Alright let's keep this going. A few chapters left before we move on to the post apocalypse.


The Dead Awakening

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Chapter 8

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Moving on

24 hours in...

Royal Woods High School

May 22nd

4:50 pm

"Dad?!" said a voice

"Mijos!" Mario hugged his two children, feeling at peace knowing that his two kids were safe. The rest watched and some felt heart warmed at the sight but at the same time, whatever is out there could be anywhere in this school. The feeling the father felt was one of relief and satisfaction as he held his children. The nightmare outside made him feel scared for his kids rather than his own life. Now that they're here with him, this is all that matters.

Bella felt emotional having her father here. Most of her life she felt as if all he did was baby her because she was his little girl, but as of right now those feelings were swepped away. She never felt far happier to see him here alive.

Boone stepped up and observed everyone that was alive. "Are you all the only ones who made it?"

Reed came to meet the soldier "So far yes. Are you the rescue?" He said with a tinge of hope. If the National Guard was still around then maybe, they had some way to get out and find somewhere safe.

Looking straight into his eyes he regrettably responded "No, I'm sorry. But it seems like we're on our own." The faces of the survivors fell. If they aren't being rescued, then what was going to happen? Did the army just give up? Is all of Royal Woods like this? Did the country itself fall apart? What was going to happen to them? Where will they go? Staying home was not an option. They could not be safe in populated neighborhoods anymore.

Rivas stepped up "We'll get out of here. All of us. It's fairly obvious we can't stay here. I'm almost certain you folks have a ride of some sort, do you?"

Lynn Loud Sr. said, "Me and my family have our van."

"We have a car of our own too." said the McBrides

"Family RV, still big enough to fit most of us." said Reed

"We carpooled here, would it be okay if we come along with you?" said Mrs. Sharp. Reed assured her that it would be no problem. Linda agreed as well.

Boone looked to Mario. "What about you doc?"

"No, we were driven here ourselves. A good friend of mine who was in the gymnasium. I'd only imagine what happened to her."

He put a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "I'm sorry doc. But right now, we have to focus on finding a way out."

Lincoln, who was still shaken from the recent gym incident, stepped up "But where do we go?" He spoke. Boone looked down to Lincoln "Anywhere but here. Once we get ourselves on the road we can figure out where we go. Until then, we get the hell out of here."

The plan was set in motion. The massive group of 27 were to find a way out of the school and onto the road. Some of the kids were wondering if they were ever going to go home again. Luan sure missed Mr. Coconuts. Luna missed her axe and Lucy missed Edwin. The kids all missed something dear to them. The Santiagos had their extended family on their minds. What was going on in Great Lakes? Was this happening over there too? Are the Casagrandes safe? With the phone lines down there was no way to contact them.

Outside the school, the infected were shortening down in numbers. They spread out fairly quickly. On one hand there were some that were tearing apart survivors they caught up with while on the other hand they were running to any source of noise. The moment a gunshot or scream ripped through their ears they gave chase. Because they knew they would find more people to attack. It was like a hivemind. Not once did they ever attack one another. They didn't give much of an eye unless a group was moving. If one saw a handful moving in one direction, they'd follow. Soon more would follow suite until a massive horde was formed. It was the deadliest.

A small percentage of Royal Woods was still held safely by many stationed members of the National Guard. They wouldn't last long as the longer they fired their weapons, the bigger the numbers. It was never ending. On some parts of the town there were people packing and loading up their cars. Some families were indecisive about leaving but they knew Michigan was no longer safe.

Back with the group, everyone introduced one another. Boone and Rivas both met the Louds, McBrides, Santiago and Sharp family. It was Rivas' idea to get to know everyone, considering they're all a group now. It was time to head out. The locker rooms were vaguely devoid of any form of weaponry, leaving most of the group defenseless except for both Boone and Rivas with their guns they finally stepped through the doors. They headed down the emergency stairwell until they reached the first floor. Boone took point while Rivas would cover the rear. They carefully moved through the halls at the direct order from Boone. If they heard any sudden noise, they'd stop in their tracks. Boone planned to get everyone out without alerting the infected. If they got the attention, it would mean the end.

The group approached near the entrance of the school. Boone held his hand in a fist to signal for everyone to stop. He looked back at everyone and then up ahead by the hall. He wanted to check it first before they came close to the doors. If the infected were near those doors they'd have no chance. There was an empty classroom just a few steps ahead. He signaled for everyone to go inside. One by one, each person went inside with their heads down. Rivas was the last one to go inside before Boone went in and closed the door carefully behind them. "We got this" he told himself.

