After a couple of hours like this, The Kid halted, insisting on a brief break. He didn't necessarily need rest, at least not to look at him, but he had
felt
something up ahead, he said. Uncertain as to exactly what it was, though fairly sure it had something to do with the Dead, he suggested that somebody small and light on their feet might like to run along ahead and scout things out. Sister immediately jumped at the opportunity, nearly flying out of the minibus and grabbing her bow and a quiver of arrows on her way.
About an hour passed before she returned, by which time we had started to worry. She climbed up into the minibus, saying that there was a massive group of Dead up ahead, but that they were way too far away to be a real threat, at least not yet. The only real problem, as far as Sister could tell, was that this enormous horde of shamblers just happened to cover the very mountain that housed the Facility. All of their attention seemed focussed inwards, so we were able to assume that there was a similar situation as that which had occurred at The Think Tank. This meant at the very least, several thousand Dead to break through to reach relative safety. Very relative, if The Smart Couple's latest messages were to be believed.
noon
Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled. We had informed those at The Facility of our approach, and the rather bitey obstacle course that awaited us. Their reply was not particularly heartening.
We know about the Dead topside. Not able to help with thinning their numbers unfortunately.
A few minutes went by where the eight of us, The Kid having rejoined us after lunch, sat around looking at one another in utter despondency. Then the phone jangled once more.
Secondary entrance. Head to the west on next road. Take the dirt path that heads north up the mountain. Lots of Dead that way too, but hundreds rather than thousands.
Archer started up the mini-bus once more, the rest of us climbing back inside while The Kid returned to his snowshovelling duties. Going was still incredibly slow, though once we arrived at the western fork of the road and began travelling along it the snow appeared less dense on the ground, despite the fact that it still fell steadily. Sister mentioned it out loud, Archer reminding her that The Facility was supposedly housed inside a volcano, though he had assumed it to be dormant. Apparently it wasn't.
evening
We found the dirt path easily enough. The snow at this point, though it still fell just as thick, melted almost the very instant it touched the warm ground. Unfortunately this rendered the dirt path rather muddy. Apocalypse Girl sent The Smart Couple a message, informing them that we had arrived at the base of the dirt path, and that we intended to climb up it tomorrow. With any luck we would not take too much time getting up to the back door, and there wouldn't be too many Dead to handle. Perhaps The Kid's trick would work again, and we would be inside long before they returned seeking flesh. As we sat around eating our evening meal, we spoke of what may occur once we get inside The Facility. We knew that there were experiments being performed there on the Living. This was something that had to stop, to be sure. The Smart Couple would help any way that they were able, but Apocalypse Girl rightly stated that they might be in a position of complete impotence. We may very well be on our own once we get inside.
Just as I was starting to doze off to sleep, a knocking came from without. Everyone inside the mini-bus jumped up into orbit, before Archer opened up the door, pistol in hand. Elder, the strange old Aboriginal guy stood there in the snow, barefoot as usual. “G'day! Thought I'd at least knock before coming on in. Good thing, too, or this bloke might have taken me head off!” Archer put the gun away and Elder climbed inside.
“
I just needed to tell you fellas something. I know where you're heading, and I don't like the idea. It feels like some kind of trap to me.” I assured him that we knew all about it and were more than prepared. He nodded. “Yup, sure. I can tell you've got things well in hand, but just don't be too trusting of anybody in there that you don't
know!
” He smiled, showing a gap where two front teeth once resided. Apocalypse Girl asked him how he was able to keep up with us, him being on foot and us having access to a vehicle. Elder's smile broadened. “That's my special trick really. I already told you fellas a while back, I just kinda
slip
here and there. It's easier than you can imagine, really, but it isn't something that can be taught, not to just anybody. Finding tea where there isn't any is easier than that though.
She
can learn it...” His finger pointed at Apocalypse Girl. “But I don't know if she ever will.”
