On a train traveling southbound down the countryside sat four survivors. One, an African American wearing a white button-down shirt, dark pants, and a red tie, was cleaning a submachine gun, taking occasional glances out the window at the hills and valleys they were passing. The second, a gruff man wearing a black vest and dark jeans, was resting his eyes with his head leaning up against the wall of the train. The third, an aged man wearing a military jacket and a green beret, was looking up to the sky as he nursed a cigarette. The fourth, a college-aged girl with a red track jacket and blue jeans, was glaring at the old man. He knew he couldn't ignore her any longer, and sighed as he met her eyes.
"Zoey, I've explained this a thousand times," he said, "I wasn't about to risk our safety waiting for the three of them to catch up. They can hold out, they have the artillery. It was our job—no, my job—to ensure that the four of us got the hell out of that compound alive, and that's what I did."
"You left those people to die, Bill," Zoey said through gritted teeth, arms crossed. "We could've held out and waited for them, we had plenty of ammo. You weren't even looking, I saw those people trying to catch up to the train, their only chance of making it out alive just out of reach. I saw the fear in their eyes when they realized we were abandoning them. What you did was selfish and unjustifiable."
"For Christ's sake, Zoey, you think it was easy for me to make that choice? You know how many people I had to leave behind in Vietnam? I know what that fear looks like, I saw it every day during the war. Do not try to lecture me about how it feels to leave a man behind."
Zoey had no response, she just huffed and turned away from Bill. Her eyes cast instead over to the African American man, and she crawled over to him.
"Do you think what Bill did was right, Louis?" she asked him, not caring if Bill heard her complaining about him. "Do you think what he did was justified?"
"I trust Bill," Louis said. "He's never steered us wrong before. I feel horrible that we had to leave those people behind, but what he did was not selfish. He was saving all of us."
"I just can't imagine how horrified they must be right now," Zoey said. "Hell, they might have been bitten and infected, or maybe that God damned Tank crushed them. They were holed up in that base, they didn't know the Infected like we did. How could they have stood a chance without us?"
"They're trained military personnel," Louis replied. "They have plenty of experience fighting. I know you have good intentions, but we can't save everyone. Don't get me wrong, I hate it, too, but Bill made the best decision for us."
"Will you two can it?" the gruff man moaned. "I'm trying to get some shut-eye over here, and I can't sleep with you two loudmouths arguing."
"I see, so I guess I'm the only one that gives a shit about the people we left behind?" Zoey asked. "Hell, I'm not surprised about you, Francis, but I thought Louis and Bill had more compassion than that."
"The fuck does that mean, 'I'm not surprised about you?'" Francis asked. "You think just 'cause I'm some tough guy that I don't give a shit about people? I've been carrying your sorry asses for miles, blown up hundreds of those God damned zombies, and this is the fucking thanks I get?"
Zoey groaned and tugged at her hair out of frustration. "No, Francis, you're right. I'm sorry. I snapped because I'm pissed about what he did." She cast an ugly glance over at Bill, who was deliberately turned away from her as he smoked his cigarette.
"Whatever, it's fine. I get it. I'd be bullshit if I was one of those people still back there and I saw the train leaving without me. But then I'd pump some lead into a couple of zombies to get my anger out."
"We're all just doing the best we can to survive, Zoey," Louis said. "Sometimes we have to make tough choices. I'm sorry you feel bad about it."
"You know, it's been one hell of a day," Zoey said, rubbing her eyes. "That compound was a fucking nightmare and I think I just need some time to sleep."
"We should all get some rest," Bill exclaimed from the corner of the train car. "The train's moving too fast for any of the Infected to catch up to us, so we're safe as long as we keep moving. Better take advantage and get as much sleep as we can."
"Hell yeah, that's a plan I can get behind," Francis said, laying his shotgun down and resting his head on top of it.
"I hope that safety's on, Francis," Bill said.
