"Nice to see you again my friend!"
“I didn’t expect you to be alive and kicking.”
“Why not? Don’t you miss me Eve?” Rose lashed her tail at my neck.
“No… Of course not! I mean, of course I miss you… What exactly did you ‘do’ back there?” I looked at her with sincere, disquiet eyes.
“Let’s just say that the military was not very pleased with Orient.” She smirked.
Well that could only mean she had help killing everypony there, such a surprise. We were trotting up to the makeshift shelters build on what was once a crowded beach.
“How did you manage to get a vehicle, took me quite a hard time to ‘get’ one back in Vanhoover.”
“Well there was three free jeeps just waiting to be taken, and I could only take one. So I stripped tires and parts from two and took one.” Such a selfish mare Rose, you should be ashamed of yourself.
“Were there any dead bodies lying around?” it struck me that she might have taken a jeep after Thunder and I had massacred the bandits back then.
“Yeah, pretty mutilated, only Thunder’s AMR would be able to shred somepony to pieces like that,” Rose poked me.” You left all that mess behind? Haha, that’s fine. Infected were attracted to the corpses though, I had to dodge them.”
“That’s an impressive rifle, I must say.”
“C’mon, to the armory, you might get yourself something better than the crap I left you.” Rose entwined her tail around my neck and pulled me along. There were vendors selling a variety of useful and not so useful gadgets, there were food vendors too but the large percent of the campments were for residences. We were walking towards a warehouse at the far end of the beach, across a road. That must be the armory, I assume.
The metal door creaked opened as Rose went inside, I followed. A brown earth-pony was behind a counter, cleaning a revolver.
“Access to armory.” Rose waved at him.
“Go right in.”
Rose pulled the sliding doors aside and went in to the main armory storage.
“Hey Sparkler, good to see you here.” Rose called out to a unicorn leaning on a workbench of some sort; her fur was light purple and she was dismantling a small pistol with her magic. She looked away from her work and gave us a little smile.
“Rose? It’s really been quite some time since I saw you, looks like you’ve bought a friend.” She said in a smooth and affectionate tone.
“Eve, this is Amethyst Star, just call her Sparkler,” I reached out a hoof and shook hers.” Sparkler, this is Eve.”
“Nice to meet you Eve.” She smiled at me in the most sweetest manner that has ever known to exist, I shuddered as my face went red. That smile really brightened me up immensely. I smiled back.
“Don’t be shy, choose whatever you like,” Roseluck poked my cheek.” We can always send the bill to Violet.”
Uh-huh. I looked at the table; there were sidearms of different designs and sizes laying on it. I had a hard time choosing, but I eventually picked a pistol with a stubbed-nose barrel.
“FN Five-seven, good choice. Clip size of twenty is pretty good for a standard sidearm. Instead of the parabellum cartridges most pistols use, the five point seven times twenty eight millimeter round makes the pistol more controllable, its velocity results in high penetration… blahblah.” Sparkler driveled. She’s the expert after all, I held up the pistol, it felt more comfortable in my hooves than the Colt, I must say.
“So… Do you like it?” Sparkler leaned on the table, staring at me in anticipation with her shining purple eyes, like a girl scout selling her first cookie. I looked at Roseluck, she was busy browsing the shelves.
“Yeah, I like it.” I nodded in approval.
“Send the bill to Violet.” Whoa, that response was quick; Roseluck came up to me with a hoof-holster.” You’ll need another of those. For the extra peashooter.” Peashooter? I put on my newly-acquired hardware.
"Alright, we'll leave you alone for now, I'll come see you again soon!" Rose waved to her friend, walking out of the armory doors.
“Bye! If there’s anything, I’ll let you know~” Sparkler waved goodbye at us as we left the armory. Such a cheerful pony, I wish I had her blithe.
“So now we find Violet, she's bound to have stuff for us.” Rose looked up to the sky, daylight now slowly fading as evening approached.
“I bet she wants us to blow stuff up again.” I spat.
“Blowing stuff up is fun.”
“Only a crazy redhead like you would love blowing shit up.” I gushed as Rose looked at me and puffed up her mane.
“Don’t lie to me, you love blowing… stuff up, do you?” Rose face was deadpan.
“Who doesn’t like blowing things up?” I repudiated myself.
---
“VIOLET!” Rose yelled.
“I was taking a nap you dumb bastard.” Violet fell off her seat, landing on a pile of papers and books.
“Yeah?” Rose leaned her whole body on Violet’s desk, relishing the sight of Violet trying to clumsily get up.
“Get off my desk, redhead.” Violet doesn’t seem too upset, she maintained an impassive face as she rummaged through a drawer.
“HERE!” She slammed a piece of paper on the desk, inches away from Rose’s face.
“Wagh-“ Roseluck was taken aback, falling backwards and almost landing on me. Violet sat back, a massive smile creeping on her face.
“Good one.” Rose sat up, rubbing her mane.
“Shall I wait for you two to finish making out? What are you bastards waiting for, c’mere!” Violet shook her hoof. Damn, she’s mental. I push Rose back on her hooves and we both sat down.
“This is the Institute of Medical Research of Manehatten,” Violet pushed us a photo and map.” one of the places where the pathogen is leaked on Day Zero. Orient forces have taken the area and I fear they are hiding something about the Lab, I want the both of you to infiltrate the Lab and recover any useful intel.”
The Lab building is to the North of Manehatten, I took a closer look to the map; it was marked with labeled perimeters showing restricted areas and quarantined zones.
