Chapter Four: If You Thought It Was Behind You
Okay... at this stage this may seem weirdly irrelevant, but I'd always considered rule number five to be of particular importance. Always double knot your laces.
During one of my first encounters with the walking dead I almost lost my life by standing on a lace... and I'd seen several others actually lose them in that same fashion. And so the double knotting began.
It wasn't until a while after that I noticed that laceless shoes might have been the better option.
Survival instincts aren't exactly all they're cracked up to be.
-
"Stop."
Tallahassee pounded on the breaks and the car snapped to a halt on the moonlit road. He, Columbus and Little Rock glanced around hurriedly, guns at the ready on the latter pair's laps. The bike, stored neatly in the Hummer's vast trunk, clunked loudly.
"What?"
"If we're looking for this guy, we can't keep going like this. There's no way they could have gotten this far after those kills. We need to stay here or double back."
Columbus leaned over to be heard by the two in the front seats. "If vote stay here-"
"Double back it is then," drawled Tallahassee. He flicked his head to show he was kidding and motioned impatiently for the younger man to continue.
"I mean, there's no point in heading back when they might be meat by now... no point in risking our own asses for what might be a corpse. I mean, there's four of us and one of them. See what I mean?"
"No," Wichita said slowly. "I don't think that's a good idea. We should at least give it a shot."
Little Rock opened her mouth to voice an opinion but was cut off.
"I know, but-"
And again.
"We could stay in pairs, keep within a certain perimeter-"
"We don't know the area well enough... I'm thinking we could just-"
Little Rock pulled herself forward in the car, one arm slung across the back of her sister's seat, and slammed a hand down on the horn three times. The noise, compared to the idle silence of the woods beyond the truck, was deafening, and Columbus and Wichita both turned towards her, expressions incredulous and horrified respectively.
"What the hell was that?!"
"If he's out there, he'll know we're here now. Zombies don't drive."
"Yeah," Columbus had started to shiver with nerves and shock. "but they do react to sound. And if there's any in the vicinity..."
"They're comin', yep." Tallahassee finished rather calmly.
"But so's this dude we're looking for." Little Rock protested.
Columbus opened his mouth but Tallahassee cut across him first. "Kid- I like you... you got moxie. But whether that was a smart move or not... well, s'pose we'll just have to wait and see." He honked the horn a few times more, mouth cracking into a crazy smile. "C'mon down, boys... c'mon down."
-
It took all of three minutes for the survivors to be prepared for the zombies.
Unfortunately it took two minutes for them to arrive.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Columbus fumbled to load his gun, finally clicking it shut and ramming it out the window and into the face of the nearest zombie. Boom.
There were about twenty in all, a reasonable number for the well-adept group. However the zombies had crowded around the truck before they had a chance to get out, and they were forced now to shoot through the broken windshield and slightly lowered windows.
Wichita cracked one leaning in over the bonnet across the head with the butt of her rifle and it fell backwards with a bellow. She flipped the gun and shot it messily the the neck. Another made a pounce for the bonnet but she caught it. It stumbled over the body of the first but continued to move and jerk, so she planted another bullet as best she could. Tallahassee stretched right across the dashboard, mowing down cannibal after cannibal. He pressed his knee into the horn and it honked again.
Things followed through in this vein for the next few minutes until the air was still once more and the ground around the truck was littered with gory corpses. They breathed heavily, trying to regain enough control so they could speak.
However, again, they didn't have time to do this.
For a thin, muscular female sprang unexpectedly from behind, her already-bloody head crashing through the back window with such force it was hard to believe she did it with a simple movement.
"Fuck!"
"Shoot, shoot!"
"But-"
"NOW!"
... bang.
The zombie's shrieking stopped as she slid, dead, off of Columbus and Little Rock and onto the floor of the car. They practically fell out, Little Rock collapsing onto the gravel sobbing as Columbus crawled out trembling.
Wichita was at her sister's side in a millisecond, holding her close. Little Rock never cried.
"What? What is it? Look, you're okay... you're fine, it's okay..."
"It was... it-t was r-right... right there. On me. And.. Oh G-God, Christa, it..." she broke off, shaking uncontrollably. Columbus watched from the side of the car, tense, and Tallahassee faced the treeline, weapon at the ready.
"Look at me. Look. Abby... did she bite you?" And there it was, meant for no one but the pair of them. Slipped out, registered briefly, never to be mentioned from here on in.
"It alm-almost did. I felt it's... Oh my God, I-I felt it's teeth..."
"Where?"
Little Rock pushed aside her hair, her gray beanie sliding askew. Wichita touched her neck briefly and she shuddered. "You're sure it didn't...?"
"I'm sure." She took a few deep, steadying breaths, trying to wipe away her tears before Tallahassee could turn and see. Which, of course, he had. "I'm okay... I'm fine." Wichita helped her two her feet and they faced the boys.
"Guys... that was a whole load of pointless work for nothing. It's not like the person's even-"
A gunshot rang through the air, not far into the forest.
"And that was?"
"You think they're in trouble?"
"You think they know we're here?"
"No... it's a notification. And yes."
-
Several minutes later the group stood by the now battered wreckage of the Hummer, awaiting the entrance of the newcomer. Tallahassee traced the side of the truck.
