Still breathing | Original story

Chapter Thirty Four: Sick little game

Word count: 2432

After what seemed like hours, I finally made it to my feet. I had probably only been sitting for about a minute. The cold was making me shiver all over and the pain made me want to curl up in a ball and not move again. I went right up to the dead creature and picked up the bloody brick without hesitation. It didn't bother me anymore, I was void of feeling as I travelled to the door. My feet making me move with very little brain power needed.
I got to the door and began to whack the brick against the metal. Cuts that had stopped bleeding began to open up and my blood dripped onto the ground again. The metal of the door began to bend inwards and, after a while, I heard a click from the other side. I threw the brick half-heartedly to the floor and began to push the door. I fell into the hallway as the door came off its hinges. The descent into darkness began as my foot hit the first step and from there I would travel to Archie's office - a place I hoped he was stupid enough to stay.

The halls seemed to be endless and I had no idea which way I was going, maybe I should've paid more attention during Archie's little tour.
"Stop!" I heard someone yell, I turned around and saw New years guy. That weird guy who drunkenly smiled at me what felt like years ago but was actually less than a month ago. He was holding a gun towards me, by the looks of it an Ak-47 (if my Call of Duty gaming knowledge is anything to go by). I put my hands up, he dropped his gun as he made his way over to me, it dangled from the strap over his neck. He reached for my hand. My heart began to beat in my ears but if I had learnt anything from my time in the damned apocalypse it was that I was stronger than I thought I was and I should never go down without a fight. I gripped his arm and twisted it around. I shoved him as hard as I could and he fell into the door, banging his head with a grunt. I waited for him to get back up but instead his head hung lazily down and he made no attempt to move. Cautiously, I approached him and ripped the gun from around his neck. I pointed it at him, I didn't know how to use it but it would be a good way to test it out.
I looked down the sight at his body as it rose and fell in time with his breathing. I noticed what I was doing, he was doing nothing to me. He was helpless and passed out, I held the gun to my side. I wouldn't be a monster, if I were to kill him then I would be exactly what Archie thought I was... I'd be exactly like him and that was not a path I wanted to go down. Deep in my heart I knew I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't follow Archie into the darkness. For too long he had been trying to get me under his spell, trying to drown me in the depths of water the same colour of his icy eyes - only to revive me and make me his personal puppet that he could control with one heart-shattering smirk.
I opened the door behind the guy and saw it was empty, I picked him up and pulled him into the room by his armpits, his legs trailing behind him. I patted him down for any weapons and found a small blade which I slipped into my back pocket just in case. I left him in the room alone.

I checked the corridor before I jogged down, gun across my chest. I tried to find Archie's office again.
I went down one last corridor and saw a familiar-looking door, I pushed it open and there he stood. Looking at the cameras that he obviously had set up everywhere. He was focused on the one set up on the roof, he had seen everything.
Why hadn't he stopped me from coming back in?
Before I could talk Archie cleared his throat. "Well well well you are a strong one aren't you?" He wasn't looking at me and seemed to have no intention to move.
"Not strong no, I just do what I have to do," I corrected and he turned his head to glance at me. He barely registered the gun I was holding.
"Either way, I'm impressed," he told me and turned back to the screen. I scoffed at his attempt of flattery. "You're better than I remember." Before I could question him he continued. "When I first saved you, that day by the wall, I was hoping you'd recognise me when you woke but you didn't... you still don't know me now."
"What?" I finally managed to squeeze the words out.
"I knew you'd changed, everyone talked about it. I wanted to see it for myself but your father would know it was me so I employed Jack, he made me realise just how different you were. We used to be friends you know, before you volunteered and before my dad went to jail." He looked away as though he were mad before he turned to me. "I thought I hated you so much but I didn't, I hated your father. But can you blame me?" He questioned but I didn't have the words in me to reply. "We used to play at my house before your father moved you away. I thought I would never get to see you again, sometimes I wished it. I still do, because then I wouldn't be in this situation. Us trying to kill each other wasn't always the ending I imagined."
"It was the ending you planned for, remember?" I challenged.
"I suppose so. Sometimes, though, I could almost pretend that things were how they used to be between us. Even if you can't remember."
Had he been trying to make me remember all the time we'd been together? The injection? The house? It would make sense why he didn't rush us, why he helped me find my friends instead. I still couldn't remember him, though. What's to say he wasn't lying?
"I don't believe you," I breathed out.
"I didn't think you would," He replied.

