The Midnight Riders
Chapter Seven – The Broken Bond
It is a common occurrence that when two people first meet and interact with each other personally one of two things may happen. In some instances the two people do not connect and simply drift apart to never speak again and quickly forget about each other. On other occasions the two people would encounter each other again and once more after that. With each meeting a bond would form between the two people, a bond that would differ from person to person. Sometimes the bond would be that of friendship with two people becoming close confidantes. Every so often the bond would be a passionate one, the two people becoming fervent lovers. From time to time the bond that two people would share would be detrimental with two people becoming sworn enemies. The bonds that people share with each other are special and indescribable to those on the outside. It was one of those indescribable, unusual and downright strange pairings that Bill and Francis had shared for over a year.
When Bill first met Francis it had been two weeks since the first infection and the two were forced to work together to keep themselves alive. Shortly thereafter Zoey joined them, bringing Louis along with her. While the four of them formed an inseparable bond, Bill and Francis slowly built an interesting friendship. As Louis and Zoey acted romantically toward each other, Bill and Francis would watch from the sidelines with Francis often making sly joked that would make Bill laugh, not that he would show it. Bill would often perform tricks or stunts to tackle the infected that should not be possible for a man his age, making Francis respect and admire him, not that he would ever show those feelings, either. Upon escaping from America the two lived together for three months before the Director attempted to assassinate them both. Over that brief period their relationship had become very love-hate with more emphasis on the hate aspect. The two did not get along and yet they remained close when working together with Zoey and Louis. Over time Bill suspected that maybe it was those two that had the biggest effect on his friendship with Francis. He got on better with Francis when the other two were around. Zoey had the same feeling when it came to Louis.
Whenever Zoey was with Louis she felt a surge of attraction toward him. She desired him in ways she could not really explain. He was not really her type; he was a bit goofy, loud and slightly older than the men she usually went for. Yet there was something about him when they were fighting alongside each other that was simply an intense turn-on for her. However away from the dangerous weapons and mutated infected their relationship felt forced or at least she felt it did. Suddenly the loud and goofy behaviour returned replacing the bravery, skill and heroism that she was used to. Maybe it was the circumstances that made Zoey attracted to Louis but maybe it was something else. The thought had crossed Zoey's mind that maybe she was happy with the bond that she shared with Bill and Francis along with Louis and she only desired him when they were there to preserve this complex friendship that they had developed after a year of being together. Zoey also felt that she was walking on eggshells sometimes when she was with Louis. She had some secrets that she did not want him to find out and when they were alone the conversation would sometimes drift dangerously close to subjects that she would prefer to avoid; subjects like starting a family for instance. When Bill and Francis were added to the mixture, Zoey felt a lot of pressure had been taken off. She saw Francis as the brother she had always wanted and Bill as the father she had always needed. She was unsure of where Louis would fit in her life; something which made her feel very uncomfortable as she had changed her mind about their relationship several times over the year. There was also the fact that Zoey felt like she could be who she was with Bill and Francis but when it came to Louis she held herself back. Maybe this was the reason, Zoey often thought, of why she felt this way with Louis as he did not really know the real her. They had been together for a year and Zoey had been keeping things from him for all that time. She had held back one piece of information since the London incident that could potentially destroy what relationship she did have with him.
Of course these thoughts were not at the front of Zoey's mind as she stood in one of the docks at New York City with her mother, Cassandra, to one side and Louis to the other. On each side of the man that Zoey had incapacitated stood Bill and Francis who shared the surprised expression on their faces that the others had. Everyone was looking over at Miguel Doyle who had managed to get the jeep onto the dock, sending the raft it had travelled on back to the nearby surfaced HMS Jaeger. Miguel was stood in front of the vehicle with his hands resting on his hips, informing them all of the changes he was making for the mission.
'Not that we're not thrilled to have you here,' Bill spoke incredibly unconvincingly over him, 'but... why are you here?'
'I feel that I need to have a more proactive, hands-on involvement with the mission,' Miguel responded diplomatically. 'You have been separated from Madison and Malcolm, meaning you are all without any form of superior officer for the time being. My involvement is now a matter of necessity as the BCF would destroy me if they found out that you four have been making your way through the country unescorted.'
'Unescorted?' Bill repeated belligerently. Louis shuffled uncomfortably as he feared the conversation between the two men would turn out similar to the one they had shared back on the submarine when Bill nearly punched Miguel. 'Unescorted? Son let me tell you something; we were fighting these zombies and doing a pretty damn good job of it long before you even knew they existed. We're your escorts!'
