The Midnight Riders

by LumpyChunks

One year on and the world is a very different place.The Midnight Riders, forming of Coach, Nick, Ellis and Rochelle are fighting a war against the infected and opposing Clans while Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey team up to try and rescue them.

4. Search and Find

The Midnight Riders

Chapter Two – Search and Find

Trust is an immeasurably powerful tool and no one knows this better than a Vietnam veteran known as Bill. From the moment the war had ended he had found himself unable to trust anyone in his life. From the pharmacist who Bill swore was giving him the wrong medication to his thirteenth employer, who he was almost certain, was deliberately underpaying him to the shady people who used to call his house periodically over the phone and request his bank account details; Bill simply did not trust anyone. His lack of confidence in people did not change during the initial stages of the infectious outbreak. When normal people turned into bloodthirsty monsters, Bill saw this as a sign that, inherently, people could simply not be trusted. Even when he encountered the three people who would eventually become his friends, Bill still had a difficult time trusting them. He first started to trust Zoey when he saw how tenderly she had helped Louis' leg injuries back by Mercy Hospital. He first started to trust Francis when he supported him during a tense standoff with a dangerous man in a church who had recently lost his mind. He first started to trust Louis when he saw how passionate he was about saving Zoey from this madman. Bill's attitude toward his companions was also positive due to the fact that almost everyone else that they had encountered had either tried to kill them or suffered a miserable death. Zoey, Francis and Louis had stayed when everyone else had gone. They were constant and never ending as a team, as friends and as a family. Although he never showed it, Bill liked his new family and would do anything to protect them. Now Bill's family had grown with Madison and Malcolm making welcome additions and Miguel just on the other end of the radio guiding everyone in the right direction. The extended family had just experienced a great loss, with Rex suffering a horrific death at the hands of two people who they had thought were trustworthy. Bill attempted to move everyone on in the right direction by taking over command of Madison's team as she was suddenly very distant. Commandeering the pickup truck that Rex's murders had used, Bill and the others drove away from the log cabin they had burnt down and made their way through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Large trees surrounded the dirt road they were driving on. Bill was behind the wheel with Zoey and Louis sat with him. Madison, Malcolm and Francis were sat out in the back of the truck, holding on tight as they were going over some severe bumps in the dirt road and Bill was neglecting to slow the vehicle down.

'God damn it, Bill,' Francis cried out while slamming his fist on the roof of the car. 'Slow down before we all get thrown off!' Bill ignored Francis' protests and drove over yet another sizeable contusion in the road. Francis shook his head irritably and looked out at the road behind. The sun has just started to rise and its crisp orange glow was soaking gently through the trees. The light breeze passed through the leaves on the trees and from up above the sound of birdsong fell pleasantly to the ground. 'Are those birds?' Francis questioned.

'You know, I think they are,' Malcolm said disbelievingly. 'I never thought I'd hear birds while I was over here.'

'How come?' Madison asked. 'Just because all of the people are either crazy or infected doesn't mean that the birds have nothing to sing about.'

'Oh yeah?' Francis looked to her. 'Well everything's gone to shit so what do you think that they have to sing about?' Madison shrugged.

'Maybe they're just happy that they're not infected?' Francis gave Madison a look of confusion while inside the truck; Louis kept shifting his glances from staring blankly out of the window to watching Bill cautiously. Zoey, who was sat in the middle, felt very uncomfortable with each glance Louis gave Bill.

'Is there something on your mind?' Bill asked him as he looked to him for the fifth time.

'No,' Louis snapped his head back and looked straight ahead, startled. 'No, not at all. Nothing's wrong.'

'I never asked if anything was wrong,' Bill told him. 'I asked if there was something on your mind.'

'What makes you ask that?'

'Oh come on, Louis!' Zoey cut in. 'You've been looking back and forth at him ever since we've been sat in the car so just tell him what's on your mind.' Louis gave her an irritated glare but finally submitted to them both.

'If you insist,' Louis muttered. 'I have been thinking about something.'

'Was it painful?' Bill sniggered.

'I don't know how you can be so calm about everything that's just happened,' Louis ignored his comment. 'I mean one of us just died for Christ's sake!'

'I've seen men die around be before,' Bill sighed. 'Forgive me if I'm used to it.'

'So if I die or if Francis kicks the bucket does that mean that you won't care?' Zoey shuffled nervously at Louis' question. Bill sighed in response.

'Just because I'm used to it doesn't mean I don't care.'

'Hasn't what has just happened taught you that you should be nicer to the people you're with?' Louis questioned. 'Just in case the next conversation you have with them could be your last?'

'No,' Bill spoke with gradually growing annoyance. 'It has taught me to be more careful and make sure that no one else gets hurt. So if you think I'm being cold it's not because I don't care; it's because I want to make sure that no one else dies. Is that alright with you, Louis?' Louis fell quiet.

A loud screeching sound cut through the trees suddenly, startling everyone on the truck.

'What the hell was that?' Francis asked. His answer flew in front of him, quite literally as a Soarer jumped from the top of one of the trees and glided down toward the truck. The Soarer looked like a mutated man whose body had grown like that of a Charger but with skin in between his arms and body, forming wings. His feet were mutated into claws. With its large wings, the infected pushed a strong gust of wind toward the truck, making Bill lose control. 'What is that thing?'

'You mean you've not seen it before?' Malcolm asked, shocked. As the infected swooped down closer to the truck, Madison cocked her gun and began shooting at it. The monster dodged most of the bullets by plunging closer to the ground, tearing through the air at great speed toward to truck. Francis could see that it was reaching out with its claws to grab Madison so he got up to try and push her out of the way. As the back of the truck was small, Madison stumbled and reached her arm out. Francis was grabbed by the infected and as he was lifted from the truck, Madison grabbed onto his leg and the two rose into the air together. Malcolm followed them with his gun, not shooting for fear of hitting them. The Soarer took the two of them out of sight over the trees.

'Miguel!' Bill spoke into the radio. 'Where the hell are they going?' Inside the Tactics Room, Miguel tapped his fingers on the table monitor and the display showed a map with Madison and Francis' icons drifting away from the others.

'They're heading north,' he reported. 'I don't see any roads heading in that direction for a few miles yet and the trees are too thick to drive through.'

'God damn it!' Bill spat. He put the truck into high gear and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. 'We ain't losing any more people!'

...

The inside of the Midnight Riders tour bus was in complete disarray. Shattered glass lay on the ground, broken objects littered the floor and several holes had been made across the walls. Outside the damage was clear; with shot out windows, mirrors and metal the tour bus looked like it was set for a trip to the junkyard, rather than a mechanic. However Ellis had driven it to the latter option and the Midnight Riders found themselves stood at one of the larger Havens in the area. After escaping from the now dead Henry James and his people who suffered a similar fate, they had driven to the next Haven that they could get to. The Haven was a salvaged town with numerous buildings for people to rest in and open areas for them to park their vehicles or attend parties or visit traders. Coach and everyone else were stood in front of the bus. Coach, Norah and Ellis were conversing quietly with each other while Danielle, Drake and Teek were stood in a corner, silently watching them. Nick was stood by himself and a lone Rochelle stepped over to him to keep him company.

