Loud House: Infection of the Dead

by MrPotassiumK

Zombie Apocalypse: A plague has run rampant around the globe, infecting people and turning them into "roamers." In the wake of the apocalypse, the Louds must go through great lengths to ensure their survival, even if it may mean losing their humanity in the process. Who will survive in the end? (Not a crossover, just largely inspired by The Walking Dead)

11. Justice in the Somber Nights

It's been a while, right? Or has it been too quick? Anyways, there's gotta be a story after the whole ordeal with the Piranhas! Here comes the eleventh chapter of the story! Hope you enjoy reading this!

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-Day 4-

A flicker of light shone on the stairways. Running up to the 17th floor was tedious and exhausting, but Tim Crowley couldn't risk exposing his face to the cameras in the elevator. The papers and documents in his hands remained unopened, but the longer he waited, the higher the chances he would be caught reading private military documents. Tim reached his room and was met with the face of two disapproving adults.

"Mr. Simmons, you gotta stop bursting into the room like this," said Angelica, a mother from Huntington Oaks.

"Indeed, it's very frustrating," said Mark, the husband of Angelica. "Don't you agree, Carol?"

Carol took off her headphones. She looked at Mark and shrugged.

"I don't really care about that. Have you seen my parents? They were supposed to come up here like, five minutes ago."

"No, I haven't seen them. Bringing coffee upstairs is a lotta work, Carol. Don't you think you should've went with them?"

"Sorry, to interrupt, but can you guys leave for a couple minutes? I need to talk to Mr. Crowley for a little," said Tim.

"No, this is our room. You guys can talk outside if you want–" said Angelica before being interrupted.

"It's fine. I'm going downstairs to find my parents," said Carol, putting her headphones in the bed. "Don't touch that."

"Fine. We're going to accompany you," said Mark. "We're feeling kind of hungry, don't we, my wife?"

"Yes, my husband. Yes, we are hungry. Let's go, Carol!"

Angelica, Mark, and Carol left the room, allowing the two men to have their privacy. Tim Crowley placed the documents in the table and pulled down the curtains of the window.

"I got 'em," said Tim. "Time to find out what Black is planning to do. Here, take this, Jonathan."

Tim handed a set of folders to Jonathan. He opened the folders and found dozens of grids and blueprints. Tim opened a folder and noticed that one of the papers explained a timeline. The day he had to watch out for was Day 10. He shuffled through the papers and found a report on the body counts of the cities and towns of Michigan. On the first day, there were about 34,000 casualties in the town of Royal Woods, 13,600 casualties in Huntington Oaks, 20,000 casualties in Ann Arbor, and 500,000 casualties in Detroit. He then looked at their current status. Detroit was secure, Royal Woods has fallen, Huntington Oaks has fallen, most of the other neighboring towns has fallen, but Ann Arbor was secure.

Tim sighed in relief, knowing that his daughter was safe for the time being. He looked at his watch and peeked out of the curtains. The Safe-Zone was still taking in more refugees, and Tim had to do something about it.

"If you are heading to Detroit, you might want to reconsider that decision."

Over the course of days, Tim sat by his radio, revealing plans that the military had in store for the refugees in Detroit.

"It is not safe in here. I repeat, it is not safe in here. This is a warning for everyone."

General Black convinced the chief deputy in Ann Arbor to order his men to slaughter the protesters outside of the stadium. He had to act fast before the residents could find out about the radio messages.

"In June 10, 2016, the soldiers are going to enact a major evacuation of all minors, meaning anyone under 18, presumably in underground bunkers."

Before Gerald Brooker arrived at the Safe-Zone, he was able to warn a few survivors away from Detroit.

"He will order the rogue soldiers to slaughter anyone inside the buildings in Detroit. Those who manage to escape… will be captured by the rogues…"

Lieutenant Lead stormed into a room, demanding information about a man named Tim Crowley. The frightened residents couldn't give an answer to which General Black apologized for.

"The Safe-Zone will be bombed by napalm. All the buildings will burn to the ground while the minors are left without their parents…"

Tim Crowley recorded Gerald Brooker in his tape, "The Truth about the Safe-Zone." Jonathan Simmons stood on guard by the door.

"The remaining hostages will be transported into Royal Woods where Operation Exodus will soon take place."

Gerald Brooker headed downstairs, nervously wiping his glasses. He read his note from his son, and he felt his heart warm up.

"The adults will be transported to a designated area set up by K.H.A.N., that is the group responsible for the spread of necrosis influenza. And they will be subjected to horrible experiments."

A gunshot sounded from below the General's building. General Black calmed the refugees down, convincing them that he killed a terrorist threatening the lives of everyone.

"It's all a part of a grand plan. This is what they believe. 'Those who enter a Safe-Zone believing in an easy solution are not fit for survival. However, their children can't be blamed for the actions of their foolish parents. The children that are able to escape the herd that they will inevitably encounter are fit to inhabit the new world that will be formed after Day 10'. Yup, you heard that right. Watch out for Detroit."

Jonathan Simmons looked into the mirror and congratulated Dr. Frederick for his successful plastic surgery. He now appeared identical to Tim Crowley and was ready to undertake a tremendous sacrifice.

"Are you ready, Simmons?" asked Tim.

"I am. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I hope you make it back home to Vonda," said Jonathan Simmons.

"Thank you for making it possible."

Simmons loaded his gun and ran ahead towards the gates. His hair rode along with the wind as he pulled out a pistol and shot the guard. A few soldiers chased after Simmons out of the Safe-Zone. Tim silently hopped over the gate and ran into the houses outside of the fences and barbed wires.

The soldiers shot their M4s at Simmons, causing him to fall into the ground. Tim climbed up a ladder into the attic of the house where there was a small window. The cobwebs and spiders infested the dark corners of the attic. Tim peeked out of the window and saw the soldiers shoot Simmons in the head.

Tim took out a bottle of water and drank it, hoping that the last step to his plan would work. If it didn't, then what Gerald Brooker and Jonathan Simmons did was for nothing. He looked out the window again and saw General Black walking towards the corpse.

General Black circled the body and leaned closer to inspect the face. He then waved his hands, ordering the soldiers to come closer to the body. The rogue soldiers lifted the body up and the general nodded his head. They walked back into the Safe-Zone with a soldier guarding the entrances again.

"Don't worry, Vonda," whispered Tim. "I'm coming. I'm alive. The last step worked."

Chapter 11: Justice in the Somber Nights

I - Bleak

The roamers swung their hands on the windows, moving their jaws up and down. The wind blew the saliva that dripped from the roamers' mouths, creating a monster-like image for the children to remember in their sleep. Their yellow eyes seemed to glow in a demonic manner as the sky darkened and the shadows of the trees appeared in front of Vanzilla. The children huddled closer together, with Bobby attempting to find a solution to get the roamers away from the van. The van kept shaking, with roamers shaking the surrounded and infested van. Some of the children were ready to cry, while the others were frozen in fear. Lily cried, not making the situation any better.

"Please, don't cry," whispered Bobby, as Leni handed Lily over to him. "Shh. It's okay. We're going to be okay."

"It's not going to be okay!" exclaimed Tabby as she noticed one of the windows cracked slightly. "What are we going to do? I don't want to die!"

"I don't want to die either!" sobbed Darcy. "Save us, Bobby!"

"Darcy, please calm down. We're not going to die."

"Bobby, you gotta do something," whimpered Leni. "Please, I'm too young to die!"

"I don't know what to do, Leni. I wish I did know, but…"

"We're going to die!" sobbed Zach.

"Hey!" yelled Ronnie Anne. "Everyone, SHUT UP!"

The thumping of the roamers' fists and mouths grew louder as the cries quieted down. The van continued to shake violently. The children focused their attention on Bobby's younger sister, who frightened them enough to keep their eyes away from the windows. Noticing that everyone calmed down, Lily's cry softened until she was just sniffling.

"We're not going to die!" exclaimed Ronnie Anne. "Did you guys forget about Lori and the others? They will come back."

"I wish there was only some way we can contact them," said Lincoln. "I could try using my walkie-talkie, but I doubt it would connect to their channel."

"May I tinker with it?" asked Lisa.

Lincoln handed his walkie-talkie to Lisa. Ronnie Anne smiled until a roamer threw its own head at a window, making her jump. Another roamer cracked another window, causing Darcy to shriek as it stared at her.

"The roamers might break inside before the others get here!" shrieked Tabby.

"In that case, grab your weapons!" said Ronnie Anne. "Kill them ONLY if they get inside. Don't smash any windows and don't try to provoke them!"

"I don't have a weapon!" said Luan. "I gave the katana back to Benny!"

"Stay in the middle of the van, then!"

Blood stopped pouring out of Doug's van. A couple roamers passed by it, not minding the corpse inside it. There was no reason to pay attention to a corpse living among them. A turned-Doug limped out of the van, moving its head around. Hearing thumpings nearby, Roamer Doug walked towards the van. However, in a blink of an eye, its head was shoved into the damaged van and stabbed with an ice pick. Roamer blood splattered into the shattered window of the van. Roamer Doug dropped to the ground as Sam pulled out her ice pick out of its head.

