The Survival: Beginning With Pain

Chapter 5

The Infection Spreads

"So what are we gonna do about them, though?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We have to sneak past them, if one comes near use, we kill them. Soldiers are too strong to take head on" Quill replied.

"Okay, we better get going!"

The two ran to the right, jumping over the guardrail, into the woods. They ran towards the city through the woods, hoping not to be spotted so easily. They  jumped over roots sticking out of the ground, slip across the dirt, and hid behind the trees as they progressed. Quill and Rainbow both had their guns out, prepared for any firefight. Quill took quick breaths when he ran, Rainbow Dash just ran as she could. Quill's boots crunched the leaves upon ground with every step he took.

"They're just up ahead!" Quill reminded himself.

They ran to another guardrail on the street, they peeked their heads out and saw soldiers holding rifles, guarding men, women, and children.

"What are they doing?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

The soldiers pointed their rifles at the family, kneeling before them with their hands on their heads.

"Sir, we got a family, they're not infected" The soldier said into the radio in his hand.

"A-Are you sure?" He asked, "Okay sir, whatever you say" The soldier said.

The soldier snapped his fingers, and the other troops steadied their aim on the families' heads.

"Are they doing what I think they're doing!?" Rainbow Dash loudly whispered.

Rainbow Dash unzipped her backpack, and tool out a beer bottle, she went to throw it to lure the soldiers. But Quill took her arm down, and took the bottle out of her hand. Rainbow Dash turned her head to him and growled.

"Do you WANT them killed!?" She said.

"No, but we'll attract more attention than we can handle. There's nothing we can do, Dash." Quill replied.

A gunshot was sounded, the mother of the family fell down to the ground, blood spewed on the ground, her kids cried painfully. They called out their mother's name, crying so hard. Another gunshot came, the oldest child of the three that were there was shot in the head. He fell down, bleeding right next to his mother. Rainbow Dash got infuriated, but Quill covered her mouth so she would not yell. The second the child fell down with great impact when the third shot came. Some blood splattered onto the soldier who shot her. Rainbow Dash punched the guardrail so hard that she made her knuckles bleed.

"The sergeant said we need to kill all of them, I'm low on ammunition, I don't wanna waste a bullet on this last one."

"What are they gonna do?....." Quill whispered.

The soldier lowered his aim on the youngest child. He kicked the little one over, the little one screamed in pain. The soldier stomped on the kid's head with no holding back. The child's head cracked open, the brain was crushed beneath the soldier's foot. Blood leaked out, the skull crunched and cracked. And eyeball popped out and rolled across the ground. The soldier took his boot off of the child's flattened mess of a head. He laughed, saying how soft it was. His fellow guards laughed with him. Rainbow Dash let out a tear, when her face was overridden with rage. Quill had his hand on her shoulder, reminding her to stay calm, and keep quiet.

"Let's move. There was nothing we could have done" Quill held Rainbow Dash's shoulder to give her comfort.

"You...You're heartless...we could have saved them!"

"No, there was nothing we could have done. If we tried to save their lives, we'd be DEAD by now"

Quill and Rainbow Dash moved along the guardrail, sneaking silently. Soldiers patrolled the streets with military jeeps, and large quantities of armed men. Rainbow Dash kept her hand at her gun, Quill scouted around, in case there were any guards. Quill saw people walking around, strangely. His face grew in concern. Quill poked Rainbow Dash's back, she looked at Quill, then turned her head to where he was looking. She saw the people too.

"Are they high or something?"

"I'm not exactly sure... They don't look right..." Quill replied.

The people walked around, swinging their arms at nothing. They limped and dragged their feet, they didn't seem right. And all of the sudden, popping sounds were heard, and a majority of the people fell down to the ground, bleeding. Quill and Rainbow Dash gasped. The crowd of soldiers ran to the dead, blood-leaking bodies.

"Fucking infected... There's got to be more, GET THE PEOPLE INTO THE CAMPS!" yelled one soldier.

The soldiers ran down the streets, breaking into houses. People screamed when the soldiers pulled out people from the doors they charged into. Some were even shot, trying to protect their family. Quill watched in horror, Rainbow Dash and got more aggravated. Quill moved forward and pulled Rainbow Dash along with him, he kept his head low, behind the guardrail so that no one would see them. Soldiers moved the people down the streets, into military jeeps and buses.

"We better get to my uncle before they get to him..." Quill whispered.

Quill looked over the guardrail and saw that the soldiers were packing up and driving away, so he vaulted over the fence with Rainbow Dash, and ran across the street. Quill hid behind a van with the girl by his side, and peeked his head out, seeing that there were no soldiers, he took Rainbow Dash's hand and ran with her to another street, it looked quite abandoned and desolate. Rainbow Dash heard a ricochet of a bullet hit the concrete by her ankle, the both of them looked up and saw men standing on a building.

"Aw shit, the spotted us! Go, go, GO!" Quill ran down the dark street.

The sniper shot more rounds at the both of them, missing the shots. Quill sprinted past the windows and doors that stood beside him, Rainbow Dash vaulted over tipped trashcans. Rainbow Dash panted at a hasty rate, Quill took short breaths and bolted through the street. Military jeeps pulled up at both ends of the street, Quill gasped and looked for an escape.

