Read Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 5): May for Free Online

The Major already had a rant about how 'useful' we were going to prove, how we were a 'shining example of self-sacrifice' or some such bullshit. I was allowed to keep pen and journal, but our weapons had been stripped from us. I could see my katana through the glass, sitting on a table in the next room with the rest of our weapons, where our captors were also, sipping tea as if civilised people.
    Valkyrie paced back and forth, clearly frustrated. Apocalypse Girl sat next to me. She was terrified. Viking had been pounding on the door until Sister pulled him away a couple of minutes ago. She seemed to be handling this better than the rest of us, at least for now. The door opened to admit The Major, flanked as always by his shaven gorilla guards. They levelled their guns at us before he spoke. “You've been given the opportunity to advance human medical science in ways that would have been considered impossible. Any of you that wish to volunteer, please stand by the door by the end of the day. Any that do not wish to volunteer, however...” He smiled, showing only his teeth. There was no emotion whatsoever involved. “Well, let's just say this, it will go easier on you if you just accept things as inevitable.” He placed a small clock on the floor near the door. “We'll give you until, say, seven o'clock this evening?” He and his twin thugs turned as one and left, locking the door behind them.
    noon
Smart Girl, along with the two guards that Archer had befriended, brought in some food for our lunch, just some sandwiches but certainly better than nothing. Apocalypse Girl gave her the radio, still set to the military frequency that we had been given, telling her to talk to either Soldier or The Colonel and appraise them of our situation. In the hours since The Major's visit, we had decided that the best way out of here was with her assistance. She said that she would do her best, but that we were the test group for the first batch of the vaccine that had been developed from The Kid's brains. Sister asked Smart Girl what exactly they had done with The Kid's remains, the smaller, bespectacled scientist simply shook her head, saying that she had no idea. One of the guards, from the doorway, said that he had been thrown down into the lower levels, where they disposed of most of their 'test subjects'. He then asked if we had any smokes on us that we could part with. Archer told him, gruffly, that he could have some, once they broke us out, or else wait to loot our corpses. The guard's face stiffened momentarily, then he relaxed into a smile. His partner told us they would see what they could arrange, but we'd have to be ready. I promised him that we would be.
    evening
We were given more food, though again nothing fancy, about an hour before The Major returned with his goons. He asked us if we were prepared to 'volunteer' or not. The six of us stood, glaring all of our hatred in his direction, but we all agreed to his terms. We reasoned that, this way, we would have at least half a chance of grabbing our weapons on the way out. We were marched through the door, around the outside of the room totally out of reach of the weapons table, through another door, down a hallway and into a large laboratory, filled with all manner of medical and surgical implements. I noticed Sister palming a scalpel with ease.
“ You'll need to spend the night in here, I'm afraid, but we just can't let you go back to your quarters. You might manage to make it out somehow, and that we cannot permit.” Said The Major, before he left us to our own devices. This prick was pissing me off more than General Fuckwit ever had. He at least had been insane, The Major knew full well what he was doing. Two guards remained behind, making certain we didn't get up to anything. Not the two that told us they would help us, unfortunately.
    Since all there was available were hospital beds, we made use of them. Conveniently, there were a total of six beds, one for each of