On a hot southern day, off a county road that hadn't seen cars in years, a walker snarled outside an abandoned drug store.
Vines grew throughout its body, pushing leaves through its face and ribcage. The walker had been still for so long that it was rooted in place. It was not still now, though, as it struggled forward with rotten, outstretched fingers.
Tommy lay underneath it. His foot had gotten caught on the other side of a busted storefront window, and now the walker was just a few feet above him, the vines snapping one by one.
Pike rushed in to kill it but two more walkers emerged from inside the store. She shifted her balance and stabbed the first one in the head as she sprung backwards. Then Hemingway used his farming gloves to reach inside the second one's mouth and rip the top of its head off.
They all stood catching their breath, except for Tommy, who was still on the ground with a walker hanging over him.
"Next time, when we've got a plan, you follow it," Keats said.
"I'm just trying to save some time," said Tommy.
"There's a reason we don't just barge into places," said Hemingway. "How the hell have you survived this long?"
In the woods beyond the parking lot, twigs began to snap. A ponytailed man with a golden retriever emerged from the trees.
"He's right, you know," he said. "The man with the bat, I mean. The time to protest a plan is before you enact it."
Keats and the rest readied their weapons.
"What'd you do with the others," said Keats.
"Your friends?" said the man. "They're right here. They're a little timid." He stepped to the side. Duck and Katie, the other two members of Keats' party, walked out at gunpoint.
"By the way," the man said to Hemingway, "where did you learn that technique? Ripping the head off? I haven't seen that one in a while."
"I was going to say the same thing about your rifles," he said. "You make the bullets yourself? Get lucky on a run?"
"I can hear those thoughts!" the man said with a laugh. "Thinking about taking us on? Trust me, friend, the guns are loaded. Now, tell me, what the hell are you doing breaking into one of our buildings?"
"Didn't see a sign," said Keats.
"What makes you think the rule of law doesn't apply just because it's the end of the world? Anyway, what are you looking for? Maybe we can help."
"Bug spray," said Keats.
"Bug spray! Lemme guess - you've got food and water, but you forgot about the damn mosquitoes. Is that why you're all covered in dirt?"
"We heard mosquitoe bites spread the plague," said Tommy. This brought a chuckle from the man's gang.
"That's not what spreads the plague," said the man. "We figured that out, as you will soon see."
The dog began to whine and bark softly. "Looks like we got company. Let's hit the road. Hang on to your weapons for now. We might need you to cover our flanks if we meet some walkers."
As the group gathered on the road, Keats said from the side of his mouth: "They could have killed us already."
"They might be waiting till their ready to eat us," said Pike.
"True. But I think they've got supplies. Who knows...maybe they just want to check us out, make sure we're good people."
Before Pike could respond, the man called out: "Let's move! Ol' Lady here's reliable, but it's tough to account for the wind and all that. Swarm could be a mile away or it might be 50 yards. By the way, my name's Flak." He marched ahead like a guide on a nature walk.
Everyone moved forward. After walking what felt like a couple of miles, Keats saw something on the road ahead: The gate for a tall, barbed wire fence next to sign welcoming them to Davis.