INFECTION
Chapter 3- Call to Action
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Adam kept his eyes above as the blazing fireball known as Kai soared overhead. Though sore and tired, Adam managed to keep up bound for bound. He allowed the power to blitz through his legs, charging him forward at a furious speed. He sprang onto a dumpster, onto a balcony, and onto the rooftops, leaping from one to another in hot pursuit. He never let Kai and Mira out of his sight.
It wasn't long before Adam spotted their destination. A long-unused small white bus sat in the parking lot of a broken old school building, surrounded by another horde of zombies. This group was not nearly as large as the one Adam had fought earlier, but it was still a larger group than the hordes Adam was used to. They must live inside the school, Adam surmised. And those local guys in the bus had to have known that. So what on earth were they doing there?
He figured he'd find out once they were safe. Adam perched himself on the closest nearby rooftop to watch the battle unfold. Mira spotted Adam from above and waved, then said something to Kai. He said something back to her, then made a few motions with his hands to indicate some sort of plan to Mira, which she acknowledged. Then they dove down into the fray.
They landed in front of the bus doors, in the midst of the attacking horde. Kai released Mira, who got out of the way just in time for Kai to burst his hands into flames, charge up a massive blaze, and hurl it forward into the crowd of zombies to give himself some space. Meanwhile Mira forced the bus door open and slipped inside, closing it shut behind her. Kai glanced back to make sure she was no longer out in the open. Then he really started to let loose.
Fire flew everywhere. The zombies were scattered after Kai's initial attack, so the boy resorted to shooting one or two at a time. At least... that's what Adam speculated. Kai seemed to be having great fun blasting each individual zombie. The overconfident grin from before had returned, and he never showed the slightest bit of hesitation when he flamed a zombie. In fact, he seemed downright gleeful while he did so.
Zombies were crumbling into piles of ash one after another as Kai mercilessly destroyed the horde. He even blasted the zombies that turned to run away. Adam whistled, impressed. Here he was above the scene, able to see every zombie in the horde. There Kai was on the ground, a sharp eye for each zombie that did not bear his mark. As soon as he caught sight of one, he took aim and blasted it. Once the zombie was ablaze, he left it to panic, helpless as it dissolved to cinders, while he took care of another in the same manner.
Adam had to admit--- these guys seemed to have everything under control. Kai had almost blown the entire horde to smithereens and Mira was already waiting at the bus door with those trapped, ready to emerge. Their operation was a success.
...Wait.
Adam's eagle-eye perspective still gave him an advantage Kai did not have. Kai could only see what was in front of him, and he did not keep an eye on the zombies he had already set on fire. One such blazing victim was careening dangerously close to that bus' engine.
"KAI!" Adam shouted. The boy didn't seem to notice, caught up in his revelry and too far down to hear anything outside his immediate vicinity. Mira, however, had noticed. She banged on the door of the bus and pointed toward the engine, calling out for Kai's attention. But he didn't acknowledge her either.
Adam had mere seconds to react. He let as much strength as he could muster charge through his legs, through his feet, and into his toes. Then he launched himself from the rooftop, aiming for the front end of the bus, and for the zombie that stumbled ever closer to it. He landed nearby and got a running start, maintaining the power in his legs while charging a new force in his back, shoulders and arms. Adam jetted forward. He slammed into the bus and pushed it forward just as the zombie collapsed, still burning, where the engine had been mere seconds before.
And Adam, dizzy from expending so much strength at once (not to mention from the backlash caused by slamming into a bus at full speed), collapsed to his knees in front of it. It took a good fifteen seconds for the disorientation to wear off. The last of the zombies crumbled away in his peripheral. The banging on the bus door continued. Kai shouted something panicked. Adam shook his head and tried to float back down to his surroundings, with little success.
"I can't! It's stuck!" That was Mira.
"How'd it get stuck?"
"It's an old bus. Try helping us pull from the outside!"
Kai grunted. "Gah! I'm trying!"
"Try harder!"
"I just blasted an entire horde of zombies, Mira! I'm already spent!"
"Do you want to get us out of here or not?"
Adam rose to his feet, knees shaking. He used the bus to steady himself.
