A/N: Another day, and I bring with it another update. So glad to see spring finally starting to come around, bout damn time we really started getting warmer weather.
I've been recieving a lot of good feedback through PM, the pairing poll for Jason has been added to by leaps and bounds. And everything now stands here;
Molly: 3
Maggie: 3
Lilly (Reformed): 3
Carley: 2
A three-way tie, definitely unexpected. I know for those that have played the game that the possibility of a Lilly pairing is unappealing, but like one of my readers pointed out to me, I have the power to change-up this story in any way to make such a thing happen. If she happens to win out in the poll I can and will make it so that she's not the big bitch she was in the original story. But there is still a lot of time to vote, so be sure to cast yours in if you have the chance.
There will be a lot of zombie killing and bloodshed coming up, so be ready.
Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead (In any context)
Chapter 3: Escape from Macon
The back alleys of Macon were shrouded in darkness, a few roaming walkers stumbled through the streets outside, but there didn't seem to be any in the path of the two individuals making their way toward the outer edge of town.
Jason pressed his back to a dumpster, gun in hand as he peered around the side and out into the street. Ducking down as another walker skulked past the opening and disappeared behind a couple of overturned cars. He signaled farther down the alley and Carley moved up to crouch down next to him.
"How much farther is this motel?" asked the fighter checking to see the coast was clear.
"About four more blocks, it's on the road that heads out of Downtown Macon." replied Carley holding her own gun ready. Her eyes looking down at the younger man's arms where he had two thick sports magazines wrapped around his forearms and bound there with duct tape. "You really think that makeshift armor of yours will work?"
Jason looked down at his arms a moment, "They should, their teeth can only go so far if something blocks them. One comes at me, it'll buy me a couple of seconds to put them down." he explained before checking the street again, "Coast is clear, let's move."
The duo got up and crouch-ran across the open street, the walkers still milling about none the wiser as they disappeared down another alley and moved closer to the outskirts.
It had been a longer trek then they had anticipated, the amount of undead filling the streets proving to be a challenge to avoid but they had managed regardless. Sticking to the shadows and keeping out of the main roads as much as possible while they picked their way toward where Glenn was being held up.
It had taken them about 20 minutes to get out of the town's limits and up the road, the neon light of the Traveler's Motel glowing brightly in the dark with a couple of street lamps lighting the road as they approached. Jason kept his gun up, eyes sharp as he kept a look out for wandering undead in the vicinity.
"Fuck! Get down!" He whisper/yelled pulling the reporter down with him behind a low-wall. Just barely missing a walker as it got up from the wall of the motel and ambled past where they had just ducked. Both of them gripping their weapons as the creature moved away from their location.
Peering over the wall, Jason was able to count five walkers within the motel's property. Three of them roaming around the parking lot, the other two were pounding on a door to a room on the second floor in the far corner.
Movement out of the corner of his eye made him glance in the direction of the ice machine in front of them. "Did you see that?" Carley asked following the same line of sight as he was.
"Yeah, I did." the fighter replied, vaulting over the low-wall and slowly approaching the metal container. Gun leading and the reporter behind him aiming incase he needed it, he grabbed the handle and pulled it open.
And was greeted with the sight of a relieved Glenn who looked at the barrel of his handgun uneasily. "Uh...hay? I'm glad you guys finally made it." he said climbing out of the ice machine.
"Jesus, Glenn." Carley muttered as the delivery man and the fighter vaulted back over the wall and crouched down next to her.
"Alright, that was easier than I thought it would be." said Jason a bit relieved that it hadn't gotten any worse.
"Can we just get out of here before any of these things notice us?" said Carley wanting to get as far from this place as possible.
Glenn shook his head, "We can't yet, there's a survivor up there that needs our help." he pointed up to the door where the two walkers were still pounding on the surface trying to get inside.
The reporter shook her head in return, "No way, we gotta go. NOW."
"Just listen. I was out here looking for gas. And then, up there in the corner room, I heard crying coming from inside." Glenn started explaining. "It's a girl. We talked and she got frightened. I was trying to get in and help her and she started yelling and saying I was bitten. I tried to convince her I wasn't and that's when all of these guys came out of the forest. A couple almost got me and I ended up hiding in the ice machine."
"Lucky you, now let's go." Carley pressed.
"We can't just leave her." said the delivery man pleadingly.
Jason nodded seriously, "No, we can't."
Carley looked between them as though they each had grown another head, "You two are suicidal...over a girl!"
The fighter turned on her, "And if that so-called girl was you? And you were in desperate need of help, what then?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers.
For a few moments the reporter faltered before sighing, "Alright, fine. Let's go save Glenn's damsel in distress." They got up and moved along the wall, running across the opening to the parking lot and hiding down behind the wall below the motels sign.
Jason looked out over the parking lot at their opposition before looking at his companions. "Alright, here's what I have in mind. We have no idea how hard it's going to be to get her out of that room, she's obviously traumatized. So we'll have to take out every single one of them before we can even try."
