Code: Z.E.R.O. - The Outbreak

Act 5 Ch. 2

Belly of the Beast

Damn, this is taking forever. How far down is this floor? I look around at my teammates. Everyone's just... standing there... so serious... It's kinda creepy... I mean I know we're soldiers, but come... show some emotion... Or maybe I'm just a wimp... I mean, I don't know what's going to be down there. Wouldn't you be scared? Hell, I'm terrified! My heart's beating right out of my chest! Maybe they feel the same... Guess I'll never know...

The Elevator finally stops with a jerk. "Looks like we're here." Marcus speaks up and breaks the silence. The doors open. "It... looks like a cave?" Dom points out as we all walk out, looking around confused. Where the hell are we?

"Guys! Over here!" Jerome calls to us, "I found one of them!" We all run over to him and find a scientist lying in a pool of blood. "God damn it! Another one?!" Marcus is starting to get pissed. "The ID proves it. Michael, Division 3." Garcia points out. "I swear to fucking god! If we find the last one dead, I'm gonna fucking lose it!" Marcus is starting to scare me... I feel like he'll be a bigger problem than the walkers...

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I hear a mysterious voice. We all turn around and see a big glass room with a man in a white lab coat standing by the glass. He has an ID hanging on his coat, that must be the last Researcher we came here for! "You all better hide before IT comes..." The Researcher warns us. "What the hell are you talking about egghead?" Marcus growls. "There's a Crawler loose down here... I locked myself in here to keep me safe... You all better hurry and get in here if you want to live!" "What the hell is a Crawler?" Garcia questions. "It's a mutation experiment we did on a Walker. It has four arms and a large spikey tail. It usually hides in the dark." The Researcher responds. That's what me and Jordon killed... "This whole place is dark dude!" Dom exclaims. "Which is why I'm warning you! My ID's barcode is scratched to hell. I can't open it from in here. You can use Michael's ID, if it still works." The Researcher tells us. "But I'd hurry if I were you..."

We hear growls coming from the dark. "It's here!" The Researcher shouts, "Hurry!" The monster crawls out of the dark. "Holy shit that thing is huge!" Jordon shouts. It's about twice as big as a normal one... and it's not alone... Two more regular sized ones crawl out from behind it. Nope. Nope. NOPE. Open that door! I am NOT dealing with these things!

Everyone starts firing away. "Iguana! The ID!" Jordon calls out to me, waking me up. "R-right! G-got it!" I stutter, rushing to get the ID. "I'll cover you!" Dom rushes to my side. "Thanks Dom!" I thank, searching the dead body of Michael. "Got it!" I hold it up. "Get the door!" Marcus orders me. "R-right!" I rush to the door. I can't think straight. So many gunshots. My friends are in danger. UGH! Why can't I scan a stupid barcode?!

My hands are shaking, I'm sweating like crazy, and my throat is dry as a desert. I freeze. "Christian you alright?" Dom shakes me back to reality. "Y-yeah... yeah... I'm ok..." I go to scan the ID when suddenly I hear a painful scream, followed by "Marcus!!!" I turn around instead of opening the door. Marcus has been stabbed by the large Crawler... Oh fuck... I turn back around and try to scan the barcode. It's not reading! "Iguana! The door! Hurry!!!" Jordon calls out to me, only to make my anxiety even worse.

"Take this you overgrown piece of shit!!!" I hear Jerome yell out. I drop the ID. "Fuck!" I curse at this stupid card. "Jerome wait!" Garcia calls out, only to be followed by another deathly scream. I turn around and the crawler has both Marcus AND Jerome on its tail like a shish kabob. Fuckfuckfuck! "Dude? You alright??" Dom puts his hand on my shoulder. "It won't read!" I shout out in a panic. "Here let me try." He quickly picks up the ID and scans it. The door opens right away. "You must have scanned it upside down." God damn it I'm stupid. "Doors open!" Dom calls out, to what's left of the crew. We all run inside. "Are you guys alright??" The Researcher asks. I have healing syringes if anybody needs it!" "No thanks Doc. I think we're all good." Garcia speaks for us all. "Well, most of us are."