So, I have almost finished the next chapter as well. I just keep coming back to earase scenes. I would go one direction then I would change my mind a page and a half in and start over. This chapter was originally 9 docx pages long, but I took out the last scene because... fuck that scene. Then I thought... Maybe I should post before I change it again. This is the offical direction I decided to go in. Next chapter, I will post at the bottom the potintual directions I could have gone in, which is what I was going to do with this chapter, but I messed up and copied something else ontop of my clipboard. Ooops...

~Loner

The apocalypse moved fast like a rolling storm. A lot faster than Aiden and his group could run. On a normal day, it took Aiden and the group 13 hours to even make it to Georgia State taking the interstate freeway. With what they are calling 'the outbreak' on the news, it was taking way longer. The mass panic from New York quickly spread, over taking them in the process. In the 3 hours they had been on the road, the interstate was taken over. Bumper to bumper traffic of packed cars sat idling in front of them. Everyone seemed to be evacuating. Aiden wasn't sure why, his last update being when he was in New York, but he had a feeling he should probably find out.

Aiden looked to his right, where Max was idling next to him in line, smacking the man on the arm to get his attention. When Max looked over, Aiden pointed to the nearby ramp. Max nodded. Then, they rammed their engines, which was followed by the two behind them, and turned into the side lane, passing up cars in their goal to get off the interstate road.

They rode the freeway running the side of the interstate for a little while longer, looking for somewhere to pull over. It was difficult, being between cities as they were, but they eventually found a gas station and turned in.

Aiden pulled up to a gas tank and parked as the other guys followed his example and parked at other tanks. "Fill up," Aiden said to the others as they dismounted. "I'll go see if I can get some recent news."

The other three gave a off individual acknowledgements, already starting on the task. Aiden turned from his bike, setting his helmet to hand on the bikes handlebars, and made his way inside.

Inside the small gas station, the employee at the register had their phone propped up against the little plastic cubbies that held various nic-nacs generic gas stations sold for a dollar. The phone was blaring on high volume a recent update from the news, as the cashier checked the person in front of the counter out.

"In other news," the reporter on the phone said, "The outbreak has spread across New York and Florida…"

"That will be 12 dollars and 59 cents," the cashier read out distracted by the phone.

Aiden heard the register draw pop open as he made his way to the line of fridges to grab few sodas for the ride out, listening intently to the news report.

"Thank you. Have a good day."

"… city governors have called for an emergency session to discuss what they are going to do next…"

Aiden, having pulled the sodas from the fridge, moved down the chips aisle.

"There has been no further update on the quarantined areas. City officials are saying…"

Aiden snorted at that. Of course, there were no updates. The government isn't going to just cause mass panic after all. They rather there be no news then bad news.

"Thank you, Sallie," a different voice this time, a male voice, was blaring out of the phone. "As you can see from our view point in the helicopter, it looks like people are attacking nearby pedestrians. Sources on the inside, say these attackers are eating them." The man, despite trying to keep his tone professional, took on a slight disbelieving quality, like he couldn't just believe they allowed that to be aired.

"What?" the cashier shouted in discussed, "No way!" Then, the cashier was snatching up his phone and the news report was dead.

Aiden snatched up a few bags of chips, thinking the information gathering was done, before a video was playing on the cashier's phone catching his attention again.

"Ew," a teens voice was cutting through the air, "Are you seeing this, guys?" Groaning and some sort of wet slurping was coming from the phones speaker. "My neighbor just jumped his wife and is now eating her." There was static, "I'm just gonna go inside," the teen sounded further than a minute ago. A door opening and slamming shut sounded through. "Okay, guys, I am inside now." The voice was crisp and clear again.

The cashier made some movements with the phone and the video was cut off.

Soon another teen's voice was coming through the speakers as another video played. "So, yeah, life in quarantine-" the voice was cut off by screaming in the background. "Let me just show you my view from my window…" there was rustling, then the unmistakable sound of blinds opening. "It's mayhem out there," the teen said breathlessly, still shocked every time he saw it. "People are just attacking other people. Some are actually ripping their victims apart."

"Holly shit," the cashier breathed in shock at what Aiden assumed he was watching. "That's gross."

"I'm just gonna…" the teen's voice from the video sounded out again, blinds popping back in place. "Yeah, so. Don't go outside kids." The voice exclaimed in mocking tone. "You never know when you'll be eaten by a Zombie. Good luck! Hugs and Kisses from the other side of quarantine." Then the video cut off.

Aiden was standing in the candy aisle at this point, just trying to draw out going to the front to pay. The kids videos, as stupid as they were, were informative, and he was hoping the cashier would pick another one.

