19 Streetlights

It felt like years before they closed in on the position Dana had pointed them to. They'd just narrowly avoided the militia a few times, and those zombie looking things were increasing in numbers the closer they got. The air was also heavier here, and seemingly stained with something rotten. If this thing that was covering Manhattan was airborne, Shaun had no doubt that they were doomed already. They'd all die a most painful death before they could say 'twinkle'. Well, at least he'd go down with honor, unlike all these other bastards that were running away screaming the moment something moved.

He gestured for Rebecca to halt and tapped his earpiece. "We're at the intersection. Militia brought a fucking tank to block off the road east".

Dana cursed on the other end."That's where you're headed. You need to get past those guys" she said and Shaun heard how she tapped a few buttons on the keyboard. How the heck were they supposed to sneak past a tank? Out in the open, no less. They'd have to cross the road before they could continue onwards. Militia in the way didn't exactly make things easier. He found himself expecting the girls to come up with a solution for their problem, but it surprised him when they actually did.

"Make a run for it" Dana and Rebecca said, almost in choir. His eyebrows shot up to his forehead. Doing such a thing was either brilliant or suicide. All of these marines blocking the way would either mistake them for panicking citizens or a pair of ravaging zombies. Ergo, they'd either be ignored or shot on the spot. Shaun didn't like it. He didn't like most of this godforsaken city, but this plan was most definitely the worst. If only Desmond hadn't been so reckless to get himself into trouble, all of this could've been avoided. Dammit, if he hadn't gotten injured in the first place he wouldn't be stuck with a fever now.

To all of their surprises - and to Shaun's relief - they wouldn't have to go through with the plan. A radio carried by a nearby marine sparked to life before a row of orders poured from the device, broken off due to some kind of disturbance.

"Zeus ... een spot ... req ... ackup ... low zone .... Chelsea-"

The mentioning of either 'Zeus' or Chelsea was apparently bad news, because as soon as the message finished broadcasting, every single man ran toward the west. The tank took the lead, plowing through the streets, barely caring to stop for either cars or civilians. It looked like a race to the finish line. Everyone wanted to be the first, pushing each other out of the way for a chance to get the highest prize.

"Well, you said to make a run for it, and they certainly listened" Shaun said, still a bit baffled by the sudden change of priority. What the hell was a 'Zeus' anyway? Hopefully a codename for some high value target and not the Greek God throwing lightning down on earth. Granted, that would be the end of the world as they knew it.

Rebecca snorted and gave him a pat on his shoulder as she scanned the area. They nodded to each other before jogging over the broad street to reach the other side, where they dived into the next alley. No zombies yet, but Shaun kept his pistol at the ready and senses on alert.

"The pharmacy should be about two blocks ahead" Dana announced. Rebecca sighed softly as Shaun took the lead through the alley. Having their senses on constant alert was already tiring, and being that neither of them had been out on the field for some time, it took a toll. They didn't speak their minds however, but kept silent as they stalked forward. No zombies, no militia, no civilians. It was too quiet. Shaun was getting a bad feeling about this place.

They spotted the pharmacy on the other side of the street as they peeked around the next corner. Rebecca notified Dana through her earpiece, but Shaun wasn't quite as happy as she was. They should have run into at least something on their way here. It had been completely empty all the way from the intersection. Something was about to happen, and it wasn't on the good side.

- - - - - LINE BREAK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Barely a minute after they'd climbed in through the smashed window of the abandoned building, a heavy shockwave blew a cloud of dust and various pieces of junk over them. They had thrown themselves on the floor behind the cashier disk, arms covering their heads. It sounded like a fracking meteor had landed just outside on the street, causing a small earthquake. Something really fucked up was going on in this city, and Shaun knew it from the very start. It was one of the reasons why they had searched for cover here, but now he was beginning to wonder if it had been a bad decision. They should've just stayed in Italy. At least there they didn't have to worry about those damned zombie-looking things.

Before the dust could even settle, an army of marines could be heard yelling orders to each other outside. Shaun and Rebecca was quickly on their feet, darting into hiding behind one of the racks containing medical supplies and what not. "Red Crown, reque-" a soldier started, but he was quickly cut off, a disgusting squelch accompanying his death. Shaun swore under his breath, clutching the gun in his hand. They'd have to get out of here, preferably three minutes ago. He peeked around the corner of the rack.

"Shoot it! SHOOT IT!!" he heard a man scream, but couldn't see any details through the dust still heavy in the air. He frankly didn't want to, as the gruesome sounds accompanying the death of multiple more soldiers were well enough. What the hell was out there anyway? From what he'd seen, all of those zombies were nothing but mindless shells, stumbling over their own feet until they caught notice of something living. They would swarm towards it, attacking it in herds trying to get a taste of whatever they could get. It was disgusting.

