VI - ...Home

A roamer approaching the front of the truck caught Lori's attention. She walked ahead, grabbing her hatchet while Miguel opened his door, not seeing the roamer near him. Lori jogged slightly ahead, wanting to get the roamer before it had the chance to grab Miguel, but before she knew it, a suppressed gunshot took out the roamer. Miguel looked through the window of the open door, finding the roamer in the ground with blood pouring out of its cracked skull.

"What the hell?" whispered Lori before turning to the radio, hearing a voice coming from it.

"Uh, I see you."

The survivors, including Lori, looked up at a figure standing near the top of the wall, next to the gate. The figure was dark, though the silhouette of him holding the microphone of a radio can be seen against the moonlit night sky.

"You gonna come over here or do I have to shoot you too?"

Lori scrunched up her eyes in indignation as Miguel closed the door. Luna stepped out of the stretcher and limped softly as she held her arms around Sam and Carol. Bobby shut the back truck door. Lincoln and Clyde passed by Fiona, earning a glare from her. Ronnie Anne looked up at Fiona and glared at her, though she didn't look back. Lily grabbed Lana's hand as she held the lantern, taking a look at the unfamiliar place around her. Lynn stretched her legs out while Becky stretched her arms out. Luan and Benny held hands as they walked away from the truck and closer to the main gate. Tim and Vonda walked side by side, until Tim quickly paced ahead towards the main gate. Vonda looked at the roamer on her feet, before looking around, feeling a crawl up her spine.

With the group behind her, Lori stepped closer to the gates, her heart beating faster with each step. As she approached the gates, she heard the wooden ladder creak against the metal walls, presumably coming from the figure she saw earlier. She was now outside of the gates, her eyes looking inside the sheltered community. The houses did not age a single bit. They appeared exactly as they did years ago, with the exception of the lawns, in which the grass looked slightly overgrown. Her street was kept clean— no corpses, no cans, no gum wrappers, no blood.

Her eyes then turned towards the guard, who had just hopped off the wooden ladder and down to the ground. The guard's physical features were hard to make out as it was getting darker, though she did get a better look at his outfit. To start off, the guard had a complete leather overcoat, draping down to his legs with a white T-shirt underneath, completed with a red eye like symbol that looked to have been drawn on there. Although she could not see what type of shoes he was wearing, she could see that he was wearing either black cargo pants or dark gray cargo pants. Cargo pants nonetheless. Finally, she saw that they were wearing a pair of black gloves with a black cap up top with the words 'MORNING WOOD' written red, a brown ponytail sticking out from the back. She couldn't help but groan in slight disgust upon noticing the words.

"Aaaaah. Some rosy cheek new survivors!" the young man greets, rolling the r as he said 'rosy' while grinning a toothy grin. Upon smiling, the moonlight glared off his gold tooth, replacing one of his back molars, while also revealing a heavy burn on the left side of his face. "I'm not gonna lie… I thought about shooting you. But my gut told me not to so I just shot the walker next to you instead. You should feel lucky. I spared your lives… So… Who do we have here, Slim Tim?"

"You mind letting us in?" asked Tim.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? Can you repeat that?" the guard asks in a somewhat irritated tone.

"It's late, man. I just picked up a group of survivors and—"

"Do you want me to slice your dick off like I did to that guy a couple weeks back, Slim Tim?!" the guard suddenly yelled in a voice full of rage. "Shut the fuck up! Okay? I'm the fucking gatekeeper here!" The guard paused, as if he was contemplating. "Look at me. Look me in the fucking eyes, Slim Tim."

"Enough, Cyrus."

"Hey! You fuck! Look me in the eyes! I asked you a question, now you answer it. You better fucking answer, or I won't open this gate." the guard now formally known as Cyrus threatened. "Who the fuck are these people?"

Tim sighed deeply. He stared at Cyrus, while placing a hand on Vonda's shoulder.

"It's my daughter and her group."

"Very specific, Tim. You're starting to make me happy again and a happy Cyrus is a good Cyrus… to you at least." Cyrus smiled at him though in a sinister way. He suddenly pointed towards Lori. "You, tall blonde up front. What's your name?"

"Do you even have any real power—" groaned Lori before taking a deep breath. "I'm Lori. Lori Loud."

"The fuck kind of last name is Loud? What are you European?" Cyrus asks. "Listen here, Cinderella. As of right now… I own you. You'll do what I say, when I say, how I say it. Capice?"

Lori clenched her teeth as she forced her hands to remain still.

"Tim answered your question… Cyrus. Just let us in to see Oscar… please."

