A Man and his Tyrant

[rebelhealer]

A week after Anders took this job in Raccoon City, things went to hell. It had seemed like such a nice offer, him fresh out of medical school, ready to save lives, pay off that college tuition, and Raccoon City seemed like a nice place to start his career.

Then a man came in who claimed he'd been attacked by someone who bit him. Then more cases like that, of people attacking each other. Patients died overnight. Then the bodies in the morgue rose up and attacked the doctors. Then patients rose up before they could be taken to the morgue. Finally, the whole city broke out in pandemonium. The dead rising, swarming the city, people rushing to get out.

As he packed a small backpack full of food, and other supplies, Anders was suddenly very grateful that his apartment hadn't allowed pets, and he'd left Ser Pounce-a-lot with Delilah Howe in the next state over.

Once he was out of the apartment, he checked to make sure the coast was clear before heading out into the street. The bridge out of the city was a long ways away, especially on foot, and he could only hope that luck would be on his side as he walked at a brisk pace.

Comments

[t_00]

The doctor was looking at something, but in the armored rear compartment, there were no windows. They shifted their weight to bleed off a little frustration, but recoiled as they felt the van's suspension wobble beneath them. This had happened too many times now, but there was nowhere to settle more firmly that wasn't covered in blood.

They steadied themselves against the dividing panels between the cab and the rear, close behind the doctor. That way they could kneel with more stability, and watch part of the view through the glass, seeing new things go by that they'd never seen before.

They had never been able to do this in a moving transport. They were always locked away in their container, ready for deployment.

[rebelhealer]

Anders drove in silence for a bit, still thinking about that monster and how scared Mr. X had seemed. Could Mr. X transform like that too? Was the monster made by the same people who made Mr. X? Or that thing with the tongue.

"You know, maybe when we get to safety, we can start learning sign language together. That way we can communicate easier. Or I can buy you a pencil and paper." Maybe an oversized novelty pencil, because those huge hands might have otherwise broken a regular pencil or pen.

[t_00]

They weren't sure if that would succeed. Sign language was like the visual signals they had been taught to recognize. Hand signs that humans could use to direct them. They understood them, but they had never been instructed to make the signals themself. Communication was difficult. They weren't sure if they could or wanted to.

But they adapted and learned to carry out tasks. That was what they were made for. They tapped another yes.

But something about the thoughts caught them off-guard after a moment. Why were they unsure if they wanted to? They did something, or they didn't, based on what was needed. Sometimes the result was satisfying, sometimes it wasn't. This feeling never factored into their thinking.

[rebelhealer]

"When we escape Raccoon City and find a motel with WiFi, I'll see about downloading a language learning app." Otherwise Anders was going to have to learn Morse code with Mr. X, or get them a very large pencil and paper pad.

He kept his eyes on the road as he drove, even running over a zombie or two in his way. Anders kept his eyes open for more of those monsters with the long tongue, or if that giant beast had a brother. So far nothing. The bridge was just up ahead.

[t_00]

They didn't fully understand what the doctor meant, but they shouldn't need to. Humans talked constantly, and most of the time they simply let it flow by them, meaningless noise.

The outside was holding their attention instead. They followed every infected with their eyes, gauging if they would be a threat. They were beyond the quarantine line. Other guard posts must have failed, before the one they destroyed. Annoying. It would mean they would have to remain on the lookout for longer, until the area was sterilized.

But with the armored van and their continued vigilance, the doctor would remain safe.