Where The Lost Have Gone

by FUN 2 KNOW

Having survived the slip-space anomaly, one Spartan ll wakes into a new world; a world on the precipice of damnation and even more desperate than humanity's crisis with the Covenant. Follow the tale of Spartan Li-008, as he makes his mark on this world, where he will face trials and hardships that will push his skills and humanity to the edge. Spartans never die. They're just MIA.

2. Chapter 1: Stockpiling

Where The Lost Have Gone

Hello again readers, I'm back with another chapter. While relatively small, I did receive positive and encouraging reviews so I'll try to pursue this story. I was encouraged to get this out sooner since I'm still currently watching the Walking Dead Marathon on AMC.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Walking Dead of Halo franchise. All rights belong to their respected owners.

Rated M for graphical scenes and perhaps foul language.

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Chapter 1: Stockpiling

The blue sky had now dulled to a sunset orange. The day was nearing its end and night was soon to follow. Upon reaching the town of North Augusta, Li found that the small town was rather lacking in its supposed sum of 20,000 residents. The town appeared just as barren as the roads were; not a soul in sight. Cars lay sprawled on the sides of roads; gas tanks siphoned of any remaining fuel as well as any other valuables. Flimsy sheets of paper billowed in the wind across the streets and shattered glass had fallen from broken store windows. Many of the buildings and houses doors had been boarded up as if to prevent something from entering.

In spite of this unusual circumstance, Li moved to begin his sweep of the town with the hopes that he may find supplies that he was in dire need of and if he was lucky, someone who was coherent and wouldn't either shoot or eat him on sight. Though, given his streak of luck Li wasn't going to hold his breathe.

Li ran his gloved fingers along the concrete walls of a small diner. His eyes and sense of touch were all he needed to confirm that what he was seeing was indeed real. For an odd moment, he entertained the idea that perhaps he had had been transported to a planet somewhere in the outer colonies that had isolated itself from any form of connection with the UNSC or UEG government. As crazy as the idea sound, it now seemed to be the most probable.

It wasn't just the town's architecture that appeared antiquated, there was also obscenest vehicles dating back to the 21st century. Li had rummaged through a few of the abandoned cars left strewn along the streets and sidewalks. Every one of them seemed to use old fossil fuels as its main power source. Fossil fuels has long since back been made obsolete as a source of fuel as every vehicle used by both UNSC and even civilians used hydrogen powered vehicles. The usage of fossil fuels had long been deemed as an archaic and insufficient source of fuel consumption. This begged the question of why were these seemingly non-existent colonist using such an outdated source fuel for their engines.

Li crept next to the diner's window, peering through to see if there was any movement inside. A quick check on his motion sensor told him that there were no contacts. Walking around, Li opened the front door. The door squeaked audibly and rained a small shower of dust particles down on the Spartan's armor. Obviously the restaurant hadn't been well maintained or used for some time.

Li slowly made his way past the rows of tables, his destination set on the kitchen in the back. He made note of the many left out dishes on the tables; some knocked over and shattered. Everyone must've left in a hurry judging by the utter chaotic state the diner was left in. Li had to duck under the door that led to the storage supply in the back as it wasn't quite made with easy passage for those of his height.

To his disappointment, much of the supply of food had already been raided. Someone else had beaten him to the punch. Anything left was most likely already spoiled or scavenged by another. Li frowned. Even one those high nutrient supplement bars issued by the Marine Corps; as utterly revolting as they were, would have come in handy at the moment.

The fridge and pantries had been ransacked already, leaving nothing but empty dishes, containers, and cans. Bending his knees down, Li pressed himself against the floor, tilting his head back and forth in search of any edible food that had perhaps been forgotten or dropped by mistake. A small, perceptible small curved on his lips at the sight of two unopened pairs of tin canned food containers. Both had noticeable indentions in them; most likely from falling roughly to the floor.

Li's eyes glossed over the labels. "A can of peach fruit and chicken noodle soup." Well, a step up from the standard issue military MRE indeed. Li pocketed the cans of food and moved to do a quick second sweep of the small diner before settling down to rest. Li doubted that the stools or chairs in the diner would be able to withstand the weight of his MJOLNIR armor, so instead he situated himself comfortably on the concrete floor, back leaned against the wall.

