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2024-10-29 19:42:56Confusion on Randall’s facial features because they had just met up on the road and had only acknowledged each other when they had seen the truck coming towards them in the distance. They hadn’t even spoken about taking the truck, it was just instinct to work on getting it together and they’d work in unison, well till now.
"What? You're kidding,", the naturally red-haired man scratched his head as he waited for dark browned but bleached-in streaks due to the sun-haired man to say he was just joking. His uneven bitten-off nails, burning slightly at the nubs where his salty sweaty scalp had him dropping his hand, still waiting for the redhead to answer.
"No, I'm not kidding. I can't see your face," the other returned, monotone. A slight furrow between his eyebrows now.
The man wiped his face more trying to remove the dust. She pointed the gun at him as she muttered, "Water in back. Don't waste."
"Gee thanks, lady," the bandana-holding man said, in mocked sarcasm.
He mumbled as he washed his face with minimal water. The man raised his head, showing a very youthful face, to the other two making them both gasp. She, in surprise, because her first impression of him was that he was old but now she realized it had been the dust, on his face. And Randall for he recognized the face then too.
"What the f*ck Matty. I didn't realize it was you. Your voice has finally manned up," his former high school friend staggered out, exposing his surprise. Randall looked the same to him, except bulkier than before. That and well- the hair. He used to always be such a weirdo when it came to his hair…always in a low fade with a side mark that most envied because of his widow’s peak. Randall also was the first out of them all to get facial hair, so the others always considered him as ‘better and more grown up’ than them.
Back when they used to be best friends.
The woman looked closer at the face. Matt? She blinked. Even if she had met him under proper circumstances, she would not have made him out. Matt had changed. His lanky body was nowhere in sight. He was muscled. And his voice was different.
Both of them were seniors to her by one year back in high school. And while Randall had dropped out, Matt had gone off to college. She was in her second year when the war took place. 2083 was a year nobody would forget. Nobody that lived anyway.
The entire world had been shaken by World War Three, then they had the after-effects of it to deal with. The ashes that weren’t just regular ash.
"So, I'm Matt, he's Randall and you apparently know him. Now, who are you?" Both men had their guns pointed at her again, having ignored her command to drop them earlier.
When did that happen?
"Hey man, it was nice seeing you," Randall said to Matt as he walked around her. He poked her back with the gun. "How was college?" he goes on speaking as if it was the way of having a regular conversation- which again, it was now.
"I finished when this sh*t happened to us," Matt answered nervously looking around eyebrows furrowing when the walking corpse was now just some feet away from them. The stench had reached his nostrils and his stomach paled. He could never get used to this smell.
"Hmm," his former best friend replied eyeing the decomposing form but still nobody made a move to end its miserable existence.
"They're all dead man, the whole town," Matt muttered as if he’d only recently returned home. Which may have been the case Randall figured. To move around in zombie-world is a slow and stealthy process with an overly cautious heart…definitely not for the faint-hearted.
"I know man. As soon as we figure out who this is we can go. I ain't decide if we should take her or not," Randall added the last part in a whisper behind her. He said the harsh words, but he was not going to leave her alone and stranded...even though she looked as if she was capable more than them both.
He is curious as to who the female is- someone who’s car he fixed? She looked familiar a bit, but his brain couldn’t place from where.
"Just leave her let's go," Matt looked around again when more distanced explosions were heard. Gunfire this time. He had no desire to be around when the undead showed up. And he didn’t mean this one sole dragging one that seemed more lost and confused than any of the other flesh-eating-former-human-monsters he had ever come across in his years of survival. No matter how much he tried to convince himself that no trace of human was in them, he still could not get used to taking their lives. It just didn’t sit too right with him. Even his smell was still repulsing to him, not having had a real shower in months. When would he be used to the sweat and grim?
Besides Liz and him had a little hate between them. He gestured towards her stomach for Randall to notice the bulge and his eyes widened.
"Leave her? Are you crazy? She-that," Randall pointed to the side of her stomach from behind. They knew her and although this wasn’t a time for ‘meet and greet’ he felt they should stick with her. It’s been a while since he’s even spoken to another human and now, he had two companions. This is good- he was lonely and going crazy a bit for human interactions.
