Chapter 26: Week Five: Friday

Alice and Jason, hands still together, walked into the alleyway slowly while talking about various topics. Suddenly, Alice brought something up she had been thinking about for a while.

"I've been wondering for a bit now, but how old are you?"

"Where's this coming from?" Jason looked at her with confusion.

"Just wanna learn more about you is all." Feeling giddy inside, he replied.

"I'm twenty two. You?" Alice wasn't surprised. It was a year older than what she had guessed.

"Sixteen." Jason knew she was young, but not that young. He genuinely thought she was eighteen.

"Huh. I see."

Alice looked at him, a little nervousness creeping inside her.

"Is that a problem?" She knew a lot of people had trouble with the whole age thing. Unconsciously, her hand gripping his tightened.

"Nah, I don't really care about all that. Of course there is such a thing as too young, but all that matters is our feelings for one another. And I happen to think you're pretty awesome." At his words, she sighed in relief and felt happiness bubble within.

"You're not half bad yourself." She said with a smile, which Jason returned.

"Now. Where do we begin?" The alleyway had two doors on either side before ending. And of course, each building were apartments. But there was also an open manhole within the alley.

"Let's not go down there. At least, not until we check everything else." Alice said with a somewhat disgusted look.

"Agreed." Jason felt the same way as her and picked the closest door on the right.

"Let's go there first. Stay close to me. We don't know what's inside." Letting go of her hand and moving in front of her, Jason opened the door to the darkness and stepped inside. 

Most likely due to eating Scarface's eye, he had a little night vision. It wasn't something perfect, but it would allow him to at least not stumble over himself. Thinking of Alice, he turned around and noticed she already had a flashlight in hand and was handing one over to him.

Noticing Jason's confused face, Alice answered casually with a smile. 

"I came a little prepared." 

"Good thing one of us is. I completely forgot." Grabbing the flashlight and turning it on, he used it to expel the dark and guide their way.

The duo found themselves within a short and narrow hallway with a door at the end. Reaching for the doorknob, Jason opened it and was immediately met with a bloody face.

"Fucking hell!" Jumping back a little at the sudden jumpscare, Jason could hear giggles coming from behind him. He felt some slight embarrassment due to getting scared so easily.

As for the infected, he was confused and horrified. He tried to run away from the monster in front of him but found a strong hand gripping his neck. Already knowing what was coming, he went limp and accepted his fate. There was no point in struggling.

With a single punch Jason obliterated the infected's head splattering brain, blood, and bone everywhere.

"Asshole." Dropping the corpse, he stepped over it and continued going with a giggling Alice behind him.

Through the lobby and up the stairs, they found their fair share of infected who moved aside when seeing Jason coming. But when they stopped on the third floor, they saw something weird.

"What are they doing?" Alice asked with a tilted head.

"I don't know. It's strange though, even a little creepy." Across the entire hallway were over a dozen infected facing the walls on each side.

Besides an occasional twitch, they were unmoving. Even when Jason or Alice made noise, they continued to stay put with closed eyes and heads down.

"They kinda look like they're... hibernating?" Jason said while lightly poking a large one on the shoulder. The fat infected's eyes opened slightly, but soon went back to sleep.

"To save energy maybe? Or is it something else?" Alice checked a few rooms and found many more infected cramped inside. She reckoned there must have been at least a hundred on this floor alone. It was so interesting to her. She even had half a mind to stay here and study them.

"Who knows. Let's just try and find Usain Bolter." Together, they both left the sleeping infected and went up a couple more floors until they reached the roof. Unfortunately, nothing else interesting happened.

With a sigh, Jason began making his way back down.

"Guess he's not here." Suddenly, he felt a small hand pat his back.

"Don't look so gloomy. I'm sure we'll find him. Alive, safe, and intact." Alice said with a smile.

Feeling rejuvenated, Jason led the way back down and into the alley again. However, after looking through all the nearby buildings, he didn't find even a hint of Usain Bolter. There was only one place left unchecked.

"Are you sure about this Jason? Didn't you guys say those Night Hunters went down here?" Hearing Alice's concerns made Jason think twice.

"I'm sure. But I want you to go back home." His words shocked Alice.

"What? Why?" 

"Because of how dangerous it is down there. I'm not even confident I can protect myself, let alone you."

Alice thought about it and realized he was right. But she was still going to follow him despite the danger.

"No. I'm coming with you."

"But-" Putting a finger to his lips, Alice shut him up.