'Right,' Miguel nodded, taking a moment to compose his words with care so he would not rile Bill further. 'Sorry I didn't mean that as it sounded however the point I was making is still the same. The deal we all made with Deacon and Shepherd was that one of us; one of my crew would be with you at all times. If anyone found out that you were unaccompanied for any moment of time during this mission than the BCF would come under such heavy scrutiny for sending civilians into a hot zone that we would be shut down faster than you could say...'
'Bullshit,' Bill finished Miguel's sentence for him. Miguel paused for a moment, eyeing Bill closely. 'You're lying,' Bill elaborated. 'You might be able to fool some people with your slick talk but you can't fool me.'
'I'm not trying to fool you,' Miguel responded with clear sincerity.
'No,' Bill accepted his statement. 'But you're not joining us for political reasons either. You're here because you don't trust us on our own.' This was only half true as the driving force that prompted Miguel to leave the Tactics Room for the outside world were his feelings toward Madison and his personal beliefs that he was not doing enough. However he would never tell Bill that. Instead he sighed and accepted what he was saying.
'You're right,' he said in an unexpectedly straightforward manner. 'I want to have more of a hands-on approach when it comes to leading the mission. I feel that my distance has led to the team's divide, loss of focus and was responsible for Rex's death.'
'There's no way that was your fault,' Louis spoke up, trying to make Miguel feel better. Francis on the other hand gestured to the jeep with the large mounted weapon.
'Although we could have used that from the start.'
'I'm here to make sure we find Hanham and the others,' Miguel continued, 'and to ensure we spend as least amount of time groundside as possible. I don't want to waste anymore time of suffer any more casualties. I am in charge now and you'll all do as I say is that understood?' Francis joined Louis and Zoey in their silent nods of acceptance. Bill, however, stood tall and unmoving. 'Don't make me confine you to the sub, Bill,' Miguel spoke with genuine honesty, making it clear that he would rather keep Bill with him than shut him back in the submarine. Bill responded to Miguel's decency with a single step toward him and a menacing look.
'You couldn't confine me even if you wanted to,' Bill told him, looking dead into his eyes.
'Yes I could,' Miguel replied with the same confidence Bill was expressing.
'You and what army?' Bill asked.
'Ah, Bill,' Zoey spoke up, interrupting their gaze. 'He's the commander of a submarine filled with seamen.' As Francis let out an immature chuckle, Bill sighed and stepped back.
'Fine,' he muttered, removing a cigarette and putting it in his mouth. 'You're in charge,' he said as he lit the end.
'Excellent,' Miguel was slightly relieved. He glanced over to Cassandra who was looking slightly nervous.
'You're not going to lock me away in your massive submarine, are you?' she asked.
'Ma'am you are to forget that you've even seen this vessel, do you understand?'
'Oh thank God,' she sighed. 'I was worried that I'd be separated from my daughter again.' Miguel walked over to her as she put her hand to her chest with relief.
'I take it you're going to be tagging along for the ride?'
'Oh yes,' Cassandra held out her hand. 'I'm Cassandra; Zoey's mom.'
'Nice to meet you; I'm Miguel.'
'I think I'll call you Miggy,' Cassandra smiled. 'Is that okay?'
'Well actually I...'
'Okay, people,' Zoey spoke up, stepping away from the two to make some noise that would disrupt another potentially awkward conversation. 'From what Miguel has said; it sounds like we need to be in a hurry to meet up with the others before we go and find what we came here for.'
'Yes,' Miguel acknowledged Zoey, stepping forward while taking out a small pocket computer the size of a large personal data assistant. 'I've got all of the mobile equipment I need to coordinate the mission but I've got Kathryn in the TR making sure we're all alright. Everyone say hello to Kathryn through your radios.' No one did. Clearing his throat to break up the silence, Miguel tapped his computer and went toward the jeep. 'I'll navigate, who wants to drive?'
'I will!' Louis announced. 'Probably best after what happened last time Bill drove a car.' Louis winked jocularly to Bill but he did not find it funny. In a huff, Bill climbed into the jeep and took position on the mounted gun; ready to shoot his temper out at whatever moved across their path. Miguel began to explain where they needed to go and with everyone inside the vehicle, Louis put it into gear and drove away down the dock, leaving the unconscious man lying next to his boat as the HMS Jaeger began to slowly dip below the surface of the water, hiding once more.
...
