Damned Are We

by Durman, Jason

  "Those Leapers won't be able to get at us in here, will they?" Markus asked nervously.

  "Not unless they can break down a bolted steel door," Corvo replied. "If it turns out that they can, then we never real y had much of a chance anyway."

  Jacob sat on a wooden crate, staring blankly at a can of cold baked beans in his hand. He had taken

  a couple of mouthfuls, and then found himself longing for a gril ed steak.

  "Hey. Uh, you gonna eat that?" Markus' voice cut into his thoughts.

  He looked over to see that the former business man had already finished his tin of peaches.

  "I've been carrying this damn can around in my backpack for three days," Jacob growled. "You can damn-wel bet I'm going to eat it!"

  Markus spread his palms in a gesture of peace. "Okay, man. Just askin'."

  Corvo was sitting on the cold concrete floor, leaning against a wall. He reached into a smal , crinkled bag sitting next to him and fished out a stale cracker. As he chewed, he glanced over at Samantha

  as she wandered around the room, looking around. There were a number of safety bul etins posted

  by the Civil Emergency and Defence Agency, otherwise known as CEDA. The flyers gave

  instructions on remaining uncontaminated, namely by avoiding direct contact with the Infected,

  among other things. Samantha chuckled to herself when she realised that she and her group had

  broken pretty much every single one of CEDA's rules. They were stil not infected yet, so that was

  good, right?

  She had then looked over the official maps and documents that hung over the table, but it was

  obvious that they were al outdated. So now Samantha had taken to perusing the graffiti scrawled on

  the wal s of the safe-room. There were several messages left for loved ones, amid countless prayers

  for salvation. One particularly nice individual had taken the liberty of writing down a list of known

  evacuation sites.

  "Hey, guys," she cal ed out. "Jameson Hospital is the nearest evac zone. It looks like it's the only one left in Fairfield. There is another one in the town of Riverside, but that's miles west of here. There's also some military outpost called Echo, but it's all the way in the Al egheny National Forest. It looks

  like Mercy is the only realistic option we have..."

  Samantha turned back to the wall and continued to browse through the writings. One message in

  particular caught her attention.

  WE ARE THE REAL MONSTERS. WE ALL DESERVE THIS.

  She then noticed that someone had scribbled a response under it, which made her chuckle.

  Maybe you do. I didn't do anything.

  "Hey, kid," Corvo cal ed her over. "You should eat something."

  Samantha walked over and knelt down in front of him, accepting a cracker proffered to her. She

  reached into her backpack and pulled out a small, disposable lunch-pack of peanut butter, which she

  dipped the cracker into. She offered the peanut butter to Corvo, but he declined with a wave of his

  hand.

  "My last pack," she said ruefully.

  Corvo chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll get you some more soon."

  "I hope so. We just ate the last of our food."

  An hour later, Jacob was asleep in a corner of the room, while Samantha sat on the floor, leaning her

  back against a stack of old drums as she dismantled her M1911. Despite the fact that she was more

  than ready to enter the Sandman's embrace, she rummaged through Jacob' backpack for the small

  wire-brush that had been kept for cleaning firearms. If she neglected maintaining her pistol any

  longer, she could find herself in a lot of trouble. Corvo and Markus stood by the door, conversing

  quietly.

  "It is nice to be able to sit down for a minute without having to look over my shoulder," he was saying. "These safe-rooms – ingenious!"

  "We can't stay here for long," the grizzled veteran said, motioning down at Markus' injuries. "We have to get you onto a helicopter, pronto."

  He nodded in agreement. "Not to mention that those two Leapers might stil be tracking us."

  "Get some rest," Corvo sighed. "I'll take the first watch."

  "I thought that these rooms were 'safe'?" the younger man argued.

  "Son, I'm not taking any chances."

  Markus walked over to Samantha, who looked up as he approached. "How're you doing?" he asked,

  sitting down next to her.

  "Okay, I guess," she replied.

  "Hey, I've got a question for you."

  "Shoot."

  "You were a col ege student, right? So how'd you get so good with guns?"

  Samantha sighed, as though she was recal ing a bad memory. "My dad was a cop. He was heading

  up through the ranks quickly too, right before my parents split."

  "Oh, I'm sorry," Markus said.

  The girl shook her head. "It's fine. Anyway, he had this dream that, one day, I'd join the force just like him. He was always taking me to firing ranges, teaching me self-defence, stuff like that. He also got

  me into horror movies. I wasn't a boy, but he always treated me like the son he never had."

  "Wel , you have a natural gift with guns."

  "Um, thanks, I guess?" She turned her face toward him. "And what about you? How does a 'Junior Systems Analyst' get so good with guns?"

  "Wel , I always used to go to the local firing range at lunch. I don't know why, and my co-workers

  gave me hel for it. In hindsight, I guess I was just unhappy at my job, and it was a way for me to

  blow off some steam. I was actual y working up the courage to quit my job when all this Green Flu

  shit went down."

  "I was dropping out of col ege."

  Markus chuckled. "Man, how stupidly insignificant our problems back then seem now, huh?"

  Samantha smiled in reply and offered him the wire-brush.

