Season 2 Chapter 1

Journal entry #56 – August 19 2012, 2 months after initial outbreak

"Things were looking up. We had our lives, hope, and Oscar to thank for it all. Without him, we probably would have never gotten to where we are now. After we escaped the school, Charlie got attacked and that's when we got dumbfounded. Charlie was just as surprised. I still remember him sitting there with blood gushing out of the bite wound on his leg. We waited maybe five more minutes till we realized Charlie wasn't changing. No one wanted to believe me when I said it could mean a chance at returning things to normal, a cure. It took me enough effort to convince Gerald to take him with us, and twice as much effort not to tie him to the top of the humvee. Instead we kept him in the bed of Stinky's truck. Then it was eastward to find more survivors, or maybe a better shelter. Where we stand, we couldn't make it to the west coast. We'd be lucky to come across a Future Tech station in the middle of nowhere here. Maybe they could tell us something about Charlie.

It was two days later when we were on I-60 in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania. We found a small rundown cabin with a fresh fire in the backyard. We found an unexpected surprise. Nadine, battered and bruised up but not infected, came out swinging a bat at us. Took us half an hour to calm her down and convince her it was us. She's been staying out there by herself for the last two weeks. Turns out her parents were taken and she was left behind too. It doesn't make sense.. they'd take my parents but leave me, Helga's helicopter crashed, they rescue her father and Suzie Kokashka, but leave her. None of it adds up. I asked Nadine about Helga but she said she hadn't seen her. Apparently, Rhonda and her father passed through a week ago, they were never evacuated. Nadine was able to feed them one night but the next morning they were gone without a trace.

Nadine decided to come with us, and we pressed on. It was maybe another day before we were in luck. We stumbled upon a peaceful suburban neighborhood somewhere in Bradford, Pennsylvania. There were no walkers, save a few wandering the street. Took us a while before we found a really nice one at the end of a cal de sac. It was perfect, the inside was clean, the surrounding houses gave us supplies for weeks. It was home to us for the time being. The only problem I had, was Charlie. They still didn't trust him…And because I wanted him to be free, I'm probably losing their trust just as much… Still pushing, still moving on, Mom, Dad, I'm gonna find you, and I'm gonna find Helga."

Arnold clapped the journal shut. He walked over to the bookshelf behind his desk and set it on the high top of it. He then grabbed a book from the lower shelf that was longer, and he used it to push the journal out of reach against the wall. He set the longer book back on the shelf and left the study room. He trotted down the stairs and entered the kitchen, where Gerald, Phoebe, and Eugene were gathered at the dinner table, in clean cut baggy pants and shirts, pajamas left behind by the previous owners. They had spoons in their hands, scooping dry cereal out of plastic bowls. Arnold patted the table with his hand to tell them good morning and waltzed over to the pantry and opened it. He sighed in discomfort to see the bottom shelf empty.

"That's the last of the cereal?" He asked.

"Unfortunately," Gerald replied, "Don't worry, the others got their share. There's peanut butter on the top though." Arnold reached up higher and grabbed one of the three jars of peanut butter on the top. He set it on the counter next to the pantry and pulled a knife from the drawer under it. He began to scoop it from the jar and set it in his mouth, letting the creaminess melt in his throat. He kept the knife in his mouth as he looked upon the trio sitting at the dinner table. For a second, he started to think how things could have been normal and this wouldn't be any different. Friends all under one roof. Yet something didn't feel right about it, there was the issue of trust…

"What about Charlie?" Arnold asked. Eugene and Phoebe continued to eat but Gerald stopped, putting his spoon down, almost rough enough to be frustrated.

"He's taken care of, Arnold. I gave him one of those nut bars when I woke up."

"What do you mean you just gave him one. He's not a pet, Gerald." Arnold said, grabbing the peanut butter from the counter. He went back upstairs and instead of turning right to go back into his and Stinky's bedroom, he turned left and passed through Nadine's bedroom to get to a small storage room door. Taking out a key, he pulled away the rod that pinned the door from opening outward and he put the key in a lock. He opened the door and inside, Charlie was pacing at the back of the small room, his leg freshly bandaged.

"Hey Arnold."

"Morning, Charlie. Brought you this." Arnold said, passing Charlie the peanut butter. Charlie took it reluctantly and began to scoop out chunks with his finger, "Did you get enough breakfast?" Arnold asked.

"Yeah, Gerald tossed a granola bar in here an hour ago. Had chocolate in it though." Charlie said, with a chuckle.

"Sorry for the treatment you've had, the others are just cautious." Arnold said.

"I don't blame you Arnold, nor them. In a time like this, I'd understand being on your toes, being scared of someone. Hell, I'm scared of myself from time to time."

"Have you felt anything recently? Anything changed since the bite?"

"Nothing at all. It's weird I know, but I've just gotta wait it out." Charlie said assuring.

"I know. If anything starts to change or you're not feeling right, let me know. I promise you now, I won't let anybody touch you as long as I'm here." Arnold said.

"Thanks Arnold. Thanks for the peanut butter too." Charlie said as he cleaned his finger and handed the peanut butter back to Arnold.

"I'll be back in a couple hours to check on you, kay?" Arnold said. Charlie nodded with a smile. Arnold closed the door and reluctantly locked it, putting the rod back in its place.

Back downstairs, Phoebe had gone outside to tend to the garden they had found when they first got to the house. Gerald was standing at the counter next to the damaged refrigerator and overlooked a piece of paper, planning out scavenging trips and patrols for the week. Arnold walked past Gerald to the pantry and set the peanut butter back on the top shelf, "Shouldn't be grooming him Arnold, you're making him too comfortable here."