The Midnight Riders tour bus had moved from its sheltered position in the thick of some trees into a more open spot beside Danielle's grave. The bus was in a great state; both the inside and outside was splattered with blood. A considerable amount of mess was made with objects and furniture being tossed aside in a rush, meaning a cleanup operation was underway. Nick was still too injured to work and was sat outside so that he would not tear his stitches again. Coach and Ellis were scrubbing the outside of the bus vigorously. It was hot; the sun was shining brighter than it had done in a while. The heat was making Coach sweat profusely; his shirt clung to his body with sweat. Ellis was sweating copiously also but had removed his shirt long ago. As he was checking the tyres, he stood up to stretch and his toned chest glistened in the sunlight. Ellis wiped his forehead as he took a breath just as Teek stepped out of the bus; carrying an assortment of weapons. He and Drake were tasked with removing everything from the vehicle to make it less cluttered so that it could be cleaned and put back neatly. Teek was fully clothed but still sweating. As he dumped what he was carrying onto a pile nearby, he glanced appreciatively over at Ellis before forcing himself to go back inside. Rochelle and Norah were working together to clean the interior. Norah had tasked herself with removing Danielle's possessions, claiming it was something that she just had to do on her own. As she stepped into her room, Norah stumbled as the presence of Danielle's belongings suddenly washed over her. She began to breathe heavily, attempting to hold back tears. Rochelle noticed her distress and decided to give her some privacy. She went to usher the two boys out but they had already excused themselves. Rochelle stepped by Norah, telling her that they would be right outside and shut the access door behind her. Rochelle joined Coach, Ellis, Drake and Teek who were all huddled together. She let out a sigh as she ran her hand through her hair.
'This is bad,' she commented. 'She's really upset.'
'She screamed at me earlier when I moved one of Danielle's pistols,' said Drake. 'I think she's beyond upset.'
'She's not the only one,' Teek said with a hushed tone, nodding over toward Nick who was sat in a chair in front of Danielle's grave. His face was gaunt and expressionless yet it conveyed an overwhelming sense of depression and guilt. Rochelle held back the look of despair and pity that was forming on her face with considerable effort. 'It must be hard for him.'
'Why?' Drake glanced over to Teek with a puzzled look on his face. 'He wasn't as close to Danielle as Norah was.'
'But he was the one who killed her,' Ellis mentioned. 'He probably thinks we all blame him for her death.'
'Well he was the one who pulled the trigger,' Drake spoke in an accusatory tone.
'But he didn't mean to kill her,' Coach said aggressively. He stepped back to affirm how important what he was about to say was. 'Nick is one of us and he did not mean to kill Danielle. He may have pulled the trigger but he did not kill her; do you understand?' Everyone said that they did with the exception of Drake who remained silent. Coach gave him a stern look and Drake sighed, licked his lips and looked away before closing his eyes and begrudgingly nodding. 'I'm glad that's settled.' Drake looked back at Coach with a serious glare.
'You're not going to get Norah to forgive him so easily.'
'I know,' Coach sighed. Back inside the bus, Norah was sat in the corner of her and Danielle's room. Her eyes were red and tears were streaking down her face. In her hand was one of Danielle's jumpers that she was clutching with a tight fist. Norah let out a weak cry as her head bowed forward into her hands. She wept in the small, dark room for a few moments; mourning her best friend. Outside, Nick continued to stare at the makeshift wooden epitaph. As he looked at it he saw several flashes in his mind's eye. He saw himself firing the gun and saw the bullet tear through Danielle's body. He saw the look in her eyes as life faded away from them. The more he tried to push these images from his mind the more intense they became. When Nick attempted to confront these images head on he found himself becoming overwhelmed and emotional. It had been less than a day since Danielle had died and Nick had already become a nervous wreck over the emotions he was feeling.
After the day had passed the Midnight Riders had scrubbed the blood and mess from their home and everything was back to normal in the physical sense. The tension in the air was profuse and everyone was being careful with what they said. Coach had decided not to leave the area yet so that he would allow Norah more time to say goodbye to Danielle. The situation was not helped by the fact that Nick and Norah had hardly spoken a word all day. When everyone had sat together at the table to eat it was the most uncomfortable and awkward meal that any of them had ever attended. Nick took one bite of his food before leaving it while Norah simply fiddled with the morsels with her fork. Each chink of metal on the plate felt loud enough to be heard for miles. When everyone was done, Norah retired to her room while Drake and Teek escaped to their own. Nick mustered his strength and went to his own room leaving Coach, Rochelle and Ellis sat at the table. Coach sat forward with his elbows on the table as he rubbed his face, exhaling loudly.