  He looked down at the state of his gun, and then accepted the brush. "Tel you what; I've got a new set of goals now."

  "What's that?"

  "Live long enough to succeed."

  Samantha chuckled.

  "I've got a new set of tools too," Markus continued as he dismantled his weapon for cleaning. "Guns and sharp objects."

  Samantha laughed at that one.

  Her companion shook his head. "With any luck, I'll be able to figure out how the new management

  operates before they get a chance to murder me."

  "They've already had plenty of chances," she pointed out. "You're stil standing."

  The two sat in a contemplative silence for a moment, before Markus turned his head toward her

  again.

  "Hey, uh... I've got another question for you."

  "Shoot." Samantha glanced down at the firearm cradled in his lap. "Not literal y though."

  Markus did not chuckle this time. "How come you said you're sorry to that infected woman after you

  shot her?"

  "You heard that, huh?"

  He nodded.

  Samantha sighed and stared blankly ahead for a few moments. "Well, they're people too, you know?

  It might not seem like it when they're trying to rip your head off, but they used to be just like us. And

  we'll end up just like them if we get infected."

  "Do you always apologise to them when you shoot them?"

  "I used to," she said, gazing down at her pistol absently. "But not so much anymore. It's getting easier to shoot them. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or if I should be worried."

  "Wel , it's al about self-defence. And survival," Markus pointed out.

  "But having thoughts, emotions, and humanity is what separates us from them."

  Corvo grasped the stock of his M-16 firmly as he looked around the dingy storeroom that they had

  taken shelter in. Jacob was flat out on the f
loor in a far corner, using his shotgun as a pil ow.

  " That looks comfortable..." Corvo muttered sarcastically.

  Markus and Samantha had fal en asleep where they had sat talking a few hours ago, with their

  backs leaning against a stack of drums. The pretty col ege student's head had flopped forward,

  causing her bangs to fal over her face. Corvo studied her carefully. After what had happened when

  she got separated from the group, he was ready to tear the sewers apart to find her. He knew that

  she was the one who he felt the most protective of. Nothing was going to happen to her on his

  watch.

  Corvo sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was supposed to have woken someone a couple of hours

  ago to take over sentry duty. But they needed their sleep. He would rest when they were al safe.

  He gave Samantha, Markus and Jacob a couple more minutes of peace, before rising to his feet.

  "Rise and shine, ladies."

  The others began to stir, and Samantha was the first to open her eyes. She found herself looking at

  Corvo.

  "Good morning, Vietnam," she murmured teasingly.

  He chuckled. "Hope you're wel -rested. I've got a big day of activities in store for us."

  "Oh?"

  "Yep. First, you're being served a buffet breakfast in bed." He reached into his pocket, pul ed out a packet of peanuts and tossed it over to her. "Then, we're scheduled for a leisurely morning strol

  through these shithouse sewers." Corvo cocked his rifle. "Then in the afternoon, we have sports. Us versus the Infected." He looked over at Jacob, who sat up rubbing his eyes. "No foul play, Jacob. I want a good, clean game."

  "Quit your blabbin', old man," the biker muttered.

  Chapter 9

  Corvo slowly scaled the slick ladder, trying to ignore the smel that lingered on his clothes. Everyone

  was rather eager to get out of the sewers after the "scheduled morning walk".

  "Next time, I'm in charge of the itinerary," Markus had said.

  Corvo carefully slid the manhole cover opened and peeked out into the outside world. "All clear," he cal ed down to the others after a few tense moments.

  Not a second was wasted getting out of the rank sewers. As she climbed, Samantha felt miserable.

  She was cold, damp, her hair was a terrible mess (although it was stil miraculously held in a

  ponytail), and she was pretty sure that she sThug of the sewer. As much as she used to enjoy her

  zombie movies, being a participant was not quite as much fun as being an observer.

  As she looked around the ruined street, she could feel her heart sink. The scale of destruction throughout the city was unprecedented; countless wreckages of cars, buildings and people served

  as testament to the wrath of the Green Flu. Perhaps what was more terrifying than the destruction

  was the silence. The distant sounds of sirens and clattering gunfire had final y died down, leaving a

  horrifying stillness in their wake. Were they the only ones left in Fairfield?

  Don't think like that, she scolded herself.

  "Alright, we got orders for a short hike to the hospital," Corvo said slowly, bringing her back to the present. "We've got plenty of daylight left, so we can make good time. Stay close, keep low, and for

  God's sake, keep quiet."

  The little ragtag group careful y made their way through the street, staying close to the buildings on

  the left-hand side of the road. They were nearing the city centre; a number of high-rise buildings

  towered above them, along with various derelict apartment complexes. Although the sky was littered

  with clouds, the sunlight filtered through drearily.

  The survivors walked in complete silence, under Corvo's strict orders. However, the dead quiet put

  Markus on edge. It was not just the fact that his group was not talking, but it was so damn quiet.

  "I don't like this..." he murmured softly, ignoring a scathing look that Corvo shot over his shoulder.

  "Where is everyone?"

  "Dead or infected," Jacob said bluntly.

