The structure settled in the cold atmosphere. Icicles hung from the beams above as mist swirled around over the road. A single common shrieked, throwing its balled fists in front while lunging itself forward; and its neck was snapped. Multiple flashlight beams penetrated the thick fog and illuminated many abandoned vehicles and the murkiness. It was daunting, especially when the lights didn't do much to help them see.
"It shouldn't be allowed to get this cold." Ian wrapped his scarf securely around his neck and over his mouth, then pointed his firearm in front of himself. His eyes scanning around carefully. "I agree." Keirstan said, "how about we just forget the military and head south?"
"I thought there was no plan if you did that." Bill reminded.
"Aside from getting out of this weather, not yet."
"We'll be warm once we get to them. Don't worry."
The team maneuvered through the angled vehicles; there were bodies sitting in seats of a handful of them. Beth looked in at a long dead couple while passing by one car. Some of the group looked up for any Hunters or Smokers lurking above them, others searched the backs of delivery trucks. Where mostly trash and empty containers were left behind.
Zoey shook a gloved hand, flexing her fingers and hissed at the chilly air. Her breaths came out in clouds and she cleared her throat trying to ignore the cold. "I kind of feel like I'm in that horror movie the mist. Get it? 'Cause we're in mist?" She looked at Francis with enthusiasm, he turned to her strangely. "Uh? What movie?" She frowned.
"The mist. I'm guessing you haven't seen it."
"Nope."
"It's a Stephen King film. A fog rolls over a town in New England and it's full of monsters hunting people."
Francis glanced around at the foggy surroundings. "Oh," he chuckled softly "I guess this is almost the same."
"Just about. This is creepy."
"It is."
They kept walking with ears perked and eyes strained when something crossed Zoey's mind. She took in a breath, and her chest tightened at the thought of the question.
"Do you wonder what happened to everyone else you knew when this all started?" Her voice was full of longing and dread. It was a haunting thought that ate at her.
Francis lowered his eyes and his lips parted at the question. Feeling lost all of a sudden when the faces of people he loved filled his head. His family and friends. He was damn lucky for finding two of them.
"...Every single day."
A silence.
"Sometimes I wonder about what's in the west. I hate thinking we could be the only ones left. We can't be. There's no way."
"I'm not sure Zoey." His gruff voice was quiet. "We haven't seen anyone else."
"There were those survivors your sisters met." She remembered.
"That was then. Not now."
Zoey looked at him a second time and dropped it; sadly casting her eyes away.
With the thought chewing at him now, he went to call for the sisters for their whereabouts but stopped when there was a thump ahead. Louis' voice rang out. "Hey guys, I found some hand warmers!" He twirled his flashlight around where he stood. A chorus of voices stirred while they stampeded to him. The analyst saw the flashlights coming and suddenly he was surrounded.
"Gimme!"
"How many are there?"
"Enough. Hold on!"
"I'm succumbing to frostbite, hurry up."
"No you ain't."
"Feels like it."
Louis passed the packets around as they babbled, quickly peeling their gloves off to slip the warmers inside. Meanwhile Beth sat in the back of the delivery truck with her sister as Keirstan rubbed her hands together, relieved to regain feeling in her fingers. "Are we almost to the other side?"
At this Bill and Ian looked around the truck. Some moments passed when they spotted silhouettes of highway signs hanging above the street a short distance away. Beyond that, there was a faint outline of something large they could barely see through the mist. "I think so," Ian replied. He gestured with his hatchet, "a bit further and we should be there."
"I don't know where to go after this," Bill said as they walked ahead, "I…"
There was a faint screaming. An abrupt, far away scream sounding like it came from behind the group. Everybody paused cocking their ears, Beth raised her head as Francis turned his. They stood unmoving until it faded and it was quiet again. They looked in all directions, at each other; their alarmed states turning into confusion when nothing else happened.
Everything was absolutely still.
Bill and Jordan exchanged glances, brows knitting together when it wafted again. Now it sounded farther away. If the cold didn't cause goosebumps on their skin, this screaming certainly did.
