"Charlotte, no!"
Seneca didn't realize Charlotte wasn't right behind her. She'd let go of her girlfriend's hand to jump the fence and didn't look back until she heard the voice she knew so well call out her name. When she turned, she saw Charlotte caught between two of the infected, the Seeping as they'd become known, boxing her into the narrow alley. They were too thin and covered in the black webbing that slowly took over the victims and invaded their minds.
"Don't touch them!" Seneca screamed as she began darting back towards the fence.
Charlotte was never a fighter and certainly didn't have it in her after the chemo. She was already losing her hair under the scarf. One touch from the Seeping and she'd be gone in minutes. Seneca launched herself over the fence and grabbed the nearest weapon she could see- a plank of half-rotten wood. She swung, smacking one in the face and dislocating its neck. The other turned, snarled, and came for her.
Seneca had never fought one of them off before, and they were surprisingly enraged. They'd kept mostly indoors until the hospital fell to the disease, and now they just needed to get to the lab. She knew she could fix this if she could just get to her lab.
Seneca was backed up against the fence, holding the Seeping back with the length of the plank. Charlotte collected all of her energy and screamed, something desperate and nearly feral, attracting the Seeping's attention. It turned, and when it was in a good position, Seneca swung. Hard. The skulls of those lost to the disease were so much softer than a normal skull. It cracked easily but there wasn't any blood when the body fell to the ground.
Charlotte collapsed in a heap on the ground, shaking and sweating. Seneca went to her and pulled an arm around her shoulder. "You have to get up, baby. Get up," she urged as she lifted them both. "We're almost there."
Charlotte nodded weakly and limped over to the fence with her girlfriend. "I don't know," she heaved a breath, "if I can."
Seneca held her pale cheeks in her hands. "You can. You have to." Charlotte looked like she was going to cry, but just took two large gulps of air before sticking her fingers through the large holes in the fence. "I'll be right here to help you over," Seneca assured.
She climbed up after her, one arm between Charlotte's too thin legs to push her up with her shoulder. "Don't go over yet," Seneca warned when they'd reached the top. "Let me go over to catch you."
"Hurry," Charlotte begged, legs shaking on either side of the fence. Seneca dropped down and reached up. Charlotte basically fell into her arms. They both hit the ground but Seneca had Charlotte wrapped in her arms and they were mostly unscathed. "Sorry," Charlotte murmured, half a smile on her face.
Seneca kissed her sweaty hairline and helped her up. "Let's go." They ran- They hobbled as fast as Seneca could drag her partner across the empty back parking lot towards the large steel and glass building. She refused to let go this time.
The sound of shattering glass rung out in the quiet early morning and then the two women were running inside. The ground floor was open and vulnerable; only a large receptionist desk and a collections of seating took up the entire lobby. They didn't need the ground floor anyway.
Seneca pulled Charlotte over to the stairwell and they tumbled down the two flights of stairs. Seneca had to scan her badge to open the door to the underground labs and made sure it shut behind them. The room smelled of stale air and decomposing animals. Scientists had left their experiments half finished, some still open on tables in their hurry to flee when the disease reached the building.
"Sorry about the smell. There's sheets in that cabinet over there. You can cover them," Seneca offered and went to her usual station to begin pulling things out of drawers.
