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Chapter 16
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Clara
The gym was empty when I got there, I left my army blacks on, figuring I needed to get used to wearing them in all situations and I jumped onto the running machine. There was something about pushing myself like this that helped me think and I needed that. I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do about Jake.
As much as I had tried, the feelings weren't going away, just the opposite. As I got to know him better I liked him all the more. It was frustrating and inappropriate. We had to work together. I took a deep breath as I sped up, my mind turning through possibilities.
Maybe I should try dating someone else again, really try this time. Otherwise I was going to end up having to switch teams. I couldn't let it distract me, that wasn't fair to the team, they would rely on me to have their backs and if I was distracted by Jake it could jeopardise that. Jeopardise their safety and that wasn't a risk I was
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ClaraI squinted my eyes scanning building, old houses that had long ago been abandoned. “There's a cottage just ahead of us that should do. Its fairly intact, one broken window, no signs of movement and should be easily defensible. Slow to a craw, check the area for movement. If its clear we'll stop here.” Wheelers voice called out again and I scanned all the houses, side alleys gardens and abandoned cars as we slowed to a snails pace.“All clear here.” Porter spoke up.“Clear ahead.” Rig added.“Clear.”“Clear here and behind.” I stated after one last glance around.The trucks pulled to a stop outside a cottage that had seen better days but wasn't quite as bad as the others we had passed.“Grab your bags, you can wrap up inside.” Jake directed me as I slid from the truck, my hand ready at my side should I need my gun.
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Clara.I grabbed up a selection of sharp knives and wrapped them in a bag and grabbed the bottles off the counter before heading back into the living room to the unusually silent guys.I focused on Wheeler knowing that I would give myself away if I looked at Jake, the longing for him that I felt was so damn strong at the minute I was sure it was written on my face.“Thought you got lost. What else you got?” He asked and I placed the bottles on the floor careful not to bang them and watched as the guys eyes lit up.“Hey she's learning, important things first.” Bubble stated with a chuckle. As I placed the bag of knives down beside the bottles. “Hell yeah, weapons and booze, girl after my own heart.” He stated.I saw Jake flinch from the corner of my eye but ignored it as I faced Wheeler again. “Any of this you want to keep?” I asked.“Sure, take
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ClaraI just didn't know what to think. Shooting the infected the other day had been one thing. We hadn't stuck around long enough for me to see his dead body, But this one, hell I had heard it, felt it, seen it. I let out a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut for a second before shaking my head. “I'll be fine.” I stated as confidently as I could.“Clara...” Jake stated, his voice trailing off as he thought. “If you need time say so. Trust me we would all rather have you hang back for a couple of days than have you hesitate.” He stated his voice gentle as he drove through the streets.“No I'm okay.” I stated knowing that it was true. I just needed to keep telling myself that it wasn't human. I would get over it. Right now I needed a distraction.I pulled the packaged food out of my pocket and started chewing while I scanned the area. Focusing on something else w
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Clara“Say something please.” He asked and I turned my attention to him in the mirror for a moment before scanning outside again, I couldn't say this if I was looking at him. I wasn't that brave.I closed my eyes and pretended I was talking to Matt.“I was fourteen when I first figured out what the army really did. I don't know if that makes me innocent or sheltered but its true. I figured then that this was what I wanted to do. Nothing else had seemed even remotely appealing and I liked the idea of protecting people, of making a difference, of maybe helping us get back to a life worth living.”“I knew my parents would never approve so I started talking to anyone in the army I could find, asking them as many questions as I could think of. After a month or so I think quite a few people actively avoided me but I didn't care. Every answer I got was what I wanted to hear. I knew there
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Clara.We searched the house in teams of two, checking each of the rooms for danger and drawing the blinds and curtains as we went. Once the house was cleared and semi secure we huddled in the sitting room.“How we doing this Wheeler?” Bubble asked his eyes flicking to me for a second and I worried that they were going to change their usual habits because I was female.“Don't worry about me.” I stated firmly.“You sure, we usually all bunk together.” Wheeler stated.“Yeah that's fine” I said, feeling too tired to care at the minute.“Okay then. I'll go grab a couple mattresses. Rigs wanna give me a hand?” Porter asked while Bubble set a chair down in front of the front window and perched himself on it.“These are yours.” Jake informed setting three bags down by the wall where I was standing, “Sleep with them next