The thumpings became less frequent as the roamers turned around from the window. Dana swung her machete at one of the roamers along with Becky, while Wavehead dug his trench knife inside of a roamer's head. Luna followed Sam and beat any roamer approaching the girls with her crowbar. Richard walked steadily towards the van, letting out a yell after killing a roamer.

The children watched with wonder. Bobby felt his heart warm up as the group returned to save them. However, his warm heart turned cold as soon as he saw Lori, choking in disbelief. Her eyes were bruised, her lips were bleeding, her nose, cheeks, jaw, and many other facial parts were lacerated. Despite her wounds, she walked through the fight that her group were leading, with an AK-47 in her hands. Lincoln smiled, knowing that whatever moment of distress Lori went through, she made it out alive.

George and David fought off the roamers that approached them and Lori. They admired Lori's character a lot more than before, knowing that Lori valued her humanity and the people she cared about more than her wrath. Both men hoped that it would stay this way, and in order to preserve her humanity, they must get Lori and her family to Houlton as soon as possible. However, David knew that this wasn't going to remain forever, and just one brutal moment could change Lori's behavior for the worse.

Lori continued to walk to Vanzilla in a striding manner. Her stride was one of a warrior who walked out of battle with her sword after a long battle.

The roamers were killed off, so now the survivors were able to return to their respective vehicles. As Lori entered the driver's seat, she noticed that she wasn't able to see well. Carol tapped her in the shoulder.

"Lori. You need to come with me to the RV."

"No, I'm good."

"Lori, look in the mirror."

Lori looked at her own face in her car mirrors, noticing how beat up it was. Lori sighed, wondering if she should've ignored George and killed Sherry. She looked in the mirror and looked at her cuts once again. She then followed Carol to the RV.

"George, drive the van. Sergei, go ahead and drive Chunk's van. We gotta go back to Sergei's car and get our weapons back. Then we can go ahead and continue to Houlton."

The group gazed at Lori. Some looked confused, and the looks of confusion perplexed Lori. She then noticed David looking at her with his arms crossed. Lori quickly realized what she did.

"Oh, sorry, force of habit. You're the leader. I'm not. Sorry-"

"No, it's alright. Those were good orders. I trust you to make good decisions. You're like my vice president. A lieutenant. Second-in-command. You too, George."

Lori smiled as she walked into the RV. George looked at Richard and softly smiled before looking away. Richard clenched his teeth as he looked at George. He looked away and thought about how he couldn't get justice for the woman that he loved. He followed Lori into the RV, along with David as they prepared to leave the woods.

After many minutes, the group returned to the road in which many of their lives were almost lost to the hands of John. A lone roamer lurked near Sergei's car, eating the flesh of a squirrel in the ground. The RV, Vanzilla, and Chunk's van stopped near the car. The roamer looked at the group, revealing a familiar face.

"I gotta take care of this asshat again?" said Lynn.

The doors opened in which some of the group members got out. Roamer John turned its attention to George, standing up and growling at him, holding out its partially consumed arms. Just as George took out his knife, an arrow flew through the air and struck Roamer John's skull. The roamer dropped to the ground with the arrow stuck in the right side of its head. George looked at Lynn and nodded while he placed his knife back into his belt.

David, Richard, George, and Sergei approached the car. The wheels were flat, the windshield was shattered, the mirrors were gone, and bullet holes riddled the vehicle. Lori and Bobby walked together, along with Lana. Lori's face was covered with many tiny bandages, although none covered her bruised eyes.

Lana walked around the car, inspecting it. Upon closer observation she was able to confirm her thought about repairing the vehicle.

"This car can't be fixed anymore. It's too damaged."

"We can do fine with three cars, right?" said Lori. "We have 28 people. Fourteen people in Vanzilla. Ten people in the RV. Four people in the van. We can move the remaining boxes of weapons to the van. We don't need the empty ones anymore."

"Let's move them out quickly then," said Luan. "I can't see anything in this darkness."

There was a long silence when the group moved the boxes from Sergei's car to the van. It was no longer called Chunk's van as Luna and Sam did not need to be painfully reminded about his death. The group looked at each other, with lowered eyes and frowning lips. After finding out that all of the Piranhas, except Bruna, were exterminated, the children felt somewhat relieved, but it did not remove any of the emotional baggage that they carried. It was one of those somber nights in which no words were spoken for hours. What made this somber night different than the others is that justice has been done to avenge the fallen souls of Lucy Loud, Missy Bolts, May Hannas, Martin Briggs, Henry Burke, Francisco, and the rest of the list.

Lori, Lynn, Richard, Luna, Tabby, Dana, and Becky all felt the fury that built up inside of them from not being able to avenge those closest to them. Despite this anger, most of the group knew that George deserved the kill. Not only was it George's personal mission to bring Sherry justice, but he was an enforcer of the law, meaning he knew how to kill Sherry in such a way without letting his emotions overwhelm him. Most of the group understood this, but Richard did not.

-One Month Later-

Footsteps flocked the pavement near a few abandoned stores. The day was bright, the air was dry, and the road was hot. Lori's shoes burned her feet as she rubbed her hand on her forehead, wiping off the sweat on her skin. Feeling very lightheaded, she walked towards a tree to rest under its shade. Upon coughing again, Darcy was given a few more sips from the canister that Bobby held attached to his backpack. Sergei, Lisa, and Lana walked towards a car with a plastic tube and an empty jerry can. David walked towards Lori, grabbing his canister and offered it to Lori, but she raised her hands and shook her head. He insisted again, but she shook her hands and her head.

"Lori-"

"No. Save it for someone who needs it. Like Clyde."

David looked back at the group and noticed that Clyde was having a hard time keeping up with the others. He rubbed his stubble and took off his shades. He walked towards the boy who limped with his makeshift crutches.

"Need some water, kid?" asked David.

"Yes, please," said Clyde. "Thank you."

Clyde took the canister and took three sips before handing it back to David. He shook his head.

"Lori wants you to keep it. She doesn't need it."

Clyde looked at Lori lying down in the shade and decided to walk over to her. Lincoln and Lynn walked close to the tree, and Lincoln headed towards the shade but Lynn drifted away from the boy. He walked back with Lynn and scratched his head, keeping a perplexed gaze at his sister.

"What?" asked Lynn.

"You don't want to sit in the shade?" asked Lincoln.

Lynn shook her head and looked away, walking ahead of the others.

"Wait. You're going ahead of the others!"

"Can't stop," stated Lynn.

"That's right," said Richard, his growing stubble moving along with his jaws. "Every minute we stay out here in the sun, we detoritiate, from dehydration and from the heat exhaustion."

"Don't worry about me, Lincoln." said Lynn. "You can stay with them. I'm going to get us water. The less people, the less trouble."

"Let me come with you. Lynn!"

Lynn continued to walk ahead with Richard, Becky, Dana, Wavehead, and D. Lincoln caught up to Lynn once more. Lynn turned around and let out a quick but deep sigh.

"Come on! You've been acting strange these past weeks! Is this about what happened to Lucy?"

"Yes. Thank you for reminding me."

"It's not just about her, is it?" asked Lincoln. "Lynn, I'm your brother, you can tell me-"

"What do you want me to say? That I want to stay away from all of you? Because that's how I feel!"

"What do you mean?"

"First, I couldn't protect Lola and Clyde from the roamers back in New York! Lola's dead and Clyde can never walk without his crutches ever again! Then…"

Lynn choked back her tears. She didn't want to seem weak again, but here she was, pouring out her emotions, she thought to herself.

"I told Francisco to run to the RV," said Lynn, her voice breaking. "I told Lucy to stay inside the RV. I sent both of them to their deaths. I'm bad luck, Linc. It was never anyone or anything else. It was me this whole time. I think it's better that I stay away from everyone that I love."

"Lynn, that's nonsense! You're not bad luck! It's just the way this world is and you have no control over it!"

"It's what I believe," sniffled Lynn. "Stay with Lori. I love you, Linc. I'll be back."

Lynn walked away and followed the other survivors that were moving towards a specific direction. Lincoln lowered his eyes and felt defeated. He then felt someone place their left hand on his shoulders.

"I kinda overheard what you two were talkin' about," said Tabby. "Think you can help me out? I'm feeling kinda low and I just thought you could cheer me up."

"Sure. Let's head back with the rest of the group."

Vonda shuffled around the road, looking at every tree surrounding the group. Her dry throat and stinging throat attacked her with a variety of negative-riddled emotions. She heard a voice and turned around, drawing her bow towards the voice."

"Hey there, my daughter."

Vonda's pupils dilated. The ghostly figure had a bullet hole on its forehead and was back to wearing the vest that she has received from her mother as a gift.

"Can I even call you that? I see that you're lost. Your group ran out of gas in the middle of whatever fucking nowhere in Massachusetts. Want me to help? Or do you just want me to get shot and tossed into a river? I know you would. You did that to me after all."

"No, that was you! You put yourself into that position! I gave you a chance! You didn't deserve that chance! You deserve death!"

The figure cackled as Vonda continued to hiss with anger. She released the arrow on the string and pierced a roamer through its skull. Her pupils expanded once more and she quickly looked around her surroundings.

"Vonda!" yelled David.

Vonda quickly turned her head towards the group under the tree's shade, noticing that the group were holding their weapons. David stood tall and was ready to walk towards her.

