Surviving the Apocalypse

Starting over, Again

Hanna was glad she had a near perfect memory, meaning she didn’t have to cram for these exams yet again, her scores still in the high 90s relying on the memory that had served her well during the apocalypse. It also helped her system also kept track of how many times exactly she had reset, and could compare the current events to last ones. She didn’t realize just how intuitive it was until the reset, her funds having to be utilized differently because her trust wasn’t fully under her control until she finished her coursework in 4 months time. What she could do however, was start her own companies and transfer funds between them as investments, so long as they showed that they were working to become profitable within 5 years. She smiled as she created 3 of them, one for the mine which she transferred ¥250 million to, the warehouse where she would order most of the supplies through as a wholesale distributor, and a security company that would allow her to purchase large amounts of weapons without much scrutiny that would be based at the depot where the military had the people gather for evacuation.

The best part about this was, she could easily run them from here while she amassed what she needed without much effort on her part as she began ordering supplies and equipment that she needed. Just like last time, Peter was the first call she made , this time from the number she had registered with the Mining operation she was making.

“Stone residence.” Pamela said answering the phone.

“Pamela Stone, my name is Hanna Storm. I need you to listen to what I am about to say, and consider the implications of it. Starfire, corner of Landry and Hope.” She said nervously.

“I would ask where you heard that from, but there is only one place. What do you need?” Pamela asked her.

“Tell Peter Porterhouse at Rodderdam, never with potato salad.” Hanna said and listened to her tell Peter exactly what she said before she heard him gasp. Both were the secret codes for their daughter who had been killed at 12 by a drunk driver. Words they had never told anyone.

“You have our attention, what do you need?” Peter asked after having his wife put it on speaker so they could both hear.

“I need you to go to work for me, no questions asked about how sure I am about what I am going to tell you. You each assured me that would be the case if you heard those exact words.” Hanna said evenly.

“I still expect compensation.” Peter said making Hanna laugh.

“You shall have it. First order of business is reopening the mine and securing the cave in properly so you can retrieve your loved ones. Tell your cadre that there is plenty of work to go around. Pamela, I will email you a file that will explain what I need you and James to do while Peter prepares the mine for the next phase. It will also tell you how to access the secure server I will be creating for further details and files.” Hanna told them.

“I have a job already, I can’t just abandon it.” Pamela said crossly.

“You are a school nurse with 27 years of experience, entitled to your pension in full as of three months ago. I know at the moment you are going on faith that I mean you no harm. As such, I will pay you and your husband ¥75 credits an hour until the apocalypse. After that, shelter, food, safety and a reasonable salary to continue with the work. In fact, I will include the list of people that is critical to the operation we will build, as well as the keys like yours that will ensure at least cooperation until I can fully explain. I can be there in 6 weeks, at which time I will show you that what is about to happen, isn’t make believe and that what we do now will be worth the effort and risk.” Hanna replied making her gasp as she knew far more than she had let on.

“You said apocalypse. How bad will it be?” Peter asked.

“Code Black.” She said using the mining response for worst catastrophe imaginable. Much like the one that had buried 63 people in the cave in that s**t the mine down and set it for liquidation in order to recoup what money could be for the families.

“6 weeks, if you don’t have good enough answers at that time, we walk. Period.” Peter said before he hung up the phone.

For three weeks Hanna was satisfied with the way things were progressing, especially as she had actually had them recruiting people that had experience in the jobs they were performing. Her foresight to have them give her a piece of information that would make them trust her worked wonders, especially as most of them were secrets that they had told her, the key words to those secrets more than enough to know it came from them. While she was working on things she wasn’t taking classes for, General Montgomery approached her when in the library, surprised to see the book she was reading and learning.

“Cadet Storm, may I join you?” she asked formally with her hand still in a cast. Hanna indicated the chair, which was more than she could hope for at this point. “I wish to convey to you my sincerest apologies. I had no idea how much that loss must have meant to you, and acted with callous disregard to your emotional state at the time. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn and improve myself, as I have now seen what happened to the previous Combat Instructors and what you did.”

Hanna smiled at that as she looked at the General. “You are thanking the wrong person, General Mars saved your career, not me. How is the wrist?” she asked as Hellen Montgomery looked at it.

“They will be taking X-rays today to determine next steps. The doctor tells me where there is still pain, in likely means surgery and only a 60 percent chance of recovery.” She replied as though she had accepted that fact already.

“May I?” Hanna asked as she pulled out a marker that was bright pink.

Hellen Montgomery sighed as she handed the casted wrist to Hanna who began drawing on it. She watched as a cooling sensation entered her wrist and filled the pain while she watched Hanna sign her cast elaborately.

