Meridian | The Second Life III [COMPLETED]

21 - Broken Crown

- E V A N -

"2 o'clock," Zach comments, aiming down a sicko with his rifle. "Gonna knock him out."

"Wait," I say urgently, placing a hand on the top of the gun and pushing it down gently. "We don't know how many there are here."

"True," Zach says quietly, slinging the gun and bringing out his knife. "Inside voices."

He sneaks his way to the sicko as I ready my crossbow for the next infected victim. Zach delivers a slice to the back of their knees, collapsing them to the ground. The knife quickly finds its way into the head of the creature, ending them swiftly. Zach wipes the blade off on their ragged shirt before making his way back.

"This way," I whisper, rushing along a sidewalk and watching the Sanctuary come into view. The gates are... busted wide open, and the only sound I hear from within is the signature moans and yelps of sickos.

Fuck.

I feel my heart rate shoot through the roof. Everything suddenly hurt. Images of citizens being eaten flash through my mind. I feel a stinging pain on my leg where I pinch myself. Snapping back into it, I look at Zach and nod.

"How do we get inside?" Zach asks, hearing the same things as me.

"Carefully," I answer, sneaking forward. Zach follows suit as I lean around the toppled gate. Five infected lay in immediate view, sticking to the shade of the apartment buildings. "Follow me."

I crouch down, sneaking my way around the gate and into a nearby building through the side door. Our path is interrupted by two sickos, wandering aimlessly in this guard's post. I motion to Zach to take the right while I take the left.

Zach takes down the sicko with ease as my bolt sails into the other's skull. I rip out the bolt from the corpse, sliding it back into the weapon immediately for the next unfortunate creature. "We need to push to the main house," I tell him, readying my weapon.

"There's at least fifty infected out there," Zach sighs, ducking down behind the window. "Just that I can see."

"Then this is damn convenient," I smile, pulling the alarm clock device Eagle had given me out of my backpack. "Get ready to go."

"Ready," Zach smiles. I pull the pin, chucking the clock towards the center podium with all the strength I can muster. Halfway to the ground, it bursts alive, ringing obnoxiously till it crashes into the grass.

Sickos swarm it as the two of us sneak along the edge of the buildings. Thank you, Eagle. We make it to-

A sicko bursts out from an alleyway, crashing into Zach and sending them both on their asses. Zach yelps, sliding his knife clear through its throat and kicking it off of his body. We look at each other, frightened. Can't be too careful, I guess.

"Move," I state, continuing to rush towards the main building as the clock in the square eventually goes silent. I burst through the main doors, sweeping the room with my crossbow. Zach follows suit as I shoot a sicko in the hallway to our right. There's a safe room in here; maybe some citizens made it here.

"Guys, it's Evan," I whisper, knocking softly on the reinforced steel door. I hear rustling inside as Zach makes his way over. The door creaks open, and I look inside.

"Come in," a guard says as I survey the room. There had to be, like... twenty people here. Twenty people.

"What happened?" I ask as my heart thumps in my chest.

"There was a huge horde," the guard stammers, shutting the door behind us. "Thousands. We didn't stand a chance."

"Is this..." Zach stutters, looking around in shock. "Is this everyone?"

The guard swallows, nodding his head solemnly. "Yeah." I turn around to face Zach, both of us with varying levels of distress. Chuni is going to pay for this.

- Z A C H -

"Will these guys ever learn manners?" I grunt, ripping my blade out from yet another sicko's head. This place is swarmed with them, and we aren't even close to finished yet.

"One could dream," Evan responds walking up the central stairs. "We're not far now."

"I remember this room," I mutter, watching his back. "The Circle had a lot of gatherings here."

"That they did," Evan responds, making it to the top and sweeping the right hallway with his crossbow. "Straight ahead, bud."

"The hell's even up here?" I question, an annoyed tone attached to my voice. The survivors in the safe room did not like Evan's request to open the doors and let us find whatever we were looking for. He promised it would be worth everyone's while.

"This," Evan smiles, walking up to a locked door and finicking a padlock. He fidgets with it for what feels like forever before the door finally gives. "Come in."

I stride forward, stepping inside to see... holy fuck.

"I figure we should equal the playing field," Evan laughs as we stare at a gun room armed to the teeth. Guns, ammo, armor, water, canned goods. "Take what you need."

"It's beautiful," I smile, walking around the room gleefully. "This has been here the whole time?"

"It's our little, uh," he stutters, scratching his back. "Side project."

"Wouldn't this have been opened already?" I question, looking at him with a hint of confusion. "I mean there was a massive attack."

"I trust a few of the guards with the code to this room," Evan gulps, pulling a pistol off the wall and screwing on a suppressor. "Nothing seems to be missing."

"I see," I mumble, nodding my head.