#s1m1

After I stopped messing with my phone, I turned my attention to the helicopter pilot's mouth to help me figure out what she was saying to me.

The headset she wore partially obscured her lips – not enough to make it completely impossible, but it was still a pain in my butt. I had turned toward her, and as I did, I finally realized she was speaking to someone at (presumably) our destination, not to me. Her lips formed what I later learned were the words “Mullins Military Base”, but I'd always had a hard time figuring out when others said L-words, so my mind stopped processing words at that point. (Lip reading is hard at the best of times, you try it after all the crap I've been dealing with!)

I turned my gaze to the view below. Lush greenery greeted me, seemingly at odds with the bones of the buildings dotted among them. Burned-out vehicles lined the roads, and I thought I occasionally spotted what the remains of humanity had morbidly dubbed “zoms”. I still expect to wake up laughing that I'd dreamed I'd lived in a zombie movie. Still waiting on that, honestly.

The pilot, whose uniform informed me her name was Barnaby, started speaking to me as if I knew what was going on. We were dropping supplies off to a group that called themselves Abel Township, but the military had lied about the amount, and I had a secret mission? Maybe my lip-reading was off, or I processed the information incorrectly, which wouldn't be the first time.

But ultimately, deciphering her speech didn't matter. The helicopter shook violently as Barnaby began speaking hurriedly to whom I assumed was the township, telling them that the helicopter had been fired upon. I felt the helicopter shudder throughout my body as the sound of a great boom registered in my good ear. Hell, I think I even heard it in my bad one, but everything happened so fast I couldn't be certain.

I registered the pilot telling the township that a rocket launcher hit us: then she unbuckled my safety belt; put my hand around a pull tab on a strap on my uniform; pushed me to open the door on my side; then pushed me out!

The ground rushed to greet me as I almost belatedly remembered the tab in my hand. I pulled it as hard as I could, then my entire body was jarred as my descent slowed exponentially. The wind was so loud, everything was white noise, and it felt like every nightmare before this was nothing.

My eyes were heavy and dry. My hand grasped at my face, making sure my glasses were still there. Wouldn't that be my luck? To survive this only to find myself unable to see where I'd landed!

Thankfully, they were still there, but I grabbed them in my fist, knowing that my meeting with the ground would likely knock them off. I quickly found myself banging into trees.

The noise from the crash agitated the surrounding dead. When I landed, the voice in my headset (I later learned his name was Sam Yao, I must've missed his introduction in my panic) encouraged me to head for a tower I could see in the distance. I could feel a SI belt around my hips and waist; the thoughts flashing into my head how long was I out and how did they know‽, but I violently shelved them, or I would collapse under the stress.

As I made it to the tower, Sam then directed me to a sawmill. He was right, I could see faded red signs that directed me to it. Thankfully, the way led me away from the cemetery of civilization, but there was still a fairly large amount of risen dead wanting to make my acquaintance.

I was almost halfway to the mill when another voice sounded through my headset. She said she was the township's medic. She and Sam started arguing with each other, and honestly, I had checked out of the conversation. I'd spotted more street signs and almost stopped moving in my shock.

I'm not in America. I'm not in America. I'M NOT IN AMERICA! Where the hell am I‽ Yes, everyone I'd heard since I'd awoken on that cot had an accent, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

I checked back into the conversation when I heard the medic mention a hospital. She wanted me to run into the Underworld itself to gather supplies, or they wouldn't allow entry to their group.

Did I want that? Ever since I was picked up by my country's military, everything had been muddled and confusing. Where was I? How'd I get here? How am I going to get home?

I changed direction and moved toward the hospital. I am in an unfamiliar place. If I want to get out of here alive, I'll need to learn more. I had a better chance of that if I cooperated. At least for now. Besides, I knew hospitals. Maybe I could find something useful.

As I made my way there, Sam seemed to chatter anxiously to me. “I’m gonna call you Runner Five”, he said. Apparently calling me by the call sign of his deceased sort-of girlfriend Alice is okay now in the zombie wasteland apocalypse… Am I making that into a bigger thing than it needs to be? I don't even know anymore.

