My feet carefully hit the pavement as I hurried down the road. I quickly looked at each store making mental notes of the ones we have cleaned out or partially cleaned out.

"Smitty! Hol up!" Merle called out a little to loud his voice echoing through out the street. My head spun around eyes wide noticing how most of the group was a ways back.

I sighed angrily, this was a stupid idea there shouldn't be so many of us. The whole point of scavenging is to get supplies and bring them back. At the rate we are going we aren't even going to be able to get the supplies before sundown. Part of me wanted to ditch them and go back to camp. But then Shane would be on my ass about how we don't leave people behind.

My lovely crew of misfits included Glenn, Merle, T- Dog, Morales, Andrea, and Jacqui. None besides Glenn would I like to be here in the city full of the infected.

Glenn was the first of the group to reach me shaking his head slightly.

"We've hit every store on this block havent we?" He asked taking off his baseball cap to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"Yep," I said frowning as the rest of the group met up with us.

"What's wrong?" Morales asked rolling up the sleeves of his shirt exposing his natural tan skin.

"Nothing," Glenn assured him," Just were gonna have to go a little further then expected."

"And whys that?" Merle asked holding his rifle behind his neck,"Its hot as hell out here right now every step burns my poor little feet."

I just scoffed and turned around walking down the street annoyed. I didn't have the patience to deal with Merle Dixon. The man was a literally a pen drop away from freaking out and going mental at all times.

"How much further?" Andrea asked her voice close behind me letting me know they where following.

"Just another block, let's be careful about this though, the deeper we go into the city the more walkers there will be. So we need to be extra careful," Glenn informed the group.

"And quiet," T dog added on. I nodded agreeing with him as we made our way into the city.

Turning the corner I froze as a tank laid in front of us.

"Smitty what's the hold up?" Merle asked. I wanted to strangle Merle for calling me that, he knew it got under my skin so he used it to annoy me. Instead of punching him I just decided to play it safe and not take my chances against a thirty year old redneck with attitude.

"Nothing..." I said looking around my eyes falling on a department store.

"Looks good to me what about you?" I asked Glenn nodding towards it.

"Yeah that works, we can clean out the vending and get some new clothes, winters only a few months away." I nodded in agreement before I made my way to the front doors, which where locked. They where made out of all glass, and could be easily broken. But that would cause sound, and sound would mean the infected would come swarming.

"Fronts not an option let's head around back," I ordered walking down the street some coming across a bus in front of the street we needed to turn down.

"That alleyway is blocked!" Jacqui exclaimed," Is it blocking the walkers from getting in or out?"

Without answering I slid my rifle under the bus before rolling under myself and crawling to the other side. There where a few infected in the ally most of them oblivious that I had just intruded into there life of staring blankly at a wall.

"Alright, there's three geeks, nothing we can't handle," I informed the group. I was met with T dog and Morales who had baseball bats in there hands. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and pulled my hunting knife from my belt and the three of us walked forward.

The two men took on one of the infected beating it to the ground before they started to slam there bats on the walkers skull. I quickly jogged towards one that wasn't facing me and stabbed my knife through the back of its head. The Walker immediately slumped down and its moaning ceased. I pulled my blade out of the now dead Walker before rushing to the side door which was propped slightly open.

I quickly opened it and ushered the others in. One by one they hurried into the department store before I closed the door and followed them through the halls before we found ourselves in the shopping room.

"Smitty what the hell?! Do I look like some teenage girl that wants to go clothes shopping?" Merle exclaimed annoyed," For some college educated kid you sure are stupid."

I bit my tongue glaring at the man.

"Ah did I hurt Smittys feelings!? I'm deeply sorry."

"Shut the hell up Dixon," Morales exclaimed," You won't be complaining in a few months when you have more than that tang top to wear."

I nodded at Morales before walking past Merle towards the cashier lines smiling as I came across the small little fridges with drinks in it.

I knelt down and slid my duffle bag off my back quickly unzipping it. I opened the fridge and filled it with the liquids. I grabbed water out of them

First, since it was the most essential, and didn't have to go through the trouble of cleaning it. Next was grabbing the jerky, small bags of chips, and some Snickers which was the only candy left.

Zipping my bag up I set it on the counter looking around before I jumped a mile at the sound of a gun shot.

