Alice and Katie walked out of the museum with Taylor in tow, still being Telekinetically restrained by Alice. They walked right to their pickup truck, but remembered that neither of them had the keys. Ryan was the one that had parked it inside the museum parking lot the evening prior.
"C'mon, I have an idea." Alice said as she forced Taylor to follow her to the M35, where she climbed up and pulled a tarp aside to reveal her white motorcycle, the one that had been long forgotten up until that moment. "We'll use this."
"How?" Taylor asked, which earned a silent glare from Alice.
"Watch, learn and listen." Katie replied, already aware of how exactly they would all ride her bike at the same time.
Alice used her Telekinesis to get the bike back out of the truck, and after slowly lowering it to the ground, she reached into her duster's pocket and withdrew her keys to the bike. She swung her leg over the seat, and crooked her finger again, causing Taylor to unwillingly walk to the bike.
Grabbing her by the hips, Alice hauled Taylor over the bike and placed her right in front of her, sitting right on the edge of the seat before the gas tank. "Don't move, this isn't the best place to be sitting, got it?"
Taylor nodded, and felt Alice grab her by the wrists and brace her hands on either side of the gas tank. Then she felt her entire body freeze. She couldn't move a muscle!
Katie swung herself onto the back, and out of the corner of Taylor's eye, she seemed to be carrying a submachine gun in one hand while the other wrapped around Alice's stomach and gripped her gear belt.
"Alright kid, you give us directions to this... Sanctuary place. Which way do we go from the gate?" Alice spoke into Taylor's ear as she turned the engine of the bike on and began to ride it towards the front gate, which slid open on its own, like how Ryan closed it earlier to prevent her escape.
"Left. Then take the next right." Taylor replied tensely. She was utterly terrified to be in the presence of crazy Katie, but she was ready to shit her pants being with Alice. This was going to be a long ride...
"Katie, keep an eye out for any surprises. We've got fresh meat, so for once, we'll be targeted." Alice said as she turned the bike down the street and increased their speed.
"You got it, mom." Katie replied, checking over her left shoulder.
So Alice was Katie's mother? Taylor thought to herself. That explains why she found Katie so terrifying, and Alice was even more so. Dayum. She definitly took after her mother.
Minutes later, Alice spotted a strange building rising on the horizon. She asked Taylor. "Is that the wall?"
"Yeah! But we're on the wrong side! Head to the right at the next turn, then look for the big fenced off gate!" Taylor replied, holding on for dear life, even if her body was immobilized. Alice drove fast, and it was really scary being so precariously seated.
Katie had remained silent for the entire ride, but she suddenly spoke up. "Four of the right side. Leave them or kill them?"
Taylor turned her gaze to the right, but saw nothing. What was Katie talking about? There was nothing there!
"Leave them until they get close. I can sense them too." Alice replied, keeping her gaze forward.
Sense? Now Alice was acting crazy! there's nothing...
At that moment, Taylor caught sight of four zombies making their way towards them from the right side of the road. Somehow they knew exactly where the zombies were, before they'd even seen them... Wait, what?!
"Shoot them! Dodge them! Do something!" Taylor began to panic, even though she was immobilized, she was desperately fighting against whatever was stopping her. She wanted to make Alice turn away from the zombies, or have Katie shoot them! Anything!
"Katie... Do it." Alice said calmly, and Katie fired four rounds in quick succession as they passed.
All four shots landed. Right in the head, each time. The four zombies dropped to the road without any more trouble.
"Good. Now, you!" Alice spoke to Taylor. "Calm the fuck down. Otherwise, I'll actually let you fall off this bike and have allowed them to eat your fucking ass, okay?"
Taylor nodded quietly, facing the front again as the front gate of Sanctuary began to enter their field of view. Alice rolled to a halt and allowed Katie to dismount the bike first, then herself, then she hauled Taylor off last.
"Let's get this very clear; I'm only doing this because of two reasons: First. Claire ordered me to do it, and within our group, her word is law." Alice pointed her finger at Taylor sternly. "And secondly, because it was originally my husband's idea. Alright?"
So Ryan was Alice's husband... and Katie's father? Taylor clued in, and filed it away for later reference.