"You think I'm an idiot? Of course it's on. Jesus." He then went on muttering to himself as he closed his eyes. Bill and Louis laid down and got as comfortable as they could on the train car's metallic floor. Zoey gave Bill one last glare of indignation before she sighed and laid down herself.
Angry thoughts lingered in her head as she tried to get the sleep she knew she badly needed, but that sleep just wasn't coming. She decided to try to focus on the noise the train was making as a way to distract her from her thoughts, but that proved to be a fruitless effort. Eventually, however, she slipped out of consciousness.
A homeless man stumbles into their kitchen, eyes pale white and growling. Zoey watches as the man lunges for her mother, biting her neck before anyone can react to the sudden attack. Her father pulls out a pistol and shoots the foul man in the head. Blood splatters against the dining room wall as the man collapses dead on the floor. Her father quickly runs over to her mother, asking her if she is alright. She's not responding, and every second of silence fills Zoey with more dread. Suddenly, a gut-wrenching scream as her mother lurches off the ground and bites her husband, clawing at him in a bloodthirsty rage.
"Get in the closet, Zoey!" her father cries as he tries to fend his wife off of him. Zoey does as she's told, terrified of what has become of her mother and scared for her father's well being. Suddenly, a gunshot pierces the room, and Zoey watches as her mother falls dead to the floor. Her father falls to his knees, a look of anguish on his face as he stares at the dead body of his wife. Zoey tries to console him, but he pushes her away.
"You know what you have to do," he tells her.
"Dad, please don't do this," she says, biting back tears.
"You have to shoot me before I transform. You and I have seen far too many movies not to know this. Take the gun."
Zoey is shaking as she reaches for her father's pistol. She holds it up to his head, shaking so badly she's afraid she won't be able to aim the shot. She lowers the pistol.
"I can't do it, Dad," she says. "I can't kill my own father."
"Let me live, and I won't be your father anymore. I'm dead already. Zoey, please, don't make this harder than it needs to be."
Zoey shudders, but slowly aims the pistol at her father's head again. Her aim is more steady this time.
"I love you, Dad," she says.
"I love you too," he says, his final words as Zoey fires the gun. She collapses on the floor and begins to sob, barely able to comprehend what has just happened to her parents.
"Zoey…" a faceless voice calls from a distance.
"Leave me alone," Zoey says through her sobbing.
"Zoey!" the voice calls, sounding closer. "Zoey!"
"Zoey!" Louis calls as she suddenly wakes up.
"Louis, Jesus," she said. "Why did you wake me up?"
"You were muttering to yourself in your sleep," he answered. "I thought you were having a bad dream."
"Not a dream," Zoey said, her entire body aching as she had been lying on the floor of the train for at least a few hours. "At least, not really."
"A flashback?" Bill asked. Zoey turned to see him and Francis looking at her. Bill's face had a look of concern. Francis's was neutral. "A memory?" Bill asked again.
"Yes, though I really wish I could forget it," she said, before remembering that she was still angry with him.
"You want to tell us what happened?" Louis asked.
"I'd rather not," Zoey said. "Look, I'm sorry I disturbed you all from your sleep. I'll be fine, nothing to worry about. It's in the past, nothing we can do about it now."
"If it's still upsetting you, at least let us try to help you deal with it," Bill said. "I get flashbacks to the war all the time, and if you aren't careful, those memories will haunt you."
"Ugh, will you stop?" Zoey snapped. "Just forget I said anything. It's like you said, we need all the rest we can get."
Bill looked like he was about to object again, but Francis grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
"Leave it alone, old man," he said. "She can take care of herself. She don't need Gramps trying to get her to talk about her feelings."
Bill glared at Francis, but then sighed dejectedly. "Guess you're right. I just hope we can all rest easy from here on out, because it won't be so easy when this train hits its last stop."
"And where exactly does this train stop?" Francis asked. "What's your plan once we hit the end of the line?"