He saw Carley check the clip of her pistol, "Quietly." he stated getting her to look up at him. "Noise will only draw attention, and might even cause more to show up. We need to be as discreet as possible." Looking back over the parking lot, he caught sight of a walker feasting on the corpse of an unlucky individual, he also took notice of another moving along the wall of doors by the stairs leading up to where the girl was hiding, and a third laying against the rear tire of a derelict car that was up on blocks. The one that had moved when they arrived having disappeared behind the RV that was across from where they were hiding.
Looking down at the ground behind the wall, he reached out and grabbed an old pillow that had been lying there. "Good luck smothering them to death." Carley said while wondering what he had up his sleeve.
"Just trust me and stay low." he whispered back before moving along the wall toward the other entrance to the parking lot. The one closest to the walker slouched against the car, "Carley, stay right on my ass and have your gun ready."
"But the noise..." she trailed off as he held up the pillow with a smirk on his face. Nodding in understanding of what he was up to, the duo moved out from their cover and headed toward the undead.
The creature's lone eye seeing them coming, arms reaching out to grab them just as the fighter pressed the pillow hard over its face and pinning it to the car. Carley moved up right behind him, pressing the barrel to where the walker's head was located and pulling the trigger. The gunshot muffled by the cushion as the corpse slumped to the ground with a bleeding hole in its head.
"That was sick!" Glenn whisper/yelled to them.
Tossing the now useless pillow aside, Jason moved over to the driver's side door of the car. Opening it as quietly as he could and leaning into the vehicle, finding a spark plug on the seat and pocketing it before reaching for the gear shift. "Get ready to move on my go." he whispered to Carley as he shifted the car into neutral and closed the door.
Moving toward the front of the vehicle, he gave it a strong shove causing it to roll down off the blocks and head straight for the walker moving along the motel wall. "Move!" he said to the reporter as they ran to where Glenn was hiding behind a truck below the balcony where the survivor was hiding out.
The car gained speed as it moved across the asphalt before slamming into the walker and pinning it to the wall with the back bumper. The two walkers above turned at the sudden noise and looked down at their struggling comrade before going back to trying to get into the room before them.
"That was close." said Carley as things seemed to settle down. Jason moved along the truck and peered into through the window hoping to find something else they could use against the remaining walkers.
Luck being on their side when he found a screwdriver laying on the seat. But the issue was that they doors were locked and there didn't seem to be any way to get inside other than to break the window.
"Too much noise...there's gotta be another-" he paused mid-thought when he remembered the spark plug he'd gotten from the car. Remembering back to his time at the auto body shop and how the porcelain contained within the part was able to shatter glass like it was nothing.
Dropping the sparkplug to the ground, he stomped down on it and crushed it into pieces. Reaching down to pick up the piece he was looking for, he turned to the car window, cocking his arm back and throwing the tiny component into the window and breaking it easily.
After waiting a moment or two to be sure that the walkers didn't hear the noise, the fighter reached in through the broken window and grabbed the screwdriver. "That could scramble a brain or two." Glenn commented.
"Had the same thought in mind." replied Jason, motioning for them to follow him as they moved back to their original spot below the sign. He looked at the undead that was still eating, flipping the tool around so that the end was pointed down like a dagger as he moved out from behind the wall and crept slowly up behind the walker.
Pausing in mid-bite, the monster went to turn around only for the fighter to grab it by the forehead and stab the screwdriver through the back of its skull. It gave a soft groan/exhale and fell motionless while Jason gently laid it on the ground by the body it was feeding from, motioning to the others as they all moved to the front of the RV.
The fighter peered around the large vehicle and saw the walker from before just standing there and staring at the side of it. He whistled just loud enough for the creature to hear him and ducked down as it turned and began to shuffle their way.
"What are you-" he held his hand up stopping Carley's question cold as his legs tensed, hearing the walker's dragging footsteps as it drew closer to where they were hunkered down.
Just as it came up to them, he was in motion.
Jason's right leg kicked out taking the walker off its feet, he was on it a second later, driving the screwdriver through its left eye and killing it instantly. They didn't stop there, as one, they moved over to the walker pinned by the car. Seeing them coming, it reached its arms out to grab at them emitting a series of growls before being silenced when the same tool used to kill the other two was driven into the top of its head where it got stuck.
Glenn chuckled, "Dude, where'd your weapon go?" he asked in mock seriousness.
"Asshole over here took it." the fighter said smirking as he turned to the case on the wall next to him and found a fire axe sitting on the pegs within. "It's all good though, I think I found something better." he picked the axe up, checking its weight as he held the handle in both hands.
Looking up toward the last two walkers, he walked slowly to the stairs leading to the balcony. "You two stay down here and keep a look out for anymore. I got these guys."
