The dead city of Boondocks seemed to be getting more irritated as time went on. More things would crash, break and even fall apart. Isabelle traversed these areas with utmost caution as she passed through. She took Mayors flashlight and looked around for food supplies. It had been two days since Mayor was stabbed through and knocked out from shock. Since then Isabelle had trained herself little with his pistol even taking and using his more well prepared bag. She left her bag with Mayor in a building office behind a locked door. "Come on, you can't be picked clean." Isabelle gripped to herself. This is the first time she found herself actually complaining about something. She had found herself in a supermarket with two floors on the second floor looking for any kind of canned products. So far Isabelle had acquired from this hunt two cans of beans green and mexican as well as some evaporated milk with a what looked to be an expiration date that ends in 3 months.
"Dangit!" Isabelle said. She couldn't find any more cans. It was mostly just rotten bread and spoiled milk now. "I guess I should be appreciative of what I found in this place as it is." She said looking slightly disappointed. Isabelle sighed and stood from her crouch when she was checking the bottom shelf. As she started to leave the building Isabelle pulled the pistol out of the waist of her pants and took a look at it. She still had no idea how to get it to shoot. She let the chamber out to see if there was something obstructing the barrel but nothing. She tried recovering thought on how Mayor did it. She only saw him loading it or what she could remember. Something about the pointed back piece though stuck out. It seemed to just stick out. Like it was meant for more.
Isabelle pulled back on the pointed piece and it clicked, rotating the chamber. She looked at it in wonder. She may have just discovered how to shoot it. She opened the chamber and pulled the trigger so it couldn't do anything. It clicked and the piece went in like a hammer. It was then she remembered. Mayor had once described his pistol to her back in town about half a year ago. "These are the pieces. The barrel," He started to point at the places on the gun when he spoke about them. "The body, The chamber, the handle, the stock and finally the hammer but only revolvers show their hammers." Mayor had said pointing to the back pointed piece. Isabelle now knew how to shoot the gun and in the safety of things decided to just keep the barrel away from her at all times. She pushed the chamber back in and placed it in her pants back waist.
"I need to get back to those offices. It's starting to become noon." Isabelle said. She opened the doors to the giant store and left walking through the massive parking lot. A lot of empty dead cars lay there. No infected seemed to be anywhere in sight. They were most likely hiding for the moment. Isabelle took this opportunity and tried to jog as quickly as she could back to the offices. In the two days that Mayor has been unconscious Isabelle had encountered three clickers and a small group of infected only killing about six in total. She had some notches under her belt now but the way it went she worried this was making her a monster. She didn't realize how changing this adventure was to be. Isabelle was still the same however or at least she felt the same. She would occasionally test herself by thinking back to a happy memory of hers and smile at it to make sure she was still herself.
Isabelle was remembering the time Digby introduced her to New Leaf where he was going to work and she liked the place so much she eventually signed on to work as mayor Tortimer's secretary. Soon enough Tortimer left and Mayor came in to take his place. She smiled at the thought. Isabelle pulled out of her pocket a shiny rainbow shell that Mayor had found on the beach for her during his first week at New Leaf. Her eyes started to tear up as she remembered that the same man who did that is currently asleep from a wound that went completely through his body. She put the shell back in her pocket and continued. Isabelle heard a clanging from the alley next to her. She was close to the offices. Nothing was gonna stop her. She needed to continue. Leaving the sound Isabelle continued jogging again. She made it to a corner and saw two guys talking to each other by the entrance of the building. Before she accidently walked into view Isabelle quickly hid behind the corner.
"Who are these two?" Isabelle asked herself.
"I don't know, sir. Something is in there. Maybe it's alive." One man said.
"And you suspect this, why?" The other asked sarcastically.
"One of the doors that we checked last time we were here is now locked and barricaded." The first man said.
Isabelle wanted to step out and intervene but stopped herself feeling a presence on her shoulder. She looked behind her and nothing seemed to be there. Isabelle looked back at the two in wonder as to what the thing that touched her shoulder was. She started to think that maybe it was the Mayor's cautious influence of the outside starting to rub off on her.
"I don't know. Maybe some idiot biting off more than he chew went in there to die. If so let's go grab his supplies." The second one suggested. Isabelle's eyes widened with fear. Did they mean Mayors room. Were they going after him and their supplies. She couldn't take that chance. Isabelle crouched down and started to tail them as soon as they opened the door. She'd stay hidden behind corners and wait for them to move again. "This it?" The second man asked.