'Jesus Christ...' he spoke, drawing out the sound of his syllables.
'Could that have been more awkward?' Rochelle commented.
'I could'a been naked?' Ellis suggested. Rochelle and Coach shot him similar disapproving glares before glancing back to each other.
''What do we do now?' Rochelle asked Coach who shrugged and sighed through pursed lips.
'Honestly, Ro, I haven't got a clue.'
'What can we do?' Ellis spoke rhetorically. 'We have to carry on as normal.'
'I don't think that we can,' Rochelle speculated grimly. 'An event like this could easily fracture the group.'
'What do you mean?' Ellis asked.
'Say we try to carry on as normal,' Rochelle explained, 'and a few weeks or months pass; the split between Norah and Nick will intensify.'
'What are you talking about?' Coach interposed. 'There is no split between them.'
'Are you blind?' Rochelle remarked sarcastically. 'If you couldn't sense it at the table then you must be blind.' Rochelle glanced over to Ellis. 'Or stupid... Look; there is obviously going to be a split between them. Nick killed her best friend so she's naturally going to feel some strong emotions toward him. Nick and Norah are not the type of people who will be able to confront this issue effectively and they will start to resent each other with such intensity that we'll be forced to choose sides, if we've not chosen them already.'
'What the hell?' Ellis exclaimed loudly. 'What the hell makes you think that that'll happen?'
'Norah despises Nick,' Rochelle spoke softer, quieter. 'You can tell. Nick feels guilt and will resent her when his mind has cleared up. Drake already thinks that we should throw Nick out of the group and his closeness to Teek will mean that he will feel the same. Of course we've all been with Nick since the beginning so we'd be more inclined to gravitate toward his side.'
'In essence you're saying that we will soon find ourselves fighting against Norah, Drake and Teek?' Coach summarised.
'Bullshit,' Ellis voiced his opinions candidly. 'There ain't no way that that'll happen.' As Coach and Rochelle glanced at him to explain himself; Ellis sat back with one arm over the chair. 'Nick don't harbour a grudge against anyone.'
'Ellis he was willing to travel hundreds of miles on foot to get revenge on his father for abandoning him,' Rochelle highlighted the flaw in Ellis' statement. He thought about it for a moment before carrying on.
'That man wronged him. Nick wouldn't do that to anyone else. Norah is upset at losing her friend but she will soon calm down and realise that it wasn't Nick's fault and then things will properly get back to normal.'
'You're optimistic, kid,' Coach let out a weak chuckle. 'I'll give you that.'
'I have faith in my friends,' Ellis responded. There was a moment of silence.
'Well that still doesn't solve our problem of what to do now,' Coach broke the quiet.
'We should leave in the morning,' Rochelle suggested. 'Give Norah time to say goodbye and then leave.'
'Do you think she's ready?' Coach asked.
'People gotta be pushed sometimes if they wanna move on with their life,' Ellis spoke rather profoundly. 'Besides we're running out of supplies and we need to get more work.'
'The faster we put this whole ordeal behind us the better,' Rochelle sighed, rubbing her forehead. Ellis smiled at her and moved his hand over the table to hold hers. Rochelle suddenly pretended to cough, using her free hand to cover her mouth. She then put her feet up and tucked them under her legs. She smiled awkwardly at Ellis who looked at her, confused. Coach watched the glance the two shared before clearing his throat.
'I think that's a good plan,' he agreed. 'It feels like all we've been doing lately is dealing with one crisis after another. We've not had a proper job in ages.'
'A job will be the perfect thing to get everyone's spirits up again,' Rochelle said enthusiastically.
'Do you think Norah will be up for it?' Ellis voiced a very valid point. 'I mean don't you and her make decisions together, Coach? What if she don't wanna leave?' There was the briefest moment of silence before Coach responded.
'I make the overall decisions.'
It was with Coach's tone of finality that made his second in command, Norah Hanham, silently shut her bedroom door.
...
Driving their stolen Mercedes down the continually windy forest road, Madison looked ahead silently as Malcolm adjusted his portable radio.
'I keep getting interference from something,' he told her. 'When we're out of the woods things should be okay.'
'Great,' Madison sighed. 'I'm pretty sure we're lost.'
'Wanna stop and ask for directions?'
'I don't believe it,' Madison scoffed. 'The one man in the world willing to ask for directions and we're surrounded by zombies.'
'Aren't you supposed to call them "infected?"'
'To hell with political correctness,' Madison exclaimed. 'I need to know where the hell I'm going.'
