The Walking Dead Apocalypse
Reunions are essential now; otherwise it turns to the other cheek. Nobody can really understand now, but this world gives us the idea that a reunion is like an early Christmas present. That's how Mary felt once she reunited with Tristan for the first time, like he was wrapped up in a stocking. The second time Tristan reunited with Mary was a blessing, and things have changed since then. A reunion between two people is a romance, a reunion of an entire group is mandatory, especially during these times. She feared for a while that Tristan would never be seen by her eyes again, however a promise was given to her by Scott. She had no idea if someone like Scott was capable of keeping a promise like that, because after all, anything can go wrong. Scott managed to deliver that promise back to Mary, but it came with a price.
Bailey's group didn't take the news regarding Brandon's death well, especially David. He called out everybody from Tristan's group immediately when it came, and if Bailey and Matias didn't hold him back, things could've gotten ugly. Bailey's group are having mixed feelings about this new group entering their camp. If Karin wasn't still missing, then would have immediately been on their way; however Bailey being the righteous leader he is insisted they'd stay for a while, completely opposite of David's ideology. Considering Brandon's body was left behind, they had nothing to bury. Instead, a token funeral is now being held in the name of Brandon.
Bailey stood out in front of everyone, representing Brandon's legacy. "Brandon…he was one of us. Whenever someone needed compassion of some sort, he would use his humour to help us with it. Next to Matias, Brandon was the first person I met during the apocalypse, and I considered him a friend, and still do." Naomi began tearing up, while everyone else began to say their prayers. "He wanted to come with me to help these people. He didn't even know them, but he was willing to do whatever it took to help them. He died a hero, and a hero he shall be remembered. Brandon Benoit, may you wrest in piece."
A moment of silence was given. Nobody from the regular group even knew Brandon that much, or for all that matter. They didn't really know what to think of the situation. Everybody from Bailey's group however all thought things were never going to be the way they were before now. To them, Brandon was an essential member to the group, he was family.
"Would anybody like to say anything?" Bailey asked. A glitter of silence progressed through the wind. Nobody had the courage to speak out for Brandon; they just didn't know what to say. The only person that was there was Bailey, and he didn't even witness his death. Only a branch of strangers were the ones who truly saw how he died. Tristan had looked over to Scott. He noticed he was shaking his head right towards him, like he's trying to signal something. Tristan didn't really understand why he was doing it. "Alright, I guess this session is over then," said Bailey as he turned away.
"I didn't know Brandon personally," Tristan spoke, having Bailey turn back around. Everyone was focussed on Tristan now. "We've all lost someone, someone close to us. It's happening everyday now, and it won't stop. Now a day we pour our souls into the people we share our resources, our thoughts, and our lives with. I'm just sorry I didn't get to know him." Bailey and everyone from his group began to smile at Tristan, while Scott began looking down to the dirt like he was ashamed of something. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be standing here right now, and maybe that might be a mistake. He died a hero, and a hero he shall be remembered."
Bailey was impressed with Tristan's passion. Tristan didn't even know Brandon, but yet out of everybody here, he was the only one who would speak for his honour. Bailey kept smiling at Tristan, knowing full well that he was a good person, maybe even a better man than himself. Scott however was thinking the exact opposite. Scott hasn't fully learned how to trust these new people, and he finds it surprising that Tristan does. Go up there and speaking for another group on a man's behalf was something Tristan shouldn't have done he thought. "May he rest in peace," Tristan wretched.
Twist of the Knife
Sitting atop a tall hill looking out at a skyline is a sight most wishes to be subjected to on a daily basis, and which Wesley had the luxury of seeing most weekends. He looked through his binoculars out into the treeline, wondering if from here he could see where the next county began. The glare from the sunset began to bother his eyes, as he laid eyes on a family of birds in a tree. He smiled to himself, thinking how they had ended up in that tree, and when the babies would be mature enough to leave the nest. The sudden gunshot came out of nowhere like an engine of a 4x4 backfiring. Wesley jumped and fell on his back. "Son of a bitch!" he screamed. He turned around, seeing his two partners; he didn't even consider them friends, Eddie and Braydan standing behind him, laughing almost hysterically. "Goddammit, why the hell? You probably scared every single animal out of these goddamn woods Eddie," Wesley exclaimed, quite angrily.
Eddie slung his rifle back over his shoulder. "Calm the hell down, I had to take the chance didn't I? It's getting dark and we haven't gotten any game to take back to Mark."
Wesley looked through his binoculars again, trying to find the birds that Mark had shot at while he was looking at them. "And it looks like we still don't have any," he said. "Let's get going," he sighed.
They walked down the trail and back into Eddie's truck. Wesley still couldn't believe he had ended up doing what he did with these two assholes to pay for his meals. There wasn't much work in the town he lived in, so he had found work trying to find animals to hunt and skin for the general store back in town. They'd take an animal's meat, the skin, or their bodies and Mark, the owner, would stuff them and put them somewhere in the store. The problem was, Wesley wasn't very comfortable holding a gun. When he had told Mark this, Mark said it wasn't much of a problem, as he had two people ready for work who both knew how to handle a gun, but whose tracking skills were rusty to say the least. And thus Wesley had ended up partnered with Eddie and Braydan, two of the biggest assholes he had ever met. All three of them were doing this for the same reason, to put food on their tables, but Wesley could never have felt more alone than when around these two. They had ganged up on him since day one, and never seemed to want to quit.
As Wesley watched the trees blur past out the window, Eddie and Braydan sat in the front, splitting a six pack and listening to whatever CD was in the player. Watching everything that was beautiful blur away at a speed seemingly reserved for a lightning bolt, Wesley wondered where the mother bird had gone once Eddie had fired the shot, and whether or not she could return to save her children before their doom took them over.