"There's no way out! Drop your weapons and put your hands UP!" A soldier said through a loud microphone.

Quill didn't do as they demanded. Rainbow Dash then grabbed Quill by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into an open manhole. Quill grabbed a bar on the ladder to prevent himself from falling. He slid down and landed into water with Rainbow Dash.

"Keep moving!" Quill sprinted through the dark sewer water.

Quill and Rainbow Dash ran further and further. The armed troops dropped down the manhole, with flashlights attached to their rifles and handguns. The troops searched the opposite tunnel that Rainbow Dash and Quill were running through. Screams and gunshots we heard, Quill turned his head head around and aimed his gun down the hall, he only saw soldiers running through another hall, shooting at the unknown sources of the sounds. Quill kept Rainbow Dash back behind him, he walked down the tunnel to see what the commotion was about. Rainbow Dash kept her pistol out, looking at both her sides. Quill saw dead soldiers, and dead civilians.

"Holy shit..." Rainbow Dash whispered.

"The soldiers must've been fighting the people hiding in these tunnels. Looks like they're all dead..."

Rainbow Dash saw seven people at the end of the tunnel, they weren't soldiers. She poked Quill's shoulder, and faced the direction Rainbow Dash was looking. Quill saw the seven people.

"I wouldn't go near them. C'mon, let's just get out of this shit water" He said.

One of the people heard Quill and turned their heads towards him, so irregularly that Quill heard their spine crack and pop. Then the person's body turned towards them, and ran full speed at them. Rainbow Dash ran to the ladder at the manhole. Quill ran with her, the man grabbed Quill's foot and moved their head to bite him. But Quill got the iron sights of his revolver locked on the man's head, and pulled his trigger. And because it was at close range, a piece of his skull blew off, along with his body dropping to the floor, right before biting Quill's ankle. Quill climbed up the bars he held himself on, and pulled himself up to the streets.

"Looks like we just found out who killed those guys, let's get outta here while we got the time!" Rainbow Dash suggested

Quill nodded. They both heard the sound of screaming and yelling below in the sewers. Rainbow Dash got the manhole cover and put if back where it belonged, preventing anyone from coming out. But whoever was in the sewer started to lift the manhole grate, Rainbow Dash stomped on it will all her strength. Quill looked around and found a dumpster, he ran to it and pulled it, luckily it seemed to be empty. Quill pulled it with his strength over to the manhole. He placed it over top of the grate. The person inside the sewer tried their best to lift it up, but to no avail. Quill and Rainbow Dash had a sigh of relief. They turned around slowly and walked away, putting their pistols inside their holsters.

"That, I must say, my friend, was a close one!" Rainbow Dash said, "They're just like Zombies!"

"Yeah, no kidding. Those just might be the infected people. I had a strong feeling." Quill replied.

"I think you're right. Let's just get to Cincinnati, this is gonna be a long trip."

The two walked down the sidewalk together. Rainbow Dash grabbed Quill's hand, interlocking her fingers with his. Quill's cheeks turned red from his blushing, but he ignored it and grew a smile. Rainbow Dash looked at Quill, she was of course, attracted to him. Quill looked very, or somewhat, dominant with his flannel shirt on. Rainbow thought that he kinda looked like a Lumberjack. Quill seemed to be very manly, and he was always serious.

"Let's find some shelter, it's getting late." Quill said.

The day was quickly turning to nightfall, Quill turned his head around, and found a house that was once owned by a family that was taken to the camps the soldiers. Quill took Rainbow Dash's hand and walked into the house. The house was well organized! The lights were still one, it had clean carpets at the doorway. The windows had decorative curtains draping over them, Rainbow Dash walked into the living the living room and saw a flat screen television. There was a couch with red cushions, along a coffee table with glass top. Rainbow Dash plopped on the couch, laying down, putting her backpack on the table, along with her shotgun. Quill was in the kitchen, raiding the fridge. He had a smile on his face, seeing that there was homemade leftover fried chicken, with some cold bottles of beer on the fridge door. Quill took the chicken and some beer. He walked into the living room, while munching on some chicken. Rainbow Dash saw eat the delicious white meat that was in his hand.

"You got some of that to spare?" Rainbow Dash chuckled.

Quill tossed her a piece of chicken. Rainbow Dash took a big bite, and chewed on the meat. Quill sat on the recliner from across the couch. He took of his backpack, along with his guns, pulling the lever on the side of the chair, letting him kick up his feet. Quill feasted on the chicken, while cracking open a fresh beer. Rainbow Dash saw the beer and smiled as she observed the condensation drip down the bottle. Quill took a sip, then licked his lips. He gave the bottle to Rainbow Dash. She smiled and took a sip for herself, then giving it back to Quill.

"I think we're gonna crash here for the night. This place isn't bad!" Quill said.

"I know, right? I'm gonna turn something on." Rainbow Dash said as she reached for the remote.

Rainbow Dash grabbed the remote, and pressed the button to turn the Television on. She flipped through the ocean of channels, finding nothing that met her standards.

