POV: Sean

My brain pounded against my head. I groaned, as I looked around. In a red train car, with different colored windows. I was lying on the floor, while there was quiet chatter around me. Ben and Dream were talking. I shot up, and hit my head on the shelf. I cursed, and wrapped my fingers through my hair.

"Holy shit, Sean, are you okay?" Dream looked over to me, and scooted as fast as she could. Good to see her leg is healing up, I guess.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, where the hell are we?" I asked, rubbing my hands over my course bandages that were covering my eye, and part of my head. They wrapped up my head up better than anyone had before.

"We're in a train car, Sean." Ben said. I shuddered. I looked to him. He looked rough and tumble. He no longer looked like the mistake I once knew him to be. He looked like he had finally experienced true loss. 

"T-Thank you Ben," I said, Dream helping me sit up. "How is your leg?"

"I can walk on it without supports now. I carried you halfway to your base," She smiled, filled with guilty joy. 

"Why aren't we there?" The question with so little meaning, seemed to ask them if I was asking them to commit their final wish. 

"What happened to base?" I demanded this time. They both straightened up, and looked at each other. The time they have spent together must have grated them telepathy, because they were able to communicate without talking. They nodded, then looked to me. 

"Sean, there is no more base. It was over run while we were gone. I'm sorry," Ben said, looking down. His eyes filled with tears, as Dream rubbed his back. My eyes grew wide in disbelief. There is no way that camp is gone. It was filled with the highest grade defenses that you could possibly get! How the hell did this happen?!

"W-What?"

"We believe that the attack, happened from inside the base," Dream said, looking back to Ben. He didn't look up from his untied shoes, but nodded. 

"What do you mean? What could have been ins-" My own ignorance slapped me in the face, as I realized how this is possible. I looked to space, as if it would grant me an answer. I buried my head in my hands, and gripped the base of my greying hair, seeing if I did one sharp pull, I would be able to get it all out. 

"Oh my God," I cried. No tears fell down my cheeks, but they burned in my stomach. I felt like I was going to throw up. "I can't be responsible for this again," 

Dream and Ben looked to each other, as if they were afraid to ask a question they were all thinking. 

"What do you mean, again?" Ben was angry. He knew something was up. He's lived in base for over a year, of course he would know when something is up. 

"Nothing." I honestly thought I was going to cry. For the first time in five or so years. 

"Sean, you said again. What does again mean?" Dream said quietly. My stomach froze. My eyes were clear, and I knew what a grave mistake I had made. I said again. I can't go back here. I can't do this again. 

POV: Sean McLoughlin. - Luella Center for National diseases research - Seymour's Bay - Ocean Ave - New Jersey - May 30th, 2015

"My God, McLoughlin, you've done it. You have done it old friend!" My co-worker, Lewis Beurnson, shouted, grabbing me by the shoulders, as the viridian colored liquid sloshed around the erlenmeyer flask. He was right. I had done it. The Kenelm 425 team and I, have been working on the "cure for Human Immunodeficiency Virus" for nearly six years. As I got out of college, I was brought here to be the lead scientist in this case. I had no idea what we were doing was wrong. They were so believable. They had me thinking that I was going to save the world. 

"Alright Sean, we have people here to test! Volunteers! Induce the formula!" Beurnson said. My hands shook, as I held the needle in my hands. The volunteer looked a little lethargic. I just though it was a symptom of HIV.

"Um, hello Mam. My name, is- is Doctor Sean McLoughlin, and I will be administering the Kenelm 425 vaccine, to hopefully, cure your Human Immunodeficiency Virus, better known as HIV - Aids." I spoke like I hadn't rehearsed, but the two hours yesterday night were there to prove me wrong. They moved their head to the side, as letting me get ready to inject the serum, and I did. 

As soon as the serum was in their blood stream, I could see them physically perk up. They sat up in their chair, and looked at me. Their brown eyes twitching, and vibrated. I stepped back, and noted the results.

The patient grew excessively angry, as they stood up, and started growling, and moaning. I thought it may be better if I get myself, and co-workers out of here. 

"No, wait, it is almost complete," Beurnson said, holding my shoulders, making me watch my own creation. I pushed against him, but I also couldn't bring myself to look away. 

Their body mangled, and contorted in a furious way. They were in an immense amount of pain before they fell to the ground, and breathed in, in a new way that I wish I would have never seen. 

They stood up, their skin greyed, and eyes beaming yellow. Mouth hanging open, and black drool and blood escaping their orifices.  