"Of course I do!" Kai's voice cracked. "I just can't!"
Adam stumbled forward. "Here... let me help," he breathed.
Kai's fiery answer surprised him. "You've helped enough!" he snarled. "As far as we know, you could be the reason the door's jammed in the first place!"
Mira sounded shocked with that response. "If he hadn't done that, we'd all be dead right now!" She banged at him. "I tried to warn you."
"I was busy," snapped Kai. But his hasty anger slipped away almost as swiftly as it had risen. He turned back to Adam and gave him a reluctant nod. "Fine, you can help." He stepped back, arms folded close to his chest.
Adam raised an eyebrow at the turbulent redhead, puzzled by the sudden outburst but unfazed. He dug his fingers into the jammed door and sent a pulse through his fingers. Using that tiny burst of power, he got the door to unjam. As he pulled, Mira and the two guys there with her helped. At last, the door opened.
Mira and two men in their mid-twenties, along with three still-frightened kids, stepped out of the bus. "Thank you guys so much," said one man. He nodded to Adam. "I know Mira and Kai, but I don't know you. You're new around here."
Adam pinched his temple. "Just passing through," he answered.
"What were you guys doing out here anyway?" demanded Kai. He pointed to the school. "That place is a death trap and we all know it. Even I wouldn't go in there!"
"It was Caden's idea!" said one of the kids, indicating the oldest boy. "He wanted to look around..."
Kai cut her off. "So you decided to just... come with him?"
"I thought we'd be safer together," said Caden.
"They've already been reprimanded," said the other of the two guys. "We took off after them soon after they left so they didn't get very far. That still didn't stop the horde from hearing us and... well, the rest is history."
Mira set her hands on her hips. "Well, you guys did the right thing getting in the bus," she said. "I'm just glad no-one was hurt past a scraped knee. You guys think you can get back to the shelter OK?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine."
"All right. Stay safe!" Adam squeezed his eyes shut and leaned against the bus, still lightheaded. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back up at Mira. She was eying him with concern. "I think we've got someone else who needs our help here."
Adam woke up at some undetermined time, in some undetermined room, in a relatively comfortable bed. Light filtered through the main window in the room, though it was covered up by a thick curtain. Though at first surprised, it didn't take long for him to remember what had happened that previous evening.
...Yeah. Using full power on nearly every part of his body at once. Probably not the smartest move he'd ever made. But he'd saved lives--- that was all that mattered. He faintly recalled the walk to the house. Mira's arm had been draped over his shoulder as he'd stumbled along, half asleep. Kai had walked beside them, oddly stoic as he'd lit their way back, both hands ablaze. Adam barely remembered entering the house, or even getting into this bed. Had he used that much energy?
"Is he awake yet?"
On instinct, adrenaline rushed through Adam's veins. He flipped over in bed to face the voice, all residual grogginess gone. Both Mira and Kai stared back at him, equally startled.
"Survey says yes," said Mira.
Adam sat up in bed. That initial kick had been more than enough to get him back in gear. Had his nerves known he was in safe hands, he would have slept longer--- after all, he got so little good sleep. If it was back on the road for him today, he'd want to sleep for as long as possible. But, he supposed--- he was up now.
Mira sat down beside him. "How do you feel?"
Adam stretched his arms out in front of him. "Awake," he sighed.
"Great. You really blacked out on us yesterday."
"Yeah, dude." Kai laughed, stopping beside the bed. "We were starting to think you'd never wake up."
"Guess I needed the rest," said Adam. He idly scratched the back of his head and pulled back the curtain to get a look outside. It was broad daylight. "How long was I asleep?"
"All night and all morning," said Mira. "It's afternoon now." She smiled and scooted back off the bed. "I hope you don't make a habit of pushing yourself that far while doing your lone ranger thing."
"Ah... no." Adam slipped out of bed and smoothed down his shirt. "I've never used that much power at once before. Guess it drained me more than I thought it would."
Kai coughed awkwardly. Mira turned to her friend with a knowing look, one with deeper meaning that Adam could not quite grasp. The redhead dug his thumbs into his pockets and let his gaze fall to the ground. Mira sighed with sympathy. She faced Adam again. "Come and have lunch with us. We need to talk to you about something."