Liz pulled her face back. That? She isn’t a ‘that’. Rude much?
"What? I meant let's just take her. We'll figure it out on the way. We need to go now," Matt sputtered. Honestly, he could not leave her. Prom was a lifetime away.
Both men didn’t even have time to process her fast movement until the undead lay on the side on the road- headless. Sober-faced, the men stared at the sharp long blade in her left hand, now stained with dark rotted blood. She had speedily reached into her truck, pulled out the sword and sliced the head clean off. Worms oozed out of the opener- another first for Matt. College taught him maggots and they were efficient consumers of dead tissue. They munch on rotting flesh, leaving healthy tissue practically unscathed but he doubted his companions needed that information now.
This is the woman that had looked scared minutes back. Clearly, it had just been an emotional state of mine Randall thought, his eyes on her stomach. Being he was the first to recover from the miscalculation about her, he walked in front of her and pointed to her stomach. "Where's the dad?"
‘Dad?’ Liz watched where the gun was pointed. ‘Oh- that, that.’
"I'm not pregnant you idiot! I've- ughh." She pulled her at her crumpled-up jacket, which had somehow hiked up around her waist, down, revealing her flat tummy. She sniggered at Randall before she continued, "You were always an assh*le."
She swiftly got into the truck and both men jumped in as she started the engine.
Guns to be aimed at her now forgotten. It was getting close to nightfall, and it was unsafe to be out when the creatures roamed. While there were some that came out in daylight, the more dangerous ones came out at night. Almost every few months, some evolved or what about the new species of creatures that he had seen roaming about and Randall wanted to be indoors with a locked and bolted door.
“Man, we got to get out of here now,” Matt hissed as he looked into the horizon of the setting sun, panic settling onto his facial features.
“Can’t believe I’m doing this,” Liz muttered more under her breath to herself before aloud, “Come with me,” to both men and pulled her messy curls of hair back behind her ears, squinting her eye at them both.
Randall squinted his eyes and pulled off her hat as he sat next to her in front and a few seconds later he gasped out, "Liz?" He sees her beauty and youthfulness- like everyone else, has long vanished with the harshness of the environment they now live in. Not in a harsh way just that she no longer was feminine. Well, Matt and her used to date back in the day that’s why he recognised her and not him.
They all had been friends before, back in high school. Uppity, Randall had nicknamed her some years ago when they were friends. When things were normal. Unfortunately, this is the new normal, so he aimed his pistol at the guy. "Ain't nobody leaving."
What a small world he thinks.
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Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 4- And There Was Three
"-between North Korea and Russia. Will America get involved? Citizens, although we are not affected in America, are asked to stay at home during the next three days. We are on standby as we wait for The President's response as we speak. Citizens are making queries as to whether this could be the start of World War three. Russia, India, America and North Korea, among others, are in talks of a nuclear conspiracy. All parties involved have since denied any claims-" Randall woke up sweating, covering his face with his hands in the dimly lit room. The memory of the last normal news he had seen, replayed over and over like an echo inside his mind. He kept hearing the alert in the somewhat scared-looking woman as she read the news out to them. He remembered how frightened she looked. Like she knew what was happening but was told to say something else. Or maybe she was just scared like the rest of them. That cute reporter died on the very same day, which was also the day the riots broke o
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System Exchanging Horror Stories
It was a bit awkward and strange...them meeting up like this. Coincidental or not, Randall was glad. He was so lonely. Having met Matt hours earlier on the road, he had cautioned him about the new threat but Matt had already known and was in hiding trying to move far away. When they had met up, they’d both been seeking shelter and had spotted the huge building miles away. How wild was it that Matt knew who he was and had assumed he had recognised him as well. It was hard after all, even Matt had changed as well- besides the puberty hitting him late in life, Matt had a roughness to his face just as Liz. Even he too had it. A permanent untrusting expression. They’d been heading to the houses behind the gigantic building when they ‘ran’ into Liz. Then they sought refuge in this house as it was at the far back plot, behind most of the houses in a private lot. This was the only one that looked as if the creatures had not bothered to ramshackle. They both looked at him and then at eac
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 6- The New Creatures