"Try to hurry up, being here for too long won't be good for any of us." Carley said while gripping her pistol.
Nodding to her, Jason walked up the stairs as quietly as possible, reaching the second landing and facing the two walkers as they continued to pound on the walls by the door. He gripped the axe in his hands, heart pounding in his chest as he started walking toward them.
The first walker turned, noticing him coming and began to shuffle its way toward him. Waiting until the right moment, he swung the axe and slammed the flat side against the side of its head and sent it pitching over the railing and falling to the ground head-first with a resounding crunch.
Hearing the noise, the last walker turned only to have its head taken off its shoulders. Jason pulled the axe from the wall and whistled to the others as he approached the door the undead had been trying to get into, hearing the sound of someone crying on the other side.
A board was nailed across the frame sealing it from the outside which had the fighter curious before he knocked loudly on the door itself. "Hello? We're here to help!" he said through the wood.
"Please, just go away!" a woman's voice cried out.
"Let's go guys?" Carley said as she and Glenn stood close by.
"Just hold on a second," Jason said before trying again. "Miss, if you open the door we can take you to a safer place. We've got a group back in town that can take care of you."
"No! No! No! Please!" came the reply.
"She's in trouble!" Glenn said anxiously.
Stepping back from the door, the fighter gripped his axe and raised it. "Hang on, we're coming in!" He swung down and chopped through the board that was sealing the door before trying the knob. Finding it locked he gave it a swift kick when the woman spoke again.
"Stop, just stop! I'm coming out." A moment later the door opened to reveal a young woman with light-brown hair wearing shorts and a purple t-shirt. Her complexion was very pale, dark circles shadowed underneath her eyes that had started to take on a yellowish tint to them.
But what stood out the most about her was the wound on her side that she was covering with her hand, blood seeping out from between her fingers and staining her clothes dark-crimson.
"Oh my god..." Carley said, her face paling.
"I...I said stay away..." the woman whimpered, removing her hand and revealing a chunk of flesh missing from her side. The wound in the distinctive shape of someone's mouth. "I told you. I said go away! I'm bit. But you wouldn't just leave."
"M-Maybe it isn't that bad. You could be fine." Glenn tried to reason,
She shook her head hard, "I won't be fine! My boyfriend was bitten! You get sick and die and you come back and you kill anything you can find!"
"You have a boyfriend?" Glenn asked feeling a bit down. Jason sent him a scathing look that he flinched back from before turning to the distraught woman.
"Is there anything we can do for you?" he asked feeling sympathetic toward the woman's situation.
She looked down toward and saw the Glock in the front pocket of his jeans, "You have a gun. Can I borrow it?"
Carley and Glenn sent her a stunned look. "What do you mean by 'borrow'?" asked the reporter, not liking where this was going.
"I...I don't want to be one of those things, it's not Christian. Please...give it to me, let me end this before it's too late...I don't wanna be one of them! They're...they're...satanic." she pleaded with them.
The fighter looked into her eyes and saw that nothing they could do would change her mind. She wanted to end this on her terms before she turned and was asking for their help. Exhaling slowly, he drew his pistol. "Glenn, grab the supplies you managed to find and get them into your car. Carley, go with him." he said with all emotion gone from his voice.
"Jason, what the hell are you doing?" Glenn said in shock. Carley was in the same state looking at the fighter in a similar fashion.
"Both of you know as well as I do that there isn't a good outcome to this. She wants to do this on her terms, it wouldn't be right to deny her of that." he explained to them not taking his eyes off the woman before him.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Carley really not liking the situation.
Jason nodded, "It's my choice to help her...I won't make you guys stay. Just wait for me down by the car and I'll be there in a minute." The other two hesitated for a few moments before nodding back to him, casting one final look at the sick woman and heading toward the parking lot.
"Thank you so much, I know how terrible this must be." the woman said relieved as the fighter handed her his weapon.
He looked at her sadly, "God bless you ma'am, and may he accept you with open arms." he said knowing that she was religious.
She smiled at him, "Thank you...You're a good man." she raised the gun up and pressed it to her temple. Jason closed his eyes and turned his head as the weapon went off, the splash of blood filled the air before the dull thud of a body hitting the ground.
Opening his eyes, the fighter reached down and picked up his gun. His body and mind numb as he closed the woman's eyes as blood pooled below her head before turning and heading toward the stairs, going down to the parking lot where Glenn and Carley were waiting for him.
X
The ride back was done in silence. No one wanted to speak about what had happened back at the motel. Jason sat in the back, head bowed and eyes closed as the image of seeing the woman moments before she executed herself forever burned into his memory.
It was in this moment that everything finally hit home. A part of himself must have still held on to some belief that this was all still some kind of dream and he'd wake up at some point. Even after all the walkers he'd killed and the near-death moments that could have taken him out, part of his brain still refused to except reality.
