AN: Welcome back! Now, this story is by no means anywhere close to being done just yet. It actually kinda concerns me how much is written so far with how little progress that's been made for our group. That also kinda concerns me on how long the story will be in the first place. I originally said that the story may be about forty chapters long, but I don't think that's the case anymore.

Anyway, with that out of the way, I wanted to thank the people who've stuck with this story even after it's long overdue hiatus. I promise that I'll make up for it by giving it my all with this story to make it as good as it can possibly be. So I guess I'll see you all very shortly! Bai!

Chapter 17: Something Doesn't Feel Right

Zoey extended her hand towards an elderly man on the floor. "Bill, can you stand?"

"Yeah yeah, just hurt is all." Bill, an aged army veteran with a serious attitude thanked Zoey for the hand and pulled himself up.

Zoey looked concerned. "You sure? Those things looked pretty aggressive. No bite marks?"

"I said I'm fine, Zoey."

"Okay. I'm just looking out for you."

"Yeah. Alright."

A tattoo clad biker by the name of Francis looked over his shoulder, saying to the pair, "Hey, you two done lollygaggin'? We still got a small problem coming our way."

Through the forest trees, the haunting sounds of incoming zombies filled the air. Their recent gunfire had only attracted more of them, and they seemed to be coming from every direction. Francis trained his eyes across every opening in the trees, wondering when the first one would pop out.

A well-dressed gentleman with dark skin removed the magazine from his AK, checking his ammo supply. Being optimistic, he said, "I think we'll be fine. I mean, we've already come this far. It would be pretty sucky to end it now. When this all blows over I think I'd like to just sleep in from work every day for a whole year."

"You're killing me, Louis," Francis stated, shaking his head. "I think I'll kill myself before the zombies can because your happiness is creeping me the hell out."

"Just shut up, people, and let's not make the same mistake twice," Bill said as he removed a molotov cocktail from his side. Using his lighter, he lit the end of the cloth that wasn't stuffed into the bottle.

With an animalistic screech, the first zombie came into their line of sight. Past a few trees, the monster had to maneuver around often hitting the trees and jerking to the side but continuing to run nonetheless.

"Throwing fire!"

When more zombies could be seen approaching from the same side, Bill threw the molotov into the trees. The glass bottle shattered against the hard surface, spraying fiery liquid all over a few zombies and onto the forest floor. Dried up leaves quickly caught on fire, engulfing a whole section in flames. The incoming zombies were quickly overwhelmed by the large fire as it burned their eyes and blinded them. Slowly, the fire ate away at the zombies as they flailed around in a blind attempt to reach their targets.

The four's attention was torn away from the scene when the sounds of more zombies came from behind them.

"Ah, yeah!" With a cry of excitement, Francis punched the first zombie that came up to him and then blasted their head off with an automatic shotgun.

The silent night had just gotten a little louder.

"Osino," Rem said to herself, her eyes planted on something outside.

Subaru looked away from the ceiling and at Rem. "What?"

"Osino. There's a sign over there that says this place is called Osino," said Rem, turning to face Subaru.

Subaru moved to be next to Rem, their shoulders touching. The contact made Rem blush and smile, a small huff escaping her lips with excitement. Subaru didn't notice, and instead looked out past a few houses and bushes to see the same sign.

"Then that must mean the next major city is Wendover." Rem and Subaru turned to the person that spoke; Sol. Sanding in the bedroom doorway, Sol had a large map outstretched in front of him.

It was comical at just how large the map was compared to the man's body. While Subaru was able to contain himself, Rem wasn't as lucky and let a small, restrained giggle.

"Where'd you get that?"

Without looking away at the map, Sol answered, "Uh, borrowed it from a guy in one of the other houses. Didn't really say much. Just kinda sat there."

Rem and Subaru shared a look.

"I'll be honest, that was in poor taste. But it did sound a lot better in my head."

"How far away is it?" Subaru asked.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh. About a hundred miles."

"Do you think we'll make it there with the amount of gas we have?"