Liz looked out the window into the darkness and back at her two companions. She knew the danger they were in, for they had the conversation last week. They agreed to; two would asleep while one kept watch. Then one that was awake would remain awake with the one that was asleep and so forth. [You do not need them. They will just hold you back] ‘Hold m back from what exactly. Kia?’ [Survival. Humans hinder each other.] Liz stared blindly ahead of her. Yes, that is a fact but nevertheless, human interaction is also important for survival. She would go crazy if she went on this way much longer- just killing and nobody to talk with. An A.I. would never understand that. They were built on facts not feelings. Sometimes facts can be untrue when dealing with emotions. ‘Switch off Kia.’ [Goodbye Elizabeth] The blue words flashed for two seconds then disappeared silently. They had to move as soon as possible for she had seen movement in the far distance earlier. She figured it wa
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 7- We Are A Family
Matt They were running out of supplies at the house they’d called home for almost a month and had decided to venture out with caution. Extreme caution. They would have gotten supplies and come back here but it seemed that the new creatures were searching and for what if not for humans? Besides if they got a supermarket or somewhere near a pharmacy would be good. Medical supplies were always something to be near to. The next place a few miles down, the rations had lasted a bit longer than they’d expected but it had been a fully stocked house- as if the people that lived there had just stocked up, but no bodies were found on the premises. Most of the canned goods were expired and could not be consumed and some though expired were still edible. A nutritionist's nightmare is what it is when it comes to food in zombie-land. “Perhaps they had died when they went to get pizza,” Matt had joked, earning him a slight frown from them both when they’d first inspected the perimeter of the
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System The One With Disgusting Liz
Matt “Down,” Randall orders in the same tone. Not needing any explanation, they both dropped to the floor stooping, too. That lowered tone would mean something was near- too near. Could either zombies or any one of the two new groups they discovered; the uniformed and the ununiformed were out and about. Too near, by Randall’s movements and lowered voice, Matt thought, glancing at Liz, waiting for Randall’s next words, still somewhat worried that the conversation between him and Liz just now was loud enough to be heard from outside let alone Randall. Matt is worried that he heard him playing matchmaker. The uniformed ones might be intel or humans …maybe aliens for all Matt knew. The others were a different kind of war-like humans that spoke their own invented language. It was sort of English words with sounds of letters mostly. It must be an adaptation of the English language and lack of words according to Liz and both men agreed with her. Which means when the zombie outbreak trans
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 9- The military?
Zombie. As in one single one. Randall cautiously made his way into the medium-sized grocery, rolling behind an aisle, listening. A quick scan indicated the others had left and the lone creature alone remained. He released a relieved breath and waited for the rotted-fleshed individual to move along as they sometimes did when unbothered and no humans were in sight. He would shoot it, but the sound would attract the ones that just left. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a long blade with him where he could easily slice its neck clean out but…ugh- the reek. The work they would have to put in to get rid of the stench. It’s better to let it wander off and he would kill it if he comes across it again, he swears to himself. Places were scarce now and he was grateful that they actually had food and shelter for the time being. This was a treasure find as almost all places were already looted. The live decomposing woman raised her nose in the air and sniffed, turning her head at different an
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 10- He goes against nature
Lieutenant Sharp “Sir!” the man saluted and turned away when Sharp nodded. “And where are they now?” the tall, handsome but intimidating man, questioned the boy that his junior ranked officer brought forward to him. Sharp blinked his eyes repeatedly but slowly for five seconds while he scanned the boy. The blue-lit words only for his visual, float in front of his eyes. The boy's heart rate was steady. He isn’t lying. His intelligence also showed that the boy’s temperature had not risen since picking him up. The boy reared back looking scared and Sharp heard his stomach grumbling- definitely human. No need to be tested, the man thought with a little humor. They were so feeble, no wonder Biomedical started to work on making them stronger. He twisted his mouth sideways just as he’d practiced, bringing his cheeks up higher than usual but not too much to scare the kid away. “Well, boy, speak up so you can go back to your food.” Sharp forgot the boy’s name because they had rescued so m
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 11- The Others
