Blood Oranges
Season 1 Episode 2 part 3
The inside of the house felt and looked just as normal as the outside, which was not at all. Subtle effects of the apocalypse showed on the dried blood in between the wooden floorboards and a closet blocking what appears to be an extension of the household but his attention was drawn mostly on other things. Danny St. John locking the door, a man on a picture— most likely Brenda's husband is a possible additional suspect they may not have seen yet and oil lamps on the walls— to burn the place to the ground. Entering the dining room, he counted two windows and another two on the kitchen. Their friends must be on the second floor.
Brenda came out of the kitchen to greet them. He tried not to stare at the miniscule blood splatters on her green apron. "Oh, well if it isn't little Naruto! How can I help you, darlin'?"
"He's feeling a little sick, ma. I think he could use a drink."
"Poor dear... don' worry, there's water inside. Sit down, don' be shy."
Dan took the chair he was eyeing— and he begrudgingly took the chair across him, leaving his back to face the doorway. The man set his rifle to lean at the table while he pulled out a handle of one of his kunai from his pant leg for easier access. A minute later and Brenda came out with drinks for all of them, defusing the tension. "Here you go, honey. I'm sure you'll feel all better after a bit to drink."
Brenda sat beside Naruto and he took one from the tray. Thankfully, Dan began speaking before she could further speak with him. "We'll leave to the forest soon, ma. Can't let the bandits get away and all."
"Oh dear, well you be careful then."
"Many bandits?" Naruto asked before taking a sip. If he wanted to look convincing, he has to play the part.
"There used to be more but since they broke into smaller groups, not a lot should be left by now."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. My son and Lee will take care of them."
He paused from his drink. He didn't know that. "Lee?"
Danny nodded. "Yup, your guardian and I are heading to the forest later to deal with them."
That sounded dangerous. "Only you two?"
Brenda chuckled "They'll handle them just fine. You need rest."
"I'm okay." Naruto insisted then asked "Where biggest bandit group?"
"They're hauling at the Save Lots up north by the interstate." Danny answered easily and Naruto wondered how much they actually know. "From what we've gathered, they consist mostly of the grocery's employees. They've been victimizing a lot of people in these areas especially that one school nearby. You know— the one some friends of yours came from. You're a real curious george, aren't cha?"
He shrugged, playing with his empty glass. It felt slippery in his fingers. "Good... to know enemies."
"Well, that's very smart of you but you need to worry more about yourself, at the moment."
There was something in the tone of her voice that made him look up. Both of them were looking at him now, their glasses untouched.
His cup slipped from his fingers and crashed on the floor. Everything looked out of focus. His toungue felt thick and his fingers too clumsy to effectively throw a kunai. Jiraiya would have been furious.
Relying on his body weight and the pressure on his toes, Naruto violently shoved the dining table forward, slamming Dan on the chest across the room. He let his exhaustion take him to the floor, launching himself sideways to where the rifle fell, dodging Brenda's grabby arms as he did. He reached for the trigger to alert everyone outside but a boot crushed his hand first. A knife slipped from his left sleeve and quickly dove to the man's foot.
"You fucking shit!" Ignoring the scream and the blood, his feet kicked as the woman behind him grabbed at his legs. A sharp, well placed kick to the solar plexus sent her spasming to the floor. The edges of his vision began to darken— it was becoming increasingly hard to focus.
"Back off."
He looked up and saw Danny pointing the rifle at his head menacingly, his hands covered by his own blood, much to the blonde's satisfaction. Almost lazily, Naruto took his time to face him from the floor before grinning tiredly. "Go ahead. Let everyone know."
The look of initial confusion and sudden understanding was enough of a distraction for him to slap the barrel away and hook his leg to topple the man. He immediately closed the distance, relying on his body weight to strangle the man to unconsciousness while trying to stay awake himself. Jiraiya's lessons was applied when he began focusing on the jugular vein. It turned out to be quite effective as the struggling and panicking man began turning a shade of blue.
However, just as the man underneath him began to slacken, something slammed behind Naruto's head. And then he saw no more.