Arnold decided to ignore him and said, "I'm gonna go on patrol a little early." He then took the knife and grabbed a crusty towel hanging from the side of the fridge and vigorously wiped away the excess peanut butter that was caked on the knife.

"Sure that won't be too much?" Gerald asked.

"Nah, I might check out that Grizzo's station we keep talking about, see if they've got anything we can use."

"I'd be careful Arnold, scavenging on your own can mean big trouble." Gerald asked.

"Hey, it's me." Arnold said with a smile.

Gerald put the pen down and walked up to him, "Listen Arnold, things are not as they seem right now. You may think its hunky dory and we've got everything we need, but you need to watch it. Don't go and get yourself killed." Arnold stood there in silence, "Promise me, now, that you won't go more than half a mile from this house. Promise me that now."

Arnold looked at the ground and back at him, "Promise."

"Good." Gerald said, with a smile he rubbed Arnold's scalp and scraggled his hair.

(Future Tech Station Kappa, 380 miles from Pennsylvania)

The guards carelessly dropped Bob Pataki on his bed and walked out, locking the cell door behind them. Suzie Kokashka got up from her own bed and walked over to the cell bars, "Bob?" She called. No answer, the air conditioning sent a low moan through the halls of the chilled room. This was the fourth time the guards had taken Bob from his cell only to bring him back an hour later, unconscious and

"Bob?!" She called again, slamming her hand against the bars. The slam reverberated through Bob's ear drums and jolted him back to consciousness.

Suzie could hear him rustling around, "Thank God. What the hell are they doing to you?" She asked.

Bob continued to grunt back to consciousness, "Suzie?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Bob grunted again, "Man, it's like a fucking zoo in here, I can't see a thing till I'm back in here, they knock me out every time they take me out for a walk or whatever the hell it is they're doing."

"Do you feel anything different? From before and after they take you out and put you back?" She asked.

"Well I always feel like shit when I wake up, massive hangover to add to the mix and overall just plain shitness." Bob said, frustratingly. Suzie rolled her eyes, hearing everything she had already heard from the other times.

"Bob you gotta be careful, whatever they're doing to you, it can't be good."

"Yeah no shit." Bob replied sarcastically. Suzie sighed with frustration. She looked at the walls and ceiling of her cell.

"Bob we have to get out of here. Whatever they want from us, it won't save us."

"What makes you say that?" Bob asked.

"I'm pretty sure I'd be in a cozy bed with off brand coffee in my hand and breakfast/lunch/dinner served every day."

"Where do you think you are? Holiday Inn? They're just cautious, we could be infected for all they know. Wake up Miriam!" Bob cried, his lips zipped shut when he realized what he had said. The silence just grew louder in the room. Suzie slumped against the cell bars, laying on the cold concrete ground.

"I'm sorry Suzie. Being locked up, knowing you won't see your wife again, it does a number on you." Bob mumbled.

"I know.." Suzie said, painfully thinking about Oscar, wondering what he could be doing at that very moment.

Just then the door swung open, two guards came in with a tall slim body dragging between them, chest still moving in and out. Both Suzie and Bob stuck their faces to the bars to see what was going on. Bob could hardly get a glimpse of the person but Suzie could, she had her mouth gaped as she continued to watch them toss the body on the bed in the cell next to Bob's. They got out, walked back to the door, shut it and they could hear the door click on the other side.

Suzie continued to stare, "Suzie, who is it?" Bob asked.

"It-it's Phil." Suzie said, looking at Arnold's grandpa, limp body slumped on the bed, eyes tightly shut.

Back at the house

The sun gave off a faint red orange color as the sun began its initial rise. The wind slightly chilled the temperature down a few degrees. The driveway was light and dark at the same time, on one side sat the humvee, Stinky's truck, however, was not in its place. It was the beginning of the morning patrol, and Arnold was out scavenging. The two clocks in the house beeped for 4 AM. Not a single lamp was lit, not a single street light. Everything about the neighborhood and the surrounding streets was lifeless. At the house, everybody was asleep. In the only bedroom on the main floor, Gerald held Phoebe tightly under his arm, her hands at his side and on his chest. Downstairs in the basement, Harold, Stinky, and Eugene had two couches and a leather chair. Upstairs, Hyunh slept in the larger upstairs bedroom, across the hall was Nadine's room.

Nadine slept peacefully in the smallest room, having the "misfortune" of having to sleep in the room next to Charlie's. Charlie had no mattress, no way of comfortably sleeping, yet he was in deep slumber. Suddenly, a rustling of the window stirred him, he opened his eyes and glazed them over to the window hanging over his room. He could see fingers rummaging at the frame.

Suddenly the fingers gave a loud pop and the window began to slide open. Charlie at this point was on his rump backed against the wall in fear as a dark figure began to crawl in. Charlie could see long hair, the figure's torso was not very clear, most likely due to a dark t-shirt or coat of some kind but he could see the figure was wearing jeans. It laid there on its knees for a moment when it turned to look at Charlie. Before he could utter a sound, held back by fear, the figure whispered a quiet "ssshh" putting an index finger to its lips.

Then Charlie heard a feminine voice, "Don't make a noise, I'm gonna help you Charlie."

Charlie began to choke on his words, "How do you know me?"

"How could I not? Chocolate boy." The figure said with friendliness in its girlish voice. Charlie saw the figure hold out a hand.

"I'm taking you with me. Gonna get you out of here." Charlie took the hand and stood up with the dark figure. It was only then he could recognize who his "rescuer" was as they began to crawl out the window.

"Helga?"

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To be continued