Alive and Fighting: New in Town (3 page)

             
"That's why I called for your stuff to be brought up, I'd prefer to keep you out of the infirmary again on your first day." Johnny chuckled as he opened the doors of The Thorn.

             
The bottom floor of the Thorn was remarkably empty. The floor was littered with small holes where in a bygone time, small poles and chains would have been screwed in to allow a long line to form. In the back of the room was a circular desk against the wall where a young woman sat. She wore, like almost every Harvester, a white hoodie. Her hood, unlike Johnny's was worn down, letting her jet black hair frame her face.

             
"Emma, could I get room seven-twelve's key? This, by the way is Amy. She'll be the one living in that room." Johnny explained, approaching the desk.

             
"Sure Jonathan…so, I guess you decided not to follow up on our date?" Emma plainly asked, while retrieving the key from a locked case behind the desk.

             
"Kinda workin' right now Emma, can we talk about this later?" Johnny quickly requested, taking his sunglasses off momentarily.

             
"Fine." Emma agreed, tossing the key over Johnny directly into Amy's hands.

             
"Thanks…Uh, Amy, the elevator's right around the corner." Johnny said, putting his glasses on before turning back to Amy.

             
Johnny silently took Amy to the elevator and pressed the faded number seven. Slowly, the elevator rose up the Thorn until coasting to a stop and sliding its doors open. Amy's new room stood not ten feet from the elevator, which Johnny quickly disembarked after waving Amy ahead. The room was larger than any Amy had been able to call her own. Comprising the entire back wall of the room was a giant glass window, looking out over the Harvester compound and the city beyond. Branching from the main room to the right was a bathroom and to the left was what must have been a closet.

             
"Wow…" was all Amy could say, looking over the city. "How, or really why are there rooms like this here?"

             
"This whole place used to be some kind of haunted amusement park. The Warehouse was a labyrinth, from what I hear they shut it down just before the Infection when some kid got lost in the building and almost died when he got trapped behind a rotating panel. The storage basements were made up to look like a graveyard, kind of the same sort of attraction as the warehouse was, but with a more open feel to it. They called it the Necropolis. This tower, shame it never opened publicly, each floor was themed differently. This one was like a haunted hotel or something. Stay off the third floor, it was set up as a butcher's shop or something, and we just fuckin' can
not
get the smell out." Johnny explained, smiling at the window.

             
"I'll keep that in mind." Amy laughed, stepping down towards the window to the platform where the bed rested, looking out the window.

             
"Spike'll have some people up with your things soon…Amy, you're gonna do great things here, we're proud to have you…Seeker." Johnny said, turning to leave the room, adding the promotion just as the door was about to snap shut.

             
Amy sat down on her new bed and stared through the massive window over the complex, over the streets, over the city of Blood Oak. She watched as zombies shambled across roads towards alleys, as Harvesters moved around the ground below her, as Graveyarders pulled salvage from the ruined skyscrapers. Throughout the city, Vultures were studying the zombies and distilling them into powerful narcotics, Great Apes dashed across rooftops listening and eavesdropping on everyone's deepest secrets, Reapers kicked in doors and plundered homes, The Klan spread fear to the ends of the city limits, and everyone else simply tried to make it day by day. The world was a dark place, for many a number of reasons, but currently because the sun was just setting behind Blood Oak.

Also available in the Alive and Fighting Series

Alive and Fighting: New in Town

Alive and Fighting: Every Sin a Saint

Alive and Fighting: Lost and Found

Alive and Fighting: Revelations

Alive and Fighting: Heroes in Blood Oak

Alive and Fighting: Addictions
Alive and Fighting: Carrion
Alive and Fighting: Broken, Part 1

Alive and Fighting: Roads Walked

&

Alive and Fighting: Parting Gifts (Coming November 2013)