Wesley had bit down on his thumb puzzling the prospects of where he is. The mountains and the trees make it pretty difficult to decipher a map that was given to him. From being a scout for so long, he generally could read a map like it was the back of his hand. However, with all the running off and hiding everyone had been doing lately, he had no idea where he was. Not to mention the map itself seems pretty out of date, it referenced back twenty years ago. Old coffee stains and cuts had pretty much covered the exterior of the map, but Wesley still managed to use his abilities to the upmost success.
From the day Wesley joined this group, he felt unsatisfied. Everyone seemed to have their own unique part to the group. Scott at first had taken up the leadership role of the camp, and with Tristan coming along it made things even more complicated. Andy did most of the exploring and scavenging, and on his own if mentionable. A various amount of people had exception when going on runs for food and supplies. However, Wesley feels as if he has no real purpose within this group. Sure, once he was reflected on his scout abilities, but that lead to Sean's death, and although nobody knew about it, it had still haunted him.
Wesley tried to smudge off one of the coffee stains to read something, however it didn't seem to come off. "Dammit," emerged from Wesley's mouth from his frustration. He began rubbing his eyes, asking himself if he was even capable of figuring this out.
"Something troubling you?" had pierced Wesley's ears from behind. Wesley turned, noticing it was the friendly Matias. Matias had a big fat smile on his face; however Wesley didn't buy into it. He never mentioned it before, but he doesn't trust any of the new people that he had meant when coming into the mountains. Although Matias was the one who saved his life, a sense of distrust came about Wesley. "I see you got an old map there, need any help?" he asked.
"No, its find," Wesley replied. Wesley tucked the map in his jeans and began walking away.
"Wesley wait," Matias said. "You can trust me, I'm not a threat."
"Look Matias don't take this the wrong way, but I'd better just go talk to my group instead of you," Wesley said. He turned around and walked towards his group.
The afternoon had reached its interior, and several topics had been discussed over again in circles. The issue of Karin had mostly been brought up with Clint. Scott introduced the potential issue of the new people. There were people who didn't even bother joining in the discussion, mostly Molly and Savian, from a lack of interest and a lack of point. The group had all circled around Tristan's white truck and Scott's motorbike. Wesley had approached the group with is map.
"You figure it out yet Wesley?" Tristan asked.
Wesley put the map on the hood of the truck. He pointed his finger down by the marked road. "It's hard to tell, but my best guess is this is where the road was when we arrived around here. However since we all ran out into the dark during the attack, I have no idea where on the map we are currently."
Tristan put his finger down on the map, while Wesley took his finger off, backing away from the group. "Alright so Karin split off around here somewhere if my memory is correct," Tristan said. "Clint you said you were going to take a group out today?"
"That's the plan," Clint replied.
"I have to interject this," Scott said. "Let's suppose that herd from before is closer than we think? Then what? Clint that group you take out could be in a lot of trouble. After finding Tristan we barely made it back alive, and we lost a life."
"So what are you suggesting, we just forget about Karin?" Clint asked in a sense of anger.
"No that's not what I'm saying, we just need to organize this more," Scott replied.
Tristan interrupted Scott. "Scott no offense or anything, but the more people out there the bigger chance of trouble we'll run into. Now we need to find Karin as soon as possible, it's been two days, who knows where she is." Scott gave Tristan a dirty look. "So who're you taking out?" Tristan asked Clint.
"I'll go," Amanda offered.
"You sure?" Scott asked.
"Yeah I'll be fine. I wanna be there when we find Karin," Amanda replied, before kissing Scott on the lips.
"I'll go too," Phillip said.
"Alright, anyone else?" Tristan asked. He looked around, seeing nobody offer. He gazed down at Molly, noticing she had been quiet throughout the entire discussion. "What about you Molly, it was you along with these three the day I met you. You must have some sort of experience?" Tristan asked.
Molly noticed everyone eyeing her down. "Look I wanna find Karin as much as the next person, but I think I should sit this one out," Molly replied.
"You sure? You're pretty good out there when it comes to this sort of thing?" Scott asked.
"That was before Nicole died," Molly replied. A sense of awkwardness had erupted within the group.
"Fair enough," Scott whispered.
"Anything else we need to figure out?" Clint asked.
"Well, Andy and Hannah left a little bit earlier. Said they were going to hunt," Tristan said.
"You sure Hannah going out there is a good idea?" Phillip asked.
"She's learning. It's slow but it's progress, and she's got Andy with her she'll be fine," Tristan replied. "Let's get to it then."
"Hang on," Wesley intervened. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to come help find Karin?" Wesley asked.
"Wesley don't take this the wrong way or anything, but the last time you went out somewhere trying to help someone died. You don't have enough experience when it comes to these sort of things," Scott said.
Tristan looked at Scott with disappointment. "Although I would've worded it differently, he does have a point. I think there are other ways for you to contribute," Tristan said. Wesley began walking away with the map with disappointment. "Alright everyone let's get to it."
Clint Phillip and Amanda readied their supplies for their search. They packed heat, knives, and especially food or water depending on the situation they may get into. Clint was the most eager of them all to head out, Karin was his girlfriend and all. He wanted to search for her immediately when the group had split, but there were just too many obstacles blocking his way. Amanda was courageous enough to join him this time, she considered Karin a true friend. Phillip however, after what happened in town, feels that nobody should be out there on their own.
"I don't recommend you go out there," a voice from the back of Clint's ear said. They all turned around, wondering who would be speaking to them at this time. It was Logan, a very bearded man slightly below average height wearing a red hoodie and jeans, although the group hadn't remembered who he was. "Not without me at least," he said.
"I'm sorry, who're you?" Clint asked.
"Sorry, my name's Logan. Clint right?" he asked.
"Why exactly should we bring you along?" Clint asked, ignoring Logan.
