A Regular Outbreak
Season Five: Dead Man Walking
Episode Three: On the Road
May 17th, 2024, Late Afternoon
Rigby opened his eyes cautiously. He was exhausted, but he needed the rest. His eyes were half open, he yawned, before opening them fully. He realised they were back in the truck, and that he was lying in Mordecai's arms.
"On the left!" Mordecai shouted. Alpha suddenly turned the truck to the left, slightly tilting it.
"I got it! I got it!" Alpha shouted back, jamming his foot back on the accelerator. Rigby looked up at Mordecai.
"He's awake!" Mordecai exclaimed. He brought Rigby close to his face and hugged him. Sean and Luke peered over the seat.
"What…what happened?" Rigby asked, his voice weaker than ever.
"You passed out from the shock." Alpha replied.
"Shock?" Rigby asked. He felt pain in his left arm and looked over at it. He noticed that half of his arm wasn't there anymore. "My…my arm…!" Rigby exclaimed.
"Don't you remember what happened?" Luke asked.
"No, I don't." Rigby answered.
"We took part of the arm off to make sure you didn't die from the bite." Alpha explained. "I just hope it worked." Alpha sighed.
Rigby pushed himself off Mordecai and sat beside him. Mordecai gave him a worried look, but Rigby decided to ignore it. The raccoon turned his attention to Alpha. "Where are we?" Rigby asked.
"Not sure. We left Eden at sunrise, and we've passed through a few towns since then." Alpha replied. "So, I'm guessing we're close to the border." He added.
"The border to what?" Rigby asked.
"Idaho." Mordecai answered. "Swan Valley isn't far from the border." He added. "Once we get there, we can take you there and get you fixed." Mordecai explained.
Alpha shook his head and sighed. Sean and Luke scooched closer to him. Sean looked up at him. "You think they can fix him?" Sean asked.
"Not sure kid, but I doubt it." Alpha quickly replied. He slowed the car down and turned the steering wheel to the right. "Check the map." Alpha said.
Sean reached under the seat and pulled out a folded up map. He opened the map and scanned it. "There's a town up ahead." Alpha said, directing everyone's attention to the front.
"Can we stop?" Rigby asked.
"No. We have to push on to Swan Valley." Alpha replied, looking over at the side of the road. "We're driving through Bondurant." Alpha said, as they entered the town.
"Okay…we should be fine for a while after we get through it. Eventually we'll reach the end of the route further down the road." Sean explained. "After that, we should turn left not Route 26." Sean finished. "I'll tell you more once we get closer." Sean put the map back under the seat and looked out the front.
"I feel sick…" Rigby muttered. Mordecai looked down at him, then at Alpha, who was looking over at them with a worried face.
"It's alright…you'll be fine." Mordecai felt his forehead. "He's got a hell of a fever." Mordecai shook his head.
"I guess we'll have to stop." Alpha muttered. "Sean, check the map for me, would you?" Alpha asked. Sean nodded and reached back under the seat. He grabbed the map and opened it up.
"What am I looking for?" Sean asked.
"A pharmacy." Alpha replied. "We need to get medicine for Rigby." He added.
Sean scanned the map for Bondurant. Eventually, he found it. He looked down at the bottom map for the street map of it. "Okay…three streets in there is a Pharmacy." Sean explained. "It's got big blue writing out the front of it." Sean added.
Alpha nodded and slowed the truck down. "What street is it on?" Alpha asked.
"Barnaby Drive." Sean answered. Alpha nodded and looked at the street signs as he continued down the road. Eventually, Alpha spotted the street sign he'd been looking for. He turned the truck to the right and entered the street. He suddenly had to stop. "Great, just…great." Alpha muttered, as he stopped the truck.
The whole road was covered with rubble. He glanced to his right and noticed the pharmacy. The name of the store was hanging off the top. "Stay here. I'll be back." Alpha said, opening the driver's side door.
"Are you sure?" Mordecai asked.
"I'm sure, alright?" Alpha replied. Mordecai nodded.
"Wait, what if something happens?" The bird asked.
"Well, if something DID happen, we'd have to find somewhere to meet." Alpha answered. "So…I guess down the road." Alpha shrugged.
Mordecai nodded. Alpha jumped out of the truck. He slammed the door behind him. He walked around the front of the truck and approached the pharmacy. He crawled over the rubble and reached the door.
Alpha pulled the door open and entered the pharmacy. It was dark inside the pharmacy, the windows were all boarded up, and there were no candles. He heard a noise at the back of the store. He crouched down and slowly began to move towards the noise. He walked down the aisle to reach to the back.
Once he got there, he noticed a generator. He approached it and looked at it intently. "What's this doing here?" He asked.
