The original version of this started at the beginning of the school day and had people getting murdered on their way in to school as opposed to getting murdered on their way out. It was also the first ever use of the Default Will Rule. I might post the exact writing of it one day if I bear myself to re-read that gibberish.
Version 2 featured a similar start as version 3 with a few differences, notably Kristen's fate. Now she serves as a proper introduction to the undead threat. V2 zombie intro was more along the lines of "oh, by the way: zombies" as if it were some casual everyday thing.
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[BGI v3 - Part 1]
"Report," the radio said
after several nerve racking minutes of waiting. D immediately brought it up to
speak. "Biohazard breach," he said "Level three. Containment
efforts failed. Several specimens made surface contact, most remaining are in
the school." The radio stayed silent for a moment, every second passing
felt more and more agonizing to D. "And the labs?" the radio finally
sounded. "Compromised," D said, knowing full well the hell that would
raise. "One moment," the voice said.
D sat back in his chair while he waited, fighting back the urge to start shaking. He was safe in his office, which doubled as a temporary bunker; a feature he hoped he never would need. He was lucky he happened to already be inside the office when the specimen escaped. The Mosier units move fast, especially the big one. All of them made for the exits and attacked the buses outside. D was grateful that they wouldn't survive; sunlight burns the fuckers to a crisp. The big one though, the original Mosier, that one wouldn't burn up. That one had enough intelligence to know it needs to take refuge. It'll be back inside the school before long.
"What do you mean the lab was compromised?" a harsh voice yelled from the radio, bringing D back to the matter at hand. "The escaped Mosiers apparently made a mess of the lab on their way out," D said. He was about to continue when the voice stopped him. "You think it was just those little Mosiers that did all that? I'm looking at a report that every specimen was out." D's heart sank. Mosiers on their own were bad, but they were only small fries compared to some of the other experiments that were down in the labs.
"I'm calling a clean slate on the entire Grimes facility," the man continued "Get the data and blow the labs." D bit his lip. His original plan was to hide out in his bunker until some sort of help arrived. Even if that wasn't the case anymore, the labs were a problem. "The labs had been locked down, sir. Unauthorized, and I can't override from my office. I'll need you to unlock the main office by remote."
"Not possible," the voice said "Lockdown severs all connections from the outside. Use the emergency entrance."
"I don't have any of the keys," D said, frustration building inside him "Send a mop-up team in to open the door."
"Area's too hot for any team by air. We can send a ground team, but you'll need to disengage the lockdown in order for them to make it to you. And you need to get into the lab to do that anyway."
"Understood," D said as he begrudgingly opened his desk and reached for the handgun tucked away inside. The Mosier units, he felt he could handle as long as me managed to avoid the big one. There were the other escapees though that D had no desire to run into. The JT would be lurking in some dark corner by now and God forbid he come within a hundred feet of the Friar. He knew there was no way anyone could be equipped enough to deal with half of the creatures that made their way up from the lab.
The one bright spot D could figure was that they were all one of a kind monsters. Mosier was an early success and had been the focus of multiple production. Thankfully the project to make more Roofwalkers had only recently started, meaning there were only three or four running around of that kind. The Harper, he just now recalled, had the tendency to lay eggs; but the offspring had a lifespan of a couple hours and they never strayed far from the mother, making them easy to avoid as a whole.
"One more thing," the man said, snapping D out of his own grim thoughts "We have every reason to believe that this wasn't an accident. Diagnostics at last check confirmed all containment units were at optimal condition. We called for a clean slate and that includes the staff."
D sat back in his chair while he waited, fighting back the urge to start shaking. He was safe in his office, which doubled as a temporary bunker; a feature he hoped he never would need. He was lucky he happened to already be inside the office when the specimen escaped. The Mosier units move fast, especially the big one. All of them made for the exits and attacked the buses outside. D was grateful that they wouldn't survive; sunlight burns the fuckers to a crisp. The big one though, the original Mosier, that one wouldn't burn up. That one had enough intelligence to know it needs to take refuge. It'll be back inside the school before long.