'Hey,' she smiled at him.

'Hi,' Nick responded, sounding slightly cold toward her. He sighed and rubbed his face. 'Sorry I didn't mean to sound like that. It's still going to take some time for me to be comfortable with you again.' Rochelle smiled at him and gently rubbed his shoulder before walking away to join Danielle and the others. Nick watched her leave out of the corner of his eye.

Coach, Norah and Ellis stopped talking as they looked at the man who just stepped off the bus. The mechanic, John, gestured to the vehicle as he spoke to them.

'This thing's falling apart,' he said.

'Yes,' Coach blinked. 'We can see that. What will it take to fix it?'

'A God-damn miracle.' Everyone looked at John blankly.

'What?' Norah broke the silence.

'This thing is falling to shit,' John told them. 'It's a miracle that it is still in one piece.' There was a grinding sound and the main door fell off its hinges and crashed to the ground. 'So to speak.'

'Look we'll do anything,' Coach pleaded. 'Just fix her up for us and we'll pay. You can have whatever you find in the cargo hold.'

'I'll bet you ain't got shit in there,' John muttered. Coach gestured to him, allowing him to have a look. John, with some hesitation, obliged and stepped over the broken door to open up the storage area. He saw the vast number of gasoline canisters in there and gave Coach a sly grin. 'I think we can work something out.' Coach and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. John closed the storage area, wiping his hands with a dirty cloth. 'This ain't gonna be enough though.' Everyone's faces fell.

'The hell it isn't!' Nick cried. 'You have seen how much gas we got in there?' Coach held up his hand, quieting him.

'I think you'll find that all of that gas is more than enough for what we want,' Coach said.

'You'd think so,' John sighed. 'But we ain't living in the same old world anymore. Do you know how much effort it is gonna take to get replacement glass or to repair the damaged panels? This bus is gonna be out of commission for at least a month.'

'A month?' Coach repeated unsure if he had heard right.

'I'm never getting a new bike,' Teek sighed dejectedly.

'You're sure?' Coach asked. 'A month?'

'It could be a bit quicker if you can find me spare parts,' John sighed. 'The best way to do that would be finding another bus just like this and swap the parts over. But then if you had another bus you wouldn't need this one anymore.' Ellis sighed and moved forward, taking John to one side to find out the full extent of the damage. The others huddled together.

'What are we going to do?' Danielle asked. 'We can't hang around here for a month. Thomas Galt will be after us for killing Henry and it's going to be easier for him to find us if we're stuck in one location.'

'There's no way he could know that we were involved,' Norah reassured her.

'Oh no?' Drake interrupted. 'Henry went to meet us and then ends up dead. We lead the zombies right to him and his little army of people. I bet one of them survived that massacre and are on their way to tell Galt that we're responsible. Hell, we're defiantly the ones who pushed Henry off that cliff.'

'I agree,' Coach said. 'We need to be on the move. It's too dangerous to stay in one place and we can't risk having Thomas coming after us when we're crippled like this because there is just no way we can win.'

'Why don't we just cut our losses and run then?' Rochelle asked. Nick looked over at her.

'You've not been back with us very long but you should realise that that bus is our home. We can't just leave it.'

'It keeps us all together,' Norah added. 'There's no way we can survive without a home base like that.'

'So what are you going to do then?' Teek questioned. 'I'm not leaving you until you get me another motorcycle.'

'That's fine,' Coach replied, desperately thinking of a plan. As he did this, Ellis rejoined the group.

'The only way we can fix the bus is if we use spare parts from an identical bus,' he sighed. 'It's rare to see vehicles like this on the road and it'd be even less likely that someone would wanna hand over their spare parts to us.'

'So what do we do?' Teek asked petulantly.

'I have an idea,' Danielle announced. Everyone looked around to her, putting her on the spot somewhat. 'I used to be a surgeon around this area,' she said hesitantly. 'I wasn't here very long because I moved in with my fiancé across the country but during the short time I was here there was a bus crash, a severe one, too. We had about fifty people rushed into the ER. Anyway, I was talking to one of the nurses about it and she told me that it took them a lot of effort to tow the bus to the impound yard because it was so damaged.'

'Where are you going with this?' Coach asked.

'Well the point is,' Danielle said, 'the impound yard was, like, three blocks away from the hospital. And the hospital is about five miles from here.'

'That was before, though,' Rochelle pointed out. 'Well over a year ago. Plus that bus is damaged; we won't be able to get it here.'

'What I think she's trying to say,' Nick spoke up, 'is that an impound yard is bound to be full of vehicles. There may be a replacement just waiting for us.'

'That's a long way to go,' Ellis pointed out. 'Five miles there and back in the zombie zone just to see if there is a bus there? There might not even be one there.'

'There will be,' Teek sighed. Everyone looked over at him.

'Teek?' Coach ushered him.

'That impound yard isn't abandoned,' he told them. 'It's like a fortress occupied by a guy I've done messages for named Tillman. I don't know his first name. It's filled with loads of cars, vans, trucks and buses.'

'I don't suppose earlier was a good time to divulge this information?' Nick muttered.

'Tillman is not the kind of man who trades,' Teek told him. 'There is no way he would hand over spare parts let alone an enormous bus.'

'Well there's no harm in asking,' Norah shrugged.

'There is,' Teek spoke insistently.

'I'm sure we can arrange some sort of deal with him,' Coach said optimistically. 'If it'll get us out of here quicker then why the hell not?'

'You're not listening to me!' Teek cried. 'That man is bad.'

'I hope you can get over your problems with him,' Coach told Teek. 'Because you're coming with us.'

'What?' Teek gasped.

'You, me, Nick and Danielle are going to meet with this Tillman,' Coach instructed. He looked at Norah, Ellis, Rochelle and Drake. 'You four stay here and resupply, while keeping an eye on our home, okay?'

'Sure thing,' Norah nodded.

'Ellis,' Coach stood in front of him. 'I want you to make sure as much of the bus is fixed as possible for when we get back. You got that?'

'Alrighty,' Ellis nodded and smiled.

Coach, Nick and Danielle began to arm themselves appropriately for the journey into the city. Teek watched them nervously until Coach handed him a large pistol.

'Just don't shoot us,' he warned. Teek took the gun from him and held it tightly. It was heavier than he had thought a gun would be. He looked closely at the weapon and the sickly feeling in his stomach began to grow more intense.

...

The feeling in Francis' stomach was one of sickening fear as he looked down at the ground below. The bird-like infected still had him in its claws, with Madison holding onto his leg for dear life. The Soarer had been flying high for quite some time when it now decided to swoop low to the ground. The thick trees were still beneath them and they were rapidly approaching the top of the tree line.

'Francis!' Madison called out. 'Shoot it!'

'Are you crazy?' he cried back.

'The branches will break our fall!' she insisted, her voice sounding slightly uncertain. 'Just do it, trust me!' Francis obeyed her orders and managed to take out his shotgun, aiming it at the infected's body. Just as the green leaves were directly below Madison's feet, Francis pulled the trigger and the beast let go of them. Francis and Madison crashed through the tree branches. Madison's descent was halted by a particularly thick branch but Francis was not so lucky and continued falling. He could see himself crashing to the ground horribly but found his plunge come to a sudden standstill as Madison grabbed a firm hold onto his arm. Using unexpected strength, she managed to pull him up onto her branch. As he settled on the wood safely, he let out a sigh of relief. The cry of the Soarer could still be heard nearby.