The classroom was dark. No lights and no sunshine from the world outside. The blackboard clean, the teacher's desk still organized too. The desks and chairs were still organized as if the class would resume the next day. Everyone took a seat except Rivas and Boone.

He turned to the group "We're almost out. But before we go, I have to check what the front entrance is like. If the path is clear, we go straight out. If not, then we have to exit through the rear of the school."

"So, what's the game plan?" asked Lynn.

"We wait here." Rivas responded. She took out her radio which she still kept and switched the frequency, Boone did the same. "Boone will keep me updated and will give us the go ahead once the way out is clear. When he does, we all move."

The plan was clear. All they had to do was wait for Ned to give the greenlight. Until then they sat. Rivas gave Boone and extra magazine she kept in her vest to which he took gratefully. She gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and wished him luck. Once he stepped out from the classroom and closed the door, it fell quiet again. The clocks were still ticking to cut through the silence. No one said a word.

Peering towards the window, Reed fell into a sense of curiosity. He wanted to see what was going on outside. He got up from the desk and walked to the window. Lynn Sr. and Mario followed. Rita, Linda, Maria and Mrs. Sharp stayed behind, in fear of seeing what was happening in the outside world. Not even the children wanted to see. Bobby held Ronnie Anne's arm from stepping towards the window. Lori told Leni not to look while her other siblings listened. Lodson boys didn't bother themselves. They had an idea as to what was going on. What they were doing was maintaining a protective barrier around their only sister. Both the McBride fathers, being the overprotective parents they are, were maintaining a close bondage to Clyde.

Rivas watched as the men slowly peered through the window without opening up the shades, fearing the idea of being spotted if the infected were out there. They looked through the window to see plenty of dead bodies of both the living and the dead scattered all over the floor. A few cars were busted up, most likely people trying to escape before the panic crashed their vehicles. Some of the infected were eating the corpses. Mario saw one corpse where half its face was ripped open. Another had their guts being pulled out and ripped apart. The sight of the gore pushed him away from the window and feeling queasy. Despite being a doctor, he's no brain surgeon. He hasn't been exposed to something as gory as an open corpse.

Lynn Sr. was starting to believe that he and everyone else were in hell. The infected looked very demonic with their bloodied faces and sharp, bloodshot eyes. Their faces were stained with blood, and some were torn apart. A few were recently turned were vomiting blood. It was the stuff from nightmares.

"Jesus..." said Reed. "It's a shitstorm."

A gunshot in the very distance went off, alerting the infected outside the window. They all scattered and gave chase to wherever the source came from. Lynn Sr. noticed this intently. "They're like dogs. They hear a sound they'll go right to it."

Rivas was right behind the Loud patriarch when he spoke. "Then we try keeping it quiet." she said. "As long as we don't draw attention to ourselves, we should be fine. Now it's only a matter of making sure the children know to stay silent. Especially your youngest Mr. loud."

She was right. What if Lily cried at the wrong time? What if she started to cry when there was a mob of them nearby? They'd be goners. He walked away from the window and walked towards Rita who was holding her. He saw that Lily was observing her surrounding like any infant would. He placed a comforting hand on her cheek.

He looked at his wife. "Let's hope she stays calm."

Rita silently nodded to her husband, who hugged her and their infant child. As if she wasn't scared enough. Her best bet was to shield Lily from looking at these things at all costs. Lori walked up to her "We'll all do our best to keep her quiet." Hearing her daughter say that helped a bit, it relieved her from the pressure she had.

Back with Boone, he slowly walked down towards the entrance with his weapon at the ready. His heart was racing at the possibility of being spotted. His forehead began to gain moisture from the sweat. Even his gun was rattling from his shaking hands. His biggest fear right now was seeing a bunch of them right outside. He was closing in. When he got to the door, he raised his rifle up. Ready to fire.

All he saw was an empty lot with the bodies of his former servicemen and women by the barriers outside. Some were even tangled by the barbed wire. He did a doubletake around to make sure it was empty. So far, he was alone. He grabbed his radio "Rivas, you there?"

"Rivas here. What's the status over?"

"It's clear. Get everyone moving now. While it's still empty."

"Copy that. Moving out"

Rivas set her radio back. "Alright everyone. Let's move now." The sound of chairs moving back filled the room which caused everyone to wince. Was that loud enough? Not wanting to find out, they moved quickly. Each one filed out one by one. Rivas leaving last.

