Another update, yes you heard it right. Admittedly, I have been pushing out stories faster than I thought I would be, but that's a good thing, I suppose. It's a great feeling to know that you have not bitten more than you can chew, else it would make for one extremely awkward conversation. Regardless, here is the new chapter, as nothing previously has had anything constructive to do with anything.

Chapter 4: Aftermath

"Where is Zoey going?"

"Beats me,"

Louis, still a little bit unhappily paralytic, could do nothing but see his female companion off, as the teenager, despite her arrays of injuries, left their post and veered off in the distance. Francis was curious as well, but decided against interfering. They had gone through too much trauma already, and they all needed some rests. Considering how Zoey seemed to be heading to the boat, maybe she just wanted to get a rest on the bed or something, all of which would be fine by the men. They had waited long enough, after all. It had been a full half hour after the other four survivors had escaped through the bridge, drawing what was left of the Infected horde with them, following the ever so loud, once considered manly, noise of the car's engine. The three who stayed behind are now home free, as they had finally accomplished what they came here to do. Francis could see it now, making a home up on Florida Keys, an island resort, no less. He would probably make Louis a butler or something, standing on the beach to flag down cruises of attractive young women apparently lost on the sea, looking for some fun and a place to stay away from the infected. It was what he had always wanted. Of course, such imaginations could only go so far, but it did do a good job to keep his mind occupied, enough to steer his focus away from Zoey, not realizing the fact that the teenage girl was rather hurried in her steps. Louis, however, was fully awake and aware of this fact. However, being currently crippled, he did not have any chances of catching up to her regardless, nor would trying to interrupt Francis' fantasy be of any help.

Zoey, of course, knew about people's suspicion arising should she act out like this. However, she had no mind to pay for those trivial thoughts. Having just fought what would probably be the battle of her life, there would be absolutely no reason for her to worry about anything, but her new found companion's well being. It might have been a witch, but it was the closest thing she had to a friend ever since the death of her parents when the infection spread out. Then there was Bill's sacrifice, which she had been trying to fight emotionally all this time. She would not and could not take another loss. She had to go through too much to have this last ray of hope being taken away from her. However, her injuries were not those of light caliber either. The shockwave from the exploding Chainsaw did a number on her internal organs, not that she was enough of a doctor who really know how to fix those up either. It could turn out to be a pain in the future, but that was not the apparent discomfort she was experiencing right now. Rather the fact that she could not walk fast enough to the boat was bothering her, a lot. As she did, various thoughts raced through her mind. Cindy, regardless of appearance and apparent sanity, was a Witch. She had heard her cry in prior to the engagement, and it was a real risk that she was just in the process of "turning". Worse off, perhaps she was even enraged during the extremely long attack they just endured and ran off somewhere. All of those theories made so much sense, that Zoey was tearing up as she approached the hatch. She has her M16 in hand, but it was not actually cocked, in case she misfired at something. She had all of her trust on this approach, or else her life would be in mortal danger. As the yacht's hatch was opened up, Zoey narrowed her eyes. She was not quite sure whether she left the light on or off when she put Cindy here, but it was definitely not on now. She remembered leaving the Witch at the back, so her hand was firm on the trigger, even though she knew it would not work even if she had fired. It was just for mental preparation for the worst; even though she doubted she would even live through it if it did come to that. Taking a low stance, the teenage girl slowly made her way across the limited pathway, trying her best not to be caught off guard. She heard no crying as of yet, and that helped a bit. Soon enough, she reached the near end of the row boat, and spied what appeared to be the one she was looking for. There was no flash light of any sort, so she had to be careful.

"Cindy?" Her voice was soft and gentle, but it was enough to be heard clearly across the confined chamber. The dark figure turned around, its eyes blazing. Zoey gulped. It was definitely Cindy, but perhaps she had taken a bit too much of trust going into danger like this. The witch turned around, claws made scratching noises as they draped across the floor. The teenage girl slowly reacted by cocking up her rifle, but still indecisive. However, her senses could not react fast enough to the witch's startled motion, dashing towards her with extensive speed and force. Zoey could not do anything but brace for impact, as she had the worst in mind.

"Zoey…" The Witch was doing nothing more than snuggling up to the teenage girl, as the two were on the ground after the collision. She appeared to have been nothing more than agitated, which helped everyone's causes. Zoey sighed, losing a load off her chest. She was seriously considering having to go down fighting just then, considering how absolutely horrifying that situation seemed like. Perhaps all witches had that kind of reaction, and it was a trait, so she should start to learn it, amusingly.

"Hey Cindy…" Not even bothering to get up properly, the teenage girl quietly petted the top of her companion's head. She was kind of cute in that regard, almost like a house cat, a really big one, of course. Zoey could not help but smile quite brightly, knowing that she was no longer in immediate danger nor she had to worry about anything else at this point. The fact that Cindy was still a Witch would be bothering somewhat, but nothing they could not fix in the future, should the opportunity arises. Right now, however, she was simply glad that everything turned out alright for the time being. "How have you been?"

