The sound of the dead roamed the desert hills of Genome, but in the distance a white glow emerged and when it faded Eve and her detention center companions appeared. All were confused as they looked at the desert sands that surrounded them.
“How did we get here?” asked Adler in a panicked tone. David looked down at Eve, who clutched his shirt with a worried look.
“Eve, what did that User do?” asked David. Eve clenched David’s shirt with a downcast look.
“He teleported us; that’s his power. We are now in a place far away from the town we were originally in,” answered Eve.
Adler groaned placing a hand to his forehead saying, “Those Users are such a pain.” He paused and glanced at Eve adding, “Except for you of course.” Eve showed a sheepish smile at the remark.
Kohaku adjusted his hat looking at the group and stated, “So where are Joseph, Artemis, and that User with the power enhancing skill?”
“They must have been teleported somewhere else and it must be very far from us. I remember reading that Bishoy teleported people to faraway places but could never teleport far himself, but now that I think about it, he has a strange way of grouping people for teleportation.”
“Grouping?”
Eve nodded.
“From what I remember the doctors mentioned that he would teleport people by groups like people with dark hair would be sent into the forest and people with a strange accent were teleported to the cafeteria.”
They glanced at each other wondering why that User teleported them together, but then all eyes fell on Eve.
“You have an idea right, considering that you ran to us when he looked like he was going to do something,” stated David. Eve nodded clenching David’s shirt.
“He came when you guys were fighting and you were picking sides. Ganbold and Joseph were fighting for their ways and you guys fought for your ways of travel. Seeing this, I thought you guys would be together and Ganbold and Joseph would be together, but as for Artemis and me, we would have been teleported together since we were indifferent to the situation.”
“Then why weren’t you teleported with Artemis?” asked Ivan.
Eve smiled and stated, “It was a long shot, but by hugging David I chose your side, so I was no longer indifferent to the situation and thus was teleported with you. It was the same for Artemis, except he chose to stay on Ganbold’s side.”
Eve released David smiling at all of them and stated, “My choice will always be to travel with you.” Eve’s words alone were enough to make the boys smile and blush.
Kale, suddenly, broke the atmosphere by asking, “I remember that User, Bishoy was it, mention ‘more,’ so does that mean that others were teleported besides us?” Eve gasped in realization.
“Maybe that’s why there were no Users in the Facility when I was escaping. Bishoy must have teleported them all.”
David, Kale, Kohaku, Adler, and Ivan all had the same thought running through their heads: I hope they weren’t turned.
They suddenly began to hear the moans of approaching zombies and drew their weapons. Out of the sand dust, zombies that were nearly skin and bones emerged reaching toward Eve and the others.
“Oh great, desert zombies, what else could be worse?” stated Kohaku in a sarcastic tone. None answered the sarcastic remark as they opened fire on the incoming zombies. The zombies fell one by one, but still twitched on the ground as their bones seemed to crack like weakened branches of a tree.
Eve stepped back with an Uzi in her hands, but she suddenly felt someone grab her arm and looked to the side only to see that the holder was Adler. Adler had seriousness in his face as he gestured behind her. Eve glanced back and noticed the sand sinking behind her: a sink hole or what she believed it to be, quick sand. Eve stepped forward to avoid the falling sand and whispered her thanks to Adler. Adler nodded with a smile, but then his smile immediately faded when he began to fire at more of the zombies making sure to shoot at the legs or at the center of the head.
Kohaku readjusted his hat as he shot with his other hand and glanced at the others saying, “There’s quick sand around us!” All of them noticed this detail and it made their hearts sink: quick sand behind them and the undead in front of them, it seemed like a hopeless situation where the choices were death or death.
Eve suddenly began to sweat and the gun in her hands began to vanish. Adler supported her with his free hand and asked, “Are you OK?”
Eve gasped with sweat on her forehead and whispered, “I think I really did reach my limit this time.” Adler cursed and told the others nearly in a panic. David cursed under his breath as well as he shot through the head of the closest zombie.