...
Holding his rifle, Lee's eyes darted around constantly in the middle of the woods. He would've relied more on his hearing if not for his companion who he is following. Living with Naruto for months has trained him to make his steps as quiet as possible, so the loud stomps of Danny St. John in front of him sounded like dinner bells for Walkers.
When the man came out of the house earlier for their apparent bandit hunt, he looked pale beyond belief. When Lee asked out of fake concern, the man simply waved it off and began limping to the gates. There was some blood on his right pant leg and Lee would've been more concerned for what happened to Naruto if not for how the man seemed to favor his left foot.
And so, before leaving the barn, he secretly warned Ken and Lily, heeding the boy's request.
"Cannibals...?" Lily asked in disbelief, trying to let it sink in.
"I have to get my family outta here." Kenny muttered.
"Dad too but he would definitely want to know what's happening and even I know he can be a little loud sometimes. And we can't afford that."
"Tsk. We should've known. 'Specially after we've realized there was something off with that fuckin' bear trap"
"You knew?" She hissed and Ken was instantly on the defense.
"We figured the bear trap was set by... cannibals," He shivered at the word. "-but we weren't sure and never had proof it was them, besides it was a recent development."
"We need a plan." Lee changed the topic before it goes any further. The two noticed this but knew it wasn't the time for an argument. "Naruto said it would be good to get backup from the motor inn, just in case."
"I'll handle that. I need to bring Duck and Katjaa back anyway. I'll tell them Duck left his medication in the inn if they asked."
"Bring Clem with you." Lee pleads and Ken nodded.
"You got it."
"And I'll stay here as a lookout. My dad will never budge anyway." She shook her head. Her father will surely be pissed after all this but at least he would be alive. "Once Kenny's back with the others and you finish up in the forest, we'll make a confrontation."
"Lily, about Naruto..."
Lee wasn't sure what to ask but she understood anyway. It was no wonder considering her soft spot for the boy. Naruto's quiet sincerity has won many people over. "If I hear anything happen inside, Naruto or not, I'll gun the place down. You can count on that."
"Thank you."
"Yeah, just make sure you do... it."
"That's right, Lee. You'll know what to do later, right?" Kenny looked at him seriously with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. "I know you've never done this before but this is for our safety— for our children's safety."
He doesn't say it then but he has done it before, a secret kept between him and Carley. But Lee's conscience demands a confession or at the very least, a confirmation. He's not about to have the blood of an innocent man stain his hands. Shaking his head to remove dark thoughts, he focused his attention on their path, memorizing landmarks and trees to not get lost later. He tried not to look at the back of the man in front of him or noticed how the gun in his hands felt significantly heavier by the second.
Eventually, they arrived at a clearing. It was a relatively small camp and looked nothing like what he imagined. Danny was adamant about it belonging to the bandits however so he humoured the man and joined him to search the place anyway. There were boxes from Save Lots just as expected and a few more from the farm. "Find anything worth taking?"
"None." He lies, secretly pocketing a video camera before heading to the tent. His eyes were immediately drawn to a bloody stuffed bunny toy. It lay on top of a kid's pink sleeping bag with a picture of a woman and her daughter. There's a story here and he definitely doesn't like it. The people who live here aren't bandits obviously but the boxes says otherwise. It really made Lee wonder how all this fit together.
Spoting a small bump slightly covered by a sheet, Lee reached for it only for the mystery to deepen further. What was Clementine's hat doing here?
"Don't you fucking move!"
His hands were immediately on his gun and he swerved to see a woman. Instincts tell him that they outnumber her and that a chance of them being ambushed was minimal considering the size of the camp. A single pull of a trigger is all it would take. But based on his findings, Lee knew that behind the crazed look on the woman's eyes that there must be a hint of good there somewhere. A sanity beyond the reach of tradegy. "Put your guns down! I ain't going back. You tell 'em Jolene ain't going back!"
"Hey, we had a deal! No shooting us as long as we give you food! What the fuck happened?"