"I was scared." The witch truthfully answered, almost in a weeping fashion. Of course, she had nothing to fear from the common infected, seeing as how they would never target a witch if they had the chance, and being inside the boat severely lessened the probability of being hit by any stray Bile Bombs. "I heard yelling outside, and gun shots, and screams."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened." Zoey chuckled at her companion's apparent innocent. She was unaware how long the witch had been, well, a witch, so what it did know about the world around them was beyond her. Regardless, she was taking it with her. Finally finding a need to accomplish, Zoey pressed her arms against the floor and slowly sat up, with Cindy still basically on her front. The witch seemed rather confused at that, as if it could not imagine why Zoey would want to change the way they were there. Soon after, it found the teenage completely up and ready to run, albeit looking a bit unsteady. Cindy could not know what to make of it, but Zoey really did not leave any chances for inquiries. "I'll be back in a few Cindy, there's something I need to do first."

"Are you going to leave me here again?" Those trademark tears swelled upon the flashing red eyes made Zoey flinched a bit, but she knew better than to blindly react to such things. Cindy was still a witch, and she would still have red eyes, those are the things the teenager could not change. At least she could help to not misunderstanding those, anyways.

"NO, Cindy, NO!" Zoey felt like yelling, as if trying her best to get the point across. Any mental trauma for anyone at this point was completely unwelcomed, and she needed to keep Cindy mildly and at her best behavior, for when she would introduce the witch to her teammates on the outside. Of course, there was a part of her that simply did not want to watch the witch cry. It was unnerving, at best. "I'm just going to get some people, and things, before we leave."

"Why do you need to get it?" The witch appeared to simply being difficult. Perhaps it was simply the childish mentality that she was put with. All things considered, she would be passed with being a little girl who wanted mommy's attention all to herself. It was adorable, in Zoey's opinion. "You have me…"

"Look Cindy, you're important to me." Zoey, holding the witch by the shoulder, raised it up in order to get a decent conversation across a well aligned height comparison. She felt unnecessary having to explain this to anyone, but she could not help it. This was a special case after all. "But these guys, they are my family, ok? You would have to get along with them, and they'll have to get along with you as well. We're all going to make this work, and I am not going to leave anyone behind, alright?"

"Ok…" Zoey smiled at Cindy's obedience. She was not going to leave for long anyways, so it was great that the witch could trust her, as it would probably be the base of building any relationships. The teenage felt like rewarding, as she drew close and gave Cindy a warm embrace, which both appreciated after such a long and tiring day. The witch obviously did not want the girl to break it off, but she had to. Zoey waved goodbye, as she jumped up to the deck to get her friends.

"Hey, Zoey's back." Louis pointed out, pulling Francis out of his undying fantasy by the power of his strong voice, that or by the biker's collar. Choking, the white male took a bit of time to recover his senses fully. In true gangster fashion, he decided to not talk about what had just been going on through his mind and simply focusing on the current situation instead. Wiping his eyes, he peered towards the direction of the boat, seeing a familiar teenage girl walking towards the two men, with a noticeable smile on her face. He recalled her leaving not so long a few minutes ago, so there was not much she could have done while there that would put her in such a good mood, unless she needed the privacy to disrobe and then…

"Guys." Once again, Francis' fantasy was discarded in priority of the real world, although he was not quite sure whether he was going anywhere with those thoughts regardless. Zoey was simply strolling, more or less, to where they are positioned on the balcony. It took her no more than a minute to get back to her previous post. She, of course, recognized her teammate's curiosity towards her suddenly upbeat mood. She could not help it though, as she was definitely genuinely happy about how things turned out since their meeting with the other survivors. They had pretty much had things their way since then, and soon this would all end. "How are you leg Louis?"

"It's been gradually healing, although I reckon it would take full week before I can walk again like normal." The man, despite his usual perkiness, was having obvious complications with the fact that his right leg was damaged quite heavily. In fact, it had been one of the many reasons why they could not have been as strong as they could in prior to the battle of the bridge that lead to Bill's death. He had always hated himself for being careless when they checked out the previous running cruise ship that they went through, where he got clawed by numerous witches while trying to get down. "So what's the plan now?"

"We do what we came here for." Zoey stated with confidence behind her words. When the four of them were dispatched off the train and came here, she was rather reluctant of following Bill's ideals considering this infection. However, losing him had taught her quite a few things about survival out here. She had not completely given on her hopes of fighting back yet, of course, but she knew better now. They can no longer do this. They can no longer drape city by city, with any plans ahead except for the guns in their hands, in hope of being rescued by the military. They tried that, it did not work. "We're sailing for Florida Keys, right now."

"Alright, island mansion, here I come!" Francis' sudden outburst in joy amused his teammates quite a bit, considering how he had been extremely unquiet about his apparent dream once they got there. In fact, most of it could be heard when he talked in his sleep. All, of course, lead to even more funny discoveries.