'Let's get a little lower,' Madison suggested, climbing down. 'I don't want that thing swooping down onto us again. The two climbed down a few feet. At this height the entire forest was a complex maze of twigs, leaves and branches. Madison and Francis nestled comfortably on a thick branch surrounded by lush green leaves that made it almost impossible to look around. While the Soarer could still be heard it was no longer a problem as it could not be seen. Still quite high from the ground, Madison looked down. 'I think we're safer if we stay up here.'

'What are we waiting for?' Francis asked.

'We need Bill and the others to pick us up,' Madison explained, putting her finger to her ear. 'Commander Doyle, our position here is fixed and secure. We require pickup.'

'Roger that,' Miguel acknowledged in the Tactics Room. He pushed his finger on Bill's icon and dragged it the great distance across the screen, releasing it on Madison's icon. A blue line was projected onto the display and Miguel let out a sigh. 'Due to the road layout it'll take them about two hours to drive to you.'

'Two hours?' Francis cried. 'I don't want to wait that long!'

'Would you rather go back with the nice little flying monster?' Madison responded sarcastically. Francis fell quiet. 'That's what I thought.'

'I'll guide Bill to your location,' Miguel informed Madison. 'I'll also give you a heads up if I read any other heat signatures heading in your direction but as the sun rises the forest will get hot so I can't guarantee anything.' Disconnecting the radio transmission, Miguel left the two sat there alone.

The sun had risen higher in the sky and the pleasant, bright glow shone through the leaves and branches. The birds were singing more passionately and the sound of small insects could be heard nearby. The breeze was gentle, hardly moving the leaves on the branches. The Soarer could no longer be heard, leaving gentle peace as the only background noise.

'Nice day,' Francis commented.

'Very nice,' Madison agreed. There feeble attempts of breaking the silence only made the following silence suddenly very awkward. The two were unable to think of anything to say to each other so while Madison pretended to check her weapon, Francis said the one thing he usually said whenever he was with a girl he did not know.

'So... got a boyfriend?' Madison's gun clicked loudly as she looked up questioningly at him. 'Sorry!' he proclaimed loudly. 'I dunno what I'm thinking. That's usually what I say to girls if I wanna pick them up.'

'You want to pick me up?' Madison asked, sounding angry as she lowered her weapon.

'No!' Francis cried. 'God no... I mean it's not that you're not attractive because you know, you are. It's just we're up a tree and stuff. If we were somewhere else then I'd so do you.' Madison's eyes widened in outrage. 'Wow, I'm saying all the wrong things,' Francis sighed. Madison shifted her position so that she was no longer looking at him. 'So does this mean we're just going to sit here in silence until the others show up?' Madison cocked her gun in response and Francis hung his head, embarrassed. Madison looked at him through the corner of her eye, blushing slightly. Suppressing a sly smile, she composed herself and continued fiddling with her gun. A few moments passed as Francis allowed Madison to get over the comments he made toward her. He then decided to have another shot at a conversation.

'Can I ask you something?' Madison gave him a stern look.

'As long as you're not asking me out on a date.'

'I won't, I promise,' Francis insisted. Madison nodded in response. 'Why the hell did you come here?' Madison looked slightly confused at the question.

'What do you mean?'

'Well why did you, Malcolm and Rex all agree to go on land with us?' Francis elaborated. 'I mean this place is a fucking nightmare.'

'I was ordered to,' Madison explained. 'Rex, Malcolm and were tested and found to be immune to the infection so it seemed to be a reasonable choice.'

'But wouldn't you prefer to not be here?' Francis asked. Madison surprised him by cracking a smile.

'You know, it's funny,' she sighed. 'Whenever I'm out on a mission I always wish that I were back at home. When I'm home, I get restless and wish I was back out on a mission. I want to make a difference.'

'What difference are you making here?' Francis asked. 'I mean no offence but there's not a lot that you can do here.'

'If I can keep you guys alive while you search for your missing friends then that's enough for me.'

'But you're only helping a few people that way,' Francis pointed out. Madison shifted her position and looked straight at him.

'Saving a few people is better than saving none,' she told him. 'I can't save everyone in this country but I might be able to save your friends.' Francis eyed her closely.

'Well that's very cool of you,' he said. 'Most people would just sit back and not really do anything.'

'I'm not like most people,' Madison smiled, shifting her position so that she got closer to Francis. 'Neither are you.'

'Thanks,' Francis smiled. 'What makes you say that?'

'How many bikers volunteer to go into a warzone?'

'Only the ones who like a fight,' Francis leant back. 'So quite a few.' Madison chuckled and looked away. 'I guess that's the same reason why you came here too.'

'What do you mean?' Madison looked back up at him, curious.

'Well don't get me wrong,' Francis was quick to say. 'I believe that you do want to help people and all that but I also think you like the fight, too. No one will put themselves in such a dangerous position like you have unless they really like fighting for their lives.'

'I wouldn't say I like it,' Madison sighed. 'I'm just good at it.' Francis smiled and nodded slowly at her.

'Okay,' he said. 'That sounds like a story.' Madison blushed slightly and flicked the hair from her face.

'Yeah, well, that's story for another day,' she sighed.

'Oh come on!' Francis pleaded. 'You can tempt me like that and not follow through!'

'I think you'll find I can do what I please,' Madison replied, smiling at him. Francis leant forward, staring at her expectantly. Madison sighed, rolled her eyes and held up her hands. 'Alright, I'll tell you.' Francis moved away from her so that she could talk. Madison took a breath and looked at him. 'When I was little my mother made me do karate, judo, taekwondo... you know, just in case. My dad was in the army and I wanted to follow in his footsteps so I enjoyed learning everything to prepare for my career. Anyway when my dad died we moved and she remarried.'

'Your stepfather didn't like you?' Francis guessed.

'What makes you say that?' Madison asked.

'That's the way it always is,' Francis said.

'Well my stepfather had some kids of his own,' Madison continued. 'They didn't like me. They didn't like me a lot. They thought me and my mum were replacing their real mum.' She sighed. 'So anyway, one day my stepbrother snapped and stabbed mum and tried to come after me. I stopped him and got her to hospital.' Francis put his hand to his chin. 'I spent the next few years taking care of my mum because she was crippled. When she died I decided to join the forces. And here I am I guess.'

'Tough times,' Francis sighed. Madison flicked her eyebrows.

'Tough life.' Francis looked at her with a faint smile.

'Well I'm glad you're here now,' Francis told her. 'I mean we need someone who's good at taekwondo during a zombie attack.' Madison cracked up and laughed. She and Francis chuckled together up there in the tree as they waited for their rescue.

...

Using methods of self defence considerably less elaborate than taekwondo; Coach killed the Hunter that had leapt from behind a destroyed car by blasting it in the face with his shotgun as it was flying through the air. Teek watched the corpse just splat to the ground and roll past Nick and Danielle who were walking around it as if it were a small inconvenient hole in the road.