As if reading Aiden's thoughts, the cashier did tap on another one. This time it seemed to be a woman's voice, not a teen.

"So, we were just sitting in line to get home, right?" The woman started, "We just happen to be, like," there was silence and quiet counting for a second or two, "the fifth car in line to turn away from the quarantined zone intersection. When out of NO WHERE this man," there was a pause, and Aiden assumed the speaker had turned the phone around to give the audience a better view of the man, "just starts walking up to the officers enforcing the quarantine and directing traffic away. There was a lot of yelling as the officers told the man to back up. The man wasn't listening, just kept limping slowly towards them. Then another officer off to the side, I'm guessing the first officers partner, walked over to push the man, I assume to push him back. The man just attacked the officer. Not that I blame him… but there was a whole lot of blood, then the officers were shooting at the man and the officers. It was wild man! Anyway, I just thought I share my crazy story."

There was a pause in the video, and Aiden thought for a moment the cashier was going to turn it off but it kept going. Aiden guessed the woman was showing clips of the scene from the cars window. "People are getting out of their cars now, so we are kind of stuck here for a bit it seems. There's a group over there is arguing with the officers. I suppose they didn't like the fact that the officers shot at the man. But, honestly, the man was attacking the-" the woman stopped mid-speech. "What the hell is that?" A pause. "Did that officer just stand up? Shouldn't he be dead?" Another long pause. "How is he moving?" Screaming came through the phones speakers in the form of "OMG! OH MY GOD! HE IS ATTACKING! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! DAN LOCK YOUR DOOR, SWEETIE!" There was a lot of static coming through the phone. Then, a pause again before the woman's voice came through, much calmer this time. "So," the woman sang though the speakers, "we're home now, thankfully. That video happened about an hour ago, we were pretty shaken up when we got home. But we are fin-" the voice was cut off by the cashier .

"What the fuck?" the cashier was muttering to himself. His fingers flying across the screen. "I'm gonna share this. There's no way it was real."

Aiden took that as his cue to check out. He laid the items in his arms on the counter. The cashier paused and put his phone down. "Just a sec." Then, after he rang all the items up, the cashier gave him the total. "25.79."

Aiden pulled out his wallet. "Add a carton of NXTs and two extra boxes." He pulled out his spare card that he had been using since he had given the original card to Daryl. "And 30 on pump 5."

The cashier rang up the carton. "ID?"

Aiden handed over his ID, for once not making a big deal about it. Aiden's thoughts were on the information he had gathered. Looking out the window as the cashier scared the ID, Aiden saw the guys were done getting gas and were just waiting on him.

"New total is: 129.79."

Aiden looked back at the register and nodded. Slipping in his card, Aiden went through the prompts on the key pad. No, he didn't want cash back, damn it. Yes, the amount is correct, stupid machine. The pin number was, then, punched in, and Aiden was pulling out his card and putting it away.

"Thank you," the cashier chirped as Aiden took his bags. "Have a good day."

"Yeah. Yeah," Aiden grumbled under his breath as he kicked open the door and left.

After he filled his gas tank up and gave a summary of what he had learned to the guys, they were heading out again. It was decided that they would work to get back to Georgia state to meet up with the others stationed there. Then, when they gathered all of the men and women from there, they would head out to meet up at home base, a small town somewhere over by Red Bank, Tennessee, which is where the gang was originally created. It would be a long road ahead of them, but they would make it.

Two hours later, a grand total of 5 hours since their escape from New York, Aiden was standing outside a road side dinner a mile out from the motel they had rented for the night, smoking a cigarette. They had decided to settle for the night, before getting up the next morning and hitting the road again. Finding gas stations not packed with cars was difficult, and when they did find one not packed, they were usually out of gas. Aiden expected to see gas prices rising in the next few hours due to the sudden demand.

Aiden pulled out his phone, checking the signal, before hitting the call button. The phone rang and went to voicemail.

"You've reached Rick's phone," Rick's recorded voice sounded through the speakers, "I can't come to the phone right now." Aiden let the message play through as he stomped out the cigarettes end. "please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you." There was a pause, then a beep letting Aiden know the phone was ready to record.

"Pet," Aiden started as he placed another square between his lips, "I called earlier, but the bitch answered." He lit the cigarette with a draw of breath and fire. "Said something," Aiden blew out a cloud of smoke, "about you being shot." He paused, looking up at the darkening sky. "Assuming, because you haven't called me back, the bitch either still has your phone or she never told you. Listen, Rick, my lovely pet, it's getting dangerous out here. From the information I've gathered, the dead are coming back and killing people." Aiden pulled in another drag, his time limit on the recording almost up, as he blew out. "They say, they are eating people. That's all I know at the moment. I will call again when I know more." If he could call again. In the 5 hours he had been gathering information, all signs pointed to the government not being able to contain it. "If not, I'm going towards Red Bank in Tennessee." Then, he hung up. Hopefully, the man checked his voice mail. Aiden was 95% sure, even after the cell towers went down, voice mails were still available on the phone. Now, with any luck, electricity would still be a thing in a few months.

