Chapter 20 "Bikers"

Day 85

Just as all the past new groups that had meshed together with the other, they had grown together. This new group, just like Seth's had, had new information and tips to share on surviving and living long-term. When this first began, Daniel learned how to open cans without needing a can opener. All you had to do was put the top part against the concrete and rub it until it softens enough that you can simply squeeze the can to pop the top off. Patti knew a lot about herbs and natural ailments found through plants, and she passed on some of her knowledge to anyone that wanted to know it; mainly the medics like Patricia, Lyrik, and Jessie.

They had began to get used to each other, and to bond. Xavier and Kelly, especially. Nothing has happened yet, but there have been many tense moments and a lot of flirting between them. They were both very attracted to one another, and Sierra had felt a freedom she hadn't experienced in a long time.

More great feelings of attraction were brewing among many others, as well, but they weren't as successful. Ryan found Beth and Sierra very pretty, and made a few flirtatious comments, but they both denied him quickly. He even tried Patricia before he found out she was married to Otis, which caused him to blush furiously before running back downstairs, looking like a complete fool. Though she didn't feel the same, Patricia was very flattered.

Ron had a crush on Mika, and once she even let him hold her hand. Mika was about two years older than him, and she saw him as a baby compared to her, but she let him continue to flatter her.

Jessie found Ryan to be quite handsome, and thought he could be great husband material, but she kept those feelings to herself. There was no use in being so up-front with him just yet. He could be anybody.

Patti was into Seth, but like Jessie, she kept it to herself. Her reason, though, was more based on her insecurity, to be honest. Why would a huge, muscular sex god like him like a short little fat old lady like me? He may not even like dark meat.

Robert became extremely attracted to Greyson and Daniel, and he constantly flirted with the two. Daniel occasionally flirted back, and revealed that he, too, is gay, but asked that Robert keep it quiet. Daniel wouldn't date Robert, though. Robert had hinted at it often and even asked a few times, but Daniel always turned him down. Daniel wanted to be looked up to by the stronger survivors. He wanted to be seen as an equal. He believed that if they discovered he was gay, he would be looked down upon, even though Robert was seen as valuable by many of the other survivors. To Daniel, they simply pitied Robert. He didn't want to be pitied. With Greyson, Robert had little luck, as well, as Greyson constantly pushed himself away and protested. He would sometimes even say to Robert that he was straight, but something about the way he said it, his actions, seemed like he was lying and, like Daniel, was insecure. Robert was beginning to grow desperate for attention, and tonight, he was going to make a move.

He would be going on a run soon with a few other survivors, so he had to act fast. An hour before Ryan and Shawn announced that they would be leaving, Robert sat in the living room, patiently awaiting the moment that Daniel would be alone. He was currently in his bedroom slightly down the hallway from the living room with Lyrik and Beth, who were also apparently in on his secret, talking about who-knows-what. Robert didn't care about that right now. Instead of the two leaving, Daniel instead came out, which surprised Robert a little as he pretended to read a book on the couch. Daniel still had a smile on his face, obviously having fun with the two girls. He headed for the bathroom on the opposite end of the hall, closer to the living room where Robert was sitting. As he entered, Robert quickly raised from his seat and pushed the door open as Daniel turned around to close it. Daniel raised an eyebrow and dropped his jaw slightly in confusion and shock. "What-"

"So you won't be with me," Robert stated. "But will you be with me?" he said suggestively.

Daniel widened his eyes at Robert speaking so openly, with others likely nearby. He swiftly grabbed Robert by the arm and pulled him into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "Look, I don't know what you're playing at, but-" Daniel's words were cut off as Robert pressed his lips against the man's. Robert kissed Daniel and opened his mouth, tonguing the other boy's lips, asking for entrance. Daniel's eyes were wide open, and the sensation was enough to drive him crazy.

Robert pulled out of the kiss just as Daniel was about to succumb. "Look, you and I both need this. You know it, I know it. So let's just get to it." Daniel looked to the floor, conflicted. He looked back up to Robert after a moment, and he smiled. They started kissing once more and Daniel turned on the shower. The house miraculously still ran water, though there was no heat to it, which was going to be awful as winter approached. They began to strip one another's clothes and slowly entered the water, where they would continue.

An hour later, right on time, it was time for the run. Robert, who seemed to have a new glow about him, was the first one ready, and he reported to Ryan and Shawn, who were waiting in the car that was used to check out the old house.

"Someone looks happy," Shawn commented, smiling to Robert.

"Maybe I just got used to the whole apocalypse thing," he replied.

"Uh-huh, sure," Shawn said, looking cheekily at the younger boy through the rear-view mirror. "Greyson finally give you some head?"

