NinjaButterfly

The End.

Inspired by the song "Zombie" by The Cranberries...

The Red Bloom

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that you're the one with combat experience and that you actually know how to fight," Aeron couldn't hide the slight snarl in his voice this time as he made his way quietly into the store. He knew that his younger brother was just trying to protect him, but he felt as if he was suffocating under his constant scrutiny. It seemed that everything he did or every plan that he made, he directly went against every word that he said. He felt as if he was the kid that everyone claimed cried wolf, but he had done nothing but speak the truth and yet no one would listen to what he had to say despite their good intuition.
Just because he had a physical ailment didn't make him stupid, and it angered him for Miles to treat him as such. It was as if he had been locked away in a basement for the last three years of his life and was just being brought out into real life again. In a sense, he was just being introduced back into his civilian life, but he wished it was as simple as crawling out of the comfort of a basement...
'Sometimes I don't even think he knows exactly what I am...things things that I'm capable of. If he knew half the shit that I've done over there, he wouldn't even speak to me little on order me around like a clueless child.' He'd been on the verge of telling his brother the horrors he'd seen and committed on a few occasions but always stopped himself at the last minute. Despite wanting him to know, he couldn't bring himself to taint his brother's innocence if he could help it. No one should ever have to witness that, even if told through stories.

The Red Bloom

(Double Post)

The Red Bloom

Aeron barely refrained from snapping at his brother, but that wouldn't have gotten them no where; they would continue this conversation later when they weren't in the presence of the third wheel. No matter how much sense he was making or the experience that he had in these situations, Jacoby would always side with Miles because that was his friend.

"Don't worry about me. Just watch out for yourself." He quickly walked over to the door and pressed against the wall before leaning his head through the entrance slightly to listen better. Indeed, there were zombies inside and could make out at least two different sets of shuffling feet, but there were no tellings how many were actually inside. The depot was a fairly large building and he knew there had to be more deeper inside that their ears couldn't pick up on.

"There are at least two inside near the front of the store, but there's surely more in there. If we're going in quietly, then stick to the walls so they can't sneak in behind us, then we'll work our way into the middle. You two take the left flank and I'll go to the right. If either of you think you cannot handle the situation, do not hesitate to use the gun..." He then shot Miles a stern look. "I'm not playing with you."

The Red Bloom

Aeron clicked his tongue in annoyance and shot a look in Miles' direction. "We shouldn't take any unnecessary risks, especially with there only being three of us. If we get surrounded, then we won't have the backup to get out." He didn't want to admit it aloud, especially for Jacoby could hear, but he didn't want to get caught in a situation that might expose his weaknesses to him. It was obvious that he had a slight limp to his stride, but he still didn't want him to know that he was a paraplegic if he could help it; that was a bit of information that he would like to keep to himself.
"Not that you care to hear my opinion, but I think we should save our ammo in case we need it for a more serious situation," Jacoby said softly, not daring to look Aeron in the eye.
"You're right; I don't care to hear your opinion. I would rather be safe now than wait for a situation that may never come."

The Red Bloom

Aeron hadn't been much of a pessimist before he had been sent home from the Corps with a medical discharge, but that train of thought had been changed in a split second and a flash of light. For the past four years, he had been hot-wired to adapt and overcome any situation that was thrown at him, because it had to be done no matter what; in his profession, he couldn't settle with anything less and there was no room left for pessimism or uncertainty. He'd lived by that code and followed the book to a "T," but there were certain situations that was beyond any man's control as he quickly learned. A few weeks ago, he had thought that the loss of a leg was about as bad as it could get because it kept him from living the life that he was born to lead, but no one could have been prepared for the shitstorm that had come their way. Some people may claim that their life is worse than everyone else's, but another fact that he'd learned quickly: it can always be worse.
Growing up, he'd always known there was some truth hidden within the fictional stories and fairy tales of his youth, but never would he have believed that, of all things, flesh-eating corpses would be the monsters that were real. It was so unreal that he sometimes believed it was just a nightmare or another one of his post-war delusions, but it was real. The horrors he'd witnessed in these short few weeks were even worse than his time in overseas because these weren't his enemies shooting at him or trying to blow him up; these were their friends and families, their coworkers, people they had grown up with. In war, death was the end once it came for you but now, death was absolutely meaningless. Death...was only the beginning, and there was nothing that anyone could do to change it.
"Make sure to check your corners," Aeron said through half-gritted teeth as he scanned the area. "We don't need a repeat of what almost happened last time." He didn't need to say names.
"One time...one time that happened," Miles former co-worker, Jacoby commented.
"One time is all that it takes to die," he snapped. "Now be quiet before you attract unwanted attention. Your voice carries like a cat in heat."
Another retort was on the tip of Jacoby's tongue, but with every ounce of willpower he owned, he managed to hold it back. Jacoby was known for arguing with people until he was black and blue in the face even if he knew he was wrong, but he wouldn't dare do that in front of Aeron. There weren't many things that intimidated him, but he would much prefer to take on a horde of zombies rather than face Aeron's wrath.

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

"Since it's so cold in here, do you think that they're might be a water source in here?" Kaye asked. "The air does have a clammy bite to it. Maybe we can even get some good mirelurk steaks for dinner." Even as the thought crossed her mind, her stomach voiced its agreement.

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Kaye's groaned echoed off the walls of the cave as the duo traveled deeper inside. She couldn't see anything past ten feet in front of them, but luckily she had thought to light a torch before entering deeper into the entrance. She couldn't make out much, but the small entrance led into a large cavern that seemed endless much to her surprise. There weren't many natural caves in the Deeper South, especially one of this caliber.
"This place is huge," she muttered to Leith. "There could be a whole army in here and we would hardly notice until they were right in front of us." She moved the torch around the room, scrutinizing the walls and floor for any visible signs of anything suspicious. "I don't see any bones littering the place or scratches on the walls, so I'm pretty sure we're not walking into a deathclaw's den or a mother yao guai."

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Uncomfortable silence filled the space between them and it was quickly getting to Jace. His head was pounding even more now that they'd stopped walking and the rush of blood in his ears was deafening and annoying. Everything around him had crumbled to smitereens in less than twenty-four hours and he still couldn't help but feeling cheated. He'd been living a lie for so many years, wasting time that he would never get back because of the imposter before him.
Perhaps "Basil" hadn't known what he was like he'd claimed, but it still didn't hurt any less to know the truth. This mission was the only thing that he had now, and once it was over he was honestly afraid to know what the future held in store for him afterwards. Would he find a higher purpose after they succeeded in their mission? Would he become a drunk just like his father and die in the streets just as everyone had claimed would happen? Would he even survive to see this mission through to the end...?
"I'm going to go find Raider and bring him back. It's getting dark out," he muttered. He then started walking in the direction that Torin had disappeared.

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Jace stared at Basil from the corner of his eye and sighed. "You have your uses. Remember, you have to watch the BOS woman work on the GECK so you'll know how to replicate the design when it comes down to it. You are the only one who has even the smallest amount of knowledge on the subject an have the chance to actually make this work. If we lose you, then Basil's mission will have been for nothing...our mission will have been for nothing. All of this would be nothing more than a waste of time without you."