"Something's wrong? You shouted remarks at the roamer before you killed it."

"I… I'm fine."

"I think you need some shade. Put down the bow and lie in the grass with us."

"I can't. She could still be around here."

"Who's she?" asked David.

"My mother, of course," replied Vonda, bluntly. "You guys saw her, right?"

"You definitely need some shade," said David.

Vonda closed her eyes and palmed her temples. She shook her head and let out a deep sigh before walking towards the tree. David looked at her, wondering why she was hallucinating her mother. He then realized that Vonda's mental state was in trouble, and if nothing is done about it, she could possibly lose her sanity.

"How do you feel?" asked Lori.

"Not so good," replied Vonda. "I'm thirsty. Hungry. I'm losing my mind. I'm seeing things that aren't there."

"It's the heat. Our supplies are running out quicker than we can scavenge them. But, we will come across something. Keep your hopes high."

"I didn't kill you. I didn't kill you."

"What?"

Vonda's breathing paced more rapidly and she started shivering. Lori grabbed Vonda and hugged her, rubbing the back of her head.

"It's okay. We'll get more supplies. Just relax."

"I didn't kill my own mother, right, Lori?"

"No. Of course not."

"I could've allowed you guys to take her to Houlton with us. I could've given her another chance!"

"That wouldn't be so smart. No one is to blame for her death but her. Don't feel guilty."

Lincoln and Tabby arrived near the tree, catching the group's attention. Ronnie Anne looked at Tabby and noticed how she was touching Lincoln's arms. She shrugged it off and lied her head on the tree. Lori stood up, ready to walk to Lincoln.

"Lori?" called Vonda. "Why do you care so much about me?"

"No one deserves to be alone," said Lori.

Vonda smiled softly and closed her eyes. Lori waved her hands at Lincoln.

"Hey, Lori. What is it?"

"I want to get some supplies for the group. I want you to come with me. And only you."

"Sure thing. Let's go."

Lori looked back at David.

"Lincoln and I are going to go ahead in the road. We're going to be back in less than an hour."

"In this heat? What about water?" asked David.

"Lincoln has a water bottle. I'm going to be fine."

David nodded. Lori and Lincoln walked ahead in the road, leaving the group behind in the shaded tree. Lori took out a hatchet from the side of her backpack and Lincoln held a knife in his left hand. The heat continued to bully the survivors.

II - Guts

The front door of a small grocery shop opened. Richard held his knife in his hands as he turned on his flashlight, shining the light near the aisles. He slowly walked inside the store with Becky, Dana, D, Wavehead, and Lynn behind him, each person holding a weapon to defend themselves. The light moved around the store, revealing small amounts of water and food that the group were looking for. Richard looked back at the rest of the group and nodded his head. He turned his head back to the light, when suddenly, the light revealed a roamer coming close to him.

"Richard! The roamer!" shouted Becky.

He lunged towards the roamer with his knife, slashing its decayed brain. Rotten and infected blood oozed out as the knife was pulled away from the roamer's skull. The group looked around as they heard growls coming from all directions.

"What do we do?" asked Wavehead.

"We need some light! Pull the curtains up!" ordered Richard. "Then, we'll be able to see shit!"

Wavehead and D ran to the right side of the store. D smacked the roamers in the head with his Glock 17, keeping his fingers off of the trigger. Wavehead stabbed the roamers in front of them with his trench knife, allowing a safer passage for both boys. Meanwhile, Becky and Dana dashed to the left side of the store for the curtained windows. Becky and Dana mimicked the boys unintentionally, with Becky smacking the zombies with a gun of the same variant and Dana slashing the roamer's skulls with her machete.

Lynn looked around and struggled to choose who to run with. The boys weren't doing a better job than the girls, but they weren't doing a worse job either. The same could be said for the girls, and that is exactly why Lynn couldn't pick. She wondered why her indecisiveness decided to strike her at this moment.

"Lynn! Follow me!" yelled Richard. "Clear the roamers in the left aisles! I'll clear the roamers from the right!"

Lynn grabbed an arrow from her quiver and swung it upwards as she dashed towards Becky and Dana. One of the roamers was struck from the bottom of its jaw, the arrow sliding its way up to its brain and out of its head. Lynn used the same arrow to stab another roamer through its left eye, creating a sewer of roamer blood to flow out of its eye.

One of the aisles was brightened up by the sun through one of the windows. Dana and Becky pulled the strings to the curtains as fast as they could, while stabbing the roamers approaching them. One roamer walked faster than the other roamers as it was a newly decayed roamer, and the muscles from its leg has not rottened as much as the other roamers. It held its arms out and was ready to attack Dana. She extended her leg in an attempt to kick the roamer away, but the roamer already grabbed the backpack straps on her shoulders.

She fell down to a floor of empty cans and indeliberately stuck her machete through the roamer's stomach, causing its guts to slide out. Dana moved her face away from the roamer's mouth and moved the machete up his stomach to his chest, causing more of the roamer's organs to fall onto her. The roamer growled louder and strengthened its grip on the girl, while moving its mouth closer to her face. She shrieked while struggling to remove the machete from the roamer's body.

Becky smacked another roamer with her gun and attempted to help her friend out when another roamer grabbed her backpack, keeping her from going down to the floor. Becky quickly paced backwards where she shoved the roamer into a wall. The roamer was not affected. She raised her eyebrows and clenched her teeth as she bent her wrist to point her gun at the roamer behind her.

Lynn quickly moved into the scene where she tossed her arrow to the floor and dragged the roamer away from Dana. More blood poured onto her clothes as she slid the machete closer to her. Dana tightened her face and goosebumps appeared in her arms. Lynn grabbed the arrow and turned the roamer over. The roamer growled at the girl, while she stuck the arrow into its eyes, and then it growled no more.

Becky pulled the trigger, and a deafening shot caused blood to splatter on the back of her hair, to her backpack, and to the wall behind her. Everything went quiet as Richard, Wavehead, and D dashed to her aid. She fell down to the ground, along with the roamer. No sound came from the other survivors. A loud humming and then loud ringing struck Becky's ears immediately after she fell to the ground. She pressed her hands against her head and struggled to cry out, but she couldn't hear anything besides the ringing.

"Shit! What happened here?" asked Richard.

"Becky!" cried out D. "Becky! Are you okay?"

The ringing continued to bounce around Becky's brain, leaving her confused. She looked around with widening eyes, until she saw D, in which her eyes began to relax. The ringing persisted, but she was able to hear distorted voices coming from the group. She could hear D shouting something, but the ringing muffled those words into noises.

Dana helped Becky stand up as she shook her head, the ringing fading away at a slow pace, but surely fading away. Becky threw up on the floor as her nose caught the smell of Dana's shirt.

"She's not hurt," said Richard, as he walked away to the aisles.

All the roamers were lying in the ground, with pieces of their brains and skull sitting on the floor. Richard stepped on a few of these brain pieces, creating small puddles of blood.

Becky looked around. She could finally make out what the others were saying.

"Becky? Are you alright?" asked D. "I think she can't speak. She's very nauseous."

"No, I'm alright!" groaned Becky. "It's just… the ringing in my ears won't go away! I shot the gun too close to my ears!"

"Dana… you have roamer guts all over your shirt," commented Wavehead. "That's probably why Becky threw up. Those guts smell like shit."

Dana gagged as she sniffed herself.

"Oh my god! I smell so gross! Ugh! How do I remove this shit off of me? Sorry, guys! I gotta go outside!"

"Please do! It smells fucking disgusting!" shouted Becky. "Am I loud?"

"Yes," said Lynn. "Yes, you are. Try not to shoot a gun next to your ears next time."

Lynn, Becky, Wavehead, and D, walked to the center aisles while Dana rushed out of the store, covering her nose. The light from the sun stunned Dana, as she covered her eyes with her hands. She released her grip on her nose and tried to not smell the rotten organs in her clothes. A small piece of intestines fell out of her shoulder and into the pavement. The squishy noise it made as it hit the concrete floor nauseated Dana.

"I gotta change my clothing. This is too-"

A roamer groaned a yard away from Dana. She stood silently and turned her heads towards the roamer, her hands covering her eyes from the sunlight, and her arms dripping with blood. The roamer inched closer to Dana and moved its head to the left and raising it upwards. Dana slowly raised her machete, but she then noticed that the roamer inched away from her. The roamer continued to groan while walking away from her and the store. She lowered her machete and tilted her head as her jaw was left hanging open from what just occurred.

Lori and Lincoln were walking alongside each together in the road, slowly in the dangerous heat. Both children were suffering from dehydration, but they were still able to walk further into the road with the hopes of finding a store. Lori looked at Lincoln and nudged his arm.

"What's up, Lori?" asked Lincoln.

"Who do you like? Ronnie Anne or Tabby?"

"What kinda question is that? We're trying to find some water for the group!"

"We are searching for some water for the group. But we're talking as we search for a store. Let's talk like we did back at home. We never had any time to bond ever since Detroit fell."

Lincoln looked at his older sister and realized that the last thing they were able to talk about besides survival was their visit in Albany. Her older sister waited for a response, feeling dejected after every second.

"I don't know. I don't like them like that."

Lori raised her eyes and leaned closer to Lincoln.

