Elle McBriar

September 6th, 6 months and 56 days after the first zombie report.

I look at Penny with wide eyes, panting as her hand is still over my mouth.

She takes her hand off slowly, "Who are you?" I whisper, "I'm Penny. I told you this." She said, I nodded, "I know that but- what are you doing here?"

I'm beyond confused, "I've been trapped here. I was just like you, on my own trying to survive before Sophia took me. She's trying to save her family."

Penny's face faltered and I noticed a loneliness in her eyes. She rubbed her hands together, "I've been here for weeks I- I know how to get out." She said with a hopeful eye.

"I don't know if I trust you or not. I thought I trusted Sophia, but she turned out to be a lying, manipulative bitch." I said as truthfully as I could, Penny nodded her head, "Understandable. I know what you've been through, people betraying you and all." She smiled.

I smiled back, "Promise you won't stab me in the back?" I asked, "Promise."

She held out her pinky and I pinky swore, "Good. Now that that's out of the way." She said.

She turned to leave, when a click on the door sounded. She gave me wide eyes, "This way, quickly."

I was shoved behind a container, it was dark and dusty. I covered my mouth with my elbow as I coughed silently, "What's going on?" I asked, "Shh, stay quiet." Penny hushed me as we stayed huddled behind this container.

The door opened and I heard footsteps. A few beeping noises and button-pressing later and the door clicked shut again.

"Okay, we need to go now!"

* * *

I must admit, all this sneaking around is kind of fun.

We had to crawl through a vent.

Yes, like the movies. Apparently it's the only way out. "The vent leads to a room with no cameras, basically no one goes there."

She kicked the vent from the inside as I changed to the floor, "Subtle." I cringed. Penny laughed, "It's soundproof."

I crawled in after Penny and dusted off my pants as I stretched my back.

All this moving is hurting my body. I'm barely healed and crawling through tiny vent spaces is not helping.

"Holy shit Elle, you're bleeding." Penny said. I probably looked dumb trying to look at my own back, "That's nothing." I said dizzily, "Lets focus on getting out of here, then we'll worry about me, okay?"

She nodded sceptically, glancing at me one more time, "If you insist."

"What is this place?" I asked.

Penny hesitated, "Would you like the truth or the sugar coated version?"

"The first one."

She sighed, "This is basically a torture chamber." It was then I noticed the washed out blood stains on the floor and the scratch marks on the wall, "It looks like werewolves were down here."

Penny laughed, "Well with everything going on right now that sounds like the most logical explanation."

"What kind of experiments did they do down here?" I brushed the tips of my fingers against the scratch marks, chills making there way up and down my body.

"How do you know they did experiments down here?" Penny asked, "Wild guess."

"I'm a victim of torture chambers." I chuckled dryly, "Oh my God I- I'm so sorry." Penny said, "Don't be. They're dead now. We killed them."

I felt no remorse as pure rage coarsed in my veins.

It was quiet for a few seconds until Penny spoke, her feet scraping against the concrete floor, "The door is here. All we have to do is get through here and then the security exit."

As Penny opened the door, a face revealed itself on the other side, "You were so close, too." Sophia smirked.

I knew it was too easy!

My eyes were wide as were Penny's. She gripped my arm as we walked backwards, "I should've known I didn't use enough paralytic to hold you down." Sophia said, crazy eyes swarming.

She's completely delusional.

Neither of us said a word, too scared and too distracted by the loaded gun in Sophias hand as she raised it, pointing it at the both of us.

"You really thought you'd be able to leave?" She laughed manically, "I need you. Both of you. You're the key to bringing everyone back. Who cares if you die, 2 lives for 34? Sounds like a deal for me?"

34 people? There are 34 more people on the Earth.

The gun in Sophias hand kept going back and forth between Penny and I, "No one will miss you, you don't have family but I- we do. We have family. Daughters, sons!We have family!"

I nodded, "I know you do, but there must be another way to do this instead of taking our lives."

"There's not!" Sophia screamed. She fired a warning shot into the wall. A few pieces of drywall crumbled onto the floor.

"You both are the key. Human blood!"

"Then get one of your friends to sacrifice themselves." Penny shouted sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "Don't you think I tried? I actually liked you, Elle. And you Penny, I don't want to kill you-"

"Then don't." Penny screamed, "I have too. It's the only way." Sophia screamed back.

We have a gun pointed at us and these two are having a screaming match!

As Sophia gets closer to us, I realise her finger isn't even on the trigger. The fun is definitely loaded and is off the safety, but her finger isn't on the trigger.

Penny is staring at Sophia, wide-eyed. One thing I learned from Paxton that wasn't just how to 'shoot a gun'...

Was defence classes 101.

Quicker than any of us expected, I flew towards Sophia as I knocked the gun into my own hand, pointing it against her chest instead of ours.

But this time, my finger was on the trigger.

"RUN, GO!" I yelled at Penny while Sophia struggled in my grip.

My hand was under her chin, gripping her throat as the gun was locked in my hand, pressed against her temple.

"I'm not leaving you the hell? I said I was going to save your life so let me save it-"

"Penny, open the door."

She nodded, "Now go and get help. And run, preferably."

Penny ran like the wind, leaving me in the dust with Sophia.

Her face was turning red as she clawed at my skin, her feet kicking the floor.

Penny calls for me and I let go of Sophia, tucking the gun into the back of my pants as she drops to floor, a heavy thud echoing around the room.

I'm running through the door, closing it behind me.

I collapse on the ground, "She's gonna come after us." Penny exclaims.

She lays on the ground next to me, "We can hold her off long enough to tell everybody."

Penny is quiet for a while, "It's been so long since I've seen people. It's going to be great, are they nice?" She asked.

I nodded and smiled, "They're lovely. Well, a few of them are." I shrugged.

"I'm scared, will they like me?"

"They'll love you. And I'm sure they'll accept you."

Penny smiled brightly as she held out a hand for me to grab, "Okay, where to now?"

"I'm pretty sure it's just through this door." Penny said. She shoved hard on it. I heard it budge a little, scraping against the metal floor.

"Here, help me."

I tried shoving my shoulder against the door, but I'm too weak, "I'm sorry. I can't I- I can barely move. It hurts too much."

I nodded to my back and Penny nodded, sighing with empathy.

"What even happened?"

"I blew up our one and only home. The only chance of survival."

I knew I should've killed her.

* * *

hii

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