Eve seemed ready to collapse, so Adler carried her bridal style allowing the gun to dangle from his shoulder. Adler looked around as the others continued to shoot hoping that their ammo wouldn’t run out. Eve was exhausted to the point of collapsing, but was still conscious. There was quick sand nearly all around them now. There were zombies getting closer and their ammo wouldn’t last forever. It really felt like a hopeless situation.
Adler glanced at Eve, who looked at him with tired eyes and he couldn’t help, but feel that he just had to get her to live, that he had to protect her. Adler held Eve close to his chest and suddenly yelled out, in the loudest voice he could, “HELP!” His voice seemed to echo throughout the desert.
There was suddenly a rumble and at first, they all thought they were hearing things, but then the rumble grew louder like thunder and then they all noticed a ball of fire approaching them.
“Take cover!” yelled David, realizing what the ball of fire was: a shot from a tank. They managed to duck, but the blast from the tank was still enough to make their and skin burn. The zombies got the worst of the blast. Since their bodies barely had any weight, the force of the blast sent their bodies flying and into the quick sands around Eve and the group.
The pressure of the blast tuned down and this allowed the others to see the approaching tank. On this tank were two individuals: a girl with short brown hair and another girl with short black hair both of them were wearing a green uniform worn by the military.
The girl with the black hair waved toward the group yelling, “Answer if you’re alive!”
“Alive!” yelled David, but more like a growl since his body felt like it was still burning. The tank rolled before them making sure to avoid the quick sand. The girl with the black hair glanced down at them and asked, “Sorry about the blast, but it was the best way to kill zombies all at once.”
The girl then tossed a rope ladder down to them and stated, “Better climb up before you sink.” David nodded and glanced at Adler, who still held a panting Eve in his grasp.
“You go first and make sure to hold Eve well.”
Adler nodded and placed Eve on his back in a way that was still possible for Eve to hold on, while he ascended the ladder. He climbed to the top placing Eve back into his arms and then the others followed after.
When the last of them were on the tank, the girl with black hair yanked the rope ladder back up and glanced at the group with the brown hair girl sitting next to her.
“So why are you folk all the way out here?”
“Would you believe that we were teleported here?” asked Kohaku as he adjusted his hat. The black haired girl’s eyes widened, but then she chuckled saying, “I would believe you, especially since Mary and I got here the same way.”
“Really?”
The black haired girl nodded and patted the brown haired girl’s head saying, “Mary and I were in a hospital and a guy laughing used a power to teleport on us and we ended up in the desert.”
David frowned and asked, “When you say hospital do you mean Facility 40?”
The girl with black hair smirked saying, “I’m a little surprise you know that and yes, we are from Facility 40 and I am guessing you are form there too?” David shook his head and stated, “We heard about that Facility a lot ever since we picked up Eve.”
“Eve? Do you mean that girl in that’s guy’s arms?”
David nodded taking a glance at Eve, who was struggling to stay awake.
The black haired girl shrugged saying, “I won’t pry too much for now since we have to get out of this area before more zombies come along.” The black haired girl glanced at the boys and Eve and said, “By the way, the name is Blaze, User number 26.” She then clenched her fist and the tank began to move.
“The power to control machinery with the mind.”
As the tank began to move, Adler held Eve tightly as Eve struggled to look at the two girls.
Mary and Blaze. Mary is User number 27 and Blaze is User number 26. The power to heal and the power to control machinery. I’m so glad that they are still alive.
Area 40 Facility
Staff: 90 (Dead) 0 (Alive)
Users: 4 (Alive) 4 (Dead) 37 (Unknown)
Genome Detention Center
Staff: 90 (Dead?) 0 (Alive)
Prisoners: 5 (Alive) 50 (Dead?)
School
Staff: 50 (Dead) 0 (Alive)
Students: 2 (Alive) 140 (Dead)
World
About 50,000,000,000 (dead) others (Unknown)
Manga Hunter 