They Left Us For Dead

Sweet Freedom

"Oh thank God, for a second there I thought they caught you." Coach expressed his relief at my safe return. I smiled, making a note that everyone was here. We were free.

As strange as it was, we were free. Yes, we were back out with the infected, but being forced to work with CEDA was much worse. At least we were left to make our own choices, and not be suffocated with the insufferable tension of keeping up with CEDA twenty-four hours a day.

"Where are we going to go now?" I ask, covering my arms with my long sleeves. It was getting colder outside, as the seasons progressed into fall.

"I have no idea..."

"I think I might know a few places." Nick suggested, as he walked down the street. He kept his ideas to himself, other than finding a car.

Nick found a vehicle, and was able to kickstart the engine with a little help from Ellis. Rochelle and I were discussing the locations of back-up places to stay. If we could board it up well enough, we could make it on our own.

Nick got us all in the car, and nobody exactly protested it. Ellis made the occasional joke, and Coach mainly complained about the lack of food in sight, and Rochelle was in her own world. I had zoned out, and I think Nick had too.

His face was stone cold, his eyes never leaving the road. I watched as his hands were placed firmly along the steering wheel, and listening to his breathing patterns. He seemed tense on the outside, it made me wonder what was going on inside of his mind.

"We're here..." Nick says, pulling into a long driveway. I was confused, and so was the rest of the group. So far, we were still on the road.

"What do you mean? No offense, but it looks like we're still driving."

"This is why this can work. It's a prison, completely isolated from the rest of the world. Most courts send the worst of people here, and not many people other than big name lawyers and politicians know this place exists." Nick explained, grabbing my hand in his. He seemed so confident within his discovery, than I had to believe and go along with the plan. It made sense, if nobody knew about it, nobody else would find us. Including the infected.

"Welcome to our new home, I guess. The last I heard, they had everyone evacuated and sent to county jails and state prisons. This should be empty." Nick elaborates, and we began to walk toward the front entrance.

The building was huge, spanning across what I'm assuming to be several acres of land. It was made of concrete, to hold such terrible people and their wrongdoings. It was very sturdy, nothing was getting in or out of these walls without a fight.

"What are you waiting for? Let's get inside."