Chapter 4
I woke up by myself this time, light of the dawn cracking through the tent flap. I opened my eyes to see a large puff of ruby red over my eyes. It tickled a lot. I chuckled, poking Ruby on the side. I realized that she had snuggled under my right arm. She looked adorable as she slept. I kept poking, and then she woke up. Her eyes fluttering open. She looked at me with her beautiful gray-green eyes. I gave a smile,
"Good morning, seems someone wanted me to wake up with their hair in my face." Ruby blushed under her coat, I snickered somewhat.
"You know, I could get used to waking up that." Ruby chirped, crawling from the cot. I sat up, then it hit me. I groaned as I felt the mystical powers laughing at me, a powerful sense of sickness washed over me.
"What's wrong?" I heard Ruby asked in concern. I rolled my head her way,
"Fever and all the shebang." I laid back down with a groan, "I hate being sick." Taking my time, I sat up slowly. Putting my gun holster back on. Ruby saw this, and did the same thing.
"Were moving out today, we got their band back together. So we gotta' split ship and go to Dodge." She looked at me like I was crazy, I smiled. "Pretty please?" she rolled her eyes and nodded. I stood up, looking at Ruby, who putting my jacket on.
"Thief.." I hissed loud enough for Ruby to hear, who just gave we a over-the-shoulder smile. I took my still slightly damp and destroyed shirt. Putting it over my torso, I looking down at my chest. The texture of the bandages ruined the shirt, but it would have to do. Taking up my twenty-two, I looked to the tent flap again.
"Were leaving before midday, I still want to check out Ponyville for survivors."
"Sure, let's head into a death trap." I smiled and looked at her,
"No one gets left behind." I said with a heavy spoonful of seriousness. Ruby looked confused at my word choices. "Just go with it, it's a motto," She seemed to understand and nodded. Slinging my duffle bag over my shoulder, I went through the tent flap. Ruby followed suit, walking up onto my right again.
"We need to get a few days rations, maybe some extra will do." I saw that Ruby was making a mental checklist. "See if we can't find some armor for you, I don't want you taking a single hit and dieing on me." She gave me a look of amusement. "And maybe if we're lucky, and bag for you." I said, Ruby nodded in agreement. I turned my attention to a few ponies that were wearing armor, guarding a tent. I heard a familiar voices of Applejack and Twilight inside.
Walking up to the door of the tent, the two guards, who I realized were pegasi, blocked me with their gray wings. One of the said in a strict voice,
"Halt!" That was all they did before I broke out into laughter, which broke the strict look about them.
"Awahah, seriously you two, the strict guard shtick isn't you." They looked at each other, both of them were both confused by my light attitude. The conversation in the tent abruptly stopped, and I saw Twilight poke her head out of the flap.
"Oh, hello Drew, need something?" She said casually, I nodded, relaying my small checklist that I had formed in my head. She looked around, and nodded for me to come in. Letting Ruby go in first, I folding into the room. I saw maps and plans all over the table. Like they were fighting a war or something. Quickly looking over it, there were red Xs all over the page. There were a lot of of those, and very little green check marks. Seemed like too much failure and little victory. Looking back up, I saw that Applejack and Twilight were talking again. I couldn't hear much of their conversation, being that they were whispering. Ruby stood beside me, looking at the map. She had the same look on her face that I did, the look of sour defeat. I gave her a sarcastic look,
"They need new strategies." She snickered with a nod. Applejack walked over to us, eye full of question.
"What do you need these supplies for?"
"I'm leaving, and I'm in need of supplies. As well, I'm going to be looking for survivors." I tapped the map on the table, "And by the looks of this, you need the help." She looked back to Twilight, who looked surprised by my willingness to step up and help.
"Aheh." Applejack awkwardly chuckled, "That was actually what we w're talking about." I raised a brow. Applejack continued,
"Well, we need you to check out a building in Ponyville that we suspect that some ponies are hiding out in." I nodded, Rescue mission, Boo-yah!
"We'll head out this afternoon." Twilight spoke up from behind Applejack,
"Are you sure, you don't look so good." I shook my head,
"I need to walk off the last two days. A lot of stuff here I don't understand yet." I turned to Ruby and back to Twilight, and idea bubbling,
"Do you have any blood samples of the infected, if I may add that and a microscope to my list." She looked around and back to me in question,
"Why? You look more of a fighter then a scientist." I shrugged,
"Don't judge a book by its cover, plus I know what I'm looking for in the blood. From what I've gathered from Ruby here, the infections been going on for about a week or two ago." She nodded, "Then it's worse than I expected." Twilight gulped and motioned for me to follow to a station at the back of the tent. Going to it, I saw a few vials of blood, a microscope, and a few medical devices. Twilight spoke up to my left,
"I've been noticing the blood of the bitten is being dormant, like it's dying." I shook my head,
"Its mutating, it happened to my planet. Keep a tighter lock on your survivors, find higher ground or a secure building." I dug in my duffle bag, and pulled out my second to last vial of cure.
