4Jade: Thank you so much for the support. ^^ I really needed that and, this part may be a bit slow, but I'll try to put in some action late. My conscience *cough*thanksmom*cough* told me to reveal a bit more before I go and ransack the entire thing.
Anyway, This'll be a bit... melodramatic...
Chapter Two: Crossing the River and Never Going Back
"So, Xander, what are we looking for?" I grimaced as my finger caught on a piece of glass. Lifting the wounded appendage to my eyes, I saw fat drops of blood trickling. I frowned and wrapped my finger in my week-old handkerchief. I glared at her.
"We're looking for something that'll help me defend myself against those zombies." I gave her floating figure a one over before rolling my eyes. "Unlike you, I'm no ghost." She crossed her ghostly arms and snorted.
"I'm not a ghost. I'm a Protoplasm." She grumbled, rolling her eyes at me as well. Damn her and her annoying, floating self. "I'm a concentrated ball of human energy that has a conscience, and for your information, I have feelings." I looked at her with mock surprise.
"Oh my gosh. I thought you were a freaking stalker ghost since you float through everything and you are currently hovering three feet above the ground." I spat. She's been trailing me for months, claiming to be my guardian protoplasm. I rolled my eyes again and she snorted.
"Woman, last time I checked, a protoplasm is part of the cell. You know, the jelly-like part." She raised a brow and scoffed.
"For Pete's sake Xan, you're slow." She looked at me with a semi-apologetic glare. "You're dad used that term to describe me, a ball of energy with consciousness." I sighed and stood up, kicking some rubble. She stopped in her tracks and covered her mouth. Dad, was, is a touchy subject. I glared at the overturned table where my dad probably worked on, mixing chemicals and such, once.
My dad's a scientist and a brilliant one by the way. And this ransacked, chewed out, decapitated building was once his lab. I shuffled through the dark space, Maya's glow the only source of light. I sighed again. I was expecting to find something worthwhile, like a memo or a video feed from my dad. Anything that would assure me that there's someone else alive and uninfected in this world. I shifted my feet through the black rubble.
"I wonder how long it would take Steel to open the lights." Maya wondered out loud, combing her bluish bangs away from her eyes. I let out a small laugh and gave her an incredulous look.
"He's a dog, genius. How'd you expect a dog to open an entire lighting system?" Just then, the lights flickered on and the sound of claws on tiles reached my ears. Maya smirked as Steel appeared seconds later, silvery tail wagging at his achievement. I gave the husky a tight lipped smile as he sat in front of me.
"Well, he is a genius." Maya said with a chuckle, her semi-transparent hand floating down to pet the happy dog. She grinned at me. "For a dog, he's hell'uva lot smarter than his master." She crouched down to his level and began cuddling my dog. I snorted. Steel wagged his tail and let out a happy 'wuff' when Maya coddled him up some more. I rolled my eyes at the weird animal lover.
"Well, he is a genius, no doubt about that." I grumbled while the protoplasm smothered my dog some more. I sighed and looked around the poorly lit room.
The broken glass cases were scattered across the bluish-white room. Metal tables were overturned and chemicals spilled on the floor. Test tubes, beakers, flasks, and other chemical equipment I couldn't name were strewn in shards, scatted across the once-white lab. I stepped over a broken Erlenmeyer flask before examining the burn spots on the floor. Smudges from chemicals and blood decorated the floor and the walls. I rubbed the toe of my shoe on one oddly heart-shaped smudge. Up on the ceiling, the fluorescent lights flickered on and off, making it feel like I'm living in a horror movie. Somehow, it is kinda real, the horror thing. I frowned.
"Hey Maya, why is there electricity when everyone's turned into Zombies?" The female protoplasm stopped cuddling my dog for a moment and gave me a curious look.
"The protoplasms are everywhere, Xan. Some of them want you to survive, so the protoplasms who are unable to form a semi-solid body are supporting you by giving you what you need." She stood up, or floated up however you see it, and placed a finger to her chin. "I can't hear them, but I know where they are." She grinned.
"They're like ghosts, but of course, they're balls of energy that have developed their respective consciences." I shivered.
"That sounds a bit odd, you know." I mumbled.
Maya opened her mouth to protest but she was cut off by a static sound, like the one you hear when the TV screens show gray and white spots. I whirled around and Steel gave a low growl. A human voice. I strained my ears. It was like a code I couldn't make sense of. I felt Maya's energy focus beside me before I felt her grab at my hood. She gave me a look that said: that is not a ball of energy. I shook my head. Maya seemed to understand my warning and started concentrating.
