Chapter 3: Fighting and Planning

The three teenagers went into the store holding their weapons in their hands. They looked around and saw that everything was clear.

"We need to split up, check the rest of the place and make sure there's no walkers hiding anywhere."

All went to different parts of the stores. The counter, the food aisles, everything. Eventually they found nothing and called out.

"All clear," Dexter said as he held his pistol in his hand.

"Good, let's clear this place, find any food, water, or medical supplies," Hogarth told them, "we're gonna need all the help we can get if we're gonna survive out here."

"Got it," Tut said.

"Yep," Dexter replied.

They cleared the whole store in a matter of minutes. Hogarth got together all of the food and water, Dexter gathered any kind of utilities that they could use as either weapons or anything, and Tut gathered all of the medical supplies, medicine, bandages, anything that could help if anybody got hurt.

"Well I guess that's everything," Hogarth said, "come on guys let's get going."

As Hogarth started to walk out of the store, Dexter stopped him.

"Hold on I missed a shelf right here," he said as he went over to the shelf that was still filled up with supplies, but standing up in a dark corner of the room.

"Alright, but hurry up, no telling when the walkers will get here," he warned him.

As Dexter finished clearing the shelf he felt breathing go down his neck. He turned to his right and saw a walker standing right next to him. The walker growled and lunged at him trying to bite him. Dexter screamed as he tried to push it off of him.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT, GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF ME!"

Hogarth and Tut heard his cries for help and ran to Dexter's aid.

The walker was right on top of Dexter trying to bite him. Dexter was flailing his arms all over the place and trying to push the walker off of him. Hogarth and Tut came right over to him and pulled the walker off. Dexter backed away and hit the back of the shelf. A can of canned food that he didn't pick up fell off and hit him on the head, knocking him out.

The walker got up and started walking towards Hogarth who was loading his gun and preparing to shoot it. He lined up the shot and got ready to shoot the gun, but as he pulled the trigger,.. it didn't fire.

"What the fuck," he cursed as he tried to get the gun to shoot.

"Come on you fucking piece of shit, work," he snarled.

The walker got so close to him and pushed him up against the wall. He kick it off but the creature was too heavy. The walker growled right in his face and opened it's bloody mouth, preparing to eat him. Hogarth closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

But his salvation came right there. Tut pulled out his Bowie knife and stabbed the walker in the back several times, trying to get it in the head. The walker turned around and went towards Tut.

Just as Hogarth was about to pull the trigger another gun shot went off and hit the walker straight in the head. It fell to the ground finally dead.

"Nice shot," Tut complimented.

"I... I didn't shoot it," he responded confused.

Looking over they saw that Dexter had woken up and had a gun in his hand. He had shot the creature right there. He put his gun away and wiped his forehead.

"Well, this could've gone better," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, no fucking shit," Hogarth said to him, "we gotta be more careful, next time there's no telling what will happen."

"Now that we've got everything let's get going," Tut said.

They walked out of the supermarket and went back onto the road. As they got out of the store, they saw that a huge amount of walkers had gathered around outside. They were all over the place and the three boys were surrounded.

"JESUS, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME," Tut yelled.

"They must've heard the gunshot from inside," Hogarth said as he pulled out his pistol and began firing. He was able to take down several walkers in seconds. Dexter and Tut followed right behind him as Dexter shot most of them, as Tut would knife the one's getting to close.

"We can't hold them off forever," Tut said.

"We won't have to," Dexter said with reassurance," once we get an open path we'll run out."

"Like right now," Hogarth said as he found an open spot to run away from the walkers.

"RUN FOR IT," he yelled as they all took off running through the horde of walkers. They just kept running and didn't even care about stopping. It didn't even matter how fast they were going as long as they got the hell out of there.

For about 20 minutes hey just kept running. Eventually they got out of town and into a suburban neighborhood that looked abandoned. They finally stopped running and were panting for breath. They were sweating very hard and felt like they just ran across the country.

"So... exactly... where is...your hideout?" Hogarth asked panting for breath.

"Right over here," Dexter said as he led them to a small wooden door that led to a basement as he opened it.

"Come on, go ahead in," he motioned with a hand wave.

Hogarth and Tut went into the basement and Dexter followed right behind them, after he locked the door.

"Will that door be able to keep out walkers," Hogarth asked, not assured.