"I'm coming with and that's final. I don't want to just sit at home and be full of worry waiting for you. Not again. And what if something happens and you need some help? Besides, I believe in you to protect me." Taking her finger off, she gave him a toothy smile.

"Fine. Just... stay close." With a sigh, Jason relented and led the way down. 

After climbing down the ladder, they set foot into the creepy, wet, and pitch black dark sewers. 

"Ugh, this place stinks." Jason quietly said. Since they were in unknown and dangerous territory, they decided to keep the noise to a minimum.

"I'm definitely going to be burning these clothes later." Alice looked down at the muck on the ground with a disgusted face.

Using the flashlights they picked a direction and headed down the tunnel, trying their best to keep silent. The constant echoing of the water dripping from pipes and lack of any other sound made the two of them feel a slight chill go down their spines. It was a spooky place for sure. Especially when considering there were actual monsters lurking down there.

Suddenly, they heard the pitter patter of some unknown horror coming from in front of them. Getting ready for a fight Jason shined the light further down the tunnel with Alice peeking from behind him, using him as a shield against danger.

Once the creature was closer, it's form was revealed to the duo who breathed a sigh of relief. It was a small little rat that was surprisingly healthy. The rat stared at them with it's beady eyes and walked past them nonchalantly with a piece of cheese in it's mouth.

"What a weird little guy." Jason said as he kept shining the light on the rat.

"I know right? Scared the shit out of me though." Alice said, patting her still beating heart.

"Me too. Let's keep going." With the rat gone, they kept moving fowards down the tunnel.

After a few more minutes of walking, Alice whispered out to Jason.

"So, why do you care about this Usain Bolter so much?" 

"I don't. I'm just interested in him is all. He seems so different from the other infected. Makes me want to capture and study him." 

"I felt the same way. About the hibernating ones we found." Jason chuckled a little before replying.

"Seems like we're a match made in Heaven." Alice smiled at that.

Surprisingly, for the next ten minutes, they found nothing until they came across a locked door. With Jason shoulder bashing it, the door broke open easily allowing them access inside. Immediately, they saw a decently sizable room full of all kinds of objects.

"What is this place?" Alice questioned with confusion as she looked at the various items. The way they were positioned was odd. Like someone meticulously placed them like that.

"Hm, don't know. Might have been some kind of storage room or something? But what's with all the junk lying around?" The random objects all over the dark room only raised more questions.

A few were clothing items like shirts and coats, others were silverware or jewelry, and there were even some weapons lying around. Jason picked up a bloody machete and waved it around a little with a childlike smile. Alice found his behavior adorable as she watched on from the side. But when he tried testing it's durability with his hands, it broke in half.

"Shit. That thing was so cool too." Alice patted and rubbed his back to soothe him when she saw his mood drop a bit.

"Dont worry, I'm sure you'll find something even better!" Alice walked away from Jason with a slight giggle as he grumbled and came closer to something shiny laying on top of a crate.

Picking it up, it seemed to be a rare and valuable coin from a bygone age. When she turned to tell Jason about it, thinking he'd be interested, her eyes happened to glimpse upon a figure standing in the shadows.

"AHH!" Alice jumped back in fright as Jason came rushing over to her side within just a split second.

"What is it?! Are you okay?!" At his questions, Alice nodded her head rapidly and pointed at the corner where the figure stood.

Shining their lights on the figure, it was revealed to be a mannequin with clothes on standing upright. As Alice breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly heard laughter coming from the bear beside her.

"Hahaha!" 

Slapping his chest playfully, she yelled out in mock anger with a smile.

"It's not funny!" Though she was also laughing along with him despite being in some pain.

'God that hurt! Why is his chest so hard?!' She thought while waving her hand as if cooling it off, and also eyed his chest suspiciously. It felt like she had slapped a hard rock.

Jason wiped a tear from his eye with a smile. When seeing her hand in pain, he took hold of it and began massaging it while replying to her.

"Sorry sorry. Anyway, I think we may have found Usain Bolter's home."

"What makes you say that." Alice, her hand still being massaged, brought them away from the mannequin as it creeped her out. That blank stare made her shiver in fear. It looked so life-like with the makeup and clothing on.

"There's no real evidence but, I just have a gut feeling about it. Clearly, this place is someone's home though. I'm just curious as to how they get in and how of this shit hole. Did they have a key for the door?" Jason began looking around for some kind of second entrance or a key, but failed to find one. However, he did find a beautiful emerald necklace that he then quickly hid away.

