, attempting to wave their arms as they fell down.

"Our supplies are in a small staff-only area ahead. Keep your eyes open."

******

Owen shuddered. They had raided shambler-populated buildings before, they knew how to handle them. And they knew how risky it was. They had enough close calls already, enough losses. They had learned to stay alert and aware of their own surroundings at all times.

The subway didn't feel safe. The shamblers were still able to move. Weak, pained movements, but enough to make his brain throw danger signals. Their eyes, usually dull and devoid of life, gradually lighted up in a sickly blue hue as their bodies were knocked over.

Owen threw Jonah a shifty, nervous look. His friend reciprocated. He had noticed too. And to be fair, it was very likely that Marcus knew as well.

It was uncharacteristic of him to undertake such risks. Something was going on. A lot of events had taken place in a short amount of time. An outbreak inside the shelter, the arrival of that suspicious suited man and his lackeys, the strange girl showing up out of nowhere… He took a peek at William and Claire. Yet another unexpected event, emerging from the tunnels loaded with guns, throwing shit at them, and then all of a sudden deciding to behave and cooperate.

Owen had the feeling that all these events were related to one another, and he didn't like it. Was Marcus rushing things? Did he expect even more crazy things to take place? Only time would tell.

Jonah gave him a silent signal with his hand. The staff-only area was just a couple of meters ahead, behind a closed door in the wall of the tunnel.

******

A simple lounge with some broken vending machines, a locker room, a couple of offices, restrooms… The place was small and moderately cramped, but it sure looked busy. At least, it used to be busy, judging from all the chaos littering the ground.

Claire took a look around, wary of the many open doorways.

"The place should be clear, most of the shamblers chased after the survivors on their way out. Still… keep your guard up." said Owen.

"Shouldn't we have encountered them on our way inside then? There was only a small bunch… Was that all of them?" William sounded confused.

"No… There's another exit close to the concourse, we lured most of them in that direction. It's a good distance away, we should be okay…"

There was a slight hint of worry and shakiness in his voice, it didn't go unnoticed for Claire. Were they really going to be okay? The feeling of dread sent shivers down her spine.

"That office, that's where Marcus used to spend most of his time. His briefcase must be in there, somewhere." Jonah started pointing at the open doors as he spoke. "That other room over there was our storage. Let's see what we can salvage. Come on, let's get to work."

…

The office was cold, much colder than the rest of the subway. Claire figured that freezing sensation was just her nerves keeping her on edge upon facing the darkness on her own, but she couldn't help but shiver for a couple of seconds.

She aimed her flashlight from side to side. The room was clear, at least at first glance. She sighed, gulped and stepped forward.

Everything was quite unremarkable. A desk, shelves, boxes… Almost every conceivable flat surface was covered with all kinds of paperwork, documents, folders and books. Claire approached the central desk, laid her bat against its side, and took a look at the documents.

'This is… Oh man… Microbiology…? They did say this guy was researching something, but… This stuff is all related to diseases, pathogens… It's all medical research.'

The shamblers came to Claire's mind. Was Marcus' research related to them…? She was uncertain, and apparently so was everyone else. And without confirmation from the man himself, it was difficult to know for sure.

But she had no time to waste reading documents. She proceeded to rummage through the drawers, unearthing more and more piles of paper. She squinted her eyes through the tools and basic laboratory equipment that lined the shelves. Nothing.

"Hufff…"

She crouched down beside the shelving unit with the intention of inspecting a nearby box, when her eyes rested on the thick shadows that peeked from below the shelves. On a hunch, she got on all fours, reached underneath and felt around. Her hand touched something cold. Something metallic.

"Ah…!"

Her fingers managed to grasp a handle on the strange object, and she pulled it out. It was heavy, much heavier than its size would suggest. Upon looking at it under the light of the flashlight, it looked even heavier. The briefcase was quite small, the size of a book. The outer shell had a strong metallic glint and barely a couple of scratches, most likely stainless steel. It remained sealed with an electronic locking device, with a narrow slit for some kind of key card.

