IV - Chaos Is the Natural Order
Clyde panted as he stabbed a roamer through the eye. He then fell with the roamer before Benny helped him up.
"You don't have to be here," said Benny. "We got this."
"But I have to help," said Clyde.
"Wanna help? Go to the infirmary, tell everyone what's going on. Get 'em to prepare an evacuation just in case."
Clyde nodded. He jogged away from the main gate as Benny and the sniper continued backing away from the swarms of roamers coming inside.
Smoke lingered in the air as Clyde made his way to the infirmary. But before he entered, he saw a figure in the smoke, opening a manhole cover.
"Hey, wait!" exclaimed Clyde, pointing his pistol at the figure. "Don't move or else—"
Polly locked eyes with Clyde, causing him to gasp in surprise.
"Oh, Clyde!" gasped Polly. "I— I didn't expect to see you here. I was just…"
"Polly… you're one of them?"
"One of who?"
"The Vultures."
Polly gulped as she removed her helmet, revealing a large gash on her head.
"I am… unfortunately. You have to believe me… I didn't know this was going to happen. All of this… was not what I signed up for. But your people won't take me. If I go through that infirmary… they'll kill me. So I have no choice but to go back to them. The Vultures."
"We don't have to tell them," said Clyde. "We can get you patched up."
"No. They already know who I am."
"How?"
"I… I just wanna live. Please… let me go."
"I can't. Not if you're going to go back to your people."
"I won't. After all this… I won't. I'll just leave… and find safety somewhere else. I don't want to kill anyone. All I want to do is live. I promise."
Clyde took a deep breath. His gut feeling gave him every sign that something was wrong. But he went against it and lowered his gun.
"Go."
"Oh, thank you, Clyde. Thank you."
Polly lowered herself down the manhole before sliding the cover back in place.
Clyde wanted to change his mind and go after her, but was hesitant to do so. He then decided to continue for the infirmary as gunshots popped off in the background.
Two soldiers stood outside of the infirmary, seeing Clyde approach.
"Hey, stop right there!" ordered one of the soldiers.
Clyde felt shivers throughout his body as he paused, seeing the soldiers point their gun at him. He was reminded of the rogues, but then he took a deep breath, reminding himself that they had no affiliation with KHAN.
"Guys, I'm not a Vulture!" huffed Clyde.
"What are you doing here?" asked the soldier.
"The roamers are getting inside. We have to get an evacuation plan ready just in case they get over here."
"How… how do the Vultures look like again?" whispered the soldier.
"I don't know," whispered the soldier next to him.
Roger then stepped out of the infirmary, wondering whose voice was conversing with the soldiers.
"Roger!"
"Clyde! I heard something about roamers?"
"Yeah, let me get inside first."
Clyde walked over to the infirmary, prompting the soldiers to lower their weapons.
"Hey," said one of the soldiers, facing Roger. "If you can… can you stay here and help us identify who's a Vulture and who isn't?"
"I wouldn't know who's a Vulture."
"You know the civilians that live here, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Anyone who's not them— let us know."
"Gotcha."
Roger stayed by the open door as Clyde entered the infirmary.
Maria was treating JuJu's wounded shin while Will sat on a chair as Patti was wrapping a bandage around his back. Vonda sat on a chair as a tube carried blood from her arm to a bag, which was connected to another tube which itself was connected to Tim's arm.
"Where's Lynn?" asked Clyde.
"Not here, bro," said JuJu.
"Where did she go?"
"She's at Haley's place," said Will. "Luna and her took some guy there to treat him. I was going to bring some supplies so that Haley could treat him, but then I got… shot by an arrow."
"I could take them over there."
"My bag's over there. It's got everything."
Will pointed at the bag next to the entrance. Clyde picked it up and grabbed it before running out of the infirmary.
"Wait, what were you going to say about the roamers?" exclaimed Roger.
However, Clyde continued jogging, disappearing into the smoke.
The smoke was clearing bit by bit, though it was still heavily fogging up the streets.
Benny swung his sword at a roamer, slicing the upper half of its head off before looking ahead at the smoke. A few roamers walked through the smoke before shadows made themselves known behind them. The shadows then rapidly darkened as runners darted ahead of the walking roamers, entering the community in large numbers.
"Oh, shit," said the sniper, grabbing onto his walkie-talkie. "Captain, we got Gammas entering! I repeat, we got Gammas entering!"
A few soldiers fired at the approaching roamers, being able to take some of them out, though some of the bullets missed their targets, leading to deadly consequences as the runners sprang towards their targets.
A soldier screamed as one of the runners leaped onto him, tearing into his face. Another soldier struggled to fight off a runner as it swung its arms wildly about, scratching the soldier's armor and clothes. One other soldier swung the butt of his rifle at one of the runners, knocking it down, and then executed it before another runner leaped at him, biting his throat open.
