Chapter 19: Fireworks vs. Zombies
You know that game Plants vs. Zombies where you gotta use different plants to defend your garden from zombies? Or whatever? So let me set the scene for you.
Currently, I'm stuck in clouds of colored smoke trying to avoid a stray bullet and zombies. The firework idea was good, but I didn't take into account that while the scientists wouldn't be able to see me, I wouldn't be able to see either.
Not my smartest or safest plan, but can't change it now. So I guess I should go back a bit so you can see what led up to this.
I had finally made it to the zombie farm, though it wasn't really a farm at all. There was a huge white building with lots of windows and it was surrounded by rows upon rows of storage units. Though muffled, the smell of rot was still present in the air.
The storage units were full of zombies if the sounds of snarling and groaning were to be believed. I could see scientists in every open window and there were a lot. Think like ant hill size and then double it.
After coming up with a decent plan, you'll find out later, I set up camp in the woods. Early the next morning, I bundled up the firecrackers and lit them, throwing them near the zombie storage cells.
I cover my ears and wait for it to start. BOOM! BOOM! Loud booms and crackling echo throughout the area and I can hear the zombies getting riled up. Scientists start pouring out of the building, but the two guards stay at the door, good...
Two shots and both guards are lying slumped against the wall. I take the keycard and throw some smoke bombs towards the panicking big-heads. The inside of the complex is white and pristine, disgustingly so, and I'm surrounded by long hallways.
After walking around for awhile in the endless hallways, I climb a table and pull myself into the air vents. What?! Who knows when they'll be back and I don't want to be in the open when they do. I pull the lid back up to close me in and start crawling through the vents.
The sound of voices leads me to a large room full of scientists and... Computers bingo! How am I supposed to take out the twenty odd some people in there? They may be scientists but they all seem to be armed with a pistol or a knife.
I mean, I'm skilled but I'm still human... Maybe I could just shoot the computers and leave. No.. Before I destroy the computers I need to see if there are any files on the virus and/or a possible cure.
The doors bust open and I hear a frantic voice, "Sir! Someone set off explosives near the storage units and it agitated the zombies."
"So... Get to the point!"
"They got so agitated that they broke out of their containment and they're headed for us!" the scientist yelled.
The boss, I'm assuming, went up to the man with a scoff and slapped him so hard he collapsed.
"Pull yourself together! I have full control of them with this computer so we're fine."
I quietly lower the vent enough to poke my sniper barrel through and watch the big boss man walk to the biggest computer. It looks very Sci-Fi Divergent-like. You know the first movie where the blonde lady, who wears all those ugly blue suits, has a weird computer screen to control the Dauntless.
Yeah, it's like that! Before the boss man can fix what I accidentally did, I shot the computer. The screen spiderwebbed and faded to black, causing a few scientists to scream and flee.
I quietly pulled the vent back into place and started crawling to find an outside vent exit. The sound of groaning and screaming filled the halls and I caught brief sights of the carnage I caused. No time to think about it now.
Finally, I found a vent that went the side of the building. Kicking it out, I jump and go back around to the front. Thousands of zombies are just stumbling around while others are stuck in the building. Well, shit!
"HEY YOU! YEAH YOU, UGLY! FOLLOW ME!" I scream, drawing the attention of the hordes of undead.
All those hungry faces zoning on me. Not gonna lie, I think I peed a little bit... I start walking back the way I came, turning every once in awhile to make sure they weren't too far from me. If I don't keep them right on my tail they'll lose interest.
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Two days of endless, tiring walking and I've finally made it back to the firework tent. Resupply time! This will be fun! The zombies are groaning in the distance, but it should be enough distance to just grab a handful of random fireworks to shove in my bag.
With my duffel partly unzipped, I run around the tables grabbing and stuffing different fireworks in the bag. I don't know most of what I grabbed, but I do remember grabbing a few rocket ones that you stick in the ground.
The zombies started tearing at the tent, so I raced under the side fold of the white tent and started walking towards the corporation. It's only a few more days journey but still... So tired..
While I'm walking I shuffle through my bag until I get ahold of the Red Bulls. I'm quick to chug them all and throw them behind me. What?! There isn't a fine for littering if there's no one to enforce it...
For my plan to work and the zoms to go unnoticed, we're going to have to cut through the woods near the building. I've scoped the guards and none of them have binoculars or any scope attachment. Mistake one.
Mistake two is only having one exit that is also the entrance. I walked all the way around the walled-off property and, unless they have equipment to scale a wall, they're fucked. Though, the guards do wear this weird grappling gear, so maybe...