“There will be infected, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, of course.” Oh Celestia no.
“You sure there will be ‘intel’? You think they wouldn’t have searched the whole place already?” Rose inquired.
“They are using the Lab for experiments and crap, they must have something hidden within.”
“How do you want us to do this?” I queried.
“You will go in under cover of night, which is tonight. No sleep for you bastards,” Violet smirked at us.” It’s best to stay undetected, that’s for sure. Other than that, there’s nothing else.”
“Oh wait,” Violet uttered in forthwith.” When you’re done, blow the place up.”
I rolled my eyes at Roseluck.
“I had a feeling... you’ll ask us to do something like that.” Rose seemed enthusiastic, redheads love blowing things up, i thought.
“Thunder will give you some equipment you’ll need, C4 and gas masks…” Violet stared at us," She'll meet you by the jeep."
Rose shot a look at me, as if waiting for me to say something. The room went silent for a moment.
“Get out of my room you bastards.” Violet finally broke the silence and with a click of a button, the metal door clacked open.
Roseluck took the map on the table and whispered to Violet,” considered it done.” She put much emphasis on ‘done’. At least she’s going with me, it’s been a while since we went on a job together.
As we went down the rickety stairs, Rose seemed to be occupied in her thoughts; she lowered her head and let out a contented sigh. Her eyes were half open and they had a rather sad look to them.
“You okay Rose?”
Rose jumped out of her cogitation and said in a deep soft voice,” I’m fine, I’m just a little tired.” I’m not buying it; I wish I knew what she was thinking about.
“You remember when I first met you Eve?” Roseluck said in a gentle voice.
“Yeah, you saved my life back there.” I recalled.
“You were the first pony I met that didn’t try to kill me.”
I was going to say you’re welcome, but I felt its best not to. I put a hoof around Rose,” Let’s do this, together.”
She nodded and punched me lightly against my shoulder. “You are a good friend Eve.” “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Nothing will happen to me, don’t be so melodramatic.”
“I’m seeeerrrriioosss.” Rose hugged me, rooting me on the spot. She rubbed her face on my back like a little filly hugging her teddy bear.
“What are you two doing?” Thunder Spark appeared in front of me, looking at us in a concerned yet amusing face.
“Oh hi,” Rose looked up, her face full of fur. “Let’s go.”
Thunder looked at me with a puzzled face and I shrugged, “Your stuff in the back of the jeep, good luck.”
“Right, we’ll be back before you know it.”
---
Rose set her hooves on the wheel, her eyes flaming with determination. Maybe it was a bad idea letting her drive, but I didn’t care. I sat down and looked at the hotel, which stood tall in the night.
Driving in the night was a different experience than driving during the day. Every dark corner may harbor infected and other deadly snags. The buildings went past us like shadows; the streets were dead silent and eerie. Overgrown foliage and moss wriggled in the cold wind, making me jumpy and nervous. I was relieved when we entered the expressway, away from the city area. The chilling breeze brushed against my coat as my mane swished to one side.
When the sun expires, the world envelopes in darkness. The sky is as beautiful as it is deadly, bright as your wildest dreams but dark as a nightmare. It can set you free, drunk on sky, or trap you in invisible barriers that confine and leave you heavy with desperation. Wispy clouds represent the merest strands of hope and the slimmest chance of survival.
But the sky is home. Once.
It felt relaxing, watching the dark sky filled with everlasting starlight whizz by, illuminating the dead wastelands and the vapid cities. I looked at Roseluck, she was a nice pony, a good friend, and she taught me how to survive. She never gave me up… She may look hard and tough, but she is just like me, just like all of us. I closed my eyes. For some time, I let the moment soak in, being alone and together at the same time, it felt surreal.
Rose looked at me, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight,” Eve?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Just… The night sky is really beautiful…” Rose held my hoof, keeping her other on the wheel.” You really remind me of my sister, I really… miss her…” Her eyes shining, tears forming around them. She let out a sigh, “Things will never change, I just…”
“I’m sorry… I lost many friends too, but we just keep finding things to fight for. We keep on surviving no matter what. Don’t give up Rose, I’ll always be there for you….” I tried not to cry, but it was difficult. My head was pounding, flashbacks of that day flared through my head, and I could not shut them out. The feeling of despair insidiously worked its way into my fibre.
Stop it. I could not take it…
“It’s been a long time anyway, let’s focus on the mission,” Roseluck wiped off her tears. I could tell she was still upset, despite trying her best not to.” Eve!”
I opened my eyes, I could feel the dampness on my cheek; I realized that I was sobbing. My chest felt heavy, “Huh?”
“I’m sorry I made you cry…”
“It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself…”
---
The rest of the trip up North was in silence. The ruined city of Manehatten rose as dark shadows beyond the horizon. As we slid quietly into the outskirts, I could feel a cold presence around me; something tells me that it could go wrong in a matter of seconds. Roseluck killed the headlights as we drove into a dark tunnel, it was pitch black. Vehicles littered the tunnel, making it impossible to traverse. The walls were cracked and dirt was spilling through. The roads were leveled, leaving huge chunks of basalt sticking up the earth.
“The Lab is close by, we’ll walk.” Rose got out of the jeep and went to the back, leaving me to face the dark shaft ahead. The only thing illuminating the darkness is the ATA around our hooves, although the dim light doesn’t really help much.
“Take these.” Rose handed me a gas mask and a small saddlebag that would fit nicely underneath my coat and holster. She walked ahead of me, raising a hoof to light up the path. My hooves felt something wet on the ground, the tunnel was half flooded and the water reeked of rust and other filthy smells.