“This might hurt a bit.” Hanna said just before Hellen felt a pop that hurt ten times worse than anything she had felt this far. Within seconds though it was easing far past what she had been feeling for days before it disappeared entirely by the time Hanna finished signing the cast. “Just remember that just because we are Cadets, doesn’t make us robots. Grief is a weird thing, that people process differently. I know your lesson was supposed to be that loss of life is something we must deal with on the battlefield. That is why it is a bad idea to become more than friends with those you may one day order to their deaths. Family however is different, as those ARE close relationships. Ones that aren’t easily swept away and compartmentalized into the category of they knew the risks and accepted them.” Hanna said as Hellen nodded. “I have already learned that lesson well, and can carry on when I am forced to do that very thing. My father however was very different, and the only reason you didn’t become number 5 during my time here is because of General Mars. If you want to thank someone for the opportunity you have been given, thank him. Keep the cast as a reminder of the lesson. As for surgery, you won’t need it anymore.”

Hellen looked at her wrist again, and somehow knew that the lack of pain despite not having anything more done than Hanna signing the cast, was dead on with what Hanna had just told her. “Do I want to know how you know that?”

Hanna smiled as she looked at the General. “One day you may figure that out, but it won’t be today.”

Montgomery looked at her with a little surprise. “You did something while you signed this, didn’t you?”

“Trust is an amazing thing General, you have taken the first step to gaining my trust and respect. It took bigger balls to come here to apologize and thank me than it did to say what you did. I imagine it also took swallowing a major dose of pride as well, things that should come with rewards instead of consequences.” Hanna said evasively.

“That isn’t an answer.” Hellen said looking at Hanna.

Hanna smiled. “I am not sure what you believe I am capable of doing through a solid cast. As far as a direct answer to that question, trust and respect are the currency with which we operate as soldiers in this Army. You lost my respect your rank entitles you to when you said what you did without knowing my entire story. You failed to trust I knew the difference between personal loss, and the loss of a soldier on the battlefield. You took the first steps to gaining my trust today because of your actions. You regained some of the respect you lost by admitting you made a mistake. I however do not trust you enough, nor do I respect you enough yet to directly answer that question. So for now, I won’t answer it. If the situation between us changes to the point I am willing to , you will learn then.” She said firmly as Hellen stood.

She nodded as she remembered what Hanna said. “Perhaps I can ask a favor than, and we can work on that more. I am supposed to start hand to hand demonstrations today, but am constrained to what I am able to do. Would you be willing to assist me for evening Combat training?”

“I will meet you there, you still have a few weeks of healing to do before that cast comes off permanently.”

Exactly 6 weeks after she began the work on what would become her Camp, she arrived on Spring break for an entire week. Her first stop however was the house that she couldn’t sell until graduation, the tree and directions leading her to a spot she remembered burying a treasure chest with her mom before she had passed away. She smiled thinking her dad hadn’t known about it, not the least surprised to learn he knew exactly where it was, as she dug down and found both boxes. The treasure her .other left for her, as well as what her father left for her. With both boxes, she went to the mine where 287 people were waiting to actually meet her. All of them surprised to learn she was just 22 years old.

“Good morning everyone, I know each of you has questions of me, especially where I could learn something so personal about each of you despite never having met me before today. What I will tell you, is that each and every one of you shared that information with me, for the sole purpose of guiding you here and trusting me enough to listen to what I have to say. It isn’t an easy pill to swallow, and no amount of sugar coating will make it less bitter. All I can promise, is that if you give me the chance, you will not regret it when what I am about to tell you comes to pass.

“As many of you have likely figured out, this is like no other company operation you have ever been part of. That is because this is being designed for one very specific purpose, and making money has nothing to do with it. The entire purpose of this, is to build a Camp where we and others like us will be able to survive the apocalypse. We have just 17 weeks and 3 days left until the living dead walk among us, with only one goal. To consume living Human Flesh. All hope is not lost, but society as we know it will fall once again. My objective, to recruit those we need before it happens so we can save those who are willing to help us help them. Alone, we will fall before the swarm. Together, we have a chance to ensure Humanity survives and is able to defeat the zombies that will fill our cities and kill anyone who stands before them.” Hanna said as Peter and James carried a man out of the mine who was badly injured.

“Call the paramedics!” Peter shouted as Hanna had them set the stretcher down.

“Is anyone else injured?” she asked as she carefully lay her hands on the wound and her hands began glowing.

“No, what are we waiting for?” Peter demanded as he pulled out his cell.

“Wait, there is no need for paramedics to rush him to the hospital.” She said as she used her healing ability to stitch the artery, muscles and tissue back together far better than even a surgeon would have been able to handle. When she removed the blood soaked gauze from the wound, they noticed it was gone. “How do you feel?” she asked him as he sat up.

“Like someone ripped rebar out of my leg and an angel healed it before my very eyes.” He said as everyone looked at her.

“How did you do that?” Peter asked her amazed.

“As I was saying, the world as we know it now is about to face some changes that will forever alter the very fabric by which we live. Despite the nightmare facing zombies presents, Humanity will develop weapons and abilities with which we can fight back. Everyone here today is here now because you each took the risk you would trust me to make you safe before you have to witness the horrors we will face in 122 days. That is how long we have to prepare for what is to come, that is how long we have to enjoy the world as we know it. Because in 123 days, the outbreak hits. Within 24 hours of that happening, the apocalypse will arrive in full force. Those caught unprepared will most likely be swept away, waiting for those like us that will give them a little hope.” Hanna told them all. “That is what we are building here, hope that we will survive for the future of humanity.”