"Wh-Who's there?" I asked, whipping out the energy katana that my guardian protoplasm handed me. Let me explain this first, I was supposed to find something to defend myself because Maya called me useless without her a few hours ago. Can't have that now, can we? Another buzz of static reached my ears. I let out a low growl. "I've got a loaded weapon! A-and I'm not afraid to use it!" She hissed.
"Lame." She mumbled, a rapier in hand. The footsteps got closer and my body tensed. For two months, Maya, Steel and I have been pitched against these zombies, but it never fails to make my heart race, knowing well enough that I could die. I lowered my body a bit, eyes scanning the dim figure in the flickering lights. Steel growled, his silvery-white body puffed and blue eyes sending poisonous glares at whatever that is. The footsteps got louder.
"Hey Luke, do you think this'll work?" I blinked.
There was a voice. Through the static. I could hear the voice. Maya looked at me and the expression on her face confirmed me of what I needed to know.
There's someone else.
I grinned, lowering my guard. My hand raised itself in greeting.
"He-"
"Stop it Xan." Maya hissed, rapier crackling with energy. I lowered my hand to avoid the blade. I gave her a look. Her face, which had the most adorable pair of eyes, were now close to slits, and if I may say, angry women are terrifying. I gulped and she continued on.
"That voice definitely doesn't belong to a hunched man." I gave her a confused look before the disgusting stench of rotting flesh washed over my dead nose. I gagged. Steel whimpered, but maintained his stance. I took a deep breath, painfully ignoring the disgusting smell, and raised my weapon.
"Chill Lex! It will. You can start the broadcast now. It should connect to the nearest radios from here."
My sword nearly dropped.
"How far is that?" The other voice inquired.
It can't be.
"They're nearby." I mumbled, trying my best not to look at the moving corpse.
"A few hundred miles from here. Must be three to four days walk? Oh get on with it! At this rate, I'll lose my form." The other voice ranted on while the other protested. The lights flickered above the zombie's gruesome head, illuminating the rotting eyes that were disgustingly moving around. I took a step back, destroying a few lab items.
"Oh my god." Maya mumbled, moving backwards, her eyes bugging from her face.
"So, okay, okay. Hi. I'm Alex Five. Um, I'm a survivor. And, currently I'm uh-"
"Say that you're looking for someone to reproduce with."
"Oh shut up, Luke!"
The hunched man walked forth, and I noticed that he was hobbling. I looked at his legs and wished that I hadn't. It was a whole lot more disgusting. I could see the bone piercing through the rotten flesh. I took a few more steps back, noticing that my energy sword had dissipated, leaving a small cloud of translucent colors before shimmering into nothing. I gulped and grabbed a broken table leg.
"So, like what I said, I'm a survivor. At the moment, I don't care if you're male, female or a hybrid like me, but I need you to come at the fifth stall in the third floor of the New Kings Mall. It's. . . urgent."
"Oh, and by the way, if you happen to have a protoplasm, I'd be more than happy if you bring that friend of your to me. Adios!"
Static.
The figure stopped under a non-flickering light, as if showing himself to us. The stench of rotting flesh seeped into my clothes and my eyes had started to water. Under the light, the lab coat looked too familiar, and the Timex Watch that clung to his wrist was stained red with blood. My knees felt weak. I felt myself wobble before falling on my knees. I can't believe it.
Static filled the room.
The lights flickered around me as the infected zombie focused its eyes on me. My stomach churned as the mix of disgust and sorrow flooded through me. Maya stepped in front of me, weapon poised while Steel valiantly positioned beside her floating figure.
"Doctor Reeds." Maya said in a thick voice.
More Static.
My zombie of a father gurgled before disgusting pieces of flesh and tissue came out of his mouth. I cringed at the scene. I didn't want this. I only came for clues.
So much static that it's deafening.
My ears hurt; My eyes hurt; My nose hurts; My chest hurts; I covered my ears to shut everything out. I never wanted this, I didn't. I looked straight into the dead eyes of my once loving father, and I know, this is going to kill me. I pulled my knees towards my chest as my tears dropped.
Static, burning through my brain.
"D-dad. Why?" I mumbled,
Then dad launched himself at me and Maya yelled defiantly, rapier glowing with azure light.
The last thing I remembered was my dad's voice, telling me everything's going to be alright, before the world turned black and this time.
White Silence rang through my ears.
Jade: I am so sorry for making it so melodramatic. It's supposed to be a bit light, but we can see how that is working at the moment. *hits herself* (Bad!) I promise to make up for it. ^^
I'm giving this story a week or probably three days before I update. . . . Sem Break is near and I may have time to work on this.
Oh yeah, I'll be free to know how much you've enjoyed (or got annoyed) with this so, I'm open for comments, just no flames please!
Anyway, Please Review! :3