"They're everywhere," Ephraim mutters, mostly to himself. "New Canton soldiers to the east, south, south-west, and west. What are you planning, you crawling cockroaches? What the hell are you planning?"

A shiver runs down my spine the more we run. The heavy weight on my chest seems to drag me down more and more the farther we go. My fingers itch to reach up and turn my headset back on, even though I know we need to be radio silent. I want coms back. I want Sam back. I try to tell myself I'm only feeling this anxiously because of my dream but I still can't find any peace on the mat-

My brows furrow together at the sound that graces my ears. I've heard this before. The sound of organ music and bells mixed with auto tune-that's what it sounds like. I remember... it was with us when Van Ark got bit, and when me and Sarah were on that scouting mission.

'Do you hear that?' I ask Maxine, knowing she is most likely the only person who can understand and answer me. But her eyes are elsewhere; They're downcast and her forehead is wrinkled with worry.

"Maybe Sam's right," She says. "This has the feeling of something..."

"Something big," Sarah finishes, "which makes me want to know what it is."

I want to input my own thoughts maybe to convince the doctor to head back, but as soon as Eight finishes speaking another wave of that music sounds out. It's subtle, soft, and I'm sure if Sam was talking in my ear I'd miss it, and no once else seems to notice it besides me.

The sound isn't a bad one, but neither is it something I enjoy listening to either. It's somewhere wedged in the middle. It doesn't make me happy or sad, but I do feel a bit uncomfortable at hearing it, sort of like when your friend tries to get you to listen to his mixtape or something.

"How far are we from Jeffro?" Maxine asks.

"About half as far away as we've already come," She answers, bringing her hand up to wipe away the sweat forming on her brow. Sarah suddenly gives the dark skinned woman a serious face. It's not exactly a glare but it could scare you like it was one. "Doc, I have one duty: protect Abel. That means find out what's threatening it and keep its doctor safe.

"If you want to turn back, Five and I will come with you. We'll send someone else out here."

I nod in agreement, silently begging her to make the choice to turn back as those music notes-those tones-sound out again, and then another sound follows it. A familiar, annoying sound.

"And if they're too late?" Maxine questions, a loud snarl nearly drowning out her words. She turns her head and sneers at the six zombies that are now tailing behind us. They're still a good ways away but they definitely see us. "Do they ever let up?"

"Nope."

"See them?"

Sarah nods. "South-cutting off our direct route home." She shrugs and gives the two of us a half smile. "Guess that answers that question. No way on but forward."

"Are you armed, Doc?" Ephraim asks, and I furrow my brows. Didn't we already tell him that? "Runner Five armed?"

"No," Maxine replies, quickly shaking her head, "we um-I don't travel armed, not with guns anyway. Never have. I wear my Red Cross badge on my sleeve. I don't want into any fights-not with the living."

His eyes turn to me and I casually point to the axe strapped to my backpack, not bothering to sign it out for him. He nods in acknowledgment.

"I have weapons. Me and Patty picked 'em up when a military transport got eaten by the stadium," He explains, and I shudder at how casually he can say that. Not even a twitch or a flinch. He's completely calm. "Got 'em hidden in the cellar of a house not too far from here. Want a gun or two?"

My eyes widen and my jaw drops. He's offering to give us guns? One or two of his own guns? No one does that in the zombie apocalypse, not unless they really, really want something.

"We wouldn't say no," Sarah says with a Cheshire Cat grin. "Sure."

"Well, I uh-" Maxine starts.

"We wouldn't say no," She says with a sharp glare toward the doctor, before her face contorts to one of interest as she looks at Ephraim. "Bet you picked up a good haul there-some interesting stuff?"

He nods, a hint of a smile appearing on his tired face. "It was the good Lord's bounty, a ripe harvest: Guns, ammunition, grenades, flash bangs, body armor. He wanted me and Patty to be safe."

Damn. He must have.

"Flash bangs?"

"Can't let you have put with nothing but a pair of pistols though," He says, and Sarah's eyes shine with disappointment. Ephraim shrugs and then looks at me. "The Lord sent you my way, so I reckon it's my duty to keep you safe."

He looks forward and gives a curt nod. "It's about a mile and a half this way."

There's silence after that, nothing but our footsteps and heavy breathing to fill the quiet that surrounds us. There's no Sam to put on music for us, or warn us about zombies, like the ones that are still trailing behind us. They're too far behind to be considered a threat though. Or well, an immediate threat.

But still, being radio silent isn't something I enjoy. That combined with the very bad feeling I have about visiting Jeffro plus the odd, small connections of today and last night's dream...