So Adam followed his hosts downstairs, where they let Adam take his pick of their selection. He chose the easy-to-store foods--- the individually wrapped snacks. He always loaded his bag with that sort of stuff, should it be available to him, before he left any town. It was a majority of their stock, and neither Mira nor Kai had any objections to his choices: trail mix, peanuts, and a box of eight protein bars. If Adam hoped to regain his strength faster, this stuff was his best bet.
They sat down in the kitchen to eat the meal. Adam was grateful to get a chance to refuel before heading back on his way, particularly after such a massive power crash. And that crash had not only made him sleep for almost a day--- it had left him famished. It was a good thing Mira and Kai had an extensive supply of food, otherwise Adam would have started to feel guilty by now.
Although lunch began in silence, Kai soon piped up and made conversation--- well... tried to make conversation. It was less of a conversation and more of a monologue.
"So we spent the night looking for zombie trouble. There wasn't anything too big after we went back out. Maybe a group or two on the street..." He paused to munch a few peanuts. "And some we found trying to break into this one shelter that's still trying to get set up. They've been at it for months and we've had to go over there like... five times in the past two weeks. Not including last night. Anyway, I just shot 'em with a couple blasts and they're done. Easy!"
Adam just wanted to eat. Why was Kai running down the night's events like this? Adam certainly didn't recall asking for that.
Kai seemed to notice Adam's displeasure. He shifted in his seat. "Maybe... too easy. I can do more than just... blast zombies off walls, y'know." He laughed.
"We know, Kai," said Mira, tone gentle.
Kai tossed one hand toward Adam. "You do. He doesn't."
"Sure I do. I saw you last night," said Adam. He got set unwrapping a protein bar.
"Yeah... I mean, yeah! You did. But I wasn't... I didn't exactly... that is to say, I... um..." Kai dug his fingers through his hair. There was something on the tip of his tongue; that much was obvious.
Adam smiled for the younger teen's sake. "You were really good out there."
Kai perked up. "You think so?"
"Yeah. You and Mira really know what you're doing."
Kai's face brightened for a moment, before the faint smile faded back into a worried frown. "Wait. So you're not upset about... the thing?"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Upset about what thing?"
"You know. The thing." Kai threw out his hands for emphasis. He must have thought that adding a gesture to the same vague words he'd just used would clarify their meaning. It did not.
Adam shook his head. "Sorry, dude. I don't know what I'm supposed to be upset about."
Kai snorted. "Never mind."
"Kai." Mira set a steady hand on her friend's shoulder. "We talked about this already."
Kai hushed his tone, but Adam could still understand him. "Why can't you tell him?"
"Do you want me to tell him? Really?"
"No, but..."
"Exactly. No 'but'." She patted his arm and nudged him back to face Adam.
Kai sat for a few awkward seconds, blue eyes set forward, unblinking. Then he cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "I messed up last evening. Big time. And... as much as I hate to admit it, I... we..." He slumped. Kai bit his lip, as if it pained him to say the words. "That could have ended in disaster and it's a good thing you were there. We could really use your help. So! Now that that's out of the way..." He thrust his hand into Adam's face, causing Adam to jerk backwards. "Wanna join us?"
Join them? As in... make his home here? Settle? "Uh... I don't know, guys..." Adam sputtered. Kai's hand fell back to his side. The redhead turned to Mira, his expression pleading for her assistance.
"You don't have to decide right away," said Mira. "You could stay with us a few days, and if you decide you don't want to, then... sure. You can go on." She smiled, then reached across the table to nudge his hand with her fist. "But at least give it a shot. We could really use an extra set of hands."
Adam considered his options. He could carry on--- continue a journey that had no visible end. Keep living his life on the run, paranoid of everything that moved, never sure where his next bed would be, nor where his next meal would come from. He could continue to live and travel on his own, a lonely passerby who never let anyone get too close. Or he could make his home here, with these people who wanted his help. He'd have a secure roof over his head and a sure source of food. And he'd get to rescue people--- hopefully with more success than he would alone.
