The Virus Within- Changing

Stronghold

In the next few days, we got to our first stronghold. Bookworm Stronghold.

Yes, it was called that.

We gathered at the windows as we got approved and went through the checkpoint into the stronghold.

We were introduced to the guest rooms, and I claimed a solitary small room, with a tiny skylight on the top floor.

I intended to sneak out.

As soon as I got all my stuff set up, which took about three minutes, I went down to the library. True to its name, the stronghold's library was ginormous. I opened the door to the library and gazed at the rows of books lining the shelves. It was amazing. Old study textbooks were put next to biographies, children's books surrounding classics.

After a few seconds, I pulled myself out of it and headed to the nonfiction section. I located the area for zombie related things and found an article on Assassins.

I sat down and read quite a bit about how these Phantoms got powers, how the Phantom Virus had evolved, etc.

I also read about the boy who had helped destroy the stronghold.

I was starting to slip into the finer details when someone entered the library. I rolled out of sight at once.

I didn't know why. When I was younger, before the apocalypse, sometimes I would get out of sight of my parents, but that was a decision. This was more like an instinct.

It was a sense. A certain uneasiness, a hole in my stomach.

I dropped the article and crawled behind a bookshelf.

I peered between some books at the scene. There was a man that had walked in. He had a suit and had an aura of calm around him. I relaxed, but then he reached in his pocket and took out a few letters. He called back to someone I had not seen.

"Hey, come over here." The other man came. He wore a baseball cap but seemed more sinister. The second guy towered over the first, and he looked familiar, though I couldn't recall why.

Suit Guy said, "You see these reports? Our supporters are dropping. We need to do something to stir up the Stronghold again."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Baseball Cap. I was taken aback by how gravelly his voice sounded.

"I'll give you a choice. You either send someone down below, start a fire, or let a zombie in. Or all three. Make it severe enough that people will get nervous, but not so severe that they tear themselves apart trying to look for us."

Suddenly, Suit Guy didn't seem so innocent.

"Okay. I'll start a fire."

"I'll leave the time and place up to you." Suit Guy grinned. They started talking about how to start the fire as I stared in horror. Presumably, they were trying to seize control of the Stronghold. If they started a fire, and if people started to think that the current system wasn't protecting them, they could easily take hold in the power struggle. I had no doubt that they had no qualms about arranging an accident for some leaders of the stronghold. I had to stop them.

With this thought, I took another look at the letters. It was clearly a report, so the organization was likely not limited to just two. I saw a graph, some paragraphs, and a few pictures, including the two men in front of me.

Should I risk it? No. Common sense told me to tell the leaders of the group.

Could I risk it? No. The two men were right there.

I risked it.

I crawled carefully around the book self and under the table. I looked at their legs until they moved away a little. I peeked my head up, and they seemed to be discussing something about how to seize control. I sneaked my hand up on the opposite side of the table and groped a bit before seizing a few sheets of paper. I quickly withdrew my hand and looked at the information I had. There was a graph, a few photos, and a report. It was good enough. I read a bit and learned that Suit Guy was Mr. Morasso, and the other guy was Mr. Quil. I rolled right next to the table, preparing to crawl for cover when disaster struck.

A book from one of the bookshelves fell. Mr. Morasso bent down to pick it up, and as he did, he looked my way. I stared at him as he stared at me for two long seconds. Then hell broke loose.

I ran out from under the table as Mr. Morasso yelled, "Get him!"

I grabbed a few more letters as Mr. Quil came at me. No sense in not breaking my cover after it had already been broken.

He came to my left as Mr. Morasso got on my right. I stuffed a few letters in my pockets before turning to face Mr. Morasso, who was almost upon me. 

He threw a sharp jab that I ducked under. I slammed my head into his solar plexus. Sensing Mr. Quil taking a shot at me from behind, I launched my leg up and caught him in the jaw with my heel. He snapped back, and I took a breather as they both took a few steps back.

They came at me at the same time. I blocked Mr. Quil's punch with a hand grab, and as he tried to retreat, I stepped forward and snapped my elbow against his shoulder, both dodging Mr. Morasso's punch and incapacitating Mr. Quil.

I decided to jump onto the table, and then, before they could react, I slid off and ran for the door.

However, before I reached freedom, Mr. Morasso grunted. I sensed, no, felt, the chair as it sailed in my direction. I didn't have enough time to maneuver before it had hit my shoulder blades. I fell down and got back up immediately. I winced and grunted as my shoulder ached in protest.

I had only been down for a few moments, but it was enough. Mr. Morasso was upon me and was about to strike me when something... strange happened.

I was getting up when I smacked my palms together. I didn't know why, but my instincts were ruling over me more than my cognitive functions, so I did it. It was kind of a weird motion, with one of my hands twisted so the impact area was larger. The movement itself wasn't at all threatening.

The bad thing, though, was amazing. Even if the movement wasn't dangerous and couldn't cause anything above a few bruises, my hands crashed together fast enough to break the sound barrier.

  A tremendous shudder knocked books off shelves, and Mr. Morasso was slightly pushed back.

I ran out of the library.