'Why is it women can't read a map?' Malcolm commented half-heartedly.
'You're holding the damn thing!' Madison gestured to Malcolm's portable computer. Up ahead was a T-junction. 'Okay; which way do we go?'
'I dunno,' Malcolm shrugged. 'Maybe left?'
'Maybe?'
'Okay, right!'
'Which is it?'
'Right.'
'Are you sure it's right?'
'I am right.'
'You were left a moment ago!' Up ahead a large, dark jeep emerged from one of the obscured turns, stopping in the middle of the road. Madison applied the brake and the car screeched to a sudden and abrupt halt about fifty feet from the jeep. One of the passengers got out of the vehicle and began waving at them. Madison squinted her eyes before they widened in shock as she saw Miguel standing there. 'What the...'
Madison and Malcolm got out of their car to meet Miguel who stood in front of the jeep. Francis and Louis had also disembarked from the jeep partly to listen in on the military conversation and partly to get away from the tense atmosphere that surrounded Bill. Zoey and Cassandra waited with him, trying to calm him down.
'Nice to see you two,' Miguel nodded at Madison and Malcolm. 'You were almost difficult to find with your going off the grid.'
'We're getting little signal here,' Malcolm explained but his speech was interrupted by Madison stepping forward.
'What are you doing here?' There was a brief silence. 'Sir,' she added hastily. Miguel smiled at her.
'I thought you could use an extra hand,' he explained. 'Plus these guys needed an official escort.'
'Here we go again,' Francis muttered under his breath. He was thankful that Bill could not hear what he was saying.
'There must have been other people that could have come instead of you,' Madison was sounding slightly against having Miguel her, something she suddenly became aware of. 'Not that I don't want you here, sir, but you're the commander of the Jaeger. I'd have thought you were too important to be doing this footwork and besides; who else will run the sub and control the operation while you're gone?'
'I have everything I need here,' Miguel showed off his various gadgets, 'to control the situation in the field. Plus I've got Kathryn to keep an eye on things in the Tactics Room.'
'Kathryn?' Madison repeated sounding astonished. She was sure she had not heard correctly. 'Kathryn Larsson?'
'Yes,' Miguel confirmed.
'She's keeping an eye on us?'
'Is there a problem?'
'Of course there is!' Madison cried. 'She's useless at operations like these plus I don't trust her.'
'Why?'
'She's a nerd trying to pass off as a geek.'
'I like Kathryn,' Malcolm offered.
'Not to break up this little love fest but I've made my decision,' Miguel's tone was polite but firm. 'Now it's going to be daybreak soon so we need to hurry along to the location of the tour bus. With any luck we'll reach them before they start moving.'
Madison begrudgingly accepted that Miguel would become a permanent presence and turned around to get back into the car.
'Shouldn't we all travel together?' Malcolm asked as they walked back to the Mercedes. 'It'd be less conspicuous.'
'Malcolm we're driving through the zombie wasteland in a Mercedes,' Madison responded. 'I don't think you can get more conspicuous than that.'
'Why did you steal a Mercedes anyway?' Miguel called after Madison who turned around to look at him. 'Surely there were more practical cars you could have taken?' Madison shrugged.
'I've always wanted a Mercedes.' Miguel smiled at her reasoning and she smiled back at him, turning back and climbing into the vehicle. As everyone got back inside their respective modes of transport, they drove off in convoy through the forest. Soon they emerged onto open roads and drove as fast as they could in the direction of the Midnight Riders.
...
As the sun peeked over the horizon signalling the start of a new day; Coach opened his eyes and climbed out of bed. He thought he was the first one awake so he got dressed and stepped outside the bus to relieve himself. As he went to get back inside he glanced over at Danielle's grave and saw Norah kneeling in front of it. Coach took his hand from the door handle and moved over toward her. Norah's expression was blank as she stared at grave. Her hair was a mess and her skin was dry. Coach joined her, kneeling down by her side. The two knelt there in silence for a moment with nothing but the wind running through the leaves of the trees as background noise. There were no birds singing, no distant sounds of the infected and there was not even any noise coming from the isolated Shadow Guard building nearby. Coach sighed as the gentle wind gently brushed across his skin and he took Norah's hand.
'We're leaving today,' he told her. Norah nodded very slowly in response. 'I think its best that we try to move on from this. We're going to go to the Fort Peck Haven; I think we'll find some work there.'