But that was all done now. This was reality. Zombies were real, real people were dying out there, some in very horrible and painful ways. There was no waking up, he was in this shit now and there was no turning back.
He popped the clip out of his Glock, counting eight bullets left before snapping it back in place and flicking the safety on. "Jason." glancing up he saw Carley looking back at him with a concerned expression. "You okay?"
"Been better." the fighter said running a hand over his head. "Seen too much death in the last two days...just preparing myself to see more in the near future." his voice was quiet, but devoid of emotion which unsettled the reporter more than she cared to admit.
They lapsed back into silence as Glenn pulled the car into the alley behind the pharmacy, getting out, the trio went through the back entrance into the office and headed straight into the store where everyone stood waiting for them.
"Hay, everything alright?" asked Kenny.
Jason nodded, "Yeah. Couple of close calls, but nothing that couldn't be handled. Glenn's okay...we're all okay."
Glenn bowed his head, hiding his eyes under the bill of his hat. "I've got a few cans of gas for your pickup in the trunk of my car."
The fisherman nodded, "Good to hear."
"How have things been here?" asked Carley.
"Our 'friend' is still in and out over there." Kenny said motioning to Larry who was still slumped on the floor with Lilly watching over him. "He won't survive anymore stress."
Jason nodded, "Then our next task is getting those pills, though the keys don't seem to be in the store. I checked around the alley out back when Carley and I went to go get Glenn and came up with nothing, think I'll check out front and see if they could be there."
The others nodded in agreement just as Clementine pushed her way through the group, reaching her guardian and wrapping her small arms around his waist. "I'm glad you're back." she mumbled into his shirt while the group dispersed.
The fighter smiled down at her as he embraced her back. "Everything been okay here?" he asked.
"Mmmhmm." She looked up and frowned when she looked him in the eye. "Did...did something bad happen?"
Jason sighed, "We...had a bit of trouble when we went to go get Glenn, but everyone's okay. Don't worry." He didn't want to mention anything about the woman taking her own life, better to keep that between himself, Glenn and Carley. "I'm going to go see if I can find the keys to the pharmacy. Stay put for a couple more minutes and I'll be right back." he said handing her, her walkie-talkie back. "Thank you for letting me borrow it."
Clementine nodded her thanks before heading to her spot back behind the counter. The fighter looked toward the front door where Doug was still keeping watch and heading in his direction, picking up his newly acquired axe along the way.
"Anything?" he asked the man.
Doug shook his head, "Nothing, luckily. Want to step outside, have a look around?" he asked.
"The gate outside still holding?" said the fighter.
"Yeah, and the undead seem to be ignoring this place for now. So it should be pretty safe for us if we go out as long as we keep the noise as low as possible." replied Doug. Jason nodded, motioning to the door as they opened it and stepped out into the warm night air.
Both of them paused as they got a good look at the four-way intersection outside the drug store. There were walkers everywhere, losing count around thirty or more all roaming in the streets, a couple of them feeding on a corpse by the store across from where they were standing.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Doug groaned, holding his hand over his mouth seeing one walker pull a long rope of intestines and began ripping into it. "All they do is...eat. And whatever's left..."
"Comes back as one of them." Jason finished, his eyes looking at the horde before them with a calculating gaze. He stopped when he caught sight of the walker he had seen pinned against the dumpster when his group had arrived in town earlier.
He was african-american wearing set of teal-colored scrubs, but regardless of the fact that he was decaying like the others, the fighter recognized him from somewhere. "Over there." he said pointing at the walker in question as they crouched down to avoid detection. "I think that one might have the keys we need to get into the pharmacy."
"How can you be sure?" asked the other man sounding doubtful.
"There was a picture back in the office, he was in it with the people that owned this place. And the name tag he's wearing marks him as an employee. It's the best bet we have at the moment since the keys don't seem to be in the building." said Jason.
Doug thought it over before nodding in agreement. "Alright, we'll give it a shot. How do you want to do this?"
Jason looked around the street again, eyes locking on to the tv store across the street on the other side. Remembering the remote in his back pocket, he took it out and pointed it at the window containing a dozen different sets and pushed the power button.
Nothing.
"Here, let me." Doug said taking the device and tampering with it. "It's a universal remote, I think I might be able to program it to work with those tvs. As long as the powers still on over there." Another second or two later he pushed the power button and the tvs all switched on revealing bright screens filled with static.
A couple of walkers stopped and looked at the screens briefly before going back to their endless stalking. "It's working, but not enough." Jason looked through the bars of the gate and saw a brick laying on the ground just outside. But it was too far out of his reach, he'd have to open the gate to get it and the combination lock Glenn had put on it prevented that.
"I got an idea, but we need to open the gate for it to work." he said to Doug while moving back to the front door, picking up his axe and standing upright before standing in front of the gate. The other man tensed as he positioned the axe just right before reeling back and hitting the lock with enough force to cut through it and knock it to the ground.