"Probably. The others are filling up the tires with air right now so it'll make it an easier ride. So, now the only question is; who wants to ride in the bed?"

[LB]

A puff of black smoke was thrown out of the exhaust pipe as the truck started.

"We have lift off!" Subaru yelled from the bed of the truck as Sol took it onto the road. Carefully, he gradually accelerated. It moved loud and slow, but the feeling of the wind on their faces as they zoomed down the road was enough to fill their hearts with joy. Finally, it seemed things were looking to go their way.

With the sun still making its way to the peak of the sky, the truck drove on, kicking up clouds of dirt into the air in its wake. Had it not been for the current situation the Earth was in it would almost seem like they were all happy friends joined together for a road trip into the desert. The scene around was flat and bland but had a sort of beauty that usually went very unappreciated by people.

Rem rested her head on Ram's shoulder, their smiles brighter than the sun could ever be as they enjoyed the feeling of the hot sun and the rushing winds on their face. Quark sat on the other side of Ram, keeping an arm around her just in case of a large bump in the road. Opposite to them, Emilia surveyed the landscape with a feeling of warmth.

A desert lizard slowly crawled onto the road, turning its head to search for food. Darting it's eyes in multiple directions, it took on all the surrounding area and was pleased to find nothing. There was a sudden strong vibration coming from the floor, causing the animal to scramble away in a panic. Crawling off the road, it made its way up a wooden pole and onto a large sign.

WELCOME TO WELLS

There's more to see straight ahead.

A truck suddenly came rushing past the sign and into the city, the cause of the lizard's reaction.

"Okay, let's stop here."

Atbash had Sol stop the truck just a few yards away from the buildings, wanting to keep a low profile just in case the place was infested with zombies.

"We may not find another working car, so we should siphon some gas just in case." Atbash shouldered his backpack, a worried look on his face.

"We ready?" Quark asked. When everyone nodded he turned to his daughters, telling them, "Stay close to me."

"Yes, father," they said in unison.

Emilia, having no weapon, clung to Subaru's arm. Subaru looked at her with mild shock. She noticed his reaction, but still held on, her face a shade darker.

Carefully, they each walked off the road and onto the unkempt desert floor. Dried up plants, broken up with sharp ends prodded their legs, making them try and watch their step as they approached the city. They all stopped in their tracks when a walker stumbled out from behind a building, seemingly walking around with no destination. Luckily, the zombie turned away from them and limped in the other direction. Now it was clear that this place was dangerous.

When the zombie was out of sight, they continued. Without any other interruptions, they safely made it to the first building and hugged the wall. Subaru was thinking that perhaps they were taking the stealth part a bit too far since they were dealing with stupid creatures but then thought against it since it was probably stupid to think it was stupid.

Quark, being at the end of the line, peeked around the corner to survey the city street. So far it seemed clear. The only things out of place were the abandoned cars and dead bodies. "Stay here," he instructed the others.

Quietly, he made his way to the opposite corner towards the street. Keeping low, he observed the area. Nothing too abnormal. Surprisingly, he couldn't see a single zombie. He soon grew brave and stood straight up. He then walked out onto the sidewalk. After observing both ends of the street, he came to the conclusion that there wasn't anything to be afraid of there.

Quark took a step back and hit something that squeaked as it moved out of the way. Turning around, he was met with the familiar faces of both of his daughters.

"I thought I told you to stay over there," he scolded, pointing to the others who'd clearly let the two follow him.

Ram shrugged. "You said to stay close to you."

Rem leaned forward and planted her face into his chest, then looked up, nodding.

Finding it hard to stay annoyed, Quark chuckled and rubbed the top of Rem's head. "Alright, fine," he said. "Just stay behind me."

Rem saluted, saying, "Roger."

Ram nodded.

"Judging by the talking, it isn't that serious?"

Quark looked away from his daughters to see the others approaching them. Exhaling a nervous laugh, he scratched the back of his next and explained the situation, "There aren't any signs of any of those walkers, but I can't be too sure with the rest of the city."