"Me and my group have been living around here for a while, it be logical that you bring someone who knows where they're going, or do you wanna have another incident like a few days ago?"
Clint turned to Scott. "Should we bring him?" Clint whispered. Scott looked over to Logan, doubting his trust. Scott doesn't trust anybody from this new group, not yet anyways.
"Yeah bring him, but if he tries anything funny then you'll know what to do," Scott replied. Clint understood and shook his head.
"Alright, but why do you wanna come to bad?" Clint asked.
"There's not exactly much to do around here…" Logan replied.
"Makes sense," Amanda said.
"Alright, the four of you cover as much ground today as you can. Karin's out there somewhere, bring her back in one piece," said Scott. Clint Phillip Amanda and their new companion Logan all entered Clint's car, heading off down into the mountains in search for Karin. Scott gazed down as the car drove away, still wondering why he lets Amanda just go out like that, it always leads to his frustration. Scott got off his bike and began walking away. He thought it be appropriate to smoke another cigarette, while admiring the beauty of the mountains.
Tristan appeared behind Scott. "You should really quit soon. With everything that's been going on, you don't want the cigarettes to be the gateway to your death," Tristan said. Scott ignored what Tristan said, continuing to drag his cigarette. "What, you giving me the cold shoulder now or something?" Tristan asked.
"What do you want me to say?" Scott asked as he turned around. "You want me to congratulate you for giving such a heartwarming speech to a bunch of strangers? We don't want to be giving these people the wrong idea, and you're making that hard on the group."
"Wrong idea? They just lost one of their own," Tristan replied.
"He wasn't one of ours."
"That doesn't matter. We've all lost someone; we all know how it feels." Scott chuckled from annoyance. "It was our fault that Brandon died," Tristan said.
"No Tristan, it was your fault," Scott replied.
"Excuse me?"
"You're the one who told us to split in two, that's what caused us to all get separated at the highway. You're the one who lead Hannah and Phillip in town when you could figure out how dangerous it was."
"So you're blaming me for everything that has happened? I didn't ask for this," Tristan replied.
"And I didn't ask to invite more people into our little community."
"You need all the help you can get now Scott."
"No see that's where you're wrong. It's survival of the fittest. That's why Brandon died. And if things continue to go the way they've been going, so will Karin." Scott said, walking away from Tristan before he put out the cigarette in front of him.
Andy and Hannah had been walking for a durable time, scavenging for food. Andy at first wanted to go alone, however Hannah insisted on coming along. They kept searching, but no traces of food had come across their path, no walkers either. Andy usually didn't need help for these sort of things, however a part of him was glad he had some company for once. "So what made you wanna tag along?" Andy asked
"Tristan told me that I haven't truly adapted to this environment yet. I'm going to prove him wrong," she replied.
"And coming out here with me is going to assure that?"
"It's a start."
"Well I don't know Tristan very well, but personally I think you shouldn't have to prove yourself to anyone right now. You just need to prove to yourself you're capable of surviving."
"I guess I never thought about it that way. Ever since Sean died I've been doubting myself."
Andy stopped walking, looking Hannah in the eyes. Andy was present during Sean's death, and he just thought it was so fortunate she didn't have to see it. "I lost my brother, right at the start of all this," Andy said.
"I'm sorry. How'd you take it?" Hannah asked.
"I was pissed, but I never started doubting myself. My brother he- he always liked to do things himself, I always had to just watch him. But when he died, I knew I had to start pulling the weight for both of us now."
"I'm sorry."
"Well you know, better luck next time I guess," Andy replied. A brief uncomfortable silence emerged between them. "We should keep moving."
Molly kept walking sitting down on an old log at the campsite. She was playing with her five seven, constantly loading and reloading it. She was more or less unaware of what she was doing, she kept spacing out from the thought of Nicole. She didn't show it, but she was dying on the inside. She deeply missed her sister, and she had no idea how to overcome it, or if she would even try. She had remained quiet all week, and she assumed nobody knew what was troubling her, even thought it was of the upmost obvious.
Wesley had appeared behind Molly. "How' everything been Molly?" he asked.
She turned around, looking up at Wesley. "Oh hey Wesley, what's up?"
"Don't suppose you'd be up for helping me decipher this map would you?"
Molly sighed and stood up. "Look Wesley, maybe you should ask somebody else."
"But you haven't done anything since Nicole died, I think it should be you," he replied. Molly walked away, shaking her head from the offence. She was thoroughly pissed off with what Wesley just said, and he had no right too. She personally thought that Wesley didn't know how it feels to care about someone, he's always been alone.
It took Wesley a moment to realize what he said was rude, and when he did he felt offal about it. However, he didn't run up to Molly and apologize. He turned his head, gazing at the mountains. He admired their texture and altitude; he just wished he had some binoculars to admire them even more. He began listening to the birds that echoed throughout the trees, it was a sound he longed missed.
The deer's legs failed him like a young child's would if it was their first time skating. Its front legs slipped out far in front of it as the bullet punctured the right side of its chest, mid stride. It fell, sliding through the dirt with an expression as though it had failed its race. It seemed as though depression welled through the animal, as if it knew what was coming next, and there was no point fighting it. Braydan ran up to his kill, cheering as he did. Ed and Wesley followed swiftly behind him.
Up close, Wesley felt sick looking down at the deer. He always felt like animals were peaceful creatures, and never liked it when any sort of harm came to them. But as he always told himself, man's gotta eat.
Braydan looked back at Wesley and smirked. "Can't believe you still can't stand a dead animal, Kwan." He pulled out his hunting knife, prepared to deliver the final blow, putting the deer out of its misery. He plunges the knife through its neck, twisting it, and then retracting the blade. He then nodded to himself. "Alright Eddie, help me with this." They got up and left Wesley crouching there alone.
