Snippet #2387212

"See for yourself." Chris said almost morosely. Claire looked quizzically to Chris as he took the tablet to read the alarming message, then back to the streets below, trying to make sense of what was happening. As Claire pressed her hands to the window and squinted to offset the glare of the sun in her eyes widened in even more confusion as she watched the scenes play out below. People, women, men, children - everyone, were running in scattered directions, the faint screaming from the streets managed to penetrate the window into Claire's lounge room, and that alone was enough to send shivers down her spine. Especially since Claire's apartment windows were designed to block most noise from the outside. "What the hell is going on?" she muttered as Chris broke her thought process to announce that he planned on seeking out this guy who sent the message.

Claire kept an eye on the streets as she silently contemplated her next move. "How do we know this isn't some sort of sick joke?" Then Claire nearly choked as she watched a building about two blocks away suddenly erupt with an explosion on what looked like SL+4. "Holy shit!" Claire said, now worry beginning to set in. Then Claire's attention was taken with the street right outside her apartment, fourteen levels down, "Oh my god."

Claire watched in macabre awe as she watched what looked like rabid people rounding the corner onto her street and tackling anyone that came within a suitable attacking distance. "They're eating each other!" Claire announced, still unable to look away from the horror below. Suddenly the alarm system to Claire's apartment building abruptly stopped mid replay and silence made the entire situation more tense. It was then Claire stopped watching the blood bath below and turned back to Chris, "Alright, alright... So we're going to-" Claire was stopped short when the apartment building's primary power shut off and suddenly back up emergency lights lit up a dull red in her apartment, or at least where the natural light wasn't shining in and Claire froze, panic beginning to set in. "This isn't good Chris..."

Claire looked back out to the street, the screaming and sound of scattered gunshots dully penetrating into her apartment were enough to convince Claire to not question the mysterious email she'd received. As Claire felt the last of her withdrawal kick out, she felt the familiar calming clarity take hold and it was only a matter of seconds before Claire had a plan hatched out. "I'm getting changed and then we can discuss what to do from there. You need to reply to that message, whoever sent that message out needs to know how many people's attention he's grabbed."

Claire moved effortlessly through her apartment and into her room and immediately dug out her most comfortable and free-moving suit. Putting her outfit on, she adjusted slightly then took a deep breath, tying her back into a ponytail and staring sternly into the floor length mirror on the front of her wardrobe. In all honesty, Claire wasn't even sure what she was seeing out the front of her building, but she felt the urgency from that email. Claire composed herself, planning out what she and Chris had to do.

Claire walked from her bedroom, quickly moving to a cupboard in her lounge room, opening the door and kneeling down to enter a combination on a safe she kept there. Unlocking the safe she pulled out the small device she'd managed to smuggle from he laboratory before she was stripped of her career and titles. Standing up, she clipped it to her belt and looked to Chris catching a hint of curiosity in his glance as she straightened up, "It's a little something I was working on before..." Claire trailed off, it was still a sore subject, "I managed to snag it before they kicked me out. It could come in handy.. It's a-" Claire was cut short again when the door to her apartment banged aggressively from the outside.

"What was that?" Claire asked with a cautious tone, lowering her voice instinctively. Another loud bang and Claire jumped back, falling onto her couch, another look of concern shot towards Chris. Another bang and this time Claire heard her door creak in agony, and a disgruntled cough and moan fill her hallway all the way down to her's and Chris's location. "Shit..." Claire stood back up and looked down to the street below, catching a glimpse of the street and how it had changed.

The rabid citizens seemed to have stopped attacking people, mostly due to the fact there were no more people alive to attack. All the nearby buildings were being swarmed by the attackers and then... "They're coming back to life!" Claire hissed as another bang and groan caused her to jump and then grab a nearby stool in a protective hold. "Look.. all the people they were attacking... they've left them on the street to come into the buildings... but now the people they've attacked... they're joining them..." Claire bit her lip as the door creaked again, this time a bolt could be heard hitting the tiles in the little foyer of her apartment. "Fuck Chris... We need to move fast. Where did he say to go in the message?" Claire listened to Chris's instructions and nodded once he'd relayed all the important information.

"Ok, we can take -" Suddenly Claire's front door slammed to the ground and it was almost too fast for her to process what had happened before she realised what was going on. Two infected launched themselves into her lounge room, one taking on Claire and the other seeming to go for Chris. Claire had only moments to glance over her attacker, but the Boost was in full swing and Claire's attention to detail was as strong as ever.

Her attacker was a younger woman, almost pretty to look at, were it not for a large portion of her neck missing. Other than that the woman seemed almost normal. She had very little blood on her actual body, save for the neck and the collar of her work shirt, Claire recognized her as the lobby receptionist for this apartment building. The woman gurgled violently and crashed over a nest of tables and towards Claire, knocking her stool out of her hands and pinning Claire to the floor.

Claire screamed in defiance as she was suddenly caught off guard, for the first time in a long time her intelligence wasn't what she needed to win this fight. "Stop it!" she feebly screamed as she held the woman at arms length while she thrashed about, her teeth clattering towards Claire's face. "Chris!" Claire yelled, but it was in vain as it seemed he was preoccupied himself. The woman leered back momentarily and Claire took the opportunity to bring a leg underneath her and roll herself up and backwards, kicking the receptionist over herself and into the window of the lounge room with a large thud. Claire scrambled on her knees away from the woman and picked her stool back up and as the woman scrambled to her feet.

Claire recoiled in disgust as the receptionist suddenly vomited what looked like a gallon of blood. "Oh Christ.." Claire choked as the woman fell to her knees, more blood pouring from her mouth, and now her nose. It was a few short moments and the rabid woman seemed to have regained, for lack of better words, composure. She got to her feet and lunged at Claire, who instinctively jolted forward, slamming the stool into the receptionist's chest, forcing her back to the window and a loud crack and a lightening break in the window splitting outwards.

The receptionist gurgled and Claire momentarily looked over to Chris who seemed to be slamming something over the head of hsi attacker. The moment of relief was too long and Claire once again found her body being slammed backwards. But her own sheer luck saw Claire keep her ground and for a second time Claire shoved her weight back on her attacker and the receptionist slammed back against the window, the crack worsening and the woman vomiting more blood, "What the hell are they!?" Claire yelled in panic as the woman lunged again and Claire shoved back harder. For the third time the receptionist hit the window, another crack forcing the lightening breaks to reach all four corners of the wall length window. Claire took the moment of the receptionists flurried state to rush forward and kick hard at her chest. The window gave way and suddenly a rush of cool sea air filled the apartment and the sound of shattering glass and the violent scream as the receptionist fell to the street below. It was a few seconds later Claire heard Chris yell and silence filled the apartment as the two regained from the sudden attack.

It was only after Claire felt herself regaining composure that she realised the horrible screams echoing from around her building and the horror down on the streets below was fully realised. "This is.. unbelievable..." As Claire stood up, she looked back to Chris, "did you send a reply?" A scream from down the communal hallway alerted Claire to their inability to waste precious time, "We have to go..." Claire said urgently as she positioned herself behind Chris, "I'll follow you and make sure we're safe from behind.. If we can't use the easy transport systems we're looking at walking it to the other side of the Ark.."