This... made sense. Perhaps he could... if just until he felt the urge to move on again. It's not like he could ignore a plea for help.
Adam let loose a long sigh, smiling. "All right. I'll stay."
It wasn't long before Adam spotted their destination. A long-unused small white bus sat in the parking lot of a broken old school building, surrounded by another horde of zombies. This group was not nearly as large as the one Adam had fought earlier, but it was still a larger group than the hordes Adam was used to. They must live inside the school, Adam surmised. And those local guys in the bus had to have known that. So what on earth were they doing there?
He figured he'd find out once they were safe. Adam perched himself on the closest nearby rooftop to watch the battle unfold. Mira spotted Adam from above and waved, then said something to Kai. He said something back to her, then made a few motions with his hands to indicate some sort of plan to Mira, which she acknowledged. Then they dove down into the fray.
They landed in front of the bus doors, in the midst of the attacking horde. Kai released Mira, who got out of the way just in time for Kai to burst his hands into flames, charge up a massive blaze, and hurl it forward into the crowd of zombies to give himself some space. Meanwhile Mira forced the bus door open and slipped inside, closing it shut behind her. Kai glanced back to make sure she was no longer out in the open. Then he really started to let loose.
Fire flew everywhere. The zombies were scattered after Kai's initial attack, so the boy resorted to shooting one or two at a time. At least... that's what Adam speculated. Kai seemed to be having great fun blasting each individual zombie. The overconfident grin from before had returned, and he never showed the slightest bit of hesitation when he flamed a zombie. In fact, he seemed downright gleeful while he did so.
Zombies were crumbling into piles of ash one after another as Kai mercilessly destroyed the horde. He even blasted the zombies that turned to run away. Adam whistled, impressed. Here he was above the scene, able to see every zombie in the horde. There Kai was on the ground, a sharp eye for each zombie that did not bear his mark. As soon as he caught sight of one, he took aim and blasted it. Once the zombie was ablaze, he left it to panic, helpless as it dissolved to cinders, while he took care of another in the same manner.
Adam had to admit--- these guys seemed to have everything under control. Kai had almost blown the entire horde to smithereens and Mira was already waiting at the bus door with those trapped, ready to emerge. Their operation was a success.
...Wait.
Adam's eagle-eye perspective still gave him an advantage Kai did not have. Kai could only see what was in front of him, and he did not keep an eye on the zombies he had already set on fire. One such blazing victim was careening dangerously close to that bus' engine.
"KAI!" Adam shouted. The boy didn't seem to notice, caught up in his revelry and too far down to hear anything outside his immediate vicinity. Mira, however, had noticed. She banged on the door of the bus and pointed toward the engine, calling out for Kai's attention. But he didn't acknowledge her either.
Adam had mere seconds to react. He let as much strength as he could muster charge through his legs, through his feet, and into his toes. Then he launched himself from the rooftop, aiming for the front end of the bus, and for the zombie that stumbled ever closer to it. He landed nearby and got a running start, maintaining the power in his legs while charging a new force in his back, shoulders and arms. Adam jetted forward. He slammed into the bus and pushed it forward just as the zombie collapsed, still burning, where the engine had been mere seconds before.
And Adam, dizzy from expending so much strength at once (not to mention from the backlash caused by slamming into a bus at full speed), collapsed to his knees in front of it. It took a good fifteen seconds for the disorientation to wear off. The last of the zombies crumbled away in his peripheral. The banging on the bus door continued. Kai shouted something panicked. Adam shook his head and tried to float back down to his surroundings, with little success.
"I can't! It's stuck!" That was Mira.
"How'd it get stuck?"
"It's an old bus. Try helping us pull from the outside!"
Kai grunted. "Gah! I'm trying!"
"Try harder!"
"I just blasted an entire horde of zombies, Mira! I'm already spent!"
"Do you want to get us out of here or not?"
Adam rose to his feet, knees shaking. He used the bus to steady himself.
"Of course I do!" Kai's voice cracked. "I just can't!"
Adam stumbled forward. "Here... let me help," he breathed.
