Status: Try out my story ya'll!
Radioactive
Chapter Thirty;
"Now all I can do is lay in my room, fall asleep, dream of you, then wake up and do nothing about it."
---
Amaryllis blinked open her eyes. Even while she was sleeping, her body was tense, and her hands were still tightly clamped over her ears. She slowly removed them, listening. Slowly, she rolled over onto her back. The stiffness in her limbs made the simple movement uncomfortable, and she winced in pain.
Almost mechanically, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, stretching to get a glimpse of Taniss on the bed. He was curled up on his side, wrapped around a pillow that he was clutching to his chest as if it were a person. The room was oddly cold, so she carefully lifted up the comforter and covered him up with it. He shifted beneath the blanket, and she froze, but he only pulled the pillow closer to his chest and let out a deep sigh. She stepped away from the bed, not taking her eyes off of him. He looked peaceful while he slept, and definitely not like the emotional wreck of a man she had been introduced to last night. She carefully slipped from the room, praying that he wouldn't awaken while she was gone and disappear again.
She knocked loudly on Harper and Matts door. Harper was the one to open it, wearing shorts and a tight t-shirt that showed off her pregnant belly, something she wasn't very proud of. She scowled at her, running a hand through her tangled hair. "It's 6:30 in the morning."
"Is it?" Amaryllis glanced passed her into the room. Matt let out a groan from beneath the blankets on the bed. She rolled her eyes at him.
"What brings you to my humble abode?" Harper asked grouchily.
"Well, I found Taniss."
She explained to them what had happened. Matt remained beneath the covers, but it was obvious he had been listening when he said in a muffled voice, "He cried? Taniss?"
Amaryllis shifted her gaze to the floor. She wanted to completely forget everything about last night. It was horrible, seeing him like that. She hoped he'd be composed by the time she got back to the room. "Yeah." She answered, monotone.
"That must've been awful, i'm sorry." Harper said softly, clasping her hands in her lap as she shook her head, her messy black hair flying all over the place as she did so.
"Should we go see him? I'd have to put on pants first but--" Matt began before he was cut off.
"For one thing, gross, I'd rather not know that you're not wearing pants!" Amaryllis said, wrinkling her nose in disgust, drawing a laugh out of Harper. "For another, he's sleeping. Atleast I hope he still is."
"What should we do, then?" Matt asked, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself again.
Amaryllis stood, straightening her t-shirt. "I should go make sure he's alright. I'm afraid he'll disappear again. Good night, guys."
"Yeah, as if we'll be sleeping anymore tonight." Harper said with a sigh, but she climbed into bed anyways.
As the door shut behind her, Amaryllis caught a glimpse of Matt rolling over towards Harper, throwing an arm loosely over her side. Her stomach clenched with longing. Not for a guy like Matt, but a guy like...Taniss. She ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head furiously as if to get rid of the thought. Maybe she was just going crazy.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss woke up around the same time they did. He got some coffee from the kitchen and silently downed it in only a few gulps, even though it was no doubt scorching his throat. The others watched him warily, unsure if they were supposed to say something or if he would mention it first. But he didn't. In fact, he didn't say a single word. Not until they had finished packing everything into the RV and he took the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Matt. "Can we leave now?"
Matt seemed startled by his voice. He had accepted the silence and moved on. "Yeah, you and Harper get inside the RV, Amaryllis and I have to cover up our tracks inside. It'll take a little bit." He braced himself for an argument, but Taniss only took the keys back and wandered into the RV, Harper following slowly after him.
As soon as the door shut, Matt turned to Amaryllis. "We need to get rid of evidence that we've been here. We don't have to go all out, like wiping our finger prints or anything, that's just crazy." He chuckled as if what he said was funny. She only stared blankly at him till he cleared his throat and continued. "We'll smash the computers and...let the zombies out of the C-wing."
Her eyes widened in surprise at that. "What? Why?"
"The people who come to check out the serum will think the infection spread since the last report, and they won't suspect anyone of being here."
"You said yourself that it was doubtful that they'd come after us."