Jolene looked ticked off. There's something about what Dan said that infuriated the woman. "You had a deal with them! I ain't them." She cackled maniacally with a look in her eyes that seem to share a secret. "I know you. I know what you are, I know what you do."
Dan's eyes widened at the accusation and the way he looked at Lee anxiously sealed the deal. That was a confirmation if Lee ever saw one.
"Let's just kill her, Lee. This old bat's spouting-"
"The truth, right?"
Danny froze, eyes wide at the sight of Lee's barrel pointing at him. Jolene obviously caught on because she was laughing hysterically a second later, her crossbow trailed on his companion. "Well, well, well... how the tables have turned!"
The man's hand shook, conflicted as to who to point his gun between the two. "I don't know what you're talking about! What are you doing, Lee?"
"I'm sorry, Danny. But I'd rather not be dinner tonight."
Lee heard the man's breath hitch and saw his gun being swerved on him. He was a step ahead however and instinctively pulled the trigger, shooting the man on the side and causing his firearm to drop.
"Tsk! You sonava... GAH!"
An arrow buried on his right arm and Lee followed up with a kick on the man's chest sending him to a nearby tree. Danny didn't even had the chance to recover when a heel buried on his gunshot wound causing him to cry out. Lee didn't look up as the woman approached, kicking away the fallen rifle as she did.
"A've always wanted to do that..." Her words dripped with satisfaction and he wondered if she had lost people to the sickening family. As though hearing his silent question, she clarified. "Them family's the one keepin' those men alive. With you gone.."
She cocked another arrow and Lee reluctantly intervened, still keeping his eye on the groaning man. "Now, now, Jolene, there's no need to-"
"What? You keepin' him alive? Bullshit."
"Ha!" The man beneath his feet howled before being reduced to a coughing fit. The action caused blood to run down his chin. "The woman's got more balls than you, Lee! This is how the world works now. She understands... and so does that dead kid."
Lee froze, gripping his rifle as hard as ice gripped his heart. "What the fuck did you say?"
He chuckled "Your boy knows his stuff. Nearly killed me, he did. Too bad momma's gonna cook him tonig-"
There was a gunshot followed by blood splatters all around their feet. Lee stared at the grotesque hole he made on the man's forehead and waited for the regret and the guilt, just like before.
It did not come.
"Tch. Serves 'im right." The voice put him out of his stupor. He's almost forgotten about the woman.
"Jolene, right?"
"That's right. And don' act buddy buddy with me. Jus' cus we killed that fucker doesn' mean we're pals." Jolene trailed her crossbow at him to prove a point and while this would normally alert the man, he didn't raise his rifle. He doesn't feel like he has any more strength to do so. The man feels so drained, he just wants the day to be over.
"First of all, I'm not with the bandits and neither am I friends with the St. Johns, as you can see. Secondly, I don't know what happened to you but that girl you stole this hat from is NOT your daughter."
"The hell she ain't! She's my daughter and I'm bringing her back to me!"
He sighed. This feels like a conversation with one of his more troublesome students in the past. "I'm sorry, Jolene. I don't know how to help you."
"You took her! You took her away and I'll take her back-!" Mad rantings he didn't bother to listen to continued. He didn't have time for this. Thankfully, the woman seemed to have been expending as much energy as words because the crossbow is now lowered. All it took was a swift grip on her dominant hand to make her defenceless. "NO! Don't touch me!"
"SHE'S DEAD!" Jolene jumped at the volume and the words, staring in shock as Lee glowered at her face, howling his frustrations. "THAT LITTLE GIRL IS NOT YOUR DAUGHTER BECAUSE YOUR DAUGHTER IS DEAD!"
He paused at the too glassy look in her eyes.
It started with a sniffle before she finally broke down. The woman screamed and punched the ground and bawled her eyes out on the ground, like a child. After reluctantly releasing her wrist, he watched her until her hands bled and tears and mucus can no longer be told apart. When she didn't look to be finishing soon, he took action and rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down. Jumbled, almost incomprehensible, words follow. She talked about the bandits. She talked about how they were raped. She talked about her 9 year old daughter and how she was taken by the men and away from her and to the forest only to never return.