Roseluck vaulted over a car that lay indistinctly in my vision, I could only just make out the blinking lights from Rose’s ATA. My eyes were having a hard time adjusting to the dark.
“For… Damn.” Rose sounded annoyed. ”Really?” I reckoned she tripped over a piece of debris or something. I followed her, looking back and forth occasionally, I’m really scared that a runner might jumpscare me and chew my face off. There was no light at the end of the tunnel as far as I could tell, I felt as if we’re walking an infinite loop.
“Watch your step, water’s pretty deep.” Yep, I could tell. The water’s almost reached my elbow; I quickly hopped on the hood of a car to avoid sinking further. I shone my light on the wall, blood and guts were spread all over. I dread to think what may have happened here, it looked fresh.
“There’s always a bus in a tunnel, for fuck’s sake.” Rose walked around the huge ‘wall’ that stood in our way; the bus was wedged between the two tunnel walls. How does that even happen?
I looked up to the roof of the bus,” We could climb that.” I said suggestively.
“PPfft.” Rose spat as she leapt off the ground, doing a little wall-jump as she climbed to the top. That was impressive. She reached out a hoof, signaling me to be quick. I jumped and pulled myself upwards, in a matter of seconds, we were on the other side. It was now evident that we are close to the end, I could just about make out the faint moonlight seeping through small apertures. Great. The exit has collapsed, filling it with broken concrete, dirt and metal scraps.
“Really?” Roseluck does not seem too pleased. I investigated the area, hoping to find an emergency shaft; there must be one in the tunnels.
“Eve, come help me with this.” Rose waved the light at me. I trotted over to her to what looked like an exit, I couldn’t make out the faded words that should say ‘Emergency escape route’ or something of the likes. A metal utility cabinet was blocking the doorway, looks like somepony tried to seal off their path. With a heave and shove, we moved the heavy cabinet out of the way.
I went in first, wary of my surroundings. My eyes were twitching and I was cold despite the fact that I was wearing a coat. The corridors were confined and made me a little claustrophobic. The walls were full of messages scribbled on them, cries for help and profanities, riddled with bloodied hoof-prints. The corners of the corridor were filled with spider webs and skeletons. The air was putrid, especially in a restricted passage with no ventilation whatsoever. There was a utility room to the left of the corridor with potentially toxic mists diffusing into the corridor.
“Eve, close that door, quick.” Rose pushed me. I cantered up and pulled the door, shutting it. Staying in the mist without a gas filter could be dangerous. I exhaled forcefully, just to make sure.
I reached a metal door which I assume to be the exit, since it was the only door at the end of the passage. The door was stained with blood and hardened guts, I pushed the handle down. It was jammed. I held the handle and barreled my shoulder against the door. That hurt quite a bit. The door was not locked as I could just barely open it, a pipe might be wedged between the handles.
“Hold on. Lemme try something.” I pushed the door as open as I could and focused my magic on the jam. With little effort, I pulled the pipe off the handle. And… I realized that I was still putting my weight on the door. I twisted aside instinctively as I fell side first on the concrete path.
“That’s really smart.” Rose said in a half-sarcastic tone as she carefully trod past my body. She pulled me back on my hooves, looking around. We were under an overpass, the streets of Upper Manehatten to our right. That’s where we’re headed.
“Whoa, shit. That building…” I stared at the collapsed office building lying horizontally in the middle of the road, miraculously, the foundations were completely intact, and the building was toppled on its side.
“That’s convenient, we should be able to get into the campus grounds through that building.” Rose pointed to the upper levels, which was dangling over the next street where the campus is.
“Runners, we have to move.” Rose caught sight of a few infected on the roads, searching for food. We hid behind a car, the overgrown moss tickling my hooves. I could hear gunshots in the distance, we had to be careful. Rose peeked out of her cover, her pistol levitating beside her.
“We may be able to sneak up on that one,” Rose pointed to the runner directly in our path.” We take them out fast and make a break for the building.” Alright, I’m following.
Rose quietly arched the car and snuck up on the infected pony, with a swift and clean swipe, she pulled out her machete and sliced its head off, blood spilling everywhere.
“Unload.” Rose hissed at me, trying to be quiet and loud at the same time.
BANG! BANG!
My new pistol was loud! And powerful was well, I took down one while Rose followed up on another.
“Run.”
I slid the gun back and galloped as fast as my legs could carry, the cold night breeze chilling my bone. There was a gaping hole on the side on the building, and we ran straight into what looked like a conference room. The wooden conference table was broken apart, electrical wires were dangling all over the place, broken glass and rubble littered on the floor. We took a moment to catch our breath; I took a moment to look around. It was very disorienting, the wall was the ‘floor’ and the ceiling was the ‘wall’. The door to the next room was on the ceiling, it was terribly disconcerting. Rose was looking up at the doorway, feeling very confused as well. She jumped and climbed up, pulling me up after her. We are standing on the wall, the width of the corridor presented as a hole. It was quite a drop and this place could fall apart if we’re not careful.
“You can jump this, right?” Rose reared up, preparing to leap. She bolted over the other side efficiently. It was my turn now; I gulped and look down at the dark abyss below. Screw it. I made a running jump and just about managed to grip on to the ledge; Rose grabbed my hooves and pulled me up.
