“So, what do you guys think?” I asked my Braylers as I leaned back in my chair.
“It's worth a try.” Nick’s square lit up as he spoke.
“But why do we need to expand?” one of my Braylers asked.
“Well, Bella, think of it this way. Did I fulfill your dreams when I hired you?” I asked, studying her box.
“In a way, yes.” she responded. She tilted her head to one side, her poofy black hair bobbing up and down in the process.
“Well that’s what we would be doing, fulfilling peoples’ dreams. Second, it gives us a chance to keep our spot as the number one newsite since we would have more people to find and post about the news.” I interlaced my hands behind my head as I asked, “Does that help?”
“Yes ma’am, it does.” Bella added, “I mean Lyn. And I know a few people we could ask.”
My other Braylers murmured assent and logged off. Nick remained, his square taking up my whole screen. I glanced at the clock and yawned, 2:35 AM.
“Lyn. Have you thought about what everyone is telling you to do?” Nick asked wearily.
“You mean the part where I should step away from Titania’s campaign?” I sighed.
“Yes.”
“Why should I step away? She’s paying us till the governor gets announced.”
“Lyn, what she is paying you barely adds to your fortune. You’ve even recently become the richest family in the world. And do you really want to stay with her campaign when it's almost done anyways?
“Would you want to be around people who don’t know how to comfort you after losing something like she did? She lost two of her siblings Nick. and she lost her entire ranch, her sheep, her mom. No one really knows how to comfort her. And I think, knowing someone is for sure staying by her not for the money, but out of loyalty would help her most right now. Can you honestly say you wouldn’t do the same thing I am?”
“Lyn, with the dangers she has faced when you were around, and who you are. I think I can.” Nick sighed.
“Asshole,” I muttered. “Well nothings gonna make me change my mind. Caeden and Tia can go home anytime they want, but I’m staying with the campaign.”
“Fine. get yourself killed then. Cause I bet you will.” With that, he signed off.
“I won’t though.” I murmured. Oreo meowed assent as she nudged my computer till it shut. I chuckled and picked her up before she could sit on it. I set her in her bed and climbed into my own. Oreo got up immediately and jumped up on my bed. She lay down in front of my chest, her soft black and white fur brushing against my chest as she breathed in and out.
I woke up to my phone buzzing, on the floor. I sighed as I picked it up to see my mom calling.
“Yes?” I asked as I gulped down a glass of water that sat on my desk.
“Come home right now.” My mom said sternly.
“Hmmm. how about…no.” I replied.
“It's not a yes or no question. It's an order.” My mom said.
“I know.”
“Then why did you say no?”
“Because I'm not gonna come home.”
“We’ve already talked to your brother. He said he’ll come home. Tia’s gonna go to her home as well.”
“Uh huh. I don’t think they’d leave without talking to me, which they’ve agreed if one of us doesn’t agree to leaving then we all stay.”
“Why are you so smart Lyn.?”
“Just who I am.”
“But please come home. I don’t want to lose either of you.”
“You won’t.”
“I hope you’re right Lyn.”
With that, she hung up.
“Well then. She sure was insistent. Right Oreo?” I turned around, but I couldn’t see her anywhere. Which is weird because she normally stays near me. That's when I realized I had gone into the hall and closed the door before she could get out. I heard a scratching sound at my door while I placed my hand on the testing panel beside the door. When the door opened, Oreo immediately darted out and climbed onto my shoulder, with my gun in her mouth. I furrowed my brows as I took it from her, holding it ready as I peered into my room.
“What the heck?!!” I whispered in surprise.
I fired at the zombies milling about my room, and swore as I missed, only drawing the attention of the undead. I slammed my door shut and began furiously tapping the screen beside my door. With lightning speed, the light above my door turned red as I filed the report of undead somehow getting into my room. I stepped away from the door as the undead began to bang on it, trying to break through the thick metal.
I tapped my ear cuff and said, “Call Caeden. Dial until he picks up.”
A few minutes passed before Caeden finally picked up.
“What?” He asked, his voice heavy with sleep.
“Long story or short story?” I anxiously glanced at my door.
“Short story. I want to get back to sleep.” Caeden yawned.
“Ok. Mom called. I went into the hallway. Opened the door again to go back in, and Oreo darted out with my gun in her mouth. I peered in my room and saw zombies.” I said.
“Zombies?” Caeden asked in a disbelieving manner.
“Yeah. No clue how they got in. oh wait. Hold on.” I pulled out my phone and took a small drone hidden in Oreo’s collar and slid it under the door after turning it on. I carefully instructed it to go higher then towards my window. My suspicions were proved correct when I saw the window smashed to pieces. I quickly made my drone fly out the window towards Caeden’s room a little way down and had it set its speaker to max before speaking into it. “Hello?”
Caeden’s face appeared in the window and he opened it. “Lyn?”
“You see the drone? The tiny one?” I said as I made the drone bump into Caeden's forehead.
“Oww. yeah, now I do.” Caeden grunted.
“Get your phone. I’m sending a link to you right now.” I ordered.
“OK, got it.” Caeden said after a moment and I glanced at my door again.
“That's for the drone. You can see what it sees.” I informed him before directing the drone back to my room. It flew in the broken window and soared around my room for a few seconds before I powered it off. It had been in a biohazard zone. It would have to be decontaminated before I could even touch it.
“Lyn…” Caeden trailed off as I heard his door open and he rushed towards me just as the door to mine blew off its hinges, landing on me as I tried to raise my gun before it could. The wind was knocked out of me while I hurried to try to shove the door off of me. Luck wasn’t with me and it wouldn’t budge. But zombies were bearing down on me despite Caeden’s efforts to shoot them before they could get close. I felt pain as I reached for my gun, which had fallen from my hands during the fall. I looked at my wrist and my eyes widened with shock at what I saw. But I grabbed my gun and quickly fired two shots into the zombie’s head. I trusted Caeden to handle the rest of the zombies as I examined the bite the zombie had given me.