Godead

IV

Misty nodded off along the way, resting her head on Claude's shoulder. Blair smiled, eyeing the rear view mirror. "She seems to like you. Is she your sister?" Blair asked softly.

"No. We met only recently. I barely managed to save her from a mob of those weirdos," Claude replied quietly.

"Wow. Well done."

"It was just luck. In truth, we barely escaped with our lives. I don't know what's wrong with these people, but whatever it is, it's making them very dangerous."

"Tell me about it. My partner Nelson was killed by one of those damned things. I'm just a rookie, but Nelson was a veteran with over twenty years experience on the force. But even so, those creatures tore him apart in seconds. It's not fair... it should have been me who was killed," Blair said somberly. Claude frowned.

"Don't say that, Blair. If that had happened, you never would've saved Misty or myself. And besides, I definitely wouldn't want you to die," Claude replied. Blair briefly paused, looking to Claude in the rear view mirror. She then turned back to the road, blushing as she continued toward the station.

The trio soon arrived at the empty lot, looking around before leaving their vehicle. Misty rubbed her sleepy eyes, keeping close to Claude as the three approached the building. They surveyed the outside, finding the station in bad shape. Windows were broken, blood and bullet casings covering the ground near the entrance.

The three stepped inside, looking around the wrecked lobby. The stench of death filled the air, fluorescent lights flickering on and off above them. As they searched the place over, they paused, noticing a dead officer lying on the ground. Blair froze, frowning as Claude shielded Misty's eyes from the corpse. Blair knelt down, slowly turning the body over.

"...Officer Bradshaw. He was a good man," she said. She reached down, taking his pistol and checking it for ammo. "Good. Almost a full clip. I was completely out of bullets before," she said.

"This place looks deserted. Think there're any survivors left?" Claude asked.

"Let's hope so," Blair replied. She readied her gun, warily looking around the dark precinct. "...Hello?" she called, getting no response. The three continued on, warily passing the lobby before entering a hall. As Blair neared a wooden door, a zombie suddenly leapt out of nowhere. It snarled, bumping her arm and pointing her gun away.

"Blair!" Claude exclaimed, Misty shrieking as Blair struggled with the creature.

Claude rushed forward, drawing his heavy metal pipe. He raised it up high, slamming it down hard against the zombie's head. Its skull cracked open, body falling abruptly to the floor. Blair stood motionless, trembling as she stared at the corpse. As Misty sobbed with fright, Claude stepped forward, putting a hand on Blair's shoulder.

"...Blair. You okay?" he asked. Blair gave a pause, composing herself as she managed a nod.

"Y—Yeah. I think so. I'm sorry, Claude... I'm such a lousy cop," she said.

"No you're not!" Misty said.

"Yeah. Don't say that, Blair. It just blindsided you. It could happen to anyone," Claude replied. Blair weakly frowned, the three continuing their way through the station.

They moved through the halls, stepping over chunks of wood and debris. Broken glass filled the halls, crunching beneath their feet. As the three turned a corner, they froze, suddenly clamping their noses shut. They noticed the conference room, stacked high with bodies and buzzing flies. As they entered through the door, a heavyset zombie moaned from a dark corner. Blair gritted her teeth, raising her pistol with rage. She was still pissed off from the last encounter, and wasn't about to let another one get the jump on her. She carefully took aim, lighting up the room with a single shot. It struck the zombie in the head, its large frame dropping with a thud. Blair looked on at it, suddenly putting a hand over her mouth.

"...What?!" she said in shock. "...No!"

"What's wrong?" Claude asked.

"That... that's Weber! I just killed Chief Weber...!" Blair said in disbelief.

"It's alright, Blair. You had no choice. He was already a zombie," Claude said.

Just then, Blair and Misty turned to him. "A... zombie?"

"Yeah. You've seen them before, right? Like in the movies? Wandering, mindless people feasting on the flesh of the living?" he replied.

"Oh, yeah! Like in 'Night of the Living Dead'! I love that film!" Misty added gingerly.

"Claude... Misty... this isn't a movie," Blair said.

"I know, but... what else would you call them? All things considered, I'd say it's a pretty accurate description," Claude concluded.

"Well it's obvious there's no one left alive here," Blair said.

"Yeah. What do we do now?" Claude asked.

"I don't know. I thought we might find survivors, but... if even the police station's been ransacked, I doubt there's much hope for the rest of the city," Blair replied.

The three soon returned to the lobby, taking a seat on a bench near the front. As they sat down, Misty rested her head on Claude's arm. She yawned, curling up next to his wrist as she dozed off. "...Poor child. She must be exhausted from all this," Blair said softly.

"Yeah. She's a tough kid, though. She hasn't even cried. Just a few sobs here and there," Claude replied quietly. Just then, his stomach growled, Claude blushing in embarrassment as Blair smirked.

"You hungry?" she asked.

"...Well... kind of," he replied.

"There's a vending machine over there. I can't say it's good food, but it's something, at least."

"Yeah, I noticed. I'd get something, but I don't have any money," Claude said. Blair then reached into her pocket, rifling through her change before taking out some quarters.

"Here," she said, handing him the coins.

"Blair... you don't have to do that."

"Take it. It's last month's paycheck. All of it," she joked. Claude smiled.

"Thanks, Blair," he replied. He gently stood up as Misty stirred, laying on the bench as Claude snuck over to the machine.

As he reached it, he paused, noticing a corpse wedged between the wall and the machine. Normally, that would kill his appetite, but seeing how starved he was, he paid it little heed. He inserted the coins, getting a bag of chips before tearing it open. He got to work, wolfing down the chips like a starved hyena. As he finished the last of the bag, he threw it away, shyly returning to the bench as Blair smiled.

"You must have been starving," she whispered, careful not to wake Misty up.

"Yeah. The truth is, that's the first food I've had in three days," Claude replied.

"Three days? Why so long?"

"Eh... it's a long story."

"...I've got time. And I must say, you've piqued my curiosity," Blair said. Claude paused, looking off to the side.

"Well... about a week ago, my mother and I got in a big argument over my coming home late one night. My curfew was at ten, and I came home at ten fifteen. I told her it was due to a friend of mine getting a flat tire, but she didn't believe me. She went psycho and started threatening me with a knife, saying if I was ever late again, she'd kill me. I knew she was just being dramatic, but I really couldn't take it anymore. The next day, I ran away from home. I started sleeping in the park, and ran out of money not long after. That's why I haven't eaten in so long," Claude explained. Blair listened on with concern.