Part One ~
The musky air soothed them though the silence threatened their very existence. Sunset barely awoke as the sun descended into the everlasting unknown and the moon went to rebel the reign of darkness. In the deepest part of the dead forest, a secret underground laboratory thrived. Twenty young adults lived and struggled for survival. Day was a death sentence whereas night was their only sliver of hope.
Within the depth of night, they rose to power. The elite group prepared to set forth to the outside. Patrol consisted of, Emmet, Lalo, Esmeralda, and CJ. Each member had spent hours of physical conditioning in order to maintain their stances at the peak of their physique. Patrol's status was essential in order to ensure the survival of the colony. The select four served the entire twenty. Each night, they were sent off to scavenge through the vast land and return with goods. Eight hours. All must be done within the narrow time frame of eight hours with the protection of the night.
Allen and Lorenzo remained as the base leaders. In the absence of Emmet, who was the true leader of the entire group, Allen and Lorenzo would take up his role. They were the only two awake to send Patrol off during sunset. They set out the Patrol into the world five minutes after sunset. As soon as they were out of sight, they shut the gates of hell and returned to the center. They center was the room that connected every other room within the laboratory. By the time the returned, life was restored in the once dormant room.
Different aromas filled the air as time passed. Allen and Lorenzo smirked at each other as they went through their maintenance checklist. Breakfast was being made by Florence, Ariel, and Martha in the kitchen area. Paola and Brendon cared for the horses in the remote greenhouse. Rosalina, Beck, Jared, and Samuel all stood guard at all the main entrances and monitored all openings. All seemed serene. Allen went over to check on Beta Plan A in the west wing while Lorenzo went to the east wing of the laboratory to check on Alpha Plan B.
Kyle controlled both Alpha and Beta plans. He set Liam and Jensen as as the heads of Beta Plan A. Sora and Killian were both in control of Alpha Plan B. All five members barely slept and ensured the future of the colony. Allen met with Liam and Jensen while Lorenzo met with Sora and Killian. Kyle remained in the monitor room, overseeing both groups and communicated through the PA systems in both rooms. Both projects have been active for a total of five years. It was now only a matter of time.
Midway through the check, the members of the Emergency Guard ran to position. Rosalina, the head of the guard, went immediately to her post next to the doors of the research room for Beta Plan A. As soon as he saw Rosalina, his heart dropped to his stomach. He ran out to the hallway and immediately confronted Rosalina. "What's happening?" he asked, full of concern. "Why'd you dispatch the emergency group?"
Rosalina's eyes were full of remorse and fear. "We're going to have to initiate both plans right now," she answered vaguely. "Go tell Kyle to get everything ready within the next ten minutes. I'll inform the rest." Before he could speak another word, she turned away and began advancing towards her squad.
Allen immediately returned to the research room and informed Kyle. He understood and prepared both plans without a word. Thoughts raced in and out of Allen's mind. As soon as it hit him, he ran off to the east wing. He knew it was bound to happen, but he didn't know it would hit them that soon. Lorenzo and he met half way in the center. Both of them, hearts heavy, hadn't a clue to what to do.
Banging on the door caught everyone's attention. The emergency group immediately went over and set a formation around the door. Rosalina peaked through to see what had caused it. As soon as she saw the cause, she immediately opened the door. Patrol fell through. Esmeralda shut the door immediately before they could pass. Ramming and pounding on the door forced fear into everyone's heart.
Breathless, CJ and the shirtless Lalo carried the giant Emmet to the couch. . Both attended to his wounds. Lalo's shirt was used as a temporary bandage around Emmet's thigh. His wound was tended to by the others while, Lalo, CJ, and Esmeralda were questioned by Allen and Lorenzo in the other side of the room. They were four minutes away from executing the plan.
"What the hell happened out there?" Allen demanded. "I thought they were inactive during night? How could any of this happen?"
CJ inhaled sharply. "We did too," he answered in a monotone voice. He was sitting on the floor, absently looking at the rest of the colony. "They've somehow managed to evolve during the last twenty-four hours. They don't need sunlight to function anymore. When we.... We thought it was another living human. We were wrong. We were wrong too late."
Esmeralda grimaced as she wiped the blood off her sword. "Emmet was the one who walked up first. We all thought it was an abandoned child who'd somehow lost her colony. We all thought that was the case. We should have known better. I feel like a total dumbass now," she chuckled. It was clear that she was feeling regret. "Before we knew it, it started to attacked Emmet. Before we.... Before I could take out my weapon, it had already bit him. Lalo managed to get the thing off and I ended it. He gave CJ his shirt, which was used to try to stop the bleeding."