"Find the compounds of this," I placed the vial onto the table carefully, "And you have a cure, but I'm still looking to make an antidote or even a prevention." I turned around, seeing that I need to boost up time against the infection.
"This virus is a folded protein prion, meaning if you get something bigger then it, you can cure it." I turned to Applejack, "We need those supplies, quick. I'm moving out in thirty minutes." Ruby looked at me in question as we left the tent. I turned to her, a serious look in my eyes,
"Things are going to get really bad, if this thing mutates like I think it will. The virus will make fighting the zombies now like child's play." She looked at the ground and back to me,
"How bad are they, will our bullets hurt them?" I nodded, but I just had a quote,
"Its going to take a lot of bullets."
Going with Applejack, we followed her to a few stops. Those stops being a mess hall, in which we picked quite a lot of soldier's rations. My duffle bag was half full of the things. Going on, we got Ruby a nice green colored saddlebag. Reaching the armory, we tried our hardest to find something to fit Ruby, but everything they tried just slipped off. Curse all of those plus sized armor plates. She shrugged to me,
"It was worth a try." We both smiled and chuckled a bit, I let her keep my jacket for some form of protection. I could feel a John Wayne moment crawling into my head, saying that I needed a beer. I looked to Ruby with a half-massed smile,
"I'm going to get those survivors back here, tell them a good place to be at the moment, and find myself a nice hammock. Do you wish to join me?" She nodded,
"Sounds like a plan boss." I blinked and stopped walking with the supplies. She had gotten the A-Team and John Wayne mixed quote.
"You're good.." Ruby smiled. Taking off at a light jog, I went through the entrance of the camp, and into the forest.
Reaching the path a few moments, Ruby keeping a steady pace to my right, I lifted up my rifle into my line of sight. Turning to the right, we headed down the path, and to the direction of Ponyville.
Ruby and I stopped as we reached the outskirts of the town, and all we saw of fire. Fire was everywhere and was rampant. I looked at her, and shook my head.
"I do stupid things, but I do not like to play with fire." I began to look around with my scope, and saw some of the buildings on the Eastern side of town unscathed and away from the fire. I took out the map from my bag, checking the buildings. I quickly lined up the building, and looked to my companion,
"Okay, I see the building. Its away from the fire. We have about forty minutes, tops, to get them out. Then their roast turkey." She nodded, and we hurried along to the building.
Reaching the front of it, I pushed on the door. To find it barricaded heavily. But I'm a tough guy, so I pushed the door open. The table and couch they had in the way pushed along after I broke into the rolling friction. I saw that the inside was pitch black, the windows having shutout blinds. Taking out my pistol and flashlight, and held it like I did at the cottage. Flashing it about the room, I found it empty. With a few brown marks on the floor, but I smelled that it was blood. I turned to Ruby,
"Keep sharp, and please don't get bit." She had a worried expression, I gave a faulty smile, "Look, after this is done with. I'm going to go up to one of those mountains to hide out for a few days, and I'm going to get shit-faced drunk. And I want you there." She went wide-eyed at the thought, then smiled.
"I read you, lets get this over with." I turned back around, seeing the blood go up the stairs, I took a few silent steps up the stairs. Reaching the top, I crouched and waiting for Ruby. She came up beside me, her magic lighting her way. I waved my flashlight around in the hallway, the ceiling up here was low. About five feet in height. I had to crouch to walk around. Blood was smeared on the walls to the right, as if the blood were chasing something. Taking point, I kept going forward, following the blood. Another set of stairs lined out in front of me.
"I hate stairs," I muttered under my breath. Going up the stairs, I heard a inhuman, or should I say unpony, moan come from a little ways down the hall. I quickly stormed up the stairs, flashing the light down the hall. I saw that there were about five walkers around a single door, just waiting. I fired from my pistol three times, Ruby covering with the other two. They all fell quickly, leaving the hall clear. I walked to the door the walkers had surrounded, I knocked on the door with my gun.
"Hello! Anyone in there?" I heard a faint response,
"Help.." I took about four steps back, and rammed the door with my shoulder. The door cave in on the first attempt. Weak pony doors. Looking about with my gun and flashlight, I saw six scared looking ponies look at me. Another of them was isolated in the corner.
