New Hope Alliance (Book 1)

Chapter 4. "Anything"

"There is a problem..." Stephanie said, scratching at her hair. Droop nervously looked at me, turning back at her. "What... Is it?" He asked. Oh boy, here we go. "We blocked off a territory full of Infected individuals from the Primal Radiation. But we need it." Stephanie said. "What is it that you need us to do?" I asked. "We need you to sanitize it." She said. "Sanitize??" I asked, confused. Droop corrected me: "She means get rid of the Infected." He whispered to me. "It needs to be cleared out before we can make a flea market." Stephanie said, walking towards the exit out the stairway. "This way." She called to us, walking.

She then opened another staircase door, showing a dark stairway heading down, down, down...

I thought: We're gonna fucking die. "You want us to help you, you need to help us first." Stephanie said, moving her hair out of her face. Droop kept looking into the endless void as he spoke. "Down there?" He asked. "Down there." She answered. Droop made his first step into the darkness. I followed, feeling the suspense of what monsters could live in that hellhole. We continued, walking down the empty stairway. The black walls were splattered in a Crimson Stain. A very faded red light illuminated some of the darkness as we took hard turns to the next stairway. Then the next. Next. Next. Next. Till the red light was the only thing lighting up the darkness. "OOF!" Droop grunted as he ran into a door. This caused me to stop at the last 3 steps to listen for anything. "Found something." He said, grabbing the door handle.

"Hey!" I whispered to him, stopping him. "W-what?" He asked, looking up at me. "The hells wrong with you?" I asked. "Do you want to be eaten alive?" I asked again. "No??" He answered. "You were a Navy SEAL. Whats the first rule about doors?!" I yelled to him. "You never know what's behind it?" Droop answerd. "Yea. And what are you doing RIGHT NOW." I pointed at his hand on the knob. He looked at the knob, then back at me, then back at the knob. "OH!" He let go of the knob, putting his ear aganist the door. "Nothing?" I asked. "Nope." He answerd, opening the door. It was empty. Remains of the casualties from the radiation still layed there, rotting. There old, burnt skin ashing away. The walls were covered in moss, leaving a Forest-like smell. A subway train sat on the tracks, frozen. I pulled my rifle from my back, taking the strap off from behind my back. I began to cock it back, putting the scope on. It was a Magpul industries pro 700 rifle. I began to walk, feeling around the trigger. The walls were surprisingly loud, sense everystep was like a cave.

    "Objective- Protect the Civillians."

Cracking voices chanted. Somewhere where we are. The loud cracks of bones were heard somewhere within the station. "Remember the Objective." Infected soilders spoke in broken tones, walking into my sight with there armor on. Droop took out his handgun from his suit.
"Get ready." I said, aiming at the head of a Infected Female Soilder spouting away about coordinates. I then fired, the loud CRACK of the shot spreading through the air. The Soilders head cracked open, causing her to stummble back and fall on her back. I can't call them "it's." They were once human just like us, so I perfer to. The others turned, running towards us. I cocked back the Rifle. "Close the door!" I yelled to Droop. Droop fired at the Infected, closing the door behind us. They fell onto there knees like flies getting swatted. One by One, they moaned and roared into the air in pain as they were fired at, falling to the floor.
Thats it.
We killed about 15 of them, all of the roaring and screeching ceasing.
"Thats all of them." I said, breathing deeply. The infected layed on the ground still as a line. Their bodies smelling like burnt up cigarettes or some shit. I lowered my rifle, reloading it just in case more came around. Droop followed this action, putting his pistol back into his suit.

We began to walk, looking around the
Abandoned lobbies of the train station. Dead bodies with tattered clothing and guns layed there, stuck in position. But something was up...
Many Military units seemed to be murdered in a way. Knives stuck inside there chest, bullet holes through there skulls, shotgun pellets through arms. It was like a halloween store but with real props. Droop dropped a helmet off a Marine, looking over at me. "Weren't you in the Marines?" He asked, feeling the bullet cavity inside the skull of the Soilder. "Yea." I answered. "Why did you resign?"

Aw Geez.

I dont really like talking about the whole "Why did I leave" thing. I went to go sit down on a lobby bench, patting the other side of the seat to lure droop in to sit down. He sat next to me, looking attentive. "2025." I cleared my throat. "I was a Marine Sniper from the Advance Sniper  Acadamy. Or the ASA." I looked around the lobby, trying not to seem awkward. "Fresh out of it too. When I came into the Marines, I was shipped out into North Korea." I took out my Rifle, holding it in my lap. "I used this Rifle to fight the Koreans for the next 3 years. Everything was going well." I paused, pushing a corpse away from my leg. "50 confirmed kills. 40 raids in a whole year." I chuckled. Now to get to the real reason... "But one day..." I started to choke up, feeling the rim of the barrel. "I met this child. She was about 14.. Maybe 15? Anyways, she was small. And when I approached her to ask where her parents were..." I opened my shirt, showing the huge automatic rifle scars she put in me. "I remember the bullets going through my body like paper." I shoke my head, feeling dizzy from talking about it. "I woke in the hospital, to them telling me I couldn't be in the Marines any longer..." I said.

"Oh wow." Droop said, surprised. "Why were you kicked out of the Navy?" I asked. "Lets just say an injury couldn't allow me to be kept on the Boat Mr.Williams." He said, laying back on the bench. For what felt like hours, we sat there. We sat, not saying a word.
I decided to break the silence.
"Well, let's go. Its empty." I said, getting up from the bench. As we made our way back up, I discovered weird writings on the wall.
"B R E A C H." It said on the walls. "Hmm...." I began to question this. I mean, its not everyday you see the word "breach" written aganist the walls. We walked up to meet mulitple Guards aiming there guns at us. "Oh! There not infected." One said, causing the others to lower their guns. Stephanie rushed over, "Oh! You did it!" She said

"Great job!" She added, smiling. "Now, you can stay here for tonight. Tomorrow, you can bring me and my Infantry to your Village to give you the Information and Protection!" Stephanie said, walking to the first floor.

Droop looked back at me, playfully punching me. Then he joined her, walking off.
Droop isnt so bad after all...