My hand grasps my backpack strap. It helps in calming my nerves, but only a little bit. The thoughts of what could happen without proper warning scares me beyond belief.

And you know exactly the reason why that scares you, don't you, Five? The voice inside my head whispers. I don't know who it actually sounds like. It might be my voice, but I've forgotten a lot of what I sounded like. I even question if that's what I was like in my dreams.

You remember when you went radio silent at the AMTB, don't you? It was the first run where things went wrong-the coms went out, you couldn't pin point your location. You didn't know anything. It was Wesley who figured it out. Wes who figured out where you were and how to get back.

And then you failed him. You screwed up and that's why-

Ephraim's radio crackles to life, causing all four of us to turn our attention to it.

"That's right. Runner Five's there right now with Runner Twenty..." Nadia's voice fades off, but I still continue to stare at the portable radio.

"You see that?" Ephraim squints at the specks in the distance and Sarah hums in reply.

"I see them. New Canton soldiers about a mile ahead, right the way we're heading."

I see them when I look ahead in the distance. Many soldiers, 130 to be exact, all heading toward the Jeffro Complex, marching in perfect formation-perfect sync. They look like little toy robots from this far away.

But they aren't. They're dangerous and mean and devious. I remember what they tried to do to me; I remember what Maxine and Sam told me about them; I remember what Ephraim told me just not even two hours ago. New Canton is bad news.

"Doc, are you doing alright?" Sarah asks. "We've been running about ten K now."

"I'm fine," She breathes with a smile. "Could do another ten K easy if we needed." She frowns slightly as her eyes strain to see the many people up ahead. "Why exactly are we worried about them seeing us? Those New Canton soldiers are facing away from us. Heading forward just like we are."

"Can't take the chance of them seeing us. They might try to take us captive, or something else," Sarah grimly replies. "New Canton is sneaky like that."

"We'll go the long way round," Ephraim states. "The good Lord will show us the way. Come on, the ammo store's not far."

And he's right. It isn't. After passing endless fields of dying grass with few tress that all have brown, dead branches, we reach the house. It's old, definitely, and run down, but I'm not sure if that's because of the apocalypse or if it had simply been abandoned beforehand.

There are loose shutters, cracked windows, and a few boards on the porch have fallen through. There's blood on the door-dried and faded. I can tell it's human by the shade of red. There's no gray tint to it like you'd see in zoms. A haunting memory fills my mind.

Screams, pleads, my hand on the door's lock.

I hear it so clearly. Me locking that door-me locking a person I called my friend out. I remember it. I can hear it right now-

There's a creak and the cellar door swings open; I mentally smack myself for thinking that the sound of the cellar door being unlocked was the same sound of me locking that door.

Idiot. I am a complete idiot.

We all trod down the cellar stairs, careful not to slip or step on one another. It's cold, colder than it is outside. I swear if it wasn't so dark I'd be able to see my breath.

A light clicks on as soon as the first pair of feet hit the bottom of the stairs, and light floods into my eyes. A small choking noise leaves my mouth while Sarah lets out a long whistle as we all scan the room.

"Nice collection of guns you have here." A grin quickly forms on her face. She sends Ephraim a sly look. "Expecting an army?"

It sure looks like it.

This man wasn't lying when he said he had weapons. He has about every gun I've ever heard of and a few more. Not to mention the collection of grenades, flash bangs, and ammo. I even see a few cross bows and arrows for them.

"No time for dilly-dally," He snaps, seeming a bit more rigid. He grabs two pistols off the side table and hands one to me and another to Runner Eight. "Here's what you need."

'You know, if I was a genuinely bad person I could shoot you and take all your things,' I sign, but he just looks at me in confusion and I smirk.

"I think Runner Eight's just uh... admiring your weaponry," Maxine says, taking Ephraim's attention off of me.

I turn my eyes to Sarah, who is practically ogling the table containing boxes of bullets for almost every gun in this room. "Can't stay away from good ammo."

"Don't be touchin' what's not yours," He warns, and Dr. Meyers is quick to shake her head.

"Not after all you've done for us."

He nods, seeming less tense at hearing that, then gestures towards the stairs. He goes up first, followed by Maxine, Sarah, and finally me. Half way up the stairs, even in the darkness, I see Sarah pull her knife out of her pocket, and drop it into the ground. Being the polite person I am I go to pick it up, but she looks back and sends me a glare so sharp I actually fear it might cut me, so I don't touch it.

We reach the top, and Ephraim grabs the heavy metal door to close it when she speaks.

"I think I dropped my knife back there. Runner Five, go back and get it for me."