"We're going to an island," Bill replied. "Florida Keys. The Infected can't swim, so if we reach an island we can hold out there until this outbreak stops spreading."
"Did you forget we're carriers?" Zoey asked Bill. "What if there are people still alive on those islands? Are we just gonna wait for them to turn and then kill them?"
"Zoey, I don't know, and I'm getting tired of you questioning my judgment."
"Hey, hey," Louis said. "Knock it off. We gotta stay positive about the situation. We can deal in hypotheticals all we want, but we won't know for sure what's gonna happen until we make it out to one of those islands."
"Fine," Zoey said. "I'm going back to bed, and I don't want anyone trying to wake me up before I'm ready or before the train stops."
"You better knock off the muttering then," Francis warned her. "It's creepy."
"What was I saying?" Zoey asked.
"Couldn't hear very well, something about your parents," Francis said. "No use crying over them, they're probably long dead by now."
"Shut the fuck up!" Zoey yelled. "Don't talk about my parents like that!"
"Whoa, whoa, easy," Francis said, holding up his hands as a sign of surrender. "Didn't know it was a touchy subject, okay?"
Zoey was about to retort, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. "It's fine," she said. "Nothing we can do about it now."
"Let's just try to get some rest," Bill said. "We'll figure out what we have to do when the train stops."
"Sounds good to me!" Louis said, lying down and shutting his eyes.
"Yeah, what Little Miss Sunshine said," Francis said with a smirk, shutting his eyes as well.
"Sleep tight, kid," Bill said to Zoey as he shut his eyes as well. Zoey gave him one last glare before she shut her eyes, and she found it a bit easier to fall asleep this time.
In a blue stock car cruising down an empty highway were four survivors. The driver, a short, young man wearing a cap, yellow shirt, and blue jeans, was grinning ear to ear. To his right sat an overweight African American man wearing a purple shirt and khakis. In the back sat a white man in a clean white suit with slicked back hair, and next to him was an African American woman with a pink shirt that read "Depeche Mode" and blue jeans.
"Boy," the large man in the passenger seat said to the driver, "you sure are getting a kick out of driving Jimmy Gibbs' car, ain't you, Ellis?"
"Damn straight, Coach," Ellis replied. "Only thing that would make this better is if the radio worked."
"Why," the man in the suit asked, "so we can listen to your hick music about some kid fucking his cousin?"
The woman beside the man in the suit slapped him in the arm. "Knock it off, Nick. How would you feel if I insulted Aerosmith?"
"Wouldn't bother me in the slightest," Nick replied with a smirk. "I don't listen to shitty rock bands."
"What do you listen to?" the woman asked.
"Not much," Nick said. "Most music you hear on the radio sounds like shit, so I just figured why bother?"
"Well, I would love me some Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney right about now," Ellis said. "That'd set the mood for this zombie apocalypse road trip, that's for sure."
"Speaking of zombies," Nick said, "have we seen any of those fuckers since we got out of that hellhole of a mall?"
"I'd say it's been pretty quiet," Coach said. "Rochelle, you keeping an eye out the left side of the car?"
"Yeah, I am," she said, "and if you ask me, quiet isn't a good thing. Anyway, it seems like the zombies have been gathering in places where they can find food."
"You mean they don't eat the brains of their victims?" Nick asked.
"Not from what I've been noticing," Rochelle replied. "We have to remember that these aren't just your ordinary horror-flick kind of zombies. These are real people who have been stricken with the worst disease this country's ever seen. Hey, Ellis, I know we can't get any music on the radio, but can you maybe tune into an emergency broadcast?"
"Wait, we're gonna listen to the guys at CEDA?" Nick asked with a laugh. "Those dumbasses have no idea what they're talking about. Typical government bureaucrats who are just as clueless as everybody else but have to look tough to keep in power."
"CEDA may not know anything about how to handle these zombies," Rochelle said, "but they sure as hell know something about where the infection's been spreading. Maybe we can figure out where the safe zones are and head to the nearest one."