"What the hell was that!" Jacqui asked nervously. Not answering I rushed towards the back of the store looking for the stairs. I found it close to the side entrance and I burst through the stairwell door and sprinted up the stairs taking two at a time. A few moments later I was on the roof leaning over the edge.

I watched as a man on a horse fly down the street, the horse however got spooked by the geeks crowding around him jumping up and throwing the man off it. I watched as he rose from the crowded ground pulling out a silver object.

Oh No

The man shot again and again and as more and more zombies surrounded him.

"What the hell is that guy doing!" T dog exclaimed from next to me.

The man with no other options crawled under the tank and walkers swarmed. Several more shots where heard. It was quiet for several moments before the mans head popped up from the tank grabbing the hatch door and pulling it to a close as walkers tried to reach him.

"Look at all the geeks he just attracted!" Morales exclaimed. I looked down at the street to see infected swarming the streets in groups as wide as the streets and even from building to building across the street. I noticed not all of them going for the tank or horse, but started drifting towards the doors of our store.

I turned around to see who followed me onto the roof. Glenn, Morales, and T dog.

"Get everybody up here now!" I exclaimed,"Before all the geeks start crowding around the door because they see there dinner!"

T Dog nodded before disappearing down the staircase. I ran my hand through my head before it slammed down on the concrete wall in frustration.

"You got to be kidding me! Everything was going fine! Then this cowboy just comes in and shoots up the street! The city's so silent now a days I bet every Walker in the city heard those gun shots!" I complained.

"What do you want to do with him!?" Morales asked staring down at the tank," He's most likely screwed either way, stays in there dies of starvation or dehydration. Try's to make a run for it geeks will swarm him."

"We can't just leave him," Glenn exclaimed.

I thought for a moment truly stumped on how to help the man. He was in a tank, he couldn't see us we couldn't see him, and screaming wasn't a valid option either. Until a stupid, but reasonable plan popped into my head.

"You think there's a radio in there?" I asked.

Glenn eyes widened as he grabbed his bag and started to search for his walkie. A few moments later Glenn was next to me peering over he street.

"Hey you. Dumbass, yeah you, in the tank. Cozy in there?" Glenn spoke.

"Dude language," I scolded jokingly but he just sent me the "not now stupid" look. We waited for a moment for a reply before I grabbed the walkie from Glenn.

"Hey Clint Eastwood! Do me a favor and pick up on the other end please, we don't have all day to get your sorry ass out of this mess!" I growled. It was silent for a few more seconds before we heard the crackling at the other end.

"Hello?"

Glenn and I shared a look before I handed the walkie back to him. Glenn began to speak to the mystery man as I looked down he road trying to see if there was any way possible we could get him out of there in one piece.

"Dan?! What should he do!?" Glenn asked. I watched as the walkers from both sides of the streets started to drift towards the horse, abandoning the tank. If he was able to get off the tank and ran down our street, there was an ally way that lead to the building across the street from the back of the department store. It wasn't the best idea considering the infected still swarmed the street he would have to run down, and if he shot anymore bullets he would attract the walkers from the horse to him.

"Dan!?"

I sighed and looked at Glenn running my hand through my hair nervously before making my mind up.

"Look, most the walkers have drifted towards where the horse went down... if he jumps off the right side of the tank and runs down this street here." I said showing Glenn who was starting to get where I was going," He makes his way to the ally way it's about the third one... then cuts through that building and it leads him all the way back here."

Glenn relied the message to the man and it took a little bit of convincing but we finally got him on bored.

"Someone's going to have to lead him from the ally... he won't know where to go other wise and it's not like he can go back to the tank to get new instructions," Morales noted from behind him.

"I'll do it," Glenn said quickly stuffing the walkie in his bag. My eyes widened and I shook my head grabbing his arm.

"Hell no, let's send Dixon!"

"You think he'll come back with him? Come on man. Look you just be ready to open that door for us ok!? I'll be back before you know it."

And with that Glenn disappeared down the stairs leaving me on the roof worrying about my friend. T Dog rushed up the stairs a concerned look on his face the group behind him.

"Where is our Korean friend going?" He asked.

"To save mystery mans ass," I grumbled," You got the other walkie?"

T Dog nodded before reaching behind his back and unclipping the walkie from his jeans and tossing it to me. I nodded thanks before peering over the edge my eyes glued to the tank.

Startling me Glenn's voice crackled from my walkie.

"Ok tell dumbass that it's time to run for his life!"

