Chapter 26: Season: Fall
Chapter 26: Season-Fall
A/N For the next few chapters, the work is my own imagination as the autumn/winter period is 8 months long so I will try and flesh out this in some of my upcoming chapters and explain how Carl became a productive member of the group, some of the more vulnerable members becoming productive members and Lori's pregnancy being revealed.
The convoy moved towards the outskirts of the town as dawn was breaking, the place was quiet so far as the RV moved down the road, guided by the light of the sun slowly moving upwards, the convoy stopped to let two figures out, they ran into the underbrush as the convoy rolled out again, the two shadows flitted through the trees like ghosts, never stopping. The figures burst out of the woods out onto a leafy ledge overlooking the town, they looked at each other and laid down on the grass, both then unslung their respective rifles from their shoulders and deployed their bipods, waiting patiently for the sun to rise over the town.
The blaze of a new day signalled the convoy to round the corner and slowly make its way towards the town; the sound of rumbling engines drew walkers that were hidden in buildings to leave their shelters, moving forwards towards the vehicles, maybe they would have a meal today? The first walker the two figures saw was a tall man, dressed in a shirt and tie, he looked like he had gone to a formal event before he was turned into a member of the army of dead beings roaming the world, he had shambled forwards, unknowing he was being watched by two scopes, he had walked towards the convoy for all of three seconds before a bullet ripped through his scalp, the top part of the head was torn off, with most of the brain with it, the bullet CRACKED! Through the air as the other walkers looked around for the disturbance, not seeing anything, they continued on their slow shamble towards the intruders of the town. The walkers continually moved, only stopping when one of their own fell to a bullet and still, they did not see the killers.
The bullets rained down on the infected, their numbers thinned dramatically from the dozens into the last few.
"These things are so stupid; you'd think at least one would have seen us by now?" Said Carl
"Don't get cocky Carl; being arrogant can get you killed, instead: be cautious and assess the situation. For example we have been here about twenty minutes, and fired off about forty bullets, those down their haven't seen us, but that doesn't mean some may be moving up here from the woods behind us" said Ben
As if to prove a point, a spindly walker appeared behind them, it looked ragged and thin; it shambled slowly towards them until it was put out of its misery by a shot from Ben's M9.
Carl looked at him, shook his head then looked back down through his scope in concentration, firing a round that hit just above a walkers right eye.
Ben watched as Carl mopped up the last of the walkers, seeing the last go down, he signalled the convoy below to speed up with a flash of the sun off of his katana.
"Let's get down there" said Ben as the convoy moved towards the town at a much faster speed.
The duo moved through the woods downhill, moving at a slow pace to avoid tripping on the numerous branches and foliage littering the floor. They turned to see a small path leading towards the outskirts of the town; they kept the chatter to a minimum, sweeping the woods in case they spot a walker hidden in the underbrush. They moved down the well trodden path, slowing when they heard a growl close by. They turned to see a walker lunging forward, its claws gleaming through the trees, Carl jumped backwards while Ben kicked it hard in the chest, and it fell backwards, sprawled in the dirt. As it struggled to return to its feet, Ben walked up and drew his M9, before he shook his head, reholstered it, drew his katana and stabbed it in the skull, the head sagged forward and the walker was no more.
"We need to conserve ammo, it won't last forever" Ben explained to Carl
Carl nodded and moved past the body as the two continued the journey down the slope, they eventually broke through the tree line into the blazing sunlight, when their eyes had adjusted to the brightness, they saw the RV and cars parked in the town's outskirts, people leaving their vehicles while looking for leadership from Rick or Shane as they stood in front of the RV. The duo made their way over as Rick stepped out of the RV, Ben's weapon bag in his left hand while the right had an unsheathed knife, the blade gleaming wickedly in the light.
"Everyone grab a bat or blade, we're going in" said Rick
"Rick?! You aint serious are you?" Asked Shane incredulously, Rick's expression didn't change.
"You are; right I don't know how to say this man, but we aint going in that town without guns" said Shane firmly
"Well we are" snapped Rick "We can't keep using guns; we'll draw another horde like the one at the farm then what? We all die regardless! At least we won't have to fight hundreds" said Rick
Shane looked around and saw others nodding, seeing he was losing ground he tried a different tack.
"What about Carl or Sophia? They can't fight a walker in close combat?" Said Shane angrily
"Well, how about giving them suppressed pistols"? Asked Ben
"Oh? So they get guns and we don't? Terrific" muttered Shane
"Carl's a decent shot and he can take care of Sophia" said Ben
"Yeah I can!" Said Carl a bit too eagerly, everyone looked at him curiously.
