Blindness

My mind burns with images of rotting hands, clawing and grinding against the walls of the compound. Flesh scraping, peeling itself from their mangled bodies, painting the wood and stone a dark, cancerous red.

We walk silently through the courtyard, the neon lights burning into my eyes, blinding me, disorientating me. Making me feel even worse about the night to come.

The Gate looms ahead. Cold heights of spot-welded steel plating, wooden balustrades. Foreboding and intimidating, save for the graffiti sprayed and scrawled across it's surface.
A piece catches my eye. Makes me stifle a chuckle. Possibly what could be the most cliche of all.


'ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER!!'

I'm not laughing at the words, more at the concept. Hope was abandoned a long long time ago. Now it's just survival. Everything is chance, luck. Nothing is certain, especially the outcome of double fucking shifts in the freezing cold.


"Jay, have I ever told you how much I despise your cheerfulness? How the fuck can you be smiling at a time like this?"

The happy whistling emanating from the bubbly bastard next to me ceases.

"What do you mean how can I be happy? I'm always happy. What's not to be happy about?"

I want to break his jaw for saying that.

"Erm, the dead rising up and eating the living for one. The fact that we're stuck in this god forsaken campus, eating shit-in-a-can for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and whenever the fuck we feel hungry. And the fact that we have a wanker for a Captain...." I trail off into a dull hum as Jose moves towards us.

Jose has never liked me, but he's the only one out of us who's served in the Armed Forces, so naturally, he's the most qualified. Him and I never see eye to eye, we're two brothers fighting over toys, threatening to beat the fuck out of each other, or run to the Mother that no longer cares.

"Gentlemen. I'm not going to say anything you haven't already heard, but you know the drill. Fuck up, and you'll be fucked up." He spits.

He walks briskly away, towards something that's worth his time.

I hate him.

"Come on you retard."
"I will shoot you, you do know that. I'm not above putting a bullet in my best friend because he's being annoying."

Jay laughs and pushes me forward towards the metal wall. I sigh, and take a deep breath.

My keycard makes the familiar beeping noise as it passes over the sensor. The door clicks, like a hammer being cocked, and swings open revealing the pitch blackness that is the unlit garage.

It's like walking down into the mouth of Hades.

The soft report of our flashlights switching on reverberates around the concrete chamber, reminding us just how alone we really are now. Scanning the area, I see the transport we're supposed to take to the watch towers.

A recognizable voice crackles through the PA system.

"Alright you dopey fucks, nice and easy now. I can see you on the cameras."

Tim has managed to pull Overwatch for us. Either that, or he's hacking into the feed from the Armory again. He's going to get his ass handed to him if he is.

I grab for the talk button on the handset clipped to my jacket, my sweaty thumb sliding off the plastic. I curse and wipe my hand, reaching for it again.

"Your a sly one you know that?" I motion for Jay to cover me as I head towards the car door. "Overwatch? Or are you pirating the system again?"

"Nope, this is purely 100% homegrown Timmy signal jacking. So shut up and get in, I have news."

I can hear him light up another cigar over the radio, comfy fucker.

The car door opens and I clamber in, pushing the keys into the ignition and turning in one smooth motion, like I was taught to. Images of my father taking me on driving lessons, me nearly crashing the car an uncountable amount of times flash behind my aching eyes.

This is going to be a long night, I think to myself as Jay gets into the passenger seat and loads the mounted MG42, an old-school relic we picked up from a friend in the Gold Coast. Still works, which is all we need.

I turn the car in a smooth circle, pointing towards the exit, gaping, maw-like into the night.

I wonder what news it is.