I sent Glenn's message to him and moments later the hatch of the tank opened up and he slapped the lone Walker on the tank with a shovel slicing its face in half. The man then quickly climbed out of the tank ran down the side and jumped off the right side rolling to the ground.

Moments later he had his pistol out and he shot the infected in front of him. I watched him sprint past our store and grimaced each time he shot. Even when he disappeared down an ally way the gun shots came three more times before finally they died out only leaving the groans of the dead for us to here.

"Alright T on me!" I ordered before rushing down the stairs and towards the back door. The others followed us as well either not wanting to be on the roof burning under the hot Georgia sun, or they're to curious for there own good.

I made it to the back door my hunting knife drawn and T Dog gripped his baseball bat so hard the gloves on his hands started to squeak. I waited for Glenn's voice to sound over the walkie or maybe a knock on the door but none came. I know it was only a few minutes I waited but each second felt like an hour. And each minute half a day.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when his voice finally did come through.

"Guys were coming! Two geeks in the ally way take them out we have no weapons!"

I nodded at T Dog and we rushed it the back door quickly distracting the walkers as Glenn and mystery man sprinted past us. T Dog knocked them off there feet by sending a base ball bat to there knees then I would quickly rush them and stab there brain effectively killing the monster. I glanced down the allyway to see two more by the bus, not at all looking interested in us but staring at the ground and walking in circles.

T Dog and I then ran back inside only to see Andrea pointing a gun at the poor guy's face.

"Were dead because of you!" Andrea growled pushing the gun in his face.

"Andrea back off!" I exclaimed as I wiped my blade on my jeans getting some of the Walker blood off it.

"We are all dead because of him!" She argued her finger on the trigger.

"Yeah and guess what, Glenn didn't go through all that effort to save him just to shoot him right now! Ok! Sure he's a dumbass for shooting up the street but calm down and put your gun down! We don't need to be wasting any of those bullets on the living save them for the dead!" I exclaimed surprisingly almost everybody including my self by my out burst.

Hell thats the most I've spoken to Andrea in the month that we had known each other, and that's the most they had even heard me talk. They knew me as Daniel the quiet guy who got them supplies. I think I had only spoken to her a handful of times and most of them where hello.

Andrea looked at me before lowering her gun, the man sighed in relief and gave me a nod. I looked him over and a sense of pride flooded through me. I just saved a cop. Now yeah I might of called him a dumbass, but he was still a cop. They where the ones that looked after you before this all started, so it felt good to help one of them. Well one of them that wasn't as hot headed as Shane.

Suddenly another gunshot rang out alarming everyone.

"Was that Dixon?" Morales asked alarmed. I sighed angrily.

"If it's Dixon I'm gonna kick his sorry ass off the roof," I growled marching forward.

We made our way to the roof and sure enough Merle Dixon was standing on the edge of the roof aiming down the scope of his rifle laughing away as he shot down at the walkers.

"You gotta be kidding me," Glenn groaned. I just frowned at him not sure what to say. Part of me wanting to unsling my rifle from my shoulder and join Merle. But the smarter college educated part of me ,or aka Smitty, knew that shooting walkers with the short amount of ammo that we had with us was stupid and would only lead to more problems later on.

Before anyone could try to get Merle to stop being the idiotic red neck he is, T Dog exploded on him.

"Man are you kidding me! You're out here wasting bullets we don't even have! Are you completely insane!?"

Merle just turned around and smirked as he reloaded his rifle.

"Ought to me more polite to a man with a gun!" He exclaimed," Only common sense."

I scoffed and shook my head not believing that this was actually going on. Of course I knew that Merle was a hot head and you could breath on him and he would explode, but never did I think he'd start acting all big and bad when he stood on a ledge with a gun.

As if Merle read my mind he hoped down from the ledge smiling cockily.

"Look at you brining more of them on our ass! Just chill man!" T Dog said angrily.

Merle's stare hardened on T Dog as he took a few steps toward him.

"Bad enough I have this taco bender on my ass all day and now I'm taking orders from you? Man that'll be the day," Merle said in almost a laugh.

I glanced over at Glenn who was telling the officer not to get involved. He was right, this could either go two ways. One way would be everyone leaves here happy, or Merle was going to do something stupid. I was guessing the latter.

"The day? What'll be the day?" T Dog growled.

"Hey T dog just leave it he's not worth it!" Morales exclaimed hoping to stop the argument. I was hoping T Dog would be the better man and walk away.