"You do realize CEDA was started under Bush, right?" Nick asked. "That alone tells you all you need to know about how competent they are."
"Will you two be quiet?" Coach asked. "I think I hear something."
"Hear what?" Ellis asked.
"Listen," Coach said. It was difficult to hear over the sound of the car driving on the highway, but pretty soon they could make out grumbling noises on either side of the highway.
"Oh shit, those fuckers are hiding out in the trees," Nick said. "The hell are we supposed to do?"
"We keep driving," Coach said. "We stay still, and they'll pounce before we can say 'boo.' Ellis, how we doing on gas?"
"About half a tank left," Ellis said, "but I haven't seen a city in miles. What the hell are we supposed to do when this thing runs out of gas?"
"Did anyone think to take some of the spare cans we saw at the mall with us so we could refuel?" Nick asked with a bite of sarcasm in his voice.
"Too dangerous to stop and fill up," Coach said, "and we used up all the adrenaline we found at the mall to fill the tank to begin with."
"Hey, guys, you might want to take a look at this," Ellis said. They had just made a turn in the road, and a city loomed ahead. The road they were on looked like it would take them directly through it.
"Where the hell are we?" Rochelle asked. "Are there any signs?"
"I've been looking, but most of the signs got tore up, so I haven't been able to figure out where we've been going," Ellis replied.
"I'm sure we'll figure it out when we get there. Just keep driving," Nick said. He looked out the window of the car again to a clearing, and then suddenly he jumped in surprise.
"Fuck!" he yelled. "Tank to our right, and he's barreling straight for the car!"
"The hell?" Coach asked, looking out the window. Indeed, the massive beast was barreling across the clearing directly for the road. A horrible bellow sounded, and the ground started to shake as he got closer.
"Guns out!" Coach yelled. "Ellis, whatever you do, don't take your foot off of that damn gas pedal! Everyone loaded?"
"Yep," Rochelle said, aiming her M16 out the window.
"I'm good," Nick added, pulling out a sniper rifle he had scavenged from the mall.
"Okay," Coach said. "I've got a shotgun, so I can't do shit until that thing gets close. Start shooting!"
"No need to tell me twice!" Nick yelled. He took steady aim at the Tank and started firing the sniper rifle while Rochelle started peppering it from a distance with M16 rounds. It was difficult to get good aim in the shaky car and with so little room in the back seat, but they were able to hit the Tank with some of their shots. No matter what they hit it with, it wouldn't slow down.
"It's about to cross those train tracks," Nick yelled. "It's headed right for us!"
"Look!" Coach yelled. "Train's coming!"
"What the…?" Nick asked, taking a brief glance over. Indeed, there was a large train flying across the track heading directly for the Tank. Just as it started to cross the tracks, the train hit it at full speed, sending it through the air. It hit the ground and shook it so hard that Ellis almost lost control of the car.
"Is it dead?" Ellis asked.
Coach looked out the window to see that it was not moving. "Sure as hell looks dead to me. That fucker ain't getting up."
"Well shit, we wasted a good amount of ammo trying to take it down ourselves," Nick complained.
"Doesn't matter, we should be able to find some in town," Coach said. "Let's just be glad that train showed up when it did."
"Hold up," Rochelle said, "if there was a train riding along those tracks, that means there must be someone on board driving it. You think they're gonna stop in town to get some supplies?"
"What are you saying, Rochelle, that we should try to find out who was on that train?" Nick asked.
"I highly doubt some zombie has the intelligence needed to make a train run, so there's gotta be survivors on that train. We need to meet up with them. Strength in numbers, right? Besides, they might know more about what the hell's going on around here."
"Okay, let's just hope they stop in town then," Coach said.
Bill, Francis, Zoey, and Louis were asleep on the train when suddenly they felt a huge impact. Bill was the first to be shaken awake, and he looked out the window immediately to find out what had happened.
