We finally fight our way to Central Building
This 33-story skyscraper is the heart of the infestation
There’s plenty of zombies elsewhere
But if we can destroy this nest
It will be easy to mop up the rest

I am confident we will succeed
Now that we know where the enemy is
And have made it past her defenses
We have just enough forces left
To contain her
So we can methodically destroy her

We don’t know long or costly it will be
But the outcome is no longer in doubt

I’m waiting on the lobby for an elevator
I’m one of the last to arrive
I see Joe and Bill get out of an elevator and hurry toward the door
Escorting a terrified woman

I’m glad they’re still finding some survivors

I get into the elevator they just vacated and head towards the top
For some reason the car stops at six
The doors open
I push the button to close them
despite knowing they’re usually a placebo

I glance outside.
Before the doors close
I see Joe and Bill hurrying into another elevator
With a different terrified woman.

I takes me a few seconds
To process what I just saw
Joe and Bill can’t have gotten back to the sixth floor
Before I did
Therefore, that is not really them.

The hive brain must have captured and cloned them
The women must be the carriers of the nest’s core memories and DNA
She is using my friends to propagate herself
Before we kill her

This… is bad

If we don’t stop her in time
She could establish herself in a new location
Wait decades to build her strength
Then launch another invasion
When we least expect it

In fact
She may already have reached
Critical mass
Somewhere else
Though I could probably find it
By following Joe and Bill

There is some good news
This is an act of desperation
And while her brain is split between locations like this
Her attention will be distracted

By that same token
She doesn’t like multiple locations
In theory she could split herself up into three or more pieces
But none of those would have enough critical mass to be “her. “

And she would never go for that
The whole point of her existence
Being to propagate her sense of self
By enslaving others.

She has no higher purpose
Transcendent calling
That she would sacrifice herself for

That is the one advantage
We have
Over her

I punch a button on the elevator
To stop the car at the next floor
Pull out my knife
And get ready
To join the fight…