Run. (Team Crafted Fanfiction)

Chapter 26- Home Sweet Home

Jason's POV

Ian, sitting next to Jerome, lays a hand on his arm.

"Jerome?" his anxiety shines in his voice. We're all a little freaked out about Jerome. He just keeps screaming.

Jerome's eyes open wide, horribly wide, and I stumble backwards. Ian doesn't move, just stares back at him.

"Let me out, Ian. I'm scared." Jerome's voice doesn't rise above a whisper, but I can hear him perfectly. His voice quavers, as if he really is terrified out of his mind.

Ian looks mind blown. Shaking his head, he starts to speak.

"What?"

Before he can finish his word, Jerome screams. So bad, so full of agony that Ian jumps back in surprise and clutches at his leg. Jerome's back arches off the floor as he screams, but that's as far as he can go with the duct tape around his limbs.

As Jerome quiets, Ty glances towards the ceiling. "He's going to start attracting zombies. As much as I hate it, he's a safety hazard."

Still warily watching Jerome, I lean against the far wall. "We can't just leave him to die or kill him."

Ryan hangs his head. "I wish Adam was here. He'd have a perfect solution to all this. Just spit out a suggestion that would solve anything."

Ian seems to take this offensively. "Hey, we can figure it out. We don't need anybody else to."

When no one contradicts him, he continues.

"Ok. Our options are to, um, let Jerome go, drag him along with us, stay here in this basement until he gets better, or the miracle plan that we are yet to come up with."

Quentin jumps in. "We aren't going to let him die, so we can cross that off."

I nod in agreement, and I see the other guys do too. Ian shrugs. "Just stating all the options. So we can stay here and look after him or we can drag him around with us." He peers at us anxiously. "I'm personally not to much of a fan of either."

"What if we just found a different base?" Ty speaks quietly, scared of waking Jerome. "Find a different base, and camp out there. Jerome stays there and we can come and go as it demands."

Ryan cocks his head. "Do you think anyone's taken over the hospital? We could put him on the top floors, and he wouldn't attract zombies. Plus, there's probably still some stuff laying around there."

Ian grins, playing with the thought. "I think that's our miracle idea. Why don't Ty, Ryan, and Quentin go check out the hospital? If its good, we can probably be in there by tonight."

They leave and Ian and I are left in the basement with Jerome. A quick glance tells us that neither of us wants to sit near him, so we sit against the far wall. Neither of us speak, afraid of waking him. We're probably the most scared of him, considering we're the only ones who's experienced up close. We sit in silence until the door opens and three pairs of feet tromp down the stairs. Ty appears, grinning.

"Let's go. The hospital's perfect."

After a lot of discussion, Ryan carries Jerome and Ian leans on Quentin, leaving Ty and I to defend us. Luckily, the trip there is uneventful, and we make it there quickly. Ryan and I go up the stairs to the fifteenth level, the highest. Surprisingly, most of the rooms are still in good condition, as are most of the supplies we find. The hospital must have been evacuated before anyone could get infected in here.

We settle Jerome in a large corner room with a big window. We duck tape his arms and legs again, and leave Ryan with him. On the way down, I begin to speak.

"So, this is our new home, right? Should we pick our rooms?

A quick exploration reveals that level twelve has the more permanent wards, meaning that the rooms are more homely. We each pick separate up and down the halls, and check them out.

My room is painted a light blue, and has a window facing the same way Jerome's is, towards the east. After everyone is happy with their rooms, I head back upstairs to check on Ryan. Knocking lightly on the door, I open it. Ryan sits next to Jerome, looking upset. Jerome sits up as far as he can, glaring out the window. Neither of them notice me, and I freeze.

"That's them. I'm positive."

"Are you sure, Jerome? That's where you were kept prisoner?"

Jerome nods. "That's where Adam is." With that, he collapses against the bed once more. Ryan spots me in the doorway and motions for me to join him. I crouch next to his chair and eye Jerome warily.

"What was that all about, Ryan?"

He shakes his head. "He just woke up, looked out the window, and started muttering about how he knew that place. When I asked him about it, he pointed out that huge apartment building over there. He said that's where that group is."

I frown. "So that's where Adam is! What if we could get him back?"