"For Christ's sake, we just hit a Tank!" he yelled. "Everyone get to the window pronto!"
Zoey, Francis, and Louis moved over to join Bill at the window. They got a glimpse of the massive zombie lying on the ground, appearing unresponsive.
"The fuck was a Tank doing on the tracks?" Francis asked.
"I don't know, but we must be getting close to a town if we're starting to see Tanks. The Infected have been staying relatively close to areas with lots of supplies. We should see where the train takes us and stop in town to see if we can scavenge the area."
"And risk running into another Tank?" Zoey asked. "I think we should keep moving in the train, where we're safe, until the train can't move anymore."
"Well, turns out we're both getting our way," Bill said. "I can see the end of the tracks from here."
"What?" Zoey asked. She looked out the window and indeed saw that they were heading towards the end of the line.
"I'm pulling the brakes," Bill said. He got up and went to the front of the train, hitting the brakes. The train whined as it gradually slowed down as they entered town. It finally stopped just at the end of the track.
"Let's get the hell out of here and see what we have to deal with," Bill said before opening the door of the train. The four survivors got out and held their guns out, looking every which way for Infected that may have heard the train come in.
"Oh shit, zombies dead ahead!" Francis called. The other three turned to see a hoard barreling towards them. The four survivors began firing off their weapons, skillfully dispatching the Infected in a way that could only have come with practice. But the Infected just kept on coming.
"Shit!" Louis yelled as he felt a cold, clammy hand grab him from behind. "They're behind us too!"
"Zoey and Francis, keep on these guys in front! I'll cover Louis," Bill said. He turned and fired off his M16 at the swarm that was coming from behind them. Finally, the hoard seemed to be diminishing in numbers. It didn't take too much longer before they completely disappeared.
"Looks like we're clear," Bill said. "Ammo check!"
"Shotgun ammo's a little low," Francis said, "but worth it to pump those assholes full of buckshot."
"I'm doing okay on ammo," Louis said.
"Same here," Zoey said. "We've got your back in case you run out, Francis."
"I'm okay as well," Bill said, "but I'm not liking the quiet. Keep an ear out for Specials."
"Hold up," Louis said, and the four survivors fell silent. "Footsteps."
The survivors listened as they heard the sound of footsteps steadily approaching.
"Specials?" Zoey whispered.
"I don't think so," Bill responded hesitantly. "They'd be growling something fierce if they were."
"I see shadows!" Louis said in a frantic whisper. The other three turned to an alley where they saw human-like shadows coming across.
"We'll take 'em by surprise," Bill whispered. "Move!"
The four survivors hustled over to the beginning of the alley and pointed their guns directly at whoever was coming. They were shocked at what they saw.
"You hear that?" Nick said as they entered town. "Gunshots."
"Wonder if they're the same people that were on that train," Rochelle said. "Are we gonna say hi?"
"Yep, I say we give 'em a warm welcome to our neck of the woods," Coach said. "They're probably just as scared as we are."
"Yeah, but we don't know what else that gunfire attracted," Nick said. "Probably best to just leave them to fend for themselves. We can't fit anyone else in this damned car, so we'd have to abandon it if we were gonna join up with anyone else."
"Fuck the car," Ellis said. "I wanna see if anyone else made it out alive. Sure, I love driving this thing, but it ain't more important than flesh and blood. Not that you three aren't enough company, mind you."
"I think Coach and Ellis are right," Rochelle said. "Let's leave the car somewhere safe and see if we can find them."
"Well, since I appear to be outnumbered, I guess I have no choice," Nick said. "Let's leave the car in this alley. Less of a chance of zombies tearing it to shreds if it's hidden."
Ellis parked the car in the alley, and the four of them exited the vehicle, toting their guns warily.
"I don't see any more zombies," Nick said. "I think that gunfire took away all the attention."
"We'd still better keep our voices low," Coach said. "Don't want any stragglers jumping us in this alleyway."