"Uh I mean she's safe with me" said Carl, face darkening by the second.
"I think Sophia should stay with me" said Carol with amusement in her voice.
The group chuckled slightly as the melee weapons were laid out, most were blades but the odd bat with a knife attached or razor wire were there as well. Most of the long weapons were snatched immediately, only the knives were left on the ground, only Carl and Sophia didn't have weapons.
"Guys, there is only one suppressed pistol" said Rick, handing Carl a suppressed M1911 and Sophia bent to pick up a knife, before a hand stopped her.
"Here, take this" said Ben as he closed her hand around his suppressed M9.
"You lose it, and your soul is mine" said Ben jokingly; she managed a small smile as a few magazines were distributed to the pair.
"Right, tight formation, we move in threes, me, Shane and Dale will tackle food shops, Glenn, T-Dog and Herschel and his daughters will go for supplies we might need, Carol, Lori and Sophia go with them and are dealing with water and pharmaceuticals and finally Ben, Daryl and Carl are dealing with weapons and ammo, everyone has got a job to do, so get to it" said Rick
The trios moved out, the streets were fairly quiet, the only walkers were dead walkers, they moved stealthily up the street as each group splintered off into their groups to move into certain shops. Ben clicked his fingers, drawing Daryl's and Carl's attention to a gun shop further up the street, the sign read 'The Kremlin Armoury, because capitalists need good guns' Daryl looked at the sign and looked confused while Ben laughed, they pushed open the door, the bell gave a resounding JINGLE! As they moved inside, the interior was dark, the power was lost long ago, but curiously, there were candles dotted around the shop. Carl walked up to one and inspected it.
"It looks like it was used recently" said Carl
CRASH!
They looked up and dove into cover, Carl readied his weapon while they waited for something to happen. The door to the upstairs section flew open, revealing nothing but pitch black within. Suddenly a Kalashnikov was drawn blindly around the corner; everyone hit the deck as a voice called out.
"Any humans out there?" Asked a voice through the gloom
"Maybe" Ben replies, recognizing his voice
"Wait, I recognize that voice, hey svoloch is that you Ben?" Asked the voice, yep, it was definitely him.
"Quite possibly, is that you Popple?" Ben replied
A head popped around the corner, frizzy hair led a large person, he still looked the same as Ben remembered from Florida, he wore a black T-shirt with a shotgun with the slogan 'zombie repellent' across it, over that he wore a German camouflaged jacket and he wore his usual black jeans and shoes.
"Popple you crafty sod, how'd you get up here?" Asked Ben, raising himself up to greet his friend.
"The evac centre, they flew us up here by chopper, the pilot made a stop to refuel and we were attacked by shamblers, me and another guy made it here but he died last week, swarmed him as he was making a supply run" said Popple as they greeted each other like old friends.
"Sorry to hear that" said Ben
"Hey, where are Leon and Nick?" Asked Popple
Ben shook his head "They didn't make it"
"Damn, how?" Asked Popple
"Nick was trapped by a herd of walkers, and Leon was shot by survivors" said Ben
"Well... we made it" said Popple
"Yes, yes we did" said Ben; they were silent for a moment before Daryl broke it with a cough, snapping the two out of their daze.
"Oh right, Popple this is Daryl and Carl, guys, this is my mate Popple from England" said Ben, introducing them all. Daryl just grunted as he looked for things to scavenge, moving down the aisles.
"Well, he's a cheery one isn't he?" Asked Popple
"Oh yeah, barrel of laughs is Daryl" said Ben sarcastically
"I heard that!" Daryl called over, walking back over shaking his head at the disappointing lack of armaments in the shop.
The two just laughed as Popple noticed Daryl's expression.
"If you are looking for weapons, follow me upstairs to my hideout" said Popple as he walked back towards the shadowy door.
Fortress was more the word for his hideout.
As they entered through a crawlspace, practically every weapon known to man lined the walls and floors, AK-47s, RPG-7s, RPKs and many varieties more littered the room and a strange smell lingered in the air. The small group sat down on some mattresses that were strewn around the room.
"Well, you've been busy since I last saw you Popple" said Ben surveying the armoury
"You think?" Asked Popple sarcastically
"What on Earth is that bloody smell?" Asked Ben who wrinkled his nose at the strange odour.
Popple kicked a small wooden box which rattled loudly.