"Next I want somethin' with a sun roof."
And then someone walked out of the trees, hardly visible in the early morning light.
"Mornin' stranger," Tallahassee called, gun forward. "Now how's about you come down here, no fuss, real friendly, and we'll see what's what."
"You're the boss," a voice replied, and the figure hopped off of the grass and onto the roadside in clearer view.
A well-built young man stood there, looking typically post-apocalypse. His t-shirt and jeans were filthy and splattered with blood- though not apparently his own. Reddish hair stuck to his forehead and he pushed it out of the way, seemingly exhausted.
And, as expected, gun in hand.
"Drop the weapon, kid."
"Why?"
Tallahassee rolled his eyes and cocked the gun. "Just do it."
The guy let the pistol slip from his fingers and glanced around. "Been a while since I've seen any others. What are your names?"
Wichita shook her head. "No names."
"Rob Curtis."
Little Rock, Tallahassee and Wichita spun around to look at Columbus. He was pale from tiredness and leaning against the door for support, but his jaw had dropped and his eyes were bright with recognition.
"Peter Banks? What the fuck-"
"You two know each other?!"
"Your name is Peter?"
"Yeah... and yeah. Forget the last part. We went to highschool together, back in Columbus. Then I left for Texas and you went... where'd you go?" Columbus gave him a strange look as he asked, still not seeming to believe his eyes.
"Here. Colorado."
-
This fucking sucked.
One of the only human beings left on the face of this planet... and it has to be Rob fucking Curtis.
Let me explain. Okay, so in highschool... I was much as I was in college. Which is much as I am now. I'd elaborate further, but I really don't have the self-esteem available to be sapped. So I'll assume you can take a guess yourself.
Rob Curtis was Mr Captain of the Soccer Team. Mr I Have a Band. Mr God's Gift to Women. Mr How Dare You Talk to Me, You Nerd.
Get the picture? Good.
I'd go on, but honestly... ugh.
-
"You're Denver now. No names, remember that."
Rob glanced up at the older man, taking in his rough air, and smirked ever so slightly.
"So, what- you're the Daddy Bear of this little crew?"
"Ooh, we've got a live one here..." Wichita muttered, barely taking in the pun she made.
"No," Tallahassee snapped, already seeming to regret taking on Rob. "I'm the guy that's gonna put a foot in your kisser unless you nod nicely and say 'Yeah, I getcha.'"
Rob considered that for a moment and nodded, cheeky light still dancing in his eyes. "Yeah, I getcha."
"Then get movin', Zippy. We need a new ride quick before some more of those fuckers hear us." Tallahassee started moving ahead, and Little Rock moved quickly after him, still clearly spooked by her near miss. The other three lagged behind, Wichita further ahead of the two boys.
"This is crazy, man." Rob, now Denver, said.
"Yeah."
There was a slight pause- both were aware that they had heartily disliked each other for a long time, Columbus jealous of the other boy, Denver treating him with disdain. They had belonged to different groups, different worlds, and now that was all gone.
And hell, Columbus was not pleased. But he bit his lip.
"The cowboy's a little nutty, isn't he?"
"That's one word for it," replied Wichita from far ahead. Denver watched he walk for a moment, her flashlight in hand, gun in it's holster.
"Don't think I got a name..."
"It's Wichita. My sister is Little Rock. That's Tallahassee, and you know Columbus... that's weird."
"Yup, very."
From beside Denver, Columbus could feel him taking in Wichita- her strong voice, her spunk, her beauty. And, of course... her ass. Columbus coughed loudly, uncomfortable and shocked. Denver didn't seem to notice. Wichita glanced over her shoulder.
"Well, you two should catch up... I'll get up to the others. Stay close." She took off at a jog, closing distance with the beanie and the snakeskin jacket.
Denver turned to Columbus and winked, giving him a nudge (it nearly sent him flying) and whispering "She's cute, huh? Not bad, considering there's got to be less than a few babes like that left on Earth."
Columbus made a vague, strangled noise, non-committable, and muttered something about 'should stay near the others'. He sped up walking, and proceeded to trip over a shoelace.
-
A/N: And that's all for this chapter, folks! Here's hoping you enjoyed it- leave any comments about Denver you'd like, but if you hate him with a passion don't freak out too much! This is just the start of him. Do you remember Columbus talking about Facebook updates in BM's place? "Rob Curtis is gearing up for Friday... who gives a shit?" That's the one! =] Oh, and he'd totally be played by Charles Carver.
Oh, and I named Columbus and Little Rock. Their names will most likely never come into it, so if you don't think they suit that's okay. However, I quite liked them. Oh, and in reference to Wichita's name; I know many people seem to prefer it with a K, but I've decided to use the Ch. Why, you ask? I've thought it out... K seems to be a more stylish way of spelling it, but I think I like Ch better because it's more classic and wholesome somehow. And since Wichita is pretty jaded, I thought at least her name could be somewhat wholesome. X]
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, my reviewers! You are truly wonderful people, and I love reading your feedback. Lots of virtual hugs for you, and if you'd continue to review it'd make my day. Thanks also to all the people who've favourited and alerted the story.
Until next time (which'll be soon!),
DitM.
