The Streets of Macon, Georgia: Carley and Doug sit in silence outside the ruins of Everett's Pharmacy. In the distance, undead clog the streets leading out of the city.
The pharmacy's neon glow flickered in the dusk, casting twisted shadows on the city streets. Carley sat with her back against an overturned truck, pushing rounds into her magazine at a sluggish pace.
"We've been out here all day, and I can't think of a single thing we've done that puts us in a better place than we were yesterday." She thought out loud, looking up to meet her partner's eyes every few clicks. Doug shrugged, as he always did. The two had yet to share a single conversation since leaving, and only now did it begin to bug Carley.
"Think there's anywhere we haven't picked clean in there?" She motioned to the pharmacy behind them. Doug shook his head immediately, turning around to scan the gathering horde behind them. The dead suffocated the far end of town in dust.
"There has to be more than two dozen- maybe three." Doug whispered. His voice was dry, leading to a short cough. Reaching into her pack, Carley procured a sport bottle filled with a third of clear liquid. She offered it to the man, who took it after slight hesitation. He threw his head back, emptying the bottle carelessly.
"Shit. Sorry." He muttered, handing the bottle back to the former reporter. Carley shook her head, her caramel brown hair bouncing in the stagnant air. She put away the bottle and clicked her magazine back into the pistol to her side.
"If we're going to make it back to camp tonight, we need to get in and out."
Doug shook his head in agreeance. "We should've already been back by now. I hope everything is under control back there."
"You mean between Kenny and Lilly?" Carley rolled her eyes, peeking over the toppled car. The security gate was torn open from an earlier herd, as was the front door. The last bit of sunlight of the evening trickled into the store through gashes in the roof, revealing rubble and turned-over shelves. It was a stark difference from months back when their group had occupied the establishment. A plane had buried itself in the collapsed roof, leaving the pilot to reanimate and growl from the rooftop like a caged watchdog. Doug peeked around the side, giving a signal that the coast was clear.
"It's becoming really annoying hearing the two of them go at it." Doug mumbled as the two slipped effortlessly into the storefront. Carley scoffed in agreeance, scanning the room for unwanted visitors through her sight.
"I think we're good Carley. That herd probably picked up the stragglers." Doug assured, holstering a hunting knife he had snagged from the woods a few weeks back. Carley got anxious at camp watching the bumbling nerd toss the knife around to impress her.
She lowered her gun, still too cautious to holster it. Walking across the length of the store, Carley passed several bodies she had personally put down herself. Memories of months past flooded in like a cold fever.
"God, we're not going to make it are we?" Carley droned, looking up at Doug with a frown. Both looked somber.
"Jesus, Carley. Try to have some faith." Doug returned in his usual nonchalant, but optimistic tone.
"Sorry, that just kind of came out." Carley looked at the floor, pushing the corpse of a reanimated woman on her back. It's left eye was blown out of its head, leaving streaks of black blood crusted down its face. Even when put down, the roamers scared the hell out of her.
"We're going to be fine." Doug said, crossing over to Carley. He sensed her stress, placing a warm hand on her shoulder and squeezing. "Things always get better. Always."
Carley didn't budge, though she hid a slight blush by turning her head to sneeze.
"Do they?" She looked up at Doug, eyes glistening with tears she should've cried a long time ago. "Doug, there's been nothing out here but violence these past few months. I've never seen anything like this before. To think that things can just go back to normal is hard for a skeptic like me to believe."
"They may not be the same, but things will get better. It's impossible for them not to."
Carley envied Doug's attitude.
"Remember what Ben said? It's not the bite that does it. You come back no matter how you die. That doesn't sound like an illness we can just bounce back from."
A slow scraping sound caught the duos attention. They cocked their heads towards the front doors, scanning for any movement. Eventually, a cardboard panel slid across the length of the street as if carried by a magical gust of wind. Doug chuckled to himself, thankful to have avoided a potential attack.
"Goddamnit." Carley swore under her breath, closing her eyes. "I can't be cracking right now. I'm better than this."
Doug squeezed harder, attempting to awkwardly slide into a half-hug. Carley tensed up, but eventually accepted the man's attempt. He pulled back after a moment of peace, shooting her a warm smile that turned the woman's face a bright red. She turned around and kept walking, stifling a cough to release the tension.
"Alright. We've spent more than enough time here. Let's check the pharmacy and then get the hell out of this town. I'm sick of seeing this place."
