There's always a point in life that makes you rethink every choice you've ever made, like, "If I just hadn't opened this one door, maybe I wouldn't be dealing with a dead guy on the floor and people losing their lunches."
**Two minutes earlier...**
On the other side of the doors, I could vaguely hear One say coldly, "I've been suspicious of you from the beginning. Even with your IDs registered with the corporation, you don't seem like security operatives. And now you're trying to stop us from rebooting the Red Queen? Fine. Zheng, come with us." That's when I decided to walk in. The sweat on my back went ice-cold as their heads snapped toward me, all with intense "Pinche güey, ni sabes dónde te metiste." glares.
AN:("Stupid fool, you don't even know what you walked into.")in my head it sounded better in spanish for some reason.
I snapped off a salute. "Perimeter secure, sir. No signs of any survivors nor have we found any bodies, Sir." (If there's one talent I have, it's bullsh—erm, improvising under pressure. Compulsive lying: sometimes a feature, not a bug.) One just gave me a stony nod. "Stay sharp and report anything."
"Yes, sir!" I did a quick exit before he caught the sarcasm.
(How did I end up in that situation? Right—I was snooping for loot and got curious about what everyone else was doing. Apparently, nosiness has a body count.)
I slipped out with a sigh. "Dodged a bullet." (Literally.) I couldn't help but think, *Here comes the part where our mercenary friends start dropping like flies, and Zheng—ever the plot-armored hero—saves One. Ah, the perks of being a main character.*
Walking back to the other two mercs, I said, "Shyte just got real in there. Some dude tried to run—" They whipped around with guns aimed, then rolled their eyes as the female merc commented, "I wish I could just shoot you and be done with it." The other merc smirked and said, "Keep point, trainee. We're still on mission."
Thinking about it, this guy did pull me back when One ordered the rest to follow... Maybe he really thinks I'm a trainee or something. He even gave me his sidearm. If he survives, I might actually ask his name.
We scoped the area a couple of times, and on the last lap, there it was—our first zombie. Lab coat, slightly lumbering, yet almost peaceful, like it had just clocked out for the day. This is the part where we should pull out a knife and plant it in its skull (guns attract more zombies—basic survival 101, right?). But no... the female merc put her left arm out, trying to calm the zombie, saying, "Ma'am, I need you to stay where you are and answer a few questions to confirm your identity. Then, maybe we can get you some help!" At least she still pointed her gun with her right hand.
Seeing the zombie about to lunge, I didn't hesitate—I planted my knife in its forehead before it could grab her. Shocked at what I just did, and how I did it, they pointed their guns at me. I quickly raised my hands. "She was lunging. Look at her—pale as a ghost, with that lovely blue tinge. Classic infected." *(Yep, T-virus at its finest.)*
Lowering their guns but still cautious, the female merc said, "You're pretty sharp for a trainee. Thanks." "Not a problem," I replied. She then spoke into her radio, informing One of the situation, and he replied, letting us know about our losses... Well—there goes the medic! She was kinda hot.
We continued to secure the perimeter until One and the others met up with us. The female merc, now known as Rain, reported, "Sir, we found a survivor, but she's gone mad. She almost bit me." One shot me a suspicious look, eyes shifting to the zombie on the ground, my knife handle sticking out like a flag. He didn't even flinch. "We're out. Now." Rain blinked. "Wait, aren't we supposed to wait here for backup once we—" One cut her off. "Backup? What backup? Move!"
I heard Jie mutter something to One, though I couldn't catch it. Glasses Girl, however, seemed to.
Glasses Girl walked over to Jie and asked, "You just reminded them. Aren't you afraid of changing the plot?" Jie laughed. "You guys are the fearless ones. You changed the plot as newbies and survived. Look at your watch—One's name isn't there anymore."
Taking a glance at the watch, like the others, I saw that One's name had indeed vanished. Jie sneered at us. "We're free to move from now on. Remember, you can do anything as long as it means surviving." He thought for a moment and added, "If I were in your position, with the lack of stamina, reaction speed, and weapons, I'd follow the group back to the Red Queen's room. At least you'll be safe a little longer." And they went back to pointlessly talking about things I didn't care about.
While they were at it, a metallic sound came from afar. Rain and JD (so that's his name) cautiously moved forward. After a few steps, a man in a white lab coat appeared from around the corner, with a few more people stumbling and lumbering behind him. JD pointed at them. "Stop there! Or I will open fire!" But these "people" clearly wouldn't stop—they were already infected with the T-virus. Soon, even more were staggering out from all sides of the room. Some wore uniforms, others lab coats. Some had started rotting; others had totally deformed legs.
Then I saw Zheng staring at the lights above the Lickers' chambers. They were red instead of green. Oh fook… what now?