"OH MY GOD WHAT THE FU-" My disgusted screams were halted by my coworkers hands clamping over my mouth. 

"Shh, just wait," Beurnson was devious. He pulled a revolver from his coat, and shot our other co-worker, Victoria Pajama, and she fell dead to the ground, as her blood splattered on our skin, and clothes. I screamed through my covered mouth, as Beurnson looked to the specimen. It reacted to noise, but not to sound. 

"There she goes. Right as planned," The creature waddled over to our fallen coworker, and started gnawing at the hole in her head, eating her bit by bit. 

I don't remember what happened afterwards, I remember being hit by the butt of his gun, then waking up back in my house. Word had spread that I was the one who started this, while Lewis was safely in Kenelm, and administering a cure to others of his choosing, or had enough money to buy it. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, that's how this all started? This, is what made those zombies? The, Kenelm vaccine?" Dream questioned. 

"You were there when this all happened?! Is that how you know so much?!" Ben was furious. 

"Yes. From what little I saw, I could get a lot of information about them. They are very audio-centered, while they can barley see. I-I was there. I was the cause," I felt my hands start to shake.  I had never told anyone else this. Literally no one. 

"No, Sean, you weren't the cause. It was Lewis! You didn't know what you were making!" Dream offered, but Ben wasn't buying it.

"How could you not have known?! You were making a virus! Shouldn't there have been something to set it off?"

"No, and that's why they choose me. I had a ninety percent average, which in the medical field, isn't impressive. They choose me, because everyone would suspect me. A stupid kid, right out of medical school? Of course that would be the fuck up, not a respected scientist.

"No, you're not a fuck up. You were played. That's so fucked up Sean. I'm sorry you have had to go through with that, and I'm sorry you have been living with this guilt for so long." Ben's anger had subsided into understanding. A tingling grew in my chest. These people really do care about people. If I had just heard what I said, I would have killed them. Someone responsible for causing all of this hell? Yeah, there goes my knife, right through their eye.

But these people aren't like me. Thank God.

"I'm sorry guys. I mean, sorry? That's all I can say, but I mean, what else can I really say? Everything I would say would be nothing compared to what I've done. I, just want you guys to know, that I never forgot that I am the reason that this got so out of control. I know what I've done, and if you choose to throw me to the herd, I wouldn't be objected to it," I said, lowering my head.

"I, think I have a better idea," Dream said, softly. I watched her sift her fingers through the dirt around her, and pick up a little pitcher handle that was left over from when this train car was actually functional, and she started jabbing her leg with it. Ben and I cringed. I was about to snatch whatever it was out of her hands, until I realized what she was doing. Little by little, she was breaking the cast. Plaster flew to and fro, we closed our eyes, and stopped breathing for a while, to wait until she was done.

Once she had officially broke the cast off, she flexed, and bent her bruised knee. Dried blood made a ring around her knee cap. We both looked to her, as she tried to stand herself up. She was a little wobbly, but she did manage to stand up on both feet by herself.

"I say, we go to New Jersey." She said. My eyes widened.

"Are you serious?" I asked, feeling my hands shake.

"Why not? I guarantee that fuckhole who put this on you is still up and running, why don't we make a little visit? Collect a little reparation?" She suggested, stepping over the remains of the cast. I raised my eyebrow.

"What, you mean, go to Kenelm? That is the most protected fort in the entire United States,"

"If it's so safe, how come I've never heard of it?" Dream grabbed Ben's hands, and pulled him up from the floor. His eyes elated. He had hope again.

"Its safe, because random people don't know about it!" I said, seemingly pointing out the obvious.

"Well, we know about it! Why, don't we take a visit! Come on Sean, we have no where else to go," Ben offered, offering me his hand. I looked to him. I don't know how I can live without being a leader, and more of a group. I guess I really don't have a choice, now do I? 

I looked at his chapped, and bloody hands, and I accepted his offer, and grabbed his hand. It felt invigorating to somewhat be in the background. Not in charge of a huge group that can fall apart at any moment. I am fully leading this by direction, but not mentality. 

"We should wait one more night here. Get everything we can out of this rack shack, and head out as soon as we have everything?" Dream offered, casually opening a cupboard, and pulling out what it had to offer. 

"That sounds like a good idea. Do we leave at dark?" Ben asked, following Dream's lead. 

"What do you think?" Dream looked over her shoulder to me. Warmth filled my chest, and a smile crept on my face. She still valued what I had to say. 

"That sounds good. Pitch midnight is when we should go," Pitch mid-night is my slang for the darkest time of night. 

"Alright. We have a plan."