"Yes sir." The first one responded. The second man pointed at it and the first started to kick at the door. The first kick startled Isabelle and made her fall back with a thud. The second man turned and looked around the hallway.
"Keep doing that. I heard something." He said. The man started to carefully walk over to the door Isabelle was hidden behind. She quickly started scuttling around looking for something to use. She grabbed a brick that was laying in the room behind her. She crawled in and stood tall in the corner. Isabelle stood there waiting. The man stepped in and looked around for something completely missing Isabelle. Isabelle slowly stepped up behind him and practically threw the brick at the man's head. He fell over and dropped the weapon he had. Isabelle looked at the weapon. It was a two handed gun. She picked it up and looked down it's sights.
"Floyd? Bro, you ok?" The other man asked. The kicking had stopped and the sound of wood creaking was all that was left.
"Oh mod. He's in." Isabelle stood by the open door and looked around at the gun. Everything seemed about right. She looked around the edge of the door.
"Hey!" The man yelled seeing Isabelle peek out. Isabelle jumped behind a rock pillar that had fallen when the city fell. She sat against the pillar and waited. The man had started shooting at her. Bullets whizzed by like lightning and struck the pillar as well making a cracking and punching sound when hitting the rocks and walls. Eventually the bullets stopped. Isabelle looked over the pillar and saw the man reloading. She took a breath and jumped up aiming the gun. She shot at the man. Bullets flew by and through the man. He yelled and fell back bleeding. Isabelle's arms dropped but held the gun tightly. She was breathing heavily and slowly walked over to the man. She looked at his arm where a patch seemed to be. It had the outline of a skull of an ape on it.
"Who... Who are these guys?" Isabelle wondered. She didn't know. She had no time. If these guys were affiliated with any sort of post infection gang then they were going to be looked for soon and if they're found here like this with Isabelle and Mayor both in the building then they will be guaranteed a quick and painful death. She pat down the man in front of the door and found he was carrying some snacks and bullets for the guns him and the now knocked out man were carrying. Just remembering the knocked out man she walked into the room and looked around. A rope was in the closet of the room. She grabbed it and got a chair. She lifted the man on to the chair and tied him down. Finally taking a breath Isabelle went and grabbed Mayor. She pulled him up and over her shoulders. Mayor was heavy, no doubt about that but she had no choice but to move him.
Isabelle carried him downstairs and through the street. As she got halfway through she saw a group of two more jogging close to the building. She got behind a run down rusting car putting Mayor down by a door. He grunted a moment and even opened his eyes slightly before closing them and returning to his unconscious state. Isabelle peeked her head over the side of the car watching the two. One was a woman, one was a guy. "Come on, I swear I heard gun shots from over in Cormacks building." The man said.
"I swear Jenks if you're bullshitting me." The woman replied jogging behind him. They turned and went into the building not noticing Isabelle and Mayor.
Isabelle grabbed Mayor and pulled him up. She dragged him into the building across the street and put him down behind the lobby desk. She put a hand on his chest to make sure she knew where he was. She had no idea how many of those people there were and where they could possibly be. She kept her free hand a steady grip on the gun she had taken from the two wanderers. "I need to find a safe place." Isabelle grabbed Mayor and picked him up over her shoulder again. She brought him to the second floor and laid him down behind a desk again. Mayor grunted as he laid there. His face showed strain as if he was in his own fight, in the pain of his own.
While she had time she checked his wound patch. The patch was unstained at the top. She suspected the unconscious Mayor had stopped bleeding out and healed. She untaped the patch and looked at the wound. It started to heal but still looked strained. Isabelle applied some of the alcohol to the wound and a new patch was given. She placed it on Mayor and smiled as she finished. She was happy now noticing that maybe she did have a hand in her Mayors survival. "I hope you get better soon, sir. I need help here." Isabelle said.
"There!" A loud unknown voice said. Isabelle looked toward the voice and saw the woman. She started to shoot at Isabelle who ducked back down behind the desk. She started to look around erratically.
"Escape. Where can we escape?" Isabelle wondered as the bullets whizzed past her head. The wall next to the desk was busted and down but the space between her and the next desk was open making her fear that maybe there's another one waiting to shoot her there. She needed to see. Isabelle peeked past the wall and at the door to that room. She smiled at the door for it was empty. She stepped away from the desk hoping that soon she would distract the woman from Mayor. Isabelle pulled up her gun as she stepped over to the door bringing it up as she turned it's corner. She pulled the trigger blowing out the woman's leg. Isabelle grabbed her mouth with large eyes. She was surprised at what she just did. She knew she already killed someone but this was horrible to her. The woman screamed, still alive, in so much unbearable pain. Isabelle had no choice. She pulled the gun to the ladies head and pulled the trigger. The ladies head disappeared in a cloud of red mist. The screaming stopped and the body fell with a thud. Isabelle fell on to her knees and tried not to throw up. She dropped the gun and wrapped an arm around her stomach and the other hand around her mouth.