“
It'd be pretty damn handy if I can learn it, but I don't see how it's even possible!” Apocalypse Girl said, chuckling slightly. Elder fixed her with a glare, saying that it is no laughing matter. She apologised. The old man's smile returned, almost as if it had never vanished. He then went on to say that these are things that either will happen or they won't. Just because he has dreamed something doesn't necessarily mean that it will come to pass.
Elder stayed with us for a little while longer, maybe an hour or so, then opened up the door, bade us all goodbye and vanished into the darkness and snow.
May 4thYear 1 A.Z.
morning
Sister was out scouting, counting up the relative numbers of Dead awaiting us at the rear entrance of The Facility. Apocalypse Girl was cracking the occasional joke about leaving this fucked up world behind, just drifting between dimensions until we can find somewhere safe, with few or preferably no Dead. The Kid was enquiring of any and everybody about Elder, where had we first met the guy, how was he able to just pop in and out the way he did. I told him what I knew and he shook his shaggy, limp-maned head in amazement.
Archer handed me a bowl of warmed up baked beans, telling me with a grin that it was indeed the last of the canned crap and that all we had left right now was the munchies that we had acquired at the last service station. Were we not in close proximity to The Facility I might have despaired over our situation. On the other hand, considering the news from The Smart Couple about that particular place and what is now going on there... perhaps the despair was starting to creep in at least a little bit, after all.
Viking opened the mini-bus's door to admit Sister upon her return, and she shook off a layer of fresh, grey snow before nimbly leaping up into the vehicle. “Well, there's a lot up ahead. Nothing we can't handle, but I was thinking maybe
he
could do something about them?” She nodded in the direction of The Kid.
“
That's one thought, but I reckon we shouldn't reveal all of his tricks just yet.” Archer told her, his tone contemplative. “No, we need to clear the door the normal way for now. Maybe we can ask those lovely fellows at The Facility if they will kindly assist us, though I think that unlikely as well.” Apocalypse Girl pulled her phone out, typing a quick message to The Smart Couple while Archer continued. “We should take the mini-bus up the road a klick or two, leave it just out of sight of the doors. They know we're coming in this heap of shit, but out-of-sight out-of-mind, as they say. If we can keep it hidden we'll have an emergency escape vehicle for if and when we need it.” Viking suggested that we disconnect the battery in order to make certain it retains some charge while we visit with our new 'friends' at The Facility. “That's a bloody good idea, too. Just the one terminal, though. No need to make it too much of a head-fuck to deal with if we're on the run from The Facility with a bunch of Dead after us as well.”
Valkyrie sat behind the wheel, starting the engine as we all checked our weapons. My sword was as pristine as the day I had first found it, despite the vast numbers of Dead skulls it had sheared through over the last couple of months. Once again I sent a mental thank-you to whoever had left it behind for me to discover. Sister had maybe a dozen arrows left in her quiver, but we all had at the very least a pistol, apart from The Kid, and Apocalypse Girl, Archer and Viking all carried assault rifles with them. Viking's hammer was looking well-used and heavily stained by the blood and brains and other glorp from the remains of the many Dead he had slaughtered with the thing.
noon
Not long in the mini-bus, maybe half an hour later Valkyrie pulled to the side of the dirt track, swinging the mini-bus around so that it faced away from us. Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled, a message from those at The Facility telling us that there would be some limited support at the door. The Kid suggested that he could get rid of the Dead that milled around the entrance easily enough, then I reminded him that we couldn't exactly trust everybody in that place. He nodded, saying that he felt uneasy about all of this. Quietly he confided that he was pretty sure these people would want to dissect and study him in detail. Apocalypse Girl, as ever at my side, asked him if he really thought they were going to kill him.
“
They're gonna try to. I don't think it can be done, though. I tried it myself a couple of times, but I heal pretty fucking quick these days. I couldn't even shoot myself in the head. Eventually I stopped trying, though. Do any of you know how much a bullet to the head
hurts?
” We all chuckled at that. “Right, probably not, hey? Anyway, it turns out that regenerating that big fuck-off hole that a hollow-point leaves behind is a thousand times worse. All those bits of brain and bone and shit. I was aware of every little detail.” Our mirth subsided somewhat.
