Jacob sat in the front of the truck, driving. Allen sat next to him in the passenger seat. Brady and Jarrod sat in the back seat while Ethan sat in the bed, resting against the back of the truck's cab. Jacob quickly turned the truck on to the neighborhood street. As soon as the truck made its way on to the new street, Jacob suddenly slammed on the breaks causing the truck to come to an abrupt stop. A horde of walkers had invaded the neighborhood and were tightly roaming the small area.
"Holy shit." Jacob thought out loud. Ethan stood up in the bed of the truck and looked out towards the neighborhood.
"What are we going to do?" Allen asked.
"Fight our way through." Jarrod interjected. The back window of the truck slid open.
"Get out and quickly grab your stuff. We make a break for a house. If we have to fight them, we fight them." Ethan explained.
"And we try to do it silently. Everyone got it?" Jacob added, looking at Allen. The rest of the group nodded. "Three, two, one, GO!"
The group quickly opened the doors of truck and jumped out. They rushed to the back of the truck and grabbed their gear. Ethan jumped out of the bed and the group quickly moved in the direction of a nearby house. As they advanced towards the house, the horde of walkers caught sight of the group. They no longer could sneak through the wandering corpses. The group found themselves surrounded by the horde and were fighting countless walkers. Jacob slammed down his machete into the head of a walker and kicked the corpse back into a few approaching walkers. The walkers stumbled as the limp body crashed into them. Brady swung his hatchet into the side of a walker's skull as he pushed through the crowd.
"There's too many!" Brady yelled back to Jacob.
"Guns are our last resort, but keep them ready!" Jacob yelled to everyone. A walker grabbed Jacob and he quickly dispatched it by stabbing it through its head. Another walker immediately clawed at Jacob's back. He struggled to turn around to face it, but a bolt pierced the walker's head, saving Jacob. Ethan brushed by Jacob, pulling the bolt out of the fallen walker's head. He shoved the bolt into the head of another approaching walker.
"Cover me while I load." Ethan told Jacob as he began readying his crossbow.
"Got it." Jacob replied. He swung at a walker approaching Ethan and the walker toppled over from the blow. Another walker approached from the other side. Ethan finished reloading his weapon and stood up, aiming his crossbow directly at the walker. A gunshot echoed throughout the neighborhood and a bullet flew through the walker's skull. Allen stood with his gun still pointing in the direction of the walker, smoke rising from the end of the muzzle.
"Get to the house! Double time it!" Ethan yelled in response. The group picked up their pace and rushed towards the house. Allen stood still, mesmerized by what had just happened. Jarrod grabbed his arm and pulled him forward as he ran by. Ethan stabbed a walker through the eye with his hunting knife as he rushed toward the house. Jacob and Brady slashed their way through the horde. As Jarrod and Allen made their way through the walkers, a walker grabbed Allen. Allen fell to the ground and the walker toppled over him. Allen struggled as the walker clawed and bit at him. Suddenly the walker was pulled off of him and Jarrod drove a machete through the walker's head.
"Let's go!" Jarrod yelled vehemently at Allen. Allen stood up and the two ran towards the house, catching up with the rest of the group. The group stumbled into the house. Out of breath, they shut the door behind them.
"I told you it was a bad idea!" Jarrod yelled, still breathing heavily. "That gunshot will probably bring all the walkers from every other neighborhood here!"
"I'm sorry." Allen tried to plead. "I didn't know what to do and just acted."
"Don't even try to say sorry!" Jarrod yelled in reply.
"Calm down." Jacob interjected, motioning Jarrod to back off. Ethan and Brady stood silently, catching their breath and staring at Jarrod.
"I told you he was going to be a liability, but you still wanted to bring him! I was right! He even had a close call and that would've been on you. How would that make you feel?" Jarrod continued.
"Everyone's life is always in danger." Allen said.
"We're all here to help everyone. We work together. That's why we go out in groups." Jacob told Jarrod.
"What's he going to help me with? Nothing." Jarrod replied.
"We ain't got all day. Let's get to searching the house for supplies." Ethan interrupted, finally speaking up.
Karen stood outside the school on guard. She rested against the barricade and looked out to the parking lot. It was empty and calm. There were no walkers. The guardsmen had gone out a few days earlier and had cleared the area. It was only a matter of time before more walkers stumbled into the area, but for now it was empty.