'That's what got her killed,' Norah said in a gravelly voice. Her mouth and throat were clearly dry. 'All this work that we keep doing just to survive; it made Rochelle leave, made her come back, robbed that young kid of his livelihood before nearly killing him and then absolutely wiped out the army of one of Thomas Galt's lieutenant's.' She looked over directly at Coach. 'I don't want to do this anymore.'
'None of us do,' Coach sighed.
'No;' Norah bowed her head. 'I really don't want to do this anymore. I thought I was strong enough to last until we were rescued but there's no guarantee that that's ever going to happen. We don't know if the Director is dead or alive, we don't know if it's safe to return to civilisation, we don't know if Edward and the others are still alive. We don't know if anyone will come looking for us.'
'That's why we need to hope,' Coach told her, leaning close to her. 'We need to hope and pray.'
'I don't think I've got any hope left in me,' Norah sat up. Coach looked down and saw that she was firmly holding a revolver in her hand. He could see that there were six bullets loaded in it.
'Norah,' Coach spoke slowly but she suddenly got to her feet and stepped away from him.
'I considered doing this once before;' she stuttered as she spoke. 'Back in Washington when the Director bombed the hell out of the White House. I had failed to protect anyone and was trapped in a safe room with the zombies trying to crash through the door. They were about to get in and people were begging me to shoot them; they wanted to die painlessly rather than be killed by those things. I considered shooting myself as I had the only gun and the thought disgusted me. Even though I had failed I just couldn't imagine ending things that way. I wanted to go down fighting rather than take the coward's way out. I wanted to make up for my failings. I wanted to make the Director pay. I wanted... I wanted so many things.' Coach took a cautious step toward her but Norah cocked the gun. 'I had something back then that I don't have now. A year of all of this has just worn me down and I just can't hack it anymore.'
'Now you know that's not true,' Coach told her. 'You're a strong woman; stronger than you think you are. You're the glue that holds us all together. You keep things in check and you support me. I don't know what I'd do without you. You're feeling raw because you lost someone you care about; your best friend. I lost my fiancé, twice as a matter of fact. I know what you're going through. I know how your feeling.'
'When you thought you lost Ruth the first time,' Norah was trembling, 'what was the first thing that you did? You went to punish those responsible.'
'You're not responsible for this,' Coach insisted. 'Shooting yourself is not going to bring Danielle back.'
'I either shoot myself or I shoot Nick,' Norah said. There was a sudden weight that sunk in Coach's stomach. 'I know that it was an accident but I... I just can't see him everyday knowing that he's the reason that she's dead. I know it's irrational but I just can't take it. I can't do this anymore!' Norah lifted the gun up to her head.
'Stop!' Coach yelled. 'Just wait one second.'
'I can't,' Norah shook her head wearily. 'I'm sorry; I just can't...' Coach moved forward and Norah aimed the gun from her head toward him. 'Don't get any closer or I'll shoot you, too.'
'If you really wanted to shoot yourself you'd have done it by now,' Coach told her. Norah frowned at him. She moved her gun back to her head. 'How do you think everyone will feel when they wake up to the sound of you killing yourself?'
'I don't really care,' Norah gasped. 'I just want this to be over.'
'Well even if you do kill yourself it won't be over,' Coach said. 'Just think about how we'll feel. We all care about you, Norah. Nick will be devastated and will blame himself if you die. That'd probably break him and then Rochelle will just be shattered because they are very close and then Ellis won't be able to handle it because he likes Rochelle so much and I won't be able to handle it without you and...' Coach took a breath, collecting his thoughts. He looked sincerely at Norah. 'I need you,' he told her. 'I need your strength, your determination and your heart. I just would not be able to do this without you; I wouldn't have lasted this long without you. When I've felt empty or when I feel that things are hopeless you're the one who tells me to hang on. You're my life raft, Norah. Without you I'd sink and so would everyone else.' The two looked at each other for a moment. Norah slowly lowered the gun.
'I hate you,' she muttered.
'You're welcome,' Coach said softly. The two walked toward each other and shared an embrace. Norah began to weep in Coach's arms. As he stood there, Coach had a feeling that with time everything would turn out alright. Not long after that everyone woke up and got ready to leave. As Norah said her final goodbye, she went to talk to Nick to tell him that she did not blame him for Danielle's death. Knocking on his bedroom door, Norah opened it when she had no answer and stepped into the empty room.
'Guys,' she looked back into the bus. 'Where is Nick?'
Limping through the thick forest on his own was Nick. He was moving as fast as he could, using the trees to support himself. He moved slowly so he would not strain himself. He shot any infected from a distance with his scoped rifle as he pressed on. He had been making his way through the woods since early in the morning, sneaking out when everyone was asleep. He could not be there anymore. He was too guilt ridden and knew that everyone blamed him for Danielle's death. He walked away, thinking that no one would miss him.