Robert coughed awkwardly, trying to change the subject. "So, who all's going?" Robert asked.

"Well, uh," Ryan began, glad the subject was changing, and taking a moment to think. "There's us three, Patti, and I think Greyson? Right?"

Shawn nodded, smiling deviously to Robert in the mirror again. "Yeah, Greyson."

Robert frowned to himself slightly. Though he was quite sure he now had it on lock with Daniel, he cared for Greyson much more. Robert knew how damaged Daniel was, and he wasn't sure he could take that kind of baggage. That kind of secrecy, all because of the gender roles Daniel still believed in, even though things had changed so much. The world around them was in no way what it used to be, but people still clung to their old morals like desperate housewives who still followed their abusive husbands despite all of the pain they put them through, simply for the joy that they once had with them. Or the happiness and kindness that was only shared with them in rare, small moments. It was sad.

Within the next ten minutes, the two had joined them and they made their way northwest. Today, they were scouting out an area they were planning to make an even bigger run to later. In about five days, maybe. For now, they just needed to make sure that the place was generally safe and clear. They were about a mile out from the city, where they learned its name was Salem. They parked the car on the highway going and disguised the car into the woods, camouflaging its usefulness. They were going to rummage through other cars and slowly make their way into the town to scan for other signs of life and survival.

After about thirty minutes of walking and stopping to loot cars, they had gotten a pretty good bit of supplies. They had found a car seat obviously for a baby that completely empty, but a bag was left next to it and it was filled with baby formula and diapers. "You never know," Ryan said, and Shawn grunted. Someone getting pregnant could be disastrous.

Shawn naturally led the group, walking a few paces ahead of them and giving them orders as well as taking out walkers ahead of the group, but Ryan was trying to change that. Ryan had never been anything but the leader since this began, and he wasn't going to change that now. He wasn't used to following, and he didn't like it, so he would constantly jog a little bit to catch up to Shawn, and any time Shawn got distracted by something or took too long or stopped to talk, Ryan would take his place leading the group farther down the highway.

Suddenly a loud rumbling could be heard quickly approaching as the were nearing an intersection on the highway. Ryan turned to the people behind him and whisper-yelled, "Hide!"

They all scattered. Robert and Greyson hid inside of a car they were searching, pressing themselves into the floorboard and pulling things on top of themselves, hiding in the cramped space. Patti ducked for the woods, finding a nice place behind a large rock. Ryan and Shawn were in a pretty open place, and they ran back towards where everyone else was. Shawn, being closer and much quicker, made it behind a tipped-over van. Ryan was running as fast as he could to get there as well, but the noise was only getting louder. It was clearly recognized to be motorcycles. Just as the leader of the biker gang made it onto the highway where the group was, Ryan made it behind the van just in time. Until he slipped and his foot skidded into view just as the leader of the biker gang turned onto the highway.

The leader was a very buff man with a black mohawk that was peppered with grey hair, and his face was neatly groomed into a perfect mustache. They obviously had a base.

He smiled to himself, noticing the tripping foot, and slowed to a stop, putting his hand up as his people followed in behind him, stopping as well. There was about twenty of them, all on their own bikes, looking menacing and tough, with scars and tattoos and beards and very large weapons. Everyone held their breath hearing the engines stop, getting their weapons ready, aside from Robert and Greyson, who could only place their hands on the general area of their weapons. They had made a bad call hiding there.

"Eddy, Hunter," the leader said to the two men nearest him. One was very thin and was wearing a black helmet with matching leather suit, his entire appearance invisible. The other was a slightly larger man, wearing a similar helmet, but not the suit. He was wearing a leather jacket and had a large beer gut with grey hairs all over it. "Get ready. Eddy, get the sniper."

The man with the beer gut then stepped back to his bike and unloaded a large sniper rifle off of it, aiming it for where Ryan's foot was.

"Fuck," Ryan said as Shawn looked angrily at him.

"This is all your fault!" the farmer boy yelled. "Trying to act like a leader, but then you can't even run back to the group. On top of that, you go and trip like some kinda Mary!"

Ryan narrowed his eyes at the younger man, growing furious. "How dare you," he said with a horrifying calmness. "You come to my home, attack my p-"

A loud string of bullets began attacking the van they were behind, and the two snapped to their senses, pressing themselves low on the ground against the van, their guns prepared. "I know you're back there," a voice said, halting the bullets. "Come out and we'll let you go. Stay back there and we'll have no choice but to open fire."

