Nation 27

CH 30: The Annex Building

[Brien]

[The following day at 6.06 am --- 30 October 2021, Saturday…]

[5th floor of the facility]

The sounds of footsteps echoed loudly along the long, lonely hallway as the group walked solemnly towards a connecting bridge of the annex building. There were a total of four connecting bridges to the annex building, namely on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth floors. However, the bridge on the fifth floor was chosen because Brien wanted to get a high vantage point upon entry in order to access the situation.

‘It would have been better if the entry on the sixth floor wasn’t blocked by vending machines and chairs on the other side of the door. I must admit that it’s highly suspicious, but it was a good thing that the heavy, metal door had a glass panel just above the doorknob and allowed us to see what was blocking the door… It would have been a disaster if we unknowingly bulldozed our way through that threshold, causing the machines and chairs to collapse and resultingly attracting the attention of the zombies that lurk within the annex building.’

Not wanting to be distracted over the mystery with a more pressing matter at hand, Brien shook his head and sighed. He then stopped walking and turned to the group walking behind him.

“Okay, are we all clear on the plan?” Brien asked in almost a whisper. The hallway was so quiet that even their breathing could be heard every now and then.

Everyone nodded. It was as if everyone felt unnerved by the foreboding sense the annex building gave off. Based on what Jared and Louis had seen previously, the annex building was filled with zombies. There was nothing else to support their observation as the video footage of the entire property had been corrupted- be it by hand or simply the wears of time.

Thus, the only thing that somewhat supported the boys’ information was the constant moaning and groaning of the undead that could be heard coming from the annex building. So, in every sense of the situation, the group was about to blindly enter what may be a death trap.

‘Despite looking for Boyan, I wouldn’t have allowed Mike and David to come along if Louis hadn’t confirmed that it was safe and volunteered personally to join the search. He may be cunning, but he’s not reckless. I’m sure he either knows something or had some involvement in Boyan’s disappearance, and I’m going to get to the bottom of this. The fact that Louis is willing to enter the annex building should mean that entering should not be dangerous.’

Boyan glanced at Jared who was standing next to Clara and Adam.

‘Since Louis insisted that Jared would be of no help in the annex building and should stay behind with Clara, I should keep my guard up. Louis may be a boy shrouded in suspicion and mystery, but one thing I know for certain is that the boy has an unhealthy obsession towards Jared…’

“Alright. I’ll repeat the plan one more time so that everyone is clear. We need to search for Boyan and Samantha. If there’s no sign of them, we’ll need to retrieve whatever information or clues they may have left behind- in case they were in fact in the annex building at one point in time.”

Brien paused before continuing.

“Jared and Clara will be guarding this entrance in case any trouble arises while the rest of us,” he looked at Mike, David, Louis, and Adam, “will be entering the annex building. Watch each other’s backs, and let’s get in and out as soon as possible. Stay focused and remember, if you get bitten, that’s the end.”

There were soft murmurs of “yes”.

“Okay, one more thing before we enter the annex,” Brien said as Mike placed down a bucket he had been carrying, “I don’t know how long the scent will last once it’s on us, but this liquid we’ve extracted for a couple of decapitated zombies should allow us to search around the annex undetected… Just make sure that none of you make any sound or cut yourself.”

Brien then approached Adam and Louis.

“Leave the heavy lifting to Mike, David, and I. The two of you mustn’t engage in any fight with the zombies. Your first instinct is to run. Only fight if there’s no way of escaping. You boys may have some moves and tricks up your sleeves, but if you’re slowed down and surrounded by a hoard… Nothing can be done in that situation.”

Adam silently gulped while Louis expressionlessly nodded.

It was not long before the locks to the door of the bridge were unbolted and the few non-heavy barricades were removed.

“Let’s go,” Brien said determinedly.

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[Annex building]

Despite the lights on the bridge shining brightly, the rest of the building- for as far as the group could see- was dimly lit. Broken glass and debris littered the once-pristine white tiles, along with the evidence of the chaos and horror that had unfolded. Although the blood splatters had long dried up, it was still an unnerving sight to behold- especially when the stains were all over the floor, walls, and ceiling.

As the group ventured deeper into the annex building, the moaning from zombies grew louder. Even so, there was still no sign of the undead.

‘The zombies must be downstairs,’ Brien thought as he leaned close to the balustrade. True enough, there was a horde of zombies gathered at the very bottom floor.

‘So, I was right. The boy must have known that it was safe to enter… Either that or all the deaths and zombie plague have finally gotten to me…’

“Brien, should we go down or up a floor to continue the search?” David asked quietly as the group reached a flight of stairs.

“Upstairs. Since that’s the highest floor, we can later work our way down. Besides, if Boyan was ever trapped in this building, he’ll most likely be on the highest vantage point he deems safe.”

“That sounds like Boyan,” David agreed.

‘Yes, if he was stuck in this building, he could have a clue here before escaping,’ Brien thought as he ascended the stairs, ‘Maybe we’ll finally have some idea of his whereabouts-’

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Brien stopped dead in his tracks.

Adam sucked in a breath audibly.

It was a bloody scene. There were ripped-out guts and a trail of blood leading toward the balustrade. It was as if someone was slaughtered and then dragged over to the balustrade. But what shocked the group even more was that unlike what they had seen earlier, the blood stains looked fresher. The stains were still brownish but not as dark of shades as the ones downstairs.

“No…” Brien murmured.

“What is it?” Mike asked worriedly.

On the side of the wooden furniture, there was a rough carving of a flower with a bloody handprint on it.

“Buttercup,” Brien said sorrowfully.

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[Question time:]

What meaning do you think the flower buttercup carries? Judging by Brien’s reaction, Boyan is most likely dead but what about Samantha? Do you think Boyan was killed by a person or was it simply a zombie attack?

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