London Bridge Is Falling
Loose Knots
Helicopter blades slice through the air. It’s been quite sometime since I’ve been up in the air, it feels surreal. As we enter the military base, my eyes catch thousands of infected outside the walls; flamethrowers at the guard towers keep them at bay. I’ve never seen so many at once. I’m glad I’m not down there in the middle of that mess. When the chopper lands, we head into a large building with a couple hundred people in it working endlessly on computers. After being alone with just Alicia for so long, my brain has a hard time processing the amount of people here. We walk through two more sets of doors and enter a room. On the wall at the back is a large monitor with names on it. Jake: Status: Alive. Selena: Status: Alive. Jill: Status: Alive.
“What the fuck is this?” I ask.
“Cloning experiments.” Lara says quietly. “We tried cloning the original team’s DNA, just to increase numbers in our army.”
“Cloning?! Do you not remember what happened last time? We watched our friends die twice! I’m not gonna watch them die again.”
“Even if it means seeing Jake again, Dylan?”
“They have all the memories of before they died?”
“Yes.” She says. “Thanks to the cloning machine. Somehow, they’re able to remember everything.”
“Where is he?” I ask. I want to see him, but I also don’t want to. I’m sick of people dying. I killed him once, he died in front of me the next, and I can’t go through it again.
“Room 4c, waiting for you.”
I look at Alicia and she nods, telling me to go after him, to go get him. I run out of the room, pushing people on my way to the dorms. I don’t think I’ve ever run this fast in my entire life. The last time I seen Jake was in the plane, he sacrificed himself to save me, I don’t know how I can ever repay him. My stomach is in knots as I reach the room. I don’t know if I want to go in. My hand reaches for the knob and there’s no going back now. The door opens and there he stands, a little older, a little cuter, and a little more hairy.
“Dylan.” His chin trembles.
“J-Jake.” We both smack against each other, our arms tightly bound to one another. “Don’t leave me again.” I cry on his shoulder, I cry like I’ve never cried before.
“Never. I’ll never leave you. No matter what happens.”
“I love you, Jake.” I hug him tighter.
“I love you too.” He pulls away and takes a seat on the bed then pats beside him, signaling me to sit down.
“How long have you been...around?”
“Almost a year. I’ve been looking for you since I came back. It went black, Dylan. After I died the first time, then black again, like I was in a void, waiting to come back to you.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Have you seen the others? Jill, Selena?”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “They look great. When Lara told us she found you, they couldn’t contain themselves.”
“I can’t wait to see them.” I say as Jake stands up, heading for the door. I grab him. “Jake. I can’t watch you die again.”
“I won’t. I promise.” He gives me a reassuring smile and kisses me on the cheek.
“What the fuck is this?” I ask.
“Cloning experiments.” Lara says quietly. “We tried cloning the original team’s DNA, just to increase numbers in our army.”
“Cloning?! Do you not remember what happened last time? We watched our friends die twice! I’m not gonna watch them die again.”
“Even if it means seeing Jake again, Dylan?”
“They have all the memories of before they died?”
“Yes.” She says. “Thanks to the cloning machine. Somehow, they’re able to remember everything.”
“Where is he?” I ask. I want to see him, but I also don’t want to. I’m sick of people dying. I killed him once, he died in front of me the next, and I can’t go through it again.
“Room 4c, waiting for you.”
I look at Alicia and she nods, telling me to go after him, to go get him. I run out of the room, pushing people on my way to the dorms. I don’t think I’ve ever run this fast in my entire life. The last time I seen Jake was in the plane, he sacrificed himself to save me, I don’t know how I can ever repay him. My stomach is in knots as I reach the room. I don’t know if I want to go in. My hand reaches for the knob and there’s no going back now. The door opens and there he stands, a little older, a little cuter, and a little more hairy.
“Dylan.” His chin trembles.
“J-Jake.” We both smack against each other, our arms tightly bound to one another. “Don’t leave me again.” I cry on his shoulder, I cry like I’ve never cried before.
“Never. I’ll never leave you. No matter what happens.”
“I love you, Jake.” I hug him tighter.
“I love you too.” He pulls away and takes a seat on the bed then pats beside him, signaling me to sit down.
“How long have you been...around?”
“Almost a year. I’ve been looking for you since I came back. It went black, Dylan. After I died the first time, then black again, like I was in a void, waiting to come back to you.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Have you seen the others? Jill, Selena?”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “They look great. When Lara told us she found you, they couldn’t contain themselves.”
“I can’t wait to see them.” I say as Jake stands up, heading for the door. I grab him. “Jake. I can’t watch you die again.”
“I won’t. I promise.” He gives me a reassuring smile and kisses me on the cheek.