Sam wanted me to find an “official-looking file” for “the Doc” (I guess I missed the part when she said she was a doctor). Lovely. That's not vague at all.

Ducking between two cars, I hedged my way silently past the parking lot and made my way through an open side door of the hospital that was wedged forever open by a body. The disconnect of how cheerily nonchalant the voices on the other end of the com do their damnedest to convince me to run headfirst into this mass open grave are sharp. I nudge the body to make sure it won't try to eat me if I stepped over it.

The inside of the hospital was even worse. I… I am not ready to describe it here. Except to say, that I will forever feel gratitude and sorrow to the person whose backpack I'd taken from their body to carry my supplies. May your memory be for a blessing.

I grabbed anything of use. It was clear that not many had braved the army of Hades outside. Or perhaps they'd joined the ranks if they had? I tried not to think about it.

On the third floor, I spotted a black binder with the words “Centers for Disease Control” on it. That looked pretty “official-looking” to me! I grabbed it and picked my way back the way I came. The less time spent there, the better.

Sam piped up once I'd left the cursed place of healing; and the medic (Dr. Meyers, I think her name was now that I'm thinking about it) talked down to me like I was an idiot who wouldn't know important if it bit me. That's fine, being underestimated can be used as an advantage. It's just infuriating.

The horde from the parking lot had followed me. I had tripped on my way back out of the side door, and they must have heard me? Meyers said I wasn't too far from Abel Township's gates, and they'd send people with guns to meet me, which, in hindsight, sounded like she threatened to murder me.

Maybe she was, and I am too traumatized to recognize it.

Sam broke me out of my thoughts as he started anxiously rambling about how the zoms were running and how they never run. Then lost his mind when he realized the one closest to catching up to me was the old Runner 5. You know, his “sort-of” crush (possibly?), Alice.

At that point, a smooth and sonorous voice interrupted Sam. He said he was Runner 7, head of runners. They were sending people to guide me in, I guess? By that point I wasn't paying much attention, “old Runner 5" was getting too close for comfort. My legs were burning and shaking, and I wanted to grab my back but knew it wouldn't help, so I kept my hands tight to my chest. I was certain there were crescent-shaped marks on my palms with how tight I had my fists clenched.

I could hear the groaning rattling through her voice box. She still had her headset on, so the sound amplified. I would've felt bad for Sam if I didn't have to worry about “old Runner 5" biting me.

I was ushered toward the gates by someone who may have been a guard, but I'm not sure. He had a rifle, so maybe. Though, potentially everyone has a gun here? I don't know. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, considering what is happening.

They shot my deceased pursuers, and I could hear an inconsolable Sam through the headset.

There were so many people waiting for me once the gates opened. I pushed the headset off of my head and around my shoulders. As the crowd surged around me, I saw their lips moving but could hear no sound. It was just a loud din of white noise.

The crowd parted reluctantly, and I got my first glimpse of the voice on the other side of the headset. Gorgeous… Just… I can't. Straight black hair flopped into the man's dark eyes as he brought his hand nervously to his neck. An orange hoodie was partially unzipped to show a black shirt underneath. He wore dark jeans with red Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes. He cracked a joke about meeting me in the flesh, and the both of us visibly winced at how bad it was. (It was a pretty bad dad joke.) I heard someone mention what the pilot called my secret mission, but didn't see who said it when I looked.

I was so relieved to just have the world—if not stop—just slow down, that I threw myself into Sam's arms to hug him. His arms hovered just above me before tentatively closing around me.

I drew back, then signed thank you in ASL as I quietly voiced it. Then realized like an idiot they probably don't use ASL here. If they knew sign language at all, it was probably BSL. And I don't know that. Oh well, I thought. Not much to be done for it. It is who I am, and I won't hide that anymore.

The Mullins pilot, an aging woman with streaks of white-gray in her hair, had been kind enough to give her passenger a throw-up bag.  It was a small comfort. 

