Drake met up with Chris, and they both oddly stared at each other.
'Um… Good to see you made it.' Chris greeted him. Drake looked at him, slightly bothered by his artificial tone of greeting.
'Is that all you've got to say?' He asked.
'Oh! I am very sorry for putting you guys in this situation due to my recklessness. I promise, it won't happen again.' He apologized.
Drake, seeing his 'sincere' apology, nodded. 'No hard feelings. Just try not to be too foolhardy, okay? It's not just you, but the whole team that will be involved if something were to happen, in this case, for example.' He said.
'Okay, I hear you. But I just wanted to ask, how did you manage to escape from that thing?' Chris inquired.
…
Drake kept silent for a while.
'What's it?' Chris asked.
'Nothing. It's just that I didn't escape from that thing. It just let me go.' Drake answered.
'What?!' Chris exclaimed with feigned surprise.
'I know you wouldn't believe me, but I will explain to you later. By the way, where are the others?' Drake inquired.
'As if I will disclose that to you and your stalker.' Chris scoffed inwardly.
'What was that?' Drake asked.
'Oh, I said. I told them to wait for me at that construction site way over there.' Chris pointed in the direction. 'I told them not to follow me because of the many risks involved.'
'You made a wise decision. We shouldn't put the whole team in danger just because of one person.' Drake commended. 'So, care to lead the way?' He motioned.
'Surely.' Chris nodded. 'And maybe on the way, we can have a friendly chat.'
'About what?' Drake asked.
'Anything to pass time with… umm let 's say we discuss our favorite food course.' Chris said.
Drake's eyes suddenly opened up. He realized the hidden message behind those words.
Before the mission even began, the two of them had developed some sort of cryptic language style to carry out secret discussions between themselves.
It was only meant to be used when there was someone amongst them that they wanted to hide specific information from, especially if the person was a traitor of some sort. But none of their teammates were around. This made Drake wonder why Chris was using coded language now.
'Could it be that an enemy is spying on us?' He thought, but Drake knew he was susceptible to his surroundings. He could have caught on to anyone snooping around them within Hugh Rader, even if the person were sneaking from behind. He was that sensitive!
But what if the ones who were lurking behind them weren't visible in the first place? The only way to detect those is through the blood lust they emit.
The only one who could sense blood lust in the team was Chris, for some reason unknown to him. All this he thought of and so assumed Chris wasn't trying to conceal his words from humans but rather from a monster.
In addition, bringing up the topic of food amid crises can seem rather out of place. The coded conversation is only meant to be used during the campfire meetings, which are a time of rest for the team.
So Drake came to the horrific conclusion that they were being followed by a monster, not just any monster, but an invisible one!
'So what's your favorite dish?' ( I need to talk to you about something.) Chris asked.
'I don't have a favorite.' (What is it?). Drake answered.
'Awww… you are kidding, right? Everyone has to have a favorite dish.' (We have an enemy on our tail.) Chris said.
'What's yours?' (Who is it?) Drake asked.
'Um mine is… hmmm…I love ordering the hot spicy chicken wings at Dino's restaurant!' (Not human. It's a zombie!) Chris responded.
…
Drake kept silent for a while, his heart starting to race.
'Oh, you don't say. How does it taste?' (Which type?) He asked.
'Ahh… the taste is truly exquisite, I couldn't possibly explain it. But just to let you know, it was top of the class!' (S-tier!!!) Chris exclaimed.
Drake gulped.
'Where is this restaurant you talk of?' (Where's it?!) He asked.
'It is just right about the corner, if I remember.'(It is freaking behind you, darn it!) Chris answered
Drake knew better than to doubt Chris's instinct, so he dared not look behind him. But that didn't stop the little sweat droplet from dripping down his face. He wiped it with a clean white towel.
'Do you still remember its exact location?' (Where exactly is it?) Drake asked.
'I don't think so. It's been a long time since I went there after the whole apocalypse stuff happened. And trying to search for it now would be too risky, no?' (No! Too risky. It will figure us out. Let's pretend to be oblivious for now.) Chris answered.
'Okay, but what's the plan to get to that restaurant in case we need food supplies for the journey?' (How are we going to deal with it then?!) Drake asked.