Aiden stomped out another cigarette. One more call, then he would go in.

This one was answered mid ring, like the other was waiting on his call.

"Daddy," Darlina answered, ignoring the 'Stop doing that!' In the background. Apparently, Merle didn't approve of his relationship with Ace.

"Baby doll," Aiden replied in relief. He supposed, because Rick didn't answer, Aiden had expected Daryl not too either. Probably stupid of him to think like that, but Aiden didn't know what was happening in Georgia. He was the 'glass half empty' kind.

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere in North Carolina, I think, at some old fashion Dinner." Aiden explained as he looked around him, taking in the vehicles in the parking lot. There wasn't very many; just two, a car and a truck, and the bikes. "Not very many people here, where I am. Probably just the waitress, the cook, me and the guys."

"So, you're on your way home?"

"Yes, baby. But it will be a while before I can make it." Aiden leaned back on the restaurant as he spoke, already pulling another cigarette from the box. What? He was stressed.

"Why?" the worry was ringing through the word loud and clear to Aiden as he lit his cigarette.

"You're just full of questions tonight," Aiden said; smoke thickening his voice as he spoke. "It's taking longer to get there because of the traffic. We have to find other ways around."

There was silence as the explanation was digested, the only noise coming from Aiden as he pulled in another drag of toxic clouds. Then, there was a cry of 'hey,' from Daryl and a bit of fabric rubbing on the speaker to the phone that had Aiden pulling the phone from his ear in annoyance.

The next voice to be heard was grunted and serious. "What is going on?"

Aiden assumed it was Merle. Anyone else and Daryl would have put up more of a fight. "Don't know," Aiden's voice grumbled up from his chest in annoyance. "Where's Darlina?" he asked,

"Here, Daddy," Daryl chipped up in the background, louder now that the phone was on speaker.

Aiden hummed, content with the knowledge that, at least, the kid wasn't being completely disrespected by his older brother.

"Would you stop that?!" Merle grunted in anger, "I don't want to know about your God damn sexual preferences, for fuck sakes." Then, Merle turned his attention to Aiden, because who else could he be asking for information from? "And you." The man growled, "Don't even think about pulling that," he tried to mimic Aiden's voice, "'don't know' bull shit. If you don't know, then you at least suspect what is going on, asshole."

Aiden could see himself liking Merle given time. They seemed to have a lot in common, namely anger issues. "Fuck you." He just didn't appreciate the man's attitude being directed at him or Daryl.

"Daddy, please," Daryl begged him before Merle could respond to Aiden's jab. Then, in a quieter voice, the kid added, "I'm scared."

Aiden could see the kid tucking his head to the side, ears red in embarrassment. He sighed. "Fine. For you Baby doll, I'll tell you what I know."

"You do know, I'm going to kill you the next time I see you," Merle stated.

"I'd like to see you try," Aiden sneered back at the man.

"Merle, stop it." Daryl sighed in frustration, probably running his hand through his hair. "Daddy, what's going on?"

Aiden sighed in defeat, dropping his cigarette butt to the ground. "From what I could gather," he started, once again going over what he had found out in the last 5 hours. "The dead are coming back to eat the living. Some of the people I have talked to say the only way to kill the dead again I'd to shoot it in the head." This information he had gotten when he had called his contact in the Florida division of the gang to tell them to meet up at home base. "Anywhere else is just a waste of supplies. We aren't sure, because it hasn't been tested yet, but we are thinking that they are blind. They seem to follow their other senses to find food."

"That's a lot of information the public doesn't have yet," Merle grunted.

"Yeah, well, I have a lot of contacts. You didn't think it was just me, myself, and I did you?" Aiden rebutted sarcastically. "Sides," he continued, "the cell towers are still up. From what I heard, the places

where the quarantine started, are already over ran, their city has gone dark. My contact in Florida says they can't reach the subgroup they had working at the channels anymore. They fear that group to be gone already." Aiden paused to let the information sink in.

"But, it's only been 5 hours since the first report!" Daryl exclaimed in shock.

"So, this outbreak is spending fast," Merle grunted when he finished digesting the information.

"Yes," Aiden begrudgingly agreed with the man.

"We need to be prepared," Merle continued, ignoring Aiden, "if quarantined cities are already going black, then there is a good possibility that it's already spread outside quarantined areas."