Let me see.. There is me, Levi, Historia, Jean, Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, Gunther, Oluo, Eld, Petra, and Captain Crazy... I mean Hange! That's twelve guards I gotta take gear off of or maybe not..
The corporation building has to have a barracks somewhere, so if I find it my group will be set. There will be four guards at dawn, so I'll only need eight more of the gear. I don't know how I'm supposed to carry all this, but I'll figure something out.
You got any ideas? Me neither... If I timed this right, we should make it at dawn, but if not.. I guess I could circle around and walk farther away until it's time. Like a big game of ring around the zombie.
I grab a granola bar from my bag and munch while I walk. Back to my master plan. Do tell if you find any holes in my plan.
When we get closer to the corporation I'll run ahead to disable.. cough cough.. kill the guards. Once they're "disabled", the zombies should be caught up to me and be entering the woods.
I'll throw down some smoke bombs to hide the miles-long horde and then I'll lead them to the corporation's front door. Maybe I'll even get a chance to play with the extra fireworks I grabbed.
Kinda want to see what would happen if you put a lit smoke bomb in a zombies mouth... Looking back, this probably wasn't the smartest idea, but I didn't know so meh.
I lit a blue smoke bomb and walked closer to one of the zombies closest to me. When I approached it opened it's mouth and you can guess what happened after that. In the distance I could hear a thundering sound, but I was too busy staring to pay it any attention.
All of the zombies had stopped and were staring at their expanding brother zombie. The blue smoke was coming out of his ears, mouth, eyes and his body was inflating like a balloon. Before I could back away, the zombie exploded.
A cloud of powder blue and guts flew everywhere. Some even landed on me, yuck! Unlike all the other times I'd used a smoke bomb, the smoke didn't dissipate and it just kept spreading.
Then, I felt a bullet wizz past my ear and I realized what that thundering sound from earlier was... A chopper. I made a run for it as zombies groaned and bullets flew everywhere.
See, now you're all caught up to this unfortunate situation. Apparently, some of the scientists had escaped the zombies inside and had gotten to the roof. The roof... Where a working chopper was waiting for them.
I finally cleared the smoky area with none of that shit storm following me. Arms put me in a chokehold from behind, catching me off guard. The loud groans and gunfire made it easier for this person to sneak up on me.
"Surprize mutherfuck'r!" someone yells from behind me with a foreign accent, German I think.
With a jerk I throw my head back and crack his nose. He goes to grab his, probably broken, nose and in doing so, he lets me go. I dust myself off and quickly draw both my MK 23's, unwavering as they stay pointed at him.
Ah, it's the big boss man and yikes! I did break his nose, would ya look at that!
"You'll find I don't like surprises. On your knees, hands behind your head." I say monotonously, raising my guns to aim at his head.
He smirks and does as I ask, thinking I don't sense his men approaching. The zombies are groaning and getting closer now that they're done feasting, so this better be quick.
Without looking I shoot behind me and hear a groan, then shoot big boss man in the stomach.
"No mercy.. You can walk with the horde when we destroy the corporation."
I duck when a gunshot rings through my ears and turn, shooting the last two men in the heart. Don't want to waste time by letting the zombies feast, so better to turn them.
This may seem cruel, but I only care about protecting my friends... Not these big-heads who destroyed the world and its people for shits and giggles.
The men I shot rose as undead, so I walked around them and continued on my way. That just took time away from my mission and tired me out even more. There is still at least one more full day of walking.
The shambling and groaning of the dead behind me was encouragement enough to keep going. Haven't died yet and I sure as hell am not going to be a zombie or fodder either.
There are so many flaws in my plan, but it's all I have. I only watched the guard shift for a day, so they might not even have a pattern. There could be thirty guards waiting for me for all I know.
Don't even get me started on the drones... I haven't spotted any but I know they're there. A part of me can't help but think that we're just players on a board, being controlled by the big-heads.
Think about it. I mean, we've been surviving in an enclosed, walled-off place with different obstacles. First, the apocalypse and now they're just toying with the remaining survivors.
Who's to say that they didn't choose who'd survive when they created this virus. How else could it affect so many people, but all of the forest game victors survived? There is no way that is just a coincidence.
Why did they spare Levi and my friends, though? They weren't a part of the games, so they wouldn't prove to be sufficient entertainment for the sadistic psychopaths. There's something I'm missing...
Armin, Mikasa, Reiner, and Bertholdt. All childhood friends, all survivors. Levi, Oluo, Gunther, Eld, Petra, Erwin, and Hange. All friends, all survivors. How did Levi, Erwin, and Hange, three members of the same Squadron, survive and end up together?
