virus

Chapter 11 - Hope

They keep moving. Aidan still thinks 'She's gotta be alive.' He'll keep moving but knows he won't give up hope. He will find Nicole.

It's now about 5 in the evening, they see a house. It's the most non-destroyed house they've seen since leaving for the road. They decide to check it out. They check the outside to see if anyone might have been here. 

They see no signs of other people so they decide to try and get into the house. Jorge grabs a rock from the ground. He heads to the back door of the house. It's a green door with a window at eye level on the door.

Jorge uses the rock he had picked up to smash the window on the door. He reaches inside to try and unlock the door. He grabs the doorknob. He turns it and opens it with ease.

"Looks like it was open." Said, Christopher.

Jorge retracts his arm from the window on the door. He then normally opens the door. He walks into the kitchen and immediately goes to see if there is any food or water inside. While Jorge is looking, Christopher and Aidan walk in.

"You finding anything?" Christopher asked Jorge.

"Nothing yet. Looks pretty empty." Replied Jorge.

As Christopher and Jorge search the downstairs Aidan goes to the upstairs. He heads into a bedroom. It's pretty torn up. Almost nothing there. He still walks into the bedroom and sees the closet is opened slightly. He walks towards the closet. He starts to open it when he sees a box sitting there in the middle of the closet. He quickly grabs the box and opens it to find a letter. He thinks 'I'll read this later' and puts it in his pocket.  He then walks downstairs.

"You find anything?" Asked Jorge.

"Nothing." Aidan softly responded. 

Aidan's focus is now no longer caring about Jorge and finding a way fix to whatever started this whole apocalypse thing. He started to feel this way about Jorge after he stood ideally by while Christopher told him to give up hope. And that Nicole was dead. And he definitely no longer cares if Christopher lives or dies after what he said to him after they left the hospital. His only focus now is finding Nicole. 

As night falls they decide to stay in the house and get some rest. They board up what they can and start to set up for sleep. Jorge sets up downstairs in a corner of the living room. Christopher is pretty close by Jorge. Sleeping a few feet away from him. They have started to buddy up with each other whilst searching the house. Aidan decided to set up upstairs in the bedroom he found that letter in. He decides to read it while Jorge and Christopher are asleep.

He then proceeds to then read the letter.

D.

     If you're reading this it means I was able to make it out of there alive. I will be at the military base on the outskirts of the city. I will be back at the base soon. If I'm not there in a week, presume me dead.

Sincerely, N.

Aidan's stunned at the letter. 'Could N be?' 'No...It couldn't be'.  Aidan thought to himself. 'I knew she wasn't dead.'  Aidan thinks that N. could stand for Nicole. Who the D is he has no clue but he's back to hoping that she's still alive. He thinks about telling Jorge and Christopher about the letter but he assumes they'll just keep telling him to give up.

It's now morning. Around eight. Aidan didn't get very much sleep. He ended up awake before either Jorge or Christopher. Aidan keeps rereading the letter. He thinks 'Wait. This was meant for someone else. They could be coming here right now. We gotta go.'  

Aidan quickly packs his things up and races downstairs. 

"Guys! We gotta get out of here." Aidan said loudly.

"Alright but like why, though?" Asked a just awoken Jorge.

"I can't exactly tell you, you just gotta trust me and get out asap." Responded Aidan.

Jorge gets up and packs his things. Christopher refuses to get out of his sleeping bag. Aidan walks up to Christopher and slaps him. 

"Wake up, we gotta go!" Aidan yells at Christopher.

Christopher gets up and packs his things angrily. Once they're all packed and ready to go they leave the house. They head down the road towards the biggest building in the city. Dalton Towers.

Dalton Towers was one of the biggest trading companies on the East coast. I couldn't tell you how many stories it had. They approached the building and once they were within a few feet of the building, they stop.

"Do you really think there will be anything in there? Asked Christopher.

"If not I'd be surprised." Replied Jorge.

As Jorge and Christopher walk towards the building Aidan stays behind. 

"You guys can go in for now. I'll just be a minute." Said Aidan

"Ok, don't be out here too long." Replied Jorge.

Jorge and Christopher head inside. Once they're in they see a few zombies. They make quick work of them and start to search for anything on the first floor that could be helpful to them. They don't find anything on floor number one so they move on to the next floor.

As Jorge and Christopher are inside Aidan stands outside the building, thinking about the letter he found and wondering if it really could have been Nicole. 'That was her handwriting.'  He thinks to himself. He remembers that in the letter whoever N. was would be at the military base at the edge of the city. 'Should I go?' He asks himself. 

Jorge and Christopher are up to the fourth floor. They're fighting zombies when Jorge sees Aidan outside. 'What's he doing.' Jorge thinks. Before he could finish his thought he sees Aidan walking away from Dalton Towers. 

"Uh, Christopher?" Jorge said both confused and slightly scared.

"What's up?" Christopher responded.

"Aidan's walking away." Replied Jorge.

As soon as the floor is cleared they run down the stairs as fast as possible to make sure Aidan doesn't get too far away. As they get outside they see no sign of Aidan.

"Where did he go?" Asked Christopher.

"I think he went that way" Jorge responds point down the street.

They head down the street in hopes that Aidan doesn't get himself killed.

Aidan keeps walking away from Jorge and Christopher. While walking Aidan sees something in one of the buildings. 'It looks like someone's set up camp.' Aidan thinks to himself. He heads towards the building but the entrance was surrounded by zombies. He thinks he can lure them away from the door by making a bunch of sounds and then trying to outrun them all.

As he starts to make sounds to lure the zombies away they all start to follow. As he makes a run for the door he realizes there are still a few right next to the door. He's able to get in but once he's in he notices there are more zombies inside. 'Oh no.' He thinks to himself.