"Well, we just made this stop for a car and maybe supplies if we're lucky. So let's going," Sol said, taking action by walking up front.

"He's right. The faster we are the quicker we can get out of here."

The city was quiet, as most were nowadays. There weren't many abandoned cars. The few that were left were damaged. During the chaos that struck the place, people must've ran as soon as they caught word of the infection coming their way. Bullet casings littered the floor on certain spots. So they had, at least, put up a fight to protect themselves against the horde….or each other.

Walking across the streets, Quark stopped next to a body. Rem and Ram looked on either side of their father, wondering what was happening. The body was face down, but it was clear who they had been: a member of the police department. Countless people decided to join the force, never knowing what day would be their last. Quark knew that risk, always promising his daughters that he'd be home. There had only been a handful of times when he had to say goodbye to a fellow officer who'd lost his life on duty. And every time, he made sure to send them off with a hope that they'd find peace in the afterlife.

But this was different. Nowadays, people wouldn't need to find peace when they die because dying was peace.

Bending down, Quark whispered a silent apology and removed the officers holstered gun. Why the man never pulled it out was a mystery. With that, he removed his own gun and put it into Rem's hands.

"Fath-."

"Keep it. In case things get ugly." Quark gave his daughters a small smile and began to walk towards the others, his smile disappearing.

"Blaine's Grocery, huh?"

Subaru hefted his metal bat on a shoulder, observing the supermarket before them. It looked to have already been raided, but was better than nothing if they wanted to find food for the road.

"This should be fun. Like going shopping, but without paying," Charlotte commented, smiling.

"Let's try it out then." Atbash was the first to approach the building. The lights inside were still on, which was weird. He would've assumed the electricity would've gone out a long time ago. Nevertheless, he opened the front door and held it open, urging the others to follow. Slowly, the rest of them filed into the market.

Upon first glance, it seemed normal. But it was obvious that many people had already made their rounds here. Most of the food items were gone. They would have to make due.

Quark counted heads. "We can split up in twos. That way we cover more ground faster and get outta here quickly."

Emilia still had a hand on Subaru's sleeve, making it obvious to them that they were to be a pair. The other split off into pairs and walked off, Rem looking disappointed despite being with her sister.

"Wanna start at the far end?" Subaru asked Emilia.

When he didn't get an answer, he looked at his friend. She seemed to be distracted by her own thoughts.

"Emilia?"

"Huh!" Torn from her thoughts, Emilia looked apologetically at Subaru.

"I asked if you wanted to start at the far end of the store." Knowing Emilia obviously had something on her mind, Subaru asked, "You okay? You seem to be somewhere else."

"I'm fine," she replied. "... There are just some things I'm confused about."

This was unlike Emilia. Subaru always considered their friendship to have been strong enough that they would share anything that troubled them. For the longest time, he's known her as a good friend and would always tell her why he was feeling down. Whether it was his parents suddenly leaving him to a nanny for the weekend or when he got physically hurt, Emilia would be the first person he told. And she was the same way. Whenever he would want to comfort her, she would allow it. She would tell him everything and appreciate it when he talked to her about it.

So whatever this was. Whatever Emilia was keeping bottled up during a time like this, it must be serious.

Looking back at Emilia, Subaru could tell she was concentrating hard on the task ahead instead of whatever it was she was dwelling on before. Clearing his throat, he made sure to let her know he would be there for her when she needed him to be, "If you don't feel like talking about it now that's fine. But just know I'll always be here for you no matter what."

Her attention now ripped in three, Emilia heard Subaru's words and felt like she was stabbed in the heart. It hadn't been Subaru that caused her to feel the emotional pain, but herself. How could he understand? If she asked, what if he hated her or thought she was crazy? She wanted nothing more than to tell him but feared what would happen if she did.

Emilia glanced at Subaru just as he put an arm in front of her, his fierce eyes focused on something ahead.