"We're moving the guns first." Zoey brought what she can with her, while putting all the left over backpack items, bombs, ammos packs, first aid kits, into a large bag, hanging them by the side. Francis took her cue, stuffing up the extra guns they had on to his broad back, ready to be moving at a moment's notice. They had collected quite a few during their travels, which they had saved for just this occasion. "Are you ok with that Louis?"

"Yeah, just pack this thing up and come back for me." The injured man appeared to have little against it, as much as one would expect. He had wished he could have been more helpful, but then again there was also no point in beating himself up over a lost cause either. Watching the other two moving their equipment, he took a long and hard look at the one weapon he had been using during their last battle. The Heavy Machine Gun Turret still stands there, about as majestic as it could be when they first encountered. It was quite a stroke of luck to have it positioned here, ready to aid the ones down below. It was rather regretful that they had not the man power to move such a heavy object, and had to leave it behind.

"Zoey" Francis turned his head to the teenager as the two of them casually walked to their boat. It was a short walk, and small talk was ensued. "Why do you look so happy? I mean we just won a pretty big fight, and it does feel pretty damn sweet. However, if that was just it, then you seem to be enjoying this victory just a little… too much?"

"I might be." Zoey did not bother retorting to suspicions. She was still holding a secret from her teammates anyways, and she would rather not have to disclose it just yet. They would be getting a proper introduction once everything is set and done, and just before they sail off. Well, with that said, she had no idea where Florida Keys even is, considering how Bill was the only one who knew and suggested it. However, it would be extremely likely that there would be a map or something on the yacht, which is of great help. "Don't worry, I'll tell you soon enough."

"Alright, that's done." It did not take long for them to load up everything into storage, of course, with a few left out in case they ran into some unwanted encounters along the way. Still, their work is done for the most part. "What now? I'm coming back to help Louis?"

"No, I'll do that." Zoey still had something in mind before setting her sight on sailing. There was still someone that she owed. Eyeing Francis' belt, the teenager could see that he had been carrying a pair of pistols with him, meaning he could handle himself should something strange came up unexpectedly. For now, she had a different assignment for the man. "Louis only has problems with one of his legs, I can drag him here myself. I want you to go into the warehouse and get Bill for me, alright?"

"Yes," Francis would most likely be joking right now, but this was not some subject he could do so about. Even though he would most likely mock the old man and his goat beard should the two still be fighting word by word, right now, he had nothing but respect for the man, even though he did not show it. They would not be here without him, after all. Silently going for his task, he, in the back of his mind, also wanted to see Bill one last time before they decide what to do with the man's body.

"Hey Zoey," Louis seemed a bit surprised to see the teenage girl, not the biker, came to his side to help him off the balcony. He would appreciate all assistances the same, of course, but it simply struck him as odd. "Where's Francis?"

"I told him to go get Bill." Zoey refused to look at anyone as she spoke of the old Vietnam veteran. She put the man's arm through her shoulders and helped him up, leading the two towards the stairway. Louis obviously understood the emotional stress his teammate must be going through at the moment, so he decided against asking anything else, particularly the thoughts he was having considering the useful that the HMG Turret could have been. Even though it was probably the only right time to bring such a thing up, it could not be helped. "Come on."

Slowly, the two made their way towards the boat, more particularly near the storage where the guns were dumped into. Zoey settled Louis down, as the two wait for Francis' return with Bill's body. Soon enough, he appeared, holding the corpse of the old military man, still with the burnt out cigarette in his mouth.

"You gave him back the smoke didn't you?" Zoey's word pierced the biker's good intentions. Putting the old man down, he became rather flustered having people found out his "soft" side. It was against personality at best, but then again, it was not really something serious anyways. The odds of them ever coming across anywhere that would care about such a thing were basically non-existent regardless.

"Yeah, so?" Francis huffed, crossing his arms, trying to pose as manly as he could. It did nothing but amused his two teammates to no end. Realizing that it should not work, the biker dropped his shoulders and confessed. "The man went everywhere with his cigarette after all. It wouldn't feel right without it."

"I understand." Zoey smiled. They were as close as they could be at this moment, and she had no doubt that it would stay that way for long to come. However, after checking everything in her head, this was the last thing they would have to do. This means, this would be the only opportunity she had of introducing her new companions to her teammates. "I have something to tell you guys about, wait here and I'll go get it."

The two men stared at each other in confusion. It was true that they were stuck on the bridge for a long time, but what could Zoey possibly have done all the while that could have made such a difference. They waited on the deck in anticipation, waiting for the teenager to emerge from the hatch with the miracle cure or something similar. What they saw instead, was like nothing they expected.

"Zoey, is that..?" Francis could not believe his eyes, and neither could Louis, but he simply chose to stay speechless. Their eyes were definitely not fooling them, although they might have wished for such. There was a red-eyed, claw-wielding, blood-stained, horrifyingly-looking witch, walking next to Zoey as she came up from under the hatch. Both of them were actually smiling, which flabbergasted the two men even more. There was absolutely no explanations that came to mind, as they could do nothing but wait for an explanation of how this was all just an elaborate prank, or something mind-blowingly similar.

"Guys, this is Cindy."