Benny pulled out his M4 carbine and began shooting at the runners before seeing about a dozen more come inside the walls.
"We have to go!" exclaimed Benny.
"We were given orders! We can't abandon post!" yelled the sniper, firing his pistol at the runners.
Benny panted heavily as the soldiers took out their sidearms. However, the runners attacked them before they were able to get any meaningful shots in.
The sniper took cover behind a tree to keep his visibility low as he fired his pistol at an approaching runner.
As the runners continued to attack the soldiers near the gate, the slower roamers went ahead and walked through the open gate with no resistance.
Benny fired his carbine until it ran out of ammo. He then raised his sword and saw one of the runners approaching him. He yelled as he cut its head off. Another one came after him, which he quickly took out as well. Then, a third darted to him before he could recover. He gasped before the sniper fired at the runner, taking it out before it could cut Benny up.
"Take cover, kid! Make it harder for them to get ya'!"
Benny nodded as he ran over to a parked car.
Clyde stopped as he looked at the scene unfolding before him. He wanted to turn around and head back to the infirmary. Instead, he took out his own knife and ran ahead.
"Huh?" gasped Benny, seeing a figure run towards the swarm of roamers. "Wait. Clyde!"
Clyde yelled as he ran past a runner, who know had its attention on him. As Clyde now ran past the swarm, he had about three runners in his tail. He continued to run, though the runners were steadily catching up.
One of the runners reached out for his bag, its nails inches away from it. It then grabbed onto the bag, forcing Clyde to make a decision: drop the bag and run away or hold on to it and fight back. He held the bag tightly as he turned around. However, seeing the runner so close and its glowing eyes so dead set on killing him, Clyde opened up his hands as he prepared to release the bag.
Then, the runner was shot down. The other runners paid no mind to their dead friend as they continued to run towards Clyde. Then, they were then shot down as well.
Clyde panted heavily as he closed his hands again, holding on to the bag. He looked forward and saw Bruna, Sam, and Simon holding their guns out.
"Got some big balls to run straight ahead like that," said Bruna. "Too bad they were weighing you down."
Clyde looked behind the three survivors. He saw Albert closing the gate as Luan and Jackee were killing the roamers inside the community. He let out a sigh before turning around.
"Wait!" exclaimed Sam. "What was so important that you had to run through that swarm like that?"
"Aiden needs whatever is inside this bag," said Clyde.
"Okay. I'm coming with you."
"I'll help the others," said Bruna.
Sam nodded as Bruna ran off to help the soldiers and the other survivors finish off the rest of the roamers. She then saw Clyde running off without her.
"Come on," sighed Sam, facing Simon. "Let's go."
Simon nodded as he and Sam jogged after Clyde.
Bruna lowered her gun and took out her knife, which she gripped tightly as she lunged onto a roamer feasting on the corpse of one of the dead soldiers in the ground. After killing the roamer, she swung her knife at another. She then looked ahead and saw Lori and Carol running down the street.
"You took care of all of them?" asked Lori as slowed down.
"Yes, ma'am," said the sniper.
Albert then walked over the corpses on the ground, having belonged to that of the living and the dead.
"Problem's not over yet," said Albert.
Lori looked ahead, seeing a large number of roamers trying to get into the gate. The gate itself was rocking back and forth, and the walls swayed with it too, though less so.
"The gate's gonna collapse any minute now. Had it not been for that one, it probably would've collapsed by now."
Lori looked down at the dead officer handcuffed to the gate. There was a bullet hole on its skull. Its body was leaned against the gate, decreasing some of the sway.
"Katherine Mulligan and some others said they were gonna contact some people from the outside," said Carol. "We can wait for them to come and—"
"There won't be enough time," said Lori, taking out her walkie-talkie. "Whitney, are you there? Whitney? She's not answering!"
"We got soldiers on the other side," said the sniper. "We can have them lead the herd away."
"Yes, that's perfect!"
"Alright, let me contact the Captain real quick. Captain?"
"Look behind you, Park."
The sniper turned around and saw April jogging towards him with two soldiers next to her.
April looked ahead at the swaying gates.
"Oh, that doesn't look nice," said April.
"We need Braxton to lead the herd away, ma'am," said Park.
"Got it. Brax, you there?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You're seeing this herd in front of the gate?"
"I do, ma'am. They're also outside the windows."
"What do you mean?"
"They got us surrounded. But if you want, we can make a run for—"
"No, no, it's fine. Just sit still."
"Copy that, ma'am."
Lori was surprised.
"What…"
"I'm not going to needlessly sacrifice any of my soldiers," said April. "Not if there's another way."
"Is there another way?" asked Albert.
"Yeah," said Lori. "We can take the sewers. Come out from the other side."
"So we have to sacrifice our people then."
"We can come along if you'd like," said April.
