Chapter 4: Cape Hatteras

(Author's Note: Sorry about the gap between updates, I've been waiting for inspiration to strike and I think y'all can see how that's working out for me :p Anyway, hope you enjoy... Picture of Zoey above :) -Bri*

Brittany's POV:

I lean against the desk and Keith examines the rifle I gave him. The sun is beginning to set and I can walk, but it doesn't feel that great. If I stay on it too long, it begins to hurt, but I'm not telling Keith that.

"You know how to make a molotov?" I ask.

He looks at me for a second before nodding.

"Then we should make some. I've already had a few thrown at me." I scoff.

He doesn't reply, he just stands up and goes over to the cabinets to search for the ingredients.

"Have you seen any sign of the others?" I ask.

"No, nothing. You're the first half sane person I've seen." He reply's.

"Hey, I take offence to that." I reply. I stand up and snatch a bottle from him, deciding helping will occupy me.

"Where were the boys at?" He suddenly asks after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know exactly, but I can take you there. We need to stay up high, because where we were, the Infected swarm at night." I reply.

He nods after we both finish out a second bomb, "I think this is good for now," I go over to a students desk and grab a black backpack, "Strap them on the side."

- - - - -

We peek over the roof and see that the Infected are most certainly down there. And there is something else down there as well.

We're currently on the roof of the building across from the one the boys and I were staying at. The bodies of the Hunters are still down there and I'm not surprised to see about six Infected down there as well. Some are even feeding on one Hunter which I try to ignore.

"What the hell is that thing?" Keith asks. I stare down at the overly large creature and reply, "I have no idea."

It looks like a man, but it's huge. It resembles a Sonus, it's obese with spores growing all over it, but because there is no sound that tells me that's not what it is. It appears to be blind, bumping into things here and there. I think it goes by sound.

"How do we get past it?" I whisper.

He pulls his backpack off and pulls out a molotov. He looks at me suggestively and I take it from him. I watch as it patrols the streets and soon gets close enough for me to throw. I hope my aim doesn't fail me now.

I light the rag and throw it, getting it in the back. It stumbles forward and lets out a yell of pain and anger as it's whole body catches fire and it thrashes around.

I wait to see it that was enough to kill it because I want to save as many as I can. After about thirty seconds the flames die out and it's skin is singed black, but it's still alive and angry.

It suddenly starts to yell and hit things all around it, trying to find the culprit.

Keith throws another, and this time the flames pull it to the ground and it's movements stop. The flames continue to burn and we can confirm that it's dead.

"Do you think that would have drawn the boys out?" Keith asks.

"Probably, they know I'm the only one stupid enough to come out at night." I reply. We watch the buildings and the ground for a few minutes, but nothing. The boys are probably long gone and out of this town if they're smart.

"We should go." Keith announces and I sigh in frustration.

"I can't just leave them, they needed to go to somewhere safe and I was supposed to help them get there." I snap.

"I'm sure they're fine, Britt." He retorts.

Suddenly something catches my eye from the right and I see a hotel room about six stories up with a flickering candle light in the window. That could be them... Then again it might not be.

"Lets go check it out." I get ready to climb down the roof but Keith grabs my arm, "Are you crazy? We don't know who that is."

"And we never will unless we check it out. They're obviously not Hunters and I don't think the Infected can light candles. With or without you, I'm going to find those boys." I snap and yank my arm from his, heading down the ladder with him following.

My leg still aches pretty bad, but I'll live. I can jog, but not full on run. For now it doesn't matter, as long as there's no Hunters.

We sneak our way through the streets and behind cars before eventually slipping into the hotel undetected. I quickly climb the stairs and draw my gun just in case. I go up to the correct door and listen, but hear nothing.

I knock on the door and get no reply. Keith readies his rifle and I knock again. This is obviously getting no where. I nod to Keith and back up, aiming at the door. Keith steps back and quickly walks forward, throwing his foot up, causing the door to swing open and hit the wall.

"Don't hit me with a pan again, Collin!" I yell before stepping in.

"Britt?" He comes around the corner of what I think was the bedroom. He had had a gun ready to hit me with.

"You honestly think I'd leave you there?" I ask. He shrugs his shoulders and Dylan comes out from safety. Keith shuts the door behind us just in case.

"How'd you make it out alive?" He asks.

"Well, I didn't make it out in one piece, but that doesn't matter. This is Keith, one of the guys I got here with. And I almost forgot." I walk up to him and pop him in the side of the head.

"What was that for?!" He snaps.

"For going outside and lighting a candle at night." I snap and go over to the light source that lead me here, as well as it could lead someone or something else here, and blow it out. The stars and moon give us just enough light to see each other.

"We had to! A Runner got inside and gunfire would have told them where we were. We tried to sneak out but it didn't work. And I saw you on the roof so I lit the candle to tell you where to go." He retorts.

"I thought Infected didn't come out during the day, and what's a Runner?" I ask.

"They do sometimes, and Runners are a type of Infected. They can see and they sure as hell can run." Collin reply's.