Doug watched the brunette cross the wreckage to the office door. She turned one last time before opening the door, waving him forward with a slight smile that made his heart jump. Carley had grown to hold a special place in the man's heart, though he lacked the ability to show it. He smiled back and stepped over a fallen shelf. Passing over, Doug spotted a slight glimmer in the corner of his vision and looked down.
"No fucking way!" He gasped, reaching under the shelves. He pulled out a stubby silver can. It was warm to the touch, but unopened. Doug's eyes lit up, reading the sign aloud as if he were still a child.
"Spark Cola. I can't believe we never found this. This stuff is the tits!"
Carley snickered at his childish reference, covering her mouth with her hand. She watched Doug stuff the can deep into his bag and meet her by the office door. The pair shared a mutual smile, returning back to their usual cautious attitude. Holding her gun up, Carley opened the door slowly. Both survivors took a step back, training their weapons on the opened doorway. Inside the office, Carley watched the last ray of setting sun wiped away by the night. The roof of the back office was destroyed by the helicopter crash. Wires and rebar hung down from the ceiling in twisted forms that warped the shadows cast on the floor. Carley stepped into the room, nudging a corpse to the side with her heel. Doug followed and immediately got to work. He turned a toppled desk upright, digging through the various overturned boxes in hopes of finding anything. After a few moments, he gave it.
"Shit." He swore, helping himself up slowly and crossing to another section of rubble. "I think we've picked this place clean."
"There has to be something." Carley returned, eyeing the next door to the pharmacy cautiously. There was fresh blood dripping from the door handle, gathering silently in a small puddle on the floor. She motioned to her partner, but he failed to notice.
"Someone's been here recently. That blood is fresh." She whispered, raising her firearm between her and the door. Doug removed his backpack from around his back, setting on top of a bloodied mattress. He crossed in front of her and spotted the blood. The two moved almost simultaneously towards the door, making sure to move as silently as possible. Doug grasped the handle loosely, his body cringing as the crimson blood squished under his palm.
"On three…" he muttered. It was so quiet that Carley almost didn't hear him. After three silent paces, Doug ripped open the door, taking a giant step back. Carley's finger tickled the trigger, her eyes spotting a million moving shadows at once. A helicopter blade stood rigid in the center of the pharmacy surrounded by several still bodies.
"Clear." She assured Doug, though she had yet to be sure. She walked slowly into the room, pistol still raised and ready. Behind her, Doug turned and moved to his discarded bag. Lifting it up with a sharp heave, Doug noticed the ceilings shadow growing.
"Move!" Carley suddenly yelled, standing in the doorway with wide eyes. From where she stood she saw two walkers lumbering across the rooftop. One had already reached the hole before she could react. It plummeted down into the office, landing head first next to Doug. Hitting the ground, it's upper torso crumpled under the force of the floor. Doug yelped, tumbling forwards away from the roamer and tripping over a shelf. He tumbled into the floor, spilling the contents of his backpack across the room. A second roamer fell through the gap, but Carley was on top of it within seconds. She fired at its head, taking the creature down in a single shot.
"Doug, you gotta get up!" She ordered, putting herself between the ceiling hole and her partner. Doug responded only in swears as he raced to collect his fallen supplies. Another walker stumbled towards the hole, dragging its limbs across the roof as if weighed down by an invisible force. Its head was split partially in half, revealing greyed flesh underneath its skin. Carley lined it up in her sights, determined to wait as long as she could.
"Doug, we have to go, now."
"I'm good. I'm good." He said, out of breath. Carley took a step back with the roamer still lined up. She fired, watching the beast fall out of view mere inches from the hole. She turned on her heel, seeing a panicked Doug waiting in the doorway. She noticed an exposed gash that tore through his dirtied khakis. The cut was deep, spilling trickles of dark blood over a makeshift bandage.
"Shit."
"It's fine. I can make it out of here and we can clean it up back at the motel." Doug ensured, his voice quaking with panic. Carley called his bluff, but played dumb given the circumstances. She followed the limping technician out of the office, making sure to shut the door tight behind her. The front area was now drowned in shadow. The two could make out the front gate, but little else.
"Grab my flashlight." Doug said, pushing his back towards Carley. She fumbled around blindly, hoping her hands would land on the light. After a few seconds, it did. Pulling the construction flashlight out, she clicked it on, illuminating the path to the gate. The two beelined for the entrance, clearing the store in no time.