They continued down the alley until it came out on the other side. Suddenly they were blinded by flashlights.
"For Christ's sake! You trying to blind us?" Nick yelled.
"Oh my God," Louis said. "They're not Infected!"
"What the fuck?" Francis asked. They shut their lights off and realized they were looking at four other survivors. "Holy shit, where the hell did you come from?"
"We just escaped from a mall east of here," Rochelle said. "You?"
"Rode in on that train over there," Francis said, pointing at the large train they came in on.
"Hold up," Ellis said. "That looks like the train that hit that Tank!"
"We did hit a Tank!" Zoey said. "You saw that?"
"That Tank was coming straight for us when your train knocked it about a hundred feet in the air," Ellis said. "Heh, I guess we have you to thank for saving our lives." He started to blush, and he suddenly found it very difficult to look Zoey in the eye.
"Well, you're welcome," Zoey said with a chuckle. "Anytime."
"I think some introductions are in order," Coach said. "I'm Coach, and this is Nick, Rochelle, and Ellis."
"Pleasure to meet you, Coach. I'm Bill, and with me are Francis, Louis, and Zoey."
The eight survivors started to exchange handshakes. Coach and Ellis gave the four newcomers firm and enthusiastic handshakes. Nick's were more wary, and after he shook Francis's hand, he had a faint look of disgust on his face.
"What?" Francis asked. "Something wrong with my hand?"
"When's the last time you showered?" Nick asked. "Swear to Christ your hands are slimier than that Boomer puke shit."
"Nick, play nice," Rochelle said, shaking Francis's hand. "There's nothing wrong with his hand. Quit acting like a baby."
"Yeah, or I'll rub my hands all over that ugly-ass suit of yours," Francis said.
"Hey! This suit probably cost more than your entire wardrobe before the infection hit, judging how you dress."
"For Christ sake," Bill said. "Will you apes keep your voices down? I think I hear a Smoker."
The air was tense as the eight survivors listened for the hacking noise the Smokers typically made. Pretty soon they could hear the coughing, and it sounded like it was coming closer.
"Check the rooftops," Bill whispered. They all shined their lights in eight different directions. Suddenly there was a horrible screech and the Smoker's long tongue wrapped itself around Nick.
"Dammit!" Francis said, pumping a well aimed shotgun blast at the Smoker, who was not on the rooftops but in one of the buildings, having shot his tongue from out a window. The blast made the Smoker erupt, and the typical gray haze it left behind when it exploded told everyone that the coast was clear.
"Thanks," Nick said begrudgingly, unwrapping the Smoker's tongue from his body.
"Next time, I might let you choke," Francis said. "Don't get used to me watching your back."
"We need to find a safe house where we can camp out for the night," Bill said. "No telling what kind of Specials we'll be dealing with next. You folks know this town?"
"Nope, we're about as lost as you folks are," Coach said. "Lead the way, Bill."
"Okay, follow me close and keep your guns at the ready," Bill said. "This could be a long night."
Bill led the way forward, staying well ahead of the pack to keep an ear out for Infected. Zoey hustled over to catch up to him.
"So what's gonna happen if these new guys can't keep up?" she asked bitterly. "You gonna leave them behind, too?"
"Kid, I don't know what the hell's gonna happen," Bill said. "All I know is I won't sacrifice our safety saving their necks if they can't hack it."
"Unbelievable," she said. "That's really low."
"They'll have plenty of chances to prove themselves while we look for a safe house," Bill said, "so hopefully they can keep up. Then you might be able to get more acquainted with that kid Ellis."
Zoey chortled. "Excuse me?"
"He certainly seems to like you," Bill said. "Just saying."
"Whatever," Zoey said. "I should be talking to Louis more, anyway. He at least knows how to be optimistic."
"By all means," Bill said. "I know I'm a bit more of a realist, but whatever makes you feel better."
Zoey shook her head as she fell back towards the rest of the pack. Swear to God, Bill, we better not leave these people to die, too.