“Shit, carefu-“The building shook a little, dust and rubble sliding off the crooked interior. Crap! A computer monitor slid off a cubicle and smashed itself on the wall, missing Roseluck by inches. She quickly pulled me up and jumped aside as the wall gave way and tumbled into the pit. That was too close. I took a deep breath and continued onwards. I could see the moonlight shining through the huge glass windows, kinda like a skylight, since the windows were on the ceiling. We traversed through the rest of the office and slowly made our way to the upper levels.
---
I looked down the corridor; it was about a ten meter high fall from where we are to the campus grounds.
“Do we drop down?” I asked Rose, still searching for some way down.
She looked at me if though I am stupid,” We can probably use the wires to rappel down.” Rose suggested. Fuckin’ genius, why hadn’t I thought of that? But it could go horribly wrong if it backfires. Rose pulled out and untangled a power cord, it was pretty long. She gave it a firm tug and slowly abseiled down the wall, landing in the soft grass below.
I tried to do the same, but I was fairly bad at it. Halfway down, I felt my hooves slipping. Shit! My hooves were burning from the friction, and I had to let go. I closed my eyes and prayed that Rose will catch me.
“I got you.” I felt gravity again as I opened my eyes, Rose was holding on to me. She looked deep into my eyes, I blinked. I let out a sigh of relief as I stood back on my hooves. I checked my equipment to see if I missed anything.
“No one saw us, we better move quickly.” Rose looked at the research center, across the campus ground. I thought this place would be heavily guarded, but there was nopony in sight, it was dead silent.
“We should move to the central area, get a better view of the place.” I carefully trod on the concrete ground; it was almost completely overrun by weeds and grass. A container sat in the middle of the aqueduct, rusted and torn apart from old age. Moving further, we caught sight of a dormitory of some sort. The route was blocked off by a barbed wire fence, some old crap including a fridge and washing machine were all jammed against the fence. The wall of the dorm was blown open by explosives, given the shape of the hole. We have to cut through, there was no other path. Shattered bricks and torn fabric were strewn all over the interior. The windows were gone and the broken fluorescent light hung from the ceiling. It looked like a computer lab, the room. Rose kicked a cracked tile aside and went through the open corridor.
The corridor was in a more messy state. Cardboard boxes and trays lay in every corner. The walls were bloodied and paintings fallen off, the windows were boarded up with moldy wood, threatening to come off with a single pull. There were broken chairs lying on the floor, another exit to the end of the corridor was blockaded with wooden panels and a huge wardrobe.
We turned right into the next section, a water cooler with the tank intact stood in a corner beside several small wooden tables. The liquid inside had turned brownish red and I dread to even think of what was inside. The next sector, which looked like the main entrance block, was closed off by a shutter gate. Faint moonlight was permeating into the room.
“I got this, cover me below.” Rose rolled up her coat sleeve and pulled the shutter upwards. I crouched low, gun pointing into the next room. It was clear, no sign of infected and bandits. Roseluck held the shutter open as I crawled through; she then slid through and plonked the gate down softly. The main lobby was in a decrepit form, mold covered the walls and grass was beginning to grow between the tiles. I looked up to the second floor, it was a balcony looking over the main lobby.
“Great, an electrical gate. Whoever built this is a genius.” Rose remarked as she tried to pull the entrance shutters up. I could see a control panel beside the gate; a red wire was connected to it, dangling off of the second floor window.
“Must be powered from the second floor. Stay here, I’ll go activate the gate.” I was about to walk upstairs when I heard a muffled gunshot from the second floor. I flinched and pulled out my pistol.
“Somepony’s upstairs, I’ll go with you.” Rose perked up her ears as she scurried up the main lobby stairs, I followed closely.
The balcony corridor was like a reading station, books were all over the floor. The sofas were torn and rotten leather was exposed. The cupboards in the corner were ransacked and dismantled. I turned down the corner; I could see the main lobby from the catwalk. The railings had fallen off and I had to watch my step, I trotted briskly to a main room keeping my head below the windows to what seemed like a staffroom. It was dark and I could not see past the next room. I could make out some rubble left by a collapsed ceiling in the corner.
I slowly went through the doorway. Looking frantically around the room, I could see a few computer monitors and pigeonholes/lockers to my immediately front. Huh? From the corner of my eye, a pony sprung out front my left and smacked me across the face with a gun. She was wearing a surgical mask and levitating a gleaming silver revolver. I fell back, almost knocking my face on a pile of metal boxes. Shit, I’m dead.
“Minuette? What in Celestia's name are you doing here?” Rose called out. The blue unicorn shot her a rather shocked look and I took my chance. I regained myself and kicked the pistol out of her hooves, it flew and cluttered on the wall on the far right. I swiftly pulled out my gun and pushed it against her neck.
“Whoa, shit. Roseluck?” The blue unicorn was startled. I was surprised when Rose pulled my gun down, signalling me to ease off. I lowered my gun.
“Easy Eve, I know her. I thought you were dead, Minty.” Rose looked happy to see her. Long lost friend maybe? Looks like it.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know… And no, I wasn’t dead.” Minuette backed up and looked at me in an embarrassed and apologetic face and pulled down her surgical mask, revealing herself. She went to the back of the room to retrieve her revolver.
“It’s okay, my name’s Eve.” I introduced. Rose was peering out of the window into an open yard.
“I’m Minuette, you can call me Minty, or Colgate.”
“What are you doing here anyway? In Orient territory.” Rose shot Minuette a queer look and looked back outside.
“I’m in search for information, if there’s any.” Minuette followed her.
"Alone?" Rose inquired.
"Yeah."