"Doug, your leg looks fucked." Carley finally piped up, scanning the streets for roamers in the shadows.
"I know. I know. Getting out of here and back to the motel is top priority right now."
The horde had moved closer towards the pharmacy and was now shuffling in the direction of the gunfire. Carley cursed herself for her quick reflexes. She eyed the abandoned shops between them and the horde, spotting a small maintenance ladder poking out of the skyline.
"Get to that ladder." She yelled, motioning to the alley in front of them. "I'll cover you."
Doug obeyed and hobbled to the alley entrance. Upon examining the ladder, Doug swore. The bottom half rungs were bent in odd angles, rendering the ladder useless.
"It's no good, Carley!" He said, looking further down the alleyway for an alternative. Luckily, he spotted a second-floor balcony intact. Waving his arm, he led Carley down the tight space and up the metal staircase. The railing was missing, along with several steps, but the two were able to climb the stairs without struggle. Carley followed the limping survivor into the building, making sure to slam the door as hard as she could. Her force proved too effective, knocking the lock out of place.
"Of course!" Carley moaned, defeated.
"It doesn't matter. They can't follow us up here. The stairs will give out."
The room was an old storage compartment, or at least that's what Carley had deduced. There was a wooden trapdoor leading down onto street-level, but neither of them were ready to jump back into the chaos. Doug leaned against a wall, itching an invisible knot above his wound.
"Doug, we can't stay here with your leg like this." Carley said in a lowered voice.
"The town is crawling with roamers. We can't just walk out of town."
Carley narrowed her gaze, turning it into a sneer. "I can't stay here knowing your time is ticking before that thing gets infected. How did it even happen?"
"I hit some of the fallen ceiling when I tripped. Tore right open- "Doug hissed loudly, clenching his fist in pain. The reaction made Carley jump, but she dove straight into her pack and pulled out a white, screw-top bottle.
"Take one. It's some kind of painkiller." She offered a white pill to Doug, who shook his head.
"Where did you get that from? I'm not taking some mystery pill."
"You picked them up this morning, idiot. The label is scratched off, but it was with the other painkillers." Carley was as equally annoyed as she was concerned.
The burley man smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, giving in without a word and pushing the pill down without liquid. He then slowly stood, pulling his knife out of its holster once more.
"If we have to leave, we have to do it my way." He said in a serious tone. It was the first time since meeting the man that Carley heard such determination. "I can't risk slowing you down if we're going out there."
Outside, the collective groaning of the undead grew until the entire store was buzzing with noise. Carley moved to the front windows and peered out. Sure enough, the street had become clogged with roamers.
"I rang the fucking dinner bell, didn't I?" Carley mumbled, shaming herself for not thinking.
"We can head down through the trap door and take the back exit out. The alley on the other side should still be clear."
Carley agreed, staring down into the horde. The frontmost roamers had been pushed against the front door, slamming into it with long, drawn out thrusts.
"They haven't broken through. If we're gonna go we have to go now."
The two were interrupted by a metallic scream. It echoed down the streets of Macon as the balcony staircase collapsed under the weight of the horde. Doug felt the floor vibrate from under them.
"I told you those stairs wouldn't hold. Come on."
Carley nodded, pulling the magazine of her pistol out in her hand. She counted the remaining bullets and stomped her foot. Two bullets. It will have to be enough. She concluded, crossing the length of the storage room floor to help Doug pull the trapdoor upwards.
The room was pitch-black, void of even the smallest hint of moonlight. Doug motioned for his flashlight and Carley handed it back. He clicked it on, pointing it down into the storefront.
"It's an old tool store." He drooled, staring at the ruins of an old business. Carley rolled her eyes, getting down on one knee to scan the room herself.
"It's empty, I think." She said, eyeing a woman's corpse that had been pulled apart at the waist. "I'll go first in case I have to run back up."
Doug nodded, stepping back from the entrance. He handed off the flashlight and knelt down. Carley peered into the shop, wishing the dead outside would stop their wailing. She took a step down, cringing at the creaking boards.
Come on Carley. She thought to herself. Do it for Doug. Count to ten and you'll be down and out.
Carley blinked slowly, raising her gun forwards to match the flashlights beam.
10… She took another step down.
9… In one quick motion, Carley descended the stairs and scanned the room.