Laying the axe to the side, the fighter opened the gate just enough to reach out and pick up the brick he had seen. "I know what you've got in mind." Doug said looking at the window to the tv store, "You only got one shot, you miss...and we're all in trouble."
"Then I better not miss, huh?" Jason stepped out of the safe confines, brick in hand as he gauged the distance he would need to throw before lobbing the brick through the air, over the ambling walkers' heads before it shattered through the glass.
The sound of the breaking window, followed quickly by the blast of white-noise from the static being displayed turned the heads of every undead in the surrounding area. They all moved as one toward the source and began to pile around the now open window where it was at its loudest.
Satisfied with the results, Jason picked up his axe again and turned to Doug. "Keep an eye on those things. They start taking notice, warn me so I can get back here fast." the man nodded as the fighter braced himself before sprinting out of the gate toward the downed walker, trying his best to make his footfalls as soft as possible.
He reached the target in moments, the walker looked up and tried to grab him with its one good arm. Snarling and growling the whole time as it tried to get at the meal that had presented itself.
Being sure to stay out of its reach, Jason looked over to make sure the horde was still distracted before taking the axe in both hands. Raising it over his head and bringing it down on the struggling creature's skull with an echoing crunch/splat. Dark blood and decaying brain matter splattering on the dumpster and the powerline that had been pinning it as it slumped forward.
After pulling the axe free and setting it aside, the fighter began checking the dead man's pockets as quickly as he could. Moving the body around some until he found purchase in the front pockets. "Bingo!" he smirked pulling out a small ring of keys, slipping them into his own pocket before turning and heading back to the store.
"Jason move!" Doug called out. The fighter's head snapped to the side and saw the walkers by the tv store start to turn around, pale eyes locking on to his form and coming at him in a wave. He didn't stick around and bolted for the gate, closing it as best he could before they both went through the door and slammed it behind them.
"Lilly! Got the keys!" Jason called over to her. "We gotta move fast, walkers outside know we're in here and the gate's unlocked." The woman was on her feet as they went straight into the office and toward the pharmacy door.
"You're pretty amazing, you know that." Lilly said thankfully.
"Get back to me when we have the old man's pills and are on our way out of this infested shit-hole." the fighter replied unlocking the door and stepping through. He barely had a moment to register anything as the shrill cry of an alarm screeched through the air. "Oh FUCK!" he shouted over the noise. "EVERYONE, GRAB WHAT YOU CAN AND GET READY TO RUN!"
X
The alarm was so loud that it echoed through the silent town, anyone and anything within six square blocks heard it.
Walkers that had been laying dormant along several streets and alleys slowly rose to their feet, migrating toward all the noise while their remaining instinct to feed drove them. The horde outside the drug store began to steadily grow in number to the point that they stood shoulder to shoulder at the front. Rotten and decaying hands pounding on the boarded up windows, pushing through the unlocked gate and hammering on the doors as well while the people inside started scrambling.
"Duck, baby time to go!" Katjaa said to her son as they started moving to the back. Carley ran to her purse and pulled out a spare clip for her gun and made sure that she was fully loaded while everyone grabbed anything useful.
"I'm gonna get the truck pulled up 'round back!" Kenny shouted out.
"Take Glenn and some gas to get it running!" Jason called after him and tossing his axe through the air that the fisherman caught. "Everyone get into the office and barricade it the best you can, when Kenny and Glenn come around start getting the hell out of here! Me, Doug and Carley will hold up the defenses while you get into place!"
A loud crunch could be heard from the door, "Shit!" Doug shouted throwing himself against it, Carley doing the same as the undead tried to break it down. "This won't last long, get moving now!"
Jason threw his shoulder into the double doors as the pounding grew in intensity. The snarls and groans from the walkers outside becoming a loud chorus as they continued their assault on the splintering entrance.
"Hay, Jason...I just wanted to let you know, if we don't make it through this. I think you're a great guy." Doug said as the doors shook violently.
"We WILL make it, Doug! So stop talking like it's already over!" the fighter shouted back as the door was hit even harder.
Carley strained against the frame, "Doug, if we don't survive. I just thought that you should know-" she was cut off when the doors were shoved open wide enough for a walker to reach its arm inside. Jason brought his arm up, the walker's teeth latching on to the magazine wrapped around his forearm and digging into the pages but not reaching his flesh as he pulled his gun out and shot it in the head. The body pitching back and knocking a couple of others over and allowing them to slam the doors shut again.
Bracing back against it, Jason saw Clementine looking on with an expression of terror. "Clem! Try to find something to help us brace the door shut! Hurry!"
"Okay!" the girl shouted as she started running around the store to look for something. One of the shelves leaning against the windows on the left of the entrance knocked over and walkers began tripping into the store. Carley jumped back, drawing her gun and putting a round through the foreheads of two walkers that came after Doug.
