sorry for the delay in uploading the inner gamer got the best of me and pushed this back by a few days
Bill led the group to another of his safe houses this one unlike others was more decrepit the doors and windows boarded up likely even before the outbreak; upon opening the door it was apparent that Bill was the first resident in a long time the floors dirty and no surface laid untouched by sheets of dust.
"You could sure use a tidy up here Bill" Joel said as he examined a wall
"The dusty smell masks your scent" Bill murmured back
"I don't think they hunt through smell we were just fine if we stayed still" replied Joel
"Can't be too careful after you lot strolled through town a whole god dam horde of them been moving in even I can't stay here no more" said Bill as he began to collect several items together into a large sports bag
"Well sorry about that" said Joel
"Hey don't touch!" yelled Bill as he looked over to see Sarah touching a chess piece he had on a board
"So what's the plan" Joel interrupted
"Now listen this is how it is going to work I will show you another way out but I aint going with you I've still got a bunch of shit to collect before that can happen" stressed Bill
Bill then pulled an old map out from his bag a laid it in front of them.
"You say the bridge outta town is covered in infected then this part of the river is your best bet from there you're on your own"
"Alright so we'd better get going there are only a few hours of sunlight left" said Joel
Bill grabbed a shotgun that lay leant against a nearby chair whilst Joel managed to take a box of revolver rounds before pocketing.
"Right let's get on with it" said Bill as he began striding for the door
"Kid I swear to god if you took anything" Bill began
"I am pretty sure I don't need any of your stuff" replied Sarah as she gestured in the air quotation marks
"I swear to god kid if you took anything" bill said venomously
"She didn't now let's go" Joel interrupted
Bill lead Joel and Sarah through the back gardens of houses to cut time from their Journey occasionally stopping to pick up items of interest until they came up to one house in particular, nothing was really special about it; it was like any other but something intrigued Bill as he entered the house.
"Bill what are you doing you said we had to go that way" Joel said pointing off into the distance
"Just give me a moment" replied Bill
Bill entered first with his knife drawn followed behind by Joel and Sarah, the house had long been abandoned but didn't look like it had been looted perhaps this is what had drawn Bill in Joel didn't even want to know what was going on in Bill's mind. A loud crash echoed in the kitchen as a vase was knocked off the counter.
"What was that" asked Sarah
"Don't worry I got it" said Bill as he peered round the corner to see a clicker he then reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of marbles he threw them and they rolled over the wooden floor the clicker turned to look in the direction of the noise Bill approached from behind and with one swing his blade had dug into the clickers skull killing it.
"You hang around with these things long enough and you develop ways of dealing with them" started Bill
"Can we just hurry it up here" said Joel
Bill eagerly searched the house not finding much they exited through the garage and then something caught his eye
"Aha look at this" yelled Bill with some excitement
"It's just a wrench" said Sarah slightly confused
"Just a wrench you hearing this Joel, look this wrench will help me where ever I go next seeming though you two have made this place unliveable now" snapped Bill
"You seem like you know how to find things" said Joel
"Find things I have heaps of the stuff if I could trade it I would but I can't, it looks like it's this way" replied Bill as he once again began strolling off
After several more twisting roads Bill had come through for them.
"This is where the river is most it is your best bet" said Bill
"So this is where we part ways" asked Joel
"Not quite I saw a building from back there I want to check out so I guess you're stuck with me" replied Bill
"We have to go through that" asked Sarah
"Come on its not that bad it's kind of like that Soccer (Football) game you played back along it rained so much it turned the pitch to a marsh remember" Joel reassured
"Ha I don't think I remember a how many times the ref fell down" Sarah replied
The river came up to just under waist height and the group waded through it to the other side
"Right this looks like the way" said Bill as he gestured off into the distance
This side of the town cars jammed the road and cracks in the ground had been filled with shoots of grass it had seemed as if everyone here had just vanished one day leaving street after street perfectly intact Bill and Joel walked behind whilst Sarah was several steps ahead, Joel trying to keep in good spirits couldn't help but notice Bill twitching slightly
"Everything alright Bill" he asked
"Something doesn't feel right" replied Bill
"What is it" Joel asked
"Help me" a voice groaned out
Looking around they could see a poorly dressed man with a torn hat tilted to one side walk out clutching his lower abdomen.
"He's hurt" yelled Sarah as she ran up to him to help
"Sarah" shouted Joel as he saw the man grab her and hold a knife to her throat
"Put your weapons on the ground now" the man shouted as several others appeared around them all pointing guns and improvised weapons
"Like hell I am" Yelled Bill
"Bill he's got Sarah" Joel snapped back
Bill paused for a few moments before dropping his knife and gun
"Ahhh f*ck it Joel" Bill shouted
"It's all gonna be alright baby girl" Joel said trying to comfort Sarah
"You keep telling her that now let's keep this civil and follow me" the man bluntly said
The man led the group into an old factory past a mound of dead bodies stripped of their belongings and clothing, the man then led up the stairs and into an office where they each had their hands bound.