"Okay, I get it. You don't like me. Not a surprise there." Taylor mumbled the last sentence as she lead them towards th front gate, wher a fenced off area in front of the wall held a number of army medical tents, a small shack, and a massive bonfire pit. "Through there, that's our screening triage. Anyone new that joins us must go through a medical screening before being allowed past the gates. Obviously we check for the T-Virus, but also any normal diseases that could get others seriously sick. I'm already cleared for entry, I just need to have a bite exam... Not that I was bitten or anything... It's just a rule."
Alice narrowed her eyes at the triage. It was hard to tell how well equipped it was, but judging by the raw size of the wall, this place had serious manpower and organization. This was serious shit.
However, the mention of the bite exam made her smirk. Ryan would have detected the T-Virus the moment he'd caught up to her when she'd ran and informed herself and Katie before daring to bring her to talk to Claire. She was clean. So there was no worries in that department.
"Tell you what... You go back inside, and we'll be back later with our whole group. Then you can give us a full tour, meet your mother, and just maybe..." Alice leaned closer to Taylor. "Maybe I'll start to like you, just a little bit."
Taylor glared at Alice for a moment. "If anyone in your group is denied entry, then what will you do? Not like I have any authority on the inside of that fucking wall."
"Well, if someone is denied entry, then we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Now, run to mommy and we'll be back soon." Alice stood up and waved for Katie to return to the bike with her.
"Can I have my gun back?!" Taylor called, which Alice surprisingly took the pistol from Katie and tossed to Taylor without any argument.
"Apparently my husband reloaded it for you. You should thank him when he arrives." Alice called before revving the bike engine and driving away.
"What a weird family..." Taylor mumbled to herself before she jogged to the triage fenceline.
Alice and Katie returned to the museum within fifteen minutes, and were greeted by Ryan at the gate. He was seated atop the topmost horizontal bar, idly swinging his boot against the metal.
Ryan waved his hand, causing the gate to swing open, with him still seated on top. He then hopped down and closed the gate manually behind them.
"So, is she safe and sound?" Ryan asked, sounding very hopeful at the answer he'd receive.
"They've got a wall alright... damn think has to be at least fifty feet tall, and it's miles wide. They've got a fenced off medical screening area out front, got a couple guards, some tents, and that massive fucking wall. That's all we got to see. As for the girl..." Alice detailed their excursion. "We dropped her off about a hundred yards away from the medical area, she ran for it as soon as we left."
"That sucks. Any infected along the way?" Ryan asked, following them as they hopped off the bike and began to walk it back up to the M35.
"Only four of them. Katie took them all down." Alice patted Katie's head affectionately.
"So, now what are we going to do?" Ryan asked, giving them a sidelong glance as they reached the M35 and Alice leaned the bike against the truck.
"That's up to Claire. It's her convoy after all." Alice shrugged. "Just remember, we're simply her personal attack team of rogue B.O.W's."
Ryan rolled his eyes at the joke, then followed Alice and Katie back inside the museum, where Claire was waiting with her M4 in hand.
"So... it what she said actually true? Or is it all bullshit?" Claire asked, cradling the carbine to her chest.
"I saw the wall, and they have a fairly large medical area situated right outside of the front gate. The kid said that it was for first time entry, after that it's just a bite examination to get back inside." Alice explained, slipping her bike keys into her pocket and taking her M3 from Ryan as he offered it back to her.
"Well... looks like I have an executive descision to make on behalf of the convoy." Claire sighed, but Ryan stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. She gazed at him in astonishment and nodded once. "Ryan just suggested that we put it to a vote, from everyone."
Alice glanced at Ryan out of the corner of her eye. Despite his mask, she could tell that his expression was displeased with the idea of entering Sanctuary.
"Whatever you say." Katie agreed to the suggestion, whilst Alice simply nodded, still watching Ryan.
"Alright, wake everybody up. I'll try my best to explain what we know about Sanctuary, and let them decide for themselves." Claire explained her intended plan, to which the three of them nodded.
"I'll do the honours." Alice said as she took a step forward to wake everyone up, but Ryan grabbed her by the wrist and held out his Beretta. "Good idea, babe." She took the pistol and pointed it straight upwards. "Claire... be ready for some slight panic." She warned just before pulling the trigger.