Lincoln walked up towards Clyde, whom he hasn't spoken to since the gym. "You hanging in there pal?"

The nerdy boy perked up trying to maintain himself from looking too scared. "I'm doing okay. What about you?"

"I'm scared." said the Loud boy. "Scared about what's happening. I just...want to go home you know? Go home and just forget about all of this. I was really looking forward to summer vacation."

Howard McBride cut in on the conversation. "Lincoln honey, I think it's best if you boys chat later. let's focus on getting somewhere safe, okay?" Neither of the two opposed his suggestion. Lincoln agreed to it and walked back towards his family. He walked towards Lynn who was trying to maintain a tough girl attitude. She didn't want to look scared, but truth be told she was. This was terrifying her. People dying and coming back as monsters, it was just flat out terrifying. She looked over to Lucy who was still as stoic as ever. This is within her alley, what was she thinking? Lucy didn't know what to think. On paper, the idea of the dead coming to life was cool. Something like this definitely piqued her interest but it felt wrong. Wrong because this is capable of hurting her friends and family. One of these monsters could attack her siblings or her parents and it would be the end of them. Did she want that? No, she did not.


The group reached the entrance to which Rivas quickly ran to the front. She spotted Ned nearby one of the barricades. They all met up which left some wondering what was next. Ned composed himself with the next part of the plan. Getting the hell away from here.

"Okay now everyone listen up. We're a huge target out here. There's a lot of us just standing out in the open. So, let's get to it. Where are your vehicles?"

Lynn Sr. spoke up "We came in our Van. It's down a few blocks. I parked it nearby a tree."

"We left our RV along the road too. A few blocks down. Traffic on the way here wasn't worth it." said Reed.

"We were taken out from our car. It should still be by the road." said Harold

"Ours too." said Maria.

"We were carpooled with our neighbor. We don't have our car here." said Mrs. Sharp.

Ned had to think quick. "Okay We do this fast. Rivas, take the McBrides and Santiago to their cars. Doc, you go and hitch a ride with them. See if you can all clear a path out of that traffic jam. Drive off the road if you have to but we all drive down south. I'll take the Lodsons, Louds and Sharps. Lodsons and Sharp will go in the RV while the Louds get in their van. We all clear?"

It was time to go. The two groups split and quickly made their way to their vehicles. They used the road full of cars to conceal from the infected that may be nearby. Rivas' group went ahead while Boone's followed behind. The road was packed. Some cars were vacant, and some were gone. Some kept their doors open and some were completely ransacked.

When Rivas got to the Santiago's car, they quickly went to work. Their car was just one car over from the grassy terrain which would be their ticket out of there. The Santiago family went in their car while the rest were trying to heave an opening for them to drive. They agreed not to start driving until everyone got into their cars because they're about to make a lot of noise driving out. Maria put the keys in and waited for the motion to drive. Rivas, Mario and the McBrides were all lifting one car from the front and moving it to face the other way to clear an opening. Bobby stepped out to help when he saw that they were struggling. Ronnie Anne even stepped out herself. Mario told Belle to stay put with Maurice. Lynn Loud Sr. was about to go over to them before he was pulled away from Boone.

"Don't!" he whispered quietly. "We stick to the plan."

"But they need-"

"Shut the fuck up and keep going!" he firmly said. The Loud patriarch couldn't help but move along with the group, leaving them to the car on their own.

Everyone kept their heads low. Reed would constantly look around in fear that a single one of them could be nearby. He kept walking along with the others with the keys to the RV at the ready. Lynn Loud Sr. also had Vanzilla's keys at the ready. He kept a close eye on his family, especially his kids. He saw Lori hold Leni closely, Luna and Luan walking side by side, Lynn jr. and Lincoln with Lucy, Lola and Lana were holding hands and Lisa alongside Rita who had Lily in her arms.

The process was slow, but they were getting there. They lifted on three and took three seconds to move the car due to its weight. The group would carefully set the car down as gently as they could to avoid something drastic as making a loud noise. They were close to setting up an opening. They lifted one last time but this time they failed to put the car down smoothly. A massive hit to the floor shook the car.

The car alarm went off.

Everyone's hearts jumped all at once. The screeching of the infected indicated danger. Boone looked behind to see what had happened. There was only one thing left to do.

"RUN!" yelled Boone.