"Hey." A voice greeted, startling Karen. Emma came up and stood next to Karen.
"You startled me." Karen said with a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Emma apologized.
"It's ok. It's just so calm; it makes you a little worried. You never know when something unexpected might happen. It's unsettling how safe it seems here."
"I hear you."
"By the way, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. It was out of line and inappropriate."
"Don't worry about it, I won't take it to heart. We all say things that just slip out and we don't mean."
Emily and Mike walked into the kitchen. Mike had said that he was hungry, so Emily brought him to look for something he could possibly eat. Hannah still stood in the kitchen, preparing food for later.
"Can I help you guys?" Hannah asked warmly.
"Yeah, Mike said he was hungry. Could he possibly get a snack or something?" Emily replied.
"Hold on one second." Hannah said before she disappeared into the large closet. A few moments later she came back with a granola bar in her hands. "Will this do?"
"Yes, thank you very much." Emily said smiling as she took the granola bar from Hannah and gave it to Mike.
"Is there anything better?" Mike tried to ask as politely as he could. "Like cookies?"
"Mike!" Emily exclaimed. "Don't be rude. She got you what she could. Say thank you."
"Thank you…" Mike repeated. He was annoyed that his sister was telling him what to do.
"You're welcome Mike." Hannah smiled.
"Thank you. Let's go Mike." Emily ordered her brother. Mike had already opened the granola bar and was taking a bite out of it. Hannah smiled as the sibling exited the kitchen. As Emily and Mike walked down the hall, they passed Cassandra.
"Oh, hey!" Cassandra exclaimed as she noticed the pair.
"Hi, Cassandra." Emily replied to Cassandra's greeting.
"If you're not doing anything tonight and want to hang out with me, you're more than welcome to."
"Thanks, but I'll have to pass."
"You sure? It'll be fun. Live a little."
"I'm sure. I have to go though, have to get Mike back to my mom. Nice seeing you Cassandra." Emily replied. She pushed Mike forward and the two of them rushed off.
"The people here…" Cassandra said to herself. "So uptight, don't know how to have fun."
The supply run group met back up in the living room of the house after searching for supplies. The group found that the house was barren and had been stripped of any remaining supplies. The sound of walkers scratching at the front door signaled that it was time to move on. Ethan left the room and checked for any signs of walkers in the backyard.
"It's clear!" Ethan shouted to the rest of the group.
"Alright, we follow through with the usual plan." Jacob ordered. The group left the house through the back door and traveled through the backyard to the next house. When they arrived at the door, Jarrod tried to turn the knob on the outer glass door. The knob didn't budge. The door was locked. Jarrod smashed the glass with the butt of his pistol. The glass shattered, cutting Jarrod's hand. He reached through the hole he created and opened the door. He tried the wooden door behind it.
"Dammit, this one is locked too." Jarrod said as he pushed himself into the door to try to knock it open.
"Hurry!" Allen yelled. Walkers began stumbling around the side of the house. As they turned around the corner, they caught sight of the group and approached.
"Brady, help me." Jarrod barked, still unable to get the door open. Brady joined Jarrod and they both shoved their weight into the door. After a few tries the door flew off its hinges. The group quickly made their way into the house.
"Guys!" Allen shouted, pointing to the backdoor. A walker was making its way into the house through the open doorway.
"Get some furniture to block the door!" Jacob ordered. Brady knocked over a bookcase standing by the door. The bookcase fell, blocking the entrance. Ethan and Jarrod stacked furniture in the doorway to block the remaining holes.
"Hopefully this will hold." Ethan commented.
"It should." Jacob replied. "We should split up and search this house."
"We should take care of my hand first. It needs to be wrapped." Jarrod responded as he lifted up his hand. It was covered in gashes and blood was running down his palm.
"Ethan and Allen, begin searching upstairs. Brady, check some of the rooms down here. I'll help you with your hand, Jarrod." Jacob issued the commands and the group split up. Ethan and Allen headed upstairs. They traveled down the dimly light hallway until they reached the first door. Ethan pushed the door open and the pair inched their way into the room, weapons readied. The room was an office. The walls were lined with bookcases and a huge mahogany desk sat in the corner. Ethan lowered his weapon.
"There's nothing in here." Allen said.
"I'll take a quick scan. Just to make sure." Ethan replied.
"You sure?" Allen asked.