"Could it be this?" Alice waved her hand over and pointed at a very thin pipe leading somewhere unseen.

"Hm. Maybe. He would be just barely able to squeeze through there with his tiny frame." Stepping back outside the room, they found the other side of the pipe a few feet away on the ceiling.

"I suppose the mystery is solved. But he may have moved on. Let's get out of here and head home. I might come back later to check if he returned."

They made their way back to the manhole and climbed back up quickly after hearing some terrifying noises coming from down the tunnel. Making the short trip back, Jason stopped Alice just before the lobby doors.

"What is it?" She asked with a confused face.

"Um..." Jason had a hard time bringing up the subject as he didn't know how she would take it. After all, is was hardly something a normal person would be okay with.

"What's wrong?" Alice began to get nervous at his hesitation.

Deciding to just go for it, he spoke his mind.

"I want you to eat the infected. Like me." His words made her eyes widen in shock. For a few seconds, she didn't know how to respond and only did so after gathering her thoughts.

"Why... would you say that?" The thought of doing such an act made her feel slightly nauseous. But there was a part of her, that she refused to acknowledge, which saw it as a good thing.

"Because I want you to be strong. To be able to at the very least protect yourself and not rely on me." Alice did truly love what he was saying, how he wanted her to be strong and independent, but couldn't fully accept it just yet.

"How do you know that would even work? What if I turn into one of them?" Without hesitation, Jason replied and grabbed her hands with his own.

"It will work! I know it will! You are different from the others in the group. I can feel it. Trust in me." Jason's pleading face made her worries die down just a little. However, his words did sound batshit insane.

"I... don't know Jason. Give me time to think about this. Please?" Jason nodded his head.

"Okay. Take all the time you need." Pulling her into a hug, they stayed together for a bit longer before heading inside.

Truthfully, she wasn't fully against the idea. If it allowed her to become strong and help Jason, she'll probably agree to it. But something like this might be a life changing event, and shouldn't be rushed so haphazardly.

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Fifteen men were walking down the empty street with their weapons ready and eyes peeled for anything. Each man except for one carried some type of melee weapon, along with pistols holstered in their waist. This, was Bosco and Timothy's group currently nearing the docks by the water. 

"I'm still angry over those damned Nightmares! So fucking persistent!" Bosco fumed as he walked in the middle of the group. This was the safest place. Some would call him a coward, but he was a very important person to his boss. So why not sacrifice some useless cannon fodder?

Back to his complaining that annoyed everyone, he was referring to when they were attacked by the Night Hunters. Thankfully, they had large UV lights and were able to ward them off for most of the remaining night. But the bastards kept hounding them all along the way and forced them to hunker down in a building for ten minutes until the Sun came up.

They had lost five men, including one of the UV holders who got way too confident and was lured to his death. His was a terrifying scene to witness, watching him be outsmarted.

"It could've been a lot worse. Because of their sacrifice, we will be able to complete our mission and hopefully guarantee the survival of our group. May they rest in peace." The one speaking was at the front of the group taking lead and the only person carrying a gun instead of both.

This was Timothy. A decently tall man, being at 6ft 1in. His body type wasn't one that inspired strength and masculinity, it being very thin and having little to no muscle. With his blond hair, blue eyes, and pale white skin, he was sometimes jokingly referred to as the 'Perfect Man'. Especially when his incredibly handsome face was taken into consideration.

Nearly everyone adored him. With his only hater, being Bosco. As for the whale himself, he gritted his teeth at the pretentious bastard. He hated him down to his core. The reasoning behind it was because of how handsome he was and how women practically threw themselves at him.

He would even hear them gossiping about how good he was in bed and how big his dick was. It frustrated him deeply, and activated his deepest insecurities. Bosco had many plans for Maria to alleviate his frustrations. That would show her how much better he was than that 'Holier-than-thou' prick.

"Oh please! They were just idiots who died because they were weak and stupid! They meant nothing!" And of course, that didn't go over well with the rest of the group who looked at him in rage. But, Bosco was too hyper focused on Timothy to notice the fodder. Besides, they didn't matter anyway.

Just as he was about to continue 'making a fool' out of Timothy, the whole group began hearing loud stomping coming from up ahead in an alleyway. Motioning with his hand, Timothy brought the group to hide inside a nearby abandoned factory.

They waited in silence as the footsteps drew closer and closer. However, before the figure revealed himself, a couple normal infected came running out of the alleyway. It was as if they were running away from some terrible beast.