Ephraim sighs but gestures me to the stairs with a wave of his hand. As I pass Sarah, she leans in close.

"You know what to do."

It's a quick glance, but it's enough to tell her that I do, and when I reach the middle of the stairs where Sarah's knife lays, I keep walking, ignoring the guilt already webbing into my heart.

•

"Didn't think I'd come out this far again," Ephraim mutters. "Not after the last time."

"You've been to Jeffro before?" Dr. Meyers asks, tipping her head to the side in interest when he nods.

"Many times. Me and my sister, Patty... well, we were never what you'd call friends of Jeffro, but they'd pay us to gather for them-to fetch and carry."

I raise a brow. Fetch and carry what exactly?

"They paid us in food, clean water, and good medicine," He continues. "There are rich men in Jeffro. Rich men who can't fit through the eye of the needle. You know, that's why they're still here on earth."

Um, what? What does he mean 'that's why they're still on earth'?

"I can tell you're a religious man, Ephraim," Sarah says. "I myself was a Catholic myself back when I was young,  and I believe Five here is a Baptist."

'Independent Fundamental,' I sign with a small smile.

"Anyone with eyes in his head believes now," He says. "Ain't no explanation for all this except the wrath of God."

I shrug. Well, he's not wrong. God did allow this to happen to mankind. Because of our sins... because certain people started messing with things that aren't supposed to be messed with...

"Me and Patty, we took on the Lord's work walking from town to town spreading the good news. We kept ourselves separate; Never stayed overnight in a town. That's why we were spared when the Lord called his own to Him."

Wait, what was that last phrase? I blink in confusion. Is he trying to say that Day Zero was the rapture?

"You think the Lord did all this?" Maxine asks skeptically, and he nods.

"This is the Lord's judgement on the human race. Those who died early, they're His blessed ones. They'll all be gathered to Him at once, and we who live through this hell, we're those that need to be punished before He decides whether to let us into Heaven.

"That is why I help you. This is why I help all who ask me, because the Lord is watching. He's watching us now more than ever."

You've got to be kidding me.

It takes everything in me not to start signing rapidly about just how wrong he is right now. I know this isn't the seven years of tribulation because for one, I wouldn't be here because I'm saved and the Lord is going to call all His children (a.k.a. saved people) to Him, plus those years would be a lot worse than just this. This is just the zombie apocalypse, when the actual End Time comes, this will look like a damn picnic.

Also Ephraim says those still here are supposed to be punished. I don't exactly understand that since Penelope was three when this started. Yes, we're all sinners but God would've taken the young children up if that were the rapture.

Also, I highly doubt Barack Obama and Lindsey Lohan were God's chosen ones.

But I keep quiet, silently wondering what this man was taught and if I need to actually go out and find him a Bible.

I'm pretty good at finding things so it shouldn't be hard.

"And um, how far are we now?" Maxine stutters awkwardly.

"Not far, ma'am," He answers casually. "Not far at all." He gives me an odd look. "You're a little young to be out here as a runner, aren't ya? Or are settlements sending out children now too?"

"She's fifteen, although she doesn't exactly look it," Maxine jokes, and while I know she's smiling mostly because she's happy for the change of subject, I still send her a glare for making fun of me.

"She'll be sixteen next month," Sarah says, snickering when I send a look that says I'm more than a little disturbed. "Your military I.D. had your date of birth on it, Five. Don't look so worried."

"Still pretty young to be out here," He says, and I sign out an answer which Maxine is quick to translate.

"She says she can handle herself."

Ephraim lets out a 'hmph' but says nothing more on the subject, but he does keep giving me these certain looks that almost seem like he's guilty about something. Funny, seeing how I'm the one who should feel guilty since I stole from him and was mentally lecturing him about his beliefs.

A hypocrite at its finest.

We continue running, having now reached the woods and having to dodge through trees and bushes and branches and why does this look so familiar?

Because all woods look the same, idiot, I mentally smack myself.

"There it is! I see it," Maxine states, pointing at it through the trees. "Wow, it's..."

"It's big."

My jaw goes slack and my pace starts to slow as we get closer. The more of it I see through the trees the faster my heart rate picks up.

No way.

The Jeffro Complex-the place I've only heard about and only heard of its reputation and not of it's actual appearance-looks exactly like it did in my dream. There's not one difference in it, at least from this distance I don't see any, and I really doubt I'll see any difference when we get closer.

Fear hits me so hard I actually stumble on my feet. My breathing-which is already quick and uneven-becomes erratic and panic. For a quick moment I forget whatever logic that could be used to talk me into believing this is just a coincidence-that all of the little snippets I've heard so far is a coincidence.