"Come on, we need to get out here. We'll protect you." They seemed to budge from this, quickly going out the door. I turned to Ruby, "You go with them, I'll get thing one. You start heading back to the outpost without me." She shook her head, I sighed, "Okay, just go outside and wait." Ruby seemed pleased with this and left. Turning my attention to the pony that was isolated, it was quite clear that he or she was bitten. I could hear the pony weeping sadly. Walking over to it, learning from my past mistake of standing too close,
"Hey, are you already-.." The pony turned its head, its eyes were a solid red, and it screamed. I knew the scream, I played a video game when I was younger with the same scream. It sounded like a witch from Left 4 Dead. It looked like it too. I quickly back peddled, keeping my eye on it. It rose quickly and charged at me. I put four bullets from my gun into its forehead.
And it still didn't die.
It bit me on the right arm, it's teeth were razor sharp. Shredding my arm, I screamed in pain. Picking up my gun in my left hand, I put the rest of the clip into it. Then it died. Putting my gun back up, I put my right arm under my left armpit. Taking back up my flashlight, I hurried out. This world was going to end up badly. Almost like Left 4 Dead.
Jumping down the second set of stairs, I exited the front door. Seeing the six ponies looking around nervously. Ruby looked at me, and saw the blood my shredded arm that was soaking my shirt.
"Tough bastard, took a whole clip." I said, hurrying to get out of town.
Rushing at almost a full jog the whole time, Ruby at the front of the group and me at the back. We reached the front of the camp, to be greeted by most of them packing up their gear. I saw Twilight rush up to the group and smile on her face, greeting the others. She walked my to me and saw my injured arm.
"W-.. What happened?" I shook my head, walking to the infirmary. Going in, I saw the nurse look at me funky.
"I need a few rolls of bandages, please." She got what I requested and a canteen of water. Drinking most of the water, I cleaned over my shredded arm. I wrapped a bandage over it, shoving the rest into my duffle bag. I looked at the nurse,
"Do you have any extra medical gear? A few scalpels and some tongs will do." She nodded, and returned with a folded brown cloth. I put it into my bag, "I'm going to need these in a bit, is it alright if I keep them."
"Yes, take them please. It's the least I can do." I nodded, walking from the tent. I saw Ruby standing and in conversation with Twilight. Applejack was waiting beside them, and looked to me. I waved her over with my left hand, she took a few steps to me.
"I was needing to ask you something." She raised her left eyebrow in question,
"Whatcha need partner?"
"I was wondering if you had any alcohol, like of the drinking sort."
"Sure we do, most of the soldier's use it keep up morale at night. But we hardly use it." I nodded, she turned and began to walk off. Seemingly to get what I was asking about. Ruby walked over with Twilight,
"Drew, Twilight here asked me what you're going to do next." I tried to smile some,
"I already told you, but I'm going to hike up onto one of the mountains," I motioned to the North, where a few mountain's poked up from, "And make a cabin up there, and try and relax. You should do the same, the infection here is getting bad. The walkers dislike high altitudes and the cold. It slows the virus' progress." She nodded, taking over my advice. Twilight turn around and went back to helping to pack up the camp. I looked to Ruby,
"Where are they going?" She rolled her eyes,
"Back to Celestia's castle, I doubt that it will be any more safe there then in the hills." I nodded, and looked about at the almost already packed up camp. I saw Applejack walking my way with a brown saddle bag on her back. She stopped in front of me, and dropped the bags.
"I gotcha some of the alcohol, and an extra microscope that Twilight had lying about. She was really shocked that you already knew what the infection was. It took her two weeks to research the darn thing, and you told it too her in a single look." I nodded,
"Thank you Applejack, you've done me a great good. If that castle of Celestia's every comes crumbling down, come find me." She nodded, and turned back to helping Twilight. I opened the bag up, taking out the contents of it. I found a small keg of what seemed to be hard apple cider. And a cardboard box with a few carefully packaged blood samples and a microscope in it. I looked to Ruby, who nodded and took the bag up. Both of the bags didn't seem to bother her all that much. I looked to her with a smile, and we started to move out.
My inner compass pointing North.
About an hour into the journey, I made the choice that we weren't being trailing by anything, and pulled out my MP3 player. Ruby began to give my strange looks as we walked through the woods. We passed the edge of what she called 'The Everfree Forest' about twenty minutes ago. Upon taking the MP3 player,
"I think we should take a rest for a few minutes." I said, reading from my MP3 player.
"Why?" I lifted my MP3 player to her, and it read 'You should take a break.' "Huh, and what army is going to make me sit down and rest." She snarked,
"I will," I said, "If you don't sit down and have a rest. I don't really believe in the some kinds of magic mumbo-jumbo, but this is giving me the creeps." I had a really bad suspicion of that I was being watched. I took a seat in a clearing that the trees above were a little bit thinner. A few rays of light shining through. Ruby followed suit, and sat next to me.
"So Ruby, I have a question." I asked.
"Shoot."
"Do you like fish?"
