A Regular Outbreak

SEASON ONE: AMERICA'S DOWNFALL

A/N; the previous chapter name was a reference to an Episode of 'The Walking Dead', made by TellTale games. Also, some events in these chapters are inspired by the games itself. The forest they're in, is the forest beside the same Highway that is in 'The Walking Dead' Episode 3, you'll find out how important it is if you play it.

Episode Four: The Problem With Wolves

9th of March, 2024, Evening

Day 235, 7 Months after a Long Road Ahead

On a snowy evening, somewhere in the depths of the forests of Georgia, Five friends sat around a small campfire, which had a rabbit tied above it. Mordecai and Rigby were sitting close together, with a blanket covering their backs, while Micheal and his family were all huddled up together opposite Mordecai and Rigby. "Dad…I'm cold." Sean grumbled, snuggling into his mother's chest. "Sorry son…this is the best we can do." Micheal sighed.

"How do you think Taylor and Chris are going?" Carly asked. "I'm sure they're fine. Before Taylor took the SUV, she said she was taking her son to California. To the 'safe place'." Micheal answered. "It's been…god knows how long. Do you think they made it?" Mordecai asked, glancing at the wolves. "I'm sure they did. They're strong people." Rigby reassured his friend. "How's the rabbit cooking?" Carly asked. "It should be almost ready." Rigby said, standing up. "We should probably put some more sticks on the fire. It looks like it's gonna go out." Micheal recommended. Rigby nodded and grabbed a pile of sticks and threw them on the fireplace.

"Daddy?" Sean glanced up at his father, shivering. "Yeah, son?" Micheal looked down at his son, with a worried expression on his face. "Are we going to California too?" Sean asked. "Hopefully." Carly pet her son's head softly. Suddenly, rain began to fall. "Oh dude! The fire!" Mordecai exclaimed, glancing at the campfire, which started to be doused by the rain. "Okay, stay here, I'll go back to the car to grab my backpack." Rigby said, running off into the woods.

A few minutes, Rigby returned with a worn school-backpack and sat it beside the campfire, which had just been doused by the rain. "Got a lighter?" Mordecai asked. "Yeah, I got one." Rigby said, pulling a lighter out of his backpack. He grabbed a piece of paper and flicked the lighter. He set the paper on fire and threw it onto the campfire. "It won't stay lit for long." Micheal shook his head. "It'll do for now." Rigby sighed.

"Think the rabbit's cooked now?" Micheal asked, softly. "Well, it will take longer to cook during the rain…but it might be finished in about…half an hour?" Rigby studied the rabbit. "That's too long for a meal that'll only feed a few of us…" Carly shook her head in disappointment. "I know. It's all I could find." Mordecai sighed. "We know you're trying to provide for us. We appreciate the help at least." Carly glanced at her husband. Micheal suddenly felt uneasy. "I'm gonna hit the hay…" Micheal yawned. "We really don't have any." Sean glanced up at his father. Micheal just rolled his eyes and pet Sean on the head, before laying down on the grass and closing his eyes.

"We need to get to California." Mordecai spoke up. "We know." Rigby closed his backpack. "You think that's a good idea?" Carly asked, a little sceptical of Mordecai's statement. "What do you mean?" Mordecai asked, confused by the question. "Well…what is in California that isn't the same as here?" Carly questioned. "It's supposed to be safe, closed off by the military." Rigby answered. "How do we know that though? It could be just a lie." Carly shrugged. "That's stupid, Carly." Mordecai crossed his arms. "Maybe, but think logically." Carly smirked. Rigby growled. "I'm going to bed." Rigby said, sitting beside Mordecai and resting his head on Mordecai's chest. Carly just sighed and glanced at her son, who'd fallen asleep. Carly kissed her son on the forehead and carefully rested him beside Micheal. Carly laid down beside them, facing away from Mordecai and Rigby.