"No, no, that's fine. Just saying… it'd be easier if your men could fight off a couple roamers to get to their vehicle, right? We did it, so surely they could too, huh?"
"They're surrounded. They're not gonna make it to any damn vehicle."
"Guys, we're running out of time," said Lori. "I'm gonna see if I can make it to my car. I'll honk and lead the herd away."
"I'll come with you," said Luan.
"Stay here. You've put yourself through enough danger."
"But—"
"Bruna, Benny, with me."
Benny nodded before he looked at Luan awkwardly.
Luan groaned in frustration.
"Sanchez, go with her," said April.
"Are you sure?" asked Lori.
"It's a dangerous mission. I understand you're trying to keep the group small, but… I'd feel comfortable knowing one of my soldiers is with you."
Lori nodded. She then heard creaking from the gate, causing her to turn in a panic. As the survivors backed away from the gate, the creaking became louder, but the gate wasn't going downwards. Instead, it was going back into its original position: upright.
One of the roamers at the gate growled as it tried to shove its arms through the gate. It was then pushed along the herd as the roamers now moved away from the gate and southwards along the street outside the walls.
"What's… going on?" whispered Benny.
The roamers continued to move along the gate until there were no roamers left. Then, a couple stragglers showed themselves before pausing at the gate. One of them turned towards the inside and moved their arms through the gate, unlocking it.
"Hey…" muttered April, raising her weapon.
"Hold on," said Lori. "Let them."
The stragglers slid the gate open before walking inside, revealing their shiny yellow raincoats. A rotten smell came out of them as they slid the gate closed.
Then, one of them opened up their hood.
"Hana…" said Lori. "I thought you weren't going to help us."
"If Becky and her Vultures are to die… then it is better if we help. Plus, a lot of my people are not patient."
"Oh. Got it. Just wish we had a heads up."
Hana glared at Lori before closing her eyes and taking a small bow.
"Gomenasai. You came to me during a time of great need… and I deny you. I… I dishonor myself and the Suzumebachi."
"Not only did you deny me, you also threatened my community," said Lori. "But if it weren't for you… those roamers would be inside by now, so… apology accepted."
Hana nodded.
"Where are you going to take those roamers?" asked Albert.
"Back to Hawk Woods," said Hana.
"That's awfully close to my community," said April.
"Worry not. Roamers will not stray from herd. Not as long as we there."
April was still concerned, though Lori sought to change the topic.
"That's the least of our worries," said Lori. "The Vultures are still out there. We don't know where they're lurking. They may ambush us if we go outside. They may have even disappeared for good. But the fact that we don't know… that's what makes this threat more dangerous."
"We do know one thing," remarked Carol. "They intend to come back. Becky… she wants to destroy this place for good. She thinks it's making us weak. Maybe we can take refuge in another community, but something tells me she intends to destroy all of the communities. But she doesn't have the numbers for it…"
Carol came to a realization.
"...if we only count the living. But the roamers… a large herd of them… can easily destroy everything in its path."
"Where would she get a large herd?" asked April.
"Ann Arbor. She brought the Laborers over here and then killed them all for a reason. She doesn't want any of them in the way when she takes the herd from the stadium."
"Oh my god…" whispered Lori.
"The Big House?" asked Sanchez.
Carol nodded.
April took a deep breath as she looked at her concerned soldiers.
"How many roamers are we talking about?" she asked.
"The entire stadium was packed," said Carol. "The seats, the field…"
"It's the largest stadium in the country," said Sanchez. "How many do you think that could fit, ma'am?"
"Over a hundred-thousand…" said April.
"Fucking hell," muttered Park.
Albert took a deep breath as his worried heart started beating faster. He always thought himself to be a composed man, but even this news struck fear into him.
"Can you lead a herd of that size?" asked Lori.
"I will need all my people," said Hana. "After my people go to Hawk Woods, we can go to Ann Arbor."
"When will they get there?"
"Sunrise. Walking a herd is long task."
"I'll send some people to Ann Arbor. Maybe we can stop the Vultures from releasing the herd in the first place. But if we can't stop them…"
"We will help."
"Not for free you won't," said Rena. "We want something in return."
"Rena…"
"She owes you! You saved her life and the life of her friends many times! We should at least get something in return!"
"Yeah!" said Debi.
"That's fine," said Lori. "What do you want?"
"Hmm… I see a lot of police armor lying around. If we take those, then there's no way we can get bitten."
Hana shrugged.
"I could use armor," said Hana.
"Fine," said Lori. "I assume you don't need them washed up?"
"No."
April then walked over to the bodies by the main gate.
"Damn it," said April. "I should have brought more of my soldiers over here. Maybe then Becky and her people wouldn't have escaped…"
"You freed my town," said Lori. "I owe you for that."