We all exited the mini-bus, carefully keeping an eye out for anything, anyone unusual. The Kid would no doubt be able to warn us if any Dead came near, but this close to The Facility, and the unknown survivors within... We weren't taking any unnecessary chances, let's just keep it at that.
Interestingly, the snow continued to fall, though it seemed to melt before it ever got near to the ground, even to the point of evaporation. Remembering back to our time at The Think Tank, being informed that The Facility was situated on, or more likely inside of, a volcano. I always figured it would probably be a dormant volcano, though the welcome warmth working its merry way through the soles of my boots belied that supposition. In any event, the mist formed from the quickly freezing water vapour was somewhat disturbing, a kind of deep grey fog that was almost thick enough to need my blade to cut through it. Fortunately this fog rose to no more than about waist height, though any crawling Dead would be rendered almost invisible.
Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled.
Draw them away from the door, please
read the message. We had approached to within visual range, and there were rather a lot of Dead just standing around. In actual fact, there could be considered to be fucking shitloads of Dead just standing around. Archer signalled us all to keep low and quiet, whispering that we should all open fire at once, making sure we put down at least some of them when we get their attention.
Taking careful aim, we opened up on the Dead. Several fell, everybody taking down at least one shambling corpse in the first burst but The Kid, but then there was no weapon that his enlarged, mutated hands would have fit into. In any case, he now had his own 'natural' weapons in the form of several-centimetre long talons sprouting from the ends of his fingers.
These Dead were slow to react, thankfully, and we were able to get off another couple of well-aimed attacks on their rear before they were fully aware of our presence. Once they knew we were there, on the other hand, they began to slowly, inexorably, swarm in our direction. We opened fire, each one of us picking off Dead one by one as they drew nearer. The Kid, once the horde drew near enough, sprang into their midst, tearing heads from bodies and tossing them off into the distance with remarkable ease. The crowd of Dead, naturally, ignored him completely, seeing him as one of their own, making his assault that much easier, more deadly.
My pistol jammed on me as the Dead grew ever closer and I put the thing away, rather than waste time trying to fix it, and drew my blade. Apocalypse Girl stood at my side, blasting away with her own assault rifle, set to single fire, each round finding the brain of a Dead one. I stood still, just waiting for the Dead to approach within reach of my blade. Viking and Valkyrie had adopted a similar stance, with Archer and Sister between them. Valkyrie was blasting happily away at Dead while Viking belaboured any that drew near with his sledge hammer. Sister was down to her last shaft, each one that she had let fly so far had found it's way into the head of a Dead, now dead, one.
Archer had just emptied his last clip into the slavering faces of the dozen or so Dead surrounding him, then reversed the gun to use as a club. He howled with pain as his hand grasped the red-hot barrel, but began to swing the weapon at any nearby Dead while Sister fired her final arrow. It flew into the skull of a Dead one behind me that I hadn't even noticed as it prepared to sink it's teeth into my flesh.
The Kid swooped down on Archer and Sister an instant before they were to be overrun by the Dead, jumping to safety before depositing them next to Valkyrie and Viking, who immediately handed Archer his own gun. The grizzled veteran opened fire once more, mowing down more Dead before they could get too close for comfort.
I spun around in a circle, my blade extended at average head-height, slicing through several, cutting off a couple and lacerating the chest of one particularly tall Dead who responded to my attack by swinging his arms wildly in my direction. Unfortunately one blow connected, sending me flying away from Apocalypse Girl, leaving her to face the giant Dead alone.
She swore quietly to herself, then raised her rifle to aim at the thing's head. Pulling the trigger, nothing happened. She had run out of ammunition at an incredibly unfortunate moment. Giant Dead launched a punch in her direction that she easily dodged, dancing away from the monster and towards me for a moment while she reloaded her rifle. Bringing the gun up to her face she drew a bead on the Giant Dead and fired. Her bullet hit the enormous Dead one square between the eyes, knocking its head backwards.