"Yeah. Go ahead. I'll catch up." Allen nodded and exited the room. Ethan walked over to a bookcase and pulled a book off the shelf. He silently glanced at the cover without opening the pages.
Alexis roamed around the school. She was looking for Mark and could not find him anywhere. She walked down a hallway she hadn't previously explored. The hallway brought her to the auditorium and some classrooms that had held various shops before the outbreak. She walked past the classrooms and stumbled upon a door. Facing a dead-end, Alexis decided to push open the unmarked door. Alexis found herself in a garage. Mark was changing a tire on a small bronze sedan.
"I didn't know this place existed." Alexis called out.
"Used to be the garage for the automotive class." Mark replied with a smile on his face. "It's just as useful of a space for me to fix any cars we need now."
"That's really cool. It must make life that much easier for you."
"Yes, it certainly does. Having access to the jacks makes the job that much easier. I have a feeling you didn't come here to talk about cars though."
"No, no I didn't. I wanted to ask you a question, I was wondering if you could help me."
"Anything."
"Are you and Ethan close?"
"I guess you could say we are close." Mark paused for a few seconds before continuing. "What is this all about?"
"It's just… I've been pestering Ethan about what happened to him before he came to the school. He saved my life and I really want to repay the favor. This is the only way I think I can, to help him through this, but it seems to be doing more harm than good." Alexis told Mark.
"Maybe you're just trying too hard." Mark explained. "I think you should just leave him be. Don't pester him about it. He's the kind of person that would rather reach out to someone else when he needs a shoulder to lean on than be approach by people who are willing to help. He's picky when it comes to people to confide in. He's only confided in a few people, so don't be hurt because he doesn't want to discuss things with you. He's just not comfortable yet."
"He seems like an awfully complicated person." Alexis replied.
"Aren't we all?" Mark laughed. "Don't worry, Alexis. When the time comes, I'm sure you'll be able to repay the favor."
"Another miss?" Jacob asked the group.
"This one is empty too." Ethan explained.
"Dammit. And the walkers aren't letting up." Jacob said. Walkers could be heard scratching at the barricade and the front door.
"It seems like this neighborhood has been picked clean." Jarrod added.
"We still got a couple more houses, there's got to be something in one of them." Ethan declared.
"The walkers will make searching the rest of the neighborhood difficult. We've already hit two empty houses. I'm not sure it's worth the risk, we're already trapped in here." Jacob explained.
"We may not be trapped. I think I have an idea." Allen said with confidence.
"Yeah, what's your idea?" Jarrod shot back at Allen. He was still displeased that Allen had accompanied the group on the supply run.
"One of the rooms I searched upstairs was a kid's room. I definitely saw a remote control car in there. If the batteries still work, we could use it as a distraction to get the walkers away from the front door. It should give us enough space to make a run for the truck." Allen explained.
"That's brilliant!" Brady exclaimed.
"It's our best shot. Go and grab the car. Let's hope that these batteries work." Jacob said. With his words, Allen ran up the stairs. Moments later, Allen returned down the stairs with the remote control car in his hands.
"The batteries work. I tested it after I grabbed it." Allen said as he set down the remote control car a few feet behind the door. "On my count, someone has to quickly open the door."
"Ready when you are." Brady said as he assumed his position. He had one hand on the door knob.
"Three… Two… One…" Allen counted down. He thrust the control stick up causing the remote control car to accelerate. As the car came to life, Brady opened the door half way. Under Allen's guidance, the car sped out of the house. It continued down the porch and into the street. The car grabbed the attention of the walkers gathered on the porch and they stumbled after the toy.
"It worked!" Brady exclaimed.
"Let's go! Hurry!" Jacob yelled. The group rushed out of the house and across the street. They swiftly made it back to the truck and jumped in. As Jacob started the truck, he turned to Allen.
"That was genius. Without you, we'd still be stuck in that house." Jacob complimented Allen causing him to smile with confidence.
Andrew was still working devotedly on the football field. He spent almost every second he was awake on the agricultural project. James was kneeling nearby Andrew, helping his father plant the seeds. Hannah walked out to the field.
"Hey! It's my two favorite boys!" Hannah called out. Andrew looked up from his work.
"Hey there, honey." He smiled. Hannah continued approaching him.
"How long are you going to be out here?" She asked.
"As long as I have to. I need to get this done."