'Does it not bother you anymore?' Teek spoke up, not particularly asking a question. He just needed to voice what was on his mind. 'You're killing people.'

'Kill or be killed, kid,' was Nick's blasé answer. Teek shuffled uncomfortably as they walked on through the street. The Haven was far behind and the impound yard was just ahead. With each step closer to their destination the sickening sensation of dread in Teek's stomach intensified. Danielle looked around at him, a concerned look on her face.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

'I wish I wasn't here,' Teek told her.

'No one wishes they were here, kid,' Nick interjected. 'We just have to make do.'

'Stop calling me kid,' Teek told him.

'Stop acting like one,' Nick responded. 'I know you don't want to go to this place but it's the fastest way we can get you off our backs so just be a man and suck it up.' Danielle shot him a disapproving look, one which Nick shrugged off almost immediately. The potentially tense situation was then dispelled by Coach who was whistling the upbeat tune of the song "Hey Good Looking". Nick and Danielle fell silent as they shifted their gaze over to Coach as he whistled merrily. 'What are you whistling?'

'It was my mom's favourite song,' Coach explained. 'She always whistled it if someone was having an argument to shut them up.'

'Well that's stupid,' Nick muttered.

'It worked on you though, didn't it?' Nick went quiet once again. 'Damn straight.'

'I think we're getting close to it now,' Danielle announced.

'Thank God,' Coach sighed, turning to Teek. 'Are you alright with this?'

'No,' Teek spoke bluntly.

'Well we need t use you to get inside,' Coach told him. 'Come on; we just make the deal and then everything will be fine. You'll get a new bike faster.'

'You know,' Teek held up his hands. 'I really don't mind waiting a little bit. Why don't we just head back?'

'For Christ's sake,' Nick exclaimed. 'Stop being such a pussy and deal with whatever problems you've got, alright?'

'That's easy for you to say,' Teek muttered under his breath. Nick looked around to question him but was stopped as he walked into Coach who was now stood still.

Just ahead of the four was a large set of iron gates that was stood in the middle of a tall, thick brick wall. The wall acted as a perimeter fence that ran a great distance, forming a neat rectangle shape. Inside the rectangle was the impound yard, a heavily defended place of interest with large makeshift lookout towers in each corner. Corpses lay around the front of the area, most were of the infected but some appeared to be of those who had not succumbed to the infection. Teek stared grimly at the corpses as with each careful step, they approached the gates. The impound yard itself was nothing much to look at. There was one small building inside the perimeter. These offices had been converted into small living areas for Tillman and his small army of men who were patrolling the inside of the compound. To the back was a large area that was packed full with parked vehicles. Cars, vans, trucks, buses and even a funeral hearse were all part of the eclectic collection of Tillman's cars. To the end was a car crusher. A large metallic walkway was built over the vehicles and the area itself to act as a good spot to observe the nearby surroundings. A lookout was stood on the walkway and he spotted Coach and the others approaching the yard. He lifted a pocket radio and spoke into it.

As Coach took another step closer to the yard, a loud gunshot caused him and everyone else to duck for cover. The bullet hit the ground right next to his foot and Coach gripped his gun tight and looked around for the shooter along with the rest of his team. Teek was crouched, covering his head. Coach looked up and through the gates saw a man step to the barrier.

'Drop your weapons!' he ordered.

'Stop shooting at us!' Coach retorted.

'You're trespassing on Tillman's property,' the man yelled, being joined by several other people who each had their weapons poised on Coach and the others. 'You will follow his rules.'

'How are we on his property?' Nick spat. 'We're outside the fence!'

'The land you are stood on belongs to Tillman,' the man continued to speak.

'The hell it does!' Nick looked up at him. Teek, anticipating a serious situation arising, stood up and held up his hands, allowing his weapon to drop to the ground.

'I am messenger Teek,' he introduced himself. 'I have worked for Tillman before and I wish to see him to propose a deal.'

'What kind of deal?' Teek was asked.

'An exchange.' The sentries exchanged glances. The speaker looked dismissive.

'What could you four possibly have that Tillman requires?'

'Gasoline,' Coach spoke, slowly standing tall again. He quietly enjoyed the bright look in everyone's eyes.

'And how much do you have?'

'Enough,' Coach told him, making a lot of effort to look and sound superior. The speaker took a small radio in his hand and spoke into it. As the person on the other end finished speaking back, he waved at someone out of sight and the gates began to slowly open. Coach looked over at Teek and gave him a confident wink as they all made their way into the impound yard.

Coach and the others were led into the office building where they were then escorted up to where Tillman was. On the way they each saw the tight living conditions in the converted workspaces with some men and women using dorms the size of broom cupboards as personal areas. To the back of the building down a thin corridor was a wooden door leading to Tillman's office. Through the door was a large room in comparison to the rest of the areas in the building. To the back was a desk and chair and at the front was a coffee table with two small sofas made of out a sickeningly green fabric on each end. Someone had clearly attempted to make the office appear more elaborate than it actually was. Behind the desk was Tillman; a man with dark skin and hair in his forties. He looked at Coach, Danielle, Nick and Teek carefully as they walked inside and sat on the sofas, his eye sticking to Teek more than the others. Standing up and moving around the desk, Tillman leant on the side to talk to them. He waved the speaker who had escorted them to his room away, leaving them all alone.

'What a pleasant surprise, Teek,' Tillman smiled. 'I wouldn't have pegged you as the type to join a Clan, especially after you declined the offer to join mine.' Teek shuffled nervously.

'Well I'm not really with these guys,' he explained. 'I'm just going along with them until they repay me a debt.'

'I assume that is what brings you here?' Tillman moved onto Coach.

'Yes,' he confirmed. 'We're here to propose a deal, a trade.'

'Oh come on now,' Tillman spoke theatrically causing Danielle and Nick to exchange confused glances. 'Don't ruin things by getting straight to business. Most people know that I very rarely do deals with anyone unless they've got something I desperately want, which I am sure you don't have.' Coach bit the bottom of his lip. 'So don't just dive straight in there, that's not how I do business. I need to be pampered, treated, wined and dined, you understand?'

'Sorry,' Coach spoke hastily. 'I just thought you wouldn't have a lot of time to deal with us since you're such an important man.' Tillman grinned at him.

'I like you,' he smiled, glancing over to Teek. 'Now see; why can't you be more like that?' Teek looked away feeling very uncomfortable. Tillman, enjoying the effect he was having on the boy, looked back to Coach. 'Truth is I have many people to do things for me, so many people in fact I can't hardly remember any names. The speaker who greeted you is my second in command and I'm always forgetting his name... Good God what is it? Anyway, who knows? The point is that I have all the time in the world.'

'Well we don't to be honest,' Coach spoke as politely as he could. 'We have our friends waiting for us back at the Haven so we can't stay too long.'

'I guess you'll have to work quickly then,' Tillman sighed. 'Go on then. Make me want to do business with you.' Coach and Teek exchanged anxious glances.