"What do you mean the lab was compromised?" a harsh voice yelled from the radio, bringing D back to the matter at hand. "The escaped Mosiers apparently made a mess of the lab on their way out," D said. He was about to continue when the voice stopped him. "You think it was just those little Mosiers that did all that? I'm looking at a report that every specimen was out." D's heart sank. Mosiers on their own were bad, but they were only small fries compared to some of the other experiments that were down in the labs.
"I'm calling a clean slate on the entire Grimes facility," the man continued "Get the data and blow the labs." D bit his lip. His original plan was to hide out in his bunker until some sort of help arrived. Even if that wasn't the case anymore, the labs were a problem. "The labs had been locked down, sir. Unauthorized, and I can't override from my office. I'll need you to unlock the main office by remote."
"Not possible," the voice said "Lockdown severs all connections from the outside. Use the emergency entrance."
"I don't have any of the keys," D said, frustration building inside him "Send a mop-up team in to open the door."
"Area's too hot for any team by air. We can send a ground team, but you'll need to disengage the lockdown in order for them to make it to you. And you need to get into the lab to do that anyway."
"Understood," D said as he begrudgingly opened his desk and reached for the handgun tucked away inside. The Mosier units, he felt he could handle as long as me managed to avoid the big one. There were the other escapees though that D had no desire to run into. The JT would be lurking in some dark corner by now and God forbid he come within a hundred feet of the Friar. He knew there was no way anyone could be equipped enough to deal with half of the creatures that made their way up from the lab.
The one bright spot D could figure was that they were all one of a kind monsters. Mosier was an early success and had been the focus of multiple production. Thankfully the project to make more Roofwalkers had only recently started, meaning there were only three or four running around of that kind. The Harper, he just now recalled, had the tendency to lay eggs; but the offspring had a lifespan of a couple hours and they never strayed far from the mother, making them easy to avoid as a whole.
"One more thing," the man said, snapping D out of his own grim thoughts "We have every reason to believe that this wasn't an accident. Diagnostics at last check confirmed all containment units were at optimal condition. We called for a clean slate and that includes the staff."
***********************
Ted wasn't dead. His arm was killing
him and he tasted blood, but he was alive nonetheless. Whether or not that was
a good thing remained to be seen as he sat up and listened. Things were quiet,
a radical departure from what he remembered. Gone were the screams, the growls
and the sounds of beating wings. All he could hear at this point was a distant
rumble of thunder.
The girl from before was still with him, but she was still out cold and Ted felt no desire to wake her. "Wait here," he mumbled as he crawled over to the emergency roof exit which was easy to get to with the bus on its side. He popped the latch, kicked open an exit and crawled to the outside world. The scene was not a pretty one; bodies laid strewn about, every vehicle in the parking lot was trashed to some degree, and piles of smoldering black puss were everywhere. It had been raining, which made the potent chemical smell the puss was releasing all the worse.
"How long was I out?" Ted asked himself as he checked his arm. The pain was still there, but there were no noticeable cuts or abrasions. He wiped his brow to find he had a cut on his forehead, which had trickled down the side of his face. "Hello?" he yelled as he used his sleeve to clean off the blood. "Anybody left alive?"
No one was around. Ted wondered if help was coming when he noticed a cop car crashed into the far corner of the school. Help had come and died with everyone else. More help would come, but Ted didn't want to wait for it at ground zero. He also didn't want to leave the girl behind, but he figured she was safer in the bus rather than out in the open.
There was a gas station nearby. They would have a phone, and with a little luck they would be one of those old school setups with a shotgun under the counter in case any more creatures attacked. He made for the edge of school grounds when he began to take notice of the metal fence hidden by the trees that enclosed the entire school.
"Oh shit," Ted said as he walked closer. It reached about 20 feet in the air and was topped off with barbed wire. "Where...the hell...did this come from?" he asked as he ran along the fence towards the rear entrance to the parking lot. He figured there was a gate of some sort or at least a way out. The road to the exit took a curve, and when Ted turned it, he found there was a gate at the end, but it was sealed shut. The was no latch of any kind to find, nor was there any way to open the gate. The only noticeable item on the gate was a warning sign Ted neglected to even look at while still trying to figure a way out.