She tells him about how they exchange women and young boys for food and how she could still be alive on some sick bandit base somewhere.
Lee did nothing but unconsciously nod and rub her back while taking note of the bandit locations that she knows. The sooner she tells him everything she knows, the sooner he could return to Naruto. Something is telling him these bandits would be a problem in the future.
...
When Naruto came to, it felt like he was treading in between the waking and the sleeping world. He was capable of thought but everything felt and looked just as bleary as his memories. All he registered were the too bright lights and the uncomfortably wet tiles he was lying on. There was a groan at his side and he perked up at the thought of company— only to freeze.
It was a tied up Mr. Parker or at least it used to be. Its milky eyes stared blankly at his direction, rabid animal like groans coming out of his mouth. The wetness of the floor that was now also covering Naruto's form was from the man's amputated, bandaged legs. They seem to have tried to keep him alive and Naruto wasn't sure whether Parker was lucky he died early or not.
The blonde tried to move away quietly but the action was proven impossible because his arms and legs were bound. It was only then that his memories resurfaced, causing him to panic. I have to get out of here.
But first he has to free himself. The ropes binding his wrists however were tight so there were no options to simply slip one of his hands out. He needed to cut them.
The kunai from his sleeve was taken, he noticed but that wasn't his only one. He felt for another kunai at the back of his waist band and two others from both ankles and cursed when he felt none. If only he had access to his hands, he should at least be able to defend himself or cast a jutsu or two.
His eyes survey the room to find something to cut the ropes with.
It appears to be a bathroom of some kind and he rolled to a seiza position to find a door behind him. What took him by surprise were two other people in the room— Mark and Travis on the bath tub, both unconscious and bounded but appears to be unharmed. His eyes finally caught what appears to be a brown glass bottle peaking at the edge of the sink. Applying what weight he could to his elbows and upper body, he raised his bounded legs to toople it over. The drugs still in his system made the act of balancing his body almost an impossibility. It took more than a few tries but it eventually fell and shattered into pieces, spilling its contents— chloroform, unto the floor.
Moving towards it, he reaches for the biggest and sharpest shard and proceeded to cut, ignoring broken glasses jutting on his tailbone. Unfortunately, the crash must've been loud because hurried steps on the floorboards followed. His fingers desperately pushed back and forth until they bled but were making very little progress on the thick ropes.
A noise similar to something being pushed aside reverberated outside the door before it finally opened.
"Well ain't this a surprise, I wasn't expecting it be you. The drugs were supposed to last for a couple more hours." Brenda sneered as he tried to hide his actions. His urgency doubled at the sight of a saw hanging lazily on the woman's fingers. She smiled when she saw where his eyes were but was momentarily surprised at something behind him. Her voice seemed to be agitating the turned Mr. Parker. "Oh dear, what a waste. I was hopin' to take his arms next but he's already tainted at this point, oh well..."
Her eyes returned to him, her smile widening. "I was thinkin' the Mark fellow could be next but you just made my decision for me."
Naruto tried to back away but quickly lost space at the realization of a turned Parker behind him. Lessons from Jiraiya resurfaced as he struggled to hatch a plan and set his hands free but he needs more time. "Why? Why do this?"
That stopped the woman in her tracks, a look of clear confusion on her face. "Why? Why else would you do anything during times like these? For survival, of course!"
"Sacrifice yourselves so that others may live. This is how the world works now!" The woman loomed over his form and he readily lied on the floor in an act of surrender, praying for his plan to work. She smiled at this, her body moving forward and almost on top of him. "Looks like you know how to be obedient, after all! Now, if you be a good boy, I might even give you some anaesthe-"
Once close enough, he pushed her with bent legs and kicked her over his head— and unto Mr. Parker.
"GAH—! NO! AHHHH—!" As much as he wanted to, he didn't stay to watch, and simply darted to the fallen saw. It was much more awkward because of the size and the freedom his hands were working with but it proved to be sharper than the glass.