Ryan looked to Shawn, asking silently for advice, but the farm boy looked just as conflicted. Dad would raise his hands. Surrender. Maybe they're good people. Fuckin' scary, but it wouldn't be the first time another group has been misunderstood, he said, thinking of Xavier and Sierra and the shootout they had. But Seth wouldn't. Selenis wouldn't. Xavier and Sierra wouldn't. There's too much risk in surrendering… But we have others! Patti, and Robert and Greyson. They'll back us up. Shawn looked to Ryan and nodded his head. They would surrender, and if anything went wrong, they had secret allies. There can't be that many bikers, can there?

Shawn and Ryan began to walk around the van, and the moment Ryan's arm was visible coming out from cover, it was shot at, and a bullet passed right through the side of it. He drew his arm back in agony, and the gunfire commenced. Shawn began shooting back, and the biker gang didn't let up, following their sniper Eddy's lead.

Patti could see Ryan and Shawn from where she was, and Ryan was struggling to get himself bandaged. They had hurt her leader, and she wasn't going to forgive them. She drew her gun and began firing, killing three bikers and injuring two before they even realized where the shots were coming from. "Damn it, they took down James!" the leader yelled, as they began to shoot in both directions. Taking her off guard, a walker came up behind Patti as she fired at the gang. She heard it moaning, and turned around and took it down just as she realized more were coming. She had nowhere to run that was in good cover, so she threw caution to the wind and ran for the car Robert and Greyson were hiding in. She stuck low, trying to do her best with the little cover between her rock in the woods and the car, and she made it in a place where she was sure walkers couldn't easily see her, but she know Shawn and Ryan were still in the open for the walkers, and there was very little luck for them to get to cover without further injury.

Out of the woods came a large mass of walkers, all drawn to the sound of gunfire. The thin man in leather, whose name was apparently Hunter, was the first to notice. "Darrell, we have to go," he yelled to the leader.

"Goddamn it," the leader screamed furiously, unleashing another string of rapid bullets from his machine gun to the general area everyone was hiding in. Behind him, his people collected what supplies they could from their fallen friends, loaded up their bikes, and headed out, back in the direction they were headed before they turned onto the highway. Darrell was the last to leave, as he fired a few final bullets at vulnerable spots in the cover he thought Patti was still behind.

When Patti was sure they were gone, she looked over to see the walkers were getting very close to Ryan, whose wound was now being tended to by Shawn, attempting to get him help before they ran. She shoved herself into the drivers seat of the car she was in, yelled to the back seat, "They're gone, we have to go! Get up, now!" and began trying to start the vehicle as Robert and Greyson pushed the blankets and other objects off of themselves, looking disheveled as they dragged themselves out of the cramped space, attempting to bring feeling back to limbs that had fallen asleep a short while ago. "Hurry and get those two fools!" Patti shouted.

Robert looked up and realized what was going on, seeing the herd coming and Ryan injured. He got out of the car, Greyson hurrying quickly behind, running to help Shawn and Ryan. Shawn and Robert helped Ryan to his feet as Greyson grabbed up what few of their dropped supplies he could before the herd got near, forced to leave some behind.

They made it into the car and drove it the only way they could: into town. They decided to hide out in a house in Salem far from the highway for a few hours until they were certain the herd had passed. "So, those guys," Greyson said, referring to the bikers. "You don't think they're from around here do you? Or that we might see them again? Have to run?"

"No," Patti said, being the one to speak up.

Ryan, trying to seem in charge, continued for her. "They were coming from the west, headed east. We were coming from the southeast headed northwest. Unless they're well-stocked for wandering bikers, their base is in one of those two directions. They don't live here, I don't think."

"I'd be surprised if they do," Patti added. "An' there's nothing to worry about," she said, looking to Robert and Shawn. "They didn't head towards our people. I think they're okay."

They loaded back up in the car an hour later, just to be sure, and they headed back south towards home. They found more supplies they had dropped because of the attack, including the baby bag. Father down, they found their original car and they took both vehicles back home with them.

While all of this was happening, back at the house Amanda had finally found some peace and quiet. She had been waiting almost two weeks to finally make use of the stash she had found, but was always too occupied. This time, the group was doing just fine. All of the work and chores were done, and the kids were napping. It was time to relax. To finally light up and forget about her worries for the first time since this started. For the first time in years. Even if it was just for a few moments, it would be worth it.

She stuffed the green substance into her pocket along with her lighter and a piece of paper she stole from the kids' coloring book and made her way outside, claiming she was going to get fresh air when questioned by Shakira. She went to a spot she had found a few days ago when taking down a stray walker. It was a spot close to the lake, underneath a large yellow tulip tree, out of sight unless one were to be looking from in the lake or from a perfect angle in the woods. It was better when she first found it, but now leaves were beginning to fall, and the spot was more visible thanks to the thinning of cover. It was still the best spot she had found, though.