"Carley, keep them off us!" the fighter shouted as he and the other man continued to try and keep the entrance sealed. The doors opened again and they forced it shut while hearing the reporter's gun register again and again. "Clementine! Did you find anything?!"
The girl kept looking frantically, "No! Nothing! Oh wait!" she ran toward the office as the window on the opposite side of the other shattered, multiple arms reaching through as the boards started coming loose.
"That window's screwed!" Doug shouted.
"Go! I got this!" Jason said putting more strength into the doors, digging his heels when his feet started sliding on the floor. "FuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKK!" He strained as the horde continued to push into the barrier between them.
"I found something!" Clementine shouted, running over with the cane they had found in the office earlier. Her guardian grabbed it and slipped it behind him through the door handles, the hard wood of the cane successfully baring the doors and keeping the walkers at bay.
"AH! FUCK!" Doug shouted as the arms reaching around the boarded window and grabbed on to him.
"SHIT! I'M OUT! I'M OUT!" Carley screamed next, a walker on the floor grabbed her ankle. A second stumbling through the window and began to shuffle toward her.
Time slowed to a crawl as Jason looked between the two, Clementine in between them looking back and forth at they called out for help. His hand tightened on the grip of his gun, finger around the trigger as he sprung.
Bam! The undead grabbing at Carley's ankle fell over with a hole drilled through the side of its head. Bam! A second shot followed making the other walker drop to the floor no longer moving. The fighter ran over to Doug and grabbed him, attempting to pull him away from the decaying hands that was already holding him while using the butt of his gun to bash them with soft crunches.
The sound of wood breaking and splintering was heard as the boards finally gave way, "Ah NO! GET THEM OFF ME!"
"DOUG HANG ON!" Jason shouted, grabbing his arms as the walkers began to pull him through the window. One of the creatures sinking its teeth into his neck and tearing a large chunk of flesh away, spilling blood down the man's front as another grabbed his arm and tore into it as well.
Clementine's terrified scream barely registered as the fighter watched the man be pulled through the window. Screaming and begging as the undead pulled him to the ground and began tearing into his body like rabid animals.
"Oh my god..." Carley said horrified, covering her mouth before reloading her weapon and firing on more walkers that poured into the store.
The office door burst open, Kenny standing on the threshold axe in hand. "Let's GO!" he shouted to them as more windows and boards began shattering around them. The cane holding the doors closed finally gave and the horde outside started to flood into the store front.
Clementine yelped loudly as a walker laying prone on the floor reached out to grab her, causing her to trip as it continued to crawl after her. A gunshot from the fighter's weapon stopped it dead before it could get after his charge any more.
"CARLEY! GRAB CLEMENTINE AND GO, I'll COVER YOU!" Jason called out, firing two more rounds into the crowd of walkers. The reporter shook out of her stupor of seeing the man that had saved her being devoured, grabbing the little girl by the hand and leading her toward the office where Larry stood holding the door open.
He fired the last two rounds in the Glock's clip, the slide locking back when it ran empty. The fighter spun on his heel and bolted for the exit-
Having no time to register the large fist coming for him before it connected with the side of his face and knocking him to the floor. His vision swam a moment as Larry glared down at him, "You're not coming with us, you son of a bitch!" he bellowed before disappearing into the office and leaving the younger man to death.
Jason rolled over to his side, face burning and vision still a bit blurred as a walker reached out and grabbed him. He forced his arm up, using his makeshift armor to take the bite that was aimed for his neck. Rotten teeth digging through the pages, some of them breaking off as the monster continued to try and tear through it to reach his skin.
The rest of the horde continued to close in, the chances of escape looking slimmer by the second as the fighter tried to hold off the one still gnawing on his covered arm.
There was a flash of red as a familiar axe burrowed into the skull of the walker and stopping it cold. Looking up, Jason saw Kenny standing over him, holding his free hand out to him. "I'm not letting somebody else get eaten today. Especially a good friend." Their hands clasped, the fisherman pulling him to his feet as they ran into the office. Slamming the door behind them and throwing the nearby furniture in front of it before bolting out of the exit.
Throwing himself in the bed of the truck that was right outside the door, Jason found himself wrapped in a familiar set of small arms as Clementine burrowed into his chest. Kenny leapt into the driver's seat, engine already running as he gunned it, the truck peeling out of the alley and shooting down the street with Glenn's car right on its back bumper.
Both vehicles escaping the undead and leaving Macon in their dust.
X One Hour Later X
The Traveler's Motel was just as silent as it was before. There weren't any new walkers other than the ones that had been killed before when the now larger group pulled up and began to clean the place.
Lilly grunted softly as she tossed another corpse on top of the pile they had going, wiping her hands off on her jeans with a look of disgust. Clementine having watched her with and unreadable expression before heading over to the back end of the RV with Duck following after her.
Everyone else was spread around, either checking supplies or gaining their second wind after their harrowing escape. Jason stood at the entrance to the parking lot, looking farther up the darkened street as the sounds of gunfire and screaming echoed through the night.