"You've been out here forever. I haven't seen you at all since you started this except when we're going to sleep. I'm just asking for a little time as a family."
"We'll get to have it eventually. After this is all done."
"Andrew…" Hannah pleaded with him.
"It's important. I have to get this done, everyone is depending on it."
"Andrew." Hannah repeated sternly "Just one night is all I'm asking for. Please, can't you just give me that?"
"Fine, fine." Andrew conceded. "I'll stop early today and I'll spend some time with you."
"And James." Hannah added. "There has to be a board game lying around the school somewhere. We can have a family board game night like before."
"I like that idea." Andrew smiled.
"Dad!" James called out. "I need help! The ground's too hard, I can't dig!"
"I'll be right there!" Andrew answered as he stood up. He turned to Hannah. "I'll see you later."
Hannah smiled as she watched Andrew go and help their son dig.
The truck flew down the road to the school. It skidded to a halt in front of the school and the supply group began getting out of the truck. The makeshift gate was opened as Karen and Janice stepped outside the barricade. Brady approached the two women.
"Need any help?" Karen asked.
"No, he didn't find anything." Brady replied.
"What do you mean you didn't find anything?" Janice questioned.
"The neighborhood was already picked clean, seemed like someone already went through the area. Not to mention a whole pack of walkers had taken over. They were all over the place." Brady explained.
"Damn…" Karen muttered.
"Yeah, wasn't what we were expecting." Brady paused. "Oh, Janice, Jarrod probably needs stitches for his hand. He cut it up pretty good."
"Thanks for the heads up." Janice replied. Brady nodded and continued past the pair of women.
Ethan knocked on the door frame leading into a classroom. The knocking caught the attention of the woman in the room. She was organizing a pile of clothes. She looked up from what she was doing.
"Oh, hey there Ethan." Emma smiled. "How was the run?"
"Came back empty-handed. The neighborhood was picked clean. We barely got outta there." Ethan explained.
"That's terrible." Emma replied.
"I found something though. Thought you might like it. You're always saying how much you love to read. Here." Ethan walked over to Emma and handed her the book.
"Thanks." Emma said graciously.
"It was nothing." Ethan replied. He turned and walked out of the room. Emma followed after him, stopping to lean against the frame of the door. She held the book closely to her chest as she walked Ethan disappear down the hallway.
Allen sat in the cafeteria eating the vegetable medley that Hannah had made. Jarrod spotted Allen and made his way over. He sat down across from Allen at the table. Allen looked up.
"What do you want?" Allen asked coldly.
"I just wanted to say, without you, we probably wouldn't have got out of there in one piece." Jarrod told him.
"I'm Asian, I'm supposed to be smart." Allen joked. Jarrod didn't laugh. "Never mind."
"That's all I wanted to say." Jarrod stood up and left. Allen once again sat at the table eating by himself.
Emma sat in her room reading the book that Ethan had brought her. She flipped through the pages, taking in every word. She loved to read and was always fully immersed in every story she laid her eyes on. The door swung open and Cameron walked into the room.
"What are you doing?" Cameron asked.
"Just reading." Emma said without looking up.
"You're always reading." Cameron commented. "That looks new."
"Yeah, it is. Ethan found it for me on the supply run."
"So they can't find any supplies, but he can find you a book? I'm gonna have to have a talk with him. Who does he think he is?"
"He's just trying to be a good neighbor, that's all. We're all a family here."
"Yeah, whatever." Cameron replied as he laid down on the cot.
Jacob knocked on the door and immediately opened it. He walked into the classroom. Tim Sylvester had turned the classroom into a makeshift office. He ran operations from this office. It held all his plans and intel that he had crafted and received. Battle plans were written on the chalkboard. Tim sat at the desk.
"You wanted to see me?" Jacob asked as he entered the office.
"Yes, Jacob. Have a seat." Tim beckoned, motioning for Jacob to take a seat. Jacob sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Tim continued. "So, you guys didn't find any supplies?"
"No sir." Jacob responded. "The neighborhood was picked clean. Walkers had also over taken the area."
"Damn." Tim said as he slammed his fist into the desk. "We're in a dire situation here. We've tried rationing. Even with the goldmine from the last supply run, we're still running out of supplies."
"What do you plan on doing?"
"There's one thing we can do. It's a last resort measure, but I think it's come down to it…"