Good Night, Good Luck: TWDG/Dying Light Crossover AU

Part Eight: Where The Nightmares Sleep

On the way to the apartment complex, not a single word was exchanged amongst the group.
The dread of what they were about to do had started to sink in and everybody was silently terrified, though none of them admitted it.
Everybody in the city, save for those brave or insane enough, sought shelter in UV light equipped safe zones after dark.
The things that came out at night, those horrific mutations, barely recognisable as human, couldn't stand the UV rays of the sun. During the day, the Volatiles retreated to their nests to hibernate.
While the sun was up, the city could be freely traversed by survivors. Biters were easily avoidable and as long as you were quiet, nothing would bother you.
But at night? The city belonged to the Volatiles.

Clementine stared up at the monolithic apartment complex.
It was around twenty storeys high, had hundreds of rooms and would be completely infested with the dead, and worse.
It's twin, a second, identical building connected by an enclosed bridge of glass and concrete, was equally overrun.
And they were about to walk right into it.
The lot surrounding the complex was eerily empty.
At least a few biters wandering around near a nest would have been normal, but their absence made everything feel even more unnatural.
Clementine approached the front door, carefully jiggling the handle to test the lock.
She pushed against the door with her shoulder, but it didn't budge, something was blocking it from the inside.

"We didn't really think it would be that easy did we?" Marlon said huskily.

"I guess not." Clem huffed.

She folded her arms and surveyed the building, looking for another way in.
She almost jumped when Aasim snapped his fingers.

"I know!" He announced excitedly, "the roof, this building was a government housing project in the eighties, all those appartments followed the same basic layout, which means there'll be a maintenance hatch on the roof of both buildings."

"How do you know that?" Louis asked.

"I've got a lot of books and even more free time."

Everyone stared at Aasim, then turned their attention to the top of the building.

"That's like a two hundred foot climb." Marlon said slowly.

"The balconies will help, at least it's not just straight up a flat wall." Aasim replied.

"What choice do we have?" Clem asked.

The look on everyone's faces answered for them, and so they began the climb.
Brody, Ruby and Aasim had elected to stay back, making sure they had a clear escape route, should they need it.
Clem took no issue with it. Even if they were afraid, they had every right to be. Besides, less people meant less noise.

"Remember," Aasim said as they scaled the first set of balconies, "-the column you're looking for will be marked yellow, it was the standard when this place was built. Get to the basement, plant the bombs, then get out."

"Oh, is that all?" Louis joked.

Marlon patted him on the shoulder.

"Yep, easy. Let's get to it..."

***

By the time they were halfway up, Clem's arms and legs burned. She hoisted herself up onto a balcony and sat leaned against the wall, taking a rest.
On the adjacent building she could see Louis and Marlon making their way up.
She gave them a little wave, which Louis returned.
After her break, she continued climbing. When they reached the top they were drenched in sweat and exhausted, but they pushed on.
Violet pulled open the trapdoor, which surprisingly wasn't locked, and they descended the ladder into the darkened building.