“Likewise, we are in search for information too. We can work together. Let’s power the generator and get to the Lab,” Rose walked up to the generator.” Where do you ‘live’? There must be an outpost of something you’re stayin’ in, or do you walk alone?” Rose cranked the generator a couple times, with a hiss and groan, it began rumbling.
“I’m staying in the Hoover Dam with a few friends, you should go there someday, it’s really beautiful. And I really appreciate your help.” Minuette slowly backed up. Actually I have thought of going to the Dam, I heard there's power and a proper community of survivors around the area.
“That’s quite far, do you have a car?”
“Yeah, a pick-up truck I fixed a few weeks back, but that’ll do fine.” We began trotting down the stairs to the gate, it was a surprise that no one heard us. I was told there will be heavy security. Not that I'm complaining...
“That shot you fired just now, were there infected?” I asked out of concern, punching the button in the panel.
“Yeah, they scared the shit outta me, but they are easy to take down.” Minuette floated up her revolver and slid a round into the chamber.
Roseluck ducked under the shutter and went outside, we were out into the dormitory blocks. The tract split into four routes, we were headed towards the left path, closer towards the research building. The brick ground was littered with dead leaves and weeds, a few trees have fallen and its wood rotting away. We went up the stairs; metal crates, trashcans and a fallen lightpole were obstructing part of the staircase. A rotting corpse was sitting in between the debris, dried blood staining on the bricks. We slowly crept up, wary of guards that might see us in the open area. The moon stared down on us intimidatingly. The gates leading into the college courtyard was blockaded by several roadblocks entangled with barbed wire.
“Really?” Roseluck looked up into the sky with an annoyed look, as though cursing it. “I really wish I could use the C4.” Said as she pulled a charge from her saddlebags, with a mischievous look on her face. I was going to stop her, knowing how crazy she could be.
Minuette pointed to a low wall beside the gates,” We can easily scale that, Rose.” Roseluck looked at the wall and back to Minuette. She made a face at her, sliding the charge back into bags. I climbed to the top, scoping out the main campus grounds. There was a huge fountain in the middle, surrounded by some brick brackets. Large quantities of dirt were spilled over the brick floor, grass and small flowers were growing on it. I saw some flashing lights coming from the campus building, they looked like flashlights. I dropped down and hid behind a fountain mounting bracket. Rose and Minuette saw the lights as well, hiding behind a divider to my right. I looked around for another way, the campus was large and it spilt into different unit blocks that surround the courtyard. There could be guards all over the windows and we would not be able to see them, we could be surrounded in an instant.
“Eve, to the right, there’s an underpass beside the main block.” Rose whispered. I glanced over, if we stayed in cover, we could avoid the lights. I was about to dash to the next cover when I heard yells and gunshots to the left block.
“The infected will keep them busy, this is our chance.” Rose vaulted over the divider and made a run for the underpass, we followed. Shortly, we were around the main building, the research lab stood tall and dark in front. We were in another dormitory block, which was more dilapidated than the previous. A huge chunk of the walls were blown off and the roof have caved in, leaving a huge mess of bricks and burnt rubble lying on the grass. There was another electrical gate blocking our path, hopefully the last. The area beyond it looked pretty clear.
The generator was intact but the power was cut, somehow we needed to get to the other side to plug in the wire to an electrical grid.
“We can’t climb this, there is barbed wire on the top of the gate,” Minuette pointed out. “We’d better be quick; the guards will surely come around here.”
I looked at the hole in the wall to our right,” I’ll go around and see what I can do.” I must be crazy, I thought to myself.
“There may be infected inside.” Rose warned her eyes full of disapproval.” We can go together.”
“We do not need three ponies to plug in the power; you two stay and power the generator when I’m done.”
“But I can go instead.” Rose held my hoof, reluctant to let me go.
I did a reverse grab and pulled her face close to mine,” I will be back, don’t worry.” I whispered in her face in the most sinister voice ever known that even I shuddered. Rose recoiled and let out a sigh.
“Be quick.”
I disappeared into the hole, it was misty in there and I don’t think it was the dust. I put on my gas mask and scanned the room, it would seem I am in a kitchen of some form, a vending machine stood in the corner, the glass panels were shattered and a disgusting liquid was oozing from it. There was a hole in the ceiling, leading to the second floor. I tried the door but it won’t budge, dust and mist flew everywhere as I pushed the door several times. I have to climb upwards. A toppled fridge was lying under the hole, alongside some cardboard boxes. I stepped on them and pushed myself upwards.
I could hear some groaning and cluttering coming from the next room, I kept low and listened carefully. I was in a small mess hall, I trod carefully over the pieces of broken dirt and wooden planks, not wanting to attract the infected. I went out into the corridor, poking my head from room to room. Not finding infected in them made me a little panicky, I was basically blind. Down the corridor, there was another hole in the middle of the floor. The doorway to the right was torn off completely, the door was punched off its hinges and it had fallen down into the first floor. There should be a way to the other side of the gate through the first floor, I slid down into the dark hole, my ATA was flashing every now and then, not able to penetrate through the thick mist. It was pitch-black and I could only rely on my eyes to make out the surroundings
I was in a small dorm room, the bunk bed was broken and the mattress was hanging from the supports. I checked the drawers for valuable items, I found a small knife and I took it for good measure. The groaning and growling was getting closer, I could hear infected in the corridor. I went through to the next room, still carefully listening for the infected. I could see one just stumbling through the doorway to my right. I hid behind an overturned desk and hoped that it can’t smell me. I got out my nightstick and waited for it to turn away from me, it turned down the doorway that I came in from and I went for it. I smashed the nightstick on its head, I heard a crack and I retracted. It was not happy, turning around; it bared its teeth and ran towards me. HAAH! Another swing right in the skull incapacitated it. That was close, I flicked the gore off my weapon and stuffed it back in the holster.
