Bravo Six, Going Dark

ah, yes the unsolicited advice from an old fart. –just what she needed. NOT. but, what she did need was that while hankie he was offering her! she takes it, and wipes her snot all over it before blowing her nose right into it. 

‘ thanks old man. –are you homeless?          do you like need change for the bus or something?’

“That’s the impression I give now hmm?” He chuckles a bit. “Your word of thanks is more than enough.”

That’s the one. Saya’s gun is still raised like going to shoot but used as their lighting guide while the other was focused on taking down several undead in their front. There were many were down by bullets in their skulls but this isn’t over yet for both of them. The footsteps that was loud may also provoke the other undead from the other floors. She kept going with no hesitation.

As she reached the basement door while Price is on covering fire, she got the keys.

“I’ll do my best as i can.” The first key she first looked didn’t budge because it was a wrong one but she managed to found the basement key on the second try. Despite how dark the basement was, she opened the door and waiting for him to get in.

“DOOR’S OPENED! COME IN SO I CAN LOCK THIS!” Saya was aware on his situation but yes, in is a must for both of them so they can leave this abysmal place.

Eventually the time came for when the locked door was finally opened. With the girl calling for his attention he slowly walked backwards towards the door whilst firing his shotgun upon the horde. As soon as he took a step to the other side of the door, the captain’s hand reached for a grenade from his grenade belt, tossing it towards the horde before having the door shut.

A faint explosion was heard from the other side and a few moments later loud banging could be heard from the steel door. But the captain didn’t seem to be all too worried about it.

“The door will hold. Let’s see where we are right now.”

Looking back and taking a look at their surroundings it didn’t seem that they were in any danger just yet. Looks like they came out of that pinch just fine — for now at least. Inventory, his rifle no longer had rounds but it would be a waste if he threw it away and he only has at least five more shells to spare for the shotgun they found.

“I’m good. Now this is the part where its do or die. If you still have the shotgun or any effective weapon, now’s the chance to use it.” Judging on the numbers, they might be sticked together as the front path towards the main door might be jammed which is not safe due to numerous zombies from standing to crawling were close to it. Age range was around 8 to 50 years old which there might be child zombies, again. They had no time to count.

She checked on the handgun if its ready to use as the safety locks are off and ready to shoot.

“Once we reached the door, back me up and hand over the keys to me immediately.” This part was a race against time. Either they’re fast enough or slow enough to be a living buffet. She waits for his signal to follow him, stat.

“I’m ready when you are.” Breathing in and out inside her gas mask, she just wants to run first but she needs to be rational and coordinated.

“Go!”

The captain exclaimed as he would raise his rifle and begin shooting at the infected once again, though only shooting the ones that were closing in on them for quite a bit before looking back to the end of their path, the door.

It wouldn’t take them long enough to get there but they were on a race against time and so he doesn’t hesitate to give her the keys as he provided covering fire. Rifle in semi-auto, he took down the infected with one bullet at a time, gunning them down with headshots — reloading he would soon worry as his rifle’s rounds would soon diminish if they don’t get out of this pinch soon.

“Don’t want to hurry you but you might want to hurry up!”

The longer they remained as sitting ducks the more of the infected come down from the upper floors. Eventually his rifle’s rounds would soon be exhausted and has led him to use the shotgun he picked up from corpses not long ago. Loading the slugs, he took his time to shoot down the infected considering they were in a confined space.

“We need to rush ourselves to the first floor from the second!” Since they were heard, they had no other choice but to head immediately before the horde catches them up. Mask is still on and wiping the smog out of the lenses. Panic senses on Saya was increasing.

Light guided and there’s some in front of them that they only need is shove them without wasting too much ammunition. While rushing on to the last floor, they passed a boarded door that hands were sprouting out, the boards were overwhelmed and the dormant horde increases. She noticed the grenades carrying around Price.

“Throw one on the back-row!” If the second floor was alarmed, so is the first which is they need to fight their way to the basement if necessary. Here’s hoping that the door to the basement was steel than wood.

Rushing through the dark hall Price kept his head up as not to panic in this situation. Saya was on the verge of panicking so he needed to keep his head straight lest they die in this god forsaken death trap. Shoving off the infected that blocked their path they soon came to the last floor the boarded door would soon be overwhelmed by the horde of infected all of which were very eager to sink their teeth into the two survivor’s flesh.