It just doesn't make any sense... There is no specific pattern to the survivors or the ones killed. Historia survived so her father, the leader, must have some control on who got the virus. But how?
Sorry to bug you with all my theories and inner thoughts, but it's a long walk to the corporation. Also, I kinda wanted to tune out the buzzing of the pests behind me. Their insistent groaning is grinding my gears.
I'm not a robot, it's just a figure of speech. Finally, I can see the big white buildings in the distance. Running ahead, I scope out the front and there are only four guards. What a relief!
They're each distanced from each other, so taking them out won't draw the attention of another. I dispose of them quickly and set to work on piking the rocket fireworks into the dirt. Once the zombies get closer I'll light them and lead the zoms to the gates.
Here comes the groaning, right on time. I flick the lighter and light the fireworks, then start lighting a shit ton of smoke bombs. Once the whole path to the buildings is covered in multicolored smoke, I lead the way.
My two 23's are drawn and ready for a fight if they put it up. Though they'll probably be too busy running and screaming to do much fighting. A horde of this capacity can eat up thousands of mini gun rounds and still be miles deep.
The rocket fireworks go off with a loud boom rushing right toward me, shit! I go to duck, but a zombie gets in the line of fire and loses its head... Literally! The rocket literally went nearly through its head and then exploded.
"S-Sorry haha. My bbbad!" I laugh hysterically while trying to keep ahead of the horde.
I run to one of the downed guards and remove their gear, strapping it around my own waist. Okay, how does this work..? When I move one of the grips and squeeze it shoots a grappler at the zombie in front of me. Okay, makes sense.
I clench the grip again and I get dragged towards the awaiting zombie. Fuuuck! A quick shot to the head and the zombie's down, but now I'm surrounded. Maybe if I push the button on this grip...
The grappler retracts back into a hidden compartment in the gear. Yes! Aiming my body toward the top of the wall, I grip both grips and watch the grapplers shoot out and hook to the top. Another grip and I'm being pulled up the wall, leaving the confused zombies behind.
There's got to be a lever or something to open the gate and let the zombies in... Where could— Found it! I pull the rusty lever and hear the gate start to slide into a section of the wall. That's actually pretty cool...
The zombies flood in and I expect screaming, but there is only silence. When I look over the edge, the zombies are standing still even though I can see humans approaching them. What is going on?
A jolt of electricity in my chest has me falling over the wall, into the corporation town thing. My body crashes to the ground while I continue to spaz out, jarring my injured chest. You try falling a good fifteen feet and landing on your front, even if it's on grass!
Once the shaking ceases, I stand slowly and rip the shocking dart from my chest. Are you fucking kidding me! Did I just get tased? Is this because I threw those Red Bull cans on the ground and a police officer has finally come to punish me?!
My ribs pinch in pain and when I lift my shirt I see why. My torso is a mix of blacks, purples, and blues. I'd have to guess that I broke a few ribs at the very least. Every slight movement has painful bursts exploding in my chest.
"Sorry we couldn't get you down an easier way. You must be Eren, is that right?" A man asks curiously.
He has curly dirty blonde hair and a trimmed beard of the same color. His eyes are a familiar ocean blue color and his face is staring at me impassively. The lab coat is answer enough about his job and who he is... So this is Historia's father?
"Yes, that's me." I mutter.
He chuckles and orders his men to take my bag and guns, leaving me defenseless. At least, that's what they think.. Once I'm stripped of the guns, the others back off, giving me and Historia's dad some space.
"Grisha was right, you are a trouble maker. But... You singlehandedly took my other building, releasing the zombies, and destroying the computer that controls them. Well done!"
I look the man up and down, searching for any weapon, but there is none. He is way too close to be unarmed, yet he seems perfectly relaxed. He might have taken my guns but no one removed the grappling gear. I could use the gear to escape, but I really need that bag.
"Maybe you shouldn't only have one computer that controls them then..."
"How right you are!" He pulls out a little screen from his lab coat and waves it in front of me with a grin.
After he presses a few buttons, a few dozen zombies surround me. He is the mastermind behind this whole game. The forest games were just a tutorial for what was now here.
"That was just one of my zombie storage areas. And there are plenty of computers to control these disgusting beasts with. You have two options... With your skill, you'd make a great asset, so you can join me or..."
"Or?"
"Or I could sick my zombies on you right now!" he exclaims with a twisted grin.
"Soooo.... What's it gonna be, huh?!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
rythebiguy
rythebiguy Bum bum bum... The next chapter will be a continuation of this one. What will happen now...
Also, don't forget that Grisha claimed to have an Ace up his sleeve that could ruin Eren. Until next time, lovely people!
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