Fragile Hearts [DANGEROUS FELLOWS]

⚠️FIFTY-TWO: BATTLE IN THE CONTROL ROOM⚠️

When you made it to the electrical building, you were greeted by a tight hug.

"Thank goodness you guys made it," Harry sighed. "I was so worried."

He, Lawrence, Jay, Ethan, and Hailey were there, and they all seemed on edge. Lawrence had a grave look on his face.

"Where's Zion?" you asked. There was... no way that he...

"He never came back," Lawrence reported.

He never came back. You felt a physical pain in your heart at those words. When you'd left him, he'd acted like everything was going to be okay.

"We should go look for him," you said. "Maybe he's waiting for us there, maybe he thinks that we're coming to get him."

"We went over the plan, and he knew what he was supposed to do," Lawrence reminded you. "If he's not here, he's probably-"

"Can we get on with it?" Jay interrupted, his fists clenched. "Let's just get out of here already."

Lawrence gave Jay a look, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead he pulled out the small can of pepper spray, handing it to Hailey.

"Huh?" Hailey gasped. "W-why me?"

"Because we'll have the weapons," Lawrence explained. "All you have to do is stick you arm inside the room and spray until it's empty. Then we close the door, wait three minutes, and ambush whoever's in there."

Somewhere from the front gate you heard gunfire and the shrill shriek of a zombie. The sound sent a shudder through you, and you noticed Ethan tighten his hold on his bat instinctively.

"Ready?" Felix asked Hailey, holding his ID card.

"U-um! Can w-we wait a moment?" Hailey stammered, her knees wobbling.

"Go!" Felix cried, ignoring her plea. He slapped down his card, and the reader beeped, unlocking the door with a click. He opened it a crack, pushing Hailey forward.

"Take t-this!" Hailey squeaked in the most un-intimidating way possible, shoving her hand through. You heard a loud hiss as she pressed on the button, spraying the room full of pepper spray, followed by surprised voices and coughing. It was only a few seconds before the can ran dry, and she pulled her arm out, letting Felix pull the door closed.

"Three minutes," Lawrence said.

The wheezing from inside the room intensified, the pepper spray doing it's work. Three minutes and it would be safe for you to go inside. Three minutes and you would be in the final stretch of the plan.

There were more screams and gunshots now. You didn't even want to imagine what had happened to Zion. Eugene had his arms wrapped around himself, shivering, and Harry had his eyes closed, fidgeting with a ring on his finger.

This felt like the longest three minutes of your life.

"How much longer?" Jay asked in exasperation.

Lawrence shushed him, looking concentrated. He must be counting in his head. Had he done an experiment to see how long the pepper spray stayed in the air?

"Stay close by me," Ethan said in a quiet voice. "So you don't get hurt."

"I can fight," you protested.

"I know," Ethan replied. "Just stay close."

"Get ready," Lawrence "Ten seconds."

"Come here, Eugene," you said, waving him over. He complied, walking over to stand close by you.