A large zombie stumbled out from behind a check out station. Standing several feet taller than both of them, and probably weighing twice as much as their two weights combined, the zombie had no idea that they were there.

Subaru and Emilia were unsure of what to do. Run? Hide? Fight?

Before a decision could be made, a sound erupted from somewhere nearby. It wasn't very loud, but against the dead quiet silence, it was like a bomb. It was a mess of clanging, like metal dropping to the floor.

Both Subaru and Emilia flinched at the sound. The zombie had done so too, knowing it had to have come from nearby. Walking ahead of them, the zombie stared down an aisle the sound had came from. Subaru could tell he had found someone.

Then the zombie charged. The was some rustling and then the sounds of someone grunting. Subaru grabbed Emilia's hand. "Come on."

Pulling her with him, he wanted to do whatever he could to help the person in trouble. Rounding the corner of the aisle, it became clear his help wasn't needed.

A pair of gardening shears covered in wet blood slid their way down the aisle and stopped in front of the two. Subaru stated in shock and disgust at the body of the large zombie dead on the floor. A large portion of its front was soaked in blood from having been stabbed, but the most gruesome part was its head or lack thereof. And along with it was another dead zombie, farther down the aisle but with its head still attached. Subaru looked up at who had done the deed.

A scrawny young man holding a shotgun stood behind an older, broader looking fellow that wore a worn cowboy hat. The younger one seemed to have a nervous vibe around him while the cowboy had a more laid-back attitude.

The younger one stood still, staring at Subaru. The old man noticed this and looked behind towards Subaru as well. Nothing was said, but through the silence, the man could hear Subaru's other companions. With a tip of the hat, the cowboy walked back towards his partner. The boy glanced back and forth between the man and Subaru, holding the shotgun close to his chest. The man gestured for him to follow as they walked down to the opposite side of the aisle together.

"Wow, these fellas really let themselves go," Subaru heard the man say, referring to the zombies.

"And they're so fat," the younger one added.

The cowboy gawked at his partner, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Cinnamon, birthday cake, blueberry, cookie dough! Why'd they have to take all the good ones!" Sol knelt before a shelf littered with boxes, most being Poptarts.

Charlotte bent down and rubbed her husband's shoulder. Like a mother to her child, she asked, "What's wrong? You like blueberry."

"Yeah, but that's the fruit. The Poptart tastes like crap." Sol sniffled.

"You are such a man-child," Charlotte pointed out with an amused expression. "They're practically the same."

"Yeah, I guess so." Defeated, Sol grabbed the box of blueberry Poptarts and put them into Charlotte's backpack.

Walking further into the aisle, Charlotte pointed out a different box standing out from the others. "Look, the last box of Twinkies."

"Why'd we come here? This area reeks." Atbash plugged his nose, the foul odors from long expired produce filling the air.

His face slowly draining of its color, Quark nodded. "I agree. This was a terrible idea. But we have to get past it because the alcohol is just on the other side."

"I don't know whether to call you a hero or a dumbass."

"Let's settle with a little of both."

After a couple hours of scavenging and taking what gas they could from abandoned cars, Subaru inspected a small map he'd picked up from the floor. It felt rough as if it had dried up after being soaking wet. It stated that there was a park nearby. Since the city itself was pretty open he was pretty certain he was able to see it from where he was.

An idea to take a breather in the park came to mind, but that was shut down when a couple zombies shambled across the grassy field.

The city was too hollow, meaning it was dangerous for them to go any further into the city. If they did then they would be surrounded the very second the first zombie spotted them.

No matter how much anyone wanted to and explore, this world had limitations and rules that suggested they give up on their desires. This wasn't like before when traveling at night downtown was dangerous. Nowadays, traveling anywhere at any time was dangerous. The few ways to ensure you lived to see another day was to stick with a group. And even then, it wasn't a guarantee.

These thoughts of slim survival were relieved when Rem approached Subaru from behind and gave him a light squeeze around his stomach to get his attention.

