Episode 18: Hate

A hush fell over the decimated room as everyone gazed at the eighteen-wheeler that had just crashed through the ceiling. No one spoke, or even moved for a moment.
A slow moan was creeping through the door that Elli and a couple of his compatriots had just run through. No one noticed that it had been damaged by the blows to the structural integrity of the complex and the shockwave of the truck hitting the ground.
Joe, Nataliya, and most of the other people who worked in that room had managed to press themselves against the wall in time. They were now crouched behind a desk that had been uprooted and overturned by the crash.
Todd, Waldo, Zach, Sally, and that group were all crouched next to the door, where they had been when Elli and his companions came running in. None of them had any cover besides the elevation of the rest of the room; they could see the truck, but unless the person in it was looking carefully, they wouldn’t be seen.
Elli and his companions were out of sight of the rest of them.
After a moment of silence, besides the clawing and moaning of the zombies on the other side of the door, and the low rumble of the engine of the large truck trying to start up again, Nataliya upholstered a small handgun.
"I’m going to go check it out," She whispered to Joe. Before he could stop her, she was running across the room, disturbing the still-settling dust. She held her gun gust like they do in movies like this, pointing it cautiously at the truck.
When she was about two feet away, she slowed and creeped up to the door. She grabbed the handle and hesitated a moment, then swung it open.
"No…!" Joe began to cry out.
Nataliya spun and pointed her gun into the truck, and a loud bang rang out.
She fell backwards, a pool of blood seeping from the gaping wounds in her chest.
"Shit!" Zach screamed out.
"Nataliya!" Erupted from Joe’s mouth. He pulled out his gun-a small handgun just like hers-and pointed it at the cab of the truck. "Come out you bastard!" he screamed, holding the tears back with the drive for vengeance.
No sound returned from the truck. Joe stood up, and motioned for the rest of his men to follow. He began to advance and, though first they hesitated, they followed. Joe followed much the same approach as Nataliya had, but rather than hesitating before the door, he let loose a barrage of bullets into the cab. When his gun was empty, he tossed it into the cab and grabbed another one from his side. He looked into the cab.
It was empty, except for some bullet holes and the gun he had just thrown.
"Shit! Fan out! Find the fucker!" He screamed. His men fearfully followed orders.
He knelt down next to Nataliya. She smiled weakly at him, somehow still alive.
"Oh… Orders Sir?"
"You’re relieved of duty, Nataliya," He smiled softly.
"Oh, th… thank you sir…." Her voice faded.
"I’m sorry you had to go this way, Nataliya…"
"Well.. I’ll be right back…"
"No," he whispered sadly, "You won’t."
His arm recoiled from the side of her head; her eyes were now blank, and blood was seeping from just above her ear now.
A spot of wet dropped into her blank left eye.
More drops of wet fell onto both of them, from the sky above. No one actually noticed that it was raining.
Joe stood up.
"Joe!" Sally suddenly cried out.
"What is it, Sally?" The tragedy was out of his eyes; it had been replaced by a new resolve.
"We have to evacuate the room! This door… It’s not going to hold!"
"Dammit! Everyone, get to the East Door!"
A shotgun blast rang out through the room.
"Shit!" Joe screamed. "Someone take down that psycho!"
"We can’t sir!" A man running from behind the truck called out to him. "He’s too fast! He keeps screaming… Urk!" The man fell, a grouping of bullet wounds in his chest.
"HATE! HATE YOU ALL!" Sunny screamed, pointing the shotgun at Joe.
"Get DOWN!" he screamed, rolling to the left, just as the shot erupted from the gun. Sunny quickly reloaded both barrels, and went running after him. He continued screaming variants of "hate you all."
"Joe!" Sally screamed, and was about to run up to save him, when Zach pushed her back down.
"No way, this psycho’s mine."
He dashed up the short ramp, and spun to look at Sunny, unsheathing his sword. Sunny was pointing his shotgun at Joe, who had his own gun pointed at Sunny.
"Hey, shotgun!" Zach screamed. "Leave Joe Schmoe here alone!"
Sunny didn’t turn around, but a new frown curled on his lips at the sound of his voice. It was very much an upside down smile, not just a frown. It scared the hell out of Joe, and he dropped his gun. Sunny nodded and turned to Zach.
"I’m going to hate hating you," he hissed between his teeth. He pointed the shotgun at Zach, and fired.
With a motion of sheer fluidity, one that almost wasn’t his own, Zach swung Twin Scarlet River in an upward arch. It gracefully slid through the path of each piece of shrapnel, deflecting them. Both Zach and Sunny stopped for a moment, reveling in the impossibility. Joe sat, mouth agape, unable to reach for his gun.
"What?" Zach yelled, questioning the incident in general.
"I hate that," Sunny growled. He didn’t bother to reload his gun; rather, he dashed away, running through a door that even Joe didn’t know was there.
Zach snarled, sheathed his sword, and ran after him.
As soon as he was through the door, a large crack sounded from the main hall. Zach spun, and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t go out.
"Shit," He screamed. Another crack sounded. He spun and began running, top speed, down the passageway. More cracks and snaps sounded from the main hall, and then some incoherent screaming. Zach didn’t bother to look back.
He turned a corner, and hit a heavy, steel door. He yanked on the handle, but it didn’t come; he pushed, and it gave a little. He stepped back and took a breath, then pushed with all his strength; it wouldn’t open far enough to let him through.
He took the sword back out, and lifted it. He shut his eyes, and swung it rapidly and randomly.
He re-sheathed it and opened his eyes. He grinned as a rectangle, slightly bigger than him, fell forwards out of the door. It pivoted at the center, and fell forward, revealing a very thick tree trunk fallen in front of it.
"What the fuck?" Zach asked aloud. He pulled his sword back out before he climbed on top of the door to peek out.
In every direction, for as far as he could see, stood tall trees.
"It’s an arboretum," Sunny’s voice echoed out from all directions. "I hate them."
"Dammit," Zach grumbled, "I want to kill zombies!" He ran off through the trees, watching out for Sunny as he went.




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