A few minutes later, Carly drifted off to sleep. Only Rigby and Mordecai were the ones that were still awake. "Mordecai." Rigby said. No answer. "Mordecai." Rigby called his name again. "Urgh…eh? Rigby?" Mordecai yawned, then opened his eyes. "Do you ever miss home?" Rigby asked, softly. "Of course I do…anyone sane would, the trips to the arcade, barbeques with friends and hanging out with mates at the bar. That's what we live for." Mordecai explained. "Without those things, what's the point in living?" Mordecai glanced down at his friend, who'd fallen asleep after making that statement.

Mordecai held his friend tight, holding him close to his chest. "Night man." Mordecai said, quietly. Mordecai's eyes gradually closed and he eventually fell asleep.

The next day, the five friends were back on the road to California. "Mordecai?" Rigby turned to his friend, who was focusing on driving. "Yeah?" Mordecai answered. "Whatever happened to Benson?" Rigby asked. "Wow! I completely forgot about him. I don't even know if he's alive." Mordecai chuckled slightly. "You think he made it to California like Skips and HFG planned on doing?" Rigby questioned. "Not sure. Your guess is as good as mine." Mordecai shrugged.

"I feel like we're lost." Carly muttered. "So do I." Micheal said, softly. "Mordecai...you think we should go to California? We could get down there and find out there was no military camp." Rigby explained. "Well then, we'll just leave and go somewhere else." Mordecai shrugged. "We could go south." Carly shrugged. "Going south is a death wish. Most of the population lives down there." Mordecai glanced back at Carly, before glancing back at the road. "Damn it." Carly muttered.

After crossing a railway crossing, the car continued to drive along the highway, heading north. Less than an hour later, Mordecai noticed a gas station and pulled the car over. "We should get some fuel." Mordecai said, stopping the car in front of one of the pumps. "I'll refuel." Rigby said, getting out of the car. Mordecai watched his friend get out of the car and glanced at the back seat. "Mordecai." Carly said, glancing back at the blue jay. Mordecai nodded, letting Carly know that he was listening to her. "You do realize that you're the only one here that thinks we should go to California." Carly stated. "I'm trying to make the right decision!" Mordecai shouted. "There's no point in yelling, I'm only trying to help." Carly backed off.

Rigby finished refuelling the car, and put it back on the hook. He walked around the front of the car to get back into the passenger seat. Suddenly, a bullet sped past him and skimmed across the pavement in front of him. Rigby took cover behind the car. "The hell?" Mordecai exclaimed. Suddenly, more bullets began to fly, shattering some of the car's windows and popping the car's two right tires. Micheal led his family out to the left side of the car, where they were safe. And Mordecai quickly jumped out of the car, and sat behind the cover with Micheal's family.

"Someone's taking pot-shots at us." Rigby stated. "No shit!" Mordecai exclaimed. "Are we going to die?" Sean asked, rather calmly. "No, I promise." Micheal glanced at his son. Rigby glanced at the fuel station, that's where the bullets were coming from. Rigby noticed another building that he could reach, if the shooter was distracted. Rigby opened the car door and grabbed an empty bottle of whiskey. "Where'd that come from?" Micheal asked, as Rigby shut the car door.

"I…found it during the last raid." Rigby sighed. "Thanks a lot Rigby, I could've really used a swig of that." Micheal rolled his eyes. Rigby just ignored Micheal and threw the bottle in the opposite direction where the shooter was aiming, distracting him. Rigby got on all fours and quickly sprinted to the next cover. "What the hell are you doing!?" Mordecai whispered loudly. "Saving our asses." Rigby whispered back, before running to the next cover. He glanced at the gas station. He could see a pair of hands leaning against the window, holding a pistol of some kind.

Rigby sprinted over to the gas station and silently opened the back door. Rigby slipped inside cautiously, trying not to be heard. Rigby noticed that he was standing in a kitchen. Rigby walked silently over to a counter, the power was out so he couldn't see the shooter very well, but he could see him.

Rigby quietly leaped over the counter and grabbed his pocket knife from his pocket. A/N; How original. He snuck up to the shooter, but suddenly stopped. He was having second thoughts. "What if they're friendly?" Rigby thought to himself. "No, they're not. They shot at us." Rigby's conscience was fighting with itself. Rigby quickly lunged at the shooter, stabbing him in the back. "Ah! Jesus!" The man exclaimed. He dropped the gun and collapsed onto the floor. Rigby pulled out the pocket knife and grabbed the gun, which had fallen onto the floor.