I took in a deep breath, held my gun tightly and made sure it was aimed at Archie. If he was lying nothing that he had said should matter and if not then he might help me.
"You created the virus? Can you make them stop, control them or something?" I questioned, pointing my gun at him although I had no idea how I was supposed to use it. It was more for show and, if I'm being honest, it made me feel a little safe. He walked towards me, once again ignoring my weapon.
"They're brain dead," he chuckled. "Even the best of creations can be a bit temperamental. Why?" I cursed. "They'll never act human if that's what you're thinking..." he explained.
There was no way to make any of the infected safe without destroying them from the inside, burning the virus up and killing them. No way to save anyone except those that are still breathing.
"Stop them. Now!" I hissed, trying to focus on what I wanted even though I didn't know what I wanted at all.
"But it doesn't affect you, why would you want that?" He cocked his head to one side and smiled. I was surprised it was only then that I could tell what an asshole he was. I was a pawn and he was the king, he was using me to protect himself even though he is the most useless piece on the board. He wants me to be his queen but in the end, she is destroyed too. He will stop at nothing to be victorious and will use others to get exactly what he wants.
"Because too many people have died... it needs to stop!" I nearly yelled, reaching for what I thought was the safety on the gun and clicking it off. Archie chuckled and mock put his hands up. He waved them in the air in a way of daring me to pull the trigger and I wanted to, man I wanted to, but something stopped me.
"You should think yourself lucky," he began softly as he put his hands down and dropped them to his side. "You're still alive, you've made it this far," he mused, almost in awe of me. "Even my workers don't last nearly as long as you, some of them aren't capable of making it to the next level."
"You make it sound like a game," I commented with a scoff.
"Well it was quite fun," he chuckled. I looked at him to see he was actually enjoying it, every bit of drama and death and pain that was going on by what he had caused gave him joy.
I didn't speak. The glint in his eyes was actually scaring me, they held so much evil and cruelty in them. I jumped when he let out a whooping laugh.
"Jack, for example," he continued, "a lovely friend of yours but to me, he was a minion, no a butler. I like that word." He put a finger against his chin as he evaluated his choice of words and approved.
"What about him?" I felt my grip on the gun become loose but soon grabbed hold of it again, he was trying to put me off.
"I promised he would survive... but I never said I keep my promises," Archie told me.
My anger seemed to wash away as he flashed me a knowing grin. I arched an eyebrow at him but found myself lowering my weapon anyway, my grip slipped and for some reason, that didn't make me feel uneasy.
"For a heartless guy..." I began. I thought about my next words, mustering up all the strength I had left to say, "I'm beginning to like you."
I allowed the gun to swing to my side. My hand clinked against something metal inside my pocket but I couldn't focus my mind enough to figure out what it was.

Archie took my surrendered gun as an invitation to step forward. My mind was whirling at a million thoughts per second as I tried to figure out what the hell I was doing and why I wasn't just shooting him there and getting rid of him for good. Even so, I couldn't bring myself to bring my weapon back up, my mind was telling me something but I was listening to something else instead.
"Don't flatter me, it didn't work out well for you last time." He flashed me a wink.
"I wasn't trying to flatter you in the slightest," I told him stubbornly but Archie wasn't believing me. He stepped a little closer to me and I didn't make an attempt to stop him.
"Don't pretend you don't admire me," he smiled smugly. He was so close to me, one unnoticed movement on my part could've ended him but we just stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity.
"Hmm," I hummed and stalked closer to close the gap between us. Archie's hand reached out and trailed down my arm, he took the gun out of my grip and placed it on the floor. Kicking the gun aside, his hand hovered above mine. "I have to admit your plan was pretty smart," I told him quietly, my voice trembling in fear and something else that I couldn't place. I couldn't make myself sound like me, I felt like someone else was talking. "And worked out well." His body was practically pressed into mine.
"Calm down," Archie whispered surprised but didn't move away. "Anyone would think you're attracted to me..." he trailed off, he smiled down at me.
"I um... I guess I am a little," I stuttered out.
"Even after what happened to Logan?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes at me like he didn't believe me. I thought quickly, the room felt incredibly hot but I managed to get out of my bubble enough to answer him.
"He was stupid, I never really liked him... too immature. You. You, on the other hand, are full of brilliance. I guess I never realised it... and if you hadn't killed my friends I might even have fallen for you," my lips were hovering just over Archie's, a few particles of air stopped them from being together.
"And if you hadn't tried to foil my plan I might have fallen for you too," he whispered, I felt every word brush against my lips.
He put his hand on my cheek, burning the skin he touched and leaving blotchy red patches in their place. Before I could react he was kissing me. I felt like everything around me was fading away, it was just him and I like in the good memories I held. But it wasn't like the good memories; the time we laughed over Yorkies and kissed under stars, the times he protected me. It was all so different and it would never be like that again. His lips instead stung like nettles. His tongue entered my mouth; a snake enticing it's pray. But I was Eve and so I fell for the snakes tainted treats. I was allowing him to pull me deeper and deeper into my own demise. His hands dug into my shoulder blades, leaving open wounds behind. My heart thumped and with each beat turned shades that matched Archie; black and blue. Blue like his eyes that looked like the ocean during sunrise, black like his crow coloured hair. Black and blue like bruises.
I put one arm around his shoulder and moved my other to my back pocket, I felt the blade in there. It promised the end of him and with it I could try to forget the bad times.
In one swift movement the blade was in my hand and both my arms were wrapped around him. Archie gripped my waist and pulled me closer. I pressed the metal between my fingers. I opened my eyes. It hadn't all been lies, what I said, if he hadn't been someone that had killed my friends then yes I would've liked him, but he was a murderer after all. He had played with other people's lives like they were nothing and I could never see past that. Before Archie realised what I was doing I pushed the blade deep into the back of his head. I heard him gasp before I felt it go through bone and lodged into his brain. His hands became limp and he fell to his knees, mouth and eyes wide open.

That was the last game we would ever play together, and I won the final round. It was a game of love - a love that bloomed like a miracle flower that came in winter; only to be bitten by harsh weather and to fall petal by petal until nothing was left. A love that beat against your heart until there was nothing but a sore ache left, a love built on the foundations of the bones of an old love - a love that never really was love and was never meant to last. It was a battle of love in a war of betrayal.
I still don't know if it was just me but I swear to this day that I saw his eyes full of life one moment, staring up at me in shock and disbelief before they glazed over and became dead. He became dead. Nothing but an empty shell as his spirit went who knows where - not heaven that's for sure.
"The only way to kill an infected is by removing the head, or destroying the brain," I stepped away from Archie as he lay on the ground. It was surprisingly a clean death, I didn't remove the knife so he lay on the dry ground.
I glanced down one last time, I looked at his body but I didn't feel the same pain I had felt when I saw Ella's body.
I picked up the gun, to hopefully scare anyone away, and rushed to save Lily. Where ever she was.