"I don't know. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems." He said with a sigh as they wandered back inside. "If they think we have the serum, or information they need, they may. We can't completely erase our tracks, but we have to atleast cover it up the best we can. Hopefully they won't look too far into it and we'll be free." They made their way to the weaponry and picked out what they figured they'd need. Guns for each of them, and Amaryllis found a bat.
Matt, on the other hand, plucked a sledgehammer from the shelf. "I feel like Thor."
"Stop being such a nerd. I shouldn't be near people like you." He scowled at her the entire way to the security room.
They bashed the monitors, the control panel, and everything in sight. Sparks were flying everywhere by the time they finished, and the control panel was smoking. They backed from the room and hurried through the hallways back to the c-wing. Matt leaned the sledgehammer against the wall, standing back to look at the barricade. Taniss had fixed it up to where it would be difficult to disassemble. With a sigh, they got to work.
It took them nearly an hour to get it all moved, especially since they were trying to be quiet and not draw the zombies to them. He peeked through the crack between the doors to see an empty hallway. "Stand back." He told Amaryllis, and she surprised him by complying, stepping back a few feet.
He threw open the doors and pulled the gun out of the waist band of his pants. He shot into the empty space once, twice, three times, leaving about five seconds between the gun shots for the zombies to pinpoint it's location. He shot again, and again, until the first zombie came around the corner.
Amaryllis tugged at his arm, pulling him away as he continued to shoot at the empty space above the walkers heads. They spilled out into the hallway, groaning and growling, scrambling clumsily over one another. They were much faster than the zombies. Much, much faster. It would be way too easy to get out of there.
Atleast that's what they thought. One of the bullets bounced over the metal plaque beside a rotted zombie head, shattering one of the glass walls. The new group of walkers, about four of them, scrambled out into the hallway, but something about the way they moved had Matt lowering his gun and eyeing them in confusion as he walked backwards down the long hallway, keeping his distance. The new group of zombies all clambered to their feet, their movements less jerky and more precise than the others. Then, much to Matt and Amaryllis' horror and dismay, the zombies began to run.
Amaryllis screamed as they barreled down the hallway towards them. The other zombies continued on with their slow pace, growling in frustration. "What the hell?" Matt yelled in horror, shooting at them. They were gaining on them easily, so Matt turned away, plucking the sledgehammer up from it's perch leaning against the wall.
They took off running down the hallway, the white walls spinning dizzily around them as they raced passed lab after lab, one empty room after another. "How are they running?" Amaryllis cried breathlessly, shooting over her shoulder. Glass shattered, and she was sure she had narrowly missed the zombies head.
"Expirement gone wrong? I don't know! But there seems to be a lot of those lately!" Matt yelled in reply.
They turned a corner, and Matt stumbled a bit, slowing their pace for just a second, but it was enough for one of the zombies to be right on top of them. He twisted around as he ran, slinging the sledgehammer. It met the zombies head with a cracking sound, digging deep into the flesh and bone above it's right eye. One of the other zombies tripped over it, it's pace slowing before it regained it's footing. The other two zombies were right on their tail. Amaryllis shot over her shoulder, once and then twice, hardly even glancing back. The low thumping sound that followed signalled that she had killed one. They were nearing the front door now. Matt slowed his pace a little, readjusting his grip on the sledgehammer, and Amaryllis reached it first. She wrenched it open right as Matt slung the hammer at the zombie, narrowly missing it's head as it stealthily dodged his attack. It was like fighting a person. An alive person.
The zombie threw itself forward, it's jaws snapping at Matts extended arm. He felt it's teeth scrape hungrily against his flesh, leaving him unsure if it had broken the skin or not. Amaryllis raised her gun, shooting the zombie in the head. She twisted the other way, shooting the last zombie still running down the hallway.
More growls were echoing off of the walls, but the other zombies were far enough away. Matt dropped the sledge hammer, scrambling backwards away from Amaryllis. He pulled up his sleeve to examine his arm. It was red and there was alread a bruise forming. Dried blood caked half of his forearm, so he couldn't tell if the zombie had bitten him or not. But if the sting was anything to go by, it had. He dropped the gun, stepping backwards a few more steps. Amaryllis pointed her gun at his face.
He didn't object. He only stared at the gun as the seconds ticked by, raising his arms above his head. The only sound was their heavy breathing and the gutteral growls echoing down the dimly lit hallway. He counted outloud in a quiet, determined voice. "...5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15..."
