Chapter 1: Break Your Heart

"Anything?" Janine questions, her voice tired and empty.

"Mmm... nothing," Sam sighs.

I squeeze my eyes shut and grip my covers tighter, trying to keep from crying at that word.

Nothing. It's been the same word I've heard everyday for the last few months. Three months, one week, and two days to be exact. That's how long they've been gone-how long he's been gone.

I keep my headset on at all times, even now as I lay in bed. I sleep in my running clothes, just in case I have to get up in the middle of the night to chase a lead, although I haven't been getting much sleep here of late anyway.

But each lead-each clue-each one has been a dead end. And with each dead end, I lose a bit more hope; We all do.

I remember spending five hours running around on Sam's birthday in June because he said all he wanted was for us to find our people. It's August now, and still no luck. Still no Maxine, still no Caleb, or Ed, or anyone else. They've disappeared, and even though I've tried to use what little knowledge I have on Diana to help find them, it's done little to no good.

"We'll try again tomorrow," She sighs. "New base command will be here by then. She's coming straight from the Ministry. They might have some new leads to follow up. We never really investigated the farms to the west."

"That's because they're swarming with fast zombies. Like, everywhere is swarming with fast..." He sighs, and I can almost see the defeated look on his face. "Even if we wanted to, we couldn't get up there."

An odd beeping starts up, and Janine lets out a noise of frustration. "System's glitching again. Turn it off... Wait, look at that."

I perk up.

"If this is another joke, Janine... I have to tell you, it's not funny when you pretend we've found Maxine or Ed or someone and it's actually a cow. Five nearly had a meltdown the last time that-oh, crap."

"Yep."

"Almost everyone's out. Who've we even-crap!" He turns on the speakers. "Runner Five, Runner Twenty-three, Runner Seventeen, gates now!"

I jump up from my bed, seeing Summer jolting awake and doing the same. Paula's sleeping in another building, but I'm sure she's booking it even faster than we are. I run outside, fast as I can as the stars twinkle about me.

"Raise the gates! They're coming! Runners, move! We've got something!"

"Something? Like a big something or a small something?" Summer questions as she runs beside me, while Paula's a few steps ahead. Her eyes are wide with excitement and curiosity, and I'm certain my face mirrors hers.

"Big something. I mean, I think it's a big something."

"That's good enough for me," I say as the three of us run out of the gates.

I tell myself not to get my hopes up. I've let that happen before and I felt completely broken when our lead turned out to be a dead end. But the way this sounds, the way this feels... I think it might actually be something.

I don't really know if it's a prophetess thing, even though I'm almost determined that's what I am. Or at least, that's what I think I am, since those dreams and such...

But I haven't talked to Janine about Chrys, or Tony or the dreams. Not after what happened. I can't let us separate our time between helping her and finding our people.

Plus, even if I could get Sam to believe me, I doubt I could get Janine to do so. She'd say I was crazy, and put me in a room with a straightjacket. But unlike last time, I wouldn't be let out for a long while.

And I can't think of any other way to tell them that information without them suspecting I'm in on it, even though that is very much not the case. But Janine goes by logic, and I have no explanation for what I know. That would get me locked up as well.

And I'm needed out here.

"Yes, that way," Sam says, sounding jittery and anxious. "Keep going. It's-ah, damn. The signal's fading in and out."

"How can there be a signal?" Paula questions. "Eight mind controlled people walked out that day, and none of them were wearing trackers or transmitters. If I'd thought of it, I'd have strapped one to Maxi's clothes."

"It's... an interesting story, actually," Janine says, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Runner Twelve, Grant Hamilton..."

"He never turns down a dare," Sam informs.

"About three days before our people left, we gave the runners trackers rather like New Canton have. And someone in the mess hall dared him to-to... it was very silly and a waste of valuable equipment."

"Not so silly now."

"Dared him to what?" Paula asks.

There's a long, annoyed sigh that coms from the other end of the transmission. "Dared him to swallow his tracker, Runner Twenty-three."

Summer snickers. "Gee, I wonder who could've been the one who dared him."

"Miss Swan, are you implying that you were the one who dared Mr. Hamilton to swallow his tracker?"

She scoffs. "Me? Oh, no, but I did see who did. She's running right beside me."

Sam bursts out in laughter as I cringe, my shoulders scrunching up slightly. "No way. Five? You dared him to do that?"