"Please…help me…" The man groaned in pain. "You could've killed us." Rigby growled. "I was just scared…please don't leave me to die." The man groaned. Rigby shook his head and walked out of the gas station. "No! Come back!" The man screamed. "Rigby? What happened?" Mordecai asked, noticing Rigby was approaching the car. "It was just a gun wielding maniac." Rigby replied. "'Just?'" Carly stood up, slowly. Micheal and his son stood up aswell. "He put up a good fight…I had to take him down. Anyway, I found this." Rigby lied, holding up the gun he'd found.

"It's a Glock." Micheal glanced at the gun. "Since when did you know about guns?" Mordecai asked. "Since forever! I love guns!" Micheal exclaimed. Carly rolled her eyes. "There's some tires in the station. We can repair the car." Rigby said, changing the subject. "Let's go get them." Mordecai said, walking over to the gas station. Rigby sighed and followed him.

While Mordecai and Micheal were fixing the car, Carly and Sean were in the back talking to each other, while Rigby was looking at the gun he'd acquiring during the raid. "Wait…there's writing on this…" Rigby muttered, turning the Glock. There was a word on there, which was scribbled with a sharp object. It read; BARON. "Hmmm…" Rigby glanced at the Glock. "Alright, we're off." Micheal said, getting into the front. Mordecai got into the back with Carly and Sean.

"Well…that was quick." Rigby commented. "I know a thing or two about these things." Micheal replied, getting into the front seat. "Anyone need to use the restrooms before we leave?" Micheal asked, looking at the back seat. "I'm not pissing on a tree again, I'm gonna head to the restrooms." Carly answered. "Gross." Mordecai cleared his throat. "You need to use the toilet, Sean?" Carly turned to the kid. "Yeah…" Sean answered, shyly. "Come on then." Carly opened the back door and helped Sean out of the car.

"Where are the toilets?" Carly asked. "Right there." Micheal pointed to a restroom beside a sign. "Thanks." Carly thanked him. Micheal watched his wife and kid disappear behind the restrooms. "Okay Sean, you're old enough to go by yourself. I'll be right next door, okay?" Carly pointed to the ladies' restroom.

"Yes mom." Sean watched her mom enter the restroom. Sean glanced at the men's side, with a worried look on his face. He sighed and pushed the door open. He noticed a dead man lying on the floor, wearing a yellow shirt. The wolf closed his eyes ran into one of the stalls, paranoia flowing through him. "There's no one else in here…" Sean tried to keep himself calm. Sean sighed and locked the door behind him, just in case. A few seconds later Sean unlocked the stall and pulled his pants back up. Sean walked up to the sink. "All these germs…"

The wolf glanced at his hands, with a disgusted look on his face. Sean tried to reach the sink, but he could only reach the edge. He put his paws on the edge of the sink and pulled himself up. "So glad I'm wearing shoes." Sean commented, standing on the sink. The wolf glanced at the faucet. "Please have water." He sighed.

He turned the knob beside the faucet on, but no water came out. "Figures." Sean jumped down from the sink. Suddenly, he heard screaming coming from the women's toilets. Sean sprinted over to the door and pushed it open. The wolf ran into the ladies' toilets, looking for the source of the screaming. "Mom?" Sean called her name.

Sean gasped, his mother was being devoured by a zombie. "Mom!" Sean screamed. "MOM!" Sean screamed. Sean could hear some footsteps outside and some voices while he watched the event unfold in front of him. "…I heard screaming. Did it come from here?" One of the voices said. "It came from here." Micheal said, bursting into the ladies' toilets. "Sean! What's the matter?" Micheal asked.

Sean didn't take his eyes off of his mother. "Sean? What're you…Carly…? No!" Micheal shouted. "Oh man…" Mordecai sighed. Micheal ran over to Carly, who was still being devoured. The larger wolf frantically searched his pockets for his knife. After a few seconds, he eventually found it and plunged the knife deep into the zombie's head. The zombie ceased to move. "Mom?" Sean glanced over at his mother, who wasn't moving. "Come on Sean." Rigby walked in and led the kid outside.