Rem handed Subaru a cold bottle of water, sitting next to him. "Are you okay, Subaru? You've been sitting here for quite a while." Her eyebrows furrowed with worry when she noticed he hadn't answered immediately but hesitated.

"I've been better," he finally answered. "You?"

Rem smiled, side glancing at Subaru. "I've been okay. Sister and father are doing well, so seeing them be happy during a time like this makes me happy as well."

"Heh, glad to hear that, Rem." Subaru grinned. "Wow, it's been awhile since we've really talked, hasn't it?"

Rem nodded, knowing it to be painfully true. Before the infection, they would talk every day practically. Some would say they were inseparable, or more so Rem was inseparable from him. So when everything changed and Subaru went to save Emilia, they hadn't really talked.

Rem never said it, but she knew perfectly clear that Subaru loved Emilia. Despite living with Subaru every day for the near month, Rem couldn't help but feel they had actually grown apart. In that time, Subaru had spoken with Emilia more times than he did with her. And that had hurt.

"Don't worry, Subaru. I'm fine with you speaking with other women. Just as long as you don't leave me."

Subaru grinned. "That was a weird thing to say." That just told him that Rem was still Rem. Even though she'd lost almost everything, she remained positive. He envied that.

Rem feigned innocent, tilting her head to the side. "Was it? I'd just rather Subaru talk to me more often." Smiling, she leaped onto Subaru arm, holding it close like it was a valuable piece of treasure.

Not nearly as shocked as he should've been, Subaru allowed the contact. They stayed like that until it was time to leave. Atbash came to retrieve them, finding Subaru staring off into space with Rem on his arm.

"Hey, when you two are done, we wanna make it over to the next town to find a place to sleep."

Subaru shook out of his daze. He looked around, wondering just how long he'd been there with Rem. "Did you guys run into any trouble?"

Atbash nodded. "Just a little. This place doesn't look it, but the buildings are crawling with those things. I'd say we sleep here, but I don't want to run that risk."

"Alright, I'll be right there." Subaru nodded and began to get up. Looking down, he realized that Rem was asleep, clinging to his arm like a pillow. Lightly, he began shaking her shoulder.

"Rem," he quietly called. Again, he shook her shoulder and called her name. But Rem didn't seem to want to awaken, her face scrunching up while her hands gripped his arm tighter.

So that's how this is gonna be, huh, Rem?

Putting his arms behind her back and legs, Subaru carried Rem bridal style. Moaning, Rem turned to face Subaru's chest. With Subaru looking ahead, Rem opened her eyes just to glance at Subaru. Closing them again, she smiled, digging her face into Subaru.

Subaru felt the pressure and looked at Rem with the smile on her face. Then he knew what it meant. Tricky little Rem.

After an hour of driving, Sol rolled into the next city; West Wendover. Growing up around skyscrapers, Subaru found it weird that it was as an actual city. As far as he could tell, all he saw were a bunch of what could be houses hiding behind trees and a few super markets with names he'd never heard of before.

When Sol parked the car, Quark couldn't have been any happier. "Thank, god. My ass hurts." Through rough terrain, he had endured having his bottom repeatedly slammed by the hard metal surface of the truck. While the ride had been quite exciting the first five minutes, the rest of the way was a waiting game on when the torture would end.

The others didn't fare any better. Rem climbed out after Subaru, groaning from the aching in her back. Everyone else's reactions weren't so different.

"The hell happen to you guys?" Atbash asked, his body relaxed from being able to sit on a cushioned seat.

Slowly, they came closer to the residential area. So far they had not seen a single zombie shambling about. It was both strange and very reassuring. The city itself seemed to be right out of a stereotypical post-apocalyptic scenario. The only sounds coming from ahead were the rustling leaves of the upcoming trees, a distant car alarm, and the calls of overhead birds.