Shaun pulled his head back to turn his attention to his companion. They had to get back to Desmond as fast as possible. "Rebecca-" he hissed, getting her attention, "-you need to get the supplies, I'll cover you". She gave a tense nod in acknowledgement, not really able to give a verbal response. He didn't blame her. During what missions they'd been out on - which wasn't many in the first place - they'd only been out to collect something without actually having to worry about a third world war breaking loose. But here they were, caught in the middle of a fucking battlefield while trying to pick up enough supplies to save their dying friend.

Gunshots and screaming was their background music as they parkoured through the pharmacy to find what things they needed. First grade painkillers, pills for reducing fever, bandages, eye drops, hand sanitizer, dietary supplements of a few different kinds, energy bars, rubbing alcohol, multiple packages of band-aid, a number of toothbrushes because why not, and anti-depressants, whyever they needed that. They stuffed it all into Shaun's backpack and made for the exit - the same way they had entered. He went first with the gun to make sure the way was clear.

He peeked around the corner of the rack he was currently hiding behind. A tank had once more made its way in between them and their path. Dammit. His hand went up to the earpiece to contact Dana, but a screech from behind him stopped his line of thought. He whipped around, gun in hand just as something collided with the wall, causing a small explosion that whipped up dust and debris in his face. Did someone just fire a fucking grenade launcher into a pharmacy? What the hell?

Shaun coughed and waved a hand in the air, trying to see through the still settling dust. Little bits of rubble were still falling to the ground from somewhere he couldn't see, and the militia outside were barking orders to each other. They'd lost track of their target, and the shots they fired were either in wild suspicion or at other infected. "Shaun?!" he heard Rebecca shout. From then and on, time seemed to speed up to the double.

Someone barked at them to get the fuck out - a voice Shaun quickly recognized as the guy in leather. What he was doing here was not a question he bothered to ask, as he was currently climbing over debris through the hole made by the grenade. Rebecca was right after him, and before they knew it, they were sprinting away from the scene, hand in hand to make sure they wouldn't lose each other. They didn't stop running until they had thrown themselves into a narrow alley. Only then did they allow to catch their breaths.

"What the fuck just happened?" Shaun gasped while dragging the back of his hand over his forehead. Sweat beaded in his face and on his neck, making his clothes stick to his skin. His companion would surely be in the same state, if not worse. "Are you okay? No injuries, no blood?" he asked, stumbling over to her. She was sitting on the ground with her back to the wall, panting heavily with sweat making her skin sheen. Without the ability to provide a proper verbal response, she just gave a wave of her hand.

Shaun exhaled in relief before tapping his earpiece. "Made it out of the pharmacy, we're making our way back" he announced.

"Are you guys okay? There's been a shitload of disruption of the line. What the fuck happened back there?" Dana responded, voice dripping with worry. He sighed and helped Rebecca to get back up on her feet while thinking over the question. He didn't know what had happened, since he was still processing it for himself. His stomach had been feeling worse the closer they got though, and he'd been proven to be right. Something did happen, even if it wasn't quite what they expected.

"Marines came back" he stated. It was the truth, right? Why they had was still a question without answer though, but he didn't need any. They were out and they were okay, and now they had to get back to the hideout as soon as possible. Desmond wasn't exactly getting better only because they were successful in escaping. He needed the supplies they'd gathered.

"Alex did too" he heard Rebecca say softly. He arched an eyebrow at the somewhat flowery expression she wore. What was his deal anyway? Showing up at places at just the right time and what not. It was freaky, if anything.

Just then, another shockwave made the building beside them seemingly shiver. It didn't sound like a meteor this time though. No, Shaun vaguely recognized the sound of the explosion. Too small for a grenade or rocket launcher, but too big to be any form of explosives. A tank was the only option left. Now why the hell would they have to use a tank against anything at all? Unless they actually used them against the zombies, which seemed highly unlikely. From the few movies he'd seen, a bullet to the head was well enough. Whether that piece of information was true or not, it seemed likely enough to work.

"Let's go" he said, urging his companion on by her hand. The sooner they got out of this place, the better. Shaun didn't have any intentions whatsoever to get stuck in a corner again, and frankly, he wanted to get back to their hideout. Be it a dank and filthy basement, but to tell the truth, it was the most comfortable one they'd had this far. How one could call a basement comfortable was a question for another time. He just wanted out of the open.