"Uh, eating meat isn't really accepted by the pony population. But there is still a few ponies that like and eat fish. Why?"
"When we get up to the mountains, I'm going to be doing a lot of fishing." She nodded, then my MP3 player began to beep. I looked down at it in bewilderment. It read in a dramatic text, 'Look up'. Which is what I did, I looked up, and saw a duffel bag fall through the canopy. It landed with a metallic thunk.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF SATAN!" I yelled, a few moments late of it hitting the ground, which caused Ruby to burst out laughing. I stood up, with my rifle in hand, and walked over to it. It was the same kind of green duffle bag that I had. The bag had a big red bow on the top of it, and a card that read, 'To Drew and Ruby'.
"Thats it! I know someone is totally watching me, or I'm just that paranoid!" Ruby was still laughing her head off. I pulled the bow off the bag and looked into it. It had a whole tent set inside, a fishing pole, and to top it off, a clean M10 rifle. With, a ton of ammo for all of my guns. I took the large rifle from the bag, Ruby walked over and commented.
"Wow-ie, thats a big gun." I turned to her with a scary grin, and began to remember a advertisement for it.
"This gun can use any type of ammo, ranging from .22 to .308 rounds. Bullets big enough to tear you in half." Her grin instantly dropped, and a look that said 'Seriously?'. "Want my twenty-two? New gun for you, makes less noise." She nodded, to which I took the twenty-two off my shoulder, and laid to Ruby. I put the m10 rifle over my shoulder, already seeing that it was loaded. With guess what, .308 rounds. Pulling the bolt back, I looked at the shiny shell. Looking at the back of the bullet it read, 'Celestia is a Bitch! - Luna'. I began to giggle, motioning to Ruby. Showing her the bullet, she gave me a attempted straight face. But then started laughing with me. Putting the bullet back in, remembering what the bullet read, I began to smile more. I threw the second duffle bag over my shoulder, continuing onwards through the woods.
"You know, that was sent by Luna, right?" Ruby said, to which I nodded. Remembering from the show that Luna was Celestia's little sister.
"I doubt that Celestia would put, and I quote, 'Celestia is a Bitch - Celestia'." I chuckled, rubbing my nose.
Continuing for more or less a few hours onwards North. Everything got cold, fast. I didn't mind the cool air on my skin, it was quite refreshing. Ruby looked about normal, wearing my jacket still.
I began to hear what sounded like a creek or a large stream up ahead. I smiled, keeping forward at a quicker pace. Reaching the creek, we came upon a beautiful clearing. The sun setting over the hills to the right looked so perfect. It light up the water to make it look a beautiful swirl of blue and pink. Finding a spot where the rocks were thinner, and grass more present, I set both of my duffle bags down. Sitting down to take another look at the beautiful atmosphere of the clearing. Ruby looked around as well, shocked as much as I was.
"Yep, no one's going to find us out here." Ruby commented without looking at me.
"Luna sure will, seeing that she's been watching us the whole time."
"True."
Setting up the tent, I went back into the duffle bag and found a single folded cot. Cursing Luna mentally for her suggesting of Ruby and I. I unfolded the cot, and stood up again. Ruby walked into the large tent, it large enough for me to stand up comfortably. Ruby pulled the rest of our supplies into the tent, setting them near the cot.
"See, even Luna wants us to be a couple." I said out loud.
"Huh," Ruby said, "What was that." I rolled my eyes and repeated myself,
"Even Luna wants us to be a couple, she only gave us one cot." She chuckled,
"Its alright, I can use you as a pillow." She walked outside again. I kneeled down and grabbed out the keg from her saddle bag. Pulling out two of the ration cans we had gotten from the camp, and took them with me as well. Walking out of the tent, I set them down at the bed of creek. It had a very fine sand at the bed, as if this stream had been here for years, undisturbed. Looking around, I found a good amount of fallen sticks and logs scattered about, and made a fire. Which took the process of taking a lighter from my pocket, which I hadn't even realized I had there. Upon making the fire, I began to set up the keg. Taking a can of vegetable broth ration, I set it on the ground and stood back up. Going back into the tent and grabbed some things from the second duffle bag I had gotten. Taking out a pot from it, which happened to be under the cot I had put out. Returning to the fire, I put the poured some of my canteens water into the pot, and placed it over the fire. Pouring the can of vegetable broth afterwards. Ruby came up from the water, seeming that she had jumped in and took a swim for a few moments. She was sopping wet and laid near the fire beside me. I sat and cooked for the both of us.
"Have a nice swim?"
"Yep, it's nice and cool in there." I smiled,
"Sounds like paradise to me."
Finishing the broth, we both filled our stomachs, being that we both hadn't eaten in almost two days.
That's when the heavy drinks started rolling, and the hormones went nuts.