Pathogen

Uprising

     I stumbled out of my bunk and headed to the command center.  It was chaos.  There were people everywhere.  "Did you find my daughter?"  "Not yet, ma'am."  My room mate is infected!"  "Security, send troops to room 12."  "My air vent stopped working."  "That's nice.  Next!"  "My boyfriend hung himself!  I only cheated on him 3 times, so that can't be why."  "Hmm, I wonder why?  If this comforts you any I would have done the same thing."  I walked through the crowd and grabbed the speaker and said "Captain George Jameson is dead.  He died to save you.  Now unless you want him to have died in vain, I suggest that, unless your concern is of the utmost importance, you go back to your bunk."  Close to 3/4 of the crowd left; what was left was manageable.  "Wow Carter.  Where did that come from?"  "Jim, we need to talk.  Jameson left a note.  He wants me to take command."  "Don't you think there will be retaliation?"  "Yes.  It will be met with a show of force.  I think we shou-"  The door bursted open.  "Unless you want this base to fall into chaos, I believe a leader should be chosen."  It was Lieutenant Mender.  He had ran against Jameson for leader.  He believed that the weak should perish so that the strong could survive.  "I am assuming control."  "Actually, Jameson put Carter in charge."  Carter?  He would drive us into the ground!  I will not have this!"  "Good for you.  Now get out before I have security escort you out."  Jim had been my friend since day 1.  Mender stormed out of the room.  Jim and I were up discussing the details until midnight.  "So one last suggestion, Carter.  We have to be careful when we instru-"  Bang!  Bang!  Jim fell to the ground.  Blood seeped from his lower back.  He said with his eyes wide with terror "C-Carter.....'gasp' h-help."

     The door had two bullet holes in it.  "Did you kill Carter?"  "Shot him through the door.  I always hated that son of a b____."  "We will have control of this base by dawn.  Carter was week he deserved to die."  It was Mender.  I sat there, frozen, next to Jim.  "Carter..."  "Shh.  They're still here.  It'll be all right; I promise."  "Oh don't give my that c___."  He took my gun.  "Go through the air ducts."  "I'm not leaving you."  "Carter, if I go up there every freaking infected in the base is going to come for us both."  One of the grunts must have heard us.  "Did you hear that, Mender?"  "Hear what?"  "Get the hell out of here, Carter!"  I climbed into the duct.  The door burst open.  "Shoot this you sick baster!"  Bang!  Blam!  Blam!

       "Anthony, put the damn shot gun down; he's dead."  "Mender you're bleeding!"  "The little b____ got me!"  There was rustling in the vents ahead of me.  If you don't deal with something immediately, it always comes back to bite you: in front of me was a civilian with half a ear, bones protruding from his chin, and a gunshot in the neck.  It had bits of human flesh around it's mouth and it's technician uniform read Peter Barder- Room 12.  

        I wasn't the only one who heard it.  "Sh___!  Carter's in the vents!  Shoot the hell out of them!"  My new predator took every last one of those bullets until his section of the vent fell to the floor.  "Dammit!  It's just a dweller.  I want Carter brought to me dead or alive!"