"Come on, Isabelle. You have to deal with this." Isabelle said to herself. Eventually she stopped feeling nauseous and just breathed heavily. Isabelle stood up with wobbly legs and stepped over to the desk. As soon as she turned around the desk the stock of a wooden gun hit her in the nose. Isabelle fell back and looked at the holder. It was the man who had entered the other building with the woman earlier.
"Look at that. A little doggie. I remember the first one I killed." He said. Isabelle scooted back as much as she could in a fear. Her nose bleeding, her eyes wide and in a pitiful state. "Say goodnight, young pup." Isabelle closed her eyes and shot went off. A thud hit the ground. Isabelle slowly opened her eyes. They stung from a sweat drop that had stopped on them while closed. The man laid dead on the ground with a look of surprise and fear on his face. She looked over at Mayor who sat there on the floor leaning against the desk with his pistol in his hand held up, his eyes open tiredly. Isabelle reached around her waist to see if she was still holding it but found nothing.
Isabelle got up and helped Mayor lean up. He grunted as he was moved forward. "Mayor! You're awake! Are you ok?" Isabelle asked.
"I'm fine. Here pick me up, please." Mayor said. Isabelle picked him up and let him try to stand. Mayors legs wobbled for a moment as he held on to the desk next to him. "Where's my sweater vest and shirt?" Mayor asked. Isabelle remembered she left it in the building across the street when she was in a hurry to bring him to this one.
"O-oh. That's in a different building. B-but I know what building it's in!" She said. Mayor looked down and stood normally. He sighed with relief as well noticing he still had his pants on too. "We can go and get it, sir but we need to keep moving." Isabelle said Mayor looked back at her and smiled. She started to talk like him in these kinds of situations then he stopped smiling.
"How long have I been out?" Mayor asked. Isabelle rubbed the tip of her foot against the ground.
"Uhm... two days, sir." Isabelle said. Mayors eyes widened and he rubbed them. He slowly responded.
"Two days, huh?" He asked. Isabelle nodded.
"Yes, sir." Isabelle said. Mayor stretched.
"Well then you're right. We need to get going before anything stops us again." Mayor said. "We'll pick up my shirt and vest before we continue though. I feel exposed without my vest." Mayor said with his eyes closed in embarrassment. Isabelle giggled and blushed.
Mayor walked with Isabelle out of the building. Mayor stepped past the bodies of the deceased uncaringly, still in his tired state. This made it clear to Isabelle Mayor needed some time to both fully wake up and recollect himself. Isabelle brought Mayor to the building she left his clothes in. They went in to the office and Mayor put his buttoned shirt on and tucked it in. He slid his sweater vest on and smiled a bit. He looked at Isabelle and his smile seemed to be more deep and caring than she's ever seen him use before. "Isabelle, I'm glad you were able to take care of yourself long enough for me to wake up. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you and by the looks of things you really needed the help." Mayor said. His smile faded when he said that.
"No!" Isabelle refuted with a surprised look. "It's fine really. It was rough but I understand. Plus it was kind of my fault for dropping you on a rusty piece of rebar." Isabelle said. Mayor's smile returned and he hugged her.
"I'm so glad you're ok." Mayor said. Isabelle was caught by surprise by the hug and slowly started to hug back a smile blooming on her face all the while.
"I'm glad you're ok as well, sir." Isabelle said in response. She tightened her grip around him. Mayor let go and Isabelle responded by letting go of him as well. "We should go. I saw a large rock structure just outside the city. I think it may be the checkpoint." She finished.
Mayor nodded. "Right. Let's go." Mayor said. He returned the pistol to his holster, clipping it down. Mayor and Isabelle left the building and started walking to the city limits. Mayor lead the two out and on to wooded path.
"Just think. We're almost done with this." Isabelle said.
"Almost makes me well up with joy." Mayor said with a chuckle. The two walked into the forest and up to the large rock like building. "Well. This is it." Mayor looked at Isabelle who pulled her gun up to her chest, looked at Mayor determined and nodded. Mayor turned his head and looked at the iron door. He tried to open it. Locked. "Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way." Mayor said. He lifted his foot and kicked the door with a strong impression.