-Ok. 20 feet. Can't be that hard to climb. Maybe if I'm careful, the barbed wire won't be a problem either-
Ted nodded to himself as he figured he could handle climbing the fence when he reached over to touch it-then screamed out as the fence sparked and he jumped back involuntarily, the fence sending shockwaves through him. The fence was electrified, which Ted would've noticed if he read the warning sign. He knew it anyway now as he sat on the ground and tried to stop shaking, thankful that it wasn't anything more than just his fingers that touched the fence.
The girl from before was still with him, but she was still out cold and Ted felt no desire to wake her. "Wait here," he mumbled as he crawled over to the emergency roof exit which was easy to get to with the bus on its side. He popped the latch, kicked open an exit and crawled to the outside world. The scene was not a pretty one; bodies laid strewn about, every vehicle in the parking lot was trashed to some degree, and piles of smoldering black puss were everywhere. It had been raining, which made the potent chemical smell the puss was releasing all the worse.
"How long was I out?" Ted asked himself as he checked his arm. The pain was still there, but there were no noticeable cuts or abrasions. He wiped his brow to find he had a cut on his forehead, which had trickled down the side of his face. "Hello?" he yelled as he used his sleeve to clean off the blood. "Anybody left alive?"
No one was around. Ted wondered if help was coming when he noticed a cop car crashed into the far corner of the school. Help had come and died with everyone else. More help would come, but Ted didn't want to wait for it at ground zero. He also didn't want to leave the girl behind, but he figured she was safer in the bus rather than out in the open.
There was a gas station nearby. They would have a phone, and with a little luck they would be one of those old school setups with a shotgun under the counter in case any more creatures attacked. He made for the edge of school grounds when he began to take notice of the metal fence hidden by the trees that enclosed the entire school.
"Oh shit," Ted said as he walked closer. It reached about 20 feet in the air and was topped off with barbed wire. "Where...the hell...did this come from?" he asked as he ran along the fence towards the rear entrance to the parking lot. He figured there was a gate of some sort or at least a way out. The road to the exit took a curve, and when Ted turned it, he found there was a gate at the end, but it was sealed shut. The was no latch of any kind to find, nor was there any way to open the gate. The only noticeable item on the gate was a warning sign Ted neglected to even look at while still trying to figure a way out.
-Ok. 20 feet. Can't be that hard to climb. Maybe if I'm careful, the barbed wire won't be a problem either-
Ted nodded to himself as he figured he could handle climbing the fence when he reached over to touch it-then screamed out as the fence sparked and he jumped back involuntarily, the fence sending shockwaves through him. The fence was electrified, which Ted would've noticed if he read the warning sign. He knew it anyway now as he sat on the ground and tried to stop shaking, thankful that it wasn't anything more than just his fingers that touched the fence.
***********************
Kristen blinked away the darkness.
Her head was killing her, but she wasn't about to complain seeing how she
managed to survive the bus crash. She was still trying to process what had
happened earlier and still she could barely believe it. She strained to listen
but didn't hear any more screeching or screaming outside. It was quiet.
Slowly, she managed to climb out the opening to the bus. The man from before was gone, but she didn't blame him; if she had woken up first, she would've left him behind without a second thought. "Anybody?" she called out but none of the bodies responded. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to run and find help, but she didn't want to be caught by any of those winged creatures. She could hide in the bus, but there was no telling how long it would take for help to arrive or if it would find her before something else did.
The sound of shuffling steps caught Kristen's attention. "Thank God," she said as she immediately reeled at the person. They had only one arm and their shirt was soaked in blood. Upon seeing her, the person reached their lone arm out at Kristen and stumbled forward. Something was off about their eyes as it let out a soft moan.