"Russian vodka!" Cried Popple in glee
"So you have spent most of your time drunk?" Asked Ben
"Of course" said Popple
"Still, how the Hell have you not been found yet? That smell coupled with the fact there are enough munitions here to clear out Georgia and then some" said Ben in awe
"This stuff? This is just the reserve stuff, there is more in the safe room where they kept their cash and ammo, the Russians that ran this place were paranoid to put it gently" said Popple laughing
"Wait, you don't have any ammo for any of these?" Asked Daryl
"Oh yeah, just the ones from the cabinets though, the safe room is locked and the key is owned by the manger" said Popple
"Where is the manger?" Asked Carl
"Through there" said Popple, nodding at a padlocked room.
Ben nodded and got up, he drew his katana and knocked on the door, he got many bangs and growls in reply.
"Do you have the key for the padlock?" Asked Ben
"You want to go in there? Are you insane?" Asked Popple incredulously
"Just a bit, now, the door if you please" he said gesturing at the door with the blade. Popple got up and grabbed a silver key from a drawer, he walked over and removed the padlock, the door started banging with more urgency, like the walker was expecting a meal and soon. Ben moved forwards and pulled the handle of the door, it creaked open, Ben then kicked it open, revealing an emaciated figure near the door, its hand outstretching so slowly it was like it was moving through treacle. Ben cut off the hand and moved in, bowling over the walker with a shoulder barge, it flew over the desk and collapsed in a heap on the opposite side of the room, Ben walked over and placed a foot on the infected's back and plunged his blade down, the top of the spine was cut clean through while the brain was speared on the end of the blade, he withdrew it and wiped the blade clean off of the shirt of the walker.
"Спасибо" (Spasiba, Thank you) said Ben as he took a key from the desk. He walked out to find the others watching as he walked forward, blade being sheathed as he stepped out.
"Let's go see what toys they left us below" said Ben to the others.
They moved downstairs, following Popple to an imposing metal door with a simple lock and handle on the right side.
"Right then, let's see if fortune has smiled on us" said Ben as he inserted the key and turned. The door opened into a small room, stacked high with shelves, containing God knew what.
"Right then Popple, can you take my guys upstairs and bring your weapons down while I alert the rest of our group about this?" Asked Ben
"Umm sure" said Popple as he led Daryl and Carl back up the stairs while Ben headed back out into the street. As suspected they were deserted so he took a walk down the pavement, enjoying the peaceful silence instead of the hustle and bustle of ordinary life. A growl came from an alley to his right.
And then it is ruined, again thought Ben as he drew his sword, taking a stance, waiting that eternal wait, the quiet before the storm. It was released when walkers emerged from the alley in front of him, he moved backwards and checked their numbers, he counted four, he waited for one to reach him then moved left with a looping left swing which caught the walkers neck, tearing flesh and bone from its body, he looped the sword around his head into a downwards hack onto a second walker, the remaining two walkers were slower than their brethren so he bided his time until one tripped over the body of its comrade, groaning as it attempted to pick itself up, it was silenced with a downwards slash. The final walker was the slowest of all, it looked like it hadn't eaten in a while, it took small steps and if it weren't for the smell of death, the yellow eyes and the decaying skin it wouldn't have been intimidating. He flipped the sword round so the handle was facing forwards and the blade backwards, he moved forwards and kicked the shambling pile of meat onto its back, the hands reaching upwards agonisingly slowly, he thrusted his blade downwards into the walkers head, the arms fell to the ground as the walker breathed his last. He slid the blade out of the walker's forehead; the blade came free with a SNICK!
He didn't even bother sheathing it as he walked up the street towards a Wal-Mart in the distance, Rick and Shane were carting food towards the entrance when he walked in while Dale kept a lookout.
"Did you find any weapons or ammo?" Asked Shane as he drew close.
"Mate, we hit the loot jackpot! Guns that put mine to shame and being held by an old friend of mine" said Ben
Rick and Shane exchanged looks.
"Is he a threat?" Asked Shane, always jumping to the worst case scenario.
"Nope, once he recognised me, it was all good, and we may need a car or two just to haul away what was upstairs, never mind the safe room" said Ben
This time they looked at each other in glee.
"Dale, get the RV and put it in the middle of the street, by the sound of things, we now have a mobile fortress" said Rick
Dale nodded as he walked out, reaching into his pocket he had his keys and absent-mindedly he wound his watch as he walked.
