15 days later (Ada's view)

15 days later (Ada's view)

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Cambridge Flats , North of the Banking District

 The wind howled outside the room. It was chilling to hear for it amplified the sound of the infected as they roamed the streets. Ada could see them clearly from her perch. This was an apartment complex long ago abandoned by its previous occupants , the rich who had their own choppers airlift them the moment they knew District One was done for. 

  "Lucky them having money like that" ,  thought Ada , "and us poor folk are left with nothing but these ruins and its "charming" denizens." The lanky girl laughed at her own description of the Infected. Then she remembered that her own mother and father were now among those who were roaming the streets aimlessly.She felt tears stinging her eyes and she immediately wiped them off with her sleeves, she didn’t remember the last time her clothes were washed or when she had a decent bath. All she remembers is that she has been here since the bombs started falling. Oh how she remembered that sound, like a roaring of a thousand dying deaths and the winds howl reminds her of that as well. She clutched at her sleeves tighter now feeling a chill in the air. Then she heard gun shots from the distance. One round after another piercing the silence. Was it the army? Were they back already??  Or have the bloody Americans washed their hands of this fiasco? It seems like the shots were being fired sporadically, probably people fleeing or fighting off a mob of infected.

Then she saw them. 2 men running as fast as they could, one was tanned brown carrying a big red bag, the other was a tall fellow who was wearing some sort of protective gear. She noticed that they were firing at random, the tall man seemed to be shaking as he shot. Then he noticed something about the brown tanned man, it was a scar that marred his rather noble looking face, it stretched from his left forehead to his mouth creating a crescent that made him look like a half moon when he smiled. She knew him from the District One Hospital, his name was Arian and that tall fellow she believes was called Matt. What in the world are they doing there? It’s just crazy. Then she noticed the big bank logo that used to be the most important building in the financial district. Money? is that all that they care about these days? She knew it was important but in a depressing place like this shouldn’t it be survival that was important. Things like food and water or a good place to hide. In any case she believes that she should give them a chance to run for it. 

 Looking inside the house she looked for something to throw over the balcony, the infected looked really scrawny but for some reason they are really irritated by loud noises. The TV seemed to be the logical choice. She could get the plasma screen from the adjoining flat if she ever wanted to watch anything. If something would be broadcast anyway.

 A few seconds later a big metallic box was hurtling toward the street. The loud crash it made was enough for the infected to converge on its point of impact. Ada looked as those nearing the crazy pair ran toward the distraction she had created. Within seconds she knew that they would be knocking at the flat doors below but that was barricaded long before she even got here and she believed that no matter how much the infected tried, they can never get into Cambridge. There was only one way in or out and she was the only living soul who knew of its existence. Arian seemed to be looking in her direction. She was waving madly at him. She wanted him to see her. Though she knew no one would be willing to risk their lives to rescue her now, it was just too plain difficult. 

It was a full second when she realized that Arian was looking a few floors down , probably on the lighted Flat she always kept on just in case someone would pass by. Still the optimist she scolded herself. And as Matt pulled Arian away she decided that she would go with them. She still had to thank Arian for his kindness in the hospital.

    She knew the way toward the bank. There was only one way; through the sewers. It was one of those places she scouted when she first found out about its existence. She had found out that entrance in the basement and she always made sure that it would be covered with something very heavy. She knew the sewers would have been dangerous but for some reason nothing was there. Not even rats. She would often use that way to go underneath any store when she needed something. It had served her well so far but there was always that fear of something grabbing her in the darkness or when she opened the lid at the basement for the first time. This time was no different. She found a cricket bat upstairs and held it at the ready to smash anything that would pop out of the opening. She slowly pushed the metal lid with her left foot...

     Only the foul smell of the sewer greeted her. Despite the nasty odor she breathed a small sigh of relief. Holding her breath she took the plunge and landed on the water trail. She had put several markers here previously and so navigating through what seemed like endless tunnels were easy. At the pillar of this entrance she put in a flier for the Cambridge Flats. “Luxury at the very heart of district One” the flier announced. “I bet they didn’t predict the horrors coming from this side of town.” 

The darkness spread before her and like before Ada was tempted to just stay put, to be safe where she was. But then she remembered his face, Arians face. She remembered how he got that scar, she remembered how stubbornly she refused her mother and fathers side after she found out that they were about to turn. It was Arian who carried her to the secret bunker, it was Arian who threw her to the floor and was promptly hit by a piece of shrapnel on the side of his face, forever marring it. She was so full of pain and confusion to notice that he was still smiling at her despite what happened. “It’s going to be ok” he said. His voice strong and steady. She just slapped his hand away and slinked to a corner. 

 It still embarrasses her to think of that time but now she has a chance to personally thank him. A chance she would not pass up for anything. So she made her way into the darkness and found the marker that she was looking for. A Pound taped underneath a ladder. This was the District One Bank. She knew that Arian and Matt would be up there. She heard gun shots followed by a loud explosion that rocked the very foundations of the building. Dust fell down on her. She coughed a couple of times to clear her lungs of the irritants. Her heart quickened. What in the world was going on? She wondered. She went up the bank and went to the main lobby, pieces of the infected were scattered about , money was coming down from the roof. Nothing was moving and then she heard a sob near the vault area. She rushed to him , he knew his voice. She saw Matt, bloodied and dead and there was her hero kneeling right before his fallen comrade. She gave no thought to anything else. Here was her chance to make it up to him. She rushed to him and held him in an embrace in one quick motion. She let his head rest on her neck.

“Its going to be ok.” She said in the steadiest and most reassuring voice she could muster.

 “Ada…” Arian said in a very slow and husky voice. “Run…”

 Ada neither understood those words as she saw Arian's red eyes and his mouth opening to take a bite at her throat. She wanted to be angry at him for this. She wanted to be angry at fate for letting her survive only to die at the hands of her savior. She wanted to be angry at a lot of things all at once but she knew that this was futile. She knew that she would not feel for anything ever again. She would only know one thing. Rage.

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Editor's Note: This story occurs 15 days after the carpet bombing of District One in the movie 28 weeks later.

Originally posted in Effective Communications. A Big thanks to Patrick Racho for that.

http://effective-communications-accbs.page.tl/June-de-Leon-h-s-The-Lost-Palantir-3.htm