"At the cost of six of my soldiers," said April, looking down at her dead soldiers on the ground. "Sergeant Nicolas, Sergeant Sanda, Corporal Gabbard, Corporal Roberts, Specialist Linford, and… Private Ojeda."
The survivors of Bravo Team, Charlie Team, Foxtrot Team, as well as Park, Sanchez, and Muller, all stared at the bodies in somber silence. Park then broke the silence.
"We'll get revenge for this," said Park. "Next time… none of the Vultures will escape us."
Hana nodded with him.
"Take a rest," said April. "Your people need it. We have multiple NVDs. Lieutenant Park himself has one. We can take it from here."
"I still want to send some of my people," said Lori. "I'd feel comfortable knowing my people are with you."
April smirked and nodded. She then quickly turned around as she heard the sound of the gate wheel sliding against the pavement.
Private Braxton walked into the community, along with another soldier, as well as Fiona, Miguel, Ronnie Anne, Lana, Jane, and Carlitos. Lana and Ronnie Anne were each holding a puppy in their arms, with the former caressing her puppy.
"Jesus…" muttered Fiona as she looked at the corpses around the main gate. "What the hell happened here?"
"Laborers, Vultures, and roamers," said Albert.
Hana and the other Yellowjackets allowed the survivors to pass by them as Lori knelt down.
"Aww, who's this little guy?" asked Lori.
"Little girl," said Lana. "I know 'cause I checked. That one is a guy."
Lori looked over at the puppy Ronnie Anne held. Ronnie Anne was more awkward with the puppy.
The puppy himself looked at Hana, sticking its tongue out as Hana looked back. Hana frowned, before looking at the bandage wrapped around his neck.
"What happened to neck?" asked Hana.
"Their vocal chords got removed," said Fiona. "Asshole Laborers… they're gonna get what's coming to them."
"They're already dead," said Albert.
"Good. I hope they all rot."
Carol frowned, knowing that at least one of the Laborers was still alive.
Ronnie Anne walked over to Hana and offered her the dog.
"Here you go," said Ronnie Anne.
"I… I don't want it," said Hana.
"Come on, he seems to like you. And he won't be a danger to you guys… you know, with him being mute and all."
"That's horrible."
"You really don't want him?"
Hana looked over at the Shiba Inu puppy. The puppy panted as it tried to sneak its nose up Hana's sleeve to smell the rotten intestines inside her yellow raincoat. She quickly moved her arm away in disgust.
"Uwa! Son'na koto shinaide!"
The puppy looked up at her and continued panting.
"I'm sorry," said Ronnie Anne. "I thought you wanted him since… you know… but I guess no one can ever replace Kimi…"
Hana looked at the puppy as Ronnie Anne began to walk away. She hesitantly raised her hand.
"Oi! Wait…"
Ronnie Anne turned around.
"Let me see him."
Ronnie Anne nodded and handed over the puppy to Hana.
Hana grabbed him and placed him on the sleeves of her raincoat, which the puppy sniffed. She then caressed his head as she looked at its neck.
The sounds of heavy breathing grew louder, but it wasn't coming from any of the dogs.
The survivors all faced the main gate, which Lincoln opened. He was covered in sweat and looked exhausted.
Debi quickly raised a sai against Lincoln's neck.
Lincoln gasped as he backed up, staring at the kitsune mask that glared at him.
"Who are you?" asked Debi.
"Hey, easy there, that's my brother!" exclaimed Lori.
Debi smirked. She then lowered her sai and placed it back in her belt.
"Close the gate before you let the roamers come in," said Debi.
Lincoln sighed and closed the gate.
"What were you doing out there?" asked Lori.
"It's a long story," said Lincoln. "Is Lily okay?"
"I thought you were supposed to be watching her," said Ronnie Anne.
"Again, long story."
Lincoln looked down at Lana.
"Well, at least you're safe."
Lincoln then took a deep breath.
"So that's it, the Vultures are gone?"
"Yeah," said Lori. "But—"
Lincoln then began to dart towards the same direction Clyde went.
Ronnie Anne groaned. She decided to go in the opposite direction towards the infirmary.
Carol then turned around as well. She left, now headed for Katherine Mulligan's house.
The fire from the burning pile of bodies in the town center was now completely put out.
Clyde, Sam, and Simon looked around and saw multiple bodies in the ground near Haley's house. Some were in police riot armor while others were armorless. However, the dirt in their faces indicated that they were Vultures.
"Oh my goodness, what happened here?" asked Sam.
"Watch out," said Simon, taking out a switchblade.
One of the Vultures rose up as a roamer, which caused Clyde to take out his knife. However, the roamer was shot dead by a nearby soldier, causing the survivors to flinch slightly. He looked at the soldier, who gave them a reassuring nod.
Clyde then attempted to enter through the front door, but the door was locked. However, the window next to it was shattered. He was confused, though the door opened seconds after.
"Hey, guys!" exclaimed Quinn.