I raise up a hand in surrender. "Okay, let me explain. Most of the time when people say I 'dared' them to do something, it's me saying, 'you know, it would be funny if someone did this' and the biggest idiot around me ends up taking it as a challenge."

"But... why would you think it funny if someone swallowed their tracker?" Janine asks, and I smile sheepishly.

"Well, we were in the mess hall and the trackers were so tiny, and they must've been dropped in the mashed potatoes and gravy at least a half dozen times, so I just made a little comment and Grant... well, he was an idiot."

"So if Runner Twelve swallowed that tracker, then the signal..." Paula trails off.

"Is probably coming from Grant's colon, yes," Sam finishes, while Summer mutters something about how it's odd the device is still his body since it's been so long. I really don't want to think of any reasons of explanation, since most that come to mind are both disgusting and painful.

"Seventeen's right. It's been months. Why's it turned on now?"

"We don't know. But the battery's wearing out and the signal's not strong enough to pinpoint it from this distance. You have to get there quickly and locate it on the ground. This is our only lead." There's desperation in his voice. "If we don't find it in time, we're back to square one."

"I can go faster," Paula says. "You with me, Five? Summer?"

"Totally," Summer answers while I give a quick nod, pushing my legs to go faster. If this means finding Caleb again, I'd be willing to put myself through hours of running, much like what I had to do when New Canton tried to capture me and failed, leaving me in the zombie ingested wilderness well past midnight.

It's so odd. It's been over a year since that happened. That was when I accepted Sam as my friend... now I'm in love with him.

Well, doesn't that sound like something you'd hear out of a teenage vampire drama?

It's dark out here, but we've actually gotten somewhat used to running at night. I think I've done it maybe two times this month. We take extra precautions, of course. Bringing extra weapons, some food in case we have to take shelter, a flashlight, batteries for said flashlight-the works.

It's more dangerous to run at night, but it's a risk I'm willing to take if it means finding my friends.

Some of us-those who really cared about at least one person who left that day-have a backpack always ready and sleep in their running clothes. I do. I do every night besides Saturday, since I spend Sunday praying and reading the Bible. Sometimes a few other Christians in Abel gather together to talk, and maybe someone will preach a sermon.

It's one of the few things that can help in a time like this.

But it's hard not to lose hope. With each day it gets harder to cling on to the thought of ever finding our friends again. I try to tell myself we'll find something soon that'll lead us to them, but I've got to say... It's getting harder to believe it.

I want to believe, I really do. But the last time I believed in something-or really, someone-he let me down.

I try not to think about him, since I know he's... I try to keep him from getting into my mind, but he's there. He's always there.

We keep running, over hills and down slopes and even over bridges. Summer yells at me because I hesitate at crossing one that's a bit too high up for my liking. And when we reach a canyon, I insist we go the longer way to get down safely and not fall to our deaths.

Thankful Sam agrees, but Summer doesn't look too impressed. I know she wants to find our people as quickly as possible. Ed's a good friend of hers, since they both have interests in mechanics. She sympathizes with him in losing his family, since their experiences were rather similar.

Plus Runner Nineteen is like her second cousin or something. How they found that out, I have no idea, since I don't think Ancestry.com is something you can search on Roufflenet, but they're family, so Summer's determined to find her.

"Was this river dry the last time we came this way?" Paula questions with a raised brow.

"It was a sort of canal," Sam answers, "and it was definitely full of water a few weeks ago. That's-that's weird."

Seventeen shrugs. "It has been unseasonably dry."

"Yeah, but that river's usually deep. The sides of the canyon you guys are in must be what?"

"Three stories high, at least." Paula frowns. "That's-that's deeper than a canal."

"You've got company," Janine says, just as a loud growl travels through the night air. Summer pulls her gun from its holster at lightning speed.

"We see them. Five zoms at our six o'clock."

"No, twenty zoms approaching from your four," Sam corrects. "And another pack a little further away, but coming in fast from your nine."

"Holy shit!" Summer exclaims suddenly, raising up her flashlight towards the canyon walls. She fires her weapon, taking down two zombies that are climbing down the walls to get to us. They're climbing-climbing-if they know jumping will make them slower because of how it will break their bodies.

"There's obviously something here someone wants to protect," Janine says as Summer shoots down a few more zoms, before taking off running with us following her. "The smart strategy would be to abort the mission now. We can return in greater numbers."

I look back, shining my flashlight at the zombies chasing behind us. They aren't sprinting, but they are fast-too fast to be regular zombies, I think. I'm almost positive this is Diana's doing.