Kristen didn't know what to do. She didn't have any medical knowledge but something told her someone shouldn't be walking around with those kind of injuries. "I'm going to get help," she called over "Wait right there, I'll be back." The person took no notice of what she said, but moaned louder when she started to run away. The lone moan was joined by another and Kristen noticed another student making their way to her. This one had both legs broken but dragged itself to her anyway.
"Wait...This shouldn't..." Kristen started but her voice caught when she saw someone who was very much dead open its eyes and moan at her. The eyes were the same as all the others, pale and cold, no sign of life in the slightest. More people who were dead just moments ago began to stir and Kristen instinctively retreated back into the bus. She replaced the emergency hatch as best she could but it wouldn't stay shut, so she crawled towards the front of the bus. The bodies in the back were still motionless, but Kristen didn't exactly trust them to stay that way.
"Help" she fruitlessly screamed out as the undead started crawling in after her. There was no way out for her as she backed up to the windshield only to feel hands grasping her from the hole in the driver's side. More and more crawled in as more hands reached in and held her. She wished she'd never tried leaving as the first zombies reached her and grabbed at her kicking feet. She began to sob hopelessly as more began pulling at her arms and she felt the first bites. She screamed through tears as more now climbed on top of her to bite and rip into her stomach and chest. She kept screaming as more hungry hands reached out to her mouth and face and began devouring her until she screamed no more.
Slowly, she managed to climb out the opening to the bus. The man from before was gone, but she didn't blame him; if she had woken up first, she would've left him behind without a second thought. "Anybody?" she called out but none of the bodies responded. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to run and find help, but she didn't want to be caught by any of those winged creatures. She could hide in the bus, but there was no telling how long it would take for help to arrive or if it would find her before something else did.
The sound of shuffling steps caught Kristen's attention. "Thank God," she said as she immediately reeled at the person. They had only one arm and their shirt was soaked in blood. Upon seeing her, the person reached their lone arm out at Kristen and stumbled forward. Something was off about their eyes as it let out a soft moan.
Kristen didn't know what to do. She didn't have any medical knowledge but something told her someone shouldn't be walking around with those kind of injuries. "I'm going to get help," she called over "Wait right there, I'll be back." The person took no notice of what she said, but moaned louder when she started to run away. The lone moan was joined by another and Kristen noticed another student making their way to her. This one had both legs broken but dragged itself to her anyway.
"Wait...This shouldn't..." Kristen started but her voice caught when she saw someone who was very much dead open its eyes and moan at her. The eyes were the same as all the others, pale and cold, no sign of life in the slightest. More people who were dead just moments ago began to stir and Kristen instinctively retreated back into the bus. She replaced the emergency hatch as best she could but it wouldn't stay shut, so she crawled towards the front of the bus. The bodies in the back were still motionless, but Kristen didn't exactly trust them to stay that way.
"Help" she fruitlessly screamed out as the undead started crawling in after her. There was no way out for her as she backed up to the windshield only to feel hands grasping her from the hole in the driver's side. More and more crawled in as more hands reached in and held her. She wished she'd never tried leaving as the first zombies reached her and grabbed at her kicking feet. She began to sob hopelessly as more began pulling at her arms and she felt the first bites. She screamed through tears as more now climbed on top of her to bite and rip into her stomach and chest. She kept screaming as more hungry hands reached out to her mouth and face and began devouring her until she screamed no more.
***********************
Ted knew what he heard. Someone had
screamed. It was far away and muffled, but with the unusual quiet all around,
it might as well have been right next to him. Ted felt a knot in his stomach
since it was probably the girl he left behind.
-She's dead. Those things came back and she's dead now and it's all your fault. And now they'll come for you-
That last thought got Ted moving as he picked himself off the ground. He needed to figure out some sort of plan but stopped at the sight of an approaching figure. They were dragging their left foot as they walked and had their head down low, but Ted could still tell it was Aaron. "Where did you go?" Ted said aloud as Aaron picked up the pace in his approach.