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ClaraI pulled aside the curtain on the front door to double check and noticed two dead just past the cars.“Clara?” Jake questioned and I knew what he was asking.“I've got this.” I stated determination and necessity taking over and I pulled open the front door and led the way outside in a quiet run towards the two dead that were advancing.I pulled the knife free of my leg sheath as I moved, I twisted as I came level with the first one, swinging out my arm and catching its throat. It wasn't dead, just slowed down but I could finish it off once the second one was down.I moved as quick as my body would allow, pivoting around the second dead letting my weight carry me as I hit the back of its knee with my boot knocking it to the ground. I stabbed my knife once and it was done. I made my way back reaching the other just as it started to stand and repeated the move that had seen to
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ClaraWe stopped in a reasonable sized town with a collection of short streets filled with shops, some that had been completely trashed, others not so much. I dropped from the trunk wincing as my stiff legs hit the pavement. I was tired but overly alert as I glanced around. There had been a few dead on the outskirts of the town but no movement in the street, I just couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched and that had me feeling really nervous.“You okay?” Porter asked when I didn't move from my spot but continued to scan store windows.“Yeah, just a bad feeling.”“Well don't discount it, gut instinct has saved my ass more than I care to admit.” He stated back before following the guys. I brought up the rear, heading into a clothing store that was well lit by the early evening sunlight.I walked the perimeter of the store, glancing in alcoves, my hand rest
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Clara.It took a good ten minutes of silence and heavy breathing before my heart rate returned to normal and I could think again. Porter had pushed the brunette girl into the first truck with him and I sat listening to their conversation over the walkie while scanning the night around us.“What's your name?”“Hannah.” The timid voice sounded, just a whisper.“Well Hannah I owe you a thanks.”“You're welcome.”“How did you come to be here?” Silence followed that and I wasn't sure if she answered or not.“Well, I'm Porter, This is Wheeler our team leader and Rigs. Then there is Bubble Jones and West in the other car.”“We're looking for survivors, are there any more of you or do you know where there could be anyone else?” Wheeler asked his tone gentle.“My brother. We got separated two days
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Clara. The next few days at the compound were the busiest I had ever seen it, all army personnel were working overtime, patrolling the prison, searching through every room before declaring it clear. Cleaning out the bodies of the dead and filling the massive whole that now resided in D blocks shower room. The funerals started on the third day after the attack. It turned out that a lot more than just Wheeler had died, although his death was the one I felt the hardest. Thirty two people lost their lives in the attack. It would be a while before any raids were organised, too much needed to be done at the compound but the leaders were already planning to send teams out to collapse the tunnels that ran under the prison. Our team had been inseparable since the attack, maybe it was losing Wheeler, maybe it was fear of the unknown but almost every waking moment we spent side by side, only going our separate ways of a night. Jak
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ClaraThe corridors around E block were packed to capacity with dead who were trying to gain access to the living and the sight made me shudder as we came up behind them, it was like deja vu again only this time we had more men and better weapons.Three bombs were thrown into the midst taking out almost half off the dead before they even knew we were there. Then the fight was on. They raced at us, their bodies moving in strange ways and I opened fire on those closest to me. Five down. Another bomb and more firing. Slowly but surely we edged closer. The other hallways I knew were filled with soldiers fighting their own battles and a team were firing from behind the barricade in E block but still half an hour of fighting, of throwing bottles filled with a strange looking chemical mixture and shooting anything in our path and we still hadn't made it to the entrance. Porter Jake Bubble and Rigs fought along side me, none of us w
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ClaraI wiped the tears from my cheeks and followed Jake out onto the landing. He was right, there was work to do. I hadn't known Wheeler all that well but still my heart hurt knowing that I wouldn't get to see him again, and my heart hurt for Jake too, the look on his face when Porter screamed just about ripped me in two, he had been close with the team leader I knew that, hell he was close with all his team mates. He pushed his back straight and walked across the landing towards a guy I didn't recognise, he hadn't been with us earlier.A glance around the room let me know that the fighting here was over, the dead were nothing more than heaped bodies on the ground and the first floor landing was filled with soldiers. I spotted the chief across the landing and I sighed, at least he wasn't harmed, the last thing we needed right now was for one of our leaders to fall. Which briefly had me thinking about the other leaders and w