Suddenly, the lights of the pharmacy lit up. Alpha looked up at the roof, as the lights continued to flash on. "Hands up." Alpha heard somebody say. He turned around and put both of his hands up.
"Take it easy." Alpha said. The person who had told him to put his hands up approached him. Alpha noted that it was a fox. The fox raised a crossbow to Alpha's head. "That your people outside?" The fox asked, looking at Alpha.
Alpha nodded. "Yes…they are." He said. "You aren't gonna hurt me, right?" Alpha asked.
The fox shook his head and lowered the crossbow. "It ain't loaded anyway." He said, lowering the crossbow to his thigh. Alpha lowered his paws and looked at the fox.
"What's yer name?" The fox asked, folding his arms.
"Alpha…" Alpha replied, hesitating a little. "What's yours?" He asked.
"Jay." The fox answered. He outstretched his hand. Alpha shook his hand and looked back at the generator.
"Do you have any spare supplies?" Alpha asked. Jay nodded. "We need, um…well." Alpha thought for a second. "We've got a man wounded. He has a fever and he's in a lot of pain." Alpha exclaimed.
"What's wrong with him?" Jay asked.
"He got bit yesterday." Alpha replied. "We had to take part of his arm off to make sure he didn't get infected." Alpha explained.
"Here…I'll be right back." Jay said, walking into the back room. Alpha looked around the pharmacy for a few seconds, before Jay returned. "Here." Jay handed him two medicine bottles and a bandage.
"This'll take care of the fever." Jay said, pointing to one of the medicine bottles. "The other will help with the pain." Jay continued. "And the bandages are just for good measure." Jay finished.
"Thank you so much." Alpha smiled at him. "I honestly thought you were gonna 'off me." Alpha glanced at the door of the pharmacy. "Look…" Alpha began. "We're going to take our friend somewhere safe." Alpha continued.
"Ever heard of a place called Swan Valley?" Alpha asked.
Jay nodded. "Yeah, I have." He answered.
"Well…we could use some extra help…do you want to come along with us?" Alpha asked. Jay remained silent for a second, before looking around the pharmacy.
"Actually…yes…I'd like to join ya." Jay answered. Alpha nodded and threw his backpack back over his shoulder. "Well…come along then." Alpha began to walk to the front of the store. Jay reached behind the generator and pulled out a small green backpack.
"Let's get moving then." Jay walked through the store. Alpha pushed the door open and Jay followed him outside. Alpha led Jay to the truck. Alpha opened the driver's seat door and entered the truck. "Who's that?" Sean asked, as Jay entered the back seat.
"He's gonna help us get to Swan Valley." Alpha whispered back. Jay shut the door behind him and sat beside Mordecai. He looked down at his arms and saw Rigby.
"Is he alright?" Jay asked, eyeing the unconscious raccoon.
Mordecai ignored him and continued caressing his smaller friend. Jay looked down at Rigby's missing hand and shook his head. 'I sure as hell hope that he's alright.' He thought to himself.
He didn't know these people, but that didn't mean that he couldn't mourn for them. Alpha turned the key and started the truck.
Alpha handed his backpack to Sean and told him to pass it to Mordecai. Sean nodded and reached over the back seat. "Here." Sean said, putting the bag beside him. Mordecai looked over at Sean, and put one hand in the backpack.
He pulled out a medicine bottle. "Fever-Away." He read. "Perfect." He muttered. He opened the medicine bottle and pulled out two capsules. "Should I give them to him now?" Mordecai asked.
Alpha looked over the back seat and glanced at Rigby. "He asleep?" He asked. Mordecai nodded. "Try to wake him up. If you can't…then you might have to just shove 'em down his throat." Alpha explained.
The wolf turned the steering wheel to the left and the truck began rolling towards the main road. Alpha turned right and pushed his foot harder on the accelerator. Jay looked back over at Mordecai, who was trying to wake his smaller partner up.
"Come on." Mordecai tapped the raccoon on his nose. After a few minutes of trying to wake him up, he gave up. He opened Rigby's mouth and dropped the capsules into it. "There you go…" He whispered.
Jay folded his arms and looked out of his window. He kept his crossbow on his lap and his backpack on the ground in front of him. Jay leant on the frame of the window and sighed. He was exhausted, so he took this time to try to get some sleep.
Jay felt his eyelids getting heavy. His eyesight slowly began to fade and he eventually fell asleep onto the frame.
Sean watched Jay fall asleep on the frame, before glancing back at Luke. "Who's the new guy?" He whispered to him. Luke shrugged. Sean noticed the crossbow and turned to Alpha. "Think he'll hurt anyone of us?" Sean asked.
"I doubt it." Alpha replied. "Try not to worry about it alright? We're just giving him a lift to Swan Valley." Alpha continued. "If it will make you feel better, grab his crossbow." Alpha suggested. Sean looked back over the seat and eyed the crossbow that's in his lap.
