Jack swung the door open to his house just hearing the familiar creaking sound gave him chills. Like most of the houses on the street his was untouched, so it was like walking into a time machine and seeing the photos on the walls, clean rugs, almost everything the way it was. Jack took a step in and he reached for the light switch then chuckled too himself as he almost flipped it on. He walked inside the living room seeing the couches and table covered in dust, the air was musky but he could pick up faint traces of what the house used to smell like. He begun to climb the stairs and slowly swung open the main bedroom door with a knot in his stomach as he saw the made bed. His first stop was actually the bathroom. He looked at the two sinks on the counter and ran his fingers over the familiar items he once used.
Jack's eyes fell on Karen's antique comb that her grand mother used. It was a family heirloom ever since and he picked it up seeing the mirror reflection of his stubby face and the amount of dirt on it. Jack then looked behind the comb and picked up a bottle of perfume then brought it up too his nose. Sakura, Karen always used it when she would be going to work, they went to Japan once and both Jack and Karen fell in love with the smell of a cherry blossom that Karen just kept a perfume bottle of it. He opened his eyes to let out a long exhale.
A noise behind him caused him to bring up his M4 and level it only to begin laughing.
Jack lowered his gun as the family cat Tigger. The orange and brown tabby meowed as if greeting a long forgotten friend. During the i ritual break out Karen was supposed to grab the three year old cat but it looks to Jack that the indoor outside cat did pretty well surviving. Jack reached out to the house cat and it purred in delight as he began to scratch behind the cat's ear.
After a while Jack was finished packing and making his way too the door with Tigger in his cat carrier, a duffle bag and a back pack. He began to walk out the front door and stopped when a shotgun was placed on his neck and he saw a blonde woman in a sheriff uniform pointing a gun at Carter's head while he and the others were on their knees, "Don't move."
Jack looked at the two and he spotted a man standing in slacks and a button up shirt shaking as he aimed his gun at the trio before him, "Listen-."
"Shut up and answer this question," the voice said and Jack thought he recognized it. "The hell were you doing in my friend's house?"
"That's my house," Jack's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the armored man with a smirk forming. "And I am sure you wouldn't feel right putting a slug in your friend's neck, Andre."
"Holy shit," the shotgun instantly went down and the armored man pushed up his face mask. "Jack."
"How are you Andre," Jack chuckled as he put down the cat carrier and duffle bag. He reached out and clasped Andre's hand bringing him into a hug. "Jesus you scared the shit out of me."
"And you made me regret not boarding the place up," Andre said breaking the embrace to signal the two too stand down. "Jesus man you are looking good."
"Yeah would say the same too you but it seems you lost weight," Jack laughed watching his trio get up. "So what happened, I thought you were coming to meet us at Woodbury."
Andre looked down and he sighed, "I was until I ran into Diane trying to maintain a group of forty people."
"Forty," Jack whistled. "Where are you guys set up?"
"Old power plant," Andre pointed off in a direction. "Already had the fences, we just fortified it. Cmon, we got a lot to check up on."
Jack nodded and he signaled his people to get into the Jeep. After a silent right out to the power station Jack saw that they were defiantly standing tall from any Walker force coming their way. The moment Jack got past the fences he saw inside was a different matter. Only four maybe five people were actually manning the walls, the inside of the camp looked terrible, mostly children and young teenagers Jack instantly wanted to take them all back to Woodbury. They pulled off to a set of suv's and Jack instantly saw why it was hell, the Mayor was here. Mayor Stan West, a major fuck up in the political field that ended up costing the jobs of one forth the police in Atlanta. The man sat happily in a tent while everyone else was lingering about in sleeping bags. Jack clicked his teeth and looked at Andre as they got out, "I am not talking to that man."
"You don't have too," Andre walked over too a group of three. He introduced them to Jack and his group having Jack get the names to faces. He remembered Diane was highway patrol, Gerald is the shaky man that was on the group with Andre. Lucia, fairly attractive mid twenties woman that was a botanist. Cletus the truck driver, and Clifton the insurance broker. "These are the only people I really ask for help because the rest are gathered around the Mayor's dick."
"The mayor uses the few remaining state troopers to get what he wants and keeps spouting off things like," Diane cleared her throat. "We are the survivors of hard times, we must sacrifice to gain. In truth he is just justifying the starvation of the people and the lack of protection."
"So in other words we are stuck here protecting a fat man that doesn't do shit," Lucia said and Cletus chuckled.
"Well you guys are always welcome in Woodbury," Jack started but Andre shook his head.
"We can't leave people behind who can't protect themselves Jack you remember that," Andre glared at the Tent. "We will try our best to lure people away from him and prepare for a coup to get us and the civis out but, like I said, Diane and I can't leave them."
"Alright," Jack frowned disappointed but glad Andre hasn't changed. "Sara misses you."
"Glad to hear my god daughter is ok," Andre smiled. He seemed to be really tired and people seemed rather nervous around with the four new armed strangers. "Listen Jack I think it was a mistake bringing you guys here, we should get you guys on the road."
"Yeah," Jack saw two of the state troopers arming themselves and he motioned for the others to get into the vehicle. "You be safe and the moment something happens get your ass over to Woodbury."
"Right be careful," Andre patted the hood and Jack left, quickly.
"So that was Andre," Carter said chewing on a toothpick. They currently sat outside of Macon's town district in the middle of the night. Both Sandy and Cyrus were both asleep. Carter was now sporting a cotton flannel shirt be liberated from a van. "He seems different from your tale."
"Yeah well Andre wasn't always the high speed goof," Jack smiled sitting on the ledge of the back of an 18 wheeler. "I guess he has changed just like I have."
"We all have dawg," Carter smiled punching Jack's arm. "It's just that some of us have changed for either the worst or the better. Me, I believe I have changed for the better, I mean when I was living the Olympic life it was nonstop, and it started to show on my public life, if this didn't happen I would be eating a bullet at the end of a bottle, I mean this end of the world thing, gave me a purpose, to survive, release a tell all at the end of this on how much it took to survive too the end."
"That is your end goal," Jack snickered. "To write a book?"
"Yeah man," Carter chuckled. "Be the first book to be published after the shit gets back, "Adventures of Carter, co staring Jack the Wanderer."
"Really," Jack chuckled. The two began too laugh and he looked up at the stars. "With the skyline out I finally get too see beauty."
"Man what are you," Carter sneered as he looked up. "Glass is half full right now?"
"Maybe three fourths," Jack chuckled when he patted Carter's chest. "Ready for Macon?"
"What are we doing there anyways," Carter looked at the others.
"Going too see if my old man is still kicking," Jack doubted it but right now Carter said it right, he was glass is half full. "Old Ranger probably is smashing the heads in with his Springfield."
"Vet," Carter asked. Jack nodded. "Shit man aight, my father was this bad ass marine from Korea and Vietnam, cancer finally got him but he still could bust skulls."
"Yeah old men are tough like that," Jack nodded. "My father actually beat down a mugger once before with his combat boot. He pushed my dad onto the ground and this was when he was like thirty. The man jumps up and boot in hand, brings down this rotting old boot connecting the steel heel intoi the muggers jaw, next hit broke his zygomatic bone, then the man's nose. City police had too pull him off of the mugger."
Jack smiled and the two chuckled through the night telling stories. The night went quick but Jack liked it, Carter was a good kid too keep you company, and he was glad he decided to come along, gave Jack a chance too bond with him.