There should be a few left; I wanted to avoid them as much as I can. I went out into the corridor. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out the exit sign. GRAAH! Oh fuck, I should be paying attention to my back. I jumped around, pulling out the nightstick instinctively with my right hoof and swinging it across the infected’s face. Almost immediately, I grabbed my gun with my left hoof and fired a shot at its head. Fastest reaction I’d ever had, I must say. I made a dash down the corridor, knowing that I’ve attracted much attention. So much for being subtle.
I ran deeper into the dormitory; my plan is to stick along the side of the building, assuming that I could find a fire exit or something. The infected were hot on my heels, I had to shake them. I ran into a room to the left to what seems like a small library and hopped behind a desk, ready to face my adversaries. An infected ran through, I put two shots in its torso, a third hitting its dome.
I heard another runner in the corridor, it was not aware of my whereabouts. I waited for it to pass by me, it stumbled slowly across the corridor. I slowly snuck up behind it, levitating the knife I just acquired. When a clean slash and slice, I slit its throat and it slumped on the floor, dark red liquid oozing out of the wound. It lay lifeless on the ground. I walked past it, doesn’t seem like there were any more of those things. I looked out of the misty window; most of them were boarded up. Then I saw a sign dangling from the ceiling. The exit! I cantered quickly, I just want to leave this shithole behind. What I saw up front really, really terrified me. Hardened gore and body parts were stuck firm on all corners of the walls and ceiling. A long dead corpse lay beneath the mass of flesh; a large concentration of the toxic mist was being emitted. It must have been the body that had released all the gases, and it was definitely not the only nest in here.
The exit was right up ahead, I breathed a short sigh of relieve as I pushed the door. It was blocked. I peered through the hazy window and saw a heavy shelf backed up against it. I pushed the door with both my hooves until the gap was large enough for me to squeeze in, with a final shove I quickly inched myself inside and stepped beside the shelf as it fell back in place.
Looking around, I found myself in a storage room. There was a faded painting on the wall, a few cardboard boxes was stacked messily in the corner. There was a medical cabinet that have fallen off the wall, I opened it, two bandages and a shot of morphine. I put them in my bags and moved forward. A metal door separated me from the outside, I just hope that is was not locked or anything.
I pulled the handle and pushed the door, It opened, thank Celestia. I glanced around; and spotted the gate to the left. Did I really just circle around the entire dormitory? Looks like it. I ran quietly towards the gate, the area was as open as a field; I could very easily get spotted. I put my hooves against the gate, Rose and Minuette was sitting down on the soft grass.
I hissed at them.
“You okay? That took you long,” Rose got up and went towards the generator.” Alright, plug it in.” Was that a sex joke? That wasn’t very appropriate Eve, I reprimanded myself.
“I’m fine, there were a couple infected inside.” I took the wire and connected it to a panel on the right of the gate. Rose cranked up the generator and punched the button, with an exceptionally loud rumble and screech, the gate swung open. The whole block could hear us now, great, just fantastic.
The research laboratory was just ahead, I could see a few spotlights panning the entire area from the two guard towers. The entrance was fenced off and the way in through the front requires us to pass in between the towers. There were a few tents up front, surrounded by a wide array of barriers and sandbags. A few dysfunctional vehicles sat by the barriers, thick shrubbery and grass growing out underneath. We slid silently into a tent, avoiding the lights. The entrance was under heavy patrol, I could see at least five guards.
“No way we are going through the front door, there should be a path to the side.” Minuette pointed to the western wing of the building. I crawled out of the tent, taking cover behind a sandbag. I could see two more guard towers to the west, we had to slip past them somehow. I felt a tug on my coat as I turned around, Rose was signaling for us to move towards the west wing. I could see Minuette scouting up ahead, she jumped over a barrier and dove into some tall grass.
We were in the middle of a driveway, the tall grass keeping us hidden. The driveway leads to a loading bay, that’s one way into the building. The gates were held open by a dumpster and a lorry was parked to the side of the compound.
The cargo bay shutters were locked, I did try to open every one of them but it won’t open,” Look, there’s a way in.” Rose pointed to a hole in the windows on one of the floors. I looked at the lorry and then to the hole, isn’t that convenient.
Roseluck jumped and grabbed the edge of the lorry but was not able to get a firm grip on it; she shook her hoof and looked at me.
“Give me some leverage.” I knew what she meant. I positioned myself below the lorry; Rose took a few steps back and ran towards me. She took a jump off my back and propelled herself upwards, with a fairly loud clang, she landed on the top.
“Get up, quick.” She held out her hoof and pulled me up, followed by Minuette. I hopped up from the lorry roof to a small concrete roof panel, the hole in the window was within reach. The curtains was dancing in the wind and the room inside was dark, I wondered how are we going to find anything in such a big place.
I climbed inside, keeping myself close to the floor. I was in a lab room, metal tables were overturned, a few broken apparatus laid on the floor. The wooden boarded ceiling had come off and the concrete floor was cracked in many places, almost crumbling. Jagged pieces of glass were strewn everywhere, the window to the corridor were shattered and the blinds had come off, somehow. I went down into the room. I caught sight of a microscope sitting on a wooden table; cardboard boxes were stuffed under the cabinets. I took a look in the microscope, it was blurry but the adjustment knobs were stuck.