His face still ached a bit, a dark-purple and black bruise already forming where Larry had punched him. But it didn't bother him, given his training and past matches back home he was used to this.
Facing the parking lot, he turned to Glenn who was standing by his car looking at the ground in deep thought. "You okay, Glenn?" he asked making the other man look up.
He held up his hand as he listened to the car radio talking about the situation happening back in Atlanta. Saying that the city was now considered a 'Stage 9 Catastrophe' and wasn't looking to be getting any better. "I think I better go..." he said partially to himself.
Those that had heard him looked in his direction. "To Atlanta?" asked the fighter to be sure that he heard right.
"Yeah." he replied with a nod. "I got friends there, and I just can't stay here knowing that they could be trapped in that city. I...I just gotta take my chances."
Jason sighed, looking over to Lilly who was about to say something. He shook his head making her pause before she could start before looking back to the delivery man. "Do what you can. Find your friends. But keep your eyes open and stay out of trouble."
Glenn smiled at him, "Thanks Jase, that means a lot. I don't mean to abandon you all, but this seems like an okay setup, and I'm sure things will be back to normal around here in no time."
The fighter couldn't find it in him to agree with his statement, but nodded regardless. "Here's to hoping."
"Stay safe," Glenn sat in the driver's seat and paused, "And Jase, you know, if this really doesn't get better, people ARE going to give up...like that girl from upstairs." he looked up at Jason who stood motionless, "Are you just going to let them? You gave her the gun."
"I did, and that's my choice to bare, Glenn." the fighter said solumnly. "There's nothing fair about this whole situation, the only thing we can do is what we can to survive and keep what's left of our humanity in tact. But with how things can get, that'll be easier said than done."
"Maybe you're right." the other man said thinking to himself. He looked back up at Jason and nodded to him, "Good luck, seeya around." he closed the door and started the car, pulling out of the parking lot and heading into the darkness.
Watching the tail-lights until they disappeared, the fighter headed back into the parking lot where the others were still taking stock.
"Close call back there, friend." Kenny said turning to him, looking at the shiner under the younger man's eye. "How's that feelin'?"
"I've had worse, trust me on that." Jason replied. "Thanks for coming back for me, I owe you one."
The fisherman shook his head, "Naw, you don't after everything you've done for us. And you were right before, we have to stick together and take care of each other out here." He looked over at Clementine and Duck, his son talking up a storm while the little girl just looked down at her shoes. "You know, there's a lot out there that could mess up a girl like her." he turned back to Jason and smiled, "But, I figured with someone like you looking after her, and her looking after herself. You two have nothing to worry about.
The fighter smiled back and patted his shoulder, "Thanks, Ken."
Kenny grinned, "You got it, Jase." He went back to checking the supplies they had managed to gather leaving the younger man to keep checking on everyone. He looked Carley's way as the reporter dug through a box on a table they had set up off to the side.
Feeling sympathy over what happened back at the store, he headed over that way to speak with her.
"How you holding up?" the reporter looked up at Jason, her face a mask of exhaustion and numbness.
"I'm okay, considering..." she trailed off, looking to the side and not meeting his gaze.
Jason nodded, "Yeah, I can understand that."
Carley looked into his face, "I can't stop thinking about what happened back there, with Doug. We couldn't have saved him...could we?" she asked as though the answer were an easy one.
The fighter blew out a slow breath through his nose. "Everything happened too fast back at the drug store. And has hard as it is to say, we can't change what has happened. All we can do is focus on what could happen next."
"I know it's stupid...we'd just met...and he was such a..." she couldn't seem to find the words to convey her thoughts. "It's just that...I think that I liked him." she finally admitted, a light dusting of her cheeks proving her statement.
Smiling, Jason answered back honestly, "I'm pretty sure that he felt the same, Carley. He was a good man, and wave brave right up to the end. You should be proud of that."
She nodded in agreement, "Thanks, that does help...a little bit. But I think I just wanna be alone right now." she turned back to her task. The fighter decided to respect her wishes and began to make his way over to Clementine to check on her as well. "Wait." He stopped and turned back to Carley who was looking at him with an imploring expression.
"Yeah?" he asked wondering what was on her mind.
"How did you choose? We both needed you...and you picked me first."
He was silent for a couple of seconds, it was something he didn't really have an answer to. "I...just reacted. I would have saved you both if I could, but the odds were against me. Call it instinct, call it a spur of the moment thing, no matter how you look at it, I did what I could with what I was given at the time."
Carley nodded slowly, "I just wish that we both could have made it..."
"Me too." Jason turned and began to walk away, the reporter looking after him with a heavy heart. The amount of pressure that he had taken on in only a couple of hours was more than what most men could have been able to take. And yet he kept pushing forward no matter what, and she found that very admirable despite what has happened.
