Whatever It Takes: Mutations

Chapter Two

Gunnin 'Em Down

Fallout: September 29th, 5:23pm

Current Location: Baltimore, MD
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A few minutes after they left, I went over to the computer screen and typed in the code Navarez gave me to access his body camera. I clicked a few buttons, and soon enough, a low-quality video flashed across the screen. I smiled at my success and celebrated quietly. Olivia quietly shuffled her way over to me to see what I was doing. I moved aside so she could see.

Navarez was in the truck, and I could hear their conversation. I heard a loud buzz, and his voice called out to me. "Jeremy? Are you online?"

I quickly picked up the microphone and spoke into it. "Yeah, me and Olivia can hear you. Where are you going to fight off the zombies?"

There was a pause, and Sgt. Brown's muffled voice spoke for a minute. "It's on the north side of the city in Govanstown. Do you have a map?"

I clicked off of the camera video and found a map of Baltimore. I searched through it for a minute and found the town he was talking about. I clicked back on the camera. "Yeah, I found it."

Suddenly Sgt. Brown cursed extremely loudly and slammed on the brakes, throwing Navarez forward and against the dashboard. A minute passed and then gunshots started to roar nearby. I assumed that there was a few zombies outside that popped out of nowhere. Navarez's camera now showed around ten or so Gouls running towards the car, but it was halfway covered with an assault rifle blocking the view. One by one, the Gouls fell to the ground before they got to the military truck. I sighed in relief.

"I don't like Dad being out there," Olivia said, looking up at me.

I could only shrug. "They needed help, and he was the best choice."

"But ever since South Carolina, I could tell that he's been slower. Have you noticed?"

I dipped my head in thought. Olivia was right about that, unfortunately, once I put some thought into it. My mouth formed a thin line as I looked back up at her, and I nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm going to have to start watching him walk and run."

Olivia didn't say anything else, and she turned her attention back to the screen, which caused me to do the same. They seemed fine as the continued to push through the city. A few minutes later, Navarez spoke into the camera. "This should be it Jeremy. I don't really see anything as of now..."

They continued to drive for a few more minutes before a voice started to call out to them. "Jordan! We're over here!"

Sgt. Brown quickly drove into the parking lot that used to hold a superstore. They all climbed out and started to jog over to where the man was standing. He was accompanied by a few other people, and they all looked scared and tired. Some others were behind them wrapping bandages and giving shots to the injured. The man and the other soldiers wore Air Force military uniforms with assault rifles on their backs with extra ammo strapped on their chests. They also had pistols and what looked like M9 Bayonets for melee fighting. They actually looked really cool.

"Where's the Gouls?" asked Dad.

Hunter, now that I remembered his name, frowned. "Who's this guy?"

"He's here to help," said Navarez. "So where are the Gouls that you needed help with?"

Hunter turned and pointed to a highway a distance away. "They're gathered over there. We were forced to retreat because they started climbing all over our trucks. We've already lost a quarter of our soldiers, which is about thirty or so."