Li heard the familiar hiss of his helmet's pressure locks venting before he removed it from his head for the first time since prior to the start of his mission on Reach. Setting the modified EVA helmet aside, Li removed the lid of the canned fruit. Taking but a moment to examine the contents of the can, Li began to devour the soft, juicy orange fruit. Once he was done with the fruit, Li began to peel off the lid of the canned soup when his eyes caught sight of something on the can's wrapping; something that startled the Spartan. Inspecting the label more closely, he saw the date of expiration. It read 1/22/13.

"Buts that can't be right." Li tried to rationalize the thought. He quickly reached for his helmet, placing it back on. Once the display system lit back up, he immediately checked the military calendar set in his armor's systems. September, 2552. Li's eyes drifted back to the canned soup, thumb swiping over the marked date. "Perhaps a marketing error" Li thought to himself, trying to make heads or tails of his situation. Shaking his head. Li removed his helmet once again and quickly drowned the remaining contents of the soup. Li wiped his dry lips, looking disdainfully at the now empty can, before tossing it with a deep sigh. The situation seemed to be getting more complicated as the day dragged on.

Peering out the window, Li took note that the sun has now completely set, leaving the moon and stars to take its place. His suits internal time systems read at 2000 hours. Li felt the fatigue of the events that had led up to this point start to creep in. The Spartan ll had been in constant combat readiness since before his arrival on this world, and the only sleep he had allowed himself was from being knocked into an unconscious state for an unknown set of time.

The words of Chief Petty Officer Mendez spoke in his strong, burly voice in the back of his mind. "Sleep can as deadly a weapon as a pistol or grenade." Li knew the truth in these words. Sleep deprivation could be as harmful as nearly any injury. He needed some time to let both his body and mind rest and recuperate.

While not an idle point of rest for any standard, the diner would have to do for the night. Li made certain that his helmet was secured and sealed correctly, before setting an alarm for 0300. Repositioning himself on the floor, Li closed his eyes and let his mind wander. His mind whirled with activity, pondering his predicament and the day's events. The discovery of the date printed on the can only further fueled his growing suspicion. He was beginning to suspect that the slipspace anomaly caused by the Forerunner crystal had somehow propelled him back in the past on Earth. It would also explain the use of outdated technology and general topography. But something was missing. If he had truly been sent back to the past, then where was everyone? Deja, the AI whom had supervised his curriculum as a child had taught him everything pertaining to Earth's history, but there was no mention of any unusual incidents in the years 2012-13. Events in this time didn't correlate with the history of his timeline; otherwise he would have heard of such an event transpiring through textbooks or other records and sources.

Li stirred, shifting to another position. For now, Li let the matter be. His mind was too congested with thoughts on the strange situation that he'd been put in while he needed to sleep. There would be more time to ponder and plan out his next course of action the following morning after much need rest.

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At the sound of his suit's alarm, Li's eyes shot open. The Spartan's gaze swept across the room in a span of a second, before he slowly got to his feet. Brushing off dust that had collected on his armor, Li made way toward the exit; eager to get the day going.

Li cautiously opened the exit door just enough to give him a good look of the outside. The sky was still very much dark. Sunlight would most likely not creep in for another hour and a half or so. The street appeared empty as it did yesterday. Li sauntered through the shadows, amply provided by the darkened sky; destination set on the nearest supply store. With absolutely no supplies of food or water, Li knew that he wouldn't last very long.

Fortune seemed to smile upon the misfortunate Spartan, as only a few blocks down he spotted a department store. As Li neared its front entrance, his hearing picked up on gurgling sounds emanating from another of the creatures that Li had met the other day. Though, this one's physique wasn't nearly as well maintained. The creature, presumably female this time, lay on her back. She was pinned down under a car; its front tires had crushed into her legs and abdomen, breaking through the bone and keeping her firmly in place. The woman's face was sullied by blood and her nose's skin had peeled right off, revealing her bony nasal cavity.