Back at the Haven, Norah and Rochelle were casually wandering through the maze of trading stalls that had been set up down a long street. As they stepped around the many people who were looking for various items of value, Rochelle saw a stand that appeared quite familiar. She then realised that this was because they had walked past it now for the third time without getting anything. Rochelle voiced her observation to Norah.

'How come we're going in circles?'

'We are?' Norah asked absentmindedly. 'I've not really noticed.'

'Are you alright? You seem distracted.'

'I am,' Norah ran her hand through her hair. 'I'm usually like this all the time when Coach is away. I often send Nick, Ellis or Danielle to gather supplies so I can stay back in the bus and quietly worry.'

'How wise of you,' Rochelle commented light-heartedly. Norah laughed a little.

'I just worry too much,' she said in a defeated tone. 'In all honesty can you blame me?'

'Well it's a bit of a surprise,' Rochelle answered candidly. 'I mean back before with all that drama involving the Director, you were tough and strong. You didn't take any crap and you certainly didn't quietly worry behind the scenes.'

'That was a different time,' Norah sighed. 'I was working toward getting the Director to pay for what he had done. To be honest I didn't really know if I would be able to do it or not so I just went crazy and fought as hard as I could. I didn't care about anyone else.'

'Why should things be different now?' Rochelle questioned to which Norah gave her a sarcastic glance.

'Are you kidding? This entire country has been changed beyond recognition. The fight has changed along with it. We're not fighting to get to be rescued; we're fighting to survive here, permanently. The rest of the world has forgotten about us so everything we see in front of our eyes is everything that there is. There's no more law, no justice and no peace. There's just this and it stinks. The only way we can survive is if we stick together with people that we trust and I trust these people I am with entirely. It's hard to find people you can trust so dependently.'

'Tell me about it,' Rochelle muttered.

'I care about the people I'm with each day,' Norah continued. 'We're each part of a family. You left us right as we were all starting to connect and now you're back seeing what you missed. I feel that if just one person leaves us then it will be devastating so that's why I worry. I care about these people and they care for me and each other.'

'I don't mean to interrupt this love-fest,' Rochelle sighed. 'I'll go if you want me to.'

'Don't go,' Norah told her. 'You're part of our family. Estranged, yes, but part of it nonetheless.' Rochelle smiled, feeling genuinely touched by Norah's words.

'That's very nice of you to say,' she thanked her. 'I was fairly sure that no one would want me back after I had just left you all for someone else.'

'Just don't do it again, sweetie,' Norah advised her. She shared a cheeky grin with Rochelle and the two continued on their way slightly more energetic than before.

Meanwhile beside the Midnight Riders bus, Drake was assembling everything they had inside into a neat pile just beside it while Ellis and John prepared to try and fix the vehicle. Drake was sweaty from transferring all of the furniture from the bus and wiped his forehead with his sleeve as he took a quick break. All of the stored weapons had been removed from the bus and it was only when they were all piled up that it was apparent how many they owned. Next to the stack of assault rifles, shotguns and pistols were appliances and personal items. Drake sat on the ground and looked around for his bottle of water. After a moment of fruitless searching, Drake was approached by Ellis who handed him a bottle.

'Sorry,' he told him. 'I just needed a swig I hope that's alright.'

'Sure,' Drake muttered slowly, taking the bottle back from him.

'How's it getting along?' Ellis asked as Drake swallowed a mouthful.

'Tediously,' he pulled the bottle away from his mouth. 'It feels weird going into other people's rooms though. I know they gave me permission to take all the stuff out so we can repair it but it still feels weird, like I'm invading their privacy or something.'

'We're gonna have to change rooms around now,' Ellis told him. 'What with Teek and Ro joining us.'

'I guess so,' Drake sighed, taking another draught of water.

'Teek'll probably be leaving when Coach gets him a new bike,' Ellis continued. 'I dunno if that'll happen when they visit this Stillman character...'

'Tillman,' Drake corrected him. Ellis shrugged.

'Whatever,' he went on. 'The point is if Teek does come back with us you'll probably have to share a dressing room with him. There are only four so I'm thinking Coach and Norah, Ro and Danielle, Nick and myself and you and Teek. That sound alright to you?' Drake paused for a moment.

'Yeah,' he spoke hesitantly. 'Sure, why not?'

'That's good,' Ellis spoke sounding slightly relieved. 'I'll tell that to Norah when she and Rochelle get back. I wanna try and help her out as much as possible, you know? Can't be easy workin' as hard as she goes all the time.'

'Well I know something about working hard,' Drake held out his hand to Ellis who took it, helping him rise to his feet. 'On that note I have more rooms to tear apart.' Drake stepped around Ellis and went up back into the bus. Ellis stood there, looking at the furniture piles with a faint smile on his face.

Back in the impound yard, Tillman had a wiry smile on his face as he listened to Coach talk about the deal he wished to make. Although he was listening to every other word that was spoken, Tillman found his mind and his gaze drifting over toward Teek who shuffled uncomfortably each time he stared at him. As Coach began talking about what he could offer in exchange for the bus that he desired, Tillman interrupted him by speaking loudly.

'What I would like,' he said, 'is to speak to you all individually.'

'Oh?' Coach was confused. He looked around the room and shrugged. 'Why?'

'Well you keep preaching about how important your family is,' Tillman explained. 'I'd hardly consider the people I'm surrounded by family material but that's by the by. I want to see why closeness is so important to you.'

'Okay...' Coach muttered slowly, glancing at his companions to see how they felt about the proposal. 'I guess that'll be alright.' Teek closed his eyes worriedly.

'I'll start with the young boy first,' Tillman announced. 'Then I'll talk to the rest of you. Allow us some privacy?' Tillman's speaker entered the room and held the door for the others to leave. As Nick and Danielle went to leave, Teek shot Coach a pleading glance.

'I don't want to do this,' he whispered to him. Coach, seeing how upset the boy was, put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

'I'll be right outside,' he assured him, stepping away and out of the room. The speaker followed him out, leaving Teek and Tillman alone in the office.

There was a brief moment of silence as Tillman and Teek stared at each other. They were both on their feet at opposite ends of the room. Tillman took one step forward as he began to speak and Teek responded by taking one step back.

'It's so nice to see you again,' Tillman noticed Teek's unease. 'You don't have to worry.'

'I don't?' Teek responded sarcastically.

'Of course not,' Tillman grinned. 'You're a special boy, you know that. I won't let anything bad happen to you.'

'I guess that is where our definitions of bad differ,' Teek muttered. Tillman smiled playfully at him.

'Why are you being so hostile?' he stepped forward.

'Keep away from me,' Teek cried, putting his back to the wall. Tillman grinned as he continued walking toward him. He stopped just in front of the boy and took his hand.

'Now things went a little bad last time,' Tillman acknowledged. 'You didn't like my suggested payment method for your messenger services.' He squeezed his hand firmly and pulled him away from the wall, close to him. 'What your leader has requested is not cheap and some gas isn't going to foot the bill. If he wants to get what he wants,' Tillman looked Teek up and down. 'Then I'm going to get what I want.' An overwhelming feeling of sickness and dread sunk into Teek's stomach.

...

'Eye spy,' Francis said, 'with my little eye, something beginning with... C.'