If only I could tell them that.

"But you said the signal's getting weaker," Paula says, and Sam sighs.

"Yeah, it's uh... yeah. It's barely there now."

"There are no buildings here. Nothing obvious. If we're gonna find whatever they're trying to protect, we have to do it now. We can outrun them. It's our only chance to find Maxine."

There's a small bit of silence-one that easily tells me Janine is not convinced. "I'm not sure risking your life is the best course of action here."

"I'll gladly risk my life if it means finding Caleb," I say, my voice hard as stone.

"We're supposed to have frozen all operations until the new base commander arrives so that-oh."

God, do I hate it when she stops a sentence like that. I crane my neck to look back, and suck in a sharp breath at the sight of them.

Another crowd of zombies has joined them, all fast and scary. All here to keep us from discovering something.

"Don't look back," Sam says quickly. "Five, look ahead and just keep running."

Usually I'm the one who is reckless and doesn't listen, but this time it is Summer. She twists her body around, using her flashlight to show her what is where, then she fires her gun.

One drops, then another, and another. I think she misses only one zom in her eleven shots, and even that bullet hits another zombie in the head. And the entire time she holds a serious face, not even blinking.

Note to self: Never piss Summer off.

But now she's out of bullets, and I'm unsure Paula even has a gun with her, so I'll have to be smart in when I choose to fire.

But even with Summer's good work, there are still many of them chasing after us. There's got to be at least fifty of them-all running after us with mouths handing open and dead roars leaving their throats.

That's the type of sound that haunts you at night.

Plus it's dark, even with the full moon shining brightly over top of us. With each step I have to worry about tripping. Even a stumble could let them catch up. That's honestly the last thing I need right now, especially since there are some fast ones who are starting to get too close for comfort.

I twist around, firing my pistol, watching as one's head snaps back before it falls to the ground. I hit one in the shoulder before I manage to get it right between the eyes, and I somehow, in my odd twirl that could be defined as anything but graceful, hit another behind the first one.

But the the last one that's catching up lunges forward, its decaying hands and rotting fingers reaching out to grab Paula. I squeak in surprise, not expecting it. I quickly take aim pull the trigger as quickly as I can, not even watching it drop as I pick up my pace.

"Christ, Five. That was close," Paula breathes, her eyes still on the corpse behind us. "Thanks. I don't know what to-thank you."

"No problem. I just uh, don't know if I'll be able to do it again," I reply.

"How many bullets do you have left?" Sam asks.

"Uh, three, I think? Maybe four."

"There's uh, more zombies than that. Keep running."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious."

He chuckles. "You're welcome, Princess Smart Ass."

"What would happen to you if you were bitten by a zombie, Dr. Cohen?" Janine asks, changing the course of the subject a bit. "You're already infected. You have to have those plasmapheresis treatments at New Canton, so it's not like they could infect you again."

"It's not like they could infect me again, so you might think I'm being a typical Jewish person about the whole zombie situation. But you see, they could surge over me in a tidal wave of decaying flesh, sink their jaws into my arms, my neck, my stomach, pull out my still pulsing organs, leave their finger joints inside my chest cavity in their eagerness to get to my lungs, and fight over which one of them gnaws out my eyeballs."

"Thank you so much, Paula, for putting that image into my head." I sigh and give her the most sarcastic smile I can muster.

"The tracking signal's still directly ahead of us, right?" Summer asks.

"Yeah, but there's-there's nothing there," Sam replies. "No buildings, no trailer, no tent."

"The signal's fading," Janine says urgently. "Someone could have simply... dropped the tracker here."

I squint, shining my flashlight up ahead. It... reflects off something halfway up the side of the canal. It's still a good ways off, so I can't really make out what it is, but I think...

"Is that a door up ahead? In the wall of the canal?"

"I-I think it is," Sam replies. "Good eye, Five."

"I think that's what someone doesn't want us getting to." Paula sends Summer and me a hard, determined look. "Let's go."

•

"Halfway there. Then all we have to do is scale a twenty foot wall."

"I hate you guys," I grumble, my veins turning to ice at the thought of climbing that high up.

"We all know that's not true," Sam scoffs. "And we might have some help for you. New Canton sent a couple of runners to the sort of um, to the sort of dam-lock-gate-thingy at the far end of the canal. They reckon they might be able to flood the riverbed again, knock the zoms off their feet, buy you some time. You'll be alright if you know it's coming."

The door in the coms shack squeaks open. "Knock. Knock. Anyone home?"