"It's the end of the world, and you still can't admit your feelings to either one of them?"

"I did have a fun time with Tabby in the Sadie Hawkins Dance and I did have a fun time on that date with Ronnie Anne, but they're just my friends."

"You'll find someone. There might be a lot less fish in the sea, but you'll find someone, eventually," said Lori.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm more worried about us getting to Maine safely. I want the people I love to be happy," said Lincoln. "That's all that matters to me now."

"I'm glad we can still do this. Even in the harsh days and somber nights, we can still have these kinds of conversations."

Lincoln looked at Lori once again. She looked back and smiled.

"Do you think we're still going to have conversations like these, years from now?" asked Lincoln. "Will we even be around for that long?"

"Who knows? But I do know something. I want you to be around when we reunite with Mom and Dad. I want you to be around when I start a family with Bobby. I want to be around when one day you can start a family. To share our happiest experiences with each other, and to be there for each other when we're feeling down. One day, we'll grow old and look back at everything we did, either smiling or crying, and we'll do it together. If I die tomorrow or years from now, I want you, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lana, Lisa, and Lily by my side."

The two siblings arrived at a gas station. A sign appeared near the pumps, reading, 'SORRY NO GAS'. A few roamers turned their heads towards Lori and Lincoln. Both siblings raised their weapons and walked to the roamers.

"Maybe, we'll be one of the lucky ones," said Lincoln.

Lincoln grabbed a roamer's neck and thrust his knife inside it, stabbing the bottom of its brain. Lori held her hatchet tightly and moved the weapon down a roamer's skull. She removed the weapon from its skull and swung it at another roamer's face. The roamer dropped to the ground, where Lori kneeled down and ended the roamer's life with one swift chop to its head. She quickly stood up and helped Lincoln by killing a roamer that approached him from a few meters away.

Lincoln looked at Lori and gave her a thumbs up, while shoving his knife at a smaller roamer, killing it. The corpses of the roamers were on the ground, with not too much blood lying around the roamers.

Lincoln and Lori went inside the gas station, searching for any supplies they could use. Lori grabbed the batteries off of the shelf near the counter. Lincoln took out his backpack and dropped all the canned food from the shelves inside it. Lori placed a lighter and a box cutter she found in the floor in her pockets. Lincoln grabbed a gallon of water from the shelf and handed it to Lori. He then grabbed the last gallon of water himself, and walked out of the gas station. Lori took out the lighter from her pocket, and flicked it on with her left hand. The flame moved around softly and still, until Lori flicked it off and covered the light.

Richard, D, Wavehead, Becky, Dana, and Lynn walked back to the group with supplies in their backpacks. Richard took out his revolver as he heard a couple footsteps. The rest of the group stood still and heard the footsteps moving around near the trees. Richard saw two moving figures in the forest, and he aimed his gun at them. They stood still as another moving figure approached them. The figure took out a long weapon and swung it at the other figure, causing it to drop to the ground.

"Nice kill!" shouted one of the figures.

Richard popped out of the trees and held his revolver aimed at the figure, causing Luan to shriek. Benny turned around and saw Richard pointing his gun at him. The rest of the group came out of the trees with their weapons in their hands, Becky and D being the only ones with guns aimed at the two figures.

"Shit!" yelled Richard, lowering his gun. "What are you two doing out here?"

Luan placed her katana back into its scabbard, while Benny looked into Richard's eyes. Benny lowered the ninjato sword that Tad previously owned.

"We were practicing killing roamers with our swords," replied Benny.

"You mean coming here to fool around with each other?" chuckled Wavehead.

Luan groaned as Benny shook his head. Richard looked around his surroundings and noticed three dead roamers in the ground. Luan sniffed the air and faced Dana.

"Dana! You have blood all over you!" gasped Luan.

"Yeah. Roamer blood. Let's go, now!"

Dana walked ahead of the others, cutting through the branches in the forest, and making her way back to the group. The rest of the group followed Dana along with Benny and Luan.

"Woah, what's the rush? Did you guys find any supplies?" asked Benny.

"Yeah," replied Lynn. "A couple water bottles, some canned food, and some silverware. Nothing too important."

"Dana has something very important to say, but she wants to tell it to the entire group. So annoying," sighed Becky.

Vonda awoke the sounds of chattering among the group. Her hair was drenched in her sweat and she desired water above anything else. Water was being distributed among the group, most of it being poured into individual canisters.

"Can I have some water?" asked Vonda, her eyes dry and her tongue pale.

"Sure thing. Here you go," said Lynn.

"Alright, everyone!" said Dana. "Where's Lori and Lincoln?"

"Right over there," pointed out David.

Lincoln and Lori were walking right next to each other, holding a gallon of water, surprising most of the group. Lincoln smiled at the younger survivors, while Lori smirked at the older survivors.

"Where'd you guys find that?" asked Sam.

"In a gas station ahead in the road," answered Lori. "We found some food and batteries as well."

"Interesting. We should split up more often," suggested David. "It would help us cover more ground."

"Alright, listen up!" shouted Dana. "Earlier, I had a machete stuck in a roamer's body as I struggled to fight it off. Thankfully, Lynn here saved me, but the roamer's organs poured onto my clothes. Blood everywhere. And, like, I'm talking about a LOT of blood."

"Yeah, we can see that," said Lana. "Sorry, continue."

"Anyways, I went outside and I was trying to remove the organs struck to my clothes when I noticed there was a roamer very close to me. Like, very close. But guess what? It approached me and then it left!"

"It just… left?" asked Lisa.

"Yeah. It seemed like it was sniffing the air around me and it must have been confused by the rotten air that I gave off! You know what that means!"

"My god…" whispered David.

"Yup. They get fooled by roamer blood. By smearing roamer blood and their organs onto ourselves, we can BECOME one of them. Goodbye, infection of the dead!"

"That's a crucial discovery that you made!" commented Lisa. "But, as valuable as that information holds, it seems too risky to test this discovery among the rest of the group."

"Too risky? I'm fine right now, though!" said Dana.

"We'll see. And even if nothing occurs in the following days and/or weeks, it doesn't mean that it is completely foolproof. For one, I can already hypothesize that this method introduces a huge buildup of concentrated necrosis influenza gas that could creep its way up the nasal passages. But what do I know? I didn't create the disease."

Lori joined in.

"Still! We might have to try that out sometime in the future!" said Lori.

Lisa nodded her head. Dana smiled and took off her shirt, showing the dress that she was wearing inside.

"Sergei, Lisa, Lana, did you guys siphon the gas already?" asked David.

"Yup, it's in these things," replied Sergei, holding up his jerry cans.

"Let's walk back to the vehicles," said David. "We're almost there! We just gotta get outta Massachusetts and go through New Hampshire, and then, just like that, we're in Maine."

The group began walking back to the vehicles. Richard couldn't help but correct what David said.

"It's been a month since we've been in the Adarandacks-" yelled Richard.

"Adirondacks," corrected Lisa.

"Whatever! It's been a month and we're still not in Boston. Is it going to take us another month just to touch Maine? And then another month to get to Houlton? It's not going to be over soon, David!"

"Well, we could try Lisa's strategy of taking gasoline from the bottom of the gas stations. That way, we can get to Houlton faster. But every gas station we stopped by has been empty and there weren't a lot of gas stations available in the road."

"Are you going to keep on depending on other people's words?" asked Richard. "Well, we could try it his way or her way, but what about your way, David? What would you do if it was just you and me? Don't tell me you wouldn't know what to do!"

"Richard… it seems like you're questioning my leadership."

"It's not that! It's just… it was better when it was just you… and my wife… and I. There's too many damn ideas being thrown by too many damn people that we don't even know! And with more people, more supplies get put to waste faster! You see what I'm saying, David?"

"What do you want me to do? Just leave all of these people behind? No! That's not what we do! We gotta get these people back with their family because that's what we do! I know that you're feeling down because of your wife-"

"Don't mention her. Don't bring her into this. It's not about her."

"I know it isn't. What's wrong, Richard? Something's happening to you."

Richard covered his eyes with his hands and groaned. He removed his hands and blinked quickly.

"I'm sorry. It's the heat. The scarcity of our supplies. It feels like I'm slowly dying every second I'm not with her."

"I understand. I worry every second I'm not with my wife and son."

Richard nodded and continued to walk in the road back to their vehicles. A couple clouds began to cover the sun as it climbed down to its bed in the horizon. The vehicles were sitting next to a small home. The entire house was scavenged except the mattresses and blankets.

III - The Humane Way

A flicker of fire burned in the air as Richard lit up the small campfire as he did in all the nights in the past. He turned to his left and saw a slightly larger campfire than his made by Lisa, just as she made in the past days. David was eating his canned peaches while talking with George. They chuckled, just as Richard and David did in the past days. Bobby and Lori talked to each other while sitting on a log, whispering private things to each other, just as Missy and Richard did in the past days.

Richard poured a some water into the campfire from his canister and kicked some dirt into it while stomping it softly. He quickly kneeled down and inspected his campfire. He then stood up and walked towards David.

"I'm going to get more firewood," said Richard.

"Take George with you," said David. "Or better yet, let me come with."

"I can get it myself. Just stay here and relax. Don't use up too many of the supplies while I'm gone."