The creature finally took notice of the Spartan's presence, straining to reach him with the only arm that wasn't pinned down by the vehicle. Li looked on sadly at the poor creature. Shaking his head slightly, the Spartan didn't hesitate to silence the abomination with a boot to the head. Pressing on, Li made it to the front entrance of the department store. From what information he gathered from observing those walking corpses, Li had surmised that they only seemed to retain the basics of motor functions, and responded to either scent or sound.

Going with this basis, Li planned to use this to his advantage. The Spartan purposefully opened the door in a swinging motion, eliciting the ringing noise from the bells perched near the top of the entrance door. Seconds ticked by as Li waited with baited breathe for any sign of the creatures. Sure enough, two stumbling corpses waddled over toward the source of the bell's noise. Another lacked behind the two in front, forced to scrape and drag its decomposing carcass across the tiled floor without the support of the bottom portion of its body.

Li clenched his fist in preparation for the oncoming skirmish. Waiting till the first creature was within range, Li moved imperceptibly to avoid the creature's reckless lunge. Taking advantage of the walking corpse's clumsiness, Li snaked his arms around the neck of the creature. It thrashed against the Spartan's headlock, arms flailing and jaw snapping. In a swift movement, Li twisted sharply to the right, snapping the creature's neck, then threw the motionless corpse at the second creature who was approaching dangerously close; knocking it off its feet on the floor.

The undead creature struggled with the weight of its companion on him, but Li didn't give it time to get back up as he was already on him. Clenching his left hand into fist, Li carved it into the squirming corpse's skull, crushing its cranium with ease and effectively killing it. Li grimaced at the blood and brain matter that had splattered over his fist. He shook it several times, succeeding in wiping some of the gore off his hand.

With those two more immediate threats effectively neutralized, that left only one more left. None too far, the creature was still crawling over to the Spartan's location, a trail of dark crimson blood smeared in its wake. Li stalked toward the bisected moving corpse, punting its head with such power that its neck nearly tore off its shoulders.

Looking around the proximity for any more hostiles, Li began to scout out the perimeter. Once he was satisfied that the area was clear, Li swiftly began to search for any essential materials that he felt he would need. Taking a quick stop at the camping section of the store, Li grabbed one large duffel bag and a spacious sized travel backpack. Li then began the meticulous process of stockpiling any essential supplies. For the most part, the store was still amply supplied with food and other valuables that were untouched by scavengers or perhaps raiders; though certain sections of food and camping supplies isles had been cleared. Li first stored away as much perishable food as he could fit within his newly acquired duffel bag, along with spare clean clothes. Next was the survival gear selection, were Li gathered items such as a standard old compass, pocket knife, water canister, glow sticks, flashlight, matches, hygienic products, medical supplies and other important essentials.

Li was just in the middle of contemplating whether or not to bundle a small frying pan to cook any of his food when the sound of moaning and groaning put him on high alert. He quickly put the frying pan back on the rack before hefting his gear and slinging his backpack and duffel bag around his shoulders. He'd gathered enough supplies to last him for an extended period of time. The sounds of the creatures grew in volume as it neared closer, and by the sounds of it there was more than just a handful of them. To be on the safe side, Li make a break for the back exit, finding it relatively clear for the most part with the exception of a few stragglers who lumbered about in a dazed manner. Nothing he couldn't avoid and weave around.

A fact that he had quickly picked up on was that these walking corpses weren't inherently fast, though their unyielding persistence was relentless and more than made up for their lack of mobility; especially when in large crowds. At least Li had figured out where the residents of the town had gone missing. It had become apparent that the town's residents had been infected with some virus or infection of sorts; a deadly one at that. Whatever the case, Li was satisfied that he had managed to finally stockpile on much needed items. Now for his next move…

End…

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That's it for this chapter, please review and feel free to give me constructive criticism. Your feedback will be much appreciated and could help benefit this story and my writing.

Also, I have had issues with adding Spartan 008 Li to the character list on Fanfiction. Would any of you readers please do me a favor and try to add him on the site, as I've been unable to for some reason or another. That would be much appreciated.