“You want to bring one of those back?” Rose said jokingly.
“Only if you are carrying that for me.” I shot her an intense look.
I stepped into the open doorway into storeroom. A metal cabinet filled with small boxes and books stood in the corner, some shelves hanging from the wall had come off. A shelved desk was back up against a window, there were a couple of clipboards on it. I took a quick glance of the few but one caught my attention, it was titled, ‘Ex71. Classified’. I took off the paper and stuffed it in my bag, I’ll take a look later. I rummaged through a few crates, finding nothing useful at all. Clink! What the hell? I looked back, finding Rose with a guilty look on her face.
“Whoops, that was a glass bottle.” Rose admitted. Of course it was a glass bottle. I sighed deeply, that really made me a little jumpy.
I opened the door on the right to the next room, there was a faint light being emitted from a desk lamp, sitting on a conference table. The light was shining on a whiteboard; there was a logo drawn on the board with a marker.
“Orient logo, that’s one way of knowing for sure,” Roseluck took out a C4 charge from her saddlebags.” Right there just for you bastards.” She stuck it right in the middle of the logo; I really liked Rose’s sense of humor, very dark indeed.
I looked around the room some more, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling were broken, the bulb hanging from the tube sockets. The floor was in good condition, the chairs were pushed neatly against the table, somepony had been here. The row of windows were boarded up with cardboard, a metal cabinet was backed up against it. I searched the drawers, nothing. I should have known.
Minuette was examining at a few trays and crates leaning on the right wall, with the windows looking out into the corridor. I was about to head out of the doorway when Rose whispered,” Get down, lights.” Pushing Minuette to the floor, she shot me a look and up on the C4 she set, flashing away cheerfully. I pulled the charge off the wall and stuck it on the floor under the conference table, hiding behind it at the same time. That could have gone horribly wrong if they saw the charge. I peeked up, a few ponies carrying sub-machine guns with flashlights attached to them were trotting into the room where we first entered the building. I went out into the corridor and turned to the opposite direction to the left, Rose and Minuette slowly followed. The corridor was littered with trays, boxes and chairs. Several colored markings on the floor indicate different section of the level, there was a yellow line, a red line and a blue. I have no idea where each of those end.
I went into door directly on the right, immediately upon opening the door; I heard voices coming from the first story. I dropped to the floor. We were pretty exposed. We were in a part overlooking the first floor; lights were shining all over the place. We stayed away from the railings, sticking close to the walls. The floors were scattered with loose concrete and glass and we had to tread carefully.
The next room to the right was empty, thank Celestia. It was a large room, a lift lobby. I tried the door marked with the blue line, it was blocked and it wasn’t worth it making a ruckus trying to barge it open.
The only way was up the stairs. A trolley cart filled with luggage and boxed blocked part of the staircase. Minuette rummaged through a crate while I took a look at another clipboard lying on the pile. It was a map, a pretty obscure one. Not worth our time trying to read that.
“Nothing useful.” Minuette let out a sigh and closed the crate.
“Stay close, up here.” Roseluck went up the stairs.
“C’mon, we’ll find something soon.” I patted Minuette on the back and proceeded upwards. We found ourselves in another lift lobby, at least this time we are on the third floor and that makes traversing the balcony area less dangerous. The door at the end was marked with a three. Meaning third floor, I guess. Gah, I was thinking too much. I went in into the corridor; the layout of the level is similar to the one on the second floor. There were just junk lying all over the floor, flipped tables and metal cabinets were strewn all over. The floor and walls were clean, no blood or anything filthy, that’s a surprise.
“That looks promising.” Rose pulled me to the right. There was a mobile light tower shining into the next room. Surgical curtains were set up all over the corridor and there were trolleys filled with surgical tools on one side. Wires were leading into the room through the surgical curtains. We went through the corridor and into the next room. There was a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner in the middle of the room, a few X-ray photos were on the desks to the side of the room.
“And one goes right inside the hole.” Rose slid into the ‘donut shaped’ machine and set a charge right in the core of the machine. I cracked up a little. I looked through the tiny window on the door, and cautiously opened it. Looks like we’re in a huge lab, there was another whiteboard to the far end of the room. Tables were flipped over and the room is just in an utter mess.
“Keep going.” I went into the next room, it was a storeroom. The lockers were ransacked and pulled apart, a few metal boxes sat below it. Just like the other storeroom, there was nothing useful on the desks or drawers.
The next room was half blocked by a small desk, I pushed. It moved a little. I held the handle and pushed the door with my body weight, with a loud creak, I managed to push it aside. Phew, I looked around. It was a small office, there were a couple of shelves lying on the floor, the desk was broken in two and the chair was crushed by a fallen cabinet. The blinds of the window were shut, making the air quite stale. Ventilation isn’t really the greatest here.
“Eve! DOOR!” Rose pushed me towards the door on the right.
BAM! BAM!
Shit, they know we’re here. I slammed my shoulders on the door, it won’t freaking open! I stood back and threw myself at the door. ARGH! I smashed right through it. The door splintered off its hinges as the ceiling collapsed behind me, I rolled to the side as the metal desk blocking the door initially toppled towards me. CRASH! The whole doorway was blocked by the crumbling debris.
“Eve! Go! We can hold them off, try to find a way around!” Rose yelled at me. I was a little rattled, but I knew I had to move. I let out a soft grunt as I got myself up and headed for the exit. I went out into the hallway.