"Hel-?" Louis went to hesitantly yell. He was stopped by a hard smack from Zoey. "Are you serious? Why would you yell?" She scowled deeply.
"It could be another survivor."
Her face lightened; she looked at Bill who merely shook his head. He kept going, "do not holler back. You know better. That didn't sound like a survivor."
Francis held his gun up with his back against the girls who nestled nervously in the truck. "I want you to stay close to me." He quietly said, staring in the direction they came from. "...Let's move."
They hopped out of the vehicle and hurried after him when the biker led on, the other girls quickly sticking with them. "It's probably a Hunter." Amber guessed. She lifted her eyes as Ian joined her side, lacing his fingers with hers. Both looked behind themselves. "Could be. But it kinda sounds different if you listen carefully." He observed.
"That's what you did?"
"Yup. It was...a little off for a Hunter to me…" he trailed off, eyes wondering. "I hope that's what it was."
Seeing him so uncertain from just hearing something made her feel more unsettled. Amber decided to go with what both were hoping it was to avoid further anxiety. A Hunter with an odd shriek. He felt her discomfort, so Ian brought her pulled closer. "It'll be fine, it can't find us long as we keep going." He smiled tiredly.
A few commons ran through the wrecked traffic hissing and gurgling and were taken care of, one staggered away when Beth shot a single bullet, blasting its front open. It stepped on its long intestine causing it to snag and the common fell over.
"Louis, your stupid idea led us to another blockade!" Francis complained. He stared at the enormous semi trailer taking up the entire street. It tires were deflated to the ground, so they were unable to crawl underneath and the cabin was tipped on its side taking up the rest of the path. "I didn't make any guarantees," Louis stormed forward "did you see another way around?"
The biker yawned and ignored the retaliation, walking over to where Kayla, Keirstan, Jordan and Beth were. The four looked over multiple parked FedEx and Hersch vehicles below, short talking and making guesses what they heard was. He looked ahead and strained his vision at another sign above the trailers.
"Eastern waterworks…" he puffed, "is that where you get your crying supplies Bill?"
"Nah, that's where Jordan gets his." Kayla snorted, resting her chin on one arm and hanging the other over a rail.
"You wanna see tears-"
"Enough," Bill called, stopping Jordan's rant and eyeing Francis for a second. Keirstan facepalmed. Beth kept her sibling from throwing ice at him. "We can try cutting through this warehouse down here to get by."
There was a whimpering close by as he talked. He motioned to an opening through a broken guardrail.
The group made way for the hill, with Jordan tripping the older sibling who barely caught her balance. She kicked snow at him, Beth shoved him away and Keirstan pushed Kayla's head forward to get her to move along. The whimpering continued and Zoey looked over at a van, finding a shivering Jockey stuck in place in the ice. Its leg appeared trapped under the vehicle. The special dug at the frozen surface in a desperate attempt to free itself with bloody fingers, chipping its nails away. The Jockey giggled and whined before it gazed over at her. She watched calmly as it tried to jump at her just and was stopped. It grunted, pulling at its leg and clawed at the metal while Zoey resumed down. The Jockey lashed the air after her and kept trying to get away.
Everyone hopped through a doorway. Beth scanned the items inside boxes and containers when an idea popped in her head. She picked up a large umbrella, opened it and twirled it in the air. "What are you planning with that?" Francis asked seeing this.
"I! Have found the prevention of being Boomer bombed."
"Oh my God," he grinned as she closed it. "It has to work. Those nasty fucks have nothing on us now. Ya'll, grab an umbrella!"
"How you gonna carry it?"
She looked up at him as they walked, "I'll just hold it for now."
"And when it's puked on?"
"Then I'll have to find another one."
Zoey, Keirstan and Kayla retraced their steps, racing by the two to grab one of their own. "What a good fucking idea dude!" Zoey exclaimed. Beth smiled, "see?"
"I didn't say it was bad." Francis held his hand out in defense.
The girls opened and closed their umbrellas repeatedly at each other like it was some sort of language. "Whoever doesn't fall through with Beth's plan is at risk!" Keirstan hollered.
"Of?" Amber replied from an office room.