'You've already done chlorophyll,' Madison informed him. 'And you still can't see it. It's minute! It can't be seen.'

'What are you, the eye spy police?'

'Miguel,' Madison put her finger to her ear. 'How much longer until the others get here?' Francis grinned at her.

'About five minutes,' she was told. 'And chlorophyll makes the leaves green so you can sort of see it.' Madison ignored Francis' smirks and disconnected the radio.

'Hurts to be wrong, doesn't it?' Francis teased. Madison cracked a smile and then looked down to the ground as she heard something on the forest floor snap. She observed a Hunter crawling around. Her eyes widening in surprise, she did not have a chance to react before the infected looked up at her and pounced. Madison and the Hunter fell off the tree branch, spinning and tumbling to the ground. Madison managed to land on top of the Hunter, causing it to release its grip. As they lay there, she punched the beast in the face repeatedly until another noise made her look up.

Madison looked up just in time to see a Charger emerged from the trees, grab her and drag her along as it continued running. It crashed through the bark of the tree she had just been in and it began leaning to the side with Francis still on the branch. The tree began to fall to the ground just as Madison and the Charger went off into the thickness of the forest. Francis was able to jump off the tree and landed in a safe roll on the ground before it landed. The Hunter looked up just in time to see the tree crash on top of it. As it settled, Francis ran around it after Madison.

The Charger ran through more trees as it dragged Madison across the floor. Her face was becoming very scratched and bloody. When the infected came to a steep downward sloping hill it lost its footing and tumbled down with Madison still being held tight. As it crashed to the ground the grip was loosened and Madison was able to wriggle free and pull herself away from the beast. As she crawled away, the Charger grabbed onto her leg to halt her escape but Madison used her free leg to kick it in the face repeatedly. Using her assault rifle, she then unleashed a hail of bullets that dispatched the beast before it had a chance to get up.

Standing up, Madison wiped the blood from her face and staggered through the trees. There was a clearing up ahead so she made her way for it. He ears ringing from the journey through the forest and the gunfire from her rifle she did not hear Francis as he reached the top of the hill and call out after her. Slowly navigating his way down the slope, Francis went after Madison. Pushing her way through bushes and twigs, Madison finally stepped out into the middle of the clearing. Francis saw her step out into the open just as the truck Bill was driving crashed into the side of her. Madison was sprawled over the hood of the vehicle, slowly sliding down off it. She fell to the ground in front of the car as Bill and the others got out, checking to see if she was alright. Francis let out a loud cry as he ran over toward the scene. Madison was still conscious but in visible pain. Francis lifted her up and put her in the back of the truck and ordered Bill to drive as fast as he could. Bill did as Francis asked but as he began talking with Miguel it was apparent that they were stuck in the middle of the forest and there was no short way out. The wheels spinning slightly on the dirt, the truck launched off further into the trees.

...

Coach, Nick and Danielle were wandering through the impound yard. The speaker had given them permission to do so and they were examining the conditions that Tillman's men were forced to live in. As they went outside, they looked at the numerous vehicles Tillman was in possession of, including several buses that were exactly like the one they had. Arranging themselves near the entrance of the impound yard, Nick began the discussion.

'Why the hell does he need so many cars? I bet most of them don't even work.'

'Well some of them do,' Danielle hypothesised. 'And that's all he needs to become powerful. Everything else is just scrap resources, which are also in high demand since they're not being developed anymore.'

'This Tillman guy has found himself a neat little goldmine here,' Nick sighed. 'Makes you wonder why he'd bother with us when all we can offer are just a few cans of gasoline.'

'That's true,' Coach agreed, sounding slightly uneasy. 'I've been thinking about what Teek was saying earlier. He was really uneasy about coming here.'

'Why was that?' Danielle asked.

'He didn't say,' Coach shook his head. 'But did you notice how Tillman kept staring at him during our meeting?'

'Yeah,' Nick nodded. 'Yeah, he did! I just thought he had a lazy eye or something.'

'What are you getting at?' Danielle questioned.

'I don't know,' Coach sighed. 'I just have a bad feeling about this.'

Teek found himself forced onto Tillman's desk, knocking over stationary, letter openers and various ornaments that decorated the space. He attempted to move away but Tillman reached into his breast pocket and retrieved a small retractable knife. Teek immediately froze as he saw him approach him with it.

'Don't do anything stupid now,' Tillman advised him. 'You got out of it last time but now I am prepared to ruin your pretty face. Now if I did that I wouldn't want you anymore and then I wouldn't give your friends that bus making all this in vain for you.' He put the knife back in his pocket and placed his hand on Teek's face. The boy trembled in fright as Tillman touched him. He ran his fingers from Teek's face down over his chest. A tear fell down his face as Tillman's hand went down across his body. Just as it reached his pelvis, Teek let out a cry and forced Tillman off him using whatever nearby that came to hand as a weapon to push him away. Tillman let out a gasp as he fell back and Teek realised that he had used the letter opener to push him away. The blade was still stuck in the front of Tillman's neck as he fell to the ground, dead.

Teek let out a cry as he clambered over the desk and went to the corner of the room, falling to the ground in a trembling heap. The door burst open and the speaker walked inside. Upon seeing his boss' corpse, he immediately shut the door and looked over at Teek.

'What the fuck have you done?'

'I'm sorry!' Teek cried. 'I didn't...'

'You didn't?' The speaker repeated. 'You obviously just did! Shit! Do you know what this means?'

'No?'

'You've made things slightly easier for me...' Teek looked surprised at the speaker. 'This guy was a fucking asshole. I don't care why you did it but I'm grateful.' Teek was unsure of what to say in response. 'Help me move the body,' the speaker told him. 'Do it and I'll give you whatever you want.'

When Teek was back in the Haven and Coach told him that he would be coming along for the mission, he did not imagine that he would find himself in this position. He did know that Tillman would try and harass him but he could never have imagined that he would find himself holding his ankles as he and the speaker carried him over to a car to the back of the impound yard. He had no idea why he was doing this. Teek had killed someone and the one man who was close to that person wanted to cover it all up. He did not know why, all Teek knew was that he had no choice but to trust this man. There was no one around as he helped usher Tillman into the front passenger seat of the vehicle. As the speaker closed the door, he patted Teek appreciatively on the shoulder.

'Thanks, kid,' he smiled. The speaker then ploughed his knee into Teek's stomach and he fell to the ground in disabling pain. Rolling onto his back, Teek looked up as the speaker grinned and slammed his foot onto his face, making everything go black.

...

The sun was once again descending toward the horizon. Bill had finally managed to drive everyone out of the intense forest but Madison was rapidly becoming worse. Malcolm had diagnosed that she had some broken ribs and a concussion at the very least but it was difficult to examine her while on the back of a speeding pickup truck. The wheels of the vehicle ran over something on the road, a small sign that read "Welcome to New Bern". Bill was going in any direction that appealed to him in a desperate search for a hospital. He knew that the chances of finding something there that would help Madison were slim, since after an entire year the facility would probably be picked clean. However he needed to try. Screeching around a corner, he drove down one long road with an elaborate, grand fence on one side, not that anyone in the truck noticed it. However people on the other side of the fence noticed the truck and pulled a switch to activate a large searchlight. The beam was shone onto the truck, startling Bill and causing him to skid to a halt. Everyone looked around to the direction of the light, shielding their eyes from the blinding glare. The brightness suddenly dimmed, revealing a set of grand iron gates. Behind these gates that sat in the middle of the large fence was an enormous mansion. With two floors and long wings, it was an imposing sight in the dusk. However the front gates opened and someone stepped out, beckoning them to come inside. Not waiting to be asked twice, Bill drove the truck through the gates which were promptly sealed behind them.