"We're just in the middle of-oh, its you."

"I brought you something. It's Kit-Kats you like, isn't it?"

"Curly-wurlys, actually," He answers in disdain, but I have a small smile on my face at hearing the new voice.

"Hi, Kefilwe."

"Oh, hello, Runner Five."

"I sent for Dr. Lobatse," Janine says. "Doctor, I don't believe we've met since your transfer from New Canton. We have a rather odd query for you. A transmitter that someone swallowed has recently reactivated. Do you have any thoughts on that?"

"Is there really time for that?" Sam questions, and I flinch at his tone.

"It might give us vital information that could save one of your runner's lives, Mr. Yao."

"We know that the process of zombiefication raises the temperature of the body. That might-I'm just hypothesizing here," She says quickly. "I haven't seen any studies, but it might cause any electronic equipment in the body to glitch and then come back online when core temperature cools."

"But you haven't seen any studies, so you don't know," Sam says.

"There are no studies of what happens when a person eats a transmitter and becomes a zombie."

"Maxine's not a zombie!" Paula shouts, shaking her head and clenching her jaw. "Can't be."

Janine sighs sadly. "I'm afraid we have to accost one ourselves to the idea that our missing residents might have indeed succumbed to the-"

"No," Sam and Paula both spit out, and Kefilwe huffs.

"It was only a hypothesis."

"Well, it's not a good hypothesis! Alright? Ed's not a zom, Grant's not a zom, and Maxine is not a zom! And you're just our replacement until she gets back, and you should think of another hypothesis."

There's a crushing weight that falls on me when Sam goes silent. I want to tell him he doesn't need to be so harsh to Dr. Lobatse. She is just trying to help.

But I also don't want to believe Caleb is... is dead. I can't believe that after everything we've done these past few months in effort to find them.

"Okay, guys. The New Canton runners at the dam are about to let the water come gushing in. Be prepared to get your feet wet in three, two, one."

There's a loud boom from behind us, which doesn't sound good to begin with, but it gets even... less good, I guess we could call it?-when no water immediately starts flowing at our ankles.

"Uh, well, that-that didn't work quite like it as we thought it would. What happened? Oh... right. Damn."

I deadpan. "Let me guess. Bad news?"

"Yeah. Um, guys, whoever drained that canal apparently set the lock to blow if anyone tried to tamper with it. God... uh, how's the Amelia situation going, Janine?"

"Amelia?" Summer repeats. "Isn't she the-"

"I've got it under control," She answers. "Stay with your runners."

"Uh, yeah. Okay. Don't-don't worry about that. The thing is, the final gate's gonna give way in any moment and when it does, a tidal wave will be washing toward you, as well as carrying 100 zombies. Run!"

"What the-no! Don't run!" Summer screams. "Climb! Climb, now!"

She grabs at the canyon wall and starts climbing up as fast as she can. She looks like a little monkey or something, screaming for us to follow. The moment we start to do so, I hear the breaking and splintering of wood and the rushing of water.

"Go! Go! Go!" Summer screams, and I grab Paula's arm and pull her up to my level before letting go to continue going up, telling myself that for the love of all things holy, do not look down.

And we climb, higher and higher. We'll have to slide down a bit to reach the ledge that leads to the door, but we can make it. We should be okay as long as we don't let go, because that water is already rushing below us.

But then again, when is it ever that easy?

"They're coming," Sam panics. "Two or three of them have grabbed onto the wall of the canyon and are climbing up after you."

Paula screams when one of them reaches up and grabs ahold of her foot. My eyes widen and I tighten my grip on the little pieces of rock that are keeping me from falling to my doom, then I start kicking at its face, trying not to focus on how far up I am.

"Die! Die! Die! Die, you already dead twat!" I scream, clutching onto the rocks for dear life as Paula simply watches in fear. I give it a final kick that causes the zom to let go and fall into the rushing water. I look at Paula with chest rising and falling from adrenaline. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I think that's the second time you saved my life today."

"That was wonderful work, Runner Five," Kefilwe praises, and I feel a small smile spread across my face as I start climbing again.

"She knows that!" Sam hisses, scaring my so badly I almost slip from my place. I know he doesn't exactly... like Dr. Lobatse, but good Lord, this is ridiculous. "Five, if you can reach a bit higher to the left-yeah that's it. The door's concealed by that overhang, but if you can grab that jutting out bit, you can pull yourself up."