They folded the umbrellas up and started sword fighting with them. Francis leaned against a wall and stole a glance outside; eventually Keirstan held hers with both hands as a barrier now, while Kayla pushed hers down into it. Beth and Zoey were really getting into the battle as he watched silently.
"On guard! Haha!"
"You're gonna break 'em you know." Francis said.
Ian poked his head around the doorway. "We're leaving!" He announced.
The biker pushed off the wall as all four girls pointed their umbrellas at each other until they held the them away. They moved through the building, until they heard the screaming again.
"...What is that?" Zoey muttered, her full attention on the entrance.
"Something I'll blow the fucking head off of if we run into it." Francis threatened.
They entered the office. Jordan successfully tripped Kayla where he hid behind a door. She stumbled forward and he laughed while she quickly regained herself and spun around to flash her umbrella in his face. "What the shit!" Jordan pushed it away.
She squinted her eyes and looked at the walls as Amber and Louis continued to read the messages scrawled all over. Amber mouthed the words as Kayla went to write a message on the wood.
"Don't believe the signs…"
"WHERE IS CEDA?"
"CEDA blows!"
"Go back to poetry school." Beth chuckled at a message written over a paragraph.
Zoey and Francis looked around at the writing. His eyes narrowed. He did not like what he was reading about CEDA in the messages.
"CEDA IS NOT COMING."
"ThEy LeFt Us To DiE."
"Guys I got it. The infection is an std."
"That's disgusting you freak."
CEDA don't fucking care about us."
"PETER, ARMY'S STILL IN RIVERSIDE. CEDA'S GONE. WE FINISHED THE TRUCK, GASSED AND READY. WAITING FOR YOU AT THE DEPOT. IT'S NOT FAR. HURRY."
Amber breathed deeply. "This doesn't look good."
"I know," Kayla murmured next to her. She raised a hand, "this grammar's awful!"
Amber and the others gave her wild looks as Francis went to find Bill. "What? That's not how you spell bitchasaurus."
"And what did you write?" Keirstan questioned.
"Guys, I don't think that's the point." Louis sighed.
The older survivor flashed her knife at her message. It was in response to one saying, "WE DESERVE THIS!"
"Speak for yourself tweedle dick. Maybe you did I didn't do anything."
"Hey," Francis rested a hand on Bill's shoulder. The veteran turned to him. "Yes, what is it?"
"We're heading for the army...right?"
They got outside. "We are. CEDA and the military are two different operations. I didn't like what I saw either."
He stared at him. "Are you sure?" Came the next hesitant question.
"I am Francis. You're worried for their safety. I get it. And I'm helping you get them there. Everything's going to be alright. I assure you."
They kept their eyes on each other for some quiet moments until the biker finally nodded. "Ok."
"-And now there's something screaming in the horizon." Zoey pointed a thumb behind herself mid-conversation. Jordan tossed Louis a protein bar, swinging his bag back over his shoulder as the analyst tore it open. Ian and Amber chased each other around, jumping over debris and circling a wrecked car, giggling at one another when he darted for her again. She slipped through his arms and kicked the back of his legs before he turned around and she leapt into him. Seeing this Beth knees Jordan in the ass then slaps it hard. With a cry he went to grab at her and a slapping war erupted between them as they walked. They leaned away while their hands almost blurred until a large snowball exploded against both of them. The couple yelled at the cold dripping down their skin while Kayla laughed and pointed at the two. She went to throw one at the other pair and they ran off as the snowball soared after them. She was then assaulted when the four threw fists of snow back rapidly.
"Quiet down so we don't attract anything," Bill hushed. He gazed at the rooftops suspiciously, "bit unusual we haven't seen any specials yet."
They acted they were on mute, mouthing at each other as if they were yelling and making silent gestures. The only sounds coming from them were footsteps and their backpacks shifting.
Bill squinted. "Smartasses."
"How much further?!" Louis called through chewing.
"We'll get there when we get there." Bill answered as Francis also looked at the rooftops. Why hasn't anything attacked them yet? Was whatever they heard scaring them away?
If so…
What the hell is it?