Meanwhile, the woman was wailing at the back, clutching her bloody shoulder that was clearly missing a big chunk. With Mr. Parker tied up, it was easy for her to escape but not without any damage. "No... ha ha... no, this can't be real- a bite? A bite... I'm bitten... I'm BITTEN!"
Crawling outside, Naruto left the small room while carrying the saw to gain some distance from the hyperventilating woman. Judging by the double bed, the outside appears to be a bedroom. Someone hastily opened the front door downstairs and Naruto cursed his luck. As expected, it was a grim faced Andy carrying his rifle. He froze at the sight of the blonde but was put off by his mother's wailing. "Momma, what—?"
"I'm BIT! I HAVE A BITE!" She wailed hysterically at his frozen son. "Help me, Andy! I'm going to die... I'm going to DIE!"
Andy's eyes trailed to Mr. Parker chewing his mother's flesh like a gum, then to her bite before finally turning to him. His voice sounded like it's laced with venom. "It's you, isn't it?"
He was too focused on freeing himself to respond. The blade finally went through the thick rope and he quickly went to work with his ankles-
BANG
It sent him backwards, his hand instantly reaching for his bloody right arm, hissing at the pain and catching his breath. Thoughts of escape were all replaced by the burning sensation. His arm felt like it was on fire and his body far too warm like he was covered with several layers of blankets he couldn't move. Naruto has never felt anything like this before.
Being hit by thrown kunais and shurikens is painful but they were rarely deep and are always clean. But this... this was excruciating. He can easily tell that he broke his humerus and his soft tissues were completely destroyed— like a small bomb imploded inside his arm.
A shadow towered over him and he saw Andy with Brenda behind him. The woman still had a maniacal look in her eyes but seemed to have settled to applying the rest of her energy on him. "You... this is all your FAULT!"
Before the boy could do anything, Andy was unto him, pinning him down while Brenda handled his legs. The sight of the saw in her hands caused him to struggle and scream as much as he can. Someone from outside needs to come. They should hear-
The saw made contact.
Naruto let out an ear splitting scream. It moved back and forth, Brenda applying as much pressure as she can, grinning as she did so. Andy watched overhead, his eyes dripping with grim satisfaction. Besides his voice, all he could hear were the gruesome sounds coming from his left leg and the beating of his own heart. By the time it has reached his bone, he has screamed his vocal chords raw.
Tears ran down his face and he was sure he was going to pass out if not for the torture. If the day hasn't exhausted him, his screaming certainly did. The others will certainly know of this but they will be too late to save his leg if not his life.
"Weak."
For a moment, Naruto was convinced he was hallucinating— until he saw red.
At first, it was a light shade of the color. Andy looked shocked for some reason but he didn't care because the burly arms pinning his arms were no more and he meant that literally because the man's arms were suddenly in the air, coating the ceiling a pretty red. The man followed his limbs a moment later. The woman dropped the saw as well but she was too late.
Naruto already has her in his clutches, her horrified expression has been the best thing he's seen all day. He was acting on instinct alone now, with no thought process at all. All that mattered was that the woman tried to kill them. It only made sense for him to return the favour.
A darker shade of red sprung forth.
...
The first warning Lily had was a high-pitched screeching that sounded like Brenda coming from the house. Before she could take action however, Andy was on the move, beating her to the front door. "Andy! Wait!"
The man ignored her calls and closed the door behind him, leaving her anxious and indecisive. There were two of them and only one of her but her promised to Lee drove her forward. With a handgun in on hand, she took the doorknob only to find it locked. When slamming the door with her body didn't work, she resulted to shooting it open which proved to be useless.
There was a gunshot inside and her blood ran cold. She has to get inside now.
She didn't know how to pick locks, nor does the house have any other doors... But they have windows.
She spotted the closest window and reached it only to find it locked. With quick movements, she shot the glass, slipped her arm to unlock it and jumped inside. She could hear the confused and enraged voice of her father outside but decided to deal with him later.
She sprinted to the staircase, taking two steps at a time while holding her handgun, expecting a fight. Only to find it finished.