“Abel Township’s just on the horizon- see it now?” The Pilot nodded her head towards the aformemtioned settlement. Even from the air it looked small; barely the size of a small community. Positioned atop a steep hill and surrounded by dense forests, strategically it was a good location. Not that Romeo looked for very long.  Looking out the window made bile burn the back of her throat, and she forced her gaze back down to her knees. “Not much more than a few fences to keep the zoms out. I don’t know how they live like that. Guess they won’t be living like that much longer.” The Pilot gave Romeo a knowing smile before  she clicked the radio on. “Jolly Alpha Five Niner from Mullins Military Base. We’re five miles out, approaching from the east, bringing med supplies, shelters, and a loan of one of our people. Abel Township- Jolly Alpha Five Niner, requesting permission to land.”

There was a crackle of static that sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Romeo. Her head ringing with that pre-sick nausea, she didn’t even focus on the anxious-sounding man who replied: 

“Got that... ah I-I mean roger that. You’re clear to... yeah. You can- you can come in.”

The Pilot sighed and shook her head. “Roger, Abel - heading down now.” She clicked the radio off and muttered, ““Hope they know what the’re doing, letting some kid manage the radio.” She glanced over at Romeo, and moved her microphone away from her mouth for good measure. “Level with me, Rome. You and me both know we haven’t got half of the usual supplies. We’ve lied to the Township!”

Romeo blinked blearily, trying to remember the finer points of her mission briefing. The official cover-up was that Mullin’s was running low on supplies. The hotter summer weather left a good portion of their Runners and Enforcers incapacitated from either dehydration or heat stroke. They would be giving Abel all they could afford to. Romeo had just been told to follow the script, keep her head down, and await further orders.   She was about to croak out a response before the Pilot cut her off. 

“I know, I know. The higher-ups probably didn’t tell you much more than ‘await briefing about Project Greenshoot’. Honestly, I don’t-”

She was cut off but the distant, echoing pops of semi-automatic gunfire from the ground. It would enough to snap Romeo out of her pre-sick misery and look out the window to try and figure out where the shots were coming from. She swallowed back the bile gathering in the back of her throat, and felt anxiety sink it’s claws deeply into her stomach.  Before either the Pilot or the Enforcer could question who was shooting, something exploded into the tail rotor. Heat prickled the back of Romeo’s neck.  Her ears popped, but the sounds of screeching metal and the thunderous boom of the explosion and the shriek of the alarm was no less deafening.  She was almost positive that the Pilot was desperately calling out a mayday, but her voice was swallowed up by everything else.

The world spun. 

Romeo slipped on a puddle of her own sick as she scrambled to get to the helicopter door, the centrifugal force trying to keep her pinned against her seat. 

The world spun.

The air pressure threatened to drag her screaming out into the air when she managed to pull the door open with trembling, sweaty fingers. 

The world spun. 

She could never understand the appeal of parachuting. The feeling of weightlessness as you tumbled, ass over teakettle, through the air at the mercy of wind and gravity. If she hadn’t already emptied the contents of her stomach, she probably would have gotten sick again. 

She pulled the cord to deploy her parachute, and the air was momentarily stolen from her lungs as she was sharply jerked upwards.  Where it not for the pure adrenaline running through her system, Romeo was positive she would have fainted right then and there. It remarkably tempting, to just close her eyes and let the whims of fate decide what came next, but she was far too stubborn to ever allow that. If she was going to die today, she would die as a fighter, not at a swooning damsel. 

The helicopter finally crashed in the forest. A muted boom and then a blossom of red-orange-golden fire and an ominous pillar of black smoke. The smell of burning gasoline, and metal, and electronic equipment stung at her eyes and burned the back of her throat. Romeo looked away from the crash, and hoped that the Pilot had, at least, been killed on impact so she wouldn’t have to experience the agony of being eaten alive from the undead who were, doubtlessly, congregating towards the noise and light. 

Her headset crackled to life, and the voice of Abel’s very unqualified radio operator came on, his voice quivering with anxiety. “Hey, hey! I, uh... this is Abel Township calling, over? If there’s anyone alive, if you’ve got your parachute open, this is Sam Yao, from Abel Township.” He paused, and it sounded like he groaned into his hands. “I’m just the- I’m just the radio operator, man, I’m not supposed to handle this stuff!”