Everyone scurried away. Bobby and Ronnie Anne quickly ran into the car, Mario followed and squeezed inside. The car doors were shut and locked. Rivas yelled at Maria to just drive out of here. The ignition came on and Maria sped through the opening and into the grass. Rivas was behind the McBrides as they got onto their vehicle. Thankfully their car was just off to the side which can easily drive out of the road. The four got inside the car and succeeded in driving away.

Boone felt a burst of adrenaline hearing the infected coming nearby. The Loud family kept running alongside the Lodsons and the Sharps. Boone started to open fire at any nearby infected that was within a few feet away. Leni, Lola and Lana were in panic mode. The twins kept shrieking until they were on the verge of tears. Lori and Luna tried to keep them calm to the best they could, but it was practically no use. Lynn was doing her best to keep her siblings running to the van. She would push them by the shoulders to keep going. Lincoln, despite it going against her wishes, lifted Lisa and carried her on her shoulders. As for Rita, she kept going while covering Lily's eyes. Her crying however wasn't doing any better.

Vanzilla was in sight. Still sitting behind the tree where it was parked. The Louds finally reached their beloved family van and quickly jumped inside when the father of the house opened the doors. The Lodsons kept going alongside the Sharp family and Boone who was still firing at any infected coming in close. Just as soon as Lynn Sr. started to drive, they were halted by a few of the infected surrounding their van. Their bloodied hands and faces started to smear across the windows while the Loud family screamed in panic. Finally, the clutch came down. Vanzilla was on the move. Lynn Sr. noticed two other cars driving along the grass and knew it was everyone else. He followed suite while the infected chased after them on foot.

Reed saw the RV and immediately opened the doors. Ahead of him was a stray infected that was hiding near the RV. It started to run towards the Lodsons and as soon as it got closer, Reed was ready to tackle it down with all his might. Suddenly, the infected had its head blown open. It was Boone. He fired the shot to save Reed. "Get in! Move it!" he yelled.

The doors opened and in went everyone. The Sharp family was falling behind. It was Simon. He was tired from all the running. Sam tried pushing him to keep going but it was no use. The chubby boy was out of breath. Their mother went ahead and tried to support him to go. She even tried dragging him, but it was no use. Boone was far ahead and in the midst of all the chaos and intensity didn't even realize they were behind. He had already figured they were in the RV along with everyone else. It wasn't until Linda yelled at him that the Sharp family was behind. He cursed himself and stepped out to provide covering fire. They were close. Reed was ready to drive when they got in. When they got within reach of the RV, Boone kept yelling at them to go in. The Lodson boys peered through the window, watching everything unfold.

"Get in the fucking RV! Move it! NOW!" yelled Boone. He was up to his last magazine and didn't have much left. Thinking of another alternative, he thought of just one. He ran out and tried to make himself the primary target for the infected to chase. He hoped this would give the Sharp family a chance to get in safely. Reed didn't want to argue but instead kept the engine running and tapped his fingers on the wheel. He kept muttering and yelling to himself. "C'mon dammit C'MON!"

Boone ran ahead and made himself known. Yelling and cursing at the infected. He managed to pull them away from the Sharp family but now he had to make sure he doesn't die in the process.

Sam was the first one inside. Her heart was pounding intensively, nearing exhaustion. She saw her brother and mother come up which relieved her, they were going to be okay. That came to a halt when they approached the door.

Her mother and Simon were attacked from the side of the RV. More of them came from around the vehicle. Sam screamed when they were grabbed. She took Simon and her mother's hands and tried pulling them in. Luke and Loki jumped in as well. It was no use. One of them bit into Simon's neck, his flesh being ripped open by a set of teeth. This sent Sam screaming.

"Simon! MOM!" she screamed. Her voice cracked on Mom. Her mother had also gotten bit, but unlike her son she was bit in the face. Both mother and son screamed in despair. Luke and Loki were shaken up. Sam's grip was slipping until eventually, it was gone. Sam, Luke and his brother had fallen back into the floor of the RV. Her brother and mother had been surrounded and were both getting torn apart by the rabid monsters that were the former shells of ordinary residents. Sam was at a loss of words or emotion. Reed immediately stepped on the gas, leaving the two behind.

Luke and Loki got up, still shaken as to what they had just witnessed. Sam was still on the floor; she had her mouth open in shock before she exploded into tears and agony. Her screams of sorrow filled the RV entirely. Linda approached the teenage girl and embraced her. She didn't know what to do. Sam gripped onto the hug tightly, soaking Linda's shirt with her tears. Luke and Loki were both silent. They didn't know what to say.