"Hey, I told you to stay close!" Francis called in an authority tone when his attention fell on Kayla and Zoey moving around ahead. "We not far off." Zoey stated the obvious as they passed walls covered in graffiti.
"Yeah but still, something can happen."
"Oh! I love graffiti!" Kayla exclaimed, holding her hands up.
"Hold on," Ian replied in surprised suspicion. "Did you say you love something?"
She looked over at him, "yes, I said I love…"
"Guys hold on! Do you hear that?" Louis hissed, spit and crumbs flying from his mouth and holding his finger up. Everyone froze in their tracks, their eyes on him for a second before listening for something.
A sobbing filled their ears. It was coming closer.
Alarmed, Francis growled for Kayla to get back to his side which she obediently did. Everyone took cover by hiding behind two vans, shutting their flashlights off and waited for the infected to pass. The crying was louder now.
Amber shifted her eyes. "This one sounds different. Like a guy."
"It is a guy. Look." Jordan nudged his head.
A lanky, pale figure slowly made its way closer. The male Witch stopped in between the vans as the survivors carefully peered around. He wiped at his face, nicking skin with long bone white claws splattered in red. Long deep gouges ran down his arms and abdomen. They were still bleeding as if he inflicted the injuries on himself.
He let out a wail and they all ducked away. Bill gritted his teeth tensely staring at the brick wall in front of them as the special dragged talons across one of the vans. The scratching made some of the team wince at the noise. They moved further back when he came into view and held absolutely still, staring at the danger in suspense. As if he would abruptly turn around and attack. He very slowly vanished around a corner.
The group waited for a pinch longer as his cries faded. Bill rose, gesturing a signal with his fingers to quickly move on.
They eventually jumped down from a ledge between a chain link fence. Bodies of torn up infected, including what looked like a female Hunter laid at their feet and scattered around. From what could make of it, they were recently killed.
"He got some of his frustration out it looks." Ian said.
"Sure I guess." Beth replied, she looked through the fence as Keirstan climbed a downed part of another leaning against a truck, balancing herself as she went. "Looks like the depot's right here."
"We can hop this thing to get in." Keirstan pointed ahead. She walked across the trailer and hopped down with the others following. Beating commons back while they jumped down as well.
Once passing through a container, darted through trailers and buses and rounding a propane vehicle, all saw a large garage illuminated by bright lights with its doors left open. The group went over to it, finding another truck parked in the middle of the building. It was armored with steel drilled in its body. A shield with sharp teeth spray painted on it was attached to the front.
Beth walked over and glanced at it. Checked her surroundings, then gazed at it again. "Is this it?"
"Has to be, it's the only armored truck."
Ian stared at it with a gaping smile. "It's perfect! We can haul ass to Riverside without a problem in this thing."
"Let's just be real quiet getting ready to go. We haven't seen much of them." Keirstan reminded.
Francis had looked around and spotted bodies laying against the truck, another sprawled on a set of stairs. All were gutted and mutilated with their faces frozen in pleading horror.
He stared at how painful it had to be. He couldn't imagine the agony they felt.
"Looks like Peter and his buddies didn't make it." He muttered.
He peered in the vehicle after their belongings were thrown inside, including the umbrellas, seeing the keys weren't in the ignition. There was a jiggling sound from behind him. He turned finding Bill holding a set up from a corpse and tossed the ring at him; he caught them one handed. "Alright guys let's hit the road!"
The group trotted back to the garage from clearing the area; Louis and Jordan descended the stairs from a roof as Francis turned the engine over. Not knowing how loud it was going to be.
And loud it was.
"Holy shit!" The large man jumped at the noise while the headlights flashed on. A song also blasted from the speakers causing them to vibrate.
"Musi-hic!" Beth screamed in absolute joy, sprinting for the truck like she was about to cry.
"Turn it down!" Amber shouted.
"No! Do you have any idea how much I miss music?!" She listened to the lyrics. "And it's Demon Hunter! Turn it up!"
Suddenly, the bushes beyond the fence were shaking. Shapes emerged from the dark and abandoned structures; climbing over the barrier and running through vehicles. There was a scream from a Hunter where more buses were left behind, leaping in a frenzy towards them.