Coach ordered Ellis to follow Nick although he did not really have any idea where he had gone to. Believing he would take the same road back as they had used to get there, Ellis drove through the forest at a more reckless speed than he would normally, desperate to find him. However, Nick was already near the edge of the tree line and would soon step out into the open field. As he was about to do so, he stopped as he saw something unusual. Peering from behind a tree into the open area, Nick saw numerous parked vehicles with armed men and women standing guard. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sight. Something then caught his attention, attracting the interested of the armed people also. The sound of the approaching bus drifted through the trees, making Nick feel suddenly uneasy. The tour bus drove out into the open area only to be blocked by all of the vehicles. Ellis stopped as he saw the sight and looked to Coach for guidance. Coach recognised one of the people in the armed crowed, the young man named Frazer who had pointed him in the direction of the helicopter a few nights ago. Frazer was waving at Coach, signalling him to step outside. The armed people lowered their weapons.
'I don't like it,' Norah voiced her concerns.
'That guy's a friend,' Coach told her. 'Don't worry.' He stepped off the bus and walked in front of it to join Frazer. Nick watched from the distance as he did. 'Hey, how are you doing?'
'I'm good,' Frazer smiled at him. 'Sorry for all of this; the Clan in charge of this area wants things to be secure; they want the people in that fortress you've just come from to keep to themselves.'
'Well you don't need to worry about them anymore,' Coach told him.
'I had wondered why we've not seen any choppers fly overheard recently,' Frazer smiled, patting Coach on the arm. 'If you've taken them down then you must be a good worker.'
'Well I am when it comes to helping my people.'
'Ah yeah,' Frazer folded his arms. 'How was that quest of yours? Did you get your girl back, what was her name... Rochelle?'
'Yeah,' Coach nodded. 'She's fine.'
'I'm glad to hear that,' Frazer smiled. He glanced over to one of the nearby men. 'Take them.'
With sudden and ruthless efficiency, Frazer's men stormed the tour bus and dragged everyone from it. As Coach protested, he was stuck over the back of the head.
'What are you doing?' Coach muttered wearily as his vision began to blur. Frazer bent down to look over him as he lay on the ground.
'Thomas Galt wants to talk to you,' he told him. Coach passed out. Everyone was then dragged into one of the standby vehicles and driven away.
Nick watched in horror as he saw what was going on. Frazer got into his own vehicle and then drove off, following them and leaving the bus standing there with the engine still running. Nick emerged from the trees when the coast was clear and staggered over to the bus. He climbed inside, his intention to follow the people who had taken his friends but the pain in his chest became intense and he was just able to switch the engine off before he passed out behind the driver's seat.
...
The vehicles that drove away in convey from the tour bus were varied. Some were convertibles while some were people carriers. One was a taxi cab while another was a police car. They were each driving in uniform in the same direction, to the person that the drivers obeyed. They were driving toward one of the most powerful men in the country, the man who ruled the north-west; Thomas Galt. Hundreds of miles away from the tour bus Thomas Galt was stood in the Idaho State Capitol building looking out at the city of Boise. The city streets were dark, barren and would have been empty were it not for the infected that were staggering around. Thomas Galt was an exceptionally tall man. He had short black hair and dark green eyes underneath wireframe spectacles. He wore a brilliant, spotless white suit with a red tie. His face was clean shaven and his arms were folded. He clearly took pride in his appearance and it was apparent that he was naturally confident. He had his eye trained on two common infected that were fighting in the street. Galt had a smile on his face as he watched the two swing at each other.
'Sir,' someone approached from the side, a man whose dress was scruffier in comparison to Galt's. 'Frazer's just sent word on the radio.'
'Take a look at this;' Galt spoke as if he had not heard his subordinate speaking. The man stepped close and looked out of the window to where Galt was pointing. He saw the infected fighting each other. One of them swiped the face of the other, knocking it to the ground. Galt let out a laugh. 'I think it's great! Do you not find this hilarious?'
'Better they fight each other than us, I suppose,' the man responded, unsure of what to say.
'We're exactly the same as they are,' Galt looked over to him. 'I thought I'd taught you that. We are all exactly the same.'
'Those zombies look a lot different than you,' Galt's subordinate said. Galt faced him and put his hands on his shoulders.
