When Brie got back to the station, she instantly went to the radio and began to repeat a message through.
"Hello, is anyone there? Any survivors? We need urgent help."
She sat for hours, repeating, waiting. She tried different frequencies in hopes that there would be someone else out there, but to no avail.
The night came and she sat at the radio, head drooping with drowsiness. Her exhaustion was finally kicking in, leaving her unable to get up and go to her bed. Instead, Brie simply lay her head down on the table and closed her eyes. Her head raced with emotions. Sadness, grief, anger...
As she felt herself slipping into sleep, she heard a crackle come from the radio. Her head shot up, pain shooting up her spine as her muscles cramped.
"H-Hello-" The white noise drowned out the voice, so Brie quickly turned the knob carefully to try get a cleaner channel.
"Hello? This is Josiah, I'm reaching out to find survivors. Are you there?"
Brie gasped, squealing with delight before responding. "I'm here, Josiah. This is Brie."
There was a quick pause before Josiah responded. "How are you doing, Brie? How many of you are there?" Brie could hear talking in the background. Were there more there too?
She leaned forward and propped the mic up to her mouth for ease. "There are four here. Three adults, one child. What about you?" She cringed as the radio crackled again, making it difficult to recognise Josiah's words.
"We have been picking survivors up since the infection began. We have a hospital in London that holds around two hundred people. You are welcome to join, assuming you are located in England. We can send men to gather you, and welcome you to our facility." Josiah sounded like he knew his stuff, so Brie took her chances carefully.
"I'm in the North-East, but that sounds amazing. I'll tell everyone the good news! But before I do anything, I do need to mention something to you." She lowered her voice.
"Yes?" Josiah seemed to do the same thing. She smiled, knowing he understood it was a secret. He seemed the playful type, it made her feel comfortable talking to him already.
"It's my brother. I recently discovered he was..." Tears brimmed her eyes. "He's infected. I want to find a cure before it takes over his body. Is there any way you can help me with that, Josiah?" She clenched her fists together, tensing with anticipation.
"Of course. Our team is actually very close to getting to that, our scientists have been working hard. We can't accept him into our area though. The guards will have to detain him, it is for safety precautions. I hope you understand." He let out a deep sigh. Josiah seemed to understand what Brie was going through.
"I'll be back, Josiah." She jumped up from her chair and ran to Adam and John, who were preparing for sleep.
"What's got you so bouncy?" John grumbled, wiping his eyes drowsily. Brie quickly explained what had happened and they all rushed to the radio. Melissa wandered in behind them, waking up from the commotion.
"Josiah, I brought the group. Meet John, Adam and Melissa. Adam is my brother." She looked at them, giving them a smile.
"It's very nice to meet you all. Now, I'm pretty sure the service is still up in your area, along with the power. It hasn't been too long, so if you give me your phone number we can chat through there and sort out a plan." Josiah spoke again, and Brie gave a swift nod before reciting her phone number.
Adam piped up. "So we're going to a... hospital?" He questioned, clearly suspicious of the plan.
"For survivors." She corrected, typing away on her phone. "Josiah is going to send men down to pick us up and guard us. It can't go wrong! We'll have protection, food, a place to stay..." Her voice trailed away.
"But there is one problem." She lowered her gaze from Adam. "You can't come in with us." She fidgeted with her sleeve, refusing to see his reaction.
"What? Is this because I'm infected?" He growled, slamming a hand to the wall in frustration.
"Adam, he said he has a team of scientists close to the cure! If we can just gain their trust and help them, we'll be able to save you! We'll have a chance!" Brie insisted, raising her voice slightly. Melissa recoiled behind John and frowned as the siblings argued.
"How will I know you're safe? What if he does something to you?" Adam yelled, his eyebrows furrowed with anger.
"It's our only choice for survival! I'm trying to help you!" Brie turned and stomped away, heading straight towards the exit. She pulled on her shoes and left, striding away from the station with adrenaline fuelling through her once again. Why couldn't he understand?
She jogged through the streets, finding an open field. She marched into it, sat down and sobbed. Everything was so difficult. She wanted her brother to be in the journey with her. He needed to survive.
As tears streamed down her face, she felt something soft brush up against her knee and a bell chimed. She looked down to see a white, fluffy cat. It had a feminine face, big red eyes and a small bell tied around her neck. Her tail twitched with joy as the small feline purred against Brie's knee.
"Hi..." Brie picked her up and planted her in her lap. "What's your name?" She cooed, searching her bell for a tag. "None. I guess I'll give you one."
She stared at the cat, thinking different names. Her hand stroked the soft cat and the vibrations of her purr were more than relaxing.
"How about Akame?" She pondered. The red-eyed cat let out a trill of agreement. "Akame it is!" Brie smiled, wiping her tears and laying down on the grass, letting Akame crawl onto her chest and lay.
The colour in the sky had already disappeared, leaving it a pale blue as the sun's rays slowly disappeared. Stars were already coming through, the dark shadows deciding to come out to play.
Brie gazed into the sky, feeling the warmth of the new companion. She slowly drifted off, letting her anger fade.
After a few hours, Akame nudged Brie's chin, waking her up effectively. She prodded her chest, and when Brie looked around she realised how late it was. Akame's bell sounded loudly as she stood up and stretched.
"Let's get rid of this, it's dangerous." She unclipped her collar and tickled her neck, smiling as the fluffy animal shook her pelt.
She stood up, watching as Akame stood by her side, ready to follow her.
"Let's go home."