"Yes," Aiden agreed again. Then, continued with his report, "One of the guys in the Florida division send out a group to go check it out. They are supposed to get with me when the group makes it back."

Merle grunted. "If they make it back."

"Another thing. We are trying to come up with another form of communication that isn't as limited as cell phones. Radios were given some thought, but scrapped because of the range limitations. But, they would work for a group of people needing to stay in contact within that range. If, and, I'm only saying this for Darlina, we lose contact before a permanent solution could be found, we are going to use Channel 10. And play eco location until someone responds. It has been decided that, when the cell towers go down, we will only send out one message, once a day and wait 30 minutes for a response, after that the radio will go off." Not the greatest of plans but it works in a pinch.

"You guys sound suspiciously prepared," Merle was the one to point out the obvious.

"And you aren't?" Aiden rebutted the man. "With any luck, all our plans will be for nothing and we will all sit back and laugh about how paranoid we were."

There was a pause of silence from both ends. Aiden turning his head to look in on the guys from the window, taking a moment to watch Jefferson and Terry throw food at each other.

"So that's it then?" Merle's voice was breaking the silence from the other end of the phone.

"For now, yes," Aiden replied. That wasn't it; at least, as far as plans went. However, for the information he was going to share, yes, that was it.

"How long do you think we will be able to keep in touch through cell service?" Daryl asked, a little hesitant.

"Hard to say, baby," Aiden said with a sigh. "At the rate it's spreading , a few days at most. But, it could be a few hours from now." Hopefully, Aiden though to himself, it will be after he met up with the others. Aiden's personal goal was to pick up the Dixon Brothers, Rick, and Carl, not Lori, Lori was to be left as bait, on his way to meet up with the gang station on the outskirts Atlanta, most of them living in the getto.

Daryl whined, "Come home before then?"

"That is the plan," Aiden deadpanned.

"Good," the boy hummed in contentment.

"What are you going to do if we have to leave before you get here?" Merle couldn't help but ask.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "I'm going to start making my way to Atlanta City, obviously."

"What? Why Atlanta?"

Aiden sighed in annoyance. "Because, I have a base and access to the trades there." His trading company of illegal and stolen items, but he didn't tell them that. "Look," Aiden needed to go back in before one of the guys came out, "if you need us and you can no longer reach me, answer the message with the code name 'The General.'" Then, Aiden stressed the name again. "'The General,' got it?"

"Sure, whatever," Merle grumbled out.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Good." Aiden nodded even though they couldn't see him do it. "Now, I got to go and collect the guys so we can get some mother fucking sleep." Then, he hung up not caring one bit about anyone's feeling for doing it.

Aiden only hoped they didn't need to use his code.

Regardless of their head start, the apocalypse was faster than they expected.

Aiden stared at the trashed home the Dixon Brothers had. He had rushed as fast as he could, between the city closers and the heavy traffic. It had taken Aiden a day and a half, but he was home. The issue was, the Brothers had left before he got there. From the looks of the town they skirted around to get here, the dead had been through.

"Fuck."

"It's not so bad," Terry said from where he sat on his bike next to Aiden, "At least, there aren't any dead bodies looking like them."

There was that, Aiden conceded. "Come on. We got places to be." Aiden pushed gown his visor, covering his face.

"You're not going to go looking for them?" Jefferson asked as he turned his engine back on.

Aiden paused mid movement. He thought for a minute, then shook his head. "No. They know how to reach me." Then, he was off on his way to Atlanta through the back roads, already knowing the main roads were congested.

Daryl and Merle sat in the long line of traffic trying to get into Atlanta, when a good 35 bikes of different colors and brands went past them using the shoulder. All of the bikes wearing Florida plates, heading towards Atlanta to meet up with the others. Some of the motorcyclists had some form of gun on their backs, some being rifles, others being shot guns.

Merle leaned out his open window to watch as the leader of the group turned off the main street onto the ramp leading around the city and cutting through to down town Atlanta.

Merle whistled in amazement at the group. He haven't seen that many bikes in one place in a while. "Where you s'pose their going?"

Daryl watched the last of the group ride by. "Ta meet up with

Ace, I think."

Merle looked at his brother. "Why ya say that?"

"Because, Ace told us," Daryl said with a roll of his eyes. His brother was an idiot sometimes. More muscle than brain, Daryl thought.

"When'd the fuck did that sicko say he was bringing in a shit ton of people on bikes?"

Daryl sighed at his brother's inability to put two and two together. "He said he had contacts in Florida." Daryl started to explain, "said, they were sending a team out, which implies there were more then the group they sent out. Then, he said Florida was going dark, and he was going to Atlanta, where his base of operation is. All of which implies there will be a lot of people meeting up at said base of operation."