As Wesley got up to follow, he looked to his left and saw what looked like a drunken man in the brush. Stumbling on up the mountain. Wesley took a couple of steps forward, and stopped. Strange things always happened in these areas, and it was best not to go looking closely at strange things like those, as they never end well for the adventurer, Instead, Wesley followed Ed and Braydan, back to where their truck was, and in turn the short drive to some actual money tonight and a meal to follow.
Wesley sat down on the log, beginning to mark different section on the map. Although the group might not understand, he knew that I will one day be essential to figure out their way around different territories, and a good day to start is today. He marked down the highway, and the town Tristan discussed. The only thing he really needed to figure out was where he and everybody else were. He raised his head, noticing Matias staring at him from the distance.
Clint and the others had arrived at the highway not to long after they departed from camp. They stood where she once stood, Karin, at least where she was last seen. There were no footprints to be seen anywhere, not that it mattered, nobody there had tracking experience. The frustration began to hit Clint between his eyes, not knowing where his love was. "I remember it; she went this way after she split off from Tristan's group."
Phillip turned to Logan. "Does that lead anywhere in particular Logan?" Phillip asked.
Logan said, "Let's see, the town where we found you guys is south, but since you're telling me she headed down in the other direction, there are two possible locations she might've ended up at."
"And those places are?" Amanda asked.
"An old farm, where the owner went missing shortly after the outbreak, or the old Church," he replied. Clint rubbed his eyebrows, regardless of the lack of eyebrows. "Which one we going to check then?" Logan asked.
"Both of them, we won't stop looking till we find her," Clint replied.
"The farm is still a few miles out, could be dangerous," Logan replied.
"It's worth a shot," Clint replied.
"Excuse me for a second," Amanda said, whispering in Logan's ear. She walked towards Clint, looking back on the highway, remembering what happened a few days ago during the attack, and how it must be killing him. "I know you want to find Karin, believe me we all do, but we also don't want another incident like Brandon," she said right to Clint's fast.
Clint did not look her straight back, but instead at the mountains. "I will do whatever it takes to find Karin, even if it means I go alone," Clint replied.
"I know you're angry about all this, but that's only going to slow you down," she replied. Clint turned, finally acknowledging Amanda's presence. "Look if it's really that important to you, we'll check the farm first, get the farthest one out of the way."
"Scott like you being out here?" Clint asked.
"Of course not," she replied, and then smiled. She turned back to Logan. "Logan, lead us to that farm!" she yelled down the hill. Logan nodded his head, although fearing she might have just made a mistake about their destination. She turned back to Clint. "Let's find Karin."
Tristan and Mary were walking along the side of the fences. They were at first discussing future plans for their group, however until Karin is to be found, they've decided they need to stay here for the time being. Truth be told, they had no simple idea of where they would make their next move, and it was starting to worry them. Tristan also brought up the fact that Scott has been having a lack of faith in Tristan's trust. Mary thought that it was great that Tristan was trying to set some good grounds with the new folk; however Scott thought the exact opposite.
After a various discussion, they both finally decided to observe what the campsite was like. Truth is told, this place use to be a day camp for kids to come during the summer time. They had a cafeteria, dorms for both male and female variety; there was even a lake not so far by from there. This place was originally meant to give kids the pleasure summer gives around the mountains, but now it has become a safe haven, with fences.
"What kind of a place like this has fences?" Mary asked.
"The kind that people like us put up," said Bailey, who had showed up behind the two of them without them noticing. They both turned around, being skeptical about what he meant.
"What was this place before the apocalypse Bailey?" Tristan asked.
"A summer day camp for kids," he replied.
"And you and your people have been holding up here since the start of the apocalypse, around these mountains?" Tristan asked.
"Pretty much, only we're the ones who planted the fences," Bailey replied.
"To keep the walkers away?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, that and other things," Bailey replied.
"Other things?" Mary asked, confused by Bailey's response.
"Well, let's just say were not the only people out here, and their not exactly the kind of bunch to be looking for friends," Bailey replied.
"Ya know, yesterday in town before you guys arrived, I spotted a young man enter the pharmacy across the street," Tristan replied.
"You probably spotted a foreigner then," Bailey replied.
Tristan had a puzzled expression on his face. "The hell's a foreigner?" he asked.
"On the opposite side of these mountains, there's another group who lives around here. We generally try to avoid running into them as much as possible. The town you guys entered was the neutral zone. If you crossed it then we might've had a problem on our hands."
"And you're sure they don't want to cooperate in any sense?" Mary asked.
"We had a small conflict with them before. A few people died, and we finally managed to create a peace treaty, so long as we don't cross that line," Bailey replied.
"To think, even during these days there are people out there that are still considered dangerous," Tristan said.
"Not just out there," Bailey replied. From the distance, Tristan Mary and Bailey could hear a man scream. The words "give it back you goddamn bastard," kept piercing their ears. The three of the ran as fast as they could to the centre of camp, wondering what all the commotion was about. Once they finally got there, they noticed it was David screaming at Wesley.
"Think you can just take our stuff, huh?" David screamed.
"I'm just going to borrow it, I'm not going to keep it," Wesley replied.
David grabbed Wesley's shirt, raising his fist towards his face. "I swear to the name of Christ if you don't give it back I will…"
"David stop!" Bailey screamed. "What's the problem here?"
"This little bitch is trying to take what we've got," David replied. David showed him the compass, as he let go of Wesley, lowering his fist. Bailey walked closer towards David.
"It's just a compass David," Bailey replied.
"What do you know about it? We can't just let these assholes take our stuff!"
"I don't think you know who you're talking about there David," said a voice that appeared from behind. It was Scott, looking as aggravated as he could be. David began walking towards Scott with what appeared to be full force.
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" David asked, being more pissed off than he usually was, and that's saying something. David swung his fist towards Scott, however Scott grabbed it instantly.