Lorenzo and Allen exchanged looks. They looked over at Emmet, who worsened by the second. Two minutes were left. Rosalina and Kyle interrupted the interrogation. "We don't have anymore time," Rosalina informed. "The door's already old and in bad shape. If we wait any longer, they will pass through."
"What about Emmet?" Lalo pleaded. "He's in bad shape."
Kyle had his serious face on. "That's already been resolved."
"What do you mean?" Allen inquired. "How's that already been resolved? He's been bit by someone who was infected. What do you know that we don't?"
"Alpha Plan B," he asserted. "There was an Alpha Plan A." Allen looked over at Lorenzo, who said nothing. He knew exactly what Kyle was talking about. "During Alpha Plan A, we sent over someone from here to there. It was a success. We've monitored his development for the past five years. Here, it's been five years. There, it's been fifteen years."
"Who was sent?" Allen urged. "Who did we sacrifice to science?"
Scorned, Kyle managed to get the words out of his mouth. "My kid. We sent my kid there. It was a success. That's all you need to know. The point is that the members who go through Alpha will be go there in the form of fetuses and be reborn. They will regenerate in the other world."
"I can't believe-", Allen started. The sound of the door falling to the ground interrupted Allen. They came through. Everything occurred in slow motion and in widescreen to Allen the moment the door hit the ground. Infected came through and immediately attacked his friends.
One of the infected targeted Allen. He froze as if he were a gazelle in the midst of a hunter. "Not today Bambi," Lorenzo avowed. He pushed Allen into CJ's arms. In doing so, he was the one who was bit. Esmeralda dispatched it before it could do any further damage. Lorenzo fell to the floor. Allen ran to him after escaping CJ's grip. Lorenzo was rapidly losing consciousness and could barely keep his eyes open. Tears filled Allen's eyes. "What are you sad for?" he asked, groggily. Allen grabbed his hand, his cold hand. "After we go through the plans, we're gonna find each other. I... Promise."
Before Allen could break down again, Esmeralda picked him up and threw him over her shoulder. "We have to get out of here. Stop being a weenie."
CJ and Lalo took up the roles of damage control. They put the receivers for Alpha Plan B on their fallen comrades. Esmeralda detained the others who were uninjured within one of the closets in the hallway. All of them wore the receivers for Beta Plan A. Kyle remained in his control room during the last few seconds. When Lalo and CJ entered and confirmed, he pressed the red button.
Within the depth of night, they rose to power. The elite group prepared to set forth to the outside. Patrol consisted of, Emmet, Lalo, Esmeralda, and CJ. Each member had spent hours of physical conditioning in order to maintain their stances at the peak of their physique. Patrol's status was essential in order to ensure the survival of the colony. The select four served the entire twenty. Each night, they were sent off to scavenge through the vast land and return with goods. Eight hours. All must be done within the narrow time frame of eight hours with the protection of the night.
Allen and Lorenzo remained as the base leaders. In the absence of Emmet, who was the true leader of the entire group, Allen and Lorenzo would take up his role. They were the only two awake to send Patrol off during sunset. They set out the Patrol into the world five minutes after sunset. As soon as they were out of sight, they shut the gates of hell and returned to the center. They center was the room that connected every other room within the laboratory. By the time the returned, life was restored in the once dormant room.
Different aromas filled the air as time passed. Allen and Lorenzo smirked at each other as they went through their maintenance checklist. Breakfast was being made by Florence, Ariel, and Martha in the kitchen area. Paola and Brendon cared for the horses in the remote greenhouse. Rosalina, Beck, Jared, and Samuel all stood guard at all the main entrances and monitored all openings. All seemed serene. Allen went over to check on Beta Plan A in the west wing while Lorenzo went to the east wing of the laboratory to check on Alpha Plan B.
Kyle controlled both Alpha and Beta plans. He set Liam and Jensen as as the heads of Beta Plan A. Sora and Killian were both in control of Alpha Plan B. All five members barely slept and ensured the future of the colony. Allen met with Liam and Jensen while Lorenzo met with Sora and Killian. Kyle remained in the monitor room, overseeing both groups and communicated through the PA systems in both rooms. Both projects have been active for a total of five years. It was now only a matter of time.
Midway through the check, the members of the Emergency Guard ran to position. Rosalina, the head of the guard, went immediately to her post next to the doors of the research room for Beta Plan A. As soon as he saw Rosalina, his heart dropped to his stomach. He ran out to the hallway and immediately confronted Rosalina. "What's happening?" he asked, full of concern. "Why'd you dispatch the emergency group?"