"Everything…everything is going to shit!" Sean exclaimed. Rigby and Mordecai glanced at each other, with worried looks on their faces. "I'll take him back to the car, go check on Micheal." Rigby said, looking at the wolf. Mordecai nodded and walked back into the ladies' toilets. "Honey…? Wake up…" Micheal was on top of Carly's body, trying to wake his already deceased wife up.

Meanwhile, Rigby took Sean back to the car and sat with him in the back seat. "Mom's dead." Sean said, bluntly. "I'm sorry Sean. I don't know what I can do." Rigby sighed. "I understand. You couldn't do anything else." Sean sighed. "Thanks Sean." Rigby shook his head. "You're a strong kid, you know that?" Rigby complimented the kid. "Thanks Rigby, you aren't too bad yourself." Sean playfully punched the raccoon. "You know…it is okay to cry, you know?" Rigby explained. "I know. I'm distraught but…I just…can't cry. I don't know why…" Sean sighed. "Is there something wrong with me?" Sean glanced at the raccoon. "Of course not. Why do you ask that? Is it because you're not crying?" Rigby asked, confused.

"Yeah." Sean sighed. "People deal with death differently than others. Like…when Felix died, I was distraught, we were friends for years. I cried for him when he died. But when my brother died, I felt…guilt. As if I could've done something…more…" Rigby suddenly died down. Sean pat the raccoon on the back. "Sorry." He apologized.

Meanwhile, back in the restrooms, Mordecai was trying to convince Micheal to leave. "Micheal! We have to go…come on!" Mordecai shouted. "I should've never let you come here alone…" Micheal cried. "Micheal!" Mordecai shouted. "Why couldn't I just come with you…? This fucking world…how am I…" Micheal stuttered. "Come on!" Mordecai shouted. "I can't raise our child by myself...please…" Micheal cried.

Just then, Carly started to move. "Micheal! Come on!" Mordecai shouted. "Oh! You're alive…thank god…" Micheal hugged his wife. Suddenly, Carly sunk her teeth into Micheal's neck, causing Micheal to scream in pain. Mordecai watched Carly devour her husband and shook his head.

Mordecai shook his head and walked out of the restrooms. "They're both dead…what am I gonna tell Sean?" Mordecai glanced at the car. "There's nothing else I can say…I have to tell him." Mordecai sighed. He walked over to the car, slowly. Rigby looked out the window of the car and then looked at Sean. "Stay here." Rigby said, getting out of the car. Sean watched Rigby walk over to Mordecai, who was standing a few metres away.

"What happened? Where's Micheal?" Rigby asked. "He's dead." Mordecai bluntly said. "What? How?" Rigby asked, astonished and saddened by the answer. "Carly turned…he…he didn't see her coming." Mordecai sighed. Rigby just stared at the ground. "I'm sorry Rigby." Mordecai pat his friend on the back. "It's not that…it's that Sean has no family now." Rigby glanced back at the car. "What are we going to do?" Rigby looked up at his spouse. "I…I don't know." Mordecai sighed. "We have to tell him." Rigby said, walking back towards the car. "Okay…but…break it off slowly." Mordecai suggested.

"Oh, so I have to tell him." Rigby put his paws on his hips. "No…you don't have to." Mordecai rolled his eyes. "Shut up man." Rigby growled at his friend, before walking back to the car. "What was that for?" Mordecai asked, offended. Rigby just ignored him and walked back to the car. "Sean?" Rigby opened the back door of the car. "I know he's dead." Sean sighed. "Oh…um…" Rigby said, awkwardly. "It's okay…but…what am I gonna do?" Sean asked. "You can stay with us…its fine." Mordecai looked through the window. "I guess." Sean sighed. "I think I want to be left alone." Sean said, quietly.

Rigby nodded and closed the door. "Where are we going?" He asked. "I don't know…um…there's no way we can stay here…so maybe…um…I don't know." Mordecai sighed. "Don't worry, we'll find something, I'm sure." Rigby walked around the car and sat in the front passenger seat. Mordecai got into the driver's seat and closed the door.

