Eric sat in the small picnic area outside of the main building. Most of the people who inhabited the shelter just ate in their tents. Eric and Andre lived in their own rooms inside the building, as per request of Bear. Eric would ask Bear how he managed to get such a huge group of people together in such a short amount of time, and Bear would just shrug and say it was too long of an explanation.
"Man, where is that kid?"
Eric had been waiting on Andre for 10 minutes now. Usually he was outside and eating by now.
It had been 8 days since Eric and Andre had show up and found Bear. In that time, Eric learned more than he did in 9 months of school. What Markus had told him was right. Not only will you turn into a walker of you get bit by one, but if you die at all from anything, you come back as one of them no matter what.
The lot had been split up into different groups, "squadrons," who each specialized in something different. One group was the butchers and cooks, the people who organized the food into rations and prepared it for serving.
Another group was known as scouts. People who ran out into the city, tried to find supplies, or other survivors in need, and bring them back. Eric met the one who watched as Eric and Andre were taken. Her name was Brenda.
"I wanted to do something. Really, I did. But there was only one of me, and there was a whole van full of them. There wasn't anything I could-"
"It's fine. You don't need to apologize." Eric interrupted. "But I am curious about something."
"Sure?"
"Why did you come back here to get help? You could have just paid no mind and been on your way. Why did you help us?"
She thought for a moment. "I saw the little boy with you. I didn't want you to somehow lose him like I lost-"
She choked up, and paused for a second.
"I lost my friend. My best friend. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I just found him as one of those things at his house."
"I'm sorry. What was his name?"
Brenda was clearly trying to fight tears. "Thomas. His name was Thomas."
Eric looked at her sympathetically. "I lost a friend too. I didnt ever know him too well, but that didn't keep him from dying so that me and my brother could escape. He saved us."
Brenda put a hand on his shoulder. "That's why I do this. People have died, put their lives on the line for us. We can't just give up. For them."
Eric remembered the conversation fondly.
For them.
The words would echo in his mind whenever he felt overwhelmed by anything.
The biggest group on the lot were the soldiers. The people who went out and got their hands dirty, the people who went and pulled Eric and Andre out of the warehouse.
Eric was working with them on his fighting technique. He still wasn't perfect with it, but he felt he knew enough to get out of a scrap if he needed to. He had also been working with Bear on his shooting. Eric's aim was pretty good, because his dad would take him to the range when he was younger. He felt like he was pretty good shot, but a little practice never hurt anyone, right?
It felt like hours, but Andre finally walked out of the main hall with a plate of food. Rice and mashed potatoes. He did his little waddle over to the table to where Eric was plunked and sat down.
"Eric, how much longer?" Andre asked.
Eric looked up from his plate and at Andre.
"How much longer what, little dude?"
"Do we have to stay here? I thought mom and dad were in Georgia?"
Eric looked down at his plate, feeling guilty. He had told Andre that mom and dad were in Georgia and were waiting on them, to make Andre feel better. But the truth was, their dad was most likely a walker in Flordia by now, and their mother was God knows where. Most likely dead as well.
"Just until we have what we need to leave. You think we're gonna just stroll across an entire state with what's going on out there? We need a vehicle. We need weapons, food. Enough to last us for the trip. That's just how it is until the army comes through."
"I dont get it. Why has no one killed the monsters and saved us yet?"
Eric just kinda shrugged as he took a bite. "I don't know. Maybe they never will."
He looked up at Andre. Andre had a tear rolling down his cheek.
"Hey, hey, everything is going to be fine, okay? Even if they never do, we'll be on our way to go see mom and dad soon. Everything is gonna be okay."
Andre nodded and wiped his tear away. Then continued to eat.
15 minutes later, Eric and Andre were still eating when Bear came up to the table.
"Eric, you see that group of soldiers over there?"
Eric looked over to where Bear was pointing, and saw that a group of the soldiers were entering a truck. Most likely headed off to an assignment.
"Yeah, I do."
"They're going off to look into an old cabin out in the middle of the woods. One of our scouts says they saw Devs taking people there."
"I'm sorry, Devs?" Eric asked.
"Slang some of our scouts came up with. Short for devils. White devils. Anyway, they want you to go with them this time. Your first assignment. What do you say?"
Eric looked back at the truck to see all the people loaded in it were looking off into his direction, as if waiting for him.
"Yeah. Sure."
"Good. You'll need these." Bear gave him a pistol. "I would have given you something better, but our arsenal is getting pretty short. Scouts haven't been able to trip onto any guns for a while."
Bear then handed Eric a walkie talkie.
"This is how we communicate with people who are out on assignment, and how people on assignment communicate with each other. Keep it on channel 11."
Eric nodded, then took the clip on the walkie talkie and attached it to his belt.
"Good luck."
Eric looked down at Andre. "Behave while I'm gone. Do whatever Bear tells you to do, got it?"
Andre nodded, a worried expression on his face.
Eric smiled at him.
"I'll be back before you know it, alright little dude?"
Andre nodded again.
Eric turned around and walked toward the truck.
"Passenger seat is all yours." Someone in the back told him.
Eric circled the cab of the truck and got into the passenger seat. Luckily, Eric knew everyone in the cab.