[Level 98] “Kia, pray tell me,” Liz begged the machine, “What is the purpose of so many levels if it leads to nothing?” And as usual, Liz received the same answer just as she had in the past couple of years. [No Entry. I have no access to your question. Please rephrase the question] Liz mouthed the last part because she was so accustomed to hearing it by now. She shook the others awake when she saw a group of fast-approaching people coming down the road, weeks later. She knew they were humans by the way they walked. The 'not warlike' bunch of survivors. Randall observed them sleepily and decided they were safe, although angry-looking. But the odds were probably against them by numbers- there were only three of them and more than a few on the opposing side- if it came to that. Calculating from experience, Randall knew the chances were very slim that the group would just be passing along, and onto fresher pastures. A greater chance of them, setting up camp in the buildings
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44- Failed escape
The failed escape attempt was a disaster, more chaotic than anyone could have anticipated. The night air was thick with tension as Liz and Marcus Sharp crouched low on the rooftop, watching the flickering lights of the compound below. Everything had been meticulously prepared, down to the smallest detail. Sharp and Liz had scoped out the rooftop earlier in the week, calculating the exact distance they’d need to climb down and drop to each platform to reach the ground undetected because they had no rope. Angela had been set to free the frail man from his containment cell, with Matt and Randall stationed as lookouts to warn them if anything went wrong. Everything had been set in motion—until it wasn’t.The plan had seemed foolproof on paper: Angela would slip into the containment area, bypassing the guards and freeing the frail man they suspected might be a vampire- with the aid of the nurses- Polly-Ann. Randall and Matt were to gather the remaining supplies and prepare the escape rout
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
43- Adrian Frost- the caged man
Inside the glass containment chamber, the man lay still beneath the weight of the silver bars that bound him. His body, usually pulsing with a cold, inhuman strength, was weakened by the silver. The memories of his capture flooded back, vivid and raw. He had been in the middle of a hunt, tracking a group of survivors who had crossed into his territory. They had been careless, leaving behind signs of their passage, and he had followed them with ease. But something had felt off that night. The air was thick with an unfamiliar scent, a blend of technology and something else, something dark and potent. But he did not know it was a trap- one laid out by BMA. He had ignored his instincts and continued, confident in his centuries of experience. But then they had come for him- armed soldiers, not the usual ragtag band of survivors but a well-coordinated team. They had moved with precision, their weapons loaded with silver bullets and other tools designed to subdue creatures like him. They
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
42-Chapter scoping places
The days leading up to the escape were fraught with tension, planning, and a constant undercurrent of fear. Angela, Liz, Sharp, Randall, and Matt knew that if they were going to pull off this escape, they had to find a safe place to lay low once they broke free from Camp BMA. The area surrounding the camp was vast and overgrown, filled with remnants of a world that had long since crumbled into decay. It was a world where nature had reclaimed its territory, where civilization's ruins were hidden beneath a blanket of green. Matt was glad Blake was on board. He felt as if- if she could accept what he was, they could probably have something. Who knows. Among them were two soldiers as well. Mei and Troy- the one that zapped Liz. Randall and Matt still wanted to murder him for it but they put it on pause for now, seeing as Liz had other more important things to worry about. Humans who were on board as well were, all from the group that they’d taken under their protection except Polo. Nob
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41- Genesis of Cloning
Almost a century ago In the cold, sterile corridors of Facility X, where the air hummed with the quiet whirr of machinery and the faint scent of antiseptic, the pursuit of immortality had long been a silent obsession. The capture of a vampire- an ancient being whose very existence defied the natural order- had catalysed an evolution in their research that no one had foreseen. Dr Addison Carter, the Head of Genetic Engineering, sat at the helm of this clandestine project. Her sharp blue eyes were fixed on the digital readout of DNA sequences on the screen before her. Each line of code represented the unravelling of millennia-old mysteries buried within the vampire’s genetic makeup. The creature’s cells, unlike any human’s, held the secret to rapid regeneration and a kind of cellular immortality that had eluded scientists for decades. Addison’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Dr Marcus Min Lee, the Chief Biochemist, whose mind was just as consumed by the potential of their
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
40- Coming To Terms