David nodded and Richard left the backyard and walked to the forest across the road with his flashlight on. He walked into the forest and loaded his Python. He then disappeared into the forest.

Carol noticed Richard leaving and entered the house through the back door. She grabbed a flashlight and a knife, and exited through the front door of the house. She locked the door and closed it, before running out into the dark forest. She turned on her flashlight and looked around the dark forest, getting goosebumps as she lurked close to the trees.

After a few minutes, Richard walked into an open area in the forest where a bundle of sticks resembling crossbones lied in the ground. He pointed his flashlight at a roamer approaching him. He then pointed his revolver at the roamer and shot the roamer in the head. He saw another roamer coming and shot it in the head as well, causing it to drop into the grass a couple meters away from the sticks.

Her heart stopped as she looked around in the forest for the source of the gunshot. Carol heard the gunshot once again and walked to its direction, moving all of the branches out of her way. Another gunshot was fired and Carol dashed faster in its direction.

"What is Richard doing?" Carol whispered to herself.

A fourth gunshot was fired and Carol finally saw a ray of light ahead of her. The fifth gunshot was louder than the rest of the shots. Carol saw an empty area of the forest and moved quickly towards it, when she suddenly heard a roamer behind her. She took out her knife and moved close to the roamer.

Richard held his breath and pointed his revolver at his head. Richard then shook his head.

"Too cowardly."

Richard saw another roamer approaching. He shot the roamer, using up his last bullet. Another roamer approached from behind the dead roamer and growled as it walked closer to Richard. Richard aimed his gun at the roamer and pulled the trigger, but no gunshots were head. The clicking of the revolver persisted as Richard continued to pull the trigger again and again.

Carol took out her knife from the roamer's skull and looked back at the empty area. She saw Richard opening up his arms, allowing the roamer to come closer to him. She gasped and ran into the open area, shrieking as she tackled the roamer out of the way.

"What the hell?" gasped Richard.

Carol quickly stood up and grabbed her knife with both of her hands. She held the knife above her and moved it downwards, stabbing the roamer's skull with full force. Richard looked at her as she took out the knife and blew into a strand of her hair.

"Richard, behind you!" yelled Carol.

Richard turned around and saw another roamer approaching. He smacked the roamer with his Python and started to beat it up with the grip of the flashlight. He smacked it deeper into the roamer's skull as it continued to growl at the man, until it growled no longer.

"Richard! What the hell! Were you… going to kill yourself?"

"Not until you stepped in! Why were you following me?"

"You were acting strange and I was worried what was going to happen to you when you decided to head to the forest alone!"

"Why do you care?" asked Richard.

"How can I not care? You did so much for the group and even though we really didn't have a chance to repay you, we appreciate what you did for us! Now, I'm going to ask you again! Why did you try to kill yourself?"

"There was nothing to live for! But, that was before… you stepped in… Carol."

"Come on, let's go back with the others. No doubt they heard the gunshots, and they're probably worried about you now."

"I knew it. You're all about saving people, right?"

"I care about you, Richard. I don't like to see you like this. Now, let's go. I want you to be safe already."

"Alright, let's leave."

Lori looked around the backyard. She jogged to where David was as he stood up.

"Did you hear that?" asked Lori.

"That was probably Richard. Six gunshots from his revolver. No big deal. If he got himself into some trouble, he'll pull himself out of it."

"Alright, but if he doesn't come back in a few minutes, we're going to look for him."

Richard and Carol walked out of the forest and walked to the backyard through the driveway. David shoved a sliced peach into his mouth as Lori sighed, confronting Carol.

"Carol? Why'd you follow him?" asked Lori frantically. "You know how dangerous it is in the forest at night?"

"Yeah. That's why I accompanied him," replied Carol.

"Strange," said David, joining in. "I thought Richard didn't need anyone coming with him."

"He didn't. But I did. I wanted to come with him because, frankly, I was scared for him. Now that I followed him and saw what he was capable of, I think he really doesn't need anyone."

"I wouldn't say that," said Richard. "It was nice having someone accompany me in the loneliness of the forest. Plus, I would need you just in case I scrape myself or some shit."

"Well, everything's all figured out now, right?" said David, smacking his hands as he tossed the can to the ground. "Remember. Tomorrow, we should be in the outskirts of Boston."

The sun disappeared and appeared again within hours, spinning around the sky like the cars in the RV wheel, watching over the vehicles as they traveled on the road that led to Boston. However, there was nothing of importance in Boston for the group to take advantage of, so they decided that they would move around Boston and continue on I-95. This idea has been debated numerous times, with some group members arguing that Boston was bound to be loaded with supplies. The risk of coming in contact with a city herd was too high, so they decided to sacrifice the potential of good supplies so that they can live another day.

The group stopped at another store, only to find it empty. They continued to search for another store, when the fuel for Vanzilla ran out. The group stepped out of their respective vehicles and began to set up camp as it was around lunchtime. A cabin stood by the road a dozen meters away from the van, so Lisa decided to create a campfire near the cabin, using her glasses. Richard insisted in using his lighter, but David stressed the importance of saving his lighter.

Lori grabbed George and Bobby to help her find cars to siphon fuel from them. George carried the jerry can and tubes, while Lori and Bobby held their weapons to protect the three of them. Sergei and David began to prepare the food with Dana's help. The rest of the group sat in the grass or inside the cabin, waiting for their food and water to be heated.

"Leni! Can you watch the young ones?" asked Lori. "You know, Darcy, Lisa, and Lana?"

"Sure thing, Lori. Have fun!" replied Leni.

Leni walked over to Lana, Lisa, and Darcy, and kneeled down to the grass, joining their conversation.

"Hey guys! Whatcha' doing?"

"We were going to search the forest for some firewood," said Lana. "Want to come with?"

"Well, Lori told me I had to watch you guys. So, yeah! I'm coming!"

Darcy jumped up and cheered along with Leni as Lisa motioned the girls to follow her. They walked into the forest while the group were distracted by their activities.

The fire continued to crackle near the log where Lynn was sitting at. Wavehead walked over to the log and sat down next to Lynn, watching the flame moving along with the weak breeze.

"You look troubled," said Wavehead, shifting his lens. "Watchu' thinkin' about?"

"Just thinking about my family," replied Lynn. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a little worried. We're runnin' outta supplies and that would mean that this group is gonna split."

"What do you mean?"

"With no more supplies, some of us are gonna leave the group. We're not all tryna go to Houlton. To spare you some of the supplies, me and D are thinking about leaving. You guys had done more than enough for us."

Lynn looked at Wavehead in his eyes and slowly opened her mouth.

"No! You can't leave! You're a valuable member of our group. You're part of our family! We've been through a lot!"

"Sounds like you've been doubting family for a while now," commented Wavehead.

There was a pause before Lynn began to speak.

"I was talking about my siblings. I don't want to be around them for too much because that's when shit hits the fan."

Wavehead fixed his glasses and raised his right index finger, ready to rebut what Lynn was saying, but she added on.

"I know, I know! I sound superstitious! It's part of who I am! But can you blame me? Look how unlucky I've been! Just look around and tell me bad luck doesn't exist!"

"No, I can't blame you. Me and D have been through a lot, back in Cleveland. The world was already shit, and it seemed like it was us against the world. We've been involved with the wrong people, but we knew when not to cross limits. But even when we tried being nice… well, shit happens, Lynn."

Lynn and Wavehead continued talking while Ronnie Anne sought a conversation with Tabby. Both girls walked away from Lincoln, Clyde, Rusty, and Zach to walk around the cabin. Both girls did not talk as Tabby was waiting for Ronnie Anne to start the conversation, and Ronnie Anne was trying to find the right words to say to her.

"Tabby, I've noticed that you've been talking to Lincoln a lot lately," said Ronnie Anne. "That might not mean anything since we're the only girls Lincoln talked to-"

"Actually, there's Haiku, Polly Pain, Giggles, Girl Jordan-" interrupted Tabby.

"I mean in this group," said Ronnie Anne.

"What about Carol Pingrey? Or Sam? Lincoln's been talking to Sam lately, but I think they were on friendly terms before already," said Tabby.

"Sam is dating Luna already! And Carol Pingrey is too old for him!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Tabby.

"I'm talking about you liking Lincoln!" hissed Ronnie Anne.

"Me liking Lincoln? What?" gasped Tabby. "Ronnie Anne? Are you jealous?"

Ronnie Anne growled as they turned at another corner outside of the cabin.

"No, I'm not jealous! I was just going to tell you that if you're going to date Lincoln or something, you BETTER NOT hurt him!"

She raised her right fist and shook it in the air.

"Or else I'll hurt you!"

"Okay! I get it! But… I don't like Lincoln like I did with Liam…"

Both girls turned at another corner around the cabin when they saw two teenagers embracing each other, with lips pressed against the other. Becky and D gasped as they turned towards both girls, each with their jaws hanging open. D began to sweat while Becky flushed.

"Woah!" giggled Tabby.

"What?" gasped Becky.

"You two were making out!" said Tabby.

"Yes… so?" said D.

"How long have you two been dating?" asked Ronnie Anne. "Or is this your first time smooching each other?"

"Shut up! It's only been for a couple weeks!" whispered Becky loudly.