"Any word from the other two groups?" Asked Ben
"Lori and Beth came by earlier, they found a fair few pharmaceuticals like pain killers that hadn't been looted and other supplies like medicine and hygiene stuff" said Rick
"So, how long till we can leave to hopefully find a newer, safer place?" Asked Ben
"After we load up all of the stuff, we should be gone by nightfall" said Shane
Ben nodded and moved back down the street to see if the others needed help, it turned out that the other hauls were fairly large but were already sorted in the street, just waiting for Dale to bring around the RV so they could load up. Curiously, only Carol and Sophia were looting the local café.
"Where is Lori?" Asked Ben
Carol pointed behind her, towards the toilets.
"Weak bladder huh?" Asked Ben jokingly with a small grin
"No, she complained of stomach problems, I think there's something up with her though, she's been acting… Off recently" said Carol
"Have you tried talking with her?" Asked Ben
"She won't talk to me" said Carol sadly
This was curious, Carol was Lori's best friend, if she didn't want to tell her what was up, it must be pretty serious.
"Let me try, probably get shut down but I might as well try right?" Said Ben
Carol nodded as she went to see what Sophia had managed to scavenge while Ben moved to the bathrooms. He knocked gently on the women's door.
"Lori, you in there?" Asked Ben
"Go away please, I'm busy" said Lori in a strange tone, was that… Fear, or Anger?
"Lori, what is wrong, I know something's up, let's just talk for a second" said Ben in a calm voice
The door opened a fraction and an eye appeared, it looked angry and scared.
"I said leave me alone" she hissed angrily before the door slammed shut.
"Alright, be like that, but if you need anything or want to talk, I am available, 24/7" joked Ben
He thought he heard a small laugh from behind the door as he went back towards the Russian gun shop. Like the others, they had brought their wares out onto the street, ready to rush them to the vehicles at a moment's notice. Popple stood conversing with Daryl as he approached.
"…was he like before this?" Asked Daryl
"He was alright, bit of a wimp, bad jokes but always friendly and generous, we always used to steal his food at college and he was fine with it, saying he would have offered anyway" said Popple
"And I did, constantly" said Ben as he drew level with the duo.
They turned and looked at him as Carl came walking out with a box of ammo and a grenade belt slung around his shoulder.
"Damn, the apocalypse is over; badass Carl is here to save the day!" Said Ben, causing a chuckle.
"I almost missed your bad jokes Ben" said Popple
"Yeah, who wouldn't?" Asked Ben
"Everyone else" said Popple
Ben laughed and turned as an engine rumbled nearby, the Winnebago came around the corner and parked in the middle of the street, Dale walks out and starts helping them load the equipment as the others bring their hauls over, Lori flips a bitch when she sees Carl wearing the grenade belt.
"CARL, TAKE THAT OFF THIS INSTANT!" She screams at him, he scowls and puts them in a box and loads them into the RV, he walks out and Lori walks up to him.
"Baby, I am sorry for shouting but what if we get into a firefight, a stray bullet could blow you and us up" said Lori apologetically
He shrugs and moves back towards Ben and Daryl, who had finished loading up the RV with the weapons and ammo, by the time they were done, the backend of the RV was filled with crates and steel.
"I think that's enough ammo to last us a long time, maybe about seven months?" Asked Ben to Rick
"More than that, unless we get into another fight like the two at the farm" said Rick
"Well, let's not go looking for trouble then" said Ben
When the rest of the supplies were loaded, the RV was packed with items of all kinds; the back end was filled and anymore would probably end up causing the RV to tip backwards, the only things that were accessible were the toilet and driving/passenger seats. Ben noticed Popple was receiving a few weird looks as he tried to help out; he called out to the group.
"Hey guys, this is my friend Josh Popple, he is a good guy, don't be shy, come and say hi" said Ben
The group were a bit more friendly after that, they still didn't trust him completely though, he tried to haul over a couple of RPG-7s which were then almost immediately taken from his grasp by Shane.
"I'll take those, don't want to hurt yourself right?" Said Shane as he moved towards the RV, Popple just raised an eyebrow at his back and moved back into the shade of the RV, by then the sun was beating down on them with the usual Georgia heat, sweat poured from them as they finished the laborious task. They were barely disturbed during the job, only one walker made an appearance, it was a crawler, it had no legs and was using its hands and elbows to drag itself forward, it was almost silent as it headed for Popple, it had almost reached him when he looked down at hearing a quiet growl.
"Bitch please" said Popple as he crushed it's skull with his boot.
"Let's saddle up, find a place to hole up" said Rick as he got into his truck.
The others joined him as they got into their vehicles, Popple joined Ben and Dale in the RV as they drove the long road to Fort Benning.