We need to leave.

"If we head for the main gate they'll stop us-might even shoot us if we get too close," Ephraim states, and I blanch while Maxine's brows knit together.

"Shoot? But-but I thought they were working on a vaccine here."

He laughs mockingly. "Vaccine? Against the judgement of the Lord? They're doing some science work but it won't help them, no." He pauses. "I'll get you into the compound and then I'll leave you to find your way."

He runs up ahead, motioning for us to follow. Sarah comes in a little closer to the doctor and I and leans in slightly.

"It's not a stupid idea to go in quietly," She whispers. "We don't know what we're heading into. This way if there's anything we don't like the look of, we can make a swift retreat."

'But if there's a chance they'll shoot then maybe we shouldn't go in at all,' I try, but my words are ignored, and the feeling of dread only grows.

"But they're a... research station," Dr. Meyers says with a slightly shaky voice.

"We won't know anything until we get in there. Stick close to me." She sends me a sideways glance. "You too, Five. Wouldn't want a child to get hurt on this mission."

Her joke somewhat eases the tension and anxiety, although it doesn't sound my irritability a bit.

We keep going through the trees, and I try to swallow down the the lump in my throat as we keep getting closer, and closer, and closer. Jeffro's massive walls tower just like they did before. Think, gray and strong. Able to keep anything in and anything out, except us.

We make it to the tree line, and on Ephraim's mark we run, keeping our heads down.

"You all stay close behind me here," He instructs in a low voice. "We need to keep moving. Me and Patty worked out a route to keep out of their cameras if we just keep moving." Ephraim laughs bitterly and runs a hand through his hair. "She was a smart girl, smarter than me even though she was my little sister. She kept a watch on the camera movements here; She figured out the blind spots.

"Don't stop!" He shouts suddenly, causing my to flinch. "We're nearly at the spot where the fencing is. It's loose so we can sneak through."

Archie said that the fencing there was loose...

"Was Patty bitten?" Maxine questions with sympathy intertwined in her voice.

"She's with the Lord now." He stops right at the chainlink fencing and curls his fingers around it, grunting as he pulls it back enough for us to climb through. "Quickly now, through the fencing and then we head left. I'll take you through and show you the way to the science block and then you're on your own."

I blink in pleasant surprise. I thought he said he'd leave us soon as he got us in. Nice to know we won't be wondering around like blind idiots.

"Sure. We understand." Runner Eight nods.

I squeeze through after Maxine, and Sarah after me, and then Ephraim after her.

"Good. Everyone's through? Good. Follow me." He briskly jogs off, craning back to look at us. His eyes flash with something when they land on me, but I can't decipher what. "Quiet as mice, remember? Quiet as church mice. It's just down-"

His words are cut off as the world suddenly goes white. Pain sears my eyes from the light shining on us from the tower near the back wall. Even with its distance the bright light and pounding alarm burns my brain and pounds into my skull.

Sarah squints at the light, trying to see the figure standing in front of it, casting a silhouette. "What the-"

"I wouldn't try running if I were you. You're completely surrounded," The man says, and I feel my heart stop.

No.

"I brought them to ya!" Ephraim yells. "I brought them just like you said to! Here they are! Even brought a kid runner! Now give me what's mine."

I want to scream. I want to scream and yell at him about how he will face punishment for this. I nearly scoff at how he talked about how he was doing good because he knew God was watching.

That liar. He probably was just acting the part, because you know, pretty much everyone trusts a preacher.

"Very well done, and radio silent for the past four miles," He praises, and I can hear the smugness in his voice. I thought I'd never hear the voice again. "Jolly good work."

"Is that... I can't see well with these lights but is that...?" Maxine pants, sounding as shocked as I am.

"I don't care who it is," Sarah whispers harshly. "You got that thing I asked you to pick up, Runner Five? Hand it to me now."

I nod, fishing it out of my bag at breakneck speed and shoving the flash bang into her hand.

"When I say run, run to the left. Close you eyes now!"

I squeeze my eyes shut, the alarm sounding even louder now that I've shut down the ability to see.

"Drop your weapons!" A guard tells. There's the click of a gun. "Hands up now!"

There's another sound of something charging up, then a boom and coughing and shouts of confusion. My eyes pop open just as Sarah grabs my wrist and the doctor's.

"They're disoriented. We've got to go now. Come on. Run!"

And we do. We run.

From the guards.

From Ephraim.

From Pro. Van Ark.

A/N: Hello! Thank you all so much for reading! Please be sure to vote and comment. Thank you and have a blessed day!