Pushing down the hard feeling in his gut, the fighter continued on his intended path toward his charge. After everything that had happened he needed to make sure that she was okay considering what she had seen when the store became overrun. He couldn't even to begin to imagine what she was feeling at this point, but it was his responsibility to make sure that she was, at the very least, okay.
"Hay!" he stopped mid-stride. Eyes hardening and fists clenching at the voice of the one person he really didn't want to listen to at that moment.
Turning a cold glare on to Larry who was leaning casually against one of the posts supporting the eave above the motel room doors, his nose the same color as the younger man's cheek with a bit of dried blood still on his upper lip.
Looking around to see the others' attention was elsewhere, he approached the veteran. His body tense as he fought down the urge to beat the man senseless. "The fuck you want?" he asked with more than enough venom in his words.
Larry didn't look the least bit threatened as he glanced over his shoulder, "You like my daughter?" he asked seemingly out of the blue.
"She's a strong, decent woman...considering her father is a muscle-bound jackass." the younger man fired back coldly. The veteran's eyes turned to ice as he stood to his full height, stepping forward to glare down at the one standing before him.
"Then you better remember this." he growled darkly, "Stay away from her. And if you do ANYTHING to threaten her life, or the life of that little girl that's with you. You'll find yourself in a position where you'll be PRAYING for the corpses to take you."
Jason narrowed his eyes, squaring his shoulders as he got right in the man's face. "The feeling's mutual you old fucker. What I said back at the store? That wasn't theatrics. If you threaten the well being of Clementine, or any of my friends like you did before. I'll be making damn FUCKING sure that you'll be nothing more than zombie-chow. Unlike some of the others, I'm someone that can, and WILL fight back."
"And this," he pointed to the bruise on his face, "Was your one free shot. Come at me again, I'll put you on the ground. No bullshit." The two glared at each other heatedly for several more seconds before Larry snorted and backed off, resuming his position against the post and leaving the situation resolved for the time being.
Shaking his head, the fighter continued his trek over to where his charge was listening to Duck continue to ramble on. "Hay Duck, take a break and hang out with your folks a minute so I can talk to Clementine." he said to the boy who nodded and headed off to be with his parents so the two could talk.
Jason kneeled down to his charge's level as she continued to look at the ground. "Hay, sweetheart. How you holding up?" he asked gently.
"I'm okay...I almost got grabbed again though." she replied finally looking up at him. "I...I tripped, and my walkie-talkie broke. Glenn still has the other one."
Jason felt sad for her, "I'm sorry, Clem."
"Thanks. I know I need to be tough, I'm just sad." his charge said back as her lips quivered and her eyes watered. "I know it doesn't make any sense, but it's how I used to talk to my mom and dad. And now they're gone. It's gone."
A pair of strong, warm arms pulled her into her guardian's chest. Holding her close as he ran his hand through her curly hair. "Shh, it's okay baby-girl. I'll help you find another one sometime soon, okay?"
She nodded, hands still fisting his shirt, "I'll just hold on to the one I have for now, to remind me." Jason continued to console her when he heard his name being called, looking up to see Lilly motioning him over.
"Let me go talk to Lilly real quick alright, I'll be right back." he said letting her go and seeing what the woman wanted.
"What's up?" he asked when they were out of earshot, not missing the not-so-subtle leer Larry was sending his way.
Lilly brushed a bit of hair behind her ear and smiled a bit, "My dad would be dead if it weren't for you. A lot of us would be." she admitted.
"Maybe, but not all of us made it." he said thinking about Doug's last moments.
"You can't be like that," she said putting a hand on his arm. "You're only one man. And we're lucky to have you here with us."
Jason smiled back at her just as a couple of loud explosions could be heard somewhere in the distance catching the attention of everyone.
"I hope that's the sound of us winning this thing." Kenny said approaching the other two.
"Me too." said Lilly, hoping.
The fisherman looked around them, "You know, this motor inn's pretty defendable. We block off the entrances with some cars and keep someone on watch and we can stay here until the military rolls through." he said as they approached one of the exits and looked out into the night.
Lilly nodded, "I actually agree with that plan."
"Same here. Better than being out in the open where we can get picked off." added Jason.
They looked down the street, still illuminated by the street lamps as Kenny spoke again. "We've got beds, we've got water and most importantly, we've got light. There are worse places to call home."
"Yeah. You're right." Lilly agreed. "You know guys, I think it's going to be alright."
Not a second later, the street lights started going out one at a time. Followed swiftly by the ones around the motor inn. Clementine ran through the parking lot and clung to Jason's side as the last of the lights went out and they were all plunged into darkness.
A/N: And BOOM! Closed in a common Walking Dead fashion. The first chapter of the game is done, and the second one is right around the corner. I'm pretty happy with the pace right now, but I'll probably slow it down a bit to make sure that everything flows smoothly. So drop your thoughts and reviews at the door and I'll have the next chapter up soon.