Zombies, Run! Fanfiction Season 1

Episode 8- A Voice in the Dark

It's been a few hours into the night and my radio has been completely silent. Maybe they think I'm already dead, I thought and another part of me was saying to not lose hope. I thought about what happened at New Canton and didn't know the outside world would be like this. That other settlements weren't as nice as Abel Township, my home. I laughed to myself. I'm calling Abel Township my home! Tears formed in my eyes and the first face that popped in my mind was Sam. I wished now that I hadn't given him such a hard time in figuring out my name. I should've just told him everything. Is this what it's like before a person dies? Thinking about what could've been? My heart ached as I thought about Sam. I shook my head. No, I couldn't have...formed feelings for Sam? Could I?

These thoughts bounced around in my head for a while and I decided to check on what's outside the door. It was clear of zombies when I walked out and I sat down on the creaky rocking chair. I few moments of silence creeped by and then I started to hear static in my ears. I froze and listened closely.

"....Runner 5...come in Runner 5..." a familiar voice was calling out to me.

"Sam!" I jumped up and pressed the button on my mic and started calling out to him. "Sam, Sam! I'm okay!"

His voice kept on going in and out from the static. "You out there, Runner 5...come in Runner..."

A moment of silence before Sam's voice was clearer. "I don't know if you can hear me Runner 5...Our scanners down. It never works that well at night anyway. And a couple bits of equipment broke down so...there's no way to see where you are. Truth is, I...I don't even know if you're alive." He gave out a slight chuckle. "Odds aren't good out there right? Hey, odds aren't good for any of us. Well, I guess I'm still alive. That's about all I can say." Sam sighs heavily. I'm probably am so far out that the radio only works one way. "Runner 5, we...we don't know where you are. We know you didn't get taken by New Canton. We managed to track that much. But you haven't came back. It's the middle of the night, Runner 5, and there's a reason we don't send patrols out at night. If you are were we think you might be...to the north...the area is swarming with zombies. They often head for us at night. If they get here before you do...we're going to have to bar the gates." Sam sighs again. "There won't be any way for you to get in and...we'll have to watch..." 

Sam chuckled sadly. "You're not even my second Runner 5, you know that? You're my fourth. Guess that's no better reason you'd make it back than any of the others. But we've put a red beacon at the top of the tower. So if you can see it...my best advice is to...run."

I got up and looked to the south and sure enough I could see a blinking red light shining in the distance. I took a deep breath and sprinted towards the red light. A mile into the run, I tried to avoid the small hordes as much as I could. I thought about Sam and it kept me going. I had to get back to him. To prove that I won't be another Runner 5 who's died. I won't let the name be cursed. I ran deep into the wilderness, trying to avoid stepping on anything that would attract attention. In each clearing I would check to see if I could still see the red light and knew I was going the right way. Sam's voice came back a half a mile later.

"So, I'm just going to keep talking for a while," He says. "I mean, for all I know I could be talking into the ear of a zombie but hey, undead fiend who used to be my friend Runner 5..."

That made me choke up. He called me his friend. Even though he doesn't even know my real name. I held back the tears and continued listening to his voice.

"At least I could irritate you with the sound of food you can't get to..." He joked. "Here, look at this tasty human meat, hehe...yeah. We've all gone a bit crazy these past few months haven't we? Runner 5, I mean, it's not something we think about during the time of the apocalypse. How it's going to affect your ability to like...be normal ever again." He paused for a moment. "Do you think it's because we just forgotten how to be normal? Do you even remember what normal felt like? I called you my friend just before then and I haven't even told you what I thought your name was...Janine and Runner 8 kind of helped me cheat a little.