Top, please don't die!

Tamar~

I look at Danie, slumped over on the ground. "I don't think she's in any shape to be zombie fighting, or even walking, today," I announce.

Arista crosses her arms. "We don't have time to wait around. We need to find out how to stop this."

Addie tilts her head to one side, thinking. "We could take her back to the warehouse while everyone else explores," she suggests.

I frown. "And we're just going to leave an unconscious girl alone in an abandoned warehouse where it entirely possible that she will wake up and hallucinate and also it is entirely possible and probable that the zombies will attack? Someone has to go with her."

No one speaks for a moment. "I'll go," announces Luci. "My dagger's the best for killing zombies, and I know this town."

Addie nods.

"Okay," I tell Luci. I help her lift Danie onto her bike and put her backpack in the front basket. I hand Luci the orange bottle of pills. "If she does... that... again, crush one and drop it into her mouth. But if you give her too many, her senses will be numbed, so go easy on them."

Luci nods and tucks the orange bottle into her own bag. She wheels the bike, with Danie slumped over the handlebars, towards the old warehouse. 

Tamar~

With Luci and Danie heading back to our warehouse base, it's just me, Arista, Zain, and Addie left. I turn towards the apartment building. "So... we were going to explore this place?"

Addie nods and flicks on the flashlight that I gave her. She adjusts her backpack straps and climbs over the broken, jagged edge of the window and into the apartment. 

Zain and Arista both have their guns in their hands, cocked and ready to shoot. Addie sweeps the light of the flashlight from side to side as we walk through a hallway. It's really creepy -- the doors on both sides of us, with tarnished silver numbers, stand just a little ajar, as though something is about to walk through. Addie's leading, Zain is after her with me behind Zain, and Arista is bringing up the rear. I can see Zain's fingers tighten on the handle of her revolver -- she doesn't like this either.

Addie leads us down the hall with no incidents. Then, she turns to the right and slowly pushes open the door marked, "Office and Storage."

~Luci~

Pushing the bike down the road back towards our base, I think I hear a shuffling behind me. My muscles tense and I turn, but no one's there. I want to speed up, but the bike with Danie a dead weight on it and the heavy backpack slows me down. The back of my neck prickles and I tense up with every sound. I'm an idiot, I think. I shouldn't have volunteered, not because I'm a coward, but because I'm sensible. I'm stuck going slow as a snail in the wide-open road all alone except a girl who probably thinks I'm an evil teddy bear and zombies could be anywhere. There's a fine line between brave and foolish, and I'm definitely on the foolish side right now.

I stop berating myself when I hear a substantial noise, not those wispy kind of breaths of air I thought were shufflings or grunts. A low guttural groaning noise and shuffling, a sickening crunch and then two pairs of feet shuffling. I put the backpack on and use a bit of string to tie one of Danie's hands to the basket. I jump on and start pedaling, fast.

The bike wobbles percouciously as I zoom to the base. I hurry into the abandoned warehouse, barring the main doors and dragging the bike up to the walkway under the windows where the shelter is. Danie falls off once, but I put her back on and start dragging her up. Then, suddenly, she wakes up. I wait, wondering if she'll hallucinate or not. 

Sorry I haven't posted in so long!! By the way, where am I at this point? I'll just say I'm in the building with Arista, Zain, Addie, and Tamar.

~Bluebird~

Addie, in the lead, pushes open the door marked Offices and Storage. We're all waiting with bated breath, Arista looking backwards for pursuing zombies. Suddenly, an arm yanks Addie into the room, a letter opener at her throat! The arm is only there for a moment before the door slams shut, but I can tell its owner is human. Not a zombie. Zain and Arista have their guns trained on the door before I can blink, but they don't dare shoot, not while Addie could be behind it. We wait, on red alert, for about thirty seconds.

Then the door swings open again, and we see who's in there: three gaunt, disheveled-looking office workers. Two men and a woman, all holding improvised weapons. The man in front has a pocketknife, with its largest blade out. The other man has a large, heavy book; the woman is holding the letter opener. Behind them, I catch a glimpse of Addie, wrists bound with Scotch tape. As we look at each other for a long moment, I realize Addie must have put up a fight. The woman's jacket is torn, and there's a bruise forming on her cheek. 

Then, hesitantly, the man in front says, "We won't hurt her-" he indicates Addie- "if you don't hurt us." Arista and Zain look at each other, then tentatively lower their guns. All three of the office workers visibly relax. "Truce?" Zain asks. The man in front, who appears to be the leader, nods and replies, "Truce." All three step aside to let us pass. The leader hands his pocketknife to the other man, who begins cutting Addie's bonds.

Tamar~

Arista looks distrustful -- or I guess she always looks like that. She's lowered her gun but not fastened the safety.  

Bluebird helps Addie up from the office chair she was tied down in. They retreat to the door, covered by Zain and Arista. I flick open my Swiss Army knife and keep one hand on the doorknob. 

"Arista..." I bite my lip. Finding out more about the Sunshiners will help us, especially Bluebird. I guess we have to risk this confrontation. 

"Why are you here?" Arista demands. "The building is abandoned."

The woman speaks up. "This is our Comm center."

Arista swivels her gun to the woman. "Who were you communicating with? Are they in Torren?" 

I sit down, leaning the bike againest the shelter. "Why don't you explain now? We've got plenty of time before the others come back."

Okay, sorry for the absence. I've read and caught myself up, but I'm still a little lost. I know it was explained at some point, but remind me who all these organizations are, and how they're connected? I know the Sunshiners are a terrorist group, but aside from that... Also, was there any exact direction this interrogation is going? I really have no clue what to say.