"Can you guys go away now?" asked D.

"Yeah sure. We'll leave you two lovebirds alone," said Tabby. "But don't keep this thing a secret! It's too cute to be a secret!"

Both Tabby and Ronnie Anne walked away while Becky and D held each other's hands again.

The sunlight shone through many spots in the canopy of the forest, promising hope for the four survivors. However, Leni was scratching her arms since a couple mosquitos sucked her blood, and they did so for a couple minutes since Leni didn't want to kill them. Darcy was scratching her legs from the itchy sap of the poison ivy that it came in contact with. Lana was used to feeling sweaty, dirty, and itchy, so walking through the forest proved to be no trouble for her. Lisa took out her anti-mosquito spray and used it on herself, Darcy, and Leni. She then took a bottle of lotion and squirted a small amount into her palm.

"For your poison ivy itch," Lisa told Darcy. "Does this feel better?"

Darcy sighed in relief as Lisa rubbed the lotion around her legs. She nodded and smiled.

"Thank you, Lisa! But what is poison ivy?" asked Darcy.

"I've been wondering too!" said Leni.

"It's a mean, green thing that makes you itch 'till you bleed!" said Lana.

"Eww!" cried both Leni and Darcy.

"Sigh. The toxicodendron radicans, street name, poison ivy, causes itching upon contact with its urushiol, or oily sap, and will spread throughout the skin, should you scratch it with your nails. Luckily, that lotion is going to eradicate the oil from the skin, causing the body to reject it out through sweat. Simple invention by moi, yet I still can't find the cure for the necrosis influenza."

"Gee, Lisa, you make me learn something everyday," said Darcy. "I wish I can grow older faster so I can understand what you said."

"Me too," said Leni.

"Leni… you're already-" said Lisa before being interrupted by Lana.

"Lisa. Look! A tent! Let's see what's in there!"

"Lana! Wait! Stay!" exclaimed Lisa. "Why do I even bother trying with these immature kids? Sorry, Darcy, thank you for actually acting your age."

Lana, Lisa, Leni, and Darcy hopped over the low barbed wire that surrounded the tent and went inside it. Lana gasped with joy as she saw the pile of canned food, bottles of water, and plenty of medical supplies.

"We shouldn't be here. I already obtained firewood," said Lisa. "We have to return to the base before Lori, George, and Bobby return. They'll notice that we're missing and then they'll start to search for us."

"But Lisa! Look at all of this!" pointed out Lana.

"But nothing! None of this is ours!"

"Everything we took from the stores aren't ours! Finders keepers, Lisa!"

"That's not right! The stores have been abandoned and its supplies were rightfully available for the next survivor to come across them! The probability that its owner or owners were going to return for their supplies were slim to none! These supplies…! They HAVE an owner!"

"Whoever owns these supplies isn't here for a reason! Maybe the owner died! Got eaten by roamers, you never know!"

"We're not going to make such wild assumptions. It's immoral and unjust. Remember what we're trying to do! Live as human beings, not just survive!"

Lana started stuffing the water bottles and canned food into her bag. Lisa tightened her eyes and walked closer to Lana.

"How can we even live as human beings if we can't survive?" argued Lana. "We need this for the group! It's many of us versus one person! Do you want to save the life of one stranger or the lives of many people? People that we love!"

"We'll find supplies. Maybe we can wait for this person to return and ask him/her for the supplies?"

"What do you think he or she will say? No! Look, Lisa, if it makes you feel better, I'm not gonna take all of the supplies. Just enough to keep us alive for a day."

Lisa stared at Lana silently, giving her the eye. Lana raised her eyebrows and stopped looting the supplies.

"It's three days worth of food and water, Lisa! Let's just go so you can stop looking at me like that."

Lana, Leni, Lisa, and Darcy walked out of the tent only to see the owner of the supplies standing in front of the barbed wire. The young man aimed his pistol at the girls and walked closer.

"Drop my stuff," said the young man in a calm voice. "Didn't your parents tell you not to steal?"

Lana stared at the young man. Lisa urged her to drop the supplies, but Lana kept her eyes locked on the young man.

"Yeah," spoke the young man into his walkie-talkie. "A blonde teenage girl with a green dress. Small tan girl with dark hair. Small brunette girl with a green shirt. Small blonde girl with a red cap."

The young man looked around his small camp and attempted to pick up noises other than the tweeting of birds. But nothing else was heard, so the young man with a green t-shirt and a black watch approached Leni and turned her facing towards the small girls. Leni gasped as the young man shoved the barrel of the pistol at the back of her neck.

Leni lowered herself as Lana and Darcy watched the man with their eyes wide and teary. Lisa wanted to ask the young man if they could be left alone, but now he made it clear that they were going to be questioned.

"Where did you guys come from?" asked the young man.

Leni kept her head lowered and her eyes closed.

"Michigan!" gasped Leni. "We're from Royal Woods!"

"Well, you guys are a long way from home!" hissed the man. "Where were you guys an hour ago?"

"In the road! We were going to…, Lisa, what was it called again? Botson?"

"Boston," corrected Darcy, causing the young man to push Leni to the ground.

Leni whimpered as the dirt ravaged her hair. The young man pointed his gun at Darcy, instead of Lisa, who was going to say Boston as well. Lisa underestimated her friend's knowledge, just as the young man was underestimating her knowledge. Lana stood in front of Darcy and looked at the man with teary eyes.

"If we give you your stuff back, will you leave us alone?" asked Lana.

"No. I'd be crazy to trust you girls like that. You girls just tried to steal from me!"

"And you're going to kill us for that?" exclaimed Lana. "Please, we don't have any weapons! We're starving! We're dying of thirst! That's why we stole from you!"

The young man lowered his gun. He knelt down and looked at Lana and Darcy.

"What are your names?"

They looked at Lisa. She nodded her head, while reaching for something in her pockets.

"I'm Lana."

"And my name is Darcy."

"I'm… Leni."

"They call me Lisa. Can you please do something about the roamer behind you?"

The young man turned around, holding his pistol in the air, ready to kill the roamer, but the trees remained silent as the man observed before. Lisa took out a needle and stabbed it on the man's buttocks, through his ripped jeans. The man yelled until his voice died out. He lied on the dirt, unconscious with the needle still in his buttocks. Lisa pulled it out and dug a small hole.

"What was that?" asked Lana, sounding frightened.

"Poneratoxin," said Lisa. "The tip of the needle was loaded with that chemical."

"That chemical knocks people out?" asked Lana. "Cool!"

"Technically, the chemical just delivers an excruciating sting, and the pain knocked him out."

Lisa buried the needle in the dirt. She stood up and picked up the young man's pistol. She switched the safety on and carried it in her hands.

IV - Somber Night

"Leni, carry this young man back to the base. Lana, don't take anymore of the other supplies. Darcy, take my hand. Let's go back."

The dark clouds hovered over the group. The campfire moved around, adding to the low amounts of sunlight. Lisa drank her water as Lori scolded her and Lana for taking advantage of Leni's naiveness. Bobby and George were filling up the tanks of the vehicles while they awkwardly stared at the Louds. Lori's voice then started trembling.

"You guys are going to give me headaches in the future. Worrying constantly for you guys is the last thing I wanted to… worry about!"

"You sound like Mom," said Lana.

"Wanna see her? Then don't run off somewhere without adult supervision!"

The young man groaned as he woke up, tied to a tree by a rope wrapped around his arms and chest. The man was sweating since the pain persisted in his buttocks but with less power. Lori, David, George, and Richard were standing above him, casting a shadow on the nervous man.

"Where am I?" asked the young man as he turned his head left and right, checking his surroundings. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm David. And this is Lori. He's George. That's Richard. Don't worry. You're still in the outskirts of Boston. I assume that's where you're from?"

"Yes! What am I doing tied up? What are you gonna do with me?"

"Hey," said Richard. "We're going to be doing the questioning here. I insist you shut the hell up."

"What's your name?" asked George.

"My name's Jake."

"What are you doing out here, Jake?" asked David.

"What do you mean? I'm just trying to survive like everyone else. Like you guys, right?"

"You got a group?" asked Richard. "I know your ass didn't survive out here for three months alone."

"Yeah, I got a group. What's it to you?"

"What were you going to do to my sisters?" asked Lori.

"Your sisters? You mean Leni? Lana? Lisa? Darcy? I aimed a gun to their heads."

Lori looked at David who turned towards Richard. Richard clenched his fist and uppercut Jake's stomach, causing him to groan mid-sentence.

"It was because they stole my shit! My water! My food! All that shit!"

The four of them shook their heads and proceeded to walk away.

"What you don't believe me? Look! Check her bag! Lana's bag! She's got my shit!"

"And that was a reason to threaten LITTLE girls with a pistol?" hissed David. "You're lucky to be alive right now. Might not be that way for longer."

"No, wait! I had to make sure! I had to make sure they weren't going to call you guys back to loot my camp! You gotta understand that shit's running dry these days! I had to call my guys so they could secure my camp! And was I so paranoid? Look where I'm at! Please, don't kill me!"

David, Lori, George, and Richard began walking away. Bobby, Luna, Becky, and Sergei guarded Jake while he remained tied up to the tree.

"I bet it was that little shit, Darcy, that stuck that shit up my ass!"