Clyde was surprised to see Quinn standing in front of him.
"Hey, Quinn," said Sam. "What happened here?"
"Come inside. I'll explain."
The three survivors walked into the house and followed Quinn to the stairwell. As they looked around, they saw bullet holes and debris in front of the bedroom on the first floor.
"So, some Vultures broke in," said Quinn as he walked up the stairs. "They were gonna hurt us, but then Luna, Lynn, and that guy they took in saved our lives."
"Aiden?" asked Sam.
"Yeah. But the thing is… he needs A-negative blood. Unlucky for him, none of us have A-negative or O-negative blood."
"I have A-negative blood."
"Great! Now we just need the supplies and we'll be set."
"I got the supplies that Will was going to bring in," said Clyde.
"Really? What happened to him?"
"He got shot by an arrow… I think."
"Oh, no…"
Clyde, Sam, and Simon stepped into Haley's room where he saw Aiden lying in bed with a face paler than before.
"Hey, Haley. Sam says she has A-negative blood. And Clyde also has the supplies you need."
"That's great!" gasped Haley. "Come."
Sam sat down on a seat next to the bed as Clyde handed Haley the bag. He looked at Lynn, who was sitting on the other side of the bed. Her face was bruised and her lips were cut.
"Lynn!" gasped Clyde.
"Hey, Clyde," said Lynn awkwardly.
"What happened to you?"
"Got in a fight. But not a meaningless one."
Clyde lowered his head in shame.
"Where's the rest of you guys?"
"Inside."
"I don't hear any gunshots anymore. I guess all the Vultures are gone now, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess."
Haley inserted a needle into Sam's arm. She then drew blood.
"So… where's JuJu?" asked Lynn.
"He's at the infirmary."
"It's safe to go there now?" asked Haley.
"Yeah."
Lynn sighed and got up from her seat. She then walked out of the room as Clyde followed her.
"Where's Luna?" asked Sam.
"She's upstairs in the attic," said Quinn. "I'll get her."
Finn quickly moved out of the room and up the stairs that led to the attic.
Meanwhile, Clyde followed Lynn downstairs.
"You don't have to follow me," said Lynn. "I'm just going to check up on my friend."
"I just have a question," said Clyde. "Just one."
"What is it?"
"I'm honestly afraid to ask, but I'm gathering all this courage to do so. So please do the same… and be honest with me."
"Clyde."
"Lynn…"
Lynn took a deep breath. She nodded.
"Okay," she said.
"Do you still have feelings for me?"
Lynn shook her head.
Clyde felt his heart sink.
"I'm sorry," whispered Lynn. "You comforted me when I needed comforting. And I protected you when you needed protecting. We may have kissed a couple times… but to be honest… I always saw you as a friend. I didn't know what love was… until now. What we had… it wasn't that. I'm sorry."
Lynn walked away as Clyde stood by the bottom of the stairwell. As soon as Lynn walked out of the house and shut the door, Clyde released his tears.
He removed his glasses and sniffled as he sat down on the stairs. He looked at his bruised knuckles as tears fell onto them.
Lincoln then walked through the side door of the garage into the kitchen.
Clyde quickly cleared his throat and wiped his tears before putting his glasses on. He then stood up and looked as Lincoln walked into the living room.
"Clyde!" gasped Lincoln. "Hey, what happened?"
"I think… Lynn and I just broke up."
"Oh, Clyde…"
Lincoln frowned and walked up to Clyde before giving him a hug. Clyde hugged him back as cried into his shoulder.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Luna entered Haley's room, along with Finn, Quinn, Tucker, and Lily.
"Luna!" smiled Sam.
"Sam!" smiled Luna.
Luna ran up to Sam and hugged her before giving her a kiss.
"I thought queer people weren't allowed to give blood," said Finn.
"Just men who had sex with men," said Haley as she stuck a needle into Aiden's arm.
"But… but they didn't allow me to give blood."
"You had intercourse with other men?"
"I… uh…"
"I'm sorry, that was a very private question to ask."
"Oh, no, he just doesn't want to answer because he doesn't want to admit that he's a virgin," said Quinn.
"Quinn!" gasped Finn as he blushed out of embarrassment. "I can have sex any time I want! I just don't want to!"
Luna gasped as she covered Lily's ears.
"Come on, dudes!" groaned Luna.
Sam and Haley both giggled softly.
"I'm more lax with the rules, anyway," said Haley. "Just don't get HIV and you're good to go."
Lily then looked as Lincoln and Clyde walked up to the second floor. She smiled and pushed Luna's hands away as she ran towards Lincoln.
"Linky!" she exclaimed. "You're okay!"
"Yeah, I'm okay," said Lincoln. "I was going to ask if you were."
"Of course. Luna and Lynn were here. As long as family is around, I am safe, right?"