"Well I locked it, and they don't have a key," Dexter said, joking around.

"Yeah Dex, you're a comedy genius, ha ha" Tut laughed sarcastically

"Either way we still have much more enforcments even if they try to get in, but we'll show that to you later," Dexter explained.

They walked down the stairs to a door at the very bottom. Dexter unlocked the door with a key and opened it up.

"Welcome to my office," he said exuberantly.

The room was clean and neat as if it hadn't been touched for a long time. There was a flat screen TV and a PS3 plugged up into it.

"Holy shit, I haven't seen stuff like this for weeks."

"Well unfortunately we haven't gotten any electricity so the TV and PS3 are out of order, sorry bro," Dexter said patting Hogarth on the body.

"It's fine, I don't play video games that much," he told him, "how long have you guys been here for."

"We found this place last week while we were out on the road. Some walkers got in a couple times but we cleared up any open spots and cleaned up the place," Tut explained.

Hogarth took a seat on the couch. He took off his backpack and his gear. For once in the past several weeks, he actually felt both relaxed and relieved. Every day for now he'd have to get up and move immediately. Always had his hand on the trigger and never got a real chance to sit down.

"So I never got the chance to actually have a real conversation, how'd you guys end up here."

Tut went first and explained his story.

"I was at a museum for a little while with my best friend Cleo. She was the one who brought me back."

"So what happened when everything started."

"It got really fucked up. We were hiding out at the museum but the museum guard, Walter I think it was, got wasted one night and left the door open right there. Walkers came in and...Jesus," Tut said as he covered his eyes remembering all the horrible things that happened during the night at the museum

"We were separated. I know Cleo is alive and I've been looking all over the place trying to find her. I was walked on the road for days until I met Dexter."

Dexter then began his story

"I was just at home with my sister Dee Dee and my parents, when everything started we were gonna go to one of the shelters that we heard about on the radio."

Dexter's voice fell and he couldn't speak clearly.

"Then the walkers...came to my neighborhood... and ...they attacked my dad."

"What happened after that," Hogarth asked wanting to know.

Dexter couldn't continue so Tut decided to continue for him.

"They thought they could try and help his dad, but they couldn't and he turned and his mom was standing right there and she was attacked."

"You don't have to say anymore." Hogarth told them not wanting to hurt Dexter anymore.

"My sister Dee Dee got me out and saved me," Dexter couldn't help but smile at this.

"She was always annoying me non-stop but I'm actually glad she helped me."

"So we told you our stories now what happened to you?" Tut asked.

"Okay here's the story," he said.

Hogarth told them what happened. How when everything started he and his step-dad Dean were out on their hunting trip. When they were on the road they hit one of the walkers and fell into the woods. Dean got attacked and Hogarth had to leave him behind. He then told them how he had been wandering because he's been trying to find his mother.

"I'm not gonna stop until I find her," Hogarth said firmly, "she's all I have left and I can't lose her."

"I'm with you Hogarth," Tut responded, "I gotta find Cleo and you gotta find your mom."

"I'll help you too," Dexter told him, "we gotta find a group that'll help us.

"Have you guys been planning on leaving this place soon," Hogarth asked

"We've been waiting for the right opportunity," Tut told him.

"I have a plan," Dexter said, "we'll leave tomorrow morning and we'll get on the road."

"Then we'll find a survivor group, but if my mother isn't there then I can't stay."

"We're with you dude," Tut responded, patting him on the back.

"It's getting late, we better get to bed, we gotta be up early tomorrow," Dexter said as he lied down on the couch and fell asleep."

Tut followed shortly behind and as Hogarth went to sleep on the floor, which was actually more comfortable then where he'd been sleeping for so long for the past couple of weeks, he started to think of how he was going to find his mother again. He just kept thinking about it for hours and he decided on what he was going to do. Before he finally fell asleep he said,

"Goodnight Mom, I love you."

He then drifted off to sleep hoping the next couple of days would bring some good fortune to him.

Well this chapter played out good so far. The next couple of chapters will introduce new characters and better conflict. I'm sorry if I'm keeping anybody waiting and I'll improve on it soon. Also if people look at this and call it a ripoff. It might be one but I'll try my best to make it enjoyable for you.

Thanks for continued support on the internet.

VideoGameAddict237