# Interlude ## Daze *There’s no possible way she’ll be here*. David warren thought. He sullenly drummed his fingers on the truck wheel. He’d only met her a month before. --- It was after school hours for David. He’d gotten out of his engineering class, and had volunteered to help the professors clear out a recently acquired warehouse. It was to be used as the new HVAC warehouse, as the class had outgrown their antebellum one. They were going to be reimbursed by the school, but David would have gone anyway, he had nothing better to do. “This place is weird, man.” A classmate of David, Chuck Griswold said, stoned out his mind, but correct. “Shit man. Look at that piece of ass, though.” He was pointing to a pretty brown haired girl cleaning junk out of large supermarket open-top coolers. She was beautiful, shoulder-length brown hair, tied up in a loose bun. She wore tight-fitting denim jeans, and a white tank top. *Crude bastard. She must be a cosmetology major. What would a dime be doing here?* The warehouse had been locally owned by a Dixie war vet, who had passed away two years earlier. Athens Tech was finally putting it to good use. Homeless had been using it as their own little hangout, but the police had cleared the building and removed all the paraphernalia, as well as those living there. David got to work away from the dime piece, but near enough to glance over at her. He noticed her strong legs, tanned arms, and dozens of freckles on her face. After several hours of hard work, he mustered up the confidence to approach. “Gotta say this now, before my brain tells me not to. I think you’re pretty, and I wanted to get your number.” She shifted, hands behind her in an open posture, she leaned back onto the edge of the newly cleaned open-top coolers. She chuckled, dimples revealing themselves on her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I don’t give out my number.” *What have you done you fucking idiot!* He ignored that part of his brain, instead going to the crafty side. “You don’t happen to have a Choas Tag by any chance?” “Shit you got me there. I actually do. DJ8102#jackson.dixie.” “Lets talk sometime,” David said, simultaneously walking backwards and typing her info into his mobile client. Then he tripped. *Fuck!* She giggled, covering a smile. David got up and dusted himself off. “I’ll shoot you a message. We’ll talk,” She grinned. --- The power outage across the city completely wrecked David and Dixie’s conversation. The Chaos servers were all locally hosted, both Dixie and David ran their own domains for it. They’d been talking back and forth for weeks, and the day before they were going to meet up at the Athens tech library at 2. It was now 4. He held out hope, but there were so many dead lurking around. She didn’t have family nearby she needed to worry about, just herself. He grinned when he saw her pass around a corner at 4:30, running toward his truck. Her face was covered in dirt and blood, mixed among her freckles. He leaned over and popped the passenger door open. She slammed it shut before the dead started to beat on the glass. He rammed it into gear, taking out a half dozen dead, leaving the parking lot for the highway full of abandoned cars. “Gods above. I am so happy to see you.” Dixie said, hands shaking. She pushed his gear into neutral, and pulled him into a kiss. --- ## MEMO 731 DDCC Memorandum 731 Alias: Undead 731 Chestnut, Ida CODE 731 This is our final memo. Evacuate your occupations, find shelter. The DDCC is no more. Our continued efforts in this investigation have proved fruitless. We can now prove this *thing* is not a virus, mutation, infection, or parasite. Frankly, we don't know what the hell it is. As this is the end of my employment, and likely my life as I know it, I will speak freely. As far as I am concerned, this is all a curse from god. The rapture is here, we are the forsaken. Code 731. Evacuate all premises, find shelter. God give us mercy. ## Rage “You said you had them all under control even before we left Kentucky. You fool.” Vekka snagged. “Sir, they…” “Stop giving me excuses. If you cannot control your people, what makes me think you can control the planet.” The Umbrir shouted, making Victor cower. The creature was old, mellinia old, and the things Victor had seen him do, felt like they were out of horror movies. *He rules with terror. I rule with strength.* Most would simply say that Vekka and Victor were two sides of the same coin. “My brethren are soon to speak with the other group, so we must push faster to Athens.” Victor nodded, “Will do.” “Stop at the georgia border. I will return in a few weeks time.” Just like that he was gone. The Umbrir were unnerving, and ancient, and if they were all like Vekka, Victor’s people were sure to have a tough road to victory. Victor hadn’t yet met others of Vekka’s kind, but they scared him. Umbrir were pale things, with dark scaled wings, and otherwise pale scales. Vekka spoke with a low tone, words sharp, but not clipped. Like a dagger. Vekka spoke of places off world, but Victor had not been told the means by which the creatures arive and leave. Vekka just did as he pleased, drip feeding Victor information. *But to rule a world. I would do anything.* Two dozen rebels hung that night. --- ## Broken Dearest Laura, I love you. I always have. If i survive, I will return here, and we can crack open that old bottle of wine we kept putting off. I hope you get to read this, I waited, I tried. The truth of it is, love, one of those corpses bit me yesterday. I went out to find survivors, but was unable. The only thing i found is a horde. I don't know if this virus is like what we used to read in school, but i will, in all likelihood, succumb to my injury. I love you with everything inside me. I love our son. I love the life we lived together, even if for a short few years. You are my everything, Laura. I love you. -Jacob --- [[15 Mall]]