"Well well well this should make a nice addition to our stockpile, take them downstairs and put it with the rest" the man ordered and within moments all of Bill Joel and Sarah's belongings were gone
"Oh this is just perfect one day and I'm already caught by bloody Hunters" Bill shouted out
"Quiet down" Joel yelled back
"Now then before we kill you for trespassing on our here community why don't we find out a bit about you" said the man
"Go to hell" snapped Bill
"You're not helping" Joel angrily stated
"I feel like we got off on the wrong foot now then my name is Percy and I run this here band of brothers we take what we want and now who might you be" the man asked
"Percy we got some infected over at the north wall" another shouted up the stairs
"Please forgive me but I'm needed elsewhere my companion here will keep you company" Percy said with an evil grin
An hour passed and the sun was now low in the sky as it gleamed through the window the man posted as guard was stood behind Sarah as it was easy to control Joel if someone threatened his Daughter
"I don't see why I have to be here soon you will be dead why does it matter when" he said
Joel stood pacing around in small lines back and forth whilst Bill leant against a wall looking all around the room as if looking for a way out all the whilst Sarah who had become stoic she just stood there whilst the man's arm draped across her brandishing a knife.
"For god's sake can you stop pointing that knife at her" shouted Joel
"Hey I have the knife so I do whatever I want with it we clear" the man said as he lifted the knife outstretched pointing it at Joel.
The put of nowhere Sarah quickly raised her right leg and stamped down on the man's foot causing him to lean forward then she elbowed him in the gut causing him to hunch over and the sheer shock of what was happening caused the man to drop his knife and to finish up Sarah gave one massive push that caused the man to stumble back into the railing of the stairs. Age had taken its toll on the railing as it snapped and the man plummeted down the stairs falling unconscious.
"Christ I take it all back I like her this makes up for those times you pointed a crossbow at me" Bill bluntly said
Joel was lost for words as Sarah moved over and picked up the knife cutting the ropes off herself Joel and Bill
"Come on we've gotta go" she said
They crept down the stairs peering into the garage where the pile of bodies lay there equipment lay strewn out across a table as if the hunters were taking inventory.
"Be quick it won't be long before there back and they won't be happy about this"
The group snuck onto the street looking in one direction a group had gathered around a fire cursing and shouting leaving the other side of the street open. After taking several detours through buildings cafe's and a library they reached the edge of town just as they thought they were clear shouting could be heard in the distance
"There they are get them" they crowd shouted
Hiding behind a car the sound of bullets hitting the car rang out
"Go I will draw some of them" yelled Bill
"What no" Joel replied
"I told you I wasn't going with you anyway I need my stuff and who knows I might move to Boston eventually too and come on I'm not going to die I've got a score to settle with you now go" Bill shouted as he ran from cover firing his gun into the crowd
Joel and Sarah began to run looking back most of the crowd had broken off chasing after Bill and whilst they ran distant gunshots could be heard which could be interpreted as a good sign as he wasn't dead yet but Joel had bigger things to worry about after running for several minutes the group had lost them they retreated to safety of their camp for night was approaching fast.
Joel and Sarah set down overlooking another river.
"Dad what do think happened to Bill" Sarah asked
"I don't know baby girl I don't know" Joel replied
Joel made a small fire confident they were far enough away not to be noticed and begun to warm himself but he heard rustling of grass behind him he turned to see a bloodied Bill stand behind him
"Bill your alive" shouted Sarah
"Of course I am I led that group straight into a pack of infected" Bill replied
"I thought you said you weren't coming with us" Joel asked
"I'm not in the commotion back there you picked up my knife" Bill said bluntly
Looking into his bag Joel found Bill's knife rolled up amongst some spare clothes he grabbed
"My mistake here you go" said Joel as he passed Bill his knife
"You may as well stay until morning" said Sarah
Bill decided to stay making a point he would leave at dawn and sat beside the fire after a while Sarah had moved a little closer to the river and was skimming stones whilst Joel and Bill talked
"You know she almost got us killed today right" said Bill
"She also saved us remember" replied Joel
"We shouldn't have needed saving" Bill retorted
"I guess she sees how people should react now as idealistic rather than realistic but come on she's just a kid" Joel answered
"And she may die a kid if you don't teach her" stated Bill
Joel did not answer and simply stood up and moved towards the river to skim stones with his daughter.