Walking across an empty parking lot, it became clear to them that this city had had its fair share of infections as well. Sitting against the wheels of a semi truck, the headless corpse of a long-dead trucker cooked in the hot sun. Along with that poor soul came more. Most of the deceased, both scattered on the lot and in the burning hot dirt, were mostly skeletal remains. The foul stench filled the air, assaulting the group and urging them to pick up the pace.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally made it to the where the houses were. Although the block they came across had a wooden fence lining the property, a car had previously mowed through it and into the house just in the other side. The car itself was busted, no use trying to salvage it. The driver was nowhere to be seen, but the bloody front seat gave them an idea as to what had happened. The house itself, having a car crashed halfway into it, was in complete disarray.

There was nothing they could or were willing to do, so they moved on. After crossing multiple front yards they began to realize something was weird. The place was just a shell of its former self. Few bloodied cars lined the streets, abandoned and forgotten in the heat of the moment. Houses were broken into or out of, some being burned to a crispy by unknown means. The smell of burning wood, still strong in the air, gave no pleasure to them. It's sharp tang and awful reason was enough to almost make them abandon the trip altogether. But they needed results. If they were to survive they would need a reliable form of transportation. The truck wouldn't do, seeing that it was already on its last legs.

No, the weirdest and most disturbing thing was the absence of any walkers. Not a single one had been discovered since they arrived. They continued to walk, keeping eyes out for anyone or anything. The severity of the city's destruction seemed to decrease the farther they went into the city, something that was welcome.

A silent killer, an earth-shattering wave of immense force, and a trial of strength and courage. All parts of what can only describe what Atbash determined to be the end of the world. This would weed the weak from the strong.

After yet another failed attempt to start a car, Atbash slammed his fist on the wheel. His mind had been elsewhere. He couldn't think straight. Nothing was making sense.

After stepping out of the car, Atbash looked to the houses and the alleys between them. He scanned the windows, not looking for something but someone. This wasn't right. Something had to have happened in the city to purge it of the infected.

Can you hear that?" Atbash asked, his green eyes glaring at Sol.

Sol stopped breathing so heavily and listened, exhausted from standing out in the sun attempting to get a working car. He heard nothing except for the sound of a light breeze blowing between the buildings and the crunch of asphalt beneath the feet of their approaching friends.

"Hear what?," Sol asked, his face moody since Atbash never answered his original question.

"Exactly… It's too quiet. Those things have obviously done a number on this place already, but I haven't seen a single one." Again, Atbash looked up at the buildings. "Something doesn't feel right. I say we stay for just one night, but that's it. Car or not, we leave tomorrow morning."

"But that won't give us much time to look for a car," Sol pointed out, crossing his arms.

"You're right, but there aren't any zombies in the area. If that's the case then it might mean there's something worse around."

Sol joined in on looking through the cars, asking, "Something worse than those flesh eaters?"

Atbash pried open the door of a truck, glancing around inside. "The infected are dumb. Aside from being near invincible without a bullet to the head, they don't seem to grasp the concept of working together. They can't form a plan of attack or even seem to be able to communicate with each other." Atbash checked every compartment of the truck, finding nothing but a pocket knife in the center console. "Humans, on the other hand, are smart."

"I can't believe someone still had a Jack in the Box antenna ball!" Atbash and Sol turned to Subaru, who had exclaimed in mild excitement at the sight of small antenna attachment on one of the older cars.

Ram came up behind him, annoyed by his sudden outburst. "Barusu, what are you doing?"

Plucking the ball from the car, Subaru stuck his tongue out at Ram. "Uh, taking it. I used to love putting these things on my fingers and then pretend they were talking."

After a moment of hesitation with her mouth open, Ram dropped it and proceeded to walk away.

"Okay, maybe not all humans are," Atbash admitted.

After an hour with no luck, Quark suggested that they take separate tasks. "It's getting late. I say we split into two groups. One can look for a car while the other looks for a place to sleep. It shouldn't be that dangerous because if the infected really did move on then that'll make it safer to maneuver in smaller groups." Having talked about it before, Quark had come to the conclusion that the zombies must've moved on when there were no humans to feast on.