“If not you, then who?” Romeo deadpanned, although she was unsure if he could even hear her.  The actual radio operator was probably  sick or dead, that was the only explanation as to why this studdering amateur was on the line. Whatever the case, hopefully he would get his act together and not get her killed. 

Romeo landed harshly, her knee slamming against the ground as she tucked into a roll. It felt like it would be nothing more than a bad bruise, thankfully. She didn’t have time to properly asses her injury before the guttural groans of the undead assaulted her ears. “You’ve come down in a hoarde of zombies. They’ve heard the noise, they’re coming! There are - thirty? No, forty - aw crap! Your only safe path is towards the tower. If there’s anyone alive there, just run. Run!”

Not being need to be told twice, Romeo ripped off her parachute and took off in the direction of the tower. She dearly wished that she had time to find something that could work as a weapon - she felt naked without one - but that wasn’t a luxury she could afford.  Undead shambled towards her, all in various states of decay and stinking to high heaven. The heat may have increased the rate of decomposition, but that didn’t mean they were any less dangerous.  

[setting: inside a helicopter in flight]

HELICOPTER PILOT: [to you] Abel Township's just on the horizon - see it now? Not much more than a few fences to keep the zoms out. I don't know how they live like that. Guess they won't be living like that much longer.

[over radio] Abel Township - Jolly Alpha Five Niner from Mullins Military Base. We're five miles out, approaching from the east, bringing med supplies, shelters, and loan of one of our people. Abel Township - Jolly Alpha Five Niner, requesting permission to land.

RADIO OPERATOR: [over radio] Got that... ah, I-I mean, roger that. You're clear to... yeah, you can - you can come on in.

HELICOPTER PILOT: [over radio] Roger, Abel - heading down now. [to you] Level with me. You and me both know we haven't got half of the usual supplies. We've lied to the township! ... Yeah, I know, you don't know anything. Someone at Abel is going to come up to you and say, "I'm here to brief you on Project Greenshoot", and then you'll find out what your mission really is. I just...

[distant shooting] What the...? Someone's shooting! That's not from the township... who the hell has a rocket launcher at this base? [a rocket launcher fires and strikes the helicopter] We've been hit! I've lost the tail rotor...  [over radio] Mayday, mayday, mayday, Jolly Alpha Five Niner going down, three miles east of Abel Township. Two souls on board.

RADIO OPERATOR: [over radio] This is Abel Township calling. Supply copter, can you hear us? You're coming down fast... can any of you hear us? Open your shoots! Jump, jump! [parachute deploys, helicopter crashes] 

Hey, hey! I, uh... this is Abel Township calling, over? If there's anyone alive, if you've got your parachute open, this is Sam Yao, from Abel Township. Aww, I'm just the... I'm just the radio operator, man, I'm not supposed to handle this stuff! 

[person in parachute lands] You've come down in a horde of zombies. They've heard the noise, they're coming! There are - thirty? No, forty - aw, crap! You're only safe path is towards the tower. If there's anyone alive there, just run. Run!

[zombies moan]

SAM YAO: Wow, there's... there's someone alive down there, running! Hey, can you hear me? ... No answer. But still, just look at 'em go! Heading for the tower, just like I said. Okay... running person. If you can hear me, well, you're doing great. The main group's behind you, and you're going to come out of this forest soon, but there's a... yeah, well, I-I can't think of a phrase that's not "small army of zombies". Sorry, don't do so well under massive pressure.

There's a... well, one of those, directly to the east of the trees. So, if you head more towards the old saw mill - you should be able to see it's massive red signs from where you are... man, look at that, they're changing direction! They can... You can hear me! [laughs] Okay, okay, we can keep you safe. It's cool, it's cool, we can bring you in. [a whisper in the background] No, we can't ask them that! They might be injured!

MAXINE MYERS: Well, all the more reason to ask them that! This is Doctor Myers, only medic here at Abel Township. Lord knows I'm sorry to ask you this, but your route will take you almost past the old hospital. We know there are medical kits still there from the first wave of infection - if you could pick up even one or two, that would help us.