Boone saw the RV drive away and knew his objective was complete, completely oblivious to the crowd of infected eating away at Mrs. Sharp and her son. He kept running until the RV circled around. Reed ordered Loki to open the door for Boone so that he could jump in. He told him to wait for his command. He waited until Boone was in close proximity. There, he told him to open the door. The eldest son did so and from there the soldier tossed his rifle inside and dived in. He closed the door shut afterwards. The man stood up, completely out of breath. He needed a long breather before he could run like that again. He took his rifle to his hands and saw the silent passengers with a look of sorrow in their faces. It was then he saw the blonde girl in the arms of the mother of the family.

"What's going on?" he asked, not aware as to what had just happened. He then noticed the absence of the girl's mother and brother. The shocked look on his face turned into one of anger. He banged his fist into the wall of the RV, not caring if Reed would yell at him for doing so. "FUCK! Son of a bitch! Motherfu-" he fell to his knees. Suddenly he felt a burst of despair hit him straight in the face. He didn't want to cry. He restrained himself from doing so. He got up and looked at Reed with tears on the verge of falling down his cheeks.

"We keep moving." and with that, the entire ride fell silent save for the sound of Sam's sobbing.

Rivas took her radio, trying to reach out to Boone and hoping they all made it. "Boone, do you copy?"

Silent

"Boone, are you there?"

Crackle "I'm here. Get everyone to stop."

"Affirmative." She put her radio away. "Hey, stop the car." she told Howard McBride. She rolled the window down and signaled for the others following behind to stop, they all did. Howard pulled onto an empty lot. No sign of the infected anywhere.


Everyone except the kids all stepped out of their vehicles and awaited on Boone. The RV came up and pulled over with the rest. Boone was the first to step out. Reed followed along with the rest of his family. Linda and Sam were the last to step out. The young girl held onto Linda like a child holding onto their parent. Rivas noticed the girl in tears.

Boone came up to her. "We lost two." he said sternly. "Her mother and brother."

Lynn Sr. and Rita were in shock, Howard and Harold silently gasped while Maria bowed her head down, Mario fell silent.

"What are we gonna do? asked Rivas. She looked up to Boone for an answer but even he was unsure as to what's happening next. Where will they go? Where will they stay? He looked at her and shook his head. "I-I don't know honestly. Where else do we go?"

Lori noticed Sam in tears and looked back to Luna who had already seen her. Without hesitation, she got out from the van and approached the girl. "Sam? Sam!?" she said. The blonde girl didn't answer. Linda shook her head and it finally hit Luna. Sam jumped from Linda and into Luna's arms. The Loud girl started to silently cry for her friend. Boone looked at the two and then back at Rivas. "We keep moving."

Lynn Sr. stepped up. "If we're gonna be on the road, we'll need to gather everything we'll need. Food, water, you know." They could all make a quick trip to their homes to gather everything they got. All the food and water they can gather as well as blankets and clothes. If they hold up somewhere they'll need necessities.

"We can stop by our homes and grab what we need. We do it together." said Reed. Seeing what happened with Mrs. Sharp and her son made him realize that splitting into two groups for something that big was a mistake. They could prevent another incident if they all stick together.

"Agreed." said Harold McBride.

Rivas looked back to Boone "It's settled then." He nodded in response.

Luna climbed inside the RV with Sam, wanting to stay by her side in her desperate need. Rita and Lynn Sr. knew what she was doing and didn't question it. They went back into Vanzilla themselves. Mario and his kids went to the RV this time to avoid being squeezed in. The rest followed into their vehicles.

The sun was still high up. The chirping of the birds filled the sounds of the sky as the world around them fell silent. Very few screams and gunshots were heard now. Only the sounds of the outside world started to fill the void. As for our survivors, none had said a word. They didn't know what to say. This was their first loss and they needed to cope with it. The world they knew had now started to die away. All that was left was to keep moving forward. Letting fate take over the rest. Will they die? Will they hold out? Will any form of rescue come? Questions that could never be answered in the very moment. They simply had to keep moving on.

In Memory

Simon Sharp - Survived 26 hours

Mrs. Sharp - Survived 26 hours


A/N: One down, two more to go. By then we'll be going into a time jump a year ahead. We still have a few loose ends to take care of before we do. Our first set of character deaths. Mrs. Sharp and Simon. I have a clear plan on who dies and when they'll die. As you read along, you'll find out who's next. Until the next chapter, FBF out