"No, it's a recommendation," Scott replied. Scott began squeezing David's arm, and he could see David struggle. "I would like to have a conversation with you in private, if you don't mind?" David did not reply. Scott let go of David. David looked Scott in the eyes, realizing he shouldn't be messed with. Scott began walking in a different direction, swinging his finger to David. David followed him.
"Are you alright Wesley?" Tristan asked.
"What are you doing with a compass?" Mary asked.
"It's nothing, really it's nothing. I just…wanted to observe it," Wesley replied.
"Don't let David see you do that next time," Bailey suggested. Wesley nodded his head from his embarrassment. Tristan Mary and Bailey all walked off, leaving Wesley alone again. He turned around, beginning to observe the mountains again, and their beauty. He opened up the compass and the map. He turned to the direction that pointed south east, and began running. He ran through the trees as fast as he could, until it was to the point that nobody from camp could see him anymore. The only thing he could keep hearing was the birds chirping.
Wesley sat at the counter while Mark counted up his cut. "How things going Wesley?" he asked.
"Not bad I guess," he replied, looking around. The heads of deer wolfs, and stuffed birds surrounded the room, all looking down on any customers who would enter the store. Selling hunting gear, rifles, food for out in the wilderness, this store was a one stop shop for any redneck who fancied themselves an outdoorsman. Wesley had always despised people like that. Who held no appreciation for the outside world and the beauty it held in its wake, only hoped to get loaded and score a lucky kill with their newly polished .22s.
"Ed and Braydan loosened up yet?" Mark asked.
"Not in the slightest," Wesley replied as Mark handed him his cut from the groups kill today. $122. Not a bad haul, he thought to himself.
"Don't worry; they'll warm up to you sooner or later."
"Right." Wesley knew that Mark didn't really care, he just wanted his game which he could make into pouches to sell, or so he could do whatever he did with the dead animals the group brought to his shop. He hates the lot of them, but could never tell any of them that, for fear of being stomped out the next morning.
"Hey did you hear about Perkins? Can't be found. They said his house was found with the door wide open, blood all over the bed sheets, as though he has coughed all over them, and he's just gone."
Wesley thought to what he saw this afternoon, the stumbling up the mountain in a seemingly drunken state, although he didn't know why that came to mind. He couldn't think of a good way to reply to Mark, so he just nodded and got the hell out of there.
Wesley kept running for about ten minutes or so before he finally stopped. He was surrounded by trees. If he hadn't brought that compass with him, there would be no way of him arriving back to camp. He took out the map, marking down specific section from what Wesley observed from the trees.
He began hearing the birds chirping again, and it made him smile. He shut his eyes, only wanting to hear what the sounds represented. He would usually try to figure out what kind of bird it was in the old days, but considering the circumstances, he was just glad to hear something living for a change. That was his last thought before he opened his eyes, noticing the dead hunt him down like a rabbit.
Wesley fell to the ground on his ass. He didn't hear the walker coming, and it completely caught him off guard. The first thing he did was squirm a little bit, but immediately he knew he needed to pull out his knife, however it became his unlucky day. With everything that happened back at camp with David, he totally forgot to grab his knife before leaving. He was completely defenseless. He began screaming and screaming, but he knew at that moment he was completely screwed. He was pinned back against a tree, while looking the walker down in his yellow eyes. After a moment of agonizing pain in his stomach, the walker fell to the ground.
Matias appeared in front of Wesley, holding his bowie knife. Wesley was immediately relieved once he saw his face. He wiped away the sweat from his face, and got to his feet. Right then and there, Wesley began to wonder why Matias was there.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Wesley?" Matias annoyingly asked.
"What am I doing? Why the hell were you following me?" Wesley asked.
"Because you kind of ran off on your own without a weapon? That's why," Matias replied.
"Why do you have this random fixation on me all of the sudden?" Wesley asked.
"Fixation? I'm just trying to help you, no one else seems to do that for you," Matias replied. Wesley looked to the dirt with shame. "So what the hell are you doing anyway?" Matias asked.
"I'm trying to set specific points on this map so when we go on runs, we'll actually know where we'll be going. We won't need to rely on you guys all the time," Wesley replied. "You can't stop me."
"Alright I won't. But I'm going to help you," Matias replied.
"I don't need your help."
"Really? Cause if I hadn't just showed up, you'd be served on a platter for any walker that comes by." Wesley didn't respond, most likely because he knew he was right. "So? Let's go then."
"Alright fine, just don't distract me," Wesley replied.
"I'll try my upmost best," Matias replied sarcastically.
Andy and Hannah managed to end up on the highway again. Not where they found the deserted graveyard of vehicles, but a completely empty space full. Andy was starting to become frustrated, with him not being able to find anything, and having Hannah around didn't help. He kept looking around, starting to wonder why walkers never show up when he's most prepared for it. Maybe it was because of Hannah's presence.
"Just can't seem to find a damn thing around here. We might end up coming back with nothing," Andy said.
Hannah looked up to the sun, admiring the warmth brought on her skin. "At least it's a nice day," Hannah replied. Andy gave Hannah a look of disgust instantly. "What?" Hannah asked, referring to his face.
"Why are you always like that?" Andy asked.
"Like what?"
"Always so preppy, not a worry in the world." Andy had been wondering that for a long time. Out of everyone, Hannah should seem more depressed than anybody, after losing Sean and all. However, ever since Chicago she hasn't given up, not even for one second.
"I'm just hopeful I guess," Hannah replied.
"Hope?" Andy said as he laughed sarcastically. "There's no such thing."
"You don't believe in hope Andy?" Hannah asked.
"We live in a world where the undead hunt us down like dogs and try to tear us apart with our teeth, what do you think?"
"Jesus did say the dead will come back at some point," Hannah replied.
