Element Z

Chapter 15: Saviors of Humanity

Why did it have to come to this? Regret filled my head as I thought back to Ethan saving me from getting eaten time and time again while he charged towards his death, was this the right choice? Should we have just stayed on the run? Overwhelmed I could hear a voice calling out to me as Zach shook me and I came back to reality, the gray sky pouring rain down on us. Ethan's body lying there as he bled out, and the vehicles approaching as Zach shouted at me. "WE HAVE TO GO NOW, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Pulling me along as I snapped back into the fighting mindset, I yelled out as we sprinted past Ethan's body climbing onto the jet's wing. In the pilot seat of the jet sat the first guy Ethan managed to kill. Zach began unbuckling the body as the only remaining solider aimed his gun at Zach.

With no hesitation what so ever I drew my gun pulling the trigger getting that bastard right in the head, getting into the co-pilot seat and buckling my seatbelt Zach finally managed to get the body out and he tossed it onto the ground. Closing the aircraft canopy Zach was quick to accelerate and get us off the runway and into the air, as we made our way for Sanctuary an explosion happened behind us. Looking back the vehicles that arrived were blocked from entering the airfield. It had to be Ethan, I don't know how he managed but he went out with a bang. Now it was on us to make his sacrifice mean something. "Jake chances are we aren't going to survive this, so if there is anything you ever wanted to say then this is the time to say it."

Wiping my tears I looked forward at the back of Zach's seat trying to push that thought away. "Well the only regret I have is not confessing to you sooner." Zach chuckled as he reached into his pocket. "You remember the night I got the job and you celebrated with me, do you remember what you gave me as a gift?" I felt confused as I struggled to remember the night of Zach getting his job and then it settled in and my embarrassment filled my head as Zach showed me a rock. "You gave me this rock, that was at least a month ago right? Well I kept it because I considered it a good luck charm." My face grew a bright red as I looked down. "You kept that thing, it was just as a joke. Why did you keep it you dork?" Zach laughed as he put it back in his pocket. "It's because I liked you since then, it may just be a rock but it has a special place in my heart." I smiled softly looking back up in front of me. "Well when this is all over you still owe me something for me getting the job!"

Alarms blaring as red lights flashed, the President's troops got on top of the outer wall of Sanctuary they readied their guns as the CEO followed the President towards their helicopter. "What the hell is going on, is it infected? I thought we were safe here?" The President turned to him as it started to hit him that his karma was catching up to him. "Normally we are, they can keep them at bay but our airfield outside of this base was subject of a raid. Apparently someone hijacked a jet and it's on it's way here, someone is after us." The CEO's eyes widened as he pieced it together quickly. "It's that one guy, the one who survived the infected when you tossed the three outside. He had experience in flying and apparently from what the one with glasses said, he managed to fly a plane. Not only did they survive but they're coming for revenge, damn it. Where are we going now?"

Laughing like the evil maniac he was he smiled as guards ran to the President's side. "Mr. President, your helicopter is ready we need to get you out of here." The CEO slowly realized that he just like everyone else was played for a fool, any chance he got the President would sacrifice others so he could get away. "No, you can't do this to me. YOU CAN'T FUCKING DO THIS, I STARTED THIS OUTBREAK FOR YOU. I SACARFICED THE WORLD TO HELP YOU GET YOUR NEW THRONE, YOU EVIL BASTARD!" As he walked away with his guards the President looked back at him with his evil smile. "We are both evil bastards, you were just a fool." The CEO ran towards the exit of the building as the President got on his helicopter and it began to take off. "Mr. President, the jet has entered our fly zone."

Zooming through the air like a bird but at such high speeds we finally saw it as we passed a town, there stood Sanctuary. "Holy shit, Jake look down there." As we approached it there was a full on fire fight, the biggest horde of infected I had seen was surrounding the entire walled city so much that the hundreds of soldiers were barely making a dent as they emptied their bullets into the creatures. "Ah shit, Zach the President is escaping!" I shouted as we both saw the Helicopter fleeing the scene, and then it happened. Zach laughed shouting as he fired a missile. "DID YOU SERIOUSLY THINK WE WOULD LET YOU GET AWAY? I DON'T THINK SO, YOU MADE THIS WORLD A LIVING HELL AND NOW YOU WILL DIE FOR IT." It felt so surreal as the missile collided with the helicopter, and it burst into a fireball falling to the ground.

During Zach's cheering there I saw him, standing in the middle of Sanctuary, it looked like he was waving us down. "ZACH THE CEO IS DOWN THERE!" Zach glanced as he grinned circling around and shooting a missile into the side of Sanctuary, blowing a hole wide open. The CEO's focus shifted from us to the hole as hundreds of infected breached Sanctuary, and at that moment the defense fell. As countless soldiers were getting devoured the CEO realized it was over for him, attempting to run numerous infected tackled him as they began devouring him. Screaming in agony the CEO finally met his end, dying to the outbreak he started and then the moment we were waiting for came. A sole fighter jet approached and shot their missile at us. Pulling back doing a loop Zach managed to evade it as he maneuvered around the jet attempting to flee the area.

Tears rolled down my face as the clouds began to clear and the sun started shining again. "We did it, Zach. We saved humanity, we made all their sacrifices mean something. Sarah and Ethan didn't die for nothing, and I couldn't of asked for a better partner to save the world with than you. Thank you." At that moment the jet managed to hit us with the other missile it had left, as our jet caught on fire and we started falling towards the ground and Zach turned to me. "You were the reason I got a job, you were my reason to keep fighting, it's because of you we were able to do this Jake. You are the reason we saved the world, but I meant it when I said you weren't allowed to die and I still owe you a present for getting your job." In a split second right before our jet collided with the ground, the fire beginning to surround us Zach hit the eject button as the jet opened shooting us into the air, and deploying the parachute.

Two years later upon returning to California we had noticed that all infected towards the horizon were on the ground dead. Element Z had finally deteriorated completely and we were finally home, as we returned home it felt like just yesterday I went to work to show those interns around. Zach hugged me tightly as Blake who was all grown up barked happily beside us. "We did it Jake, we survived the end of the world. We're safe now." With a smile so wide I leaned in and kissed him. As the movie ended and the credits started showing, the audience cheered. I mean I thought we did good, but I never cheer for movies. Guess the audience really liked it, as we left the movie theater the first thing we ran into was fans.

The funniest part about working on this movie was that Zach and I were advised not to fall in love seeing as it would affect our acting careers they said, but I couldn't help myself. Even if it was just a movie I felt connected with him after that and we became a thing, after we signed posters and took pictures we were walking down a sidewalk. Ethan finally caught up to us but at that moment someone from an alley spoke up. "You three, come here." Walking towards the alley Zach stepped in front of me to shield me from whoever was there, and Ethan looked ready to fight. "I come in peace." Said the man as he stepped forward, and I couldn't tell you why but for some reason he felt familiar. His hair was so pink, I swear I had seen it before. "My name is Jack, and I need you to help me with a mission."

                                                                                              The End

Thank you so much for reading, be on the lookout for my other books once I torture myself by spending hours to rewrite and finish them. I promise this cliffhanger will be continued somewhere in the future ;)