'I don't know. I am guessing if I climbed that crane in the construction site, I would be able to spot it' (I need to get to higher ground) Chris said, turning his gaze towards the crane. Drake looked at it and knew where Chris was heading.
'That is a good idea. Let's go there now.' ( I get it now. Our teammates aren't at the construction site. You are just luring the zombie there to get a clean shot at it with that sniper rifle of yours.)Drake said.
Chris was glad that Drake was a sharp guy, as he needed no further stress explaining. They both nodded in agreement.
'I see you've lost your gun. Here, have this.' Chris brought a loaded handgun from his backpack and handed it over to Drake, who took it from him.
'Thanks.' Drake thanked him afterwards.
'No problem.' Chris responded. After that, both of them picked up their pace and made their way to the construction site.
Meanwhile, at the Cafe, the remaining team was sitting idly as they waited for Chris and Drake's return.
Rose sat all curled up into a ball in one of the booths, her body visibly shaking. Diana was searching the kitchen area for supplies while James was throwing darts at a dartboard.
Michelle, on her own, was on the lookout for threats, continuously peeping out the window.
'Urgh!!! This is so boring. Isn't the apocalypse meant to be fun!' James grumbled as he threw his last dart, which landed at the far edge of the board.
'You mean that the countless near-death experiences we have on daily occasions are supposed to be fun?!' Michelle said contemptuously.
'Um… if that isn't fun, then what is?' James questioned.
Michelle sighed and nodded. 'Honestly, I still don't understand how we are even related.'
'But come on, you've got to admit, the apocalypse theme is too awesome to dismiss. People back then would pay a whole lot to witness the very things we are witnessing.' James exclaimed.
'Yeah sure, people with serious mental health conditions.' Michelle responded, still peering out the window.
Then all of a sudden, from the far end of the street, she spotted three stick figures running for their dear life and five other crooked stick figures chasing after them.
They were heading in their direction. As they got closer, she observed that it was a lady and two men who were running for their dear lives, and the crooked figures were zombies chasing after them. These zombies were much faster than the ones they had previously encountered.
...
Bang! Bang!
One of the guys had a shotgun. He fired several shots at the zombies, but he missed everything.
Bang bang bang!!!!
Despite that, he continued firing away.
'Drat!' Michelle exclaimed. 'Shut the windows and doors!'
'What was that!' Rose exclaimed, springing up from the sofa after hearing the gun shots.
'A group of people being chased by zombies is heading in this direction.' Michelle shouted.
'What are you waiting for then?! Barricade the door before those idiots lead the zombies to us!' James scowled.
'That's what I jus… You know what, never mind. Let's just do it.' Michelle said, and the four hurried up and began pushing a bunch of furniture to block the door. They used all kinds of blockades like the sofas, lampstands, tables, and even James' bat.
'Hey! Why are you putting 'Head spinner' in there!' James exclaimed, and Michelle looked at him with a cringe.
'This is the only long stick we could find that can fit into the handle of the door. So this would greatly help in reinforcement. We can find other bat toys for you if it breaks, okay?' Michelle said.
James was annoyed, but he knew he had to let go of his dear weapon in hopes it might withstand any upcoming impacts on the door.
'Now that the door is secured, we wait for them to pass us by.' Michelle exclaimed with a smirk, proud of her achievement.
Bang! Bang!
'Dang it, I missed again!' The sound of gunshots and a man's voice were heard from just outside the Cafe. 'That guy seriously has a lousy aim.' James remarked.
…
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Soon after, there were sudden hits to the door, and the wooden nail bat took the transferred force like a champ.
Bam!
This one sounded like a forceful kick. The bat shook so vigorously that James wanted to cry. 'Hang in there, buddy.' He muttered.
'Darn it! The door won't open.' Another man's voice arose from the other end of the door.
Grrrr…..
Kyaaaaa!!!...
Anna!!!!
Grrrr…..
Run!!
Bang!! Bang!!!...
Over here to the back! …
…
…
'Hey guys, did you secure the back door?' Michelle asked and saw three of them scratching their heads and looking the other way as if they couldn't understand her. 'You bunch of goats….' She facepalmed herself.
Click…
'Guys, it's open! Get in quick!' The voice came from the back of the kitchen, and footsteps were heard rushing inside.
Bang!
The door was slammed shut. The three survivors had managed to get inside!