Parking the truck near the main door, Bill got out, asking for assistance. As the rest of the team disembarked they were greeted by a large group of men with shotguns. Zoey grimaced at the sight of the welcoming committee as she and everyone else lifted their hands into the air.

'We're really bad at this!'

...

When Teek's eyes flickered open, the first sight he saw was that of the glass shattering. Shielding his face from the razor-sharp spray, Teek looked away and tried to move but found that he could not. As he looked at his surroundings, he realised that he was in the driver's seat of the car he had just loaded Tillman into. His arms were tied to the steering wheel with rope. Teek looked over to the right and saw Tillman's corpse leaning against the door. He also noticed that through the broken window he could see that they were being lifted. The car was in the clutches of the large crane and was being lifted slowly through the air so it could be dropped somewhere else. The car's destination was a vehicle crusher that was nearby, the grinding blades spinning viciously.

The speaker, meanwhile, approached Coach and the others by the front of the impound yard.

'Tillman has decided to accept your offer and will trade you the bus you desire,' he told them. Danielle and Nick looked equally surprised yet happy. Coach on the other hand, frowned slightly.

'Where's Teek?' he asked the speaker. 'And who the hell are you anyway?'

'I'm Tillman's speaker and he has given me orders to get you three on your way as quickly as possible.'

'Where's Teek?' Coach repeated.

'He is with Tillman,' the speaker told him. 'He does not wish to be disturbed.'

'Disturbed?' Nick questioned. 'What the hell does that mean? What are they doing?'

Teek tried to wrestle his wrists from the rope restraints but was unable to do so as they were tied too tight. He looked at the wheel and prayed someone would come help him so he pushed his arms forward onto the horn. The car horn began blaring out and everyone noticed it.

'What's that?' Coach asked.

'One of our vehicles has a damaged horn,' the speaker explained. 'It blares a lot so they're destroying it.' Coach eyed him suspiciously. Teek was suddenly hit by inspiration and began pushing the horn to use it to make a tune. Coach looked behind the speaker and saw the suspended car that was now using its horn to play the tune of "Hey Good Looking". Nick and Danielle shot each other dark glances. Coach pulled out his gun just in time for the speaker to push him away and order everyone to shoot at them.

As Tillman's army opened fire, Coach, Nick and Danielle were able to retreat into the offices before being wounded. The speaker walked over toward the car crusher. As the three Midnight Riders took refuge in the offices, they hastily discussed tactics.

'I'm the fastest runner,' Nick announced. 'I'll run and stop the crane from moving.'

'We'll cover you,' Danielle nodded. 'Run through the building though. You can jump through a window in Tillman's office to get there quicker.' Nick tapped her on the shoulder and then looked to Coach for approval who gave it with a curt nod. As Nick went to run through the building, Coach kicked down the door and began shooting.

Above all the commotion, Teek was still hopelessly trying to untie himself from the ropes. The crane stopped transporting the car and it was now above the crusher. As the device began to lower the vehicle, everything inside shifted and Tillman's corpse flapped from the door over to Teek, leaning against him. Teek's first instinct was to push him away but he stopped himself when he noticed what was in Tillman's pocket. His eyes lighting up, Teek lowered his head toward Tillman's breast pocket and when he lifted it he had the handle of the dead man's knife in his mouth. He used the blade to saw through the ropes. As they fell to the floor, Teek looked around for options but soon saw that he was nearly too late. The front of the car tilted forward and Tillman's body went through the broken windscreen. Holding onto the headrest, Teek watched as he saw the corpse fall to the blades and get effortlessly sliced to pieces. If he let go now, he was fairly sure that his death would be painless in comparison to being crushed slowly in the car.

Nonetheless, Teek began to climb through the car that was slowly being lowered toward the blades. The back window was still intact and Teek pushed the blade into it as hard as he could, to little success. He continued trying to push through the glass as the car got nearer and nearer to the crushing blades. Using one last push, Teek was able to shatter the glass with the knife but the shards cut his hand, causing him to drop it. As the knife fell and was torn apart by the crusher, the hood of the vehicle got within inches of the force of the blades. This is when the claw of the crane released it and the front of the car was instantly crushed. While the rest was slowly chewed up by the machine, Teek was able to climb out and leap to safety just in time to see the rest of the vehicle get decimated. A tear ran down his face as he lay on the ground being thankful that he was alive.

However it was not over yet. Teek opened his eyes in time to see the crane's claw plummet toward him. He was able to roll safely out of the way as it crashed into the ground. Standing up, Teek went to run but saw the speaker ahead of him. Stopping in his tracks, Teek stood before the man who had clenched fists. The speaker threw a single punch toward Teek who was able to duck quickly, avoiding the blow and run away. In pursuit, the angry man chased Teek toward the stairs that led up to the walkway overlooking the entire impound yard. As they climbed the stairs, Nick shot out the windows of Tillman's office and looked up at the crane's operation room. Taking aim, he fired several shots at it.

The crane claw lurched forward, swinging violently as the corpse of the operator fell on the controls. The claw crashed into the metal walkway just ahead of Teek and the speaker. The platform they were on gave way and fell, with one end hanging on in a fragile hinge. The other end dangled perilously over the crusher. Teek and the speaker had been able to hang onto the hand railings on separate sides of the walkway. The speaker launched a kick toward him, striking the boy in the face. Teek was unable to defend himself from the attacks. The speaker, trying a different tactic, climbed up slightly and jumped across the small gap and landed right on top of Teek. As he punched him in the stomach, Teek spat in his face before head butting him. Winded by the pain, Teek tried to pull himself up and climb away from danger. He climbed closer to safety as the speaker wiped the spittle from his eyes. Looking murderously up at the boy, he too began climbing at a feverish pace. Teek was close to the top he could almost reach but found himself snagged at the speaker grabbed his foot. Teek tried to wriggle free but his attacker continued climbing, preparing to pull him off and send him to his death. However Teek feel a hand grasp his own and looked up at Nick who was now holding onto him tight. The platform gave way and fell into the crusher, clogging the machine. The speaker was still holding onto Teek for dear life. Teek was able to wriggle one leg free and kicked the man repeatedly in the face. His grip loosened and the speaker fell down toward the crusher. Nick pulled Teek up and asked if he was alright. As the speaker landed in the clogged machine, he noticed that he was in between two sharp, blocked blades. Considering himself lucky, he got up to try and sneak up on Teek. However as he moved, his foot disturbed the metal walkway blocking the blades, allowing them to grind again. The speaker was instantly crushed between the thick metal blades that sliced through his body with great ease, splattering blood everywhere. The crunching sound of splattering internal organs was a sickening one.