With her suggestion of the grenades, Price wasted no precious time and picked at least two grenades from his belt, pulling the pins and rolling them beneath the horde. It didn’t take long enough for a loud boom to obliterate the horde behind the boarded door. Vaporized blood would stain the entire area near the boarded door.

With an explosion like that in close quarters their ears would start to ring but not long before they would return back to normal.

Tear gas was still intact but faint, but better put it on anyways. Far from the stairway leading to the second floor, a door was left open but it was too dark to see even with the light guiding on. Saya would not want to know what will they do to these zombies behind. But it’s not over yet.

They kept on moving but however, surprise came to them which were infected children were coming slowly to them. Not only them but one opened loosely on the right side and a male tenant, who had bitten to the back coming at the man.

“To your left!” She alarmed him with muffled sound from the mask but these kids are coming at her with no hesitation, carved their skulls with her crowbar while the gun was on the floor. Hits each infected child twice to ensure they won’t rise again after picking the gun.

She had the crowbar ready to assist him if there’s a perfect timing for her to use it.

(BGM) Infected children – while some would hesitate to kill them the captain surely didn’t. He had his suppressed rifle pointed at them as the infected children came stumbling towards them without hesitation. But before he could squeeze the trigger, he was alerted by the girl another infected, a grown man was going to get the jump on him if it weren’t for her. Imeddiately he would use the butt of his rifle to bash the infected tenant’s head in a single strike.

A bone crushing sound was heard as he landed the bash right on its skull killing the infected tenant immediately. All the while she took care of the infected children, more of the infected would soon sprout about as if they were just waiting for them to come. Pointing his rifle towards their heads, he would shoot them down with surgical precision, landing headshot after headshot with his weapon on semi-auto.

“Alright lass you better point the way out of here before we get overrun!”

Fourth floor. Gas was still intact which is why they can’t take these off just yet but here was a bit weaker than the floor above. This floor’s apartment doors were closed shut with moans of undead, stagnant smell of human corpses and tear gas is a lethal combo if unaware. Definitely bad for their health.

She looked around with the guiding light and yep, confirmed that all doors were not opened and locked even if there was a raid.

“This time, all doors were locked. We’re safe on heading to the third floor.” Muffled as how she sounds on the gas mask, this was a miraculous thing for both of them but it’s not over yet. There are few more floors to deal with.

“We should check that room nearby the stairs. It might be the landlord’s room where the keys towards the basement might be there.” Muffled soft sound aside, better get the keys than never. Behind that room lies two corpses. One officer who got shot on the back and an undead landlord without a head after blown up by a shotgun.

So far things were going well, the concentration of tear gas wasn’t as bad as the floor above them but nevertheless they weren’t out of harm’s way just yet. The deeper they went the more worried the captain became. There were a lot of infected just behind closed doors which raises the question on who put them there in the first place and to think an apartment would have underground rooms to begin with made the building itself seem a little off.

Heeding her suggestion, they would come to see what’s behind the door of the landlord’s room. Seemed like something transpired here way before they even got in here. The captain approaches the officer’s cadaver. Shot in the back, then turning his head to the headless landlord.

“Something isn’t right here.”

They got here so far without much problem, but the fact that all armed officers they’ve encountered were dead, the infected all locked behind closed doors and the apartment’s underground rooms didn’t make much sense. Yet.

But they didn’t have time to ponder whatever the hell was going on here, they can ponder about that if they have enough clues. That being said, the captain secures the keys after inspecting the headless landlord’s body and as well as picking up the loaded shotgun that lied on the floor.

“Few shells but it’ll come in handy.”, the captain remarked.

“T-Thanks.” She immediately put on the gas mask provided by the other as he chose to brace himself from the effects of tear gas. From what he had said before, there might be SWAT officers around the corridors. Encountering an armored undead is the one they should worry about. Once they’re out of this place, she’ll first find a place to clean herself out from the after-effects.

“Guess they might be here on lower floors.” As they made their move towards the gas-filled darkness, she noticed a corpse of a SWAT officer who failed to put on his mask, and a bite mark to the throat. Means one thing, there’s an infected on this floor on the loose. 

“Here.” Grabbed immediately, gave it to the man and took off the helmet of the bitten SWAT officer, she immediately crushed the head with her crowbar so he won’t turn. “Now we need to deal with that one before he or she follows us to the basement.” She’s still holding that crowbar if needed while lights on.

That certain zombie should be somewhere in this floor. she’s sure of it.