SAM YAO: It's too dangerous! You know what happened to Runner Five!

MAXINE MYERS: The zoms have all followed the noise of the crash!

SAM YAO: But what about whoever fired that rocket launcher?

MAXINE MYERS: If someone wants to kill that runner, taking an unusual route will make it even harder, not easier! I don't want to be hard-headed, but everyone in this township earns their keep. You should be able to see the Robinson hospital now - one of the buildings, Gryphon Tower, it's the tallest in the abandoned city, and if you can't find anything... we might not be able to let you in when you get here.

SAM YAO: Okay, okay... Man, that's great, you're making good time. No broken legs, I guess. [laughs] Hey, uh, listen... I'm gonna call you Runner Five. Um, just 'cause... well, I don't know your name, and we just lost a runner, in that same hospital you're running through now. She was so fast, really funny, and clever. Me and her, we sort of... [sighs] She was amazing. But hey! You could be our new Runner Five! If you make it back alive... 

Yeah, um, the runners are pretty important to keeping us going here. Any fuel we have goes to working the generators, and the truth is, if you've got two legs and you can go above a slow shamble, you'll be able to stay out the zoms' way, am I right? ... 

Yeah, okay, your pace is good, but, um, maybe head through the ground floor of the hospital. There's a little swarm gathering in the parking lot I don't like the look of, and um... Yeah, yeah, that's good... You could even pick up anything interesting you pass. We think there might be some... well, we sent the old Runner Five there looking for some file the Doc's interested in, so uh, you know, if you find anything official-looking lying around, just bring it home.

SAM YAO: Hey, there you are! I've got you on camera now. Great to see you, even though you're kinda blurry. [laughs] Uh, what's that you're carrying? Look at this, Doc - Runner Five picked up something in the hospital.

MAXINE MYERS: Is that the Centers for Disease Control file?

SAM YAO: What's that?

MAXINE MYERS: Runner Five, I don't say this lightly - that box could be worth your life to protect. Don't drop it.

SAM YAO: What is it?

MAXINE MYERS: Oh, it might be nothing, it might be everything.

SAM YAO: So, a pretty narrow window of definition.

MAXINE MYERS: What's that shadow over there?

SAM YAO: Aw, aww, no! This was what - when we sent her out, this was what happened! They're following you, Runner Five - the swarm from the car park, they're following you! Now, run!

[zombies moan]

SAM YAO: They're so fast, why are they so fast? They never run, why are they running?? Runner Five? Runner Five, they're gaining on you!

MAXINE MYERS: Runner Five, you're not far from the gates now. If you can keep going, we'll send some people with guns out to meet you. Only one zombie is close to reaching you, just put on a burst of speed, now!

SAM YAO: Oh, God... it's her. I can see her... it's Alice, it's the old Runner Five. She's the one chasing you, she's... she's still wearing her headset! She's...

RUNNER SEVEN: [interrupts] Runner Five, it's Runner Seven here, head of runners. The doctor's told me you found something useful in the hospital. We're sending out a couple of people to bring you in. Just keep running, as fast as you can! Don't look back, she's right behind you... just run!

ABEL GUARD: This way, run!

SAM YAO: They're going to shoot her. I-I can't watch, I don't want to...

MAXINE MYERS: It's what she would have wanted Sam, you know it is. She wouldn't have wanted to live like this.

ABEL GUARD: Run, we've got her covered!

SAM YAO: Raise the gates... Raise the gates!

[gate siren; the mechanical sounds of the gates raising]

VARIOUS UNIDENTIFIED VOICES: Welcome! - The Major will want to see you when she gets back. - Hey, great to see a new face! - Did you bring any food? Any canned food, dried food? - Hey, you've picked up some med packs!

SAM YAO: Hey! Good to see you in the flesh... the totally-unbroken, skin-not-bitten-by-zombies flesh, right? Step back, step back everyone, don't crowd! Give Runner Five some space! Can't take in so many new faces right now.

UNIDENTIFIED VOICE: [whispers] That's who they've assigned for Project Greenshoot.