It wasn't an ordinary briefcase, that was for sure.

'This really looks secure, huh… I wonder what's inside… It must be important indeed…'

Claire grabbed it by the handle and got up, having to make a considerable effort to lift it. She hung the flashlight from a pocket on her jacket, and went to grab her bat, when she noticed something laying on top of the desk. It was in plain view, but for some reason it didn't grab her attention until that moment.

It looked like a small, brown foldable object. A wallet? She picked it up, and opened it to take a look, out of curiosity.

She gasped.

'This is…! No way…! This guy is—!'

"Oh, fuck!! Hey, we're in trouble…!! We need to leave now!!" a male voice screamed outside the office.

Claire jumped on the spot and let out a soft squeal. She hurriedly put the mysterious wallet on her pocket, grabbed the bat and rushed out of the office.

******

William closed the zipper of his backpack, loaded with various supplies, with a particular focus on food and bottled water. Even as he searched the cabinets and boxes, he had kept watch over Owain at all times. Was it Owain? Owen? He still didn't bother making the effort of caring about those guys or their names. In his eyes they were all the same: people who couldn't be trusted, no matter whether they looked like assholes or not.

He only had interest on a select number of people in that shelter, and none of them were present. Overthinking things wouldn't achieve anything, not until they got out of that nest. He wore his backpack and stood up.

"Is this it?" he asked.

"Yeah, this should be enough for now…" replied Ow-whatever. "Let's check with the girl, see if she found the briefcase, and—"

"Oh, fuck!! Hey, we're in trouble…!! We need to leave now!!" a male voice screamed outside the office.

"Huh!? Jonah!? What's going on out there!?" Owen ran to the door and aimed his flashlight outside.

Jonah, who had been left watching the entrance to the staff-only area, came barrelling down the hallway in their direction with a concerned look on his face.

"They're coming!! Shamblers!!"

"Shit! How many!?"

"I think it's all of them!!"

"Tch…! Fools…! The nest is still active, I knew it! I knew this was a crazy idea…!" complained William. He left the storage room, almost pushing Jonah aside on his way out. "Claire!! We need to leave!!"

Claire emerged from a nearby doorway, nearly tripping with nearby garbage. She carried a heavy-looking metal briefcase.

"A-Aah…! W-What's happening…!?" she asked.

"Shamblers, that's what!"

'Why did I even agree to help these psychos…!? Talk about having regrets…! This is stupid, and it's going to get us all killed…!'

Before they had the chance to exchange any more words, the other two men sprinted down the entrance corridor.

"Move!!!"

William and Claire followed behind. He noticed how his heartbeats escalated in magnitude with every leap he took, as they approached the door leading back into the main subway hallway. The group crashed against the door and busted it open without a second thought, only to be met with a faint blue glow coming from the corridor to their right.

Creeping from the shadows, a mass of shamblers occupied the entire width of the tunnel and dragged itself towards them. Their movements were still weak, but an unseen force seemed to drive their muscles, fuelling them in one last effort to get their hands on fresh prey. Their hunger-filled eyes, dull and milky when they entered the tunnels, now shined blue, possessed with ravenous malice.

'They're desperate…!'

"That's the way we came from…! Is there really no other exit!?" asked William.

"Shit…! This tunnel leads to another subway platform, but it's barricaded!" replied Owen.

"Then let's go!!"

"But I just said it's blocked, there's no way to get out…!"

"We'll have to figure it out, damn it!!" William used his U-shaped tool to shove back a shambler who got too close. It barely made a difference, since the rest of the mass kept pushing it forward, preventing it from falling down. "Fucking move!!"

They ran. A mad sprint that hardly lasted a minute, but it felt eternal. All William heard was everyone's panicked breaths, their disorderly footsteps echoing down the corridors and the choir of wails following their trail. Down some stairs, turn a corner, and then he saw light at the end of the tunnel. Light seeping through the cracks of a mess of boards and furniture.

"Heeeey!!! Is anyone there!!? Heeeeey!!!!" Jonah shouted the instant he spotted the barricade.