Lincoln nodded and smiled. As Lily hugged him, he frowned, seeing the blood stains scattered about the hallway. He felt guilty about leaving her behind. If it weren't for Luna and Lynn, he thought, what would have happened to Lily?
Carol stepped in front of Katherine Mulligan's house, seeing a soldier standing outside with Katherine Mulligan holding a mic across his face.
"I really have to get back to work," said the soldier.
The soldier walked away before Katherine held the radio mic close to her mouth.
"And there you have it, folks," reported Katherine. "Royal Woods, having previously been under control of the so-called Vultures, have now been liberated by the fine men and women from Auburn Hills. And here we have a hero of the Royal Woods Invasion, Carol Pingrey! Ms. Pingrey here freed us from the shackles of the corrupt justice system while exterminating the Vultures while April's soldiers were making their way to Royal Woods. Tell us, Carol, what prompted you to stand up for the fine citizens of—?"
"Can you put that down for a minute?" whispered Carol.
"Hold on, folks, we will be back after a brief intermission."
Katherine then turned off her mic.
"What is it?"
"Are you guys alright?" asked Carol.
"Well, we did have a couple casualties. Steve, for example."
"Steve is dead?"
"Yes, I'm afraid. Shot in the noggin'."
Carol hung her head in guilt.
"Hey, don't be upset," said Katherine. "We at least made it to my house where I got to contact all the communities. Major Massey of Auburn Hills did let us know that his soldiers were coming to Royal Woods already, though, so… maybe it was all pointless after all."
"You're not really making it better."
"Who said I was trying to be? I only report the truth, and sometimes the truth can be harsh. Now, can we continue this interview?"
Katherine turned on her mic. However, Carol simply walked past her.
"So no comment?"
"Is Mr. Rhonda here?" asked Carol.
"He's inside," said Patchy.
Carol walked into the house, seeing Clancy sitting on the couch next to Ms. Carmichael, who was in tears.
"I can't believe… my daughter did all this," said Ms. Carmichael.
"There, there…" said Clancy.
"Hello," said Carol.
"Carol!"
"Did you see my daughter?" asked Ms. Carmichael. "Did you see her anywhere? Is she okay?"
"Kari, please, relax…"
"I'm sorry."
Carol cleared her throat.
"I saw her," said Carol. "I'm sorry. She's still alive… but we can't find her."
"Well, where did she go?" asked Clancy.
"Probably Ann Arbor," said Carol.
"What's she doing there?"
"She's planning something horrible."
"We should go there. Maybe we can talk her out of it."
"I… I don't think that's the best idea."
"Well, we have to try something!" exclaimed Ms. Carmichael.
"I…"
Carol looked down as she hung her head in shame.
"I don't know what to do. I feel like Becky… is not Becky anymore."
"No… no, we didn't lose her yet," said Ms. Carmichael. "I refuse to believe we did."
Carol looked up at Clancy's hopeful eyes, as despaired as they were. She then stood up.
"Come on, let's take you back to your house," said Carol. "This day has been too much for all of us."
"Yeah, tell us about it," sighed Clancy.
The smoke in the streets faded away as groups of soldiers were carrying the bodies of their fellow men and women into the back of an Army truck.
Park looked down at one of the soldiers, Private Ojeda. He removed his cap and sniffled. He then heard footsteps approaching and wiped his eyes along with the sweat on his forehead.
"Park, you ready?" asked April.
"Yes, ma'am," said Park.
April inspected his face. She then looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
"I understand if you aren't," said April.
"No, no, I am," said Park.
"Alright then. You guys are up first."
Park nodded as he placed his cap back on. He whistled at a couple soldiers as he and a few soldiers went into a vehicle.
"Whitney? Whitney!" called out Lori before she set her walkie-talkie down.
"What's going on?" asked April.
"I'm trying to contact my friend, but she's not answering. I'm gonna go outside, see if she's there."
"I'll be coming," said April. "Sanchez, Muller, on me!"
Bruna opened up the gate as Lori, April, Sanchez, and Muller walked out of the community. They walked past the burned, wrecked, and abandoned cars. They walked past the Yellowjackets, who were stabbing the skulls of the corpses in the ground and looting their gear. They walked past the bullet casings and blood on the pavement.
After a few minutes, Lori and the others were outside of the small car, pointing their flashlights at it. However, upon closer inspection, they realized one of the doors was left open. They checked inside the car, and found no one inside. The only thing left behind was the walkie-talkie that Whitney was supposed to be holding.
Lori gulped, raising her head and looking around.
"Maybe she's already inside," said Lori.
"I don't know…" said April.
Lori grabbed the walkie-talkie and then closed the door before heading back to the walls.
An owl hooted in the distance as Chandler ran from room to room, desperate to find Lincoln. However, there were no signs of him anywhere.
He walked outside of the house and muttered to himself as he began to pace around.
