Elle McBriar

August 5th, 5 months and 25 days since the last zombie report

I never thought I'd see the day we actually got Los Angeles.

I've never been here so it's just as exciting. Although, the happiness faded as I saw what once was beautiful Los Angeles. From the pictures I've seen online and in movies, this is totally different. Of course it would deserted and broken but I never expected a graveyard...

It shook my to my core as we drove through the mangy streets of Los Angeles. Spying the hills and the burnt trees, seeing traffic lights that no longer work. It's a ghost town.

And it's scary, to be completely honest.

We located the uni, driving there with as much determination, anxiety and hesitance as we can handle. I know Paxton is scared. He's had his thinking look on the whole drive. And every time I bring up the end of the world, or dying, he holds my hands.

Which comforts us both and I'm grateful for it.

As we passed the towers and buildings, seeing random bits of smoke and dust fly out as our cars rush past. We see the sign. I hold my breath, shaking.

'University of California, 200m'

This is really it. Is this actually happening?

We radio and the guys call back, telling us to park in front of the school. So we do, before I can get out Paxton takes my hand, "Are you ready for this?" He says, I shake my head, "I don't know. But we have to be ready, whatever is in there, Paxton, we have to do whatever we can."

I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.

We got out, locking the doors. "What are we supposed to do with Riley, we can't keep him in the car? Who knows how long this will take." Alex said, "Well we can't bring him inside, can we?" Gage argued, "Fine, you better hope when he wakes up he just sits there and doesn't cry."

I take a few steps forward, wanting to get this over and done with. The gravel under my shoes crunch with every step, anticipating my moves. I feel shivers crawl up my spine as I walk up the 6 steps into the main university building. The doors are open, broken off their hinges.

The inside is dark, full of cobwebs and starky. Covering my mouth and nose with my hand, I walk inside, hearing the others follow after me. Small volts of electricity still burst through the ceiling and little sparks crackle in front of me.

I watch my feet, not wanting to step on anything that could explode.

"Well we know that something is built and working here otherwise these electricity cables wouldn't be sparking." Gage exclaimed, pointing to the roof.

We nodded, "Look, why don't split up. Explore the campus until we find Tyler and Jared's room. They were roomates, right? So just radio if you find it." Alex asked.

Paxton came with me and Gage and Alex went off in the other direction.

Without wasting any time, we searched every single room. The kitchens, common rooms, the teachers dorms, everything. Just in case.

We were outside checking the student dorms when, "Uh we found it guys. But you might want too hurry. West dorm, room 46B."

Paxton and I glanced at each other before we took of running, panting and catching our breaths as we see an open door.

You know when something is so confusing or weird to the untrained eye? Like a magic trick or optical illusion, you know, something you can't quite figure out? That is what we felt like when we got to their dorm room.

The room was empty, obviously. But it was oddly clean and tidy. Only a thin layer of dust coated the corners and the top of the book, shelves and beds. We looked around the tiny room, seeing anything unnatural.

But I got the fright of my life when their built in closet... moved. Like, it jumped, like my heart.

"What the hell was that?" I said, hand on my heart, "Oh my gosh what if it's an animal?" Alex squealed, "It's not an animal, I hope." I said quietly. Paxton walked over, opening the closet door with a broken coat hanger.

And inside, hanging on the wooden rod was a single metal device. A blinking red light and a thin plastic tube attached to it. Gage sighed, "What is this? A Goddamn vacuum? This is a waste of time, can we look for something else?"

While those 3 numskulls were fighting, I followed the length of the plastic tube. It was connected to something, "Wait guys I think we're onto something, look. If you follow this tube, it's connected into the wall, like, right her."

I pressed the tips of my fingers into the small crack in the wall where the tube was connected. It crumbled under the weight of my pressurized touch and I pulled them away, "It's almost like it's pumping something, watch." Paxton said.

We watched as the machine blinked a red light about 4 times before it stopped, and the tube moved ever so slightly, "It's almost like it's alive." Alex said, leaving us spooked.

Gage touched the plastic tube, following the rim of it into the wall, "Well what happens if we pull it?" "Don't pull it." Paxton sighed, rubbing his temples."

Gage pulled it.

It, thankfully, didn't blow us up. But his pull was so hard that the thin paint that coated the walls broke off. "Holy crap." I whispered. The end of the tube was laying on the floor as the machine seemed to turn off, "Well that was easier than I thought."

"Wait you guys, there's something behind here." I said. I fully submerged myself into the closet, pulling at the drywall, it was surprisingly easy to pull away. I was covered in white powder and dust after pulling at the wall, my fingers ached. "What the hell? It's like they tried to cover it up or something." I frowned, "If you were concocting some serum to kill the entire human race with a zombie apocalypse, I'd probably cover it up too." I rolled my eyes.

Alex growled, giving one final punch to the wall. I heard a metal clicking and then something that sounded like gears grinding, "Are we about to blow up?" I asked in fear, "What's the password." A robotic voice said, I calmed down, "What is this? Really, the put a password in a wall? Where even is the stupid automatic voice coming from?" Gage said angrily, kicking the closet.

A loud bang echoed in our ears as the room began to shake, turns out Gage kicked the closet wall, causing a hole. My eyes went wide as I peered through it. Getting on my hands and knees, I closed one eye and looked into the hole, "Holy, there's something behind here. Like a room, another room, quick, help me!"

