Here's where I start branching off from the canon story. In a massive way.

So, let's say the generators were made to keep the bridge raised, but nothing was set to hold it and one of two generators died, resulting in one side to start dropping... Who knows!

Dead Man's Edge

I'm more than sure this is a stupid idea. Even though the voice in my head went silent after that memory, I still have that sick feeling in my stomach.

Other than the sick, painful feeling from the Tank's hit.

While Kyle went to find all of our explosives, I went on a massive search for as many things as possible that were ammo or a weapon. The sound of Hunters, Tanks, a Witch, and endless gunfire pounded behind me, but I stayed focused on finding as much ammo as I could find. With their ammo consumption, they were bound to run out soon.

I stuffed as many bullets, clips, grenades, molotovs, and materials for pipebombs into my backpacks as I limped/sprinted back to the bridge. I ran by a Hunter who looked at me, and we both stopped dead.

It was eye to bloody hood. I could feel the hair on my neck stand on end as it sniffed and slowly stalked around me. I could see it slowly going into a crouch. In my head I could hear my conscience going 'Please think I'm a fallen survivor please think I'm a fallen survivor please think I'm a fallen survi-'

A loud boom got its attention, and the leaper gave me a low growl before leaping off as I gave a sigh of relief. Then I remembered I had to help the Survivors, and quickly shot it with my AK mid-pounce.

"That's my son!" my father said, and I looked up, smiling as he patted my back and went to retrieve the deer I just shot.

Wait, what?

I shook my head, coming back to reality. That was... weird. Must have been the first time I ever went hunting or something. Francis' trademark "SHIT!" made me remember what I was doing, and I sprinted over to the house. Once when everyone was asleep, I found Bill sitting in my usual spot for the night shift, watching the Infected outside just like me, and after light discussion we made a password system incase we got split in a tricky situation and it came down to a "should I open the door or not" scenario. Apparently, it worked quite well with his band of Survivors.

But... FUCK what was it...

Oh, fuck it. "Hey Overbeck!" I yelled to the door, and soon enough Louis ended up opening the door to me, a bit shocked but still let me in. "I got more ammo," I told him as I set the bulging backpack down, already tearing as I opened it. Bullets and clips greeted me as I gave the full magazines to him and put the empty ones in a pile to fill later. Then, I quickly made several pipebombs, which I was more than easily able to do now, and carefully put several molotovs next to a lighter on the counter of the house.

I got up finally to see Louis looking at me, waiting for something. "Uh... what?" I asked cautiously, before he sighed. "I said what are you gonna do after this?" he repeated. "I really don't think even Zoey'll let you stay, and she agreed with you at the start." Again with this. Do they even want me helping them, or should I just haul ass now and leave? "We still need you, John," the techie said, practically reading my mind, "but you're really gonna have to do something big."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the generator by the main room start sputtering, and the bridge began to lower on one side. Slowly, but continuously. "Fuck, it's out of gas," I muttered, "Get back on the bridge, your guys need you. Kyle and I will keep the zombies back." Louis nodded before hurrying up the stairs, re-barricading it, and going back to the other three Survivors. I grabbed my AK, two molotovs, a pipebomb, a revolver, and my fire axe and ran outside again. I felt a certain mix of excitement and nervousness build up as I viewed the onslaught, like...

'Like when I shot that bear in the foot accidentally after sneezing and pissed it off.'

One Tank was finally dead, but the other four were still angry and throwing everything they could find. The bridge kept getting lopsided, and I could see parts bending and cracking.

"Move your ass," the voice finally spoke up, and it was all I needed to get moving.

First the pipebombs. I lit both and tossed them down the street, which cleared out most of the Commons. I then hurled a molotov at the nearest Tank, catching it by surprise as both it and it's three friends burst into flame. I quickly rolled away from its massive fist and ran around the fence before the fire could consume me. Of COURSE the damn generator died, it looked older than Bill. After three failed tries, it finally coughed back to life. As I turned I saw the burning behemoths charge for me, but they jumped back as a rocket screamed past me and hit one dead center. I fell back as it flipped back dead, and the molten copper projectiles burned through the next one's arm, and finished off another one. The disabled Tank veered back as the machine gun fire consumed it and finally killed it.

I turned around to see a very angry Kyle with an RPG and plastic explosive strapped all over his backpack. He took it off the flung it into the thickest crowd of zombies as it landed next to the last Tank, which was recovering from the RPG blast. I saw the Smoker then take out a remote detonator, but before he could press it I heard a sickening crunch at the bridge.

The damn thing was so lopsided, one side was completely raised while the other was almost completely lowered. The road on it was falling apart, and lots of the beams were creaking in protest as the lowered side began to raise again. Some beams actually began to snap off, and I saw the part the Survivors were on begin to break.

'If we just did all this hard work and go home with no game, we'll be stuck with whatever your mother makes for dinner, Johnny.'

I took the clacker from Kyle as I jumped up onto the bridge. The ladder started to lean, but I still climbed up as it began to fell. I jumped off the last rung as it fell and collapsed on the ground, and I hurried to the Survivors as the bridge began to screech as metal began to twist and crack and collapse. "Jump to the house!" I yelled to them, but didn't give them a choice as I shoved all 4 in front of me over the railing onto the one on the house. As the bridge finally began to collapse, I pressed the clacker as I saw a massive flash of light and fire before the beam above me hit my head. I blacked out as the monstrous bridge finally crashed into the water.

"Dad, where's Mom?"

My dad sighed as he put down the birdhouse. I was in the barn with him, and was about 5 years old. We both had a bad habit of getting easily distracted with making birdhouses, and we were in the process of painting one cherry red when it popped into my head to ask. "Mom's... she, she's still on vacation," he said, his stern but friendly look quivering for just a moment. "Where?" I asked, starting to paint my side of the birdhouse. But I stopped as I saw him staring at the birdhouse, the wrinkles of his face more noticeable than ever.

"Johnny, Mom..." he scratched his chin, searching for words. "Do you remember the story I told you? About where people go when they get really hurt or old?" I remembered him telling me about Heaven, but I still didn't get things, like why they couldn't come back. "Yeah," I said, confused. He paused again, making me a bit annoyed. He always did this when we talked about something serious. Something sad. I got worried. "Well, last month Mommy... she..." I heard him say bad words under his breath, words he and Mom told me never to say after I heard it in a movie. "...she went to Heaven, and is staying there now. She told me to tell you that she misses you every day."

"But why can't I talk to her then?" I questioned. Mom and Dad always called people on their phone, surely he could just call Mom, right?

He put a hand on my shoulder and said "One day," before going back to painting. I decided that it was a good enough answer, and went back to painting the birdhouse.

Alright, I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to Linda Key1! You always post a review as the chapters come in and I get to see what my readers think of my stories as they progress! Thanks!