---
Amaryllis blinked open her eyes. Even while she was sleeping, her body was tense, and her hands were still tightly clamped over her ears. She slowly removed them, listening. Slowly, she rolled over onto her back. The stiffness in her limbs made the simple movement uncomfortable, and she winced in pain.
Almost mechanically, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, stretching to get a glimpse of Taniss on the bed. He was curled up on his side, wrapped around a pillow that he was clutching to his chest as if it were a person. The room was oddly cold, so she carefully lifted up the comforter and covered him up with it. He shifted beneath the blanket, and she froze, but he only pulled the pillow closer to his chest and let out a deep sigh. She stepped away from the bed, not taking her eyes off of him. He looked peaceful while he slept, and definitely not like the emotional wreck of a man she had been introduced to last night. She carefully slipped from the room, praying that he wouldn't awaken while she was gone and disappear again.
She knocked loudly on Harper and Matts door. Harper was the one to open it, wearing shorts and a tight t-shirt that showed off her pregnant belly, something she wasn't very proud of. She scowled at her, running a hand through her tangled hair. "It's 6:30 in the morning."
"Is it?" Amaryllis glanced passed her into the room. Matt let out a groan from beneath the blankets on the bed. She rolled her eyes at him.
"What brings you to my humble abode?" Harper asked grouchily.
"Well, I found Taniss."
She explained to them what had happened. Matt remained beneath the covers, but it was obvious he had been listening when he said in a muffled voice, "He cried? Taniss?"
Amaryllis shifted her gaze to the floor. She wanted to completely forget everything about last night. It was horrible, seeing him like that. She hoped he'd be composed by the time she got back to the room. "Yeah." She answered, monotone.
"That must've been awful, i'm sorry." Harper said softly, clasping her hands in her lap as she shook her head, her messy black hair flying all over the place as she did so.
"Should we go see him? I'd have to put on pants first but--" Matt began before he was cut off.
"For one thing, gross, I'd rather not know that you're not wearing pants!" Amaryllis said, wrinkling her nose in disgust, drawing a laugh out of Harper. "For another, he's sleeping. Atleast I hope he still is."
"What should we do, then?" Matt asked, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself again.
Amaryllis stood, straightening her t-shirt. "I should go make sure he's alright. I'm afraid he'll disappear again. Good night, guys."
"Yeah, as if we'll be sleeping anymore tonight." Harper said with a sigh, but she climbed into bed anyways.
As the door shut behind her, Amaryllis caught a glimpse of Matt rolling over towards Harper, throwing an arm loosely over her side. Her stomach clenched with longing. Not for a guy like Matt, but a guy like...Taniss. She ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head furiously as if to get rid of the thought. Maybe she was just going crazy.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss woke up around the same time they did. He got some coffee from the kitchen and silently downed it in only a few gulps, even though it was no doubt scorching his throat. The others watched him warily, unsure if they were supposed to say something or if he would mention it first. But he didn't. In fact, he didn't say a single word. Not until they had finished packing everything into the RV and he took the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Matt. "Can we leave now?"
Matt seemed startled by his voice. He had accepted the silence and moved on. "Yeah, you and Harper get inside the RV, Amaryllis and I have to cover up our tracks inside. It'll take a little bit." He braced himself for an argument, but Taniss only took the keys back and wandered into the RV, Harper following slowly after him.
As soon as the door shut, Matt turned to Amaryllis. "We need to get rid of evidence that we've been here. We don't have to go all out, like wiping our finger prints or anything, that's just crazy." He chuckled as if what he said was funny. She only stared blankly at him till he cleared his throat and continued. "We'll smash the computers and...let the zombies out of the C-wing."
Her eyes widened in surprise at that. "What? Why?"
"The people who come to check out the serum will think the infection spread since the last report, and they won't suspect anyone of being here."
"You said yourself that it was doubtful that they'd come after us."
"I don't know. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems." He said with a sigh as they wandered back inside. "If they think we have the serum, or information they need, they may. We can't completely erase our tracks, but we have to atleast cover it up the best we can. Hopefully they won't look too far into it and we'll be free." They made their way to the weaponry and picked out what they figured they'd need. Guns for each of them, and Amaryllis found a bat.
