Embrace The Madness: Cataclysm

20. Rectification

[day 184]

"Thanks for doing this" said Patrick to Ozzy.

"No problem mate, let's find him"

The pair knelt on a rooftop near the hospital. Patrick had a pair of binoculars, scanning the streets for any sign of Noah.
It had been a week since Seamus's death and Patrick felt like he had to make amends.

"All I'm saying is..." Ozzy wiped the sweat off his brow and sighed, "if... we don't find him... don't, like,  put yourself down about it."

Patrick didn't respond, he continued to scan the streets. He knew that, if Noah had died and resurrected, he would probably have joined the swarm.

"Ozzy..." he said, "that your real name?"

"Think so," Ozzy replied, "it's what everyone here calls me."

As they chatted about names, places and other meaningless things, Patrick halted his speech when he spotted something bizarre.
It wasn't Noah, he was sure, it's skin was darker and the clothes were completely different.
The way it walked was different also. It strode with a kind of sentience, like how a regular person would, a drunk person that is, it still staggered as it walked.
The creature was certainly dead, it's left arm had been torn off.

"You seeing this?" Patrick asked Ozzy, who was already staring at it, answering his question.

As Patrick returned the binoculars to his eyes, the creature had stopped walking. It bent down and picked up what appeared to be a book.
He didn't question why the book was there, though he speculated for what seemed like hours what had just happened.
As he put down the binoculars, he exchanged a look of astonishment with Ozzy, before he heard the crackling of his radio.

He braces himself for conversation, wondering who would be on the other line, maybe Rose, Frank perhaps.

"You're shit at sneaking about"

The all too familiar voice sent shivers down Patrick's spine, it was a voice he dreaded to hear.

"What do you want?" He clenched his fist, feeling his blood run cold.

"I just wanna talk." Patrick could tell the man was smiling, which angered him more.

He turned left and right, looking at every inch and angle that he could see, but he could not find his stalkers.

"Then talk"

"Oh no, I wanna see you in person, meet us at the bank on cheddar street, you know the one"

"Why? So you can kill more of us?"

"Now why would I wanna do that? What? Isn't there like five of you left? That'd be just plain cruelty"

He doesn't know, Patrick thought.

"...fine" he answered, "I'll be there."

He turned off the radio, almost letting it slip from his grasp.

"What's going on? Who was that?" Ozzy looked around the area like a frightened animal.

Patrick turned around.

"I need to see Charles."