The coughing was becoming worse by the minute, although muffled the captain worries that even a nearby infected would hear his muffled coughing. The tear gas isn’t helping with his vision either, teary-eyed and slowly blurring even his breathing was becoming tighter. He wasn’t so sure how long he could keep this up. But alas, lady luck might be on their side since the captain’s hunch was right. There were SWAT units within the apartment since one was unfortunate to be bitten to death but that left the captain very unfortunate.

“God rest your soul son.”

He would simply say to the cadaver of the SWAT unit. Coughing a bit, he doesn’t hesitate to put on the gas mask. With it on he could breathe easily again although the coughing doesn’t stop yet. Tear gas effects are there to stay for a while after being exposed to it but at the very least his vision and breathing won’t be a problem.

Breathing in a breathable amount of air, the captain gets back up on his feet and proceeds to their objective, albeit weary with the situation they’re in. A SWAT unit was killed by the infected down here and surely enough whatever killed it could get the jump on them.

Same thing as the previous floor, undead echoing as usual. This time there were less corpses but some doors were opened but no sign of them or less. Probably at least two apartment rooms were left open while most were locked. Lights on the gun she carried and guided as usual.

The first abandoned room was checked which was nearby the stairs back to the seventh, she see nothing but an empty creepy altar. It has something related to a cult they never knew or something only for the tenants themselves.

“Better close this one off. Bit disturbing.” Gently closed the door and kept going afterwards while continuing to lead the way.

More moans aside, as they’re half-way close that she checked the rightside of an opened door, there were three coming at her way, slowly while the other one crawling and locked immediately. This marks them to scoot down to the fifth floor as soon as possible. The zombies’ identification might be an elderly woman, a middle aged man and a teenage girl in Saya’s age.

“Five more floors for us to go down with.” They made it to the fifth but something ‘cloudy’ came out to them due to no ventilation. 

“!” 

Saya tugged him immediately that there was tear gas filling in the fifth floor which explains the reduced coughing noise.

The further they ventured down into the abysmal darkness the more eerie the atmosphere became. The darkness, the infected and this closed isolation wasn’t helping yet the captain manages to stay composed. Opened apartment doors were always checked just in case they would have a run-in with the infected. Lighting the way, the captain slowly but surely moved along the hallways making sure that he dared not to step on anything that would cause a ruckus.

But their progression would soon come to a halt the moment that some sort of haze started appearing. Both of them were coughing lightly. It was tear gas, probably from one of the armed police officers– no it couldn’t just be a normal police officer.

There could be a SWAT team down here with them, but the captain expects that they were no longer reliable allies. But more of a dangerous kind of infected considering they’re riddled in body armor. Although if there are SWAT units down here it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Here take this.”

The captain said, coughing lightly from the tear gas’ haze. From his hands would be a gas mask. He’d feel better if she had it considering that she’s not used to this kind of stuff.

“Sure, i’ll do that.” She turns on the tactical light for their guidance due to this housing apartment might have been blacked out by nomads. Judging by the flooring of it, could be around seven stories with lots of doors.

There were faint sounds of infected but they’re from those rooms behind it, which was better not to bother them. There’s even corpses of police officers who responded were filled with bites but their foreheads had holes. Nothing worth keeping since most of their assault rifles were empty.

When they reached the stairway downwards to the sixth, Saya shrieked silently and bludgeoned the zombie that surprised her. It was a businesswoman with a bite on the shoulder.

“Six floors left to the basement.” Whispered to him that there’s more to head down and more surprises await.

Into the darkness of the apartments these two went, the stench of dead bodies immediately fills the tight atmosphere that surrounded them. To think that the chaos made by the infection could do this much death and anarchy in just a matter of a few days was beyond belief, but the captain wasn’t all that surprised. After all people are bound to become uncivilized if conditions were met.

As they venture deeper into the housing apartment the faint yet eerie guttural sounds of the infected echoed past the walls, separating them from imminent danger. The captain would keep his gun lowered as he followed close behind the young girl who led the path but he can help but feel weary. Especially seeing how well armed police officers that they just passed through were killed.

“Check your corners we might not be the only ones here.”

As they got to the staircase, he too was caught by surprise the moment the girl shrieked. Though luckily enough she was capable of dispatching the infected woman. The girl didn’t seem to sustain any injuries so he goes on ahead to flash the light from his weapon’s attachment to see what lies below the stairway. He could see the next few floors but what waits them below is shrouded by darkness.

“Stay close if that business woman almost got a jump on you then there’s bound to be more of them down there.”