Summer's a bit closer to the 'jutting out bit', so she pulls herself up first before helping me and Paula up onto the ledge. I stare at the door, wondering who's going to have the courage to open it up and go inside first. I grab my gun from its holster.

"The signal's fading, but whatever it is has to be through that door," Janine says, and Paula slowly pushes the door open. I gulp, but go in first, then Summer comes in second with her flashlight, then Paula.

She slowly shuts the door, the dark engulfing us almost entirely. She pulls out her own flashlight and shines it on the logo on the back of the door.

I recognize the logo.

It's Comansys.

I knew it.

"The transmitter signal should be along the side of the tunnel ahead of you," Janine says. "Can you find a light switch?"

"Way ahead of ya," Summer says, and a second later the lights turn on, showing us odd machines that are no longer working. It looks rather neat in here-no strewn about papers, no calendars or computers still on-nothing.

"Oh, no." Paula's face scrunches up . "I recognize that equipment."

The door opens suddenly, causing us to spin around. I raise my gun, and for a moment I hesitate at the sight of the zombie that stands at the ledge.

But then I shoot it before it can take even a step inside.

"I thought you locked the door," I say, looking at Paula.

"I did. It must be broken."

"Then we need to get moving and find that transmitter fast," Summer says, walking forward and shutting the door, propping up a chair against the handle. "This should hold any of the ones that are still climbing after us. But it won't hold forever, so we should move as quickly as possible."

So we start walking forward, into the hallways that have no light, so we have to resort back to using our flashlights. There's an eerie feeling here-a feeling of cold and mechanical and... just not human. It feels as if all emotions have been sucked out of this place. It makes me quicken my pace.

And as I do so, the beeping that's been playing in the background of my headset starts beeping faster.

"It's that way," Sam says. "You're almost on top of it."

"There's a..." Paula squints at the machines, and I feel my heart stop at the sight. "Oh."

"What're you seeing? It's so dark in there. I can barely see anything."

"Light's are broken. It's a-it's a row of chest freezers. The kind we... the kind Van Ark used to preserve people who were infected."

"But this isn't one of Van Ark's test bases, right?" Summer asks, casting a glance around at the clouded freezers. I don't want to open them. I'm scared someone might be in there. I'm scared Caleb might be in there.

"Not as far as I know. The equipment's Comansys, though-that tech company. He was obsessed with finding out what they were up to. You know, when he had too much to drink, he used to do this mad ramble about how they were responsible for the zombie plague and not him."

My eyebrows raise up in interest. "Really?"

She nods. "I think he was trying to make himself feel less guilty. But if Maxi's here..."

"If she's there, it's better you find out now, Dr. Cohen-to know the truth," Janine says.

"Yes, I... yes."

"The signal's coming from your left. Open the freezers on that side of the room."

We all go to do as told, but I hesitate, wondering which would be worse-if Caleb is in this machine, or if he's not. If he is, then that might mean he's infected, as Paula explained why they were used when working with Van Ark. Plus I don't see why there would be any other reason to use them.

Only one way to find out.

I open it...

It's empty, and I make sure to tell the others that.

"So's mine," Summer says, but Paula remains silent for a few seconds.

"Mine isn't."

"Is it Maxine?" Sam asks.

I tense. "Or Caleb?"

"N-no. It's-it's one of your runners. Just lying there-peaceful. Not a zom, but he's dead. Number 'Twelve' is written on his jacket."

Sam groans. "Grant."

"I don't understand. None of our research would have led to ordinary people being mind controlled. Non-zombie people."

"This isn't Van Ark's doing then," I say, wishing I could at least hint at what I know.

"Well, of course not. He's dead. I saw his body."

Suddenly a nearby fridge opens up by itself, the lightbulb on it casting a glow on a pale body that has exited it. I point my gun at him.

"What the-is that a zom?" Sam asks.

"Help me," He says weakly, and I lower my gun and put it back in its holster. I know that voice. I know that face.

"Not a zom. A teenage boy," Summer answers.

He starts to collapse, but I rush forward and grab him, holding him up as best as I can.

"It's okay. It's okay," I say, looking into his eyes which are wide and afraid. "I've got you. Don't be afraid. I have you. You're safe now."

Light brown eyes widen at seeing my face. "Five? You're Five." He reaches up and touches my face, as if trying to make sure I'm really here. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"I saw you die."

A/N: First chapter and already a cliffhanger. Ain't I a stinker? Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of To Be A Killer. Please be sure to vote and comment. Thank you and have a blessed day!