The driver was Derek, the same driver who drove Eric and Andre away from the warehouse. No one quite knew a vehicle like he did.
The person directly behind Eric in the backseat was Bryan. He wasn't the smartest person in the group, but damn if he couldn't shoot a target perfectly from many yards away with his eyes closed. He was like a wild west apocalypse sharpshooter.
The person next to Bryan was Jason. Jason was a bit older then everyone else in the cab, in his late 20s. He was a doctor in Kansas City before everything happened. If anyone needed a medic on the battlefield, he would be there.
Derek started the truck, and the group rolled off onto the dirt road from the lot. Another truck filled with men and women prepping for a fight followed close behind.
"So what do you guys think is going on at this cabin?" Bryan asked from the backseat.
"Devs have been taking people from the city and stashing them there. Who knows what else?" Derek said.
"Maybe there's a family who lives there who secretly eat people, so the Devs take people their to satisfy their hunger." Jason joked.
"Shut the fuck up, man that shit is nasty. I wouldn't eat anybody end of the world or not." Derek said.
"I dont think anybody could be THAT far gone. Who would eat another human being?" Eric said.
"I got an idea. How about we play the damn quiet game. Ya'll grossing me out." Derek said. Everyone complied and stayed silent.
The truck moved along bumps in the road, the one behind them doing their best to keep up.
About a half hour passed when the driver from the other truck came on the radio. "Yo man, that it up there?" Both trucks were passing slowly in front of a big mountain. Eric looked up a little ways, and, sure enough, there was a large wood log cabin towards the middle of a mountain, with a little dirt road leading from the road they were driving on to the cabin.
"Yeah, that's it. I see Dev trucks in front of it." Derek spoke back into his radio.
The other driver talked back, in a nervous voice.
"Alright man.. we should probably go on foot from here."
Eric and all the boys in the cab got out of the truck, slowly closing the doors behind them, trying not to cause too much noise.
"Alright guys." Derek began. "This is it. Stay low, make minimal noise. Let's keep this on the down low. If things get loud, we move quickly, and we do what we gotta do. Understand?"
Everyone nodded in unison.
"Let's go."
Everyone got into small lines and began to creep up towards the hill.
There were lights on inside, and vehicles parked outside, but no one was standing outside, as far as Eric could see. Soon, everyone was up close to the entrance to the cabin. Derek walked up to the steps that led to the door. "Eric, Craig. On me."
Craig was a soldier from the other group that followed them. Eric hadn't talked to Craig, but he had seen him in the training ring. He could definitely handle himself.
Both Eric and Craig got on Derek's sides, and closed on together. "Ready?" Derek asked.
Eric and Craig nodded.
Derek faced the door. He did a brisk walk to it and tried the knob.
"God dammit. Locked. Guess we're doing this the loud way." Derek faced the door and kicked it open.
Derek rushed in, Eric and Craig close on his heels on either side, all had their guns up, ready to shoot anything that made a move.
Empty. It was a large room with a fireplace, which was lit.
"Someone's gotta be here, let's-"
Something exploded through the window. A gunshot. People outside were shooting in at them.
"Shit! Get behind something!"
Derek got behind the dining table facing the window the shot came from, while Craig and Eric flipped over one of the sofas and got behind it. Shots came in from more windows. Eric could hear the team outside shouting and running for cover.
"What the hell do we do?" Craig shouted over the gunfire.
"The guys outside got this, we need to get downstairs and fi-"
Derek was interrupted by someone pulling him from out from his cover spot. Someone was in the room they didn't see. He then got on top of Derek and pulled a knife. Derek managed to catch his attackers hands before he plunged the knife into his chest. They were struggling with each other.
"Shit!"
Eric pulled his pistol from his hip and pointed it at the man.
Line it up... close... almost there... hang in there Derek... BANG!
Eric shot his gun. The bullet landed straight in the head of Derek's attacker. Derek pushed the man off of him as he fell limp to the floor.
"Holy shit. Good shot!" Craig said.
"Craig, on me, we need to get outside and help the others. Eric, you go down into the basement and find the hostages. If theyre still there."
Eric nodded at Derek and they split up. Eric kept his gun drawn in case there was more trouble. The stairs leading downward led to a single wooden door with a lock on it.
He walked up to the door with his gun out, and slowly pulled the lock. Once the door was unlocked, he slowly opened it.
The first thing he saw was the large room, with cages lined up on either side, both filled with people. Some alive, some dead. Shot in the head, most likely to prevent turning.
But the second thing he noticed, is that right in front of the door, a few feet away, there was a dead Dev lying on the floor. And there was a girl kneeled down, leaning over him. Looting his body for supplies.
Eric took a step towards the woman, and the wooden plank beneath him creaked. The woman became startled, immediately turned around and drew a gun on Eric. Eric held up his pointed at her as well.
"Relax, lady. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to save you. I'm with-" he stopped.
He got a good look at the woman. Blonde hair. White skin. The most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. He could recognize them anywhere.
He lowered his gun, and she lowered hers as well.
"Oh my god." She said.
Eric could barely stammer out what he said.
"A... Am... Amelia?"