'The only thing that separates me from that zombie is this suit I am wearing. Nothing more. Do you understand what I'm saying?' Galt's man did not but he nodded anyway.
'Frazer's sent word on the radio; he's heading here with the Midnight Riders. They didn't even put up a fight.'
'Perfect,' Galt stepped away, looking out at the scene. One of the infected had won the fight and the other lay dead. Galt narrowed his eyes and sighed. 'Have Coach brought to me as soon as they arrive. Lock the others up separately; I don't want them plotting an escape and make sure that Rochelle is tied down. She's a crafty one.' The subordinate nodded and stepped away. Galt moved closer to the window and put his hand on the cool glass. He took breath and watched the condensation form and then fade away on the window.
...
The jeep and the Mercedes pulled up next to the tour bus. Everyone disembarked from their vehicles and moved toward the bus.
'Hold up,' Bill ordered quietly. Miguel looked around at him.
'I beg your pardon?'
'Those guys have never seen you before,' Bill explained. 'So if you wander in with your guns they may start shooting.'
'What do you suggest?'
'They've seen me, Francis, Louis and Zoey. They won't shoot us.' Miguel contemplated Bill's suggestion for a moment before nodding at him to proceed. He stood back with Madison, Malcolm and Cassandra while they moved forward to the bus. Upon reaching the door, Bill knocked on it twice. When there was no answer he knocked again. Sharing a look of worry with Francis, the two nodded at each other. Bill opened the door while Francis went inside. The first thing Francis saw was the slumped figure in the driver's seat. He went over toward it and pulled it around. The unconscious Nick fell off the seat and flat on the ground. Francis looked back worriedly to Bill.
Half an hour passed and Nick had been moved onto one of the beds. Zoey was sat next to him, waiting for him to wake up. Cassandra and Louis were sat at the front while Bill, Miguel, Francis and Madison were at the table. Malcolm was stood by the door acting as a guard. Miguel was conversing with Kathryn over the radio. He finally signed off the call and looked disheartened at everyone.
'She didn't have the satellites follow the bus as it moved,' he reported. 'There's no way to track them.'
'Damn it!' Madison cried, making sure her displeasure was known. 'I told you she was useless!'
'We can argue about that later,' Bill sounded as if he was promising the argument. 'Right now we need to get Nick awake so that we can find out what the hell happened.'
'Well we can't just snap our fingers to wake him,' Miguel shrugged. Bill disagreed and he began rifling through the cabinets. He soon found what he was looking for; some smelling salts. He opened them and went over to Nick. Putting them under his nose, Bill waited for a moment before he started coughing and spluttering. Nick sat up and looked at Zoey and Bill. As his eyes focused, his jaw dropped.
'You're shitting me!'
As he regained his senses, Nick moved to the table area. He sat in the middle with everyone facing him. Zoey, Louis and Cassandra sat at one side while Madison, Francis and Malcolm sat at the other. Miguel and Bill were stood watching over the table. After explaining to Nick how they had found him and allowing him to process the information, Miguel leant on the table to question him.
'I know this has been a stressful year for you but now that we're here you don't need to worry anymore.'
'I never thought you'd actually come,' Nick admitted. 'The others will be happy.'
'Speaking of the others; where are they?' Bill asked.
'Galt,' Nick responded. 'I saw his men kidnap them and drag them all away.'
'Who is Galt?' Miguel asked.
'Thomas Galt,' Nick elaborated. 'He's the leader of the most powerful Clan in the north-west. He controls the north west, effectively.'
'Christ, not another evil Clan leader,' Madison sighed. 'First Oliver Rooney, now Thomas Galt. Who next? Adolf Hitler?'
'You met Oliver Rooney?' Miguel asked.
'Long story,' Madison told him.
'A long story that we don't have time for,' Miguel interrupted. 'We need to find Thomas Galt so we can find the others and get them the hell out of here.'
'Well that's not a problem,' Nick said. 'I can lead you right to him.' Nick paused. 'Do we have anymore firepower?'
'Why?'
'Well we've not had the best experiences with Thomas Galt,' Nick said. 'We're not going to be able to break them out without a proper miracle.'
...
Hundreds of miles away, the convoy of cars turned a corner and were driving down the main street of Boise. Up ahead of them was the Capitol building. One of the cars ran over the corpse of one of the infected as it approached Thomas Galt. He watched as the Midnight Riders were brought to him. As his breath lingered on the glass window he turned to walk away. He left but the condensation did not. Galt walked through the large domed building toward the underground parking. He was eagerly anticipating his meeting with Coach and the rest of the Midnight Riders.