Exiting the alley and munching on an infected in his hand, was a giant Juggernaut at more than a foot larger then the one Jason rumbled and tumbled with.

After finishing his meal with two bites, he ran after the other infected with lightning speed. Every step he took cracked the asphalt road and made the spectators bodies shake. It was as if they were experiencing a bunch of mini earthquakes.

Only after the Juggernaut had left down the way they came, did they sigh in relief. As they left the factory and continued making their way to the docks, Bosco began complaining once more.

"Wasn't this way suppose to be safe?! What the fuck is that then?!" The unwilling victims subjected to his torture all groaned out in pain. They contemplated ripping their ears off to go deaf.

With a rare anger to his face, Timothy replied with an icy tone.

"The special infected are harder to predict. It was probably just passing by and started chasing the common infected to eat as food. We just got unlucky is all." But Bosco wasn't having it.

"It's those damn scout's faults! Can't even do their job properly! Bet it was a woman..." Although the last part was meant to be said to himself, a few other managed to hear it as they were in close proximity. Including Timothy, who started breathing exercises to calm himself down as the incel walrus kept going on and on.

He needed to keep his mind at an even level for the upcoming negotiations. Even though he knew it was extremely likely they would fall through. After all, he wasn't dumb. And he knew Michael wasn't dumb either.

He had sussed out his plan for getting rid of Bosco when he learned that he was coming along for the ride. After all, who would send this awful looking misogynistic idiot to help negotiate an alliance? Especially since they were already at a disadvantage due to their groups... reputation. Timothy had the idea that this might be a sort of test for Bosco and if he failed, he would be disposed of.

Still, he would try his best regardless. Who knows? Maybe the sentient retarded meatball will learn to watch his mouth during a serious and important meeting?

'Who am I kidding? This is going to be a disaster.' Timothy thought to himself as he chuckled lightly. He couldn't wait to see what Michael had planned for Bosco.

An hour later, they had arrived at their destination. Seeing it for the first time, since he wasn't part of the original group that came last time, Timothy was in slight awe. This would be a great place to hold out.

Over a hundred shipping containers were stacked on top of one another to form a great wall in a half-circle. The walls were stacked five containers high, had barbed wire along the top, and along with dozens of UV lights.

Behind the wall were a few wooden watchtowers that were built so they could see any threat coming. Timothy noticed some people inside the towers keeping an eye out. With a few that had already spotted them and were radioing in to someone.

Unfortunately, Timothy could not see inside the camp. But if he could he would see there were a few warehouses, dozens of tents both large and small, healthy livestock, and even a couple of gardens going that were growing crops.

However what Timothy and his group could see, was the giant cargo ship sitting pretty in the water behind the camp. 

'Why don't they use that to get out of the city? Does it not work?' Timothy thought as he patted his clothes to look more presentable, earning a mocking sneer from Bosco.

Within a few minutes, the only shipping container that was sticking out of the wall opened. Stepping out from within were around twenty five people, all outfitted with assault rifles and clearly had some form of training by how they walked. At the front of the group was a brown haired man.

He looked pretty normal. Average amount of muscles for a man, decently handsome face, 6ft tall, and eye color matching his hair. But there was just something about him that radiated leadership. Almost as if it was natural to follow him. Timothy had felt this familiar feeling once before.

'He's very similar to Michael in this respect. Natural charisma that pulls you in.'

Stopping a few feet away, the two groups looked at one another. The brown haired man already knew who they were, based on the skull tattoo on some of them.

The Reapers group was nervous seeing the disparity in weaponry and number, but didn't show it on their face. After some moments of silence, Timothy was the first to speak up with his hand extended.

"Hello there. My name is Timothy. I think you already know why we've come here today." The pleasant smile on his face and soothing voice made the Dock leader lower his guard slightly. He shook Timothy's hand with a courtesy smile and a nod.

"The name's Edward. And yes, I know why you are here. That 'Michael' character has sent you here to negotiate an alliance between us. For the second time now."

Timothy wasn't surprised and nodded his head.

"Yes, he wants us to band together and use our combined strength to survive these crazy times." Off to the side, a beautiful brown haired woman looked at Timothy.

'What a handsome man.' Although she thought that, she didn't have any ideas towards the man. It was just an appreciation for his beauty. She knew what kind of group they were and despised them, as did most members in the Docks.