Cyrus smiled, turning to the side to face an unknown person behind the gates. "Hey, doughboy! Open the gates!" he called out.

"Didn't he say that he was the gate-"

Lynn's words were cut off when suddenly the gates began to slowly open. The wheels under the gates slowly creaked against the asphalt, allowing the group to get a full unobstructed view of the inside.

Lori took a step inside, finally being inside the walled community. Her eyes looked around, though it was hard to see with the lack of any light source, except the moonlight. The rest of the group stepped inside, feeling eager, nervous, scared, uneasy, relieved, all at the same time. Only Lily and Vonda were more fearful of the place as they have never set foot in the town— or at least have no memory doing so.

"Hey, Cyrus, is Maria here?" whispered Tim.

"Aww, concerned about your lover, Slim Tim?" Cyrus bantered before chuckling to himself. "That's pussy shit. She ain't here yet, old man but I assure you when she comes, I'll holla for you. That's with an 'o' by the way, you dirty ol' birdie." Matt chuckled silently, giving Tim a toothy, sly grin, showing off his gold tooth again. This grin was among like no other. This grin was one of pure insanity, one that could pierce the toughest of men and women.

Tim groaned in slightly disgust before walking away, only to be called by Cyrus yet again.

"Yo, Slimmy Timmy." Cyrus called out. Tim mentally cursed at himself before turning around, seeing Cyrus smiling at him, albeit a genuine warm one aside from his usual psychotic grin. "It's good to be back, ain't it?" he asks.

"Sure," said Tim, smiling back. "Close the gates. Lock it up for the night."

Cyrus smiled, turning towards the outskirts of the community. "Attention assholes. We are closing the gates. Anyone who is outside of the gates… suck my honky penis." he announced.

Fiona approached Cyrus, placing her hand on his chest as she leaned close to his ear.

"Everyone from California to New Jersey can hear you. Please, shut the fuck up."

Fiona winked at Cyrus before walking away, smirking as Cyrus just merely gave her a slight glare from behind her. Turning away, he pushed his tongue to his inner cheek, scratching his nose as he just stood there.

"What the fuck is New Jersey?" he mumbles to himself. "And what the fuck is that smell?!"

The gates slid across the asphalt again, this time being closed. Lori looked back, seeing Cyrus and the other gatekeeper locking the gates closed. She then turned back forward, feeling a heavy burden being released from her shoulders. However, she did not let her guard down. Not one bit.

"So, that asshole is in charge of who goes in and out?" asked Lynn.

"No," chuckled Tim, leading the group through the street. "Don't let him scare you."

"Looks like he scared you," said Vonda.

"I'm being careful around him. I don't want to accidentally say or do the wrong things around that young man."

"And if you do?" asked Lori. "What will happen then?"

"I don't know."

"Sounds dangerous. I wouldn't want to have to tread carefully around someone who's… what is it that you said earlier… unstable?"

"Well, what do you suggest we do with him?"

Lori stared ahead in silence. She then turned to her left, recognizing the neighbors' houses. After a few more steps, she came to a stop, just as the rest of the group did. Tim glanced back and came to a stop as well, noticing the group staring at the house ahead of them. He then looked at the house, noticing the boomerang sitting on the roof.

"Home sweet home, right?" said Tim. "You're in luck. No one lives here. No really lives around this part of the town because of how close the gate is. People seem to be afraid that one day it may break loose or something."

"We are all going to stay here tonight," said Lori.

"I'm sure you guys will," said Tim. "But I have to get you guys to City Hall first. I don't want to get there too late."

Lori nodded.

"Is that where Oscar lives?" asked Lori.

"No. He lives in the mansion all the way up in Sixth and Rembrandt."

"I used to live by Sixth and Rembrandt," said Clyde, smiling. "Maybe I will get to see this Oscar guy everyday. I could get on his good side by being a good neighbor."

"Good luck with that."

Lincoln looked around the town, finding it empty. He then saw light from a few streets ahead.

"Why is no one outside?" asked Lincoln.

"Curfew. People are at home, probably sleeping. It is kinda late, which is why I don't want us to get there too late."

"Why? Oscar gets cranky before sleepytime?" Lynn said sarcastically.

"Probably. But it's not him I'm worried about. Oscar is a hard man to please, but, lucky for you guys, you won't have to please him. His wife will be the one conducting the interview. And knowing him, he's probably busy playing some pool or whatever."

"Interview?" asked Bobby.

"Hope you don't get shy in front of a camera. She'll be asking questions while recording you. It's all customary."