  Samantha choked back a strangled noise at that statement. Al of her friends, her teachers. They

  were all gone. And her pare –

  No.

  She shook her head clear of these counter-productive thoughts. She had to stay focused and keep

  her head in the game.

  "Even if they are infected, where are they al ?" Markus was saying. "The entire city is deserted."

  No one had anything to say to that troubling observation. The sun continued to beat down on them

  as they walked, stopping at every intersection, where Corvo would slowly creep up to the crossing

  street as the others covered him. A quick scan of the area each time left him satisfied that there were

  no enemies in sight, at which point he ushered the others forward.

  It was a slow and tense march, and Corvo found himself increasingly troubled by the lack of...

  well, anyone in the streets. Had the Infected moved on from the city because of dwindling food?

  Perhaps they were lurking inside the buildings, watching them. He cast a wary eye to the dark

  windows of the surrounding buildings.

  After a while, the veteran halted the group again to scout out another intersection ahead. The others

  watched as the old man crouched behind an abandoned car, looked around and visibly stiffened.

  "Oh, that can't be good..." Markus muttered.

  "We've got a problem," Corvo said careful y upon his return. "Infected. Lots of 'em, al over the street."

  "Wel , we had a good run," Jacob said unhelpful y.

  "Can we go around them?" Samantha asked carefully, to which Corvo shook his head.

  "It's wal -to-wall up there."

  "How can we get to the hospital then?"

  Corvo motioned at the large amount of cars abandoned in the middle of the street. "We can sneak

  through."

  The look he received from Jacob made it clear that he was under suspicion of losing his marbles.

  "Are you serious, old man?"

  The man in question scowled in chal enge. "Got a better idea? Either we go through, or we go back."

  The fol owing silence implied that no one had any desire to return to the sewers. Her heart pounding

  in her chest, Samantha fol owed the others to the traffic intersection, and she felt her blood run cold.

  Everywhere she looked, there were people hobbling and ambling around aimlessly. There

  were so many of them...

  "Get down!" Corvo hissed at her, and she immediately crouched down next to the car. "We cross one at a time, a minute apart," he said slowly. "Keep low, and move as fast you can. Don't stop 'til you're on the other side." He nodded at Jacob. "You're up, hotshot."

  The burly biker grimaced and, gripping his shotgun tightly, made his move across the street in a

  dash, staying low behind cars. Corvo found himself slightly impressed. He could not have done it

  better himself.

  Markus went next, his clumsy crossing causing several close-cal s of being discovered. Samantha's

  teeth hissed with several sharp intakes of breath, while Corvo's jaw tightened as he watched. He

  noticed several Infected nearby pausing to look in their direction, and he slowly raised his M-16. He

  hoped to high hel that it did not come to a fire-fight here. Thankful y, after several agonising minutes,

  the ex-business man had joined Jacob on the other side, and they stil had not been attacked.

  Corvo nodded at Samantha. "You're up, kid."

  She moved into the street with her heart thumping so hard, she feared it would burst out of her

  chest. She was amazed – and appal ed – at how stressful this was. She was wel into the

  intersection when she
heard the sound of shuffling across the asphalt right behind the car that she

  was cowering behind. She looked back at Corvo to see him urgently motioning for her to stay still.

  The sound of shuffling feet drew closer; Samantha knew that if she looked through the windows of

  the car, she would be face-to-face with certain death. In a slow careful movement, she extracted her

  pistol from its holster and held it down to her side as her arms trembled. There was a tense moment

  of stil ness –

  Samantha nearly jumped at the sudden sound of retching as the infected person vomited right on

  the other side of the car. She crinkled her nose in disgust as the vile smell wafted through the air.

  The footsteps resumed as the danger shuffled away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Without wasting another second, she continued her crossing.

  Markus was giddy with raw emotion when Corvo final y joined them on the other side. "That was

  bloody crazy."

  "Yeah, but it's done," the older man replied, fighting the urge to light up a cigarette. Not here. "Let's put as much distance between us and them as possible."

  Everyone was rather shaken up by the events at the intersection. However, fortunately, the Infected

  were now few and far between, lurking mostly in grim al eyways, making it easy enough for the

  survivors to sneak by.

  Jacob' mood grew increasingly sour as he fought a losing battle against his hunger. Just as he was

  about to curse loudly – Infected be damned – he saw it.

  "Oi, there's some sort of shop over there," he said eagerly, pointing across the road.

  "The windows are al smashed. It's been looted already," Corvo remarked, keeping his voice

  control ed.

  "It's worth a look! Dunno 'bout you, but I'd feel pretty stupid if we left and there was food in there."

  "It's not even midday yet," Markus chimed in, tapping his watch. "We've stil got plenty of daylight."

  Corvo considered their options. They w ere out of food... wel , nearly everything. "Alright, but we make this quick," he said with a reserved sigh.

  With that, they approached the quaint little convenience store. Wel , it was not quite so quaint

  anymore, what, with the smashed-in front windows and various corpses littering the pavement in

  front of it.

  That's never a good sign, Samantha thought grimly. The inevitable supply run, which wil probably lead the main characters of this gripping tale into an empty store, a zombie ambush, or both. Cue