“She’s got a gun!” I heard a rough voice call out. I dove behind a metal desk, bullets splintering against it. I pulled out my gun and fired two shots blindly into the fray. I leaned on the table, guns aimed down the hallway. My foe in hiding behind a wall, and something tells me there’s going to be quite a few coming shortly.
BAM! BAM!
I fired at a pony running down the corridor, both shots landed in his torso and he fell clumsily. The pony behind the wall got out of her cover and blew a few shots.
BAM!
The shot pierced through her body as she fell back behind the wall. I ran up and kicked her in the face; she was not getting up anytime soon. I searched her bags for ammunition; I took her gun and grabbed a few 45. ACP bullets. I slid them in my bag.
BAM!
A shot rang out as I leapt behind a pillar. I popped out of cover to find my target, holding the gun up; I looked around to find nopony at all.
BAM!
A shot tore through my right forearm, I could feel my head screaming in agony as I clutched my wound, falling behind my cover. I could hear the shooter trotting slowly towards me. I concentrated my magic on the gun as I blind fired into the open; I emptied the whole clip in a matter of seconds. I could hear the shooter yell in pain as he slumped to the floor. I was bleeding profusely and my hoof was getting numb, yet I knew I had to move, lest they surround me.
I crawled into a room, shutting the door behind me. I pulled out the bandages with my magic and wrapped it tight on the wound, the pain was terrible, it sent chills through my entire body as I tied it. I sat behind a cupboard, trying to control the throbbing. I heard a bang as a door in the hallway swung open, lights flashing frantically, searching for me.
I dragged myself off my hooves, I was aware that the trail of blood I've left behind would come and bite me if I don’t move. I prayed with all my being that the door isn’t locked; I stumbled on the door, pushing it open and tripping over myself. At least I wasn’t trapped.
“The next room! Take her out!” Oh was I glad I fell. A loud crack rang out as the windows shattered behind me; I kept low and clambered through the room. I swiftly reloaded my pistol. I fired a few shots into the previous room, using the blinding lights as indicators. I ran out into the corridor and clambered through a broken window into a small laboratory. They didn’t see me go through, I think.
I caught sight of a small voice recorder on the desk; I quickly grabbed it and stuffed it in my bag. The door burst open, oh crap. I threw myself out of the window into the corridor. Shots clapped the air as I desperately rolled through the hallway of death.
A round punched through my coat as a fiery pain seared through my side. That hurt a lot! I lurched and slid under a desk. I hid there for a long time and breathing was getting very painful as the wound began to bleed out. I trembled violently, trying to look for a way out, my body was going into shock and that was not good. With an agonizing grunt I pulled myself upwards, my ears were ringing and my vision was fading. The stairs, I had to get down. With every ounce of strength I had left, I inched myself towards the staircase and rolled down the steps. I closed my eyes as I impacted on the hard concrete ground, ready to accept my fate and just fade off…
“Eve! Stay with me!” A muffled voice rang through my head. Shots were fired, flashes of intense light glared through my vision as I tried my hardest to stay conscious. Rose pulled out the shot from my bag and stabbed me with the syringe. The twinge made me shudder as I got up on my legs flimsily; Minuette was firing back as Rose helped me down the stairs onto the first floor. My head was swimming tumultuously; the pain was beginning to burn off slightly. I’d lost quite some blood and I will collapse for good if I don’t do something about it.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a light shining through the cracks of a door to the right,” Rose… Move!” I pushed her aside weakly and fell on the floor, pulling out my gun; I aimed at the door as it swung open immediately.
BLOM! BLOM!
The shots from my gun were muffled as a pony fell into the room, dead.
“Eve! Get up! I won’t let you die. C’mon!” Roseluck pushed me back up, dragging me across the floor. Ignoring the pain from my side, I marched through the hallway, Rose let me lean on her back for support.
“Just… get the door.” I got off her back and focused on standing upright. Rose opened the door to a laboratory and checked inside. I felt my hind leg giving way as I propped myself against the door, staining it with blood.
“Go, we’re clear for now.” Minuette went in, watching the rear.
Rose pulled the window aside as she helped me along the room,” Can you scale the window?” She vaulted over and waited for me. I nodded.
Putting both fore-hooves on the panes, I stepped a hoof up; I felt a hot stinging on my side as I lost balance, falling over clumsily into the next room. I felt my vision blurring as I rolled over on my side. The door opened and a pony with a shotgun stepped through.
BLOM!
Roseluck put a bullet in his head as I struggled to stay up. Crimson red blood was soaking my coat and dripping on the floor as I shivered.
“Eve, please stay alive, I’ll get you out.” Rose pulled me up on my hooves.
“I’m fine…”
“No you’re not! C’mon!” She scouted up ahead. I leaned on the desk, using them to inch my way forward. Blood staining on the wooden surfaces. I walked out into the corridor, following Rose. There was a double door with an ‘Exit’ labeled on the top. My hind legs gave way suddenly and I lost poise, putting my already injured right hoof on a toppled vending machine. I groaned in agony as I got up, breathing erratically and painfully. Minuette hoisted me up, pushing me into a hall. I Could barely make out the exit at the end of the hall, we were close.
“Stairs… Rose…” I saw a couple ponies coming down the stairs with SMGs, I pulled out my gun and lifted it up painfully. I felt my vision twitching as I fell, hitting my chest on a metal cabinet. I collapsed on the floor; gunshots were beginning to sound like they were shot underwater. Darkness and red lines began transuding from the sides of my eyes as I felt my heart beating painfully and acutely.
I lost consciousness.