"Oh, where could he be, where could he be?" he groaned.
Chandler sighed.
"He's gotta be back in Royal Woods. No, no, he wouldn't go back… that'd be too… reckless…"
His eyes then snapped open as he saw headlights in the road across the cornfield. The vehicles then showed themselves as they drove towards the barn.
"Oh, crap…" whispered Chandler. "I'm fucked, I'm fucked…"
Chandler rushed towards the car he drove, before hesitating. He didn't know whether to turn the lights off or leave them on. He didn't know whether to make a run for it or not. He didn't know whether they spotted him or not.
He remained frozen in place as the vehicles parked in front of the barn, the headlights now revealing him.
"Who the hell is that?" asked one of the Vultures stepping out of a vehicle.
"Oh, Chandler?" scoffed Polly Pain. "He's one of us."
Polly walked over to Chandler, who gulped as sweat dripped from his face.
"I-I didn't run away, I had to come all the way—"
"Shut up," whispered Polly. "Just don't draw too much attention to yourself."
Becky stormed out of her vehicle, scratching her neck as she paced around.
"What… the hell happened back there?" she growled.
Shiwen walked to the back of the vehicle and opened the trunk. Tied up inside the trunk were two residents of Royal Woods: Whitney and Schoffner. She and another Vulture pulled both captives out of the trunk and placed them against the barn walls.
"I had everything figured out…" said Becky. "The Auburn Hills soldiers… they weren't supposed to be there… they were supposed to be in Ann Arbor. And the Laborers on standby… what the fuck happened to them? This… someone ruined my fucking plans!"
Becky pulled out her pistol and aimed it at Schoffner.
"Was it you? Did you somehow contact Auburn Hills? Did you?"
Schoffner shook her head as a rag tied around her mouth prevented her from speaking.
"Or was it Lori? Was it her?"
Becky turned her pistol towards Whitney, who was now trembling as the barrel stared at her.
"It was her, wasn't it? I knew she took too fucking long to come back!"
She then removed the rag from Whitney's mouth and shoved the barrel of the pistol against Whitney's head.
"How did you manage to escape?" growled Becky.
"Lori's granddad…" quivered Whitney. "He led us to the sewers… that's how a bunch of us got out… and he killed those guards out in the front, so that's why we didn't get spotted…"
"That old geezer, huh? He's such a pain in my ass. What did Lori do?"
"She… she went to get the Yellowjackets' help… but they refused to help us. However, we came across the soldiers from Auburn Hills. They knew Royal Woods was in trouble, so they decided to help us…"
"How the hell did they know?"
"I don't know!"
Becky yelled and swung her pistol across Whitney's face and then shoved her pistol against her head again.
"Liar!"
"No, I really don't… know!"
Whitney was now sobbing as blood seeped from her lips. A large bruise formed on her jaw as Becky panted heavily.
Then, a smile grew on Becky's face before she broke into laughter. The Vultures stared at her confused, while Whitney was terrified. Schoffner was also fearful of Becky, though her mind was also busy trying to think of a way to free herself from her ropes.
"Of course…" she sighed. "No plan ever goes right. That's how it's always been for us. But that's alright. Chaos… is the natural order of this world, isn't it? That's why we were able to survive for so long… because we were able to adapt to it. So this is what's gonna happen…"
Becky turned around and faced Schoffner.
"You're going to be the messenger of the events to come."
Schoffner's eyes trembled as Becky began to whistle.
A low hum could be heard as Tim's chest expanded outwards then compressed inwards.
Maria, grabbing his hand, continued to watch him as Vonda sat next to her, watching her blood enter her father's arm.
Ronnie Anne walked downstairs with Bobby, though not too fast as Bobby felt a dull pain in his ribs with each step. As the two arrived downstairs, they saw their mother and stepsister by their stepfather's side.
"You shouldn't be up…" said Maria.
"I'm fine," said Bobby. "I just need an ice pack and I'll be good."
Maria nodded and reached into the mini-fridge, pulling out an ice pack. She handed it over to her son, who grabbed it and placed it against his rib. He groaned softly before feeling a relieving feeling wash over him.
Ronnie Anne walked over to Tim, taking a seat next to him. She grabbed his other hand and looked at her mother, who smiled back at her. Vonda watched the both of them, relieved to know that Ronnie Anne did care for Tim after all.
Lynn entered the infirmary, smiling as she jogged up to JuJu, who was lying in bed.
"JuJu!"
JuJu looked at her and smiled.
"Hey, Lynn."
Lynn stood by JuJu's side as she looked down at his leg. It was covered by a long leg cast.
"Man… Clyde busted that leg up pretty bad, huh?" said Lynn.
"Clyde?" asked JuJu. "Oh, no… I fell… remember?"
"JuJu… I know. I know."
JuJu closed his lips and nodded.