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Jake.“Wont be long guys, make sure your shots count.” I spoke up loud enough for my voice to carry across the landing to the other soldiers waiting for our nod. My finger itched as I let it rest against the trigger of my gun, I had spent way too long being inactive and it was making me nervous, well the nerves probably had something to do with the hundreds of dead that were clawing at the walls beneath our feet trying to find their next meal, their next target.I took a deep breath, Clara was ready at my side, her gun clenched in her hand, her eyes roaming the masses below us. I still couldn't get over how well she had been handling herself. Joining the army was a huge adjustment under normal circumstances and this was far from normal.“Okay coming up to B block, corridors are mostly clear.” Wheelers voice sounded through my earpiece and my shoulders tensed. “Okay guys w
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Clara.The noise in D block had settled considerably since the residents had calmed down, Peters Trundle and I spent close to an hour answering questions as best we could before they gave up and settled into their temporary housing, my parents were sharing a cell with an elderly woman by the name Bridie when I finally got around to speaking with them.“I cant believe that you are okay with that, with dealing with that every day.” Mum muttered glancing out the cell door towards the ground where the dead were still making a racket as they tried in vain to climb towards the higher levels.“It's my job Mum.” I state not knowing what else to say, this job, my job wasn't for everyone, I had known that before I signed up but more so now that I was an active soldier and had been out in the world, I still saw visions of my fist kill behind my closed eyelids, dreamt about the horrors in the world. I hid
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ClaraBy the time they reached me my hands were shaking and tears had built in my eyes.“You okay baby?” Jake asked, pulling me into his arms and kissing the side of my head. Our moment only lasted a minute but it was enough for me to pull myself together, he was okay, he was alive. I let my eyes run over him from head to toe checking for damage before looking him in the eye.“I love you.” I stated figuring that it could be now or never, I could have lost him then and if anything were to happen to me, I needed him to know how I felt.His answering smile was breathtaking. “I love you too.” He whispered back before attaching his lips to mine in a short hard kiss.“Come on you two.” Bubble stated pulling our attention and I nodded letting Jake grab my hand and pull me towards the other side of the landing where no one had taken up posts yet. They had finished
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ClaraThe room hummed with nervous energy while we waited for Jake to return with the Leaders everyone once again on high alert now that we knew there actually was a way for the infected to breach our walls, the impenetrable compound no longer seemed so safe.A shuffling of bodies shifted to reveal the grim faces of our leaders, each one looking tired and haggard, as though none of them had slept in a week and I contemplated that just maybe they hadn't.“Mr Jones said that you found something?” Jade questioned.“Yes, there are sewer tunnels running directly under the compound, the closest point of impact would be D block showers, none of the other tunnels are large enough to fit bodies. The tunnels run in either direction and fork off to four surrounding towns then carry on to the towns after that. They could literally enter these tunnels from anywhere and sneak up on us at any moment and we w
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Clara.The days passed in a blur, every hour consumed by one action, one task. The compound had been on lock down for almost a week, and everyone was starting to feel the strain of it, but we were no closer to answers than we had been in the beginning.I had barely seen my parents since that first day and I had seen Matt even less. My days were filled with all things security, working six hour shifts on protection detail of one area or another my off hours were spent brainstorming with my team members and other members of the army, catching up on sleep, eating or spending hours wrapped up with Jake losing ourselves in our own bubble of happiness.Everything between us was great, we hadn't had any profound conversations about our relationship but neither of us was in a rush, instead just happy to enjoy the time we had together.It was Wednesday when a commotion on the main floor of A block had us all sprin
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Clara. The rest of our shift guarding D block had been exhausting, emotionally more than physically as we spent hour after hour answering the same questions but not really having an answer to give. The team refrained from idle chit chat, barely speaking at all unless it was to try and calm the fears of one resident or another but Jakes silent presence by my side was more reassuring than any words could have been, he was my rock, my shoulder to lean on and that fact had a small smile building inside me, even given the circumstances.I had resigned myself to the fact that this would never happen, that we would never share comforting looks or the slight brush of a hand on my back, that I would never get to see him relaxed and carefree but the reality of our relationship was better than anything I had imagined.We had escorted the kitchen staff to their work posts after change over in D block and left for our six hours o