Surprised murmurs could be heard coming from the other side. Both Owen and Jonah rushed to the blockade and started loudly talking with the guards on the other side. William turned to face Claire, who was panting and trying to catch her breath while staring with horror at the dark tunnel behind them.

"Hey…! Put that thing in my backpack!" he said. "If we have to fight, you'll need both of your hands!"

"A-Ah…! Okay…!"

William turned around and let Claire open his backpack and stuff the briefcase inside. Luckily, it fit. He felt its weight the moment she let go of it.

'What the hell is this thing made of…!? It better be worth the trouble, god damn it…!'

"Stop fucking around, asshole!!!" Owen started shouting at the top of his lungs, drawing William's attention back to the exit. "This is no joke! You need to help us!! We even have what Marcus wanted us to retrieve!!"

"B-But…! The shamblers…!" a confused voice came from the other side.

"H-Hey… Can't we just… wait it out…? At least now we know where the important stuff is…!" another voice, barely audible over the cacophony of the incoming shambler horde.

"Don't fuck with me…!!" Owen kept screaming.

"Guys…!! You can't leave us here like this…!" Jonah pleaded with the people on the other side, who remained silent.

"They don't look too willing to help, do they!? Fucking idiots…!" William held his pushing tool firmly. "One of you, start tearing at that barricade however you can! The rest, grab the bats and get ready! And get the backpacks off, they'll impair us!"

"This is madness, man!" said Jonah. He showed hesitation, but he did follow William's advice and dropped his backpack near the barricade.

"Do you have any other ideas!? Do you want to die for nothing!?"

No, he couldn't allow himself to die, not just yet. After finding a new sliver of hope, something to cling to, he had to see it through to the very end, as improbable as it might be. Or at least, he wanted to try.

After getting rid of his own bag, he charged towards the approaching shamblers. They needed to stop their advance as much as possible. Without thinking twice about it, he shoved with all his might at the closest shambler's legs. The impact caused it to trip forward, causing it to fall flat on the floor. He quickly pulled back his tool, which almost got caught under the fallen corpse.

'They'll surely be slower if they're crawling…!'

Claire and Jonah approached him from behind, armed with the metal bats. Claire was as terrified as Jonah was angry. Her shaky hands were threatening to drop the weapon at any moment.

"Don't hesitate, go for their heads!!" yelled William as he knocked another shambler down. "You hear me, Claire!? Don't think, just go for it!! And watch out for their hands!!"

"A-Ah…! S-Shit…!!" after a couple of seconds of hesitation, Claire gritted her teeth, tightened her grip as much as she could, and dropped the bat with all her might on the closest head.

******

The boards were loose. No part of that barricade had been put together with even a figment of care or technique. They had jammed everything they could, as fast as they could, in order to contain the threat. But that didn't make it any easier to pull apart. Everything was wedged in, stuck in place.

Owen pulled and shook as hard as he could, the wood rattling in response.

"Fucking hell…!! Come on…!! Come on…!!!"

The board started dislodging itself, but several chairs and tables intertwined with each other and with the board prevented it from coming off completely. He tried grabbing something else. He didn't care what it was, he just prayed that something would eventually come off. He didn't want to die. His wife was waiting out there, she was counting on him. He couldn't die like that.

"Fuck…!! Move…!!! Fuuuuck!!!"

Behind him, he could hear the rest of the group struggle. He heard the wails of the shamblers as they dropped to the floor, he heard the sound of the bats crashing against their skulls, he heard his teammates panting and yelling as they fought for their lives.

He pulled harder, placing his foot on the barricade itself so he could exert as much strength as possible over the piece of wood.

"Fuck this shit…! I'm doing this, man…!" a voice came from the other side. "I can't…! I can't deal with this, I can't let them down like this, dude…!!"

"Ah…! For real…!? B-But…!" the other voice seemed hesitant.

"Shut the fuck up already and go get help…!"

"S-Shit…!"

The barricade started rattling and shaking, someone had started pulling at it from the other side.

"Hang in there!! We'll get you out…!!"