Chapter 2
Days Since Incident: 1,095
Time: 14:02
Place: 40.3360N, 74.2911W
Climate: 70F
"CAPTAIN!? CAPTAIN CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Ron yelled to his radio in distress. His face was flushed, and his breathing was erratic. He began to pace the small, overheated, smelly closet, holding his black bike helmet underneath his arm. "We are on the south side of the building interior!" His voice began to shake. "We are hidden inside a small closet!" Ron's partner, Mike, was also scared, not knowing what to do. Mike kept shadowing Ron, hoping that his companion would come up with a plan to get them out of their predicament. There were only a few empty shelves blocking the only entrance, and it became increasingly obvious with each strike from the dozens of Chasers outside, the door would give way.
There were a few civilians stuck inside the closet with them. They looked like they had been hiding there for what seemed like weeks; piles of cans, rags, and feces scattered amongst the floor. Unbeknownst to the first group of Outriders, the building was littered with rodent carcasses, diseased ridden human cadavers, and walking hybrid and human Chasers. And due to the small group of civilians living in the building, it attracted a large amount of hungry Chaser; far more than normal. The sheer amount of them was too much for the young new recruits to handle. This was their first mission with their Captain alone, and all they wanted to do was head back to the safety of their walls. Though they originally joined the Outriders, they couldn't help but feel inadequate for the job.
As the Outriders continued to wait in silence for a response from their Captain, the closet regained a brief moment of hush. The Chasers outside the closet stopped their attempts to break in. The civilians didn't bother talking to the two men; they kept to themselves, huddling in the corner for safety. They were covered in blood, dirt, and looked to have not eaten for days. Their eyes were sunken in, and their hair was caked in mud. They were weak, and dehydrated, looking to be inches away from death. There were two kids, a boy and girl, wearing nothing but rags.
There were two fully grown females, and two males, ranging from early twenties to mid-fifties. They were equally battered, if not worse. Any longer, and they would've turned due to the lack of food and water. It was by chance that the two Outriders came across them, having only ran inside the closet after being chased by multiple Chasers. Their Captain had gone to another floor by herself, and had instructed the two to avoid Chasers at all cost. They were still new to the entire thing, that they didn't even know how to react when they finally noticed the civilians.
"W-w-who are you?" The young female adult asked with a raspy voice after a few minutes of silence. She sounded as if she had smoked all her life, never having had a glass of water for weeks, if not months. The two Outriders kept quiet, ignoring the group altogether. They remained focused on the radio, hoping to hear something.
"WE ASKED WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS?!" The eldest man yelled, clearly irate. He lunged towards the men, arms outreached, as if attempting to grab them. Without hesitation, Mike grabbed the man`s arm, twisted it behind him, and pinned him to the wall. Though they were relatively knew, they were trained by their Captain in hand to hand combat. At that moment, the group of adults lunged at them, trying to disarm the two men.
"STOP IT!" Ron said, aiming his loaded gun to the deranged group. All of a sudden, the top hinge of the closet door came flying across the room. The Chasers from before increased their charge with ferocity, as they continued to crash into the door. Their drive to get inside the closet was fueled by their hunger. The group of civilians quickly pulled back from the Outriders, their eyes glued to the failing door. The smaller shelves had already fallen, leaving only a large empty shelf to act as a barricade. They had a few minutes, if not seconds, before the door and shelf gave way.
Ron aimed his gun at the door as Mike drew out his small sword. They were unsure about what their next moves would be. The group of civilians huddled behind the two men, afraid of what was about to come in. There were numerous types of Chasers around the area, from former humans to dogs. It would only take seconds for them to kill and devour them, and the thought of being eaten alive was not something that the Outriders were ready for. The banging continued to get louder, and the door began to open wider. Human arms began to push in, screams and growls could be heard growing louder.
Then as quickly as it started, the banging stopped. They heard the loud cries and moans from the Chasers as something attacked them. The group remained quiet as the two Outriders held a shaky grip of their weapons. It remained aimed to the door, ready to kill whatever massive monster attacked the Chasers.
The cries and moans continued for the next few seconds, until there was nothing but silence. They suddenly heard someone or something walking towards the closet door, before knocking. "Hey, are you guys done fucking around in there?" a familiar voice asked. The two guys sighed in relief, before dropping their weapons.
"CAPTAIN GRAE!" They screamed in unison.
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