"That's fine. We don't mind."

"Yeah, we just have to hope she didn't go to sleep yet."

The group picked up their pace. As they got closer to City Hall, they saw the grasses in the lawns getting noticeably shorter and the shrubs getting trimmer. Then, the light from the lanterns situated in front of City Hall lit up the stone stairs, the brick walls, the clean windows, the waving flag, the wooden door, the marble columns, the gradual ramp, the sturdy balcony, and the young apple tree that stood on the lawn.

"Here it is," said Tim. "Umm, Fiona and Miguel, watch the group. I gotta ask Melissa to bring them in."

"Ugh, sure," said Fiona.

"I'll be right back, Red."

Vonda nodded as Tim quickly hurried up the steps and into the building. Fiona and Miguel slowly walked up the steps before taking a seat on top of the stairs. The group did the same, though some of the survivors chose to remain standing. Sam, Carol, and Luna decided to go up the ramp.

"My mom is asleep, right?" asked Becky.

"Yeah, everyone is," said Fiona. "I know where she lives. I can take you to her after the interview."

"No, I'm… I'm not ready yet. Tomorrow."

"Okay."

Lily looked around the neighborhood. It appeared safer than all the other neighborhoods from all the other different cities and towns she has been at. The calm demeanors of some of the group members released some of the anxiety she was harboring.

Lori walked around the base of City Hall, scanning the intersection around her. From what she noticed, there was a police station across one street, a church across another, and a large parking lot in another, which was filled with tables and chairs. Across the large parking lot was the entrance to the community pool, though she was unsure whether the pool had any water inside.

The entrance doors for the City Hall building opened, prompting Lori to turn around. Her eyes focused on Tim before moving slightly downwards, now focusing on someone else. Next to Tim was a woman in a motorized wheelchair, appearing well-fed as opposed to the frail and thin bodies of the survivors that she saw outside in the exterior steps of the building. She had a low bun of graying curly hair, and a cross necklace around her neck. Her small eyes were inviting, just like her white blouse with loose sleeves and her conservative skirt along with her spotless flats.

"Welcome, everybody," said the woman, smiling at the group. "My name is Melissa. Tim here seems to be under the impression that you all will make a good fit in our community. I'm here to verify that."

"Shouldn't we be getting Luna to the infirmary or something?" asked Sam.

"Unfortunately, our physician is not here. If she needs medical help now, I could—"

"Nah, dude, it's fine," said Luna. "I just want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"Very well, then. Why don't you all come inside? Let's have that interview."

"I'm getting a decaf," said Miguel. "Good luck with your interview, guys."

"Right behind you," said Fiona.

Lori walked up the steps, unconsciously growing a smile as she entered the building.

"You guys have coffee?" she gasped.

"Yes we do," said Melissa. "Would you care for some?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

Melissa smiled as she turned her wheelchair. She then began to move forward, the group following her as Tim closed the doors. Lincoln looked down at the marble floor, seeing his own reflection on it. With each step, however, the reflection was stained by the blood and dirt on his shoes. Luan looked around the building, seeing the vast hall with many doors, each leading to a different room.

"Before we can proceed, I need you all to place your weapons in the tray and walk through the metal detector," said Melissa, moving towards the metal detector. "Don't worry. You will get them back— just making sure you're not trying to hide a weapon from us."

Lori looked at the detector and saw Schoffner standing next to it. She looked back at the group and nodded. She removed the hatchet from her belt and unholstered her Colt Python revolver, slowly placing both weapons inside the tray. She then lifted her hand, stained with dry blood, and pulled it away from the tray, getting a suspicious look from Schoffner, before walking ahead. She then hesitated, closing her eyes as she stood still. She placed her hands inside her left pocket and removed a pair of keys from it. She looked at the keys, one for Vanzilla and one for her house. She placed them on the tray and moved forward. The metal detector remained silent, causing Lori to breathe out a sigh of relief.

Schoffner moved the tray along, allowing Lori to grab her hatchet, her revolver, and her keys. Lori walked ahead, holstering her weapons, and looked ahead, seeing two curved staircases going from the second floor down to the basement while an elevator stood between them. Melissa approached her, taking a deep sigh.

"Pretty nice stairs, right?"

"Does the elevator work?" asked Lori.

"It does. But we'd like to conserve as much energy as possible. No worries. As wheelchair-unfriendly this building may be in an unfriendly world, this building never ceases to please me. The first floor, at least."

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Your… handicap."

"Don't be sorry. You barely even know me. But don't worry, we'll solve that problem soon. I assume you're the leader of this group?"