"You wanna know the day?" Merle asked a slight grin on his face.

"Yeah man what's the day?" T Dog spat.

"The day I take orders from a nigger," Merle growled.

My eyes widened and my hands balled up into fist at Merle's words. T Dog snapped at that moment sending a punch Merle's way. Merle blocked T Dogs strike with his rifle before he lifted his rifle up and hit T Dog in the face with the butt of it his cap flying off exposing his shiny bald head.

I watched T Dog fly to my feet but he immediately rose up again and that's when all hell broke out.

"Merle stop!" Morales exclaimed.

But neither of them listened as Merle sent another strike to T Dog causing him to fall to the ground his head slamming onto one of the pipes on the roof.

The officer charged forwards trying to stop Merle, but the red neck was faster grabbing the Cops shirt and sending a punch to his jaw. The officer tripped over the pipe and landed on the other side. Merle then grabbed T Dog and sent strike after Strike. Morales tried to pull him off but Merle elbowed him in the gut knocking the breath from him.

In my anger I shrugged off my rifle and stuffed the barrel to Merle's forehead. It was a stunned silence around as Merle looked up at me.

"Gonna shoot me Smitty? Huh? Come on kid take the shot," Merle taunted. I glared at the man my finger on the trigger.

My hands started to shake as the thought of killing a man entered my mind. It couldn't be that easy, just pulling the trigger sure, but the choice that was the hard one. It would stay with me the rest of my life.

"Come on Smitty! Show me you've got what it takes!" Merle growled though he had a smile on his face.

I looked around at the group each shaking there heads at me. I looked over at Glenn whose eyes where wide staring at me. He slowly shook his head and nodded towards the cop. My eyes made my way towards the officer who had his handcuffs out looking at me intently.

"Come on are you gonna take the damn shot or not?" Merle asked.

"No, you aren't worth the bullet," I spat before quickly turning the rifle in my hands and slapping Merle in the face with the butt of my rifle.

Merle fell of T Dog and was grabbed by the cop, who quickly sent a punch to the resisting man. Then he quickly cuffed one of Merle's wrist before the other cuff was around the pipe.

"Who the hell are you!?" Merle asked confused at the arrival of the stranger.

"Officer Friendly," the cop retorted causing me to laugh slightly.

"Now listen here Merle, there isn't any niggers, or white trash fools any more, there's white meat and dark meat. The living and the dead! Now it's up to you which one of those you want to be," Officer Friendly lectured Merle his shiny silver revolver pointed at the red necks head.

"You're a cop, you wouldn't," Merle said staring at the gun warily.

"All I am now is a man looking for his Wife and Son, anyone who gets in the way of that is gonna pay the price," Friendly growled before searching through Merle's pockets. He had a bag filled with a white substance and Officer Friendly let out a small laugh.

He looked down at Merle shaking his head," You got some on your nose there," He said wiping the red necks nose before standing up and tossing the cocaine over the edge.

"Hey man that's my stuff! Hey! When I get out of these cuffs you're a dead man! Do you hear me!?" Merle shouted pulling on the cuffs.

"Yeah, yeah your voice carries," Officer friendly mumbled before walking to the edge of the roof. Morales went over to talk to him, and I sighed and kneeled down next to T Dog picking his cap up from the ground and handing it back to him.

"You alright man?" I asked. He nodded as he pulled himself up and leaned against the concrete wall.

"Can you try to get a message to the group? We got a radio back there just gotta find the right frequency," I asked handing T Dog the radio. He nodded and took the radio.

I then rose up next to Glenn peering over the edge seeing the dead trying to force there way through the glass doors at the front of the store.

"Man oh man how are we going to get out of this one?" I mumbled.

"Eh I've seen worse," Glenn informed me. I scoffed and turned to him eyebrows raised.

"Where have you seen worse?" I asked.

"Sophomore year, learned my roommate was some transfer from Washington. First time I met you, man you looked like someone killed your puppy. Didn't even talk to me for three weeks," he informed me.

"Well, I had a very good reason," I informed him,"And don't forget the first words I ever said to you where-"

"Wake up dumbass where going to a party," Glenn said smiling," Wasted all my tip money on booze."

We laughed remembering better times, until the growls and moans of the dead found there ways to my ears.

I turned around towards the group.

"So, everyone any ideas on how where going to get out of this God forsaken city?" I asked.

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