"Don't give me that crap; Jesus hasn't done anything for us. Nicole died, my brother died, Sean died. Any hope we have left has vanished," Andy replied, as he began to walk forward, focussing on finding more supplies. Hannah's smile vanished, starting to think that Andy might be right.
Clint and the others drove into the farm. It took them about a half hour to find it, but they managed to arrive peacefully. However, this farm did not seem secure from their view. From what it seemed, a dozen walkers had covered the fields. It wasn't a big farm, only a barn and a house. Clint asked Logan if this was the place, and Logan said it was. Clint looked around the scenery. He thought it be very possible that Karin might be held up inside one of these places.
He drove in with full speed, knocking over two walkers along the way. He stopped the car, and grabbed his shotgun from below his feet. He was the first one to get out of the car, and he went in guns blazing. Everyone else quickly departed from the car and followed through. Clint was the only one using his firearm, while everyone else kept using their blades as their resource. The field was cleared within a matter of minutes.
"So how we doing this?" Phillip asked.
"Me and Amanda will check the house. Logan, Phillip, check the barn. Karin could be inside either of them," Clint said. They split into two, doing exactly what Clint said. Clint and Amanda ran towards the house, making it the most likely spot for Karin to be inside.
Clint kicked down the door with no hesitation, pointing his shotgun down the hall. The house had appeared empty; however Clint kept calling out Karin's name. There was no response. The house was a two story building, a main floor and an upstairs with three bedrooms. Clint and Amanda quickly searched the main floor; however there was nothing to be found.
They began heading up stairs. Amanda wanted to do this slowly, but Clint just ran up as he pleased. The first two bedrooms were both empty. They looked like they belonged to two kids. Clint and Amanda entered the master bedroom. At first it appeared to be empty, making Clint disappointed along with extreme frustration. They both began hearing someone moaning from the bathroom. Clint pointed his shotgun at the door, while whispering to Amanda to open it. Amanda walked slowly, and as she put her hand on the handle, she asked Clint if he was ready. He nodded. She opened the door, and the walker sprung at Amanda.
Clint fired his shotgun, putting down the walker immediately. Amanda was relieved, and glad Clint was a good shot. She looked at the walker, making a note that it wasn't Karin. They were both relieved it wasn't her, but at the same time displeased Karin wasn't here. Clint looked into the mirror, noticing his eyebrows. He began thinking, maybe one of these days they'll come back to him.
Clint and Amanda exited the house, noticing Logan and Phillip running towards them. "Did you find anything?" Amanda screamed.
"No, the barn is completely empty," Phillip replied.
Clint turned around, constantly screaming "Dammit!" from his frustration. He kept asking where Karin was. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms again, but he started to wonder if that would ever happen again. He looked out into the empty field, beginning to wonder if Karin was even alive anymore.
Scott and David were walking along the fences. They were both quiet for a few minutes; Scott thought it best for David to calm down before they talk. "Now don't take this the wrong way or anything David, but ever since I got here, you've been a real pain in our ass," Scott said.
"Ok, well don't take this the wrong way, Scott, but having your group here has been a real pain in my ass," David replied.
"Oh? You don't trust us? Believe me I know the feeling," Scott replied.
"We use to have a bit of a conflict with other people, so trusting random strangers who come to our camp and tell us one of our own was killed while saving one of them is hard to hear, ya know?"
Scott bit down on his tongue. "What I don't understand is why you flip out on your own people. That Bailey guy, he's your leader right? Yet you don't seem to give him any amount of respect."
"Yeah well, what I've learned from living in this world is that sometimes, you need to take matters into your own hands," David replied.
Although Scott was still frustrated with David's actions, he believed he still had a point. Why should he just sit around and let Tristan make all the calls now. "I never thought about it that way I guess. However the way you represent it could use some manners." David smirked. "We're not a threat David, and I better hope the same thing about you," Scott replied. Scott began to walk away from David, leaving him to his thoughts.
"I'm sorry about David, he has a temper," Bailey apologized.
"Oh no we've understood that since we got here," Tristan replied. Bailey laughed. They both started walking through the camp together.
"So you guys lost one of your own out there?" Bailey asked.
"You know Clint? Lack of eyebrows? The one that's missing is his girlfriend. Her name is Karin," Tristan replied.
"I'm sorry."
"You apologize way too much Bailey. If anyone should be sorry it should be me. I was there during Brandon's death; it's my fault he died."
"Don't start doing that now Tristan. You've made some pretty good decisions from what I've heard." Tristan had a blank expression on his face; he didn't understand what Bailey was referring to. "You lead your entire group out of Chicago right? That's impressive."
"That really wasn't my decision though. It was more on Scott's end."
"Well, Scott kind of reminds me of David a little bit it seems."
"Ironic you'd say that, because Scott doesn't seem to trust your group at all," Tristan replied.
"Well, I can't speak for all of us, but I'm harmless."
Tristan laughed. "We'll have to see about that."
Wesley and Matias walked for about an hour around the mountains. Wesley hadn't had any luck with his pin points, but he kept trying. Matias followed behind Wesley, although he began to doubt Wesley would have any luck doing what he was doing. "What are you trying to prove Wesley?" Matias asked.
"I'm not trying to prove anything, just think we could use a resourceful map as all," Wesley replied.
Matias looked at Wesley like he was an idiot. "So you'd risk your life coming out here with no help because of a map?" Matias asked.
"Ok, maybe it's more than a map," Wesley replied.
"Go on."
"Ever since I joined my group, I've lost purpose. I want to prove to them I can be a help once and a while," Wesley replied.
"Hate to tell you this, but all your managing to do so far is get yourself killed," Matias replied. Wesley didn't reply. He walked forward into the trees. He stopped and observed the mountains trying to figure out where the hell they were. The whole situation, made him feel exactly how he use to feel when he was in his old apartment.