Kai's fiery answer surprised him. "You've helped enough!" he snarled. "As far as we know, you could be the reason the door's jammed in the first place!"
Mira sounded shocked with that response. "If he hadn't done that, we'd all be dead right now!" She banged at him. "I tried to warn you."
"I was busy," snapped Kai. But his hasty anger slipped away almost as swiftly as it had risen. He turned back to Adam and gave him a reluctant nod. "Fine, you can help." He stepped back, arms folded close to his chest.
Adam raised an eyebrow at the turbulent redhead, puzzled by the sudden outburst but unfazed. He dug his fingers into the jammed door and sent a pulse through his fingers. Using that tiny burst of power, he got the door to unjam. As he pulled, Mira and the two guys there with her helped. At last, the door opened.
Mira and two men in their mid-twenties, along with three still-frightened kids, stepped out of the bus. "Thank you guys so much," said one man. He nodded to Adam. "I know Mira and Kai, but I don't know you. You're new around here."
Adam pinched his temple. "Just passing through," he answered.
"What were you guys doing out here anyway?" demanded Kai. He pointed to the school. "That place is a death trap and we all know it. Even I wouldn't go in there!"
"It was Caden's idea!" said one of the kids, indicating the oldest boy. "He wanted to look around..."
Kai cut her off. "So you decided to just... come with him?"
"I thought we'd be safer together," said Caden.
"They've already been reprimanded," said the other of the two guys. "We took off after them soon after they left so they didn't get very far. That still didn't stop the horde from hearing us and... well, the rest is history."
Mira set her hands on her hips. "Well, you guys did the right thing getting in the bus," she said. "I'm just glad no-one was hurt past a scraped knee. You guys think you can get back to the shelter OK?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine."
"All right. Stay safe!" Adam squeezed his eyes shut and leaned against the bus, still lightheaded. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back up at Mira. She was eying him with concern. "I think we've got someone else who needs our help here."
Adam woke up at some undetermined time, in some undetermined room, in a relatively comfortable bed. Light filtered through the main window in the room, though it was covered up by a thick curtain. Though at first surprised, it didn't take long for him to remember what had happened that previous evening.
...Yeah. Using full power on nearly every part of his body at once. Probably not the smartest move he'd ever made. But he'd saved lives--- that was all that mattered. He faintly recalled the walk to the house. Mira's arm had been draped over his shoulder as he'd stumbled along, half asleep. Kai had walked beside them, oddly stoic as he'd lit their way back, both hands ablaze. Adam barely remembered entering the house, or even getting into this bed. Had he used that much energy?
"Is he awake yet?"
On instinct, adrenaline rushed through Adam's veins. He flipped over in bed to face the voice, all residual grogginess gone. Both Mira and Kai stared back at him, equally startled.
"Survey says yes," said Mira.
Adam sat up in bed. That initial kick had been more than enough to get him back in gear. Had his nerves known he was in safe hands, he would have slept longer--- after all, he got so little good sleep. If it was back on the road for him today, he'd want to sleep for as long as possible. But, he supposed--- he was up now.
Mira sat down beside him. "How do you feel?"
Adam stretched his arms out in front of him. "Awake," he sighed.
"Great. You really blacked out on us yesterday."
"Yeah, dude." Kai laughed, stopping beside the bed. "We were starting to think you'd never wake up."
"Guess I needed the rest," said Adam. He idly scratched the back of his head and pulled back the curtain to get a look outside. It was broad daylight. "How long was I asleep?"
"All night and all morning," said Mira. "It's afternoon now." She smiled and scooted back off the bed. "I hope you don't make a habit of pushing yourself that far while doing your lone ranger thing."
"Ah... no." Adam slipped out of bed and smoothed down his shirt. "I've never used that much power at once before. Guess it drained me more than I thought it would."
Kai coughed awkwardly. Mira turned to her friend with a knowing look, one with deeper meaning that Adam could not quite grasp. The redhead dug his thumbs into his pockets and let his gaze fall to the ground. Mira sighed with sympathy. She faced Adam again. "Come and have lunch with us. We need to talk to you about something."
