Meridian | The Second Life III [COMPLETED]

8 - Asynchronous

- Z A C H -

"Two O'Clock," I whisper to the two. We're crouched behind a car, watching a group of five Z's looking around in a nearby building. "What's the move?"

"It's almost sundown, dude," Rivian jokes, earning a chuckle from Evan and me. "Okay, but seriously. We need to be stealthy. We can't fire a shot, or we'll have all the Z's on us."

"Get your melees out," Evan commands, firing his crossbow at a nearby trash can. The Z's take quick notice, rushing towards the sound. Rivian looks over, clearly disgruntled. "Now!"

The three of us rush out, melee weapons drawn-Evan and me with our knives and Rivian with his machete. The Z's notice quickly, though we make it to them first. Rivian slices through the chest of one, sending it to the ground with a powerful kick. Evan and I both sink our knives into the skulls of the following two.

The final two charge Rivian. He slices through the first but misses the second. Punching it with his offhand, though, Rivian sends it straight into the blade of my knife. "That's it, then," I mutter, yanking my knife out of the Z.

"It's almost nighttime," Evan observes, looking around for any extra Z's. "Let's go inside, set up camp."

"We still have sunlight," Rivian counters. "An extra fifteen minutes could add up."

"Too much risk," I state, deflating some of his spirits in the process. "We'll leave at dawn, alright? We just can't be out in the dark. We'll get murdered."

"Fine," he responds, gripping the machete. "Let's get up a few floors."

The three of us rush to a nearby building. It looks like an unused warehouse, built entirely of brick. We open the door and run inside. Surprisingly, no Z's are here, not even a sound. Maybe we're safe. We rush to a staircase, speeding up onto the top floor.

"Empty," I smile. "Nice pick, guys!"

"Second that," Evan responds, pulling a flashlight out of the backpack and shining it around. Nothing's here; it must've been under construction before the collapse. I grab a wooden board, walking back towards the doors that lead to this floor. I set it into the handles, blocking the door and giving us an alert system should any Z's attack.

"Next time," I hear Rivian begin as I walk up the stairs. "Don't just shoot; discuss the plan with us first."

"I mean, it did work like a charm," Evan replies as I exit the stairs and sit down to rest my legs. We're all a bit agitated today. Typically, ten miles is doable as a walk in a day. Frequent Z activity, though, slowed our advance significantly. "You're right, though. My bad."

"It didn't, though," Rivian counters, and Evan rolls his eyes. "Three were on me. I was way too close to getting bit."

"Guys, we're a team," I point out as they both look at me. "Let's find Catey first. Then you two can fight it out."

"Hell of a team," Rivian mutters, and Evan laughs. "What teamwork can I expect from him? Murdering my sister's boyfriend?"

"Not this shit again," Evan sighs, staring right at Rivian. "How many times do I have to tell you I regret it? How long will you hate my guts?"

Rivian laughs, almost sadistic. "Probably forever."

"GUYS!" I yell, getting their attention again. "Not now. We can't be doing this on the mission."

"I have a right to worry," Rivian retorts loudly. "He's not here to save Catey. He's here to find the guys who tried to kill him."

Evan's eyes dart toward him. "Saving her has always been the objective, you dick. Nikita didn't do a good job; I'm not even that worried about that."

Rivian huffs, shifting his posture. "Sure. Blake sent you on the mission for the latter, murderer. I was in the room."

"Keep calling me that, and I'll kick your ass," Evan fires back, pounding the floor. "I saved everyone at the Battery, you piece of shit! If I hadn't fired that crossbow and let that horde out, all of your friends would be dead."

"Right, pretend you're a hero," Rivian laughs, his face red. "You. Are. A. Murderer. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Guys!" I exclaim. "Please, stop-"

"I'm atoning daily for what I did to Adam," a furious Evan replies. The reality begins to set in for me. I can't do this; I'm a shitty mediator. At least, not with this volatile of a situation.

"While you lie to yourself about that, remember," Rivian replies, breathing in. How the hell will I diffuse this-

"You're the reason JP is dead."

Holy shit. The room falls deafly silent; not even the wind outside is strong enough to break it. I watch as Evan's face turns from anger to... nothing. Rivian becomes confused. My mouth hangs open in sheer disgust.

I look right at Rivian. "You didn't even know him, you piece of shit-"

Evan hurls the backpack at Rivian, slamming it into his chest and stunning him. Evan is at his feet quickly, kicking Rivian's machete out of his hand and delivering a powerful punch to his gut. Rivian loses his breath as Evan slams his body into a concrete support beam, pinning him.

"Keep JP's name out of your whore mouth," Evan whispers in a sinister tone. It's barely audible and deeper in pitch than I'd ever heard from him before. "If I hear that again, I will break your fucking jaw. Do you understand?"

The gung-ho Rivian, who was getting enjoyment out of riling up Evan, now looks at him in fear. Evan overpowered him in mere seconds. He nods, eyes wide. Evan releases him, walking calmly towards the pack and fishing out some blankets.

"Let's get some sleep," Evan says, throwing each of us a blanket.