UNDER EDITING 𝐺𝑅𝐴𝑉𝐸 𝐷𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑅 | 𝐴𝑃𝑂𝐶𝐴𝐿𝑌𝑃𝑆𝐸 ✔︎

Eavesdropping

(Noah's POV)

Jasper and I decided that it would be better to walk back to our base rather than run so we didn't draw any attention if there were any biters around. It would also give those two people more than enough time to leave before we got back.

I glance over at Jasper and smile a bit. I've never really seen him nervous before.

"Noah, it's probably gonna be a ten minute walk back or so... are you tired at all?" He asks while spinning his knife in his hand.

I shake my head. Truthfully, I was a bit exhausted, but I would never let him know that. He would try and make me rest against a tree or something.

"I'm good actually. The adrenaline rush has kept me awake." He nods at that and continues to spin his knife in his hands.

Crunch.

My eyes go wide. "Jasper? Was that you-"

"Shh." He takes a look around the trees. It was still dark, and the trees weren't helping by blocking the moonlight.

"Where do you think it-"

A sudden force pushes me against a tree. I look up and face a creature itself. A biter snapping its large jaws at me while I hold it back by the shoulders.

It stops almost instantly after. The biter drops dead and nearly bends itself in half from falling down. Jasper pulls the knife from its head.

"You okay?" He instantly asks. I nod and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and we continue walking. I guess that's for extra protection.

"That reminded me a bit of the shabby motel." Jasper says out of nowhere. I quirk up an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember? We first arrived there and we were clearing the place of any biters. You ended up getting pinned against the rotten drywall just like that." I nod in remembrance. "Oh right, I remember that. That was the same night that we both couldn't sleep so we snuck off."

"Some things never change, I guess." Jasper grins at me and I do the same back.

After awhile, we reach the spot where the couple had parked. No car in sight, thank god. And they didn't manage to take our vehicles either.

Jasper took a few more glances to make sure the coast was clear. After doing so, he lead me to the hatch quickly. Jasper squats down and manages to open it.

"After you." He says swiftly. I flush a little but do as he says anyway. We both make it inside and Jasper shuts it tightly from the inside once again.

"We weren't gone long, so it shouldn't be much after midnight. We just need to be really quiet when we open the door." He explains.

After a few minutes of climbing down, we reach the bottom. Jasper hops off the ladder and begins to open the door slowly. He peeks his head out of it, as if checking to make sure we weren't gonna get into trouble.

He waves me out of the door with his hand and I do as he says. Once I've stepped out, I'm grateful that nobody is here to punish us. Jasper steps out too and shuts the door slowly while I keep an eye out for anyone.

"Okay... let's head back." He whispers. We begin to walk but I hear the sound of two people talking. Without thinking, I shove Jasper behind a nearby trash can with me.

I decide to listen. "Our last three test subjects have failed to take the antidote with ease. All of them either died or have some type of disfunction. I'm afraid that we won't find one in time for Ms. Ashwell's daughter."

They're talking about Lexi.

No.

"But Ma'am... isn't there a chance to still get it working? We were pretty close with our antidote. You aren't deciding to just give up on the poor girl are you?"

A long pause.

"I'm afraid that if we keep trying, we'll work ourselves to death. Alexis Ashwell is one person.. it would be devastating.. but for the better."

My body moves forward a bit. I don't know if I was attempting to get up and scream at the scientists, but that's what it seemed like. Before I could do so, a hand covers my mouth tightly, while another arm holds be back by my torso.

I felt hot tears pooling onto my cheeks. I didn't bother fighting Jasper. I didn't have the energy to. He seems to hug me from behind, trying to comfort me.

"It's not for the better of the planet! For all we know, we are the last hope for finding an antidote! You could save our boss' daughter. You could save the entire planet."

"The entire planet is infected. How are we even sure that it can turn the dead to living?!"

"We don't know but that's why we must try!"

The voice echoed throughout the entry and exit hall. Silence is the only thing heard.

"Very well then. We'll try at it for a bit longer." One of the scientists says. She seemed frustrated but also willing.

They both seem to walk away, as their foot steps fade. Jasper releases his grip on me and I let out a breath of relief. "Thank God."

He stands up. "Let's head back to the pod. Hopefully Cooper and Lexi aren't waiting up."

I nod, still feeling a bit on edge about what the scientists were arguing about. "And Noah?" Jasper interrupts my thoughts. "Yeah?"

"They are gonna find an antidote. I promise." My mind instantly drifts from worry at those comforting words.

We walk back to our pod, thankfully not bumping into anyone. Jasper had given me his leather jacket to wear so I could hide the blood that the biter left on me when it pinned me. Just in case we did cross paths with anyone.

Once we arrived, we took turns changing into pajamas and then settled into our beds. "G'night Noah." "Night Jasper."

And with that, we drift off to sleep.

A/N- Bro these last few chapters have been really fun to write. Hopefully my writer's block doesn't come back or anything! Stay posted for the next chapter <3