She sat down and pulled the paper out, followed by the weed. She rolled the paper up around the marijuana with ease, remembering the way to do it from ages ago. Once she decided it was just right, she pulled out her lighter, lit the loose end, and put the other in her mouth, inhaling deeply. "Ahhhhh," she breathed out happily. The familiar scent encapsulated her, and brought back fond memories of getting high with her friends. She began thinking of when things took a turn for the worse with her addiction, and of Erin crying as Amanda lied on the ground, half-conscious, laughing about a hallucination. She took another hit.

"Amanda," a familiar voice said, startling the woman, and she quickly hid the joint behind her back. It was Beth, and she looked very disappointed. "I thought you were done with that," she said, her voice not masking her feelings of betrayal at all.

Amanda opened her mouth to respond, forgetting momentarily about the smoke in it. A cloud of stench rushed to Beth, and she coughed. Amanda sadly looked up as Beth, who now looked annoyed. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just… I found it in a house we were going through a while back. This is all I have, it was only a one-time thing."

Beth half-frowned, looking down at the bottle-blonde. Amanda's roots were now showing a lot. At least an inch or two of brown had grown back. "Do you promise?" she asked.

"I do, Bethy. I'm sorry. I really am. I promise."

Beth nodded, awkwardly. Though she had just lectured Amanda on it, she badly wanted to try some herself. "Um," she muttered, then looked back to the house.

A smile crept across Amanda's face, but she did her best to hide it. Teenagers, she thought. "You want a drag?"

"No," she said hesitantly and looked back down to Amanda, and then to her own hand. Maybe it could help with the pain. Losing a few fingers doesn't always make your hand feel that great, and right now it hurt quite a bit. Plus, she had always wanted to try weed.

"Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company," Amanda said, holding out the weed.

Beth nodded hesitantly, and flashed a smile at the older woman when she was handed the joint. Beth sat down next to Amanda and did as she was told. To breathe in deep, and to hold it in for as long as she could. Predictably, Beth wasn't that great at it and coughed it up almost as soon as it went in, causing Amanda to laugh.

They continued to share it, and they sat there for a few moments, both feeling quite buzzed. Beth turned to Amanda, a dopey smile across her face. She inched closer, and Amanda took notice with an inquisitive visage. Then, Beth reached out for Amanda and kissed her, sloppily kissing with tongue. Amanda, though shocked, returned the kiss. It lasted for a little bit too long, and Amanda reached for Beth's hand but accidentally touched her injury, and they pulled away, and couldn't look at each other afterward. They remained there, silent. Their buzz began to wear off. "I'm sorry," Beth finally said.

"I," Amanda began. "Uh. It's okay. I'm sorry, too. Did I hurt you?"

"No. It's just that, well. That was my first kiss."

Amanda looked to the younger girl with faint surprise. "You kissed Jimmy, didn't you?"

"You were my first actual kiss," she clarified. "With tongue."

"I see," Amanda stated. The mood was tense. "So, do you… Do you want me to be your girlfriend or something?"

Beth's eyes grew large, and she blushed. "Uh," she began, trying to carefully choose her words. "Not.. really. I was hopin' that would be just a one-time thing. I thought maybe, but I realized during it that I didn't like it. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be," Amanda said, half-laughing. "I'm glad, actually." There was a pause, and then Amanda realized how her words could be interpreted. "No, wait, I don't mean it like that. You're great and all, I just. Y'know. I'm straight. Plus, I'm more-" she stopped herself, shrugging it off.

"More what?"

"Nothing. I don't know."

"Yeah, you do," Beth said, and began poking at her ribs.

Amanda laughed at the tickling. "Alright, alright. I'm, um. I'm more into your brother."

Beth smiled. "Really?" Amanda put her face in her lap, feeling her face turn bright red. Beth giggled gleefully. "You two would be so cute together," she squealed.

Amanda looked to Beth, her face red as a tomato. "You think so?"

Beth laughed, holding her stomach with her injured hand. "Well, yeah."

"I don't know." Amanda began playing with this grass, unable to stop smiling and blushing. "I don't think he even likes me like that."

"Oh, come on. He doesn't even know you like him like that, does he? You should talk to him sometime. When he comes back, maybe."

"Maybe."

They continued talking about Shawn, and then off about other things, such as the crops, and what could be taking the group that was on the run so long. Selenis found them a while later, and they held a meeting to decide whether or not to send out someone to search for them before the sun went down, but thankfully they arrived in the middle of the meeting. They let the group know that the town seemed to be worth it to check out, and that they should go within the next few days. Then, they shared the story of their encounter, and many of the group became worried. It reminded some of them of the group that attacked the farm, and they thought that the same thing could happen if they are found.