Richard returned to the tree and punched Jake again, in his jaw. Jake did not pass out, so Richard took out a towel and wrapped it around his mouth. Bobby then took a blindfold out and wrapped it around Jake's eyes. His world went black like the sky above him.

"What do we do with Jake?" asked Lori. "I think we should drive away from here and free him. We literally need to keep him away from our group."

"With what fuel?" rebutted George. "I think the best thing we can do is keep Jake prisoner and exchange him to his group for supplies that we desperately need."

"He's too dangerous," argued Richard. "It'll end up the same exact way it did with Gus back at the bridge in New York. We should kill him. Make it quick but painless."

The group clamored against each other inside the cabin. Lincoln and Clyde agreed with Lori while Luan and Benny knew that George had the best idea. Lynn and Dana found themselves agreeing with Richard, believing that no stranger could be trusted, especially those who threatened the lives of their loved ones. Hours were passing inside the hot cabin, and in those hours, the campfire died out and Becky, Sergei, and Luna entered the cabin to see what the commotion was about.

"It's better safe than sorry!" yelled Lynn.

"But we're dying!" cried out Benny. "We have almost nothing to eat or drink!"

"We can't use him as a bartering tool!" shouted Clyde. "We have to do the right thing!"

"Dumping him miles away from his group is not the right thing!" exclaimed Luan.

"Guys! I'm making the final decision," said David. "That's how it works. I say we follow George's idea."

Some of the group members groaned while others chattered among themselves. There was talk about being able to enjoy breakfast and dinner together in the same day. Bobby heard the commotion but did not enter the cabin. He decided to stay and watch Jake, protecting him from the roamers, rather than protecting the group from him. Richard stormed out of the cabin, catching Carol's attention again. However, she did not want to upset Richard, so decided to stay inside the cabin, knowing that Bobby was outside. David followed Richard out of the cabin.

Richard jogged towards Jake and took out his blindfold.

"Look at me in the eyes. Whatever's going to happen to you in the future, I guarantee you won't be alive to see it. You're up to something, and believe me, justice will find you."

Richard turned around and faced David.

"Do whatever you gotta do, but you'll regret it, man."

Richard then walked away. Bobby was stunned and wanted to ask what his problem was, but David had the stern look in his face when tension was high. He took out the towel from Jake's mouth.

"Listen, Jake. We're going to keep you alive and we'll return you to your group, but you gotta work with us. We need your group to give us some of their shit so we can guarantee your safe return. Said it yourself, there's not a whole lotta supplies in this area."

"Can you at least tell me where I am? I need to tell my group where I'm at."

"You're in the western part of the Blue Hills Reservation."

"Ah, I see. Not too far from my camp then. Can I get my walkie-talkie?"

"Tomorrow. It's been a long day. Bobby, I want you to keep watch until… the sun begins to set. We'll bring him inside the RV by then."

"I got it, sir," said Bobby.

David walked back into the cabin. Bobby was left alone with Jake under the dark skies.

"So, Bobby, right?" said Jake.

"Sup?" Bobby said hesitantly.

"I saw the way Darcy clung onto you. She feels very safe around you. I also saw the look on your face when I screamed her name. You looked very serious and worried. A father's worry. I can assume Darcy is your daughter?"

"You can say that," replied Bobby as he held Lori's golf club to beat a roamer coming out of the woods. "Why is it important?"

"I just wanted to comment on how young you are. You look a year younger than me. I'm twenty, by the way."

"Well, I'm actually two years younger than you if it's August. Lori and I adopted Darcy. Her parents are missing, so we just took her with us. We're actually trying to find her parents, although I believe they died."

"In this world, for sure they did! I got a piece of advice for you," said Jake. "Never let her go. And Lori's your girlfriend? Never let her go, either."

"The truth is, Lori can do fine on her own. She's proven time to time that she can outlive this world. I only wish I can tell that to her father."

Bobby swung the golf club again at another roamer approaching the two young men. Jake looked around and saw an increasing amount of roamers coming out from the woods.

"Hey, let me help you out with the dead ones," said Jake. "There are more dead ones coming, and I want us to stay alive."

"Alright."

Bobby quickly tied a rope around Jake's wrists so that his hands are tied together in front of him. He placed the golf club in between his hands and allowed him to palm it. He then took out his knife and cut the rope that tied him into the tree. Jake stood up and ran towards a roamer, whacking it in the head. He beat it over and over, and looked back at Bobby who inserted his knife into a roamer's eye.

"Have you ever told Lori and Darcy how much you loved them recently?" asked Jake.

Bobby paused. He realized that he hadn't been able to in a while. He never even thought about telling Darcy how much he loved her, like the daughter he never had.

Suddenly, Jake whacked Bobby from behind his skull, causing him to fall down unconscious in the floor. His head was bleeding, but his skull was still intact, since Jake's tied hands couldn't provide him too much strength.

Richard walked out of the cabin, noticing Jake loose from his spot by the tree. Jake dropped the golf club and ran into the woods. Richard grew furious and sped after him, going inside the dimly lit woods. David and Lori came out of the cabin noticing Bobby lying in the ground. Lori gasped as a roamer knelt down to sink its teeth into the young man.

"NO!" yelled Lori, taking out a pistol.

She fired the pistol at the roamer, killing it before it got the chance to bite Lori's love of her life. Lori ran towards Bobby, sighing in relief when she noticed that he was still breathing.

The branches in the woods whipped and snapped. Jake jumped over the barbed wire and quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie with his tied hands before leaving his camp. Richard ran into the barbed wire, stabbing his legs and causing him to trip.

"AHH! Fuck!" yelled Richard. "Come here, you bastard."

Jake panted as he continued running while turning on his walkie-talkie.

"I'm running… to the base. I'm leaving… the west section… of the woods. Oh, what a somber night… if I don't make it out alive! If I don't… kill the little girl! The smart one! The one that knocked me out… with a needle!"

Richard continued to chase Jake despite his bleeding leg. Richard held his Python in his left hand, trying to see where Jake went. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, and noticed branches and twigs snapping and shuffling in the woods a couple meters ahead of him. He continued to run ahead in the woods.

"Help! If I don't make it out alive… get justice for me! First, the little girl! Then… the blond man chasing me! Then… the leader! Oh, fuck!"

Jake fell down into a ditch in the woods. His wrists pressed against the stone in the ground, leading it to its dislocation. He yelled as he rolled onto his back. Looking around for a hiding spot, Jake tried to stand up, but found himself unable to do so. Hearing the snapping of nearby branches, he sweated more intensely and panted heavier.

Richard noticed the ditch in the ground and stopped before he fell to it. He noticed Jake lying in the ditch as helpless as a turtle lying on its shell. He lowered himself into the ditch, standing above Jake. Everything was quiet except Jake's breaths.

"Please! You gotta let me live! I was stupid! I was stupid! Please-"

Richard lifted his Python and shot Jake in the chest. The smoke from the barrel lingered in front of Richard's face before flying away into the wind. The young man's lifeless eyes stared back at him, blood pouring out of his mouth and out of his chest. Richard climbed up from the ditch and walked away into the forest.

"How did this happen?" asked Carol as she pressed a bandage against Bobby's head. "Does this hurt?"

"Yeah, ouch. I think Jake swung the golf club on my head," replied Bobby.

"And I think I gotta swing it again to you as well!" said Lori. "Why would you let him loose?"

"I tied his hands up with a rope! I thought he was going to help me take out the roamers!"

"Well, you thought wrong!" yelled Lori. "Jesus, Bobby, you can't just give a weapon to a prisoner! That's literally stupid!"

Bobby swallowed hard as he turned away from his girlfriend. Richard walked into the cabin. David approached the cabin door and closed it. Lori gasped softly as she rubbed Bobby's head.

"I'm sorry, Boo-Boo Bear! It's just… I'm afraid to lose you. I can't lose you."

"I'm sorry too, babe. I promise I won't do anything stupid like that, again."

Bobby and Lori hugged each other as Carol, with the rest of the group, approached Richard.

"What happened to Jake?" asked David.

"He escaped. But not before I shot him once. He can't be too far off from here."

"Should we look for him?" asked George. "I would feel a lot safer knowing he's back with us."

"Nah," responded Richard. "Chances are, he ran back to his group. And in that case, we need to leave immediately."

Suddenly, a knock was heard in the door. The group looked surprised, taking out their weapons and preparing themselves for an attack. David slowly turned the door knob, and was met with a friendly smile.

"Sorry, were you guys busy?" asked the man in the doormat, holding a police baton.

"Who the hell are you?" asked David.

"I'm Bret. Wow, I never seen a group so large! Usually we find groups of three or five, but there's gotta be at least two dozen of you guys! Of course, we still have the largest group in the world."

"Yeah. Twenty-eight of us. You're only a group of three."

"My group's back in Boston. Although, it's not really a group. We're more like a community. There's a hella lot more people in our community."

"Really? You guys have lots of supplies as well? My group and I aren't faring so well these days."

Bret tied his long hair into a man bun while looking around the cabin. He smacked the leaves off of his green tank top, similar to Lori's 'tank top'.

"You guys are very low on supplies. We have lots of supplies back in our community. Boston has lots of supplies, and it doesn't seem to be running out any time soon."

