Mᴜᴛᴀɴᴛ Aᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘsᴇ 3: Sᴄᴀʀʀᴇᴅ ❪✓❫

19 || 𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋

𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

"Infected!" I screamed. The four of us watched the group of five brain-dead things run to us. We are outnumbered by one, thankfully.

Duke yanked his gun out, clicking it back to have the first bullet fired into a Stalker. Mikey and Reg had no problem with walking up and stabbing them in the sides of their heads. From what I see, they have grown comfortable with the infected since they left the group. So have Duke and I. "We gotta hurry!" Mikey grunted, pulling his machete out of the infected skull. "Regan, get them outta here!"

The girl heard his command clear over the vicious roars. Regan focused back on Duke and me and she brings us both to a locked-up gate. Regan unlocked the gate as fast as she could, letting Duke and I through. Before Regan closed the gate, Mikey fended off whatever infected was left and retreats to the steel gate, slamming it behind him.

We all breathed heavily until we caught our breath.

"Dang..." I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "They're getting worse out there."

"Yeah." Regan agreed.

"That's all of 'em." Mikey says passing the three of us. Regan secured the gate before following her companion to a house cellar. Who once wore an orange mask and now wearing a black one uses a key to gain access to the cellar. "Here we are," Mikey said, opening one of the doors.

I was the first one to step down the stairs into the darkened room as Duke trailed behind me with Mikey and Regan. Michelangelo shut the door of the cellar.

"This is where you guys live?" I asked, turning to Regan as she lit a lantern that sat on a table.

"Yeah. One of the places." She replied, blowing out her lighter and shoving it into her pocket.

My eyes caught books, magazines, broken furniture, three mattresses against one of the four walls, cans of food, military first aid kits. Mikey and Regan really hit the jackpot. "Wow," I say, lifting up old dusty books and wrinkles magazines. "You guys are entertained by Batman comics, Star Wars, Fantastic Four..."

"Yup!" Mikey says, coming to the first bed he sees and sitting down and feeling the comfort in his shell. "I uh... Sort of like the--"

"Don't say it, Mikey. You're disgusting." Regan said to him.

Duke chuckled. "Wait, what is it?"

It is quiet for a few seconds. Regan sighed at the images coming to her head, as well as the flashbacks. "Mikey found...nude magazines."

"What?" Mikey threw his hands out. "When you're living in a world and knowing you'll die one day you gotta be entertained somehow."

I shrugged and Duke says, "I agree..." My elbow met his arm. Duke groaned knowing I was on him for hitting on those edited bodies in adult books. I'd rather have him do me than stare at rotting pieces of paper.

Regan smiled and walks to a workbench by the three mattresses. She turned on a small lamp and took out her sniper rifle. It's been a while since I saw that thing before she and Mikey left the group. I came up behind her, watching her hands work on the gun. "What are you doing?"

"Small upgrades." She said. "You can upgrade your bow to a crossbow if you want to."

"Really?" I needed to know if she was being serious about this. Regan nodded, insisting I go to the toy box where a dozen more guns are stored. "Why do you guys need so many guns?" I asked picking up an unloaded handgun. "Building an army?"

"Sort of. Just in case we get people in our pathetic little group." Regan said, clacking the bolt on her weapon.

"Hm," I mumble taking out the cold, untouched crossbow. The arrows are sitting on a small rack attached to it, and I'm not sure how to work one of these, but I'll get around to it.