So Adam followed his hosts downstairs, where they let Adam take his pick of their selection. He chose the easy-to-store foods--- the individually wrapped snacks. He always loaded his bag with that sort of stuff, should it be available to him, before he left any town. It was a majority of their stock, and neither Mira nor Kai had any objections to his choices: trail mix, peanuts, and a box of eight protein bars. If Adam hoped to regain his strength faster, this stuff was his best bet.
They sat down in the kitchen to eat the meal. Adam was grateful to get a chance to refuel before heading back on his way, particularly after such a massive power crash. And that crash had not only made him sleep for almost a day--- it had left him famished. It was a good thing Mira and Kai had an extensive supply of food, otherwise Adam would have started to feel guilty by now.
Although lunch began in silence, Kai soon piped up and made conversation--- well... tried to make conversation. It was less of a conversation and more of a monologue.
"So we spent the night looking for zombie trouble. There wasn't anything too big after we went back out. Maybe a group or two on the street..." He paused to munch a few peanuts. "And some we found trying to break into this one shelter that's still trying to get set up. They've been at it for months and we've had to go over there like... five times in the past two weeks. Not including last night. Anyway, I just shot 'em with a couple blasts and they're done. Easy!"
Adam just wanted to eat. Why was Kai running down the night's events like this? Adam certainly didn't recall asking for that.
Kai seemed to notice Adam's displeasure. He shifted in his seat. "Maybe... too easy. I can do more than just... blast zombies off walls, y'know." He laughed.
"We know, Kai," said Mira, tone gentle.
Kai tossed one hand toward Adam. "You do. He doesn't."
"Sure I do. I saw you last night," said Adam. He got set unwrapping a protein bar.
"Yeah... I mean, yeah! You did. But I wasn't... I didn't exactly... that is to say, I... um..." Kai dug his fingers through his hair. There was something on the tip of his tongue; that much was obvious.
Adam smiled for the younger teen's sake. "You were really good out there."
Kai perked up. "You think so?"
"Yeah. You and Mira really know what you're doing."
Kai's face brightened for a moment, before the faint smile faded back into a worried frown. "Wait. So you're not upset about... the thing?"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Upset about what thing?"
"You know. The thing." Kai threw out his hands for emphasis. He must have thought that adding a gesture to the same vague words he'd just used would clarify their meaning. It did not.
Adam shook his head. "Sorry, dude. I don't know what I'm supposed to be upset about."
Kai snorted. "Never mind."
"Kai." Mira set a steady hand on her friend's shoulder. "We talked about this already."
Kai hushed his tone, but Adam could still understand him. "Why can't you tell him?"
"Do you want me to tell him? Really?"
"No, but..."
"Exactly. No 'but'." She patted his arm and nudged him back to face Adam.
Kai sat for a few awkward seconds, blue eyes set forward, unblinking. Then he cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "I messed up last evening. Big time. And... as much as I hate to admit it, I... we..." He slumped. Kai bit his lip, as if it pained him to say the words. "That could have ended in disaster and it's a good thing you were there. We could really use your help. So! Now that that's out of the way..." He thrust his hand into Adam's face, causing Adam to jerk backwards. "Wanna join us?"
Join them? As in... make his home here? Settle? "Uh... I don't know, guys..." Adam sputtered. Kai's hand fell back to his side. The redhead turned to Mira, his expression pleading for her assistance.
"You don't have to decide right away," said Mira. "You could stay with us a few days, and if you decide you don't want to, then... sure. You can go on." She smiled, then reached across the table to nudge his hand with her fist. "But at least give it a shot. We could really use an extra set of hands."
Adam considered his options. He could carry on--- continue a journey that had no visible end. Keep living his life on the run, paranoid of everything that moved, never sure where his next bed would be, nor where his next meal would come from. He could continue to live and travel on his own, a lonely passerby who never let anyone get too close. Or he could make his home here, with these people who wanted his help. He'd have a secure roof over his head and a sure source of food. And he'd get to rescue people--- hopefully with more success than he would alone.
This... made sense. Perhaps he could... if just until he felt the urge to move on again. It's not like he could ignore a plea for help.
Adam let loose a long sigh, smiling. "All right. I'll stay."