Matt and Randall sat in the dark corners of the bunker room, the air thick with silence and the weight of their newfound knowledge. The revelation that they were clones- replicas of people who had lived and died in another time-had shaken them both to their cores. They had always known that their lives were anything but ordinary, given the post-apocalyptic world they inhabited. But this? This was something neither of them had ever imagined. Randall leaned back against the cold, concrete wall, his brow furrowed in deep thought. The moonlight from the single window, cast long shadows across his face, making him look even more haunted than he felt. Matt, sitting across from him, was no better. His usually easy-going demeanour had been replaced by a quiet, troubled expression as he stared at the floor, lost in his own thoughts. To make things worse they couldn’t even talk freely because the room had others in it. "I feel fine, you know," Matt finally said, breaking the silence. His voi
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
39- Carrying out the Plan
The next few days were a whirlwind of covert activity. Liz, Marcus, and the rest of the group worked in silence, each of them fully aware of the gravity of their situation. Liz found herself spending more time with Randall and Matt, trying to gauge how they would react to the news she had yet to break to them. The air was thick with anticipation. She could see the tension in Randall’s shoulders, the way Matt’s foot tapped nervously against the floor. “There’s something we need to talk about,” Liz began, her voice steady despite the nervous flutter in her chest. Randall looked up, his brow furrowed. “This sounds serious. What’s going on, Liz?” Liz took a deep breath, glancing at Marcus, who gave her a small nod of encouragement. “We’ve been planning the escape for a while now, but there’s something you both need to know. The man we’re trying to free…there’s a chance he’s not human. Marcus thinks he might be a vampire.” The reaction was immediate. Randall’s eyes widened in shock, wh
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
38- The Truth About the Frail Man
Marcus Sharp paced back and forth in the brightly lit room, the rubber flooring silencing his boots. His thoughts were a whirlwind, and his normally sharp focus was clouded by suspicion and doubt. Liz watched him from the corner, her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall, waiting for him to speak. She could tell something was gnawing at him, unsettling his usually unflappable demeanour. The lieutenant had visited the frail man again some nights back and he had reacted the same way as before. “He despises me,” Marcus thinks. It was as if he could have sensed what he was and it repulsed him to know that Marcus was created from his DNA. “Marcus, what is it?” Liz finally asked, her voice cutting through the tension in the room. “You’ve been on edge since we started planning this escape. If there’s something you’re not telling me, now’s the time. Marcus stopped pacing and turned to face her, his expression grave. He took a deep breath before speaking. “Liz, there’s something you n
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
37- Matt and Randall Know
They spent days meticulously going over the plan, discussing every detail, every possible scenario. They would start hoarding supplies gradually- nothing too noticeable, just a few extra rations here and there, some medical supplies, and tools. Sabe would be in charge of disabling the security systems, and Angela would help with gathering information on guard rotations and routines. Liz would take on the most difficult task- telling Randall and Matt the truth. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it was necessary. They deserved to know that they, too, were clones. But unlike her and Marcus, they weren’t built the same way. They didn’t have the same capabilities, the same resilience. That knowledge could break them, or it could make them stronger. As the days turned into a week, the tension within the group grew. Liz could feel it in every conversation, every sideways glance. They were all on edge, waiting for the moment when they could finally put their plan into action. Randall and M
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
36- Planning
Liz leaned against the cool metal wall of the storage room, her fingers drumming lightly on a nearby crate. The flickering light above her cast long shadows, amplifying the tension that had been simmering for days. Marcus Sharp was crouched across from her, his eyes narrowing as he sketched a rough diagram of the compound's layout on a piece of paper. The trapped containment area was their target, the place where a man- a fellow clone, Liz suspected thought, had been confined for reasons still unclear. What could a clone have done to deserve such punishment? Marcus and the others told her that once they were no longer in use by the humans, they were discarded. So why was this guy locked away from all? Intriguing. Getting him out wouldn’t be easy, and the plan had to be airtight. They had been quietly monitoring the medical staff here, for weeks, and Liz could feel the weight of their decision bearing down on her. Marcus stated that their leader was a group of six made up of milit