"There's no arrows in the crossbow." Sean noted.
"And he said there were none in his backpack either." Alpha said. Sean sat back in his seat and crossed his legs.
"Hey…Alpha." Luke said.
"Yeah, kid?" Alpha looked over at the smaller kid.
"Will it be safe there?" Luke asked.
"Safe where?" Alpha looked back over at him.
"Swan Valley." Luke replied.
"I…I'm sure it will be fine. They…they might be strict, but if that means that there's a chance that this group can survive, you'll have to deal with it." Alpha answered. "Don't worry, even if something goes down there, all of us will be here to help you out." Alpha smiled at the two.
"Not all of us." Sean sighed. Alpha shook his head, he knew that Sean was referring to Rigby.
"Remain positive kid. It'll keep your spirit going." Alpha said. "Spirit is what drives us, haven't you seen FurryMon?" Alpha asked.
Sean and Luke gasped at the same time. "Oh! I love that show!" Sean chuckled.
"Oh man, same here!" Luke exclaimed.
"Even I loved that show." Alpha chuckled. "I didn't think FurryMon was still cool." Alpha added.
"It was." Sean replied. "I had all of the figures!" Sean exclaimed, excitedly.
"I doubt it. There's like a million to collect." Luke argued.
"I'm sure there's not that many." Alpha shrugged.
"Actually…" Sean said, reaching under the seat. "I think I still have a few of them in my backpack." He added, placing his backpack on his lap.
"Which ones ya got?" Luke asked, looking over Sean's shoulder. Sean reached into his backpack and pulled out a small figure. One of its arms fell off when he took it out.
"Damn it…" Sean sighed. "Well, this is the only one I got." Sean handed it to Luke.
"I haven't seen this one before…cool." Luke examined the figure. Sean looked over at Alpha. 'The map!' Sean thought to himself.
Sean reached under his seat and pulled out the map. "Ah, good idea." Alpha broke the silence.
"Which way do I go?" Alpha asked.
"Further down the highway, we'll reach a fork in the road. Turn left and eventually we'll reach Alpine." Sean explained.
"Good, it should be night time by then." Alpha replied. Sean showed the map to Luke and they both made their observations, while Alpha concentrated on the road.
Meanwhile, in the back seat. Mordecai continued to cradle the raccoon in his arms. "You'll be fine…alright?" Mordecai whispered, rubbing Rigby's forehead. "You continue to get some rest friend, we'll be at Swan Valley before you know it." Mordecai smiled. Mordecai rested his wing on Rigby's heartbeat.
Mordecai calmed himself down by listening to the raccoon's heart beats. He knew that Rigby was going to be fine, he knew it in his heart. He looked over at Alpha, who was intently watching the road. Mordecai was lucky to have such good friends to keep them safe. He looked to the right, to Jay, who was sound asleep.
'I hope I get a chance to properly talk to him.' Mordecai thought to himself. 'If he can help us get to the haven, we will all owe him our lives.' Mordecai continued.
Mordecai closed his eyes and held Rigby close to his chest. He noticed the smaller one's breathes begin to get gravelly. It was as if Rigby was struggling to breathe. He pushed these thoughts away and held Rigby against his chest.
"Goodnight." He whispered, before falling asleep against his seat.
Meanwhile
A sudden gunshot awakened a sleeping mole. She gasped and sat up, hitting the end of the bed by accident. "Damn it…" She muttered. "Hey…HFG." She whispered, tapping the side of the bed.
HFG got up from his covers and flew up to the top bunk. "You hear that noise, too?" HFG asked, rubbing his eyes. Eileen nodded. "Should we go check it-…" Another gunshot echoed through the area.
"Take 'em down!" Someone outside of the tent shouted. "I can't see him!" Somebody else shouted. A few more gunshots rung through the air. Eileen jumped down from the top bunk. Eileen and HFG approached the entrance to the tent and peeked through the crack.
Soldiers were hiding behind cover, their guns at the ready. One of them peeked out of cover and pulled the trigger of the assault rifle he was holding, emptying a clip into a nearby person.
Suddenly, a soldier approached the entrance to the tent. Eileen and HFG backed off as he entered the tent. "What's going on?" Eileen asked. The soldier panted after he entered.
"We…we got some…some intruders outside. Just…remain inside the tent, while we deal with it." The soldier ordered. "Got it?" The soldier asked. Eileen and HFG nodded. "Just stay inside the tent, when we've taken care of it, we'll come back to check on you all." The soldier explained.
"Mmk." Eileen nodded. The soldier thanked them and left the tent. "I guess we should try to get some shut-eye." Eileen said, climbing up onto the top bunk. HFG agreed and laid on the bottom bunk of the bed.