"Turn on the news" Quill suggested.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and sighed. But she did it anyway. The news turned on, and the reporter talked about the normal stuff you'd here on the eleven o' clock news. Until one point where a picture of a germ appeared on the right corner of the screen, above the newsman's head. He started to talk about a deadly virus outbreak.

"Rainbow Dash, turn this up, will you?" Quill asked.

Rainbow Dash turned up the volume, the newsman talked about, what scientists call, the "Changeling Virus," Quill's face grew intense, and focused.

"More people in the entire country seemed to be infected with the Changeling Virus," The Newsman said, "Scientists predict that over one thousand people will be infected by six o' clock a.m. tomorrow."

"Are you serious!? This isn't good..." Quill got on the edge of his seat.

"Yeah, no kidding! What if your Uncle's infected?" Rainbow asked.

"I highly doubt that, Dash. My Uncle knew this was coming, he told me that he was prepared."

"What about our friends? Our family? Are they infected?!" Rainbow Dash sat up on the couch.

"No, but there's not one doubt in my mind that they will be. Soarin's still alive though... I know it." Quill replied.

"B-But... my dad. Will he make it?"

"I'm not so sure, for his sake, I sure hope he makes it. He was like a father to me too"

"Mhm, I remember all those Christmases, I remember when he got you that bike you would shut up about!" Rainbow Dash smiled.

"Oh shut up. I know he got me that, at least he was somebody who cared for me!"

"You loved him as your dad. That's what matters, Quill, because you never had-" Rainbow Dash was cut off.

"Now DON'T. Don't bring it up," Quill grunted, "I don't want to talk about that."

"I'm just saying that you never had your real dad to gr-" Rainbow Dash was cut off again.

"DON'T EVEN DARE. Don't. Speak. About. My. Dad." Quill replied in bitter anger.

Rainbow Dash got up off the couch, and got up in Quill's face.

"You need to stop acting like a tough guy, Quill! I know you aren't this cold-hearted son of a bitch you've been lately!" Rainbow Dash explained, "You let a family get SLAUGHTERED today! What the FUCK do you make of that Quill?!"

"If we tried to save them, we would have had bullets in our heads! Do you get it!? MANKIND IS GOING BACK TO THE FOOD CHAIN! It's gonna be every man for themself!" Quill yelled.

"My god, Quill. When the fuck did you become like this? This ain't you. You're so fucking cruel."

"You ain't SEEN cruel!" Quill replied with a shout.

"Oh, I haven't?! You almost chop the head off of someone in school, you shoot a cop in the head without any mercy! And you let an innocent family die. Yeah, I think I've seen CRUEL!" Rainbow Dash screamed.

"That's just the tip of the fuck'n iceberg! There's no surviving if you can't learn to realize that you have to protect yourself by ANY MEANS NECESSARY"

"What the fuck!? You're fucking heartless, Quill!"

"I know! And I have to live with it!"

But in a split second, Rainbow Dash wrapped her arms around Quill, and assaulted his lips with her own. Quill's eyes widened, Rainbow Dash held Quill tightly, she wrapped one of her legs around him, Rainbow Dash blushed as she added in her tongue to the kiss, Quill closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her back, rubbing her. Rainbow Dash sighed seductively when she sucked Quill's lips. Rainbow Dash pulled away quickly, the both of them blushed, Rainbow looked down with her hands in her pocket. Quill looked away as if nothing happened.

"I-I'm gonna search the house supplies!" Rainbow Dash ran to the upstairs bedrooms.

Quill chuckled, he brushed his hair back with the both of his hands, then sighing. He walked towards the couch and laid down on it. Quill took a deep breath and relaxed himself. Smiling, he closed his eyes and dozed off.

"That was really awkward." Quill said to himself.

Quill had his eyes shut, he started to lay a snooze on the couch, with his hands behind his head, grinning to the proven FACT that he was, y'know, kissed by his best friend! Why the hell wouldn't he grin? Rainbow Dash sat upstairs, on a bed, looking at the posters all around her. So many posters of movies and games, the walls were painted blue, this the room of a teenage boy no doubt! Rainbow Dash then laid herself down, she grinned too. Kissing the boy of your dreams isn't something to take too lightly, am I right? The girl with the rainbow hair twiddled her thumbs.

"I'm so boooored!" She groaned.

Rainbow Dash sprung off of the bed and walked through the upstairs bedrooms. Just strolling around to kill some time. She swung her hair around, out of her face. When something caught her eye. It was a mirror, with makeup and all sorts of fun things at it. She walked to it and saw a scrunchie, Rainbow Dash picked it up, and a thought came to her mind. So she grabbed all her hair on the back of her head, twisting it, and putting it through the scrunchie. Making a ponytail. Rainbow Dash looked at herself through the mirror, and smiled at how cute she looked.

"Quill's gonna love this for sure, I know he won't resist me!" She said to herself.

Rainbow Dash pranced downstairs and saw that Quill was fast asleep. She gave an annoying frown, then sighed. So Rainbow Dash sat in the chair that her good friend once sat in. Putting one leg on top of the other, pondering questions filled the girls head. Where to now?

To Be Continued...