"Ah, there they are." Bill mused, aiming and shooting at the sick.
They screamed in fury as Zoey and Kayla looked back at those rounding the propane truck. Kayla rested her gun on her shoulder and gazed at Zoey. "Run like hell?"
Zoey rolled her eyes at the combat of her own words. "Yes Kayla, run like hell."
"Hurry! Hurry!" Someone called as a bullet pierced through a Smoker's tongue.
The survivors raced for the back, pushing each other inside as Francis slammed the driver's door shut, followed by the back end. "Why can't I drive?" Beth whined from next to him. He gazed at her from the corners of his eyes and puts the vehicle in drive. "The thought of you behind a wheel makes me nervous."
"So what, you make me nervous."
"Can it small fry."
The music continued playing as Jordan slid a window open. "Plenty of targets, big ass shotgun…" he moved his firearm around as he talked then aimed at a Spitter flailing through a doorway from the rooftop, "hold still you fugly son of a-"
"Just shoot it before it shoots at us!" Keirstan whacked his shoulder.
"Go Francis!"
He stepped on the gas and sped out of the garage. Jordan landed a perfect shot through its skull as they went. "Which way?!" Francis hollered, running over infected sprinting from the front.
Beth sang loudly to the next song, resting her arm on the window frame as Bill pulled out and checked over the map. "Take a left!" He yelled back.
A horde ran after them from behind. Louis, Amber, Ian and Kayla mocked them from out some side windows until they were thrown back when the truck was turned sharply in the direction. It got onto a main road, Francis also rested his arm against the frame.
A Hunter jumped down from some beams above, it beat and scratched at the roof. He screeched the truck to a halt causing the special to jerk from the top, slam into the hood and roll off.
"Ohh!" Zoey and Beth hooted.
He resumed the drive as it tried to get out of the way. Its shrieks were cut short as it was violently smashed by the shield and ran over. Blood splashed onto the windshield and Francis simply switched on the cleaner fluid and wipers.
Beth looked through the music player's tracklist as she continued singing. "Enjoy it while you can hun." Her brother chortled.
"Oh I will, they had good taste!"
A second horde appeared down the street a short time later. With the first slowing from exhaustion. Every single one of them glared at the incoming high beams sneering in hatred. "They were all hanging out back here?" Jordan asked as he stared through the windshield.
"Who the fuck cares they won't be standing for long." Kayla snarked.
"Run 'em down!" Zoey pointed and Francis gladly obliged. As they charged for the truck he mowed them over; the survivors felt their bodies being crushed and thrown away by the armored menace with little effort. The wipers quickly cleaned fluids off until they were cleared of any infected. Next the truck hit a very rough part of the road almost right after, surprising them all.
The truck shook crazily over the bumpy concrete, its engine roaring as its driver took care in keeping it center on the lane. Everyone started laughing heartily and loudly as they rocked in their seats; Bill held onto a handle and some fell out onto the floor. They were enjoying themselves, it was like a sketchy carnival ride amid the apocalypse.
Eventually they hit semi-smooth road again. Francis had to take a breath, he looked over at his sister who immediately burst in laughter once more. He wiped tears from his eyes with a grin while the others untangled themselves.
"Ok," Keirstan breathed. The music was turned down a little.
"The map tells us to go straight for a little bit, then you'll see a route 607. Take that." Bill read through some giggles.
"Sure thing."
"We're finally home free!" Louis threw a fist up, "ya'll thought we wouldn't be. I told ya so!"
"I didn't doubt you." Ian shot back.
"How long is it gonna take to get there?" Amber cocked her head, resting back on her hands.
Bill sighed, "why does everyone keep asking that. We'll get there when we get there."
"Just to annoy you."
"Keep trying sweetie."
Her and Kayla then chanted the question annoyingly at a brisk rate and leaned closer to him. Bill put his fingers against his temple and closed his eyes groaning through his lips.
Then Louis had stuck his head and chest far out the window, as Zoey held on his shirt to prevent him from falling out. "Home...FFFRRREEE!" He bellowed wholeheartedly as the truck moved farther away from the industrial area.
Further away from another ominous scream in the distance.