Bile rose from her throat at the sight and the smell until she eventually couldn't stop her breakfast from spilling out. It was a murder scene. No, it wouldn't even be enough to describe it as a mere murder scene. Blood, limbs, innards and bones were scattered everywhere and not a part of the bedroom was spared by the blood. Dyed red clothes were the only clues she has to ever identifying who these people were. Plural because while she was no doctor, she refused to believe that one person has this much blood.
Once she finished heaving, she forced herself to settle and investigate. While she would much rather be in any place else, it's still her responsibility to make sure of their group members' safety.
Her footsteps were silent as she crossed the room and she prayed to never meet whatever caused this. Her investigation eventually led her to a bathroom. The thing she sees first is a Walker— It's Mr. Parker with a crushed forehead. Him turning into a Walker was less of a shock compared to his amputated legs but if what Lee said were true then she has her suspicions on where they may be.
Moving the shower curtains revealed to her the first good thing she's seen today— It was Mark and Travis. It took a bit of time but when she finally set them free, it was to her relief that both were unharmed. At least she now knows what happened to three of their four people in the house. All that's left now is Naruto.
While thinking of how to bring the two out, she hears a scuffle that automatically led her hands to her gun. With the small size of the wrecked bedroom, it was easy to discern that there was nobody else there despite swearing that the noise came from here. She checked two smaller bedrooms from the other side of the house just to be sure but found nothing suspicious. Another clutter and she quickly returned only to notice the closet close.
If her suspicions on who the two who died in the room were true, then the only one left is Naruto. But why would he be so afraid of her? She gently knocked twice on the wardrobe door and received a harsh thud inside. With the gentlest voice she can, she asked. "Naruto? Are you there?"
No response.
She can, of course just open the door since closet doors has no locks but the boy doesn't seem to want anyone at the moment. Still, she had to try. "Naruto, knock once if it's okay for me to open this. Twice if not."
She waited impatiently. After a minute with still no response, she sighed. "I'm going to open the door now, Naruto."
She did so gently so as to not startle the obviously traumatised boy. There were dresses and coats in hangers but the one she focused on is the boy making himself as little as possible in the corner. His back was turned to her but it was obvious he was there when the carnage happened. His once bright orange hoody was now dyed red, making it hard to tell if he had any injuries and his normally spiky hair flattened a bit at the dark liquid dripping on its locks. His shoulders were shaking and while she feels the need to comfort the boy, she also knew of his obsession with knives so she refrained from touching him in the meantime.
"Hey there Ruto, it must've been hard. Are you hurt? Do you want me to do anything for you?"
After a while, he finally spoke in a strained, quiet voice. "...lee."
She left him alone, after that.
A few minutes later, Kenny with the rest of their able bodied members arrived, followed by Lee shortly after. Explanations and grief spread to the group, especially at the sight of the bloodbath. It took a while but a grim faced Lee finally went downstairs, carrying little Naruto who appeared as small as ever, wearing his hood over his head. He explains that he's bandaged the boy's injuries but will definitely need Katjaa after this.
They go back to the motor inn, Lily watching the man's back and recalling how the blonde boy whispered nothing but his name.
Not knowing that it will be the last time she will ever hear from him for the next few weeks.
...
During his unconscious, the first thing Naruto registered was the wetness of the floor and the darkness of the large room.
Everything was red. It was in the color of the sewer water pooling around him, it was in the color of the bars that protruded to the impossibly high ceiling, and they were the color of the ginormous slit eyes behind those same bars.
"Hello, boy." Greeted a deep, amused voice from behind the cellar. "Liked my gift?"
He let out a staggered breath. It was only then that he realized why that voice from before sounded so familiar.
"Kyuubi..."
AN: A bit of a word vomit and oh hey lotsa action, hope this is ok.
Also irl, after two more dead relatives after the last chap and a very smart (very smART) nephew gambled away his college tuition fees that he did not earn, I'm happy to say that I'm okay now. Doing a jobhunt tho. Wish me luck.