"Yeah. Was that a guess?"

"It was an educated guess. I asked your people to cross the metal detector and you stepped forward and went first. Rather interesting."

An alarm sounded from the metal detector, prompting Lori and Melissa to turn around and face the source of the noise. Clyde looked at Schoffner, raising the left leg of his jeans.

"It's gotta be my metal leg," said Clyde. "I can't really take this thing off."

"I gotta pat you down," said Schoffner. "Sorry, kid. This will feel uncomfortable."

Clyde raised his arms, allowing the police officer to pat him down. Becky looked at Schoffner, specifically at the Glock that she carried in her holster. She then looked away as the police officer stepped away from Clyde.

"Go ahead, kid."

Melissa moved close to the staircase and stopped right before the steps. She then lifted her hands away from the joystick that moved her wheelchair around.

"Oscar!" she shouted. "Why don't you come up here? We got new faces here!"

"New what?" shouted a voice from the floor below.

"New faces! New people!"

"Go ahead and talk to them! I'm in the middle of a pool game right now! I'll talk with 'em later!"

Melissa sighed before clearing her throat. She then moved away from the staircase and towards her office at the end of the left hallway. The group members were now all past the metal detector.

"There are couches over here," said Melissa. "Your group's rather large. It will serve you well to sit and be comfortable. By the looks of it, you may be here for an hour."

"So we all wait outside here?" asked Lynn.

"Yes, except for Lori. She'll be coming inside with me first."

Melissa moved inside her office with Lori following her. A short teenage girl with skinny jeans and a white button-up T-shirt closed the door behind her. Lori felt a sense of unease as she looked around the office, noticing that the lamp was the only thing lighting up the room. As a result, the back corners of the office away from the desk were dim. A camera was set up on a tripod next to the desk, aimed at the couch in front of the desk.

Lori faced the teenage girl, noticing her straight bob cut, red lipstick, and clean aviator glasses. The girl then glanced at Lori before quickly looking away, a slight rosy tint growing on her cheeks. Lori tilted her head in confusion before facing Melissa.

"My apologies," said Melissa. "I never got your name."

"Lori Loud."

"Lori Loud… the Loud residence, it's close to the main gate, I believe."

"You know where I lived?"

"I know who owns or owned every house within the walls. I usually do not remember names, but Loud… heh, that's quite a unique surname. Hard to forget. Take a seat."

"Is the camera recording now?"

"No, not yet. Not until Princess Jane Adler here hits the record button."

"Oh my god…" whispered the teenage girl, moving her face away from the light of the lamp to cover her blushing face.

"Princess?" questioned Lori.

"It's a respectful title that belongs to her and her only."

"I hate it," said Jane, holding her hands together. "H-Hi, Lori. You— You can just call me Jane."

"Hey… Jane. You'll be, umm… recording?"

"Y-Yeah. Though I don't know exactly why it has to be me. I-I mean… Melissa can do this on her own."

"I could," said Melissa, "but then I would have to bring you back to your mother tonight. Unless you stay behind that camera. Don't be too upset, you're a great photographer, Princess Jane!"

"Y-You're just embarrassing me at this point. The tripod is literally doing all the work."

Melissa chuckled before facing Lori.

"Her and her mother are from another community. She actually leads the place. The Queendom of Orchard Lakes."

"The Queendom?" questioned Lori, slightly squinting her eyes.

"Everyone has that same reaction…" murmured Jane.

"Yes, the Queendom," said Melissa. "It's a great place. Very medieval-like in aesthetics and functionality. And I mean that with respect. And I'm not just saying that to turn you away from this place. Just want you to be aware that your world just got a whole lot bigger."

"Wow…" said Lori, surprised from what she heard. "So, is this like… a whole network of communities?"

"In a way. There's six known established communities, including this one— Royal Woods. You'll learn more about them some other time because I don't want to overwhelm you. Not this late into the night."

"Okay."

"Let's get started."

Melissa placed her right hand over her left hand, fiddling with the ring on her fingers before speaking.

"The first question I usually ask newcomers is how they learn about this place. But the knowledge of this place has been yours before the outbreak. So, the question is… how long have you lived here, Lori Loud?"

Lori looked towards the video camera before turning her eyes at Melissa.

"My whole life. From the moment I left the hospital after being born to the moment I left to save my parents. Seventeen years. Almost eighteen."

"So, it's safe to say that you've been outside of Royal Woods for three years?"

"Yeah."

"Have you ever been in a community, a base, or a shelter with walls or fences?"