A few minutes later, the noises outside subsided, and sure enough, two soldiers entered the tent. "You two alright?" One of them asked. Eileen nodded.
"What was all the commotion outside?" Eileen asked, sitting up on her bed.
"Some people came to the gate, asking to enter." The other soldier answered. "There were like, six of them." He added.
"And, due to a capacity issue, we could only let two in." The first soldier pointed to the other bunk bed across from them. "Fortunately they didn't agree, and decided to try to take us over." He continued.
"Are they all gone?" Eileen asked.
"Yeah, they're gone. Try to get some sleep now, alright? We're gonna need some help from you to help clean up some of the mess we just recently made outside." The second soldier pointed to the entrance of the tent. "And we know you are a good volunteer." He added.
"Yeah, I'd like to help." Eileen replied. "If it helps keep this place safe for everybody else, then I'll do everything I can to assist you." She added.
"We oughta make you a soldier at this rate." The first soldier chuckled. "Okay, get some rest." He added. Eileen nodded and laid back down on the bed. She covered herself with the covers, while the two soldiers left the tent.
Eileen closed his eyes and adjusted her position on the bed. "Night." Eileen said.
"Night." HFG replied. HFG closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.
Five hours later
Alpha lowered his eyelids, he was losing concentration and consciousness. He had been driving for hours, without a single break. Plus, the snow that was piling up on the windscreen made it much harder for him to see what's around him. Even with the windscreen wipers on. Alpha slowed the truck down and rolled down the window halfway. He looked outside the window, the snow hitting his face.
He slowed the truck down further and noticed a sign on the side of the road. 'Alpine'. He read. They were finally there. Alpine. One of the closest cities to the border, and Swan Valley couldn't be any further away. Alpha couldn't even tell what time it is, due to the clouds of snow covering the skies above him.
During the time he'd begun driving again, a snow storm had begun, and it was far from over. Along the way, he would see clumps of walkers on the side of the road. He had noticed that the cold had rendered the walkers almost completely still.
He took note of this, so he would remember it for the future. "Hey, we're here." He said, as they entered Alpine. Mordecai opened his eyes and stretched. "We…we what?" He asked, yawning mid-sentence.
"We're at Alpine." Alpha repeated. "Be prepared, and get your gear ready. It's freezing outside." Alpha warned. Mordecai nodded and looked down at his friend, who was still in his hands. Mordecai noticed Rigby's skin become paler. He shook his friend awake.
"Urgh…wh…what?" Rigby opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the bird. "Are…are we there yet?" Rigby asked, in a gravelly voice.
"Not yet…but we're almost there." Mordecai replied. Rigby sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.
"I…I feel…I feel a little better." Rigby said.
"You don't look better." Mordecai gave him a sceptical look.
"I don't?" Rigby replied. "I feel a lot better…" Rigby repeated. "You got any water on you? It feels like I haven't had any in forever." Rigby asked, looking down at where his hand should've been. "It's crazy…I keep doing a double take on my hand…expecting it to be there…" Rigby chuckled.
"Me too." Mordecai chuckled along with him. The blue jay reached over the raccoon, his chest pressed up against the smaller one's face. Mordecai reached for his backpack and pulled out a small bottle of water from one of the outside pockets.
He shook the bottle and opened the lid. "There's half a bottle left." Mordecai said, pressing the bottle against Rigby's lips.
"I can do this on my own." Rigby took the bottle from Mordecai's hands. The bird looked to the right and noticed Jay waking up. The fox stretched and put the crossbow on the ground behind the seat in front of him. Jay reached for his backpack and put it on his lap. Mordecai watched him open the main pocket and pull out a small pistol. Jay reached into the backpack and pulled out a magazine. Jay emptied the empty magazine from his pistol and added the newer one. He put the magazine in place. The clicking sound alerted Alpha, who looked over the back seat.
Alpha eyed the pistol and shook his head. Mordecai looked back over at the backpack, but something else caught his eye. He noticed a nametag on the front of the backpack.
Mordecai gasped when he read the name.
'Jamie'
Wow! I finally got off my sorry ass and made another chapter. *Clap* Hooray for me! I'm so sorry for the long wait, I've had tons of work to do, seeming as the school year is coming to a close for me, and I have a lot of preparations to do.
And, this is pretty important. I'm losing interest in this story, due to the lack of reviews. I will continue this story until it's end, but I would be happier if I could get a few reviews to tell me if I'm doing an alright job. Because this may be my final massive RS fic.
And I'm sure nobody remembers Jamie. She was a fellow survivor that Mordecai and Rigby came across almost immediately after they escaped the prison. So how does he have her bag? What happened to her? Will Rigby survive?
Find out in the next chapter of A Regular Outbreak. (Only two to go!)