I began kicking at the wall, quickly getting help as we demolished the wall. It was easier said than done. By the end of it, we ended up in a giant warehouse after we walked through a single door. My eyes were wide as I looked up at the sun-glass ceiling. It's so high up.

"There's another tube with something inside it." Alex pointed out.

I almost cried.

A red liquid was being transported from inside the tube to another location. Gage looked at me with sympathy, "We need to stop it, now." I said, ignoring the fact that it's blood. It could be mine for all I know. Tyler and Jared took bags of it.

"What's the password?" The automatic voice said, radiating through the warehouse, "Oh shut up you stupid robot!" Gage screamed.

The tube was connected to the wall, flowing all around it like a metal vent in classrooms. There was no actual location of it, "You guys might want to see this." I heard Paxton say. I ran over to him. "Hell no, lets turn back, now! Right now." Alex freaked, trying to turn back.

I stopped him, "No. We've come this far, Alex."

A blood bag, half-drained is connected to an IV drip which is connected to another tube, a thinner plastic tube. I follow it, my eyes narrowing. "Well this is the source of the blood. It's connected through here and is transported through here."

We still don't know where it's ending up, "I know what this is." Gage began to laugh slightly, "I can't believe I didn't see it sooner." He laughed again, scaring me, "Gage you're scaring me." I said, he looked at me, "Those sneaky fucking bastards."

"What are you talking about, man?" Alex said to him, "Don't you fucking see it? There is no way to turn it off. The tubes literally run into each other. There's no source, there's no machine or fucking archway that holographic-ally creates zombies."

"Then how the hell is there still zombie's running about?" Paxton growled, grabbing my hand behind his back, "It must be some sort of system that's not this. I don't know what this whole blood thing even is, but I'm getting rid of it."

Gage grabbed a dusty pen that was laying on the ground and stood on his tippy-toes, reaching up to pop the tube. I closed my eyes as the sound of gushing blood as poured onto the ground. Eventually it stopped as the stilled blood supply became lower and lower, "Do you think they'll be anymore blood bags?" Alex asked, Gage shrugged, "Bound to be. But we don't have time for that right now. We have to find what is causing all these zombie outbreaks."

I headed over to the room I've been eyeing for ages but someone caught my hand, "Hey, I'll come with you." Paxton said, "No you need to Gage. You and him are the best with weapons and the technology. I'll be fine."

I began to pull away again but he tugged me closer, "I don't want you to go alone." He whispered in my ear, "I'll go with her." Alex chimed in, I looked over at him, "Are you sure, Alex?" Paxton said, "Yeah I don't mind."

Paxton kissed me briefly, "Be safe. Radio if you need anything, okay?" His eyes held a longing goodbye as the last touch of his hand chilled my bones. I watched his re-treating back as Alex and I searched the floor.

Silence was exchanged between us as we opened each door and rifled through them.

A loud clang made me jump in fright, "What the hell was that?" Alex asked, staring at me, "I-I don't know? A machine turning on maybe?" I stood up, following the sound of the metallic whirring. We stumbled across an elevator.

"Is this elevator supposed to be working?" Alex whispered, looking inside of it. Metal walls, a mirror on the back, tiled roof and perfectly new buttons, "It's almost like it hasn't been touched." I said, eyebrows furrowing, "Do you think the university knew about this?" Alex asked, "What makes you say that?" He brushed his chin, "Think about it. These 2 boys who were studying science, have an entire warehouse buried within their closet. How could someone keep this covered up, I mean-" "No I know what you mean. It doesn't make much sense but we can't exactly ask them, can we." I laugh light-heartedly.

Alex takes a step inside the elevator, "Alex, what the hell are you doing, get out of there." I cried, "Relax, it's safe. It's not gonna go anywhere." He didn't look sure, but he convinced himself. I stepped on too, taking his hand.

Suddenly, the doors closed, "No. What the- HELP!" I screamed, banging on the metal doors. The machine started up again, the lights flickered off and then on, Alex tried to the radio, "We must be moving because I have like no signal, no one is answering." He panicked.

"Wait, we're n-not moving, Alex." I said subtly, "You're right."

I couldn't be more wrong. A jolt of the elevator had us on the floor. It shook for a little bit as it started to move. I stood up again, glancing at the numbers, "Apparently we're on the top floor going... all the way down."

This place is really underground. We were on the top floor 18 and we're going all the way too 1.

"We have about two minutes before we reach the bottom." Alex said. He tried to radio again but no use. Suddenly, the elevator stopped and threw us about. A few tiles from the roof caved in, landing on us, "Alex, I don't want to scare you but um..." I pointed up, at the thin cable wire holding us. This elevator is connected by a single cable wire, transferring us to the 1st floor.

"Elle that cable wire won't hold us much longer." Alex panted. I could just make out his face in the darkness as the lights turned off, "Wait, the power turned off." I said, "Do you think Paxton and Gage turned it off?" He said, I pressed the buttons, seeing nothing in return, "I don't know but I'm sure as hell grateful. If the powers off, it means we won't move."

I was wrong again.

Every so often, the cable wire would tear a tiny bit more, throwing us about as we began to fall.

"How far are we from the ground?" I whispered.

Alex looked down, fear in his eyes, "About 50 feet." He swallowed.

I screamed in frustration, hearing it echo through the elevator shaft.

I hit my head against the metal wall as I slid down it, bringing my knees to my chest.

I give up.

* * *

hiii

this chapter made :(