To Be A Killer

Chapter 77: Bad Moon Rising (Part 1)

"Okay, Five, there are a few shamblers stumbling through the hedge, but they won't catch you. You need to get back to Abel right now. Janine's furlough is over. She's coming in right now to take command." Sam releases a shaky breath. "Now, the good news is there doesn't seem to be any pursuit from New Canton. The bad news is that's because they're uh, they're mustering their forces outside the gate of New Canton.

"There's thousands of them-armed or riding around in armored trucks. I know you said she'd gone on about it, but Moonchild seems to really really want that Zombie Repelling Device... That's why she wanted you back, apparently. I guess she thought you wouldn't fail her a second time."

"Yeah, well, she now wants me dead since I can't do anything for her," I reply. "I knew she didn't actually care about me, but the 180 was a real shocker."

"Yeah, and um, she also has access to our channels. I'm tryin' to kick her out, but when the whole Fraternal Alliance thing happened, we shared access codes with each other as a sign of trust. Moonchild's probably listening to every word we say. And if you are, I want you to know you're not gonna win. We've taken down people bigger and badder than you, and with better fashion sense."

"I kicked Van Ark's ass and I'll kick yours too!" I shout, smiling as Sam shouts a confirmation.

"Yeah! But, um, Five, New Canton's army is on the march. You've got maybe a fifteen minute lead. Run."

I speed up. Fifteen minutes won't be enough. I need to be at least twenty minutes ahead of them because the second I get back I have to prepare myself to fight. Moonchild will rip Abel down and burn it to the ground for the ZRD. I don't know if she told me what it was for. She might have, but I can't remember it.

But she wants it badly. I remember her telling me that much.

But still I want to know why, and I want to know how she got Bernard and Ilene under her control. She must've had them under her control so she could get them to poison the water supply with her serum. Very few people are allowed around those kinds of things, and even fewer would know how to get there.

Somehow, someway, Moonchild turned them. If we find out how she did that to them, we may just find out how she got to me. I never drank CeretinPlus and I was put under the mind control before the water supply was corrupted. The hypnotism and ZRD had something to do with it, but that can't be all that happened because without that serum in my blood nothing would have happened.

There's something I'm missing and I can't figure out what.

"How'm I doing, Sam?" I ask as I wipe the sweat from my face, goosebumps starting to erupt on my skin from the cold snow that's began to fall.

"You're still ahead of New Canton. They're moving quickly, but you're nearly home. You should get back to Abel in time if you-" His words stop at the sound of the coms door opening. "Oh, Janine. I was just telling Five that-"

"I heard, Mr. Yao. Runner Five will not be returning to Abel."

"What?" He chokes, his voice cracking. "But there's-but theres a huge army-"

"Runner Five, that large oak tree on the horizon marks the border of Dunder Woods. Head straight for it to rendezvous with Runners Six and Four."

"That's in the path of the army, Janine-"

"Abel's entire survival depends on her actions," She snaps, and I flinch. "Have you ever heard of an Israeli general called Moshe Deyana?"

"Uh, not really."

"In war, tactics are everything. Go to that oak tree, Five. Run."

I don't understand what she's trying to do, but still I obey. I run as fast as I can towards the oak trees. It's about a mile away, maybe a little less. I can get there in about seven or eight minutes if I sprint.