Something was wrong and it stopped Ted from running up to Aaron. The girl screaming had Ted up and ready to act in a heartbeat, but it seemed Aaron was ignoring it to get to Ted. Aaron was always a bit of a heartless asshole, but this was a bit much. It also didn't seem like Aaron was running away from anything, but he sure seemed to be in hurry to get to Ted when he saw him.
Something was wrong with his eyes. Instead of pupils, Aaron had two empty pools of white staring out as he moaned and reached out for Ted, who backed up slowly until he realized there was an electric fence behind him. "Aaron, stop," he said as Aaron continued unhindered. "I don't know what happened to you, but stay back," he said as he looked over Aaron, who was covered in blood.
Ted ducked under and shouldered passed Aaron, who continued forward a bit and his outstretched hand got caught in the fence, which practically blew it off at the wrist. Aaron took no heed to it as he slowly turned around to find Ted again. Ted meanwhile was taken aback at the lacerations in Aaron's back. Something sharp had dug into his back three times very deep. There was no way anyone could survive those types of injuries, let alone walk around after the fact.
"Aaron, please," he said "Stay back." Aaron let out a desperate moan as he lunged at Ted again. This time Ted met him with a solid kick to the chest, pushing him right back into the gate, this time catching more of him on the fence. Aaron convulsed wildly on the fence but couldn't escape as it cooked him over to the point his head ruptured.
Ted understood what he just did, but wasn't sure if anyone, even himself, would appreciate the circumstances. Something was wrong with Aaron and he acted on instinct rather than logic.
-He was hurt, and I killed him. He needed help and instead I tossed him into-NO. He was dead. I didn't notice him before because he was just another corpse in a pile. But if that's the case, how the hell did he manage to still get up?-
Ted didn't have long to ponder that. He turned away from Aaron to see several more people who were dead not five minutes ago pick themselves up and shamble their way towards him.
-She's dead. Those things came back and she's dead now and it's all your fault. And now they'll come for you-
That last thought got Ted moving as he picked himself off the ground. He needed to figure out some sort of plan but stopped at the sight of an approaching figure. They were dragging their left foot as they walked and had their head down low, but Ted could still tell it was Aaron. "Where did you go?" Ted said aloud as Aaron picked up the pace in his approach.
Something was wrong and it stopped Ted from running up to Aaron. The girl screaming had Ted up and ready to act in a heartbeat, but it seemed Aaron was ignoring it to get to Ted. Aaron was always a bit of a heartless asshole, but this was a bit much. It also didn't seem like Aaron was running away from anything, but he sure seemed to be in hurry to get to Ted when he saw him.
Something was wrong with his eyes. Instead of pupils, Aaron had two empty pools of white staring out as he moaned and reached out for Ted, who backed up slowly until he realized there was an electric fence behind him. "Aaron, stop," he said as Aaron continued unhindered. "I don't know what happened to you, but stay back," he said as he looked over Aaron, who was covered in blood.
Ted ducked under and shouldered passed Aaron, who continued forward a bit and his outstretched hand got caught in the fence, which practically blew it off at the wrist. Aaron took no heed to it as he slowly turned around to find Ted again. Ted meanwhile was taken aback at the lacerations in Aaron's back. Something sharp had dug into his back three times very deep. There was no way anyone could survive those types of injuries, let alone walk around after the fact.
"Aaron, please," he said "Stay back." Aaron let out a desperate moan as he lunged at Ted again. This time Ted met him with a solid kick to the chest, pushing him right back into the gate, this time catching more of him on the fence. Aaron convulsed wildly on the fence but couldn't escape as it cooked him over to the point his head ruptured.
Ted understood what he just did, but wasn't sure if anyone, even himself, would appreciate the circumstances. Something was wrong with Aaron and he acted on instinct rather than logic.
-He was hurt, and I killed him. He needed help and instead I tossed him into-NO. He was dead. I didn't notice him before because he was just another corpse in a pile. But if that's the case, how the hell did he manage to still get up?-
Ted didn't have long to ponder that. He turned away from Aaron to see several more people who were dead not five minutes ago pick themselves up and shamble their way towards him.
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