Decimation | Aarmau AU

𝖳𝖶𝖮

The brain retains base facilities,
namely gross motor function.

Throughout most of my life, I've been an early riser, awake before everyone else. This group was no different.

Their snores bounced off the walls, but thankfully couldn't be heard outside the car due to our high speed. They were huddled close on the other side of the car, all with their weapons either nearby or in their hands as they slept through the night. Not bad protection, and it beat my collapsible pistol which was pretty uncomfortable to lay with.

The door at the end of the car has a small window covered in scratches and dirt, but I could still see the colors of dawn reflecting on the metal car before us.

Walkers can be fast, but they can't jump on a moving train without making a noticeable ruckus, so I carefully opened the train car's door a few inches for fresh air.

The sunrise was pink and orange, which slowly faded to a blue that began dark. The rolling hills of tall grass and metal debris was unchanged, save for a crumbling city in the distance.

By the time someone woke up the blue had turned light and the pink was slowly fading over the horizon.

Aaron sat next to me and peeked out the small opening. "What's up?"

I turned on my shoulder and gave him a smile before watching the sky again. "I just needed some fresh air. Isn't it beautiful?"

He shifted to see better over my shoulder and I tensed. If the door was open even a smidge more, he could easily push me out.

"I guess it is. I've never noticed," he mumbled.

"I mean, I was born into this. The environment I grew up in was. . . stuffy at best," he chuckled with me. "So I can't get enough of the open land and clean air, and even the walker-infested streets. It's just. . . free. The danger is spontaneous," I explained.

"Spontaneous isn't a good thing."

"Not always," I agreed. "Spontaneous can be bad, but it keeps you guessing and learning. There's always a lesson or a reason you come out thankful to be alive."

His dark eyes reflected the pink sky as he gave me a sidelong glance. "You're so. . . positive."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. It's just new. I wish I had your optimism."

"So you don't have even a shred of hope that this will all end one day?"

He shrugged carelessly.

"Pretty sad way to live," I pointed out.

His mouth twitched with a smile before everyone behind us started waking up. He went over to help pack up while I remained by the door. The sky was blue now, and the train was slowing down.

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They let me tag along through the city.

Initially, I said it was unnecessary, but when someone asked if I wanted to be alone, I couldn't find a response.

It took a short while to get from the train stop to the city, but it gave everyone time to talk and check their ammo reserves again. It gave me time to let the city's destruction set in before I had to see the carnage up close.

There was a single skyscraper with broken windows and dangerous wires falling out. That didn't even take into account the giant hole in the side, presumably from a grenade or RPG, that made me question when it would collapse. It already looked on the verge.

The closer we got, the more we saw abandoned cars, dried blood, and rotting pieces of flesh. One car made me freeze. It had a kid's car seat in the back, drenched in blood.

"Poor kid," Aaron mumbled behind me. It took me a second of hesitation to follow. Poor kid indeed.

"When did this place collapse?"

Aaron, who seemed to be the only person at ease talking with me, looked around the freeway as we approached the city's entrance. "Around four years ago I think. It was kept going thanks to some AWOL soldiers, but they didn't have enough defenses when a horde traipsed through."

"To be fair, Aaron, that horde took down Iron Heart. There was just too many of them," the blonde added. When we got off the train I learned his name was Garroth, along with his brother Zane who wore his hair over one blue eye, Kawaii~Chan who I stitched up and preferred the name Nana, and Travis who was quiet to me so far. The blue-eyed girl didn't trust me yet and hadn't given her name.

At the mention of Iron Heart's destruction, an argument broke out over the facility's strength. It had certainly been strong, no doubt, but they had been so focused on finding a cure or vaccine. . . that they didn't mind torturing innocent people to get even a small lead.

I didn't comment, only focused my attention on the welcome sign above our heads. When I looked over the town my shoulders were tense in anticipation, and I tuned out their bickering to listen to my surroundings.

Thankfully I couldn't hear any moaning or scuffling, but every once in a while I thought something moved in the shadows.

Not a window in sight was whole, and the streets were littered with broken glass, blood, and bullet casings. It was ransacked, and what wasn't was clearly a no-go Dead Inside zone. If all the cities I've seen didn't look the same, I'd think the view was horrific.

"Aphmau?"

I jumped from my thoughts and looked over to Nana. She gave me a concerned look, which I responded to with a shake of my head. "I'm fine, sorry. I totally zoned out."

"So what do you think?" Garroth urged.

The others followed me as I began walking ahead, responding while I did. "I think Iron heart was run by a bunch of sons-of-bitches who infected children during the fall to see if they had a higher immunity. Spoiler alert—" I chuckled without humor, "—they didn't."

It was quiet before Zane piped up on the other side of Garroth. "You seem to know a lot about them."

I distracted myself with looking at the gas station next to us while I answered. "They were sick bastards, and I think everyone should know it. The people who worked there deserved what they got, but their test subjects didn't."

"Let's check the station," Aaron spoke when I finished, ending the conversion. He walked inside and we followed in single file, all with our weapons at the ready.

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Word count: 1098