"Where are we going?" Sean asked, quietly. "Somewhere safer." Rigby half-lied. "Good." Sean sighed. "'Somewhere safer?'" Mordecai repeated, quieter. "Well…what else did you want me to say?" Rigby glared at him. "Okay, I'm sorry." Mordecai shook his head. "Just go straight, I'm sure we'll find something." Rigby glanced at the road in front of him. "Let's go." Mordecai started the car. The car pulled out of the gas station and was back on the highway a few seconds later.

The next few hours were filled with silence. There was talking, no asking for directions, the only sounds were the occasional cough or sneeze. "Did we even check the glove boxes or in the trunk for anything?" Rigby asked, finally breaking the silence. "Yeah, we got some spare tires in the trunk." Mordecai answered. "What about the glove boxes?" Rigby asked. "Nope, didn't check them." Mordecai replied. Rigby shrugged and opened the glove box in front of him.

Immediately after being opened a bunch of pamphlets and magazines fell onto the floor. Rigby picked up a bunch of them. "What is it?" Mordecai asked. "A bunch of tourist pamphlets and several Playboy magazines." Rigby chuckled. "Eh." Mordecai shrugged. "Don't like Playboy?" Rigby questioned. "You're the only Playboy I need. I don't need a magazine when I can have the real thing." Mordecai chuckled. "Nice one." Rigby rolled his eyes. Rigby stuffed the magazines back into the glove box, excluding the pamphlets and brochures.

"Eh…let me see." Rigby said, holding the pamphlets and brochures in his hands. He began to read some of them, putting them in the glove box after he'd finish reading each one.

"'Brigands Café'… 'Washington Monument'…" Rigby read. "Think these guys were tourists?" Mordecai asked, jokingly. Rigby chuckled. "Wait…what's this?" Rigby said, holding one pamphlet in his hand. "What is it?" Mordecai asked, keeping his eyes on the road. "Apparently there's a General Store." Rigby answered. "So?" Mordecai looked at the raccoon, confused. "Dude, it's just off this highway." Rigby glared at him. "It is? Oh! Where is it then?" Mordecai asked, scanning the road.

"There's a map of Georgia on the back of the brochure too, it says…Highway 34…it even has the railroad tracks written on here…we crossed them hours ago." Rigby said. "How can we tell where we are?" Mordecai asked. "It says it's on a dirt road called 'Barney's Drive'." Rigby replied. "So…we just look for 'Barney's Drive'?" Mordecai turned to his friend. Rigby nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Mordecai shrugged and continued to drive.

Sure enough, Twenty minutes later, they found the dirt road and turned off the highway. "Okay, how far down is it?" Mordecai asked. "Dude, it's a brochure map, just look at the road." Rigby put the brochure inside the glove box and helped Mordecai search for the store. "Why are we out here?" Sean asked. "We're searching for a store where we can make a home at." Rigby answered. "Oh…okay." Sean quieted down.

"There it is." Rigby pointed it out. "Okay…let me park the car." Mordecai said, parking the car beside the store. "Let's get inside." Mordecai said, turning the car off. Rigby glanced at the back seat, where Sean was sitting and shrugged. "Let's go." Rigby got out of the car and walked over to the store with Mordecai. Sean got out of the car and followed them over.

"Is it open?" Mordecai asked. "Only one way to find out." Rigby said, walking up some steps onto the porch. Rigby glanced at the door. "It's been boarded up." Rigby commented. "Does that mean that…Mordecai?" Rigby turned around. Sean and Mordecai weren't there anymore. "The hell?" Rigby commented. "Mordecai?! Sean!?" He exclaimed. "This isn't funny!" Rigby shouted. Suddenly, Rigby's face was covered with a bag. The bag was squeezed tightly around the raccoon's neck, so that he couldn't breathe.

A few seconds later, Rigby fell unconscious.

There we go, another chapter of ARO. Sorry for the wait, I was on holiday for a few days, my apologies. Well, at least you have a new chapter now. :D There are serious flaws in this chapter, but whatever, I'm exhausted.

I would've written more, but I've had a big day. Don't worry, another chapter will be up soon.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter.

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Goodbye

R.S.M.