Wesley laid on his couch alone in his living room. Nature magazines sprawled out all over the floor, pairs of old binoculars plied on counters, on the coffee table, almost everywhere, reinforced the idea that this home almost belonged to a bird watcher. As Wesley sat up and looked around his small room, he realized that this was probably one of the reasons why he never had any luck with girls.
He got up and walked over to his kitchen counter, taking a seat on one of the bar stools. He began to flip through one of the National Geographic magazines that were sitting there. He stopped on a picture of the grasslands in Africa. That was one place he had always wanted to visit. The vast wildlife that inhabited its lands. The beautiful skyline and the heat of the sun. Or maybe somewhere on a beach in Scotland. The rocky beach head, watching the waves crash against the sides. But these were all just dreams. Dreams that were quickly washed away by the undertow, and pulled out deep. He would never make it out of here, and he dreaded those thoughts every time he contemplated them.
He looked at his fridge, suddenly feeling parched. He walked over, not expecting anything good. When he opened it, he knew he was right, staring at butter and some apples. He sighed and looked at the time. 7:00. He decided he could use a drink, and began walking out. As he opened the door he looked at his apartment, making a mental reminder to clean this place up one of these days. Then he walked out, once again hoping his silly hopes that he'll one day make it out of this place.
A few walkers appeared out of the bushes. Matias took out his knife, saying "Stay there," to Wesley. Wesley leaned back, not wanting to get in Matias's way. Matias ran up, stabbing one of the three walkers in the eye. The other walker moved faster than he expected, sprawling at Matias. Matias kicked the walker back, but only managing to throw his knife in the process. The knife landed in front of Wesley. Managed stomped down on the walkers head, but immediately after was pinned against the ground by the third walker, having no idea how he would kill it.
Wesley grabbed the knife and sprinted towards Matias. He at first stood there, having a blank expression on his face. He had no idea what to do. He had never put down a walker before, and the images of Sean's death began flashing inside his head. He swung the blade into the back of the walkers head, instantly silencing it.
Matias pushed the dead walkers off his body, looking Wesley in the eye with impression. "Good job," Matias said.
"I've never done that before," Wesley replied. Matias stood up, removing his blade from the walker's skull. "Well now you have. We're heading back to camp now, forget that stupid map thing," Matias said. Matias turned around and began walking back to camp. Wesley would shortly follow after, right before he looked at the walker he put down, and he began to smile.
Scott sits at the cafeteria, having all his gear laid out on the table. He had his Bowie knife, five seven, and his silenced shotgun just lying there. He also had his lighter and a pack of cigarettes sitting there with him. These he considers his tools of justice. He managed to attach a strap around his shotgun, making it easier for him to carry around when he's out in the open. He put on his RVCA jacket around his blue plaid shirt. Filling his pockets with cigarettes. He had an old sheriff's holster found in Connor's weapon locker. He wrapped his bowie knife and placed his five seven within it. He was just about ready to leave, right before someone decided to stop him.
"Please don't blame Scott for what's happened," Mary said.
Scott turned around, having a blank expression. "I know I shouldn't. I'm mad at myself mostly," he replied.
"For what?" she asked.
"I'm the one who pretty much lead us to Chicago, to that safe zone, and then that crazy bastard Connor blew the whole thing up," he replied.
"You blame yourself?" she asked.
"Ever since Chicago things have been getting worse. We got split up, now Karin is missing and we don't know where to start looking. Plus now we have these new people to deal with and I can't tell if they're a threat or not."
"Maybe you should let Tristan handle that then," she replied.
Scott remembered what David told him earlier. "Mary, sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands." Scott began walking away.
"Where are you going?" Mary asked.
"To find Karin," Scott said, right before he left the cafeteria.
Clint sat on the stairs of the front porch. He kept rubbing his eyes, constantly blaming himself for what happened to Karin. He kept asking himself why he didn't just stay with her before the separation, why did he listen to Tristan. He kept looking out into the field, and into the mountains, still wondering where they have captured his love.
Logan came and sat down beside Clint. He could tell how worried he was about their situation. "It's hard not being around her, I get it," Logan said. Clint didn't reply, he didn't even look at Logan when he sat down. "I use to have wife. We were happily married." Logan now had Clint's attention.
"Before the apocalypse, I spent most of my free living time with her. I didn't have any kids or nothing. She was really all I had, but it was enough for me I thought. The one thing she was always good at was making me smile, and it was apparently the same for me. Then one day, god's hand just took her from me. From these resurrected beings."
"Why didn't you give up?" Clint asked.
"Because I'm a survivor, and I believe Karin is as well," Logan replied.
"You never even met her?" Clint asked.
"No I didn't, but if she was with you, she must've learned something." Clint smiled. "You ready to head back yet?" Logan asked. Clint nodded.
"Alright everyone, lets head back, we'll try again tomorrow morning," Clint shouted. Everyone began heading back to Clint's truck. This time, Clint felt more confident about finding Karin. Logan did have a point; she must've learned how to survive if she was with him this long. Clint entered his truck, noticing his reflection in the windshield. He removed the bandage kept on his nose, noticing it wasn't broken anymore. He started the engine, and drove back with as much ambition as he could.
Andy and Hannah kept walking, until they finally stumbled on a familiar sight. It was the old house where Scott and the group met Matias during the night of the highway attack, although Andy or Hannah had never seen it before. Scott did tell everyone about the house though, so immediately when they saw it, they knew what it was.
"Was this where Scott found Matias?" Hannah asked.
"It's got to be, although I wouldn't risk staying out here for too long. Probably a bunch of walkers inside from what he told us," Andy replied.
Andy and Hannah heard moaning from their side. They turned, noticing a half torn up walker crawling towards them. Andy remembered Scott mentioning about a deformed walker being around the house, and this must've been it. Andy took out his boomerang.
