Meridian | The Second Life III [COMPLETED]

16 - Beauty of Annihilation

- B L A K E -

Holy fuck.

"Get the Defense Department!" I scream, running through the halls of the main building. "Engage lockdown!"

I've never seen a horde this size. It was a peaceful sunset on a cold night just a minute ago. Now, hundreds- no, thousands- of Z's had appeared, swiftly moving this way. They're coming from State Street, quickly attacking the southern wall. I see familiar faces inside scrambling to get weapons: Riko, Aniya, and Kemora.

I barge into my office, fishing a key from my pocket and unlocking the top right drawer. Pulling it open, I retrieve my MP5. We found it on a scavenging run from one of the SWAT barricades. I screw on the silencer and grab the black pack from the bottom of the drawer. That pack is filled with C4 charges.

"Lockdown is secured!" One defense member tells me, and I flash him a thumbs up. I run outside, followed by a slew of defense members. We look on in horror as the metal walls on the south end topple over, taking the night shift guards with them. Their guns go silent as a horrific mass of Z's barges through.

"No!" I scream, slamming the charging handle on my gun. "Open fire!"

A haphazard mix of bullets and arrows sails across the forested park. In the midst of firing, I notice a similar sound echoing from up north. Are they being attacked too? Ungodly amounts of rounds seem to take on this horde, though a dent is noticeably absent.

"Blowing charges!" I hear from Riko as he rushes to the front line. "Take cover!"

A massive explosion rings out from the gate. Fire envelops the Z's, sending the front line to the ground and detonating the entirety of the south wall. "You had an explosion rigged where people worked?" I scream, confused and pissed off.

"It works, doesn't it?" he counters. Then, we see more Z's sprinting through the entire wall line. They're advancing quickly. "Oh, fuck!"

"There's too many!" I scream in terror. "Fall back! Defend the house!" The defenders, now terrified along with me, break out in a sprint towards the main house. I get an idea, breaking off from the group and sprinting for the north gate.

"Blake, what are you doing?" Riko screams in confusion as chaos unfolds.

"Taking heat off you!" I reply, kicking open the gate. "Don't follow me!"

He doesn't get a chance to respond as I rush east, sounding my air horn. Through the destroyed wall line, I watch a massive group of the Z's pull off and charge my way. More are coming from State Street, too. How could this many be attacking at once? Something isn't quite right. This isn't good. I remember what Kjrsten told the department before her demise at Colt's hands: a ship can't sink without its captain.

"Come on, motherfuckers!" I scream, my voice cracking as the severity of the situation sets in. There's no way this could be anything but a planned attack. Controlling Z's, though, is impossible. Not in this large of a group, at least.

"It's a group of them," the man said. "Hundreds... stationary. In Harlem."

There's no time to think about that now, though. I run inside a building. The massive lobby features a contemporary reception desk, some lounge chairs, and importantly, a staircase. I set the C4 charges down, watching as an ungodly amount of Z's rush this way. Riko barges in behind me, and I nearly shoot him out of surprise.

"Riko?" I exclaim. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He screams, pointing at the C4. "I hope you have a damn good plan!"