8… "It's clear, Doug. Hurry."
7… Doug slowly traversed the stairs.
6… The horde outside yipped with anticipation upon eyeing the two survivors through the windows.
5… The banging became louder and louder.
4… Carley kicked the back door as hard as she could, but it didn't budge.
3… She kicked again, feeling the lock give out under her shoe.
2… "Come on, Carley!" Doug choked. He turned around to face the front doors just in time to see the glass give out. Roamers poured in through the windows, crawling across the bloodied glass like fish out of water.
"One!" Carley yelled, giving one final kick that sent the door flying outward on its hinge. She turned and grabbed Doug's collar, pulling the both of them out of the store and into the back alley. A single walker flew back from the force of the door, crashing into the building across from them. Carley began to aim but Doug was already on it, plunging the length of his blade into the roamers neck. The beast slumped in a sitting position, dark blood soaking through its tattered shorts. Doug pulled his blade out quickly, making sure to turn his injured leg away from the carnage. Without another word, the two shot towards the direction of the motel, neither bothering to look back. Carley heard Doug wince at the pain as they passed the backs of several buildings, but pushed on. They moved in silence, all the while hearing the overwhelming wails grow farther and farther until the quiet gave way to the chirping of crickets. It was only until they darted out of the back alleys and past the city limit that she finally turned around to check on her partner.
"We should be clear as long as we're quiet." She said, moving to Doug and eyeing his bandage. She tightened the cloth around the wound, causing Doug's leg to involuntarily twitch.
"This thing is gonna swell like Hell." He swore into his hand, clenching his eyes shut as a surge of heat permeated his body.
"It should be a little more than a few miles, come on." Carley turned and began walking alongside the road. Doug took a second, catching his breath. By the time he started the trek back to camp, Carley was waiting impatiently down the road for him. He chuckled at the sight of the reporter tapping her foot against the pavement.
"What's the rush?" He joked, holding out his hands to shrug. As if on cue, Carley rolled her eyes and began walking alongside Doug, the two sharing a shaky smile that faded almost as soon as it had appeared. They were both tired and ready to return back to camp and rest.
Later That Night
The motel's welcome sign stood high above the trees as it popped into Carley's vision. They were still some distance away, with the two only being able to make out its faint shape, but they knew something was wrong. Carley squinted, stopping her forward march to eye the skyline.
"Is that… smoke?" Doug asked, his eyesight impaired by the dense blackness of night. Carley's heart sank to her stomach. A steady column of grey rose up towards the stars, covering the night sky in sheets of smoke. She was silent, hoping that fatigue was playing tricks on her mind.
"It's coming from the motel." Doug gasped, confirming Carley's fear. "Jesus, it's huge."
The two were silent for what seemed to the reporter as an eternity. She stood in place, eyes wide open in horror. They could be fine. She repeated in her mind. They could have gotten it under control.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a figure in the trees. It walked at a speed to fast for walkers, though the figure seemed to shamble towards them. Still in a daze, Carley failed to draw her gun. Doug stepped beside her, knife drawn in a defensive position. He took a step forward and readied to attack, but the entity stopped.
"Doug…" The figure whimpered, it's voice barely audible. Doug squinted as the figure moved closer. It was Lilly, shivering in the night like a lost puppy. Doug lowered his knife, turning to look at Carley.
Lilly moved into the clearing and was illuminated by moonlight. Her nose was broken, her mouth and chin covered in dried blood. In fact, Doug found her face to be almost unrecognizable as it had been bruised beyond words. She limped towards them, tears running down her face.
"They- "she started, before dropping to her knees. Carley moved beside her, pulling out the painkillers and handing two to their grieving leader. Lilly took them slowly, choking them down before sobbing.
"What happened? Where is everyone else?" Doug asked frantically, almost forgetting about his injure entirely. Lilly didn't respond immediately, her eyes locked on the ground.
"They came out of nowhere. Just, oh god…"
"Are Lee and Clem okay?" Carley asked in a voice she hadn't used since her reporting days before the outbreak. Lilly looked up at Carley, her tortured gaze breaking the tension.
"I didn't see Clementine at all during the attack. Maybe she got away, I don't know." Lilly coughed, her voice struggling under the weight of her bruised throat. Carley failed to realize she too had begun crying, her heart beating audibly in her chest.
"And Lee?" She pressed further, knowing the answer before the battered woman had to say it.
"Lee's dead."