The gunfire soon ceased. Without proper leadership, Tillman's army was picked apart surprisingly easily by the Midnight Riders. Taking what they had come for, the four drove off in the bus and headed back toward the Haven.

...

Bill was stood inside a small study that was exquisitely decorated. The small oak desk he was leaning on was shiny and tidy. The bookshelves to his right were fully stacked with the volumes in appropriate order and the two reading sofas that were nearby looked very old and very expensive. Bill felt out of place in the mansion of style and antiques, he wanted nothing more than to just leave. He felt angry with himself for driving straight into an obvious trap. He had no idea what was happening to the others as they had all been separated when they had arrived. Madison was taken away in a small stretcher so he believed that the people who were accommodating him and the others were not bad people or at least not too bad.

As Bill's mind raced with the possibilities of what could happen, the door to the study opened and a tall man stepped inside. He wore a fine pinstripe suit that was absolutely immaculate with no stains or creases. His hair was long and blonde, combed back neatly to match his style. His eyes were green and as he smiled, Bill could tell that it was a genuine one. The man looked to be no older than thirty and he stood tall before him with confidence and class.

'Good evening,' the man introduced himself. 'My name is Oliver Rooney. Welcome to my mansion.'

'Nice to meet you,' Bill muttered. 'Where are my friends?'

'Oh they're absolutely fine,' Oliver assured him. 'They all seem to be in remarkably good condition, with the exception of the young lady in my infirmary.' Oliver spoke in a low voice that gave the impression that he had grown up with a lot of money in his life. 'No need to worry,' he lifted his hands up reassuringly. 'She will be fine. I have excellent medical staff.'

'Why are you helping us?' Bill asked. 'It's not that I'm ungrateful but I just assumed that...'

'Was it the guns?' Oliver asked. 'Sorry about that but they are a necessary precaution. When some people who have been living in the rough all this time experience this kind of hospitality they can sometimes become...' he paused for a moment to think of a pleasant way to phrase what he wanted to say. 'Over enthusiastic.'

'What is the place?' Bill asked, his eyes narrowing.

'This is my mansion,' Oliver told him. 'It truly is exquisite. When my parents passed away a few years ago they left it to me; all one hundred and nineteen individual rooms, all eleven gardens and all of their money to improve it how I desired, not that money matters much now anymore.' Bill eyed Oliver closely. 'Anyway when all of this infection business was starting I decided to do what I could for society. After all we are all the same, essentially are we not?'

'I guess,' Bill shrugged. Oliver smiled and nodded at him. 'So why did you invite us in?'

'Everyone needs as many friends as they can get,' Oliver explained. 'With all the different Clans out there fighting incessantly, there is really little reason to stand apart.'

'Yeah...' Bill was pretending to know what he was talking about. Oliver eyed him narrowly.

'You know I am curious,' he stepped close to him. 'What Clan do you belong to mister...?'

'Call me Bill... and me and the others are part of... our own Clan. We don't get bogged down with names.'

'Is that right?' Oliver continued to look at Bill suspiciously. 'You know it is unusual to see a group as small as yours in such good health.'

'What do you mean?' Bill asked worriedly.

'Well you're all well fed with good weapons, equipment and ammunition. You even had radios to communicate with each other. Since that first infection I've never seen anyone like you. No one with such... military precision.' Bill's unease was clear. 'Where are you from, Bill?'

Bill knew that he was not allowed to tell any other survivors about the submarine or else the consequences could be dire. He decided, therefore, to lie instead.

'We're soldiers,' he told him. 'We were guarding a research facility in the mountains, a place that was researching a cure for the virus that's caused all this shit.'

'Why are you here now?'

'Some of the zombies got in and killed everyone,' Bill put on false emotion. 'We're the only ones who survived. I accidentally ran over Madison while we were escaping. You have to help her.' Although still sceptical, Oliver appeared to believe Bill's story, much to Bill's surprise.

'So you've been isolated from the world for a whole year?' Oliver asked.

'Yeah,' Bill nodded.

'Well it looks like you're going to need a crash course in how things are done around here.'

Oliver explained the way of the world to Bill while showing him around his mansion. To say it was elaborate would be an understatement with many rooms all tastefully decorated. Many were occupied by other survivors who had accepted Oliver's invitations to live there. Out the back in the many large gardens were modern looking buildings, each was tall and populated. Oliver Rooney had managed to build himself a miniature city in the back of his house for people to enjoy.

'This is a Haven,' Oliver explained. 'But it's not just any old Haven. On the road most Havens are flat stretches of land or secured locations with a few merchants trying to sell you scavenged items. This one is different. We have excellent medical care, security and plentiful supplies. We even have education for some of the children.'

'How can you keep all of this running?' Bill asked.

'The people we invite in and accept to our Clan are expected to give back,' Oliver told him. 'We all work together to keep this place alive.'

'Not a bad effort,' Bill complimented.

'Thank you,' Oliver stopped walking, looking at Bill seriously. 'Now I want to invite you and your people to become part of my Clan.' Bill was taken aback by the suddenness of the request. Oliver sensed this and patted him on the shoulder. 'I'll let you talk about it with your people. I'll take you to them.' With that, Bill followed Oliver so he could be reunited with the others. He sensed that this situation had the potential of becoming very ugly.

...

Drake and Ellis watched in awe as Nick drove the replacement bus into John's garage. As everyone disembarked from it, John looked it up and down and took off his hat.

'Well I'll be God damned,' he muttered. Coach chuckled and threw the keys at him.

'You can fix our one up now, right?'

'Sure can,' John smiled. Coach pulled his head close to his to whisper something to him.

'Your payment will be in the form of a large, all of a sudden disused impound yard filled with hundreds of cars. Is that alright for you?' John's eyes lit up as he looked at Coach.

Nick and Danielle were stood in front of the bus talking to each other when Drake approached them.

'Where's Teek?' he asked.

'He wants to be alone,' Nick told him. 'He had a bit of a rough time.' Drake ignored Nick's suggestion and walked onto the bus anyway. He saw Teek sat in the front passenger seat, completely still. Drake sat down next to him.

'You alright?' he asked. Teek looked over to him.

'Have you killed someone before?' he asked.

'Sure,' Drake answered. 'We all have. We survive by killing zombies.' A tear fell down Teek's face.

'Well not me,' he said. 'I've never killed someone. Not before today. And he weren't no zombie.' Teek exhaled and closed his eyes. Drake, unable to think of something to say, merely held his hand caringly.

Coach met with Norah who excitedly hugged him.

'We're getting our home back?' she asked.

'Sure are,' Coach smiled. He looked over at Rochelle and Norah hopped on the spot slightly.

'She's defiantly sticking around.'

'Good,' Coach grinned. 'The old family's back together again.'

Coach was happy that Rochelle was staying. He was also happy that Teek was staying, at least for the time being. Having lost his real family to the infection, he knew it was important to stay close to the people you could trust. He was in the fortunate position of being surrounded by these honest, trustworthy people. Bill, however, realised as he and Oliver walked through the halls of the mansion that he was suddenly forced in the awkward position of being surrounded by people who he did not trust. He also knew that they did not trust him.

Something bad was going to happen. It was only a matter of time.