Element Z

Chapter 10: Those who remain

Zach slowly climbed the ladder to the second floor as Ethan and I looked around seeing food, water, sleeping bags, and more supplies. "It's clear, there is no one up stairs." Zach yelled out as we all let out a brief sigh of relief before Zach climbed back down. "We are safe for now then, but some of this stuff is fresh meaning they will come back soon." I sat down looking at a map that was sitting on a table. "We shouldn't take anything because chances are it will anger whoever is living here, and judging by the sleeping bags there is more than eight people who live here. What's that you got there, Jake?" It took a moment but then I realized. "It's a map of North Dakota, or the area at least. We're in Fargo, I think whoever lives here went to this market across town so they could get food and supplies. That's my speculation at least because there is a circle on it."

Setting the map down I walked around looking at the shelves before I noticed a crate on the ground covered with hay. "Hey guys I think I found something important." As Ethan and Zach came to my side I swept the hay off and slowly opened the crate, inside were at least 8 assault rifles. " I went to pick one up but Ethan grabbed my arm. "Did you forget what I just said? We shouldn't take anything." Zach smirked as he picked one up. "What, they going to hunt us among the infected? Normally I would agree with you Ethan out of safety of our group, but we can't keep fighting the infected with nothing but things we pick up off the ground. We should at least take one."

Ethan looked so worried at just the thought of touching stuff we found here, was he really scared of these people finding us? "Fine, but that is the ONLY thing we will take agreed?" Zach and I looked at each other nodding before looking back at Ethan, answering in unison. "Agreed." Ethan walked away as Zach looked for ammo. Closing the crate and putting the hay back gunshots could be heard in the distance. Jumping up to see Ethan and Zach both looking at me then at the entrance we slowly made our way to the door. "Do you think it's them or the military?" Zach asked as we peeked outside. "I'm not sure, but they aren't near the barn yet. Let's stay inside here for now, but we should leave soon." 

Retreating back inside Blake jumped out of Ethan's bag and ran to a corner of the barn barking. "Blake come back." Ethan chased as Zach and I looked through the food supply contemplating taking some. "Um...guys, you might want to check this out?" Zach and I thought but decided to leave the supplies as we went to see what Ethan and his dog had found. "Is that....oh God." Fighting the urge to barf I looked away as Zach got closer. "It looks like one of the guards from the walled sanctuary, whoever lives here might be on our side seeing as they killed the guard." Ethan closed the fridge "I'm not so sure about that Zach, they could just be out for blood. Either way I do not want to be here to find out."

"Speaking of that, where are we going to go from here? I don't want to ruin the mood seeing as we are lucky to have escaped death, but not only will we be on the run forever as the military searches for us but we don't really have a place to go. We're far from California, but nowhere in the country is safer than North Dakota. Which is a threat to us on it's own seeing as I ruined our chances of staying there." I sighed as I looked at Ethan and Zach. "Don't blame yourself, I wouldn't have wanted to stay there even if it was safe. The people there were okay with letting people die, so they were a threat to us at the end of the day even if you hadn't provoked them." Zach said with his reassuring smile, how did he find it in him to be uplifting in times like this?

Ethan sighed as he pulled out a paper from his pocket, the paper being the document he had stolen from the President when we were watching that video on how the infection works. "I was wondering when you might show us that." Ethan smiled softly as he unfolded it. "Even though it's not as shocking, the President has no plan on stopping the virus. With how it works the virus itself will deteriorate the users and eventually kill them off over two years. Meaning they just have to wait two years for the virus to die out. They're going to play the long game and let millions of people die, then once it's done they will reclaim power and possibly take over the world." I hit the ground feeling so much anger.

"You are telling me none of the people in his cabinet, not even his Vice President plan to stop him?" Ethan handed me the letter as he pet his dog. "Anyone who didn't get the virus was targeted by the President's  troops, he had the Governor of California along with many others targeted as they almost prevented the spread and virus as a whole." Zach picked up ammo and began to load his gun. "We should make a plan to kill the President." Ethan and I both looked at him shocked before I decided to weigh in. "While I want to take him down myself, with the security he has and us still having to deal with the troops he will send after us. I don't think that's possible."

Zach walked towards the entrance of the barn as he sighed and Ethan stood up. "It might be a possibility, but that possibility counts on us gaining the support and trust of whoever lives in this barn. As you both are aware, that is a huge risk we would have to take." Zach smiled looking back. "Then let's take it, we can take that bastard out." Ethan sighed. "Wait a second, if we take that risk it can play out a few ways. We will either be successful and take out the President but have the entire military against us, or we will fail and die. Before that can even happen though we would have to convince the people who live here to side with us, and they themselves might not even do that. It's possible they will try to kill us too." Zach's smile faded as he went back to guarding.

"So then Ethan, should we take the risk? I don't want you or Zach to die, so I feel opposed to the idea. But if we have a chance, we owe it to everyone we've watched die to take out the President." Ethan sat there thinking in silence before Zach ran to our side. "Get on the 2nd floor of the barn, people are approaching." Climbing up quickly, Ethan picked up his dog and handed him to me before climbing up. Shortly after Zach climbed up as well as we backed up against the wall and Zach got his gun ready. "How many were there?" I whispered as Zach looked at me worried. "There had to be about fifteen of them."

As they approached we sat there in uneasy silence, it was about five minutes before they walked in. For a group of fifteen people they sure were quiet, as I went to peek over the edge Ethan held me back. Looking back I could see the fear in his eyes, backing up slowly I saw the people standing there through the cracks and then one spoke up. "We know you are up there, if you're not an infected speak up. If you weren't sent by the military then we won't kill you, I promise. My name is Sarah, I am the Leader of this group." I hesitated for a second before speaking up. "My name's Jake, and I am here with two friends and a dog." Sarah chuckled as the people around her stood there in silence. "Come on down guys, we are all trying to survive just like you."