Erin carried the man down through the subway tunnel she'd gone into so many times, carefully stepping down the non-moving escalator and going over towards the front door. As she approached the slit in the door slid open, revealing two blue eyes.
"State your business," a woman said, studying her.
"It's me, I've got injured here!" Erin said, struggling to hold the man up. The woman closed the slit and opened the door, stepping back as Erin carried the man inside.
The main base of the resistance was carved into an abandoned subway line, set up like a virtual underground city. People were walking around carrying boxes of supplies, diners were filled with patrons coming to have lunch, and rows of trainees were firing weapons at targets. It was the perfect base, secure and away from the aliens above ground.
Overlooking the base was an office with a balcony high up above one of the abandoned trains, used by Commander Alex Martin, the resistance leader. Hearing the commotion he stepped out onto the balcony, his black trench coat whipping behind him as he grabbed onto the railing and looked down.
"Erin, what have you brought back?" He asked, his voice booming against the subway walls.
"I found someone running from the monsters, Alex. He's hurt pretty badly," Erin called up to him, shifting the man's weight on her arms.
"You brought someone back? Is he infected?!" Alex asked, sounding more angry than concerned.
"He would have been if I hadn't rescued him! We'll talk about it later, just send the nurse!" Erin said. Alex stared down at her for a moment, thinking, before turning and walking back into his office. A few moments later the door to the hospital opened and Dr. Jane Marston stood in the doorway, calling her over. Erin rushed to the door and followed her inside, laying the injured man down on one of the beds.
"What happened?" Jane asked, rolling up the man's pant leg.
"He was on a billboard trying to escape the monsters, and it came crashing down pretty hard. I thought he was dead when I first found him," Erin noted, watching as Jane tried to set the man's leg back into place. The man groaned painfully, stirring in his unconscious state.
"Well it's broken, that's for sure. He'll need to stay here for awhile, but I'll let you know when he wakes up," Jane said, preparing supplies to create a cast. Erin turned and looked at the man, proud of her efforts to rescue him.
"Great, thanks doc. Also...do you have that thing we talked about before?" She asked. Jane nodded, taking something out of a cabinet and slipping it into Erin's pocket.
"Take one every eight hours, and come see me when you run out. No exceptions," Jane said.
"Thank you, as always keep it between us," Erin replied. Jane ran her finger over her mouth in a zipping motion, promising to keep her secret. Erin smiled and walked back out into the station, mentally preparing herself to speak to Alex. When she entered his office he was already standing up behind his desk, his fists pressed into the wood as he watched her enter.
"Jane, you know we have a strict vetting process here..." he said, his tone lecturing.
"What was I supposed to do, boss, just let them take him? Anyone who's been able to resist the monsters this long has to be strong, and we need more soldiers out there," Erin argued, crossing her arms in defiance.
"If we let everyone we find out there inside then there won't be any soldiers left to fight at all. If the monsters ever found this place, any hope of returning to the way things used to be is gone. We have to keep the people we already have safe, at all costs," Alex said, stepping out from behind his desk and pacing in front of her.
"Look, I get it. Just let this guy stay, it was a lot of risk bringing him back," Erin pleaded. Alex sighed.
"Fine, but it's your job to train him and get him into fighting shape," Alex said.
"Of course! You won't even recognize him," Erin said proudly.
"Well good...because I have someone new for you to teach. His name is Josh and he just recently finished his physical training, now I'd like you to show him the ropes of surviving outside," Alex said. Erin frowned.
"Seriously? I just got back!" She argued. Alex looked unimpressed.
"We all have to pull our weight here, you know that. Just watch over him, that's all I ask," he said, studying her reaction.
"Fine...tell him to meet me out front," Erin sighed.
"That's the spirit," Alex smiled.
---
"You ready for this?" Erin asked, driving through the back roads of the city.
"You bet! I even jerked off before we left," Josh smiled, looking out the window. He was a 22 year old former student, and he reminded Erin a lot of Joanna. She wondered where her old friend was today, and if she had succumbed to the creatures like so many others.
"Whatever works for you," Erin said, turning onto another street. The car was an old Jeep with metal plates welded on the sides and back to prevent the creatures from attracting those inside. It had worked so far, though most creatures preferred to hide and pop out rather than roam the streets like zombies. The creatures were strategic and smart, always knowing the perfect way to strike. Their words and voices were far more dangerous than their physical capabilities.
Erin pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant on the outskirts of the city. It seemed deserted, making it the perfect place to find supplies.
"Okay look, this should be an easy run. The diner is short on food so we need canned goods and anything non-perishable. Think you can handle it?" Erin asked, turning to look at him.
"You're sending me in there by myself?" Josh asked, his voice nervous.
"That's the final step to becoming a scavenger, and the rewards are damn good. Just keep your weapon handy and if I hear you discharge it I'll come running in," Erin promised. Josh smiled, taking out his pistol and nodding.
"I'll make you proud," he said, climbing out of the Jeep and closing the door. Erin watched as he slowly walked over to the entrance, aiming his gun all around the parking lot. She hoped that this one would atleast survive. So many of the promising new recruits failed so easily in the new world.
Josh hesitated for a moment, mentally preparing himself, before quickly opening the door and looking inside. The restaurant was completely empty, with tables and chairs overturned and food scattered all over the place, as if there had been a struggle before in that very room.
He began by checking behind the counter, opening his backpack and grabbing a few cans of soda. He made sure to put one in the front pocket for himself, smiling deviously.
He searched the main room but found nothing else that hadn't spoiled, letting out a disappointed sigh.
"I can't disappoint Erin..." he whispered to himself, trying to build his mental fortitude. Returning with just a few cans of soda would mean that he'd be returned to training, and he couldn't let that happen.
Suddenly, the sound of something hitting the floor drew his attention towards the back of the restaurant. He saw a swinging door marked "Kitchen" and smiled to himself, knowing that there would be stockpiles of rations inside.
Forgetting his inhibitions he carried his backpack over to the door and pushed it open, walking inside. The room was pitch black, so he reached over and flipped on the switch.
That's when he saw her. As the room illuminated with light he found himself standing in a large kitchen area, with rows of cabinets lining the walls. In the back there was a shelf filled with exactly what he needed, canned food and jugs of water. But that wasn't what caught his attention.
Leaning up against the shelf was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, dressed only in a pair of pink panties and a red button up top. The top was completely unbuttoned, displaying her large and firm breasts for all to see. In her hand was a can of whipped cream, and as the lights flickered on she began to spray it all over her chest, covering her chest in delicious whipped topping.
His eyes focused on her index finger as she dipped it into the cream and brought it up to her luscious lips, softly sucking it clean. Her magically beautiful eyes sparkled as her mouth curled into a smile, giving him a wink. He could feel his pants tenting, not an entirely uncomfortable feeling.
"Hi there...is somebody lost?" She asked, studying him from afar. Something in his mind told him that he needed to run, but instead he found himself nodding, taking in the full view of her perfect figure.
"Poor baby, you must be so hungry...why don't you come have something to eat?" She offered, running her fingers through the whipped cream again. Her breasts jiggled pleasingly, drawing him in.
He was about to move when his backpack slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a loud pop as the soda cans fizzed out. The distraction was enough to shake him from his reverie and he raised his pistol, aiming it at her.