"That's great!" remarked David. "Do you think we can come with you?"

"Sure, but first, have you seen a young man around this area? His name's Jake and he's got a green t-shirt, ripped jeans, a black watch. He's part of our community, although he was more of the rebellious kind."

"I think we did see him. We encountered him in this cabin, but he ran away from us. He ran away in that direction," pointed out David.

Bret looked back and saw where David was pointing at.

"That's the direction where our community is! Hey… umm, do you guys mind if you help us look for Jake? We're going to walk back to our community and we would like you guys to join us. Would you like to be part of our community?"

"What a very tempting offer, but I'm sorry to tell you that I gotta decline it. Our group's got a different destination in mind, and all we really need is fuel for our vehicles, food, and water. We could help you find Jake, though."

"Oh, that's alright! I'm assuming you're all not coming with us back to our community then!"

"That's right," said Richard. "Some of us gotta stay."

"In that case… Jayden! Watch over the ones who stay! We don't want Jake attacking them all of a sudden!"

Bret and his right-hand man, Mike, walked towards the woods. David, George, Lori, Becky, Dana, Leni, Luan, Benny, Lincoln, and Lisa followed the men. David quickly ran back to Richard.

"You're coming. Just in case."

Lori ran back to Bobby as well.

"You gotta come," whispered Lori. "Don't you want to see this new community?"

"Yeah. We're taking my sister and Darcy with us?"

"Yes. I can already taste the delicious warm meal they have over there!"

Richard, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and Darcy followed Bret and Mike into the woods. Jayden watched over Sergei, Carol, D, Wavehead, Luna, Sam, Lynn, Vonda, Clyde, Rusty, Tabby, Zach, Lana, and Lily.

"So, you and the rest of your community are from Boston?" asked Lori.

"Yes. I never got your names," replied Bret.

"I'm Lori. This is my boyfriend, Bobby, and his sister, Ronnie Anne, and our adopted daughter, Darcy."

"Adopted?" questioned Bret. "Before or after the GIE?"

"After. So that term really was used throughout the nation."

"Yeah. Especially by the rogue military. You," said Bret, looking at David, "what's your name?"

"I'm David Jones. This is my buddy, Richard."

"You guys are in the military?"

"We were in the military. I'm a former Marine. He was Army."

"This was years ago, I'm assuming, right? I don't think you guys are associated with the soldiers that handled this whole situation?"

Mike slashed the branches in front of the group with his machete, along with Becky and Dana. David and Lori looked at each other and proceeded to ask him about the one man that is haunting their post-apocalyptic lives.

"Do you know who General Quentin Black is?" asked David.

"I don't have the slightest clue who you're talking about. But I do know who Major Herbert Brown is. He's the commander that controlled the Boston Safe-Zone before he bombed that shit down. Fortunately, he didn't bomb the one building we were hiding in. We got out, and we were able to create the community that we love and value. From the rubble of the buildings, we prospered."

"So, we're in for a walk, right?" asked David.

"We got a van close by. It'll fit all of you. Don't worry."

Luna and Sam looked closely at Jayden, who was sitting at the top of the RV with a cigarette.

"Hey, dude!" called Luna. "Can you do us children a favor and put that smoke down?"

"What's it to you?" said Jayden, with a very deep and raspy voice.

"That shit is not good for our lungs, bro!" yelled Sam. "Especially for the kids!"

"Your campfire is more dangerous than my smoke! Now, leave me the fuck alone and let me do my job!"

"That's not true!" said Luna. "Lisa knows how to make smokeless fire! She wouldn't be a genius if she couldn't do that!"

"So, Lisa's the genius, huh? This whole time, I thought Darcy was the smart one," said Jayden as he was coming down from the RV.

"What the hell are you smoking to make that conclusion?" asked Luna.

"Step back before you start disrespecting me, bitch," hissed the man. "Be thankful that I'm protecting your asses in here! Now, go cook me something or whatever you fucking bitches are good at. This world wasn't made for you to insult me like that."

Jayden climbed up the RV, with the smoke still in his mouth. Luna clenched her fist and walked towards the RV, but Sam grabbed her shoulders and shook her head. Jayden took out the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it at Luna's face, stinging her cheeks for a split second.

"That's it! Come down here, you bloody smoke fucker!" yelled Luna.

Luna shoved Sam's hands away from her shoulders and ran to the ladder of the RV. Jayden jumped down from the RV.

"What the fuck did you say to me bitch?"

Luna swung her fist at his face, causing him to be knocked back to the RV. He touched his bleeding lips and smirked. He lunged towards Luna and punched her in the chest then her face. Luna fell to the ground as Jayden continued delivering blows to her body. She kicked him in his torso and then punched his jaw.

Sam, Sergei, and D attempted to remove Luna and Jayden from each other. Sam and D pulled Luna back while Sergei grabbed Jayden. However, Jayden shoved Sergei away and pulled out his pistol, aiming it at Luna.

"Get on your knees, bitch. Want to be the first victim that bad?"

A flash of light flew across the dark sky as the first thunder boomed in the somber night. A light flickered in the forest as Mike and Bret walked towards it. Richard took out his knife from his pockets and held it tightly as they walked into the source of light.

Three small campfires surrounded a large bundle of sticks, charcoal, and dry leaves. The stones surrounding it were sharp, with a spike pointing towards the firewood. There were nine people standing in a straight line with their guns pointed at the group. Mike and Bret pulled out their pistols and pointed it point-blank at David and Richard. Mike smacked Richard's knife out of his hands and into the ground.

"Welcome to our community," snickered Bret. "Everyone drop your weapons, or we will kill you. We won't hesitate, so do it, NOW!"

Lori and the others removed their guns from their person and dropped it to the ground below them. Bret's group took their weapons and grabbed each person by their wrist until they each surrounded the would-be campfire. Lori knelt down with Leni to her right and Bobby to her left. Another thunder roared across the sky.

A couple gunshots were fired near Lori. The bullets hit the tree behind Leni, causing her to duck to the ground. She whimpered as she kept her head down in the ground.

"Hey, leave her the fuck alone!" yelled David.

"You're the leader, right, David?" said Bret. "Go ahead guys, beat the shit outta him. But don't kill him, yet, he needs to see this."

Mike and the others began to pummel David to the ground, hitting him in the jaw, chest, arms, ribs, abdomen, and every spot where David could bleed from. He groaned as his dog tags were yanked off from his neck. Bret shot above Luan, causing her to shriek and duck to the ground. The next lightning was even brighter and the thunder that followed it shook the earth.

"Stop that!" yelled Lori.

Lori reached into her pockets and took out her box cutter. She dropped her lighter into the ground, where its shiny luster showed a false promise. Bret swung his baton at Lori's arms, smacking the small knife away from her hands. He then thrusted the baton into her chest, knocking all the wind from her. He then spotted the small object in the ground and smiled.

"Just what we needed," chuckled Bret as he picked up the lighter in the ground. "Exactly what we needed! Get back, Lori!"

Mike dragged Lori back to her spot in the ground. Bret then called over his men and women.

"Looters! Enough of the torture and let us go!" yelled Lori.

"I like that name," smirked Bret. "Looters! Stop beating their leader up!"

The Boston Looters walked away from David as he lied in the ground, groaning and covered in bruises.

"Point a gun at this one, then this one…" ordered Bret.

One of the Looters pointed their rifle at Bobby's head, causing Lori's heart to sink. Another Looter aimed their gun at Luan's head. And another at Leni's head. And another at Benny's forehead. The other Looters faced the survivors in the other side of the circle. Another flash of light thundered across the sky. Bret walked towards a certain unlikely survivor.

"What a somber night if Jake died. And this is justice for Jake. There will always be justice in the somber nights for any of our people."

Lisa held Darcy's right hand as Bret pulled her away from her left hand. Lisa struggled to speak against Bret as he forced her to release her close friend. Bobby gulped as the Looter inched closer to him with the barrel aimed at his forehead. Lori's heart sunk even deeper as she felt chills crawl up her spine.

"No!" yelled Lori. "Please! Not her! Bret! Put her down!"

Darcy flapped her arms and legs as she struggled to set herself free from Bret, but it was no use. Bret lit up the lighter, the same lighter with the slow and peaceful flame, and tossed it into the bundle of sticks, creating a large raging inferno. Bret grabbed Darcy's arms, lifted her, her legs moving back and forth, and tossed her into the violent flames. Darcy cried out in agony as her body caught fire in the brutal flames. The little girl cried out for help, help from Lisa, Lori, Bobby, David, from her parents, from anyone. The survivors watched with their jaws left hanging open, as the bloodcurdling scream continued to haunt their ears, the burning flesh running up their nose, the embers prickling their skin, the soot clogging their throats, and the red sight reflecting off their pupils. Lisa closed her eyes and allowed a flow of tears to escape her tear ducts. Another thunder boomed across the sky.

Lori watched the flames devour the girl that she loved and took as her own daughter. Her desperation was crying out to Lori's own desperation as fury, such as the one that consumed Darcy, engulfed the teenage girl. She didn't want to follow Missy's word anymore. She was pushed to the edge in this act of sheer brutality and any hopes of preserving her humanity died along with Darcy's scream.

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