Rosalina's eyes were full of remorse and fear. "We're going to have to initiate both plans right now," she answered vaguely. "Go tell Kyle to get everything ready within the next ten minutes. I'll inform the rest." Before he could speak another word, she turned away and began advancing towards her squad.
Allen immediately returned to the research room and informed Kyle. He understood and prepared both plans without a word. Thoughts raced in and out of Allen's mind. As soon as it hit him, he ran off to the east wing. He knew it was bound to happen, but he didn't know it would hit them that soon. Lorenzo and he met half way in the center. Both of them, hearts heavy, hadn't a clue to what to do.
Banging on the door caught everyone's attention. The emergency group immediately went over and set a formation around the door. Rosalina peaked through to see what had caused it. As soon as she saw the cause, she immediately opened the door. Patrol fell through. Esmeralda shut the door immediately before they could pass. Ramming and pounding on the door forced fear into everyone's heart.
Breathless, CJ and the shirtless Lalo carried the giant Emmet to the couch. . Both attended to his wounds. Lalo's shirt was used as a temporary bandage around Emmet's thigh. His wound was tended to by the others while, Lalo, CJ, and Esmeralda were questioned by Allen and Lorenzo in the other side of the room. They were four minutes away from executing the plan.
"What the hell happened out there?" Allen demanded. "I thought they were inactive during night? How could any of this happen?"
CJ inhaled sharply. "We did too," he answered in a monotone voice. He was sitting on the floor, absently looking at the rest of the colony. "They've somehow managed to evolve during the last twenty-four hours. They don't need sunlight to function anymore. When we.... We thought it was another living human. We were wrong. We were wrong too late."
Esmeralda grimaced as she wiped the blood off her sword. "Emmet was the one who walked up first. We all thought it was an abandoned child who'd somehow lost her colony. We all thought that was the case. We should have known better. I feel like a total dumbass now," she chuckled. It was clear that she was feeling regret. "Before we knew it, it started to attacked Emmet. Before we.... Before I could take out my weapon, it had already bit him. Lalo managed to get the thing off and I ended it. He gave CJ his shirt, which was used to try to stop the bleeding."
Lorenzo and Allen exchanged looks. They looked over at Emmet, who worsened by the second. Two minutes were left. Rosalina and Kyle interrupted the interrogation. "We don't have anymore time," Rosalina informed. "The door's already old and in bad shape. If we wait any longer, they will pass through."
"What about Emmet?" Lalo pleaded. "He's in bad shape."
Kyle had his serious face on. "That's already been resolved."
"What do you mean?" Allen inquired. "How's that already been resolved? He's been bit by someone who was infected. What do you know that we don't?"
"Alpha Plan B," he asserted. "There was an Alpha Plan A." Allen looked over at Lorenzo, who said nothing. He knew exactly what Kyle was talking about. "During Alpha Plan A, we sent over someone from here to there. It was a success. We've monitored his development for the past five years. Here, it's been five years. There, it's been fifteen years."
"Who was sent?" Allen urged. "Who did we sacrifice to science?"
Scorned, Kyle managed to get the words out of his mouth. "My kid. We sent my kid there. It was a success. That's all you need to know. The point is that the members who go through Alpha will be go there in the form of fetuses and be reborn. They will regenerate in the other world."
"I can't believe-", Allen started. The sound of the door falling to the ground interrupted Allen. They came through. Everything occurred in slow motion and in widescreen to Allen the moment the door hit the ground. Infected came through and immediately attacked his friends.
One of the infected targeted Allen. He froze as if he were a gazelle in the midst of a hunter. "Not today Bambi," Lorenzo avowed. He pushed Allen into CJ's arms. In doing so, he was the one who was bit. Esmeralda dispatched it before it could do any further damage. Lorenzo fell to the floor. Allen ran to him after escaping CJ's grip. Lorenzo was rapidly losing consciousness and could barely keep his eyes open. Tears filled Allen's eyes. "What are you sad for?" he asked, groggily. Allen grabbed his hand, his cold hand. "After we go through the plans, we're gonna find each other. I... Promise."
Before Allen could break down again, Esmeralda picked him up and threw him over her shoulder. "We have to get out of here. Stop being a weenie."
CJ and Lalo took up the roles of damage control. They put the receivers for Alpha Plan B on their fallen comrades. Esmeralda detained the others who were uninjured within one of the closets in the hallway. All of them wore the receivers for Beta Plan A. Kyle remained in his control room during the last few seconds. When Lalo and CJ entered and confirmed, he pressed the red button.