I nod in understanding of why they left and lit the candle. I guess I should have gotten the story first.

"Look," I sigh, "We're not heading West, we're heading for the coast to regroup. But I do have an idea. Keith, what Light House are we going to?" I ask.

"Cape Hatteras, why?" He asks.

"If you're willing Collin, you can come with us and after we regroup, we can take you home. It will be safer if you travel with us." I offer.

Keith nudges me in the side and gives me a look as if saying, 'What the hell?'

Collin seems to think for a minute before asking, "How far away is it?"

"About two days." I reply. He nods and say's, "We'll go."

I let out a sigh of relief and nod.

"We need to head East if we're going for the Coast, but we'll have to be careful, there's a quarantine zone down that way. We'll have no choice but to pass the outskirts of it." Collin announces.

"A quarantine zone? Isn't that good?" Keith ask.

"No. It's awful down there. They ration everything to the extent that you're lucky if you get a meal and they force you to train to fight. Usually you can be assigned different places, like to do outside work or become a Soldier. They're not like Hunters, but if they catch you, they'll force you inside if you're not Infected." He reply's.

"So if they catch you, they test you?" I ask wearily.

He nods, "It looks like a gun and they put it on your neck or arm, it either flashes red or green. An old friend managed to get out of the zone; he told me all about it."

I wonder if I will show up infected. Sure, I had the temporary antidote that seems to had worked, but I still have to wonder. I never got the permanent one, because the second I got my hands on it, we got cornered by my father and the soldiers back in the experiment. Wait, was I ever infected in the first place? I mean, it was just a simulator, right? Or did he actually put the virus inside of me?

"We can leave tomorrow night." Keith announces in obvious irritation.

- - - - -

The sun is now setting and we're getting ready to leave. The Hunters are about to retire and we want to get an early start on the Infected so we can travel a bit without having to hide in the process.

"If something happens, you two run, understand?" I ask the boys.

They nod and I'm satisfied I've gotten my point across.

"Alright, lets go." Keith announces and we follow him outside. All of the Hunters are gone and the Infected will be here soon if we don't go.

We jog about four hundred meters and still there's no sign of the Infected. I look back and see Dylan breathing hard, so we slow to a fast walk. He's young, but should be used to this. They must not be Wolves. I can't tell because there is still no sign of my Wolf coming back fully.

"Stop," Keith suddenly say's and looks forward, "In the alleyway! Run!"

We all take off and Keith stops when we're out of view just around the corner. We look back and see a searchlight land on the spot we were just in.

"Soldiers. We're near the quarantine zone," Collin confirms, "I'll show you, come on."

We follow the experienced but young boy into a four story hotel building and all the way to the roof. Once we're there, he makes us go prone and we peek over the roof. Down below, a few blocks away, to the left of where we were on the street is a large fenced in zone.

Many people walk the grounds inside the fence, as well as Soldiers prowl the outside of the fence, and bright large lights light the place up like a Christmas tree. Hell, why don't they just hold up a neon sign that say's, "Hey everyone! Over here, come and get us!"

Suddenly a voice announces, "Everyone is to now report to their designated sleeping areas, anyone caught outside after curfew will be confronted and persecuted."

It was a long distance a way and hard to hear, but still audible. Wow, it really does sound like a prison. I watch and can't help but feel bad for the people inside.

Suddenly thunder and lightening cracks, then it begins to rain.

"Anyone in a quarantine zone or outside is rebelling against the project, taking an alternative even though it may not be the best." Collin suddenly say's.

"Project? What project?" I ask, suddenly remembering my fathers words.

"Project Terminar. It's-" Keith suddenly interrupts him, "You're bloody kidding me!"

"What?" I ask.

"Look!" He snaps and points to a familiar red head with a familiar brunette. Zoey and Allison. They're in the quarantine zone.

"How do we get them out?" I ask. Suddenly a bright light blinds my vision and a loud voice announces, "All survivors please report to the quarantine zone or we will be forced to pursue you."

"S***! Run!" Keith yells. We bolt down the stairs and out the building. We go to round the corner and an Army truck suddenly corners us, all of them aiming guns.

"On the ground! Now!" One of them yells. Suddenly they come up behind us as well and force the boys and I down. When Keith refuses to do so, one takes the butt of his automatic gun and hits him in the knee, causing him to fall.

"He's clean." One of them suddenly say's, causing me look up from my kneeled position.

They had that scanner Collin was talking about and just got through testing Keith. They put it on the back of Dylan's neck and the back of the scanner flashes white for a second, then green.

They finish on Collin and then he does it to me. I feel the cold metal and I know I can't let him test me. I swing my arm around only to be shoved to the ground and two of them to hold me down.

He puts the scanner on my neck again and it beeps; it didn't do that with the guys.

"She's Infected." The Soldier confirms. One steps up to me and aims his automatic at my head, and I have no choice but to lay on the ground with the two Soldiers on top of me like a dog.