Matt, on the other hand, plucked a sledgehammer from the shelf. "I feel like Thor."
"Stop being such a nerd. I shouldn't be near people like you." He scowled at her the entire way to the security room.
They bashed the monitors, the control panel, and everything in sight. Sparks were flying everywhere by the time they finished, and the control panel was smoking. They backed from the room and hurried through the hallways back to the c-wing. Matt leaned the sledgehammer against the wall, standing back to look at the barricade. Taniss had fixed it up to where it would be difficult to disassemble. With a sigh, they got to work.
It took them nearly an hour to get it all moved, especially since they were trying to be quiet and not draw the zombies to them. He peeked through the crack between the doors to see an empty hallway. "Stand back." He told Amaryllis, and she surprised him by complying, stepping back a few feet.
He threw open the doors and pulled the gun out of the waist band of his pants. He shot into the empty space once, twice, three times, leaving about five seconds between the gun shots for the zombies to pinpoint it's location. He shot again, and again, until the first zombie came around the corner.
Amaryllis tugged at his arm, pulling him away as he continued to shoot at the empty space above the walkers heads. They spilled out into the hallway, groaning and growling, scrambling clumsily over one another. They were much faster than the zombies. Much, much faster. It would be way too easy to get out of there.
Atleast that's what they thought. One of the bullets bounced over the metal plaque beside a rotted zombie head, shattering one of the glass walls. The new group of walkers, about four of them, scrambled out into the hallway, but something about the way they moved had Matt lowering his gun and eyeing them in confusion as he walked backwards down the long hallway, keeping his distance. The new group of zombies all clambered to their feet, their movements less jerky and more precise than the others. Then, much to Matt and Amaryllis' horror and dismay, the zombies began to run.
Amaryllis screamed as they barreled down the hallway towards them. The other zombies continued on with their slow pace, growling in frustration. "What the hell?" Matt yelled in horror, shooting at them. They were gaining on them easily, so Matt turned away, plucking the sledgehammer up from it's perch leaning against the wall.
They took off running down the hallway, the white walls spinning dizzily around them as they raced passed lab after lab, one empty room after another. "How are they running?" Amaryllis cried breathlessly, shooting over her shoulder. Glass shattered, and she was sure she had narrowly missed the zombies head.
"Expirement gone wrong? I don't know! But there seems to be a lot of those lately!" Matt yelled in reply.
They turned a corner, and Matt stumbled a bit, slowing their pace for just a second, but it was enough for one of the zombies to be right on top of them. He twisted around as he ran, slinging the sledgehammer. It met the zombies head with a cracking sound, digging deep into the flesh and bone above it's right eye. One of the other zombies tripped over it, it's pace slowing before it regained it's footing. The other two zombies were right on their tail. Amaryllis shot over her shoulder, once and then twice, hardly even glancing back. The low thumping sound that followed signalled that she had killed one. They were nearing the front door now. Matt slowed his pace a little, readjusting his grip on the sledgehammer, and Amaryllis reached it first. She wrenched it open right as Matt slung the hammer at the zombie, narrowly missing it's head as it stealthily dodged his attack. It was like fighting a person. An alive person.
The zombie threw itself forward, it's jaws snapping at Matts extended arm. He felt it's teeth scrape hungrily against his flesh, leaving him unsure if it had broken the skin or not. Amaryllis raised her gun, shooting the zombie in the head. She twisted the other way, shooting the last zombie still running down the hallway.
More growls were echoing off of the walls, but the other zombies were far enough away. Matt dropped the sledge hammer, scrambling backwards away from Amaryllis. He pulled up his sleeve to examine his arm. It was red and there was alread a bruise forming. Dried blood caked half of his forearm, so he couldn't tell if the zombie had bitten him or not. But if the sting was anything to go by, it had. He dropped the gun, stepping backwards a few more steps. Amaryllis pointed her gun at his face.
He didn't object. He only stared at the gun as the seconds ticked by, raising his arms above his head. The only sound was their heavy breathing and the gutteral growls echoing down the dimly lit hallway. He counted outloud in a quiet, determined voice. "...5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15..."