Hannah put her hand on Andy's chest right after he moved slightly. She took out the machete Andy gave her. "Let me do it," Hannah said.
Andy pointed his hand down at the walker, replying "Be my guest."
Hannah walked towards the walker. She looked into its cold deadly eyes, feeling sorry for the person this thing use to be. She got down to her knees, preparing to stab the walker. She pierced the walker right at the forehead, putting it out of its misery. Andy turned around, not wanting to see what Hannah was doing. "I'm going to prove you wrong Andy," Hannah said.
Andy turned back around. "Pardon?" he said.
She got up, walking towards Andy replying "I'm going to prove you wrong, there's still hope left in this world."
"And why's that?" he asked.
"Because, you gave me this machete, and I understand why you did now," she replied.
Andy chuckled a little bit. "C'mon, lets head back to camp, it's going to get dark soon," he said, without acknowledging what Hannah said. They both began walking back to camp, only this time, Hannah's smile finally returned.
Wesley and Matias were not far from camp. The entire trip back, something changed about Wesley, he felt more confident. For some reason, the thought of Braydan and Ed entered his head at this time. He remembered how he was never able to work up the nerve to tell them off, or fight his own battles. He started to regret that now, because he knows he's fully capable of doing so. He began clenching his fist.
The bar exploded with people. Drunken men riddled the sidewalk outside, while people playing pool and guys crowding the bar all stank of whiskey and cheap beer. Wesley found a spot that he could sneak into, hailed the bartender, and asked for a Scotch on the rocks. As he sat he looked up at what was on the T.V. Just football. He had never been the biggest fan of the sport. He preferred a more peaceful passage of time, whatever that may be. He sipped his drink, wondering what tomorrow at work would bring, when he received an unfriendly bump on his back. He turned around and there was Eddie and Braydan standing behind him.
He sighed. "Hey guys," he said unenthusiastically. "What's up?"
Eddie didn't look amused. "The fuck do you think you're doing in here, Kwan?"
"Get your skinny little ass up out of the chair and bugger off somewhere else," Braydan drunkenly slurred.
Wesley sighed, and slammed what was left of his drink. "Okay," he said, not wanting to say or do anything that might get him hurt. He walked out the back entrance into the alley. He heard the door shut behind him, and then open again. He turned around. Once again, there stood Ed and Braydan, looking more pissed off than ever. "Look guys, I said I was leaving so just-" Wesley couldn't finish his sentence before the world flashed white. He hadn't even seen Ed's punch coming towards him it had moved that fast. No time to telegraph it.
"Shut up," Ed shouted. "We don't like you Wesley."
"Yeah I got that." That remark got him a swift kick in the ribs. Wesley groaned.
"I thought he told you to shut up, you little fuck?" Braydan said. Then the both of them proceeded to kick and beat on Wesley.
The world seemed to disappear as the pain engulfed Wesley's entire body. His sight blurred until he kept his eyes closed and couldn't see anymore. He just took the beating not being able to do anything to defend himself. Then after a couple of minutes of intense, excruciating pain, he heard a violent scream, followed by another and the beatings stopped. He opened his eyes, and saw two creatures ripping both Ed and Braydan apart. Wesley watched this in horror. Then he saw his opening, and ran. One of the creatures took notice, and swiped at Wesley's leg. Wesley, telegraphing it, was able to hop with what little energy he had left and avoided it. Keeping on, he exited the alley. He didn't know where to go from here. And so he ran off into the woods. Up into the mountains and into the nature which he loved so, all the while hoping that it would not be nature that would tear him apart this night.
Wesley and Matias arrived back to camp, seeing Naomi at the gate. "Where the hell have you two been?" Naomi asked.
Matias looked at Wesley, deciding he wouldn't tell anyone about what happened. "We were doing stuff Naomi, thangs," Matias said.
Naomi shrugged, replying "I won't ask," before she walked away.
Matias turned towards Wesley. "You know, you might not think you have any usefulness towards your group, but today I think you've proven yourself something," Matias said. Wesley smiled at him. "I'll catch you later," said Matias, before walking towards the male cabin.
Wesley noticed Tristan Mary Savian and Molly in the distance, all encircled, like they were discussing something important. He began walking towards them, feeling like he needed to know what's being said. Tristan noticed Wesley walking towards them. "Where the hell have you been Wesley?" Tristan asked.
"I was out with Matias, we were scavenging," Wesley replied.
"You were with one of them?" Molly asked. "These people might be dangerous," Molly said, making Wesley a little depressed as she said it.
"I don't think these people are as dangerous as you guys think," Wesley replied.
"Are you crazy?" Savian said.
"No he's right," Tristan replied. "I spoke with their leader today, Bailey. We might think these people are a force to be reckoned with, but I think differently. I really think we can really start something with these people." Everybody looked at Tristan differently than usual. He assumed Tristan would organize and effort to overthrow this camp, but instead would be the exact opposite.
"Where is everybody anyway?" Molly asked.
"Clint Phillip and Amanda went out looking for Karin, and Andy and Hannah went looking for food. They should all be back shortly," Tristan replied.
"What about Scott?" Savian asked.
"He went out on his own, hoping he would find Karin himself," Mary said.
"What?" Tristan asked. They heard thunder above them, all immediately looking up, noticing it was about to rain.
"Looks like a storm is coming," Wesley said. Tristan looked up, starting to fear that Wesley might be right.
Scott travelled down the road on his chopper. He had no expression on his face, other than the ambition. He had all his gear ready, knife, pistol, and shotgun. He was ready for anything. He heard the thunder from above, noticing it started to rain. He felt the water touch his cold white skin, and it felt good to him. He continued looking down the road, as the thunder engulfed the night.