There was a murmur among the group before it was agreed to do so. Quark, Emilia, Rem, and Charlotte would handle finding a place to sleep while Subaru, Ram, Sol, and Atbash would keep looking for working vehicles. Before separating, they all agreed to meet up when the sun began to set.

After failing to start yet another car by hot wiring it, Atbash punched out the already broken windshield. "Most of these damn things don't have batteries. And the few ones that do have them are wasted."

The more and more cars they went through, they deeper into the city they traveled. It was becoming hopeless, at this point they were just wasting energy. With the sun now low behind the buildings, none of them could really see without the use of their flashlights.

"It's getting too dark now. We should head back," Ram suggested.

Sol nodded, closing the door of yet another empty car. "Agreed, hopefully, the others had better luck."

Subaru reluctantly agreed as well. A car would make things easier on them, so just to find one would mean a lot.

While Atbash worked on the last car, Subaru and the others sat down on top of the hoods of various cars. And after yet another disappointment, they sighed in defeat and slowly made their way back to where they were supposed to meet.

Sol dragged his feet, kicking away the rocks that came across his way. "So what now? What's the plan for tomorrow."

Atbash, who had been wiping his dirty hands on his leather jacket, thought about it. "We didn't run into anything bad this whole time, so I say we could continue looking for a car tomorrow. But only for a little bit because we should cover as much ground as possible while we still have sunlight."

"It would be better if we traveled at night," Ram stated. "Traveling when the sun is up just leads to us getting burned out quicker because of the heat."

With that idea in the air, the four continued walking. Upon reuniting with the other they were immediately met with relief.

Quark yawned, "It's about time. I was close to sending a search party to find you guys."

"Judging by your face, you found a safe place to sleep?" Sol asked, his shirt soaked with sweat.

"Not entirely 'safe' per say, but it does have its perks."

They had not found a motel, nor a structured building, but a two-story house.

"A house? It's just like one of the many others we've seen," Sol chided. "Something can easily just break in and kill us all."

"They can kill us, yes, but we'll have an advantage. If we sleep upstairs then we'll hear anything come in before it can find us," came Quark's suggestion.

As dangerous as it was it was still probably their best option. It had become clear to them at one point that the city had hotels and casinos that had plenty of room, but were still inhabited by infected.

So Atbash reluctantly agreed. It wasn't the safest option but was their only option at this point. For a moment, he thought about them just ditching the place and getting back in the truck and driving off in hopes of reaching the next city before running out of gas. But he knew he'd be the only one in on the plan. There was no going back.

Sadly, there was no power in the house. No electricity, no running water, none of the essentials. But surely, it wouldn't be that bad. They were only staying for the night after all.

In the dead of night, a small group of armed men and women made their way across a street and stationed themselves along the perimeter of the house before them, their guns pointed up at the second story windows.

"Nicolas, I advise you not to use aggression. If you do then they may not cooperate." A woman sternly warned a man that walked ahead of her, both in the middle of the street observing the house as well. "Plus, these are my men you are commandeering."

"Relax, will you, sweetheart? I 'aven't takin' shit from you. Ya'll 'ave the same goal as we do. So if you got a problem with 'ow I run things then I suggest you go back to the car."

The man, Nicolas, waved off the woman, looking at her as if she were an annoyance.

The woman was about to say something when multiple voices blasted through a wallow talkie strapped to Nicolas' waist.

"Sir, we have movement on the second floor. Left window on the northern side of the building."

"Same with the right window on the eastern side."

"Western and southern sides are all clear."

Nicolas responded, "Our scouts say there were about seven of 'em, give or take one. Restrain them and keep them under temporary house arrest. We'll figure out the rest later."

With that, the people up front made their way to the front door. When the door was open, they all flooded inside except for one that paused to throw a cylinder into one of the rooms upstairs. In a couple seconds, a bright flash briefly illuminated the room, flashing a blinding light. There was a scream right before there was the cracking of a door being blown off its hinges.

"If any of them get hurt, it's your head," the woman growled.

Nicolas chuckled. Finding the nonexistent dark humor in the threat.