"It's not too bad," said JuJu. "My shin's not really broken. Just bruised. I can't put weight on it for the next few days, but after that… it'll be as good as new."
"Thank god. Without your good leg, who else would I play basketball with? Or football?"
JuJu chuckled as Lynn chuckled back softly.
Carol then walked inside the infirmary, smiling as she saw Will eating a granola bar.
"You actually came here," smiled Carol.
"Sure did," said Will. "Maria and Patti here fixed me up real good. Patti even gave me a granola bar for comfort."
Patti, herself eating a granola bar, shrugged.
"That was also mine, but… whatever," she said in a low voice.
Carol smiled softly.
Then, both April and Lori walked inside the infirmary. Lori scanned around, before snapping on to a specific sight. She sighed in relief and walked over to Bobby before hugging him.
"Ow, ow," groaned Bobby.
"Oh my god, I'm sorry!" gasped Lori.
"It's okay. I'm fine. Just… a bit softer this time."
Lori nodded and hugged Bobby, this time softer like he said.
Bobby still felt pain, though he chose to ignore it so that he could hug Lori back.
The two then released each other before Lori hugged Maria as well.
"Thank goodness, you're okay," said Maria. "I was getting worried about you."
"I was worried about you too," said Lori. "But you're tough, aren't you?"
"I'm not the only one."
Lori smiled.
"Lori, I have something to tell you…" said Bobby. "Becky, she…"
"Yeah, I know," said Lori.
"What are we gonna do with her?"
Lori sighed. She then looked at Carol, who seemed as equally as conflicted.
"Isn't it obvious?" said April. "We are to eliminate her."
All the survivors inside the infirmary were uncomfortable with that idea, or at the very least, refused to support it.
Roger, who hoped to rekindle his friendship with Becky, did not wish to see her dead.
JuJu, who knew how often Becky saved their lives back at Houlton, felt bad about that idea, as he felt indebted to her.
Lynn thought the same, though she was more uncomfortable with the idea of killing someone she bonded with.
Vonda was angry with Becky, and wanted to see her get punished for what her group did to her father, but having been through a lot with her, she didn't want her bond with her to end just like that.
Bobby did not like the idea of his friend getting killed, but he was unsure if she was even his friend at all anymore.
Ronnie Anne was more accepting of the idea, though she feared her mother would strongly disapprove.
Maria, however, was scared for her children and was open to the idea of killing Becky, but she did not speak in fear of her children disapproving.
Will hoped to be on Carol's good side and chose to remain silent, even though he was open to the idea of killing Becky as well.
Carol was strongly against this idea, though she really had no idea what to do with her.
Lori wondered if psychological help was even possible for Becky at this point. Her bond with Becky made her doubt this idea, but her instinct to protect her family and her people fueled her urge to end Becky's life herself.
"Holy shit," muttered one of the soldiers.
April turned around and saw Hana and Bruna walking a wounded Schoffner to the infirmary. She allowed them to enter as Maria quickly rushed over to Schoffner.
"My goodness, what happened?" asked Maria.
Schoffner was huffing and puffing as blood dripped from her lips and forehead. She lay down in a bed and frantically looked around.
"Lori!" panted Schoffner.
"What's wrong?" asked Lori.
"Becky… she— she— you have to go to the Farmlands…"
Schoffner was trembling. Not angry towards her as Lori expected. Just terrified.
Lori felt her heart beating, not knowing what to expect.
The moon could barely be seen. All that was left was a cloudy sky and a dark field of corn as owls hooted in the distance.
Multiple vehicles arrived, many of them military. Their headlights shined on the barn, where blood stains could be seen.
A few soldiers stepped out of their vehicles, moving their guns around, which had flashlights attached to them. As they spread out, April stepped out of her vehicle along with Lori, Carol, Lynn, Hana, and Bruna.
The soldiers then began to murmur amongst themselves as they shined their flashlight at a particular spot on the field of corn. Lori and the others joined them before they paused, a horrified look growing on their faces.
Glowing golden eyes shined against the cloudy background like stars. However, they were anything, but beautiful to the survivors. Hands were nailed to a wooden cross. Blood seeped down decaying pale skin as growls could be heard.
April let out a sigh as she shook her head.
Hana gripped her katana tightly as she glared at the roamer on the cross.
Bruna gasped as she looked away.
Lynn looked around, wondering if the threat was still nearby.
Carol had tears in her eyes as she covered her mouth in horror.
A zombified Whitney was nailed to a wooden cross like a scarecrow as it growled and moved its jaw, craving fresh flesh.
Lori, tears flowing from her angry eyes, gripped her revolver tightly. She knew what she had to do now.
.
.
.
End Credit Song
Always Running - Malukah
Yes, it's official. Becky is a loose cannon. Is there a way to stop her without killing her? Or will killing her be the only option left?
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you in the next chapter, the final installment of Volume 4!