"I have."

"How long?"

"The first one, I believe it was around a year and a half. The second one… almost four months."

"So, you've been on the road for a combined time of one year?"

"I have."

"In the life before… you were a high school student. Correct?"

"Yeah."

"Senior year?"

"Mhmm."

"Were you ever employed?"

"I was a part-time babysitter. I also worked behind the counter and cleaned up tables at Gus's Game and Grub for a short time."

"In the communities you've been at… how have you contributed?"

"I… went on supply-runs. I cleared the roamers— the dead— outside the fences. I… killed people who were a threat to us."

"Who did you consider a threat?"

"Who…? Murderers, rapists, marauders. People who threatened to hurt me and my family."

Jane looked away from the video camera and at Melissa, raising her eyes as Melissa nodded.

"What do you regret the most?" continued Melissa.

"What do I regret the most? I… I don't really know how to choose. I mean, there's a lot of things I regret like crazy."

"There must be an action, or the lack of one— something that haunts you. Perhaps it keeps you up at night. Perhaps it's always in the back of your head when you're eating or driving or anything. Or maybe… you don't like to think about it a lot, but when you do… you can't help but cry."

"Why are you asking me this?"

"For the same reasons I asked the previous questions. Measuring character. It may be enough to make sure that you and your people do not pose a threat to the community. But that's what Tim's questions are for. What I want to know… what I need to know is how we can help each other. Transparency."

"If we're being transparent, then what do you regret the most about?"

Melissa smiled.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"I don't know anything about you. It would help to know how you would answer this."

"Okay. Very well."

Melissa cleared her throat.

"When I was a little girl— around ten or eleven— I experienced the happiest day of my life in my tiny Ohio home. My father had returned from fighting a horrific war in Vietnam. He was a hero in the eyes of many— my neighbors, my teachers, my friends, and in mine. He was a great person. Funny, easygoing, the life of the party. Everyone wanted to be friends with him. But there was something he didn't know. While he was overseas, my mother had an affair with another man. They were not exactly subtle about it, but my best guess is that they underestimated just how much I knew at the time. I hated my mother for cheating on my hero. If my parents were to divorce each other, I would have rather lived with my father. So, I told him. But he had no reaction to it, whatsoever. Just that he said that he was going to make it his mission to make sure my mother would not cheat on him again. I went to sleep that night thinking I had done the right thing, to ensure that I would live with a good man instead of some embarrassment of a mother. Then, I woke up. I heard my parents screaming at each other, things breaking. I came out of my room thinking that my father was angry at my mother for cheating on him. And he was. He had a gun on his hand, not for my mother, but for the man she had an affair with. My mother was screaming, pleading, begging him not to kill her friend. And when she saw me, she told me to call the police. But I refused. I told my mother that the man is destroying our family, and that is the reason why my father went to war— to protect our family. And my mother insisted that wartime was over. 'This is normal life. Your father is still stuck in the battlefield. He needs to wake up and realize that he doesn't have to be a murderer.' And just the sound of that… it must have triggered my father. He began to scream about an interrogation he had gone through back in Vietnam. Something about how they were the murderers, not him. In a fit of rage, he hit my mother in the legs and dropped her to her knees before holding her at gunpoint. And I remember vividly her cries as she apologized. And my father told her that is how his friends begged before the enemies killed them. Then my father shot her in the head in front of me. And all he did was stare at my mother's body. Not one look at me. Before I could even let out a tear, he turned the gun around, shoved it through his mouth, and fired it."

The red light on the video camera continued to shine softly as Jane lowered her eyes. Lori looked at Melissa with sympathetic eyes, wanting to take back her question. However, Melissa's voice remained clear and soft-spoken.

"If I had made that 911 call, I would have had more memories with my parents. It was not out of fright. I simply chose not to call the police because I hated my mother for what she did. But this isn't a story of self-pity. I'm sharing this story out of the love I have for my mother now. I became a psychologist out of this experience to help those with post-traumatic stress. And I made peace with the decision I made. So, I want to help you, Lori. I know it was very traumatizing out there, and I want to help you and your group adjust. I understand why you may not want to answer. But I'd really like you to."

"Okay," nodded Lori. "I regret leaving Royal Woods. And not really because of what happened to me… but because of what happened to the people that trusted me. If I could go back in time… I would have never left."

"Very well. Welcome back to Royal Woods."

Jane pressed a button on the video camera, which caused the red light to turn off. Lori closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as Melissa began to move towards the door. Then, she opened them and stood up, wiping a small tear away from her eye.