"You'll have to forgive me if I say I'm a little hesitant with joining hands with your group. Some of us aren't exactly comfortable with it given your... deeds." Some of the Reapers were angry at hearing that. But Timothy completely understood where he was coming from and had no hard feelings.

"Michael understands that we are quite... rowdy. He has promised to change how things are. You have his word on that." 

Edward, seeing the looks of surprise on the other Reapers, was thinking there might be some truth to it. But still, he didn't trust them in the slightest.

"And if we refuse?" Timothy sighed at that.

"Then we shall take our leave and not bother you again." At his words, Edward was genuinely surprised.

"That's all? Just like that huh?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yes, that's all. If you reject us we will not retaliate in the slightest." After hearing him, Edward began to think about the offer a little more seriously. They seemed sincere enough and if they were to join together, their survivability would skyrocket. But still, could these barbarians truly change for the better? Doubtful.

Seeing this, Timothy decided this was the perfect moment to strike with his Ultimate Move.

"Let me tell you a secret. Something Michael has been planning and currently enacting as we speak." Timothy walked away from both groups so he was out of earshot and waved towards Edward.

The Dock members looked at their leader and whispered to him not to go, to not listen to this snake. But Edward was curious and went over regardless of their worries. Soon enough, they began speaking to each other as the two groups looked at each other in hostility.

Bosco was beyond bored. The whole time they were talking, he was in his own little world planning ways to have fun with his pet. He didn't even bother listening to the nonsense that was being said, since it didn't even matter anyway. But soon enough, he was broken out of his daydreams when Timothy and Edward walked away. He didn't care about those two losers. His sights were set on the beautiful woman in the other group.

She was much better than Marie. With that practically glowing pure white skin, untouched by man. Long and straight brown hair that went to the middle of her back. Tits and ass that were to die for. He has yet to see such a beautiful woman.

She was a perfect replacement toy for when Marie broke. He would snatch her up when this Edward cuck learnt his place. Which was beneath The Reaper's heel.

Emily, who was worryingly looking in the direction of her brother, sensed a foul gaze on her. She had felt this feeling far too many times before, and could recognize it in a heartbeat. Looking over to The Reapers, she saw a disgustingly ugly man looking at her with desire and lust. He was even salivating at the thought of ravaging her, which made a look of loathing appear on her face. This, 'thing', made her want to gag and throw up.

Seeing Emily's face, the other members in the Dock group looked over and saw the problem immediately. A few men stood in Bosco's sight line and interrupted his fantasies, enraging him deeply.

Fortunately, before any blood was shed, Timothy and Edward were returning with smiles to their faces. The talk had gone well. Very well in fact.

Edward was fully on board with Michael's plan. It would make traveling to the city far safer. However, when he returned he saw that trouble was brewing to a dangerous level.

"Emily? What's wrong?" Edward asked with concern. He loved his sister deeply.

After she spilled everything, Edward's face developed a frosty look. Perhaps, he was wrong to think these animals could change. They couldn't even hold it in for ten minutes. Before he could speak up, the pinkie-sized incel beat him.

"Fuck all this nonsense! Hey pal! You should know by now that you need our help to survive, as you're too incapable. Just bow your head like a good little bitch and everything will go wavy gravy. If not, well..." He trailed off at the end and lifted his shirt a little to show his pistol in his waist, along with his gut. Clearly, he was threatening them.

'Fucking moron!' Timothy smacked his forehead at the sheer idiocy this sub-human possessed. 

"Bosco! Enough!" He snapped at the inbred moron, but the damage was done. Ironically enough, saying his name did critical damage and cemented their lost.

Hearing the name, Edward looked down in thought before widening his eyes slightly. 

"Bosco huh?" Realizing what just happened, Timothy sighed in defeat. It seems like Edward had heard of his 'exploits' before.

"I think it's time for you to go. I'll uh, think about your offer and get back to you." At that, the gun holders in the group aimed at The Reapers. As did that ones in the towers, which were holding sniper rifles.

'Welp. It's over.' As soon as Timothy heard him say he'll think about it, he knew they had failed. He knew damn well Edward wouldn't think about it at all.

"I understand and I apologize. We'll be going now." Even Bosco wasn't dumb enough to antagonize them further when being aimed at with over a dozen weapons ready to fire.

On the road back home, Timothy sighed once more.

'So close to getting a deal together. I can't wait to see this whale's death.' He thought venomously. And he wasn't the only one. Every other member of the group stared at him, with not so pleasant ideas in mind. All they needed, was an excuse. Just one.