III - Escape from Detroit
Lori grabbed Darcy's hand while Benny and Lynn ran and leaped in front of the group. Benny opened the door and sliced the rotters that awaited them. The crawling rotters clawing their way inside the building were then bludgeoned by Lynn. The streets were filled with crawlers, slow yet dangerous. One strong grip and an unlucky stumble was all that was needed to lose a life.
Lori lifted Darcy up and held her close to her chest while she zoomed past the buildings and the children fighting off the rotters. She headed north of General Black's station, passing by all the shelters and the entrance. Upon arriving, she found a mesh fence which prohibited Lori and Darcy from passing and a Humvee— an armored vehicle with a machine gun turret attached at the top— parked behind the mesh fence.
"Ronnie Anne, I need you here!" yelled Lori.
"Coming! Come on, Bobby, let's go!"
Bobby aimed down at a crawling rotter and fired a pistol bullet into its head— a slushy and rotten head. He then looked up and noticed the group killing the surrounding crawlers.
"Coming!" he said.
Ronnie Anne leaped over a crawler and sprinted past the station, with Bobby right behind her. The hot air made it all much more difficult to run and breathe, especially with fatigue creeping up on the survivors— though Bobby and Ronnie Anne pulled through. Then, they arrived at the mesh fence.
"What is it?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"I need your pickaxe," said Lori.
Ronnie Anne nodded and handed her pickaxe to Lori, who lowered Darcy into the ground and ler hee go. Darcy ran to Bobby and away from Lori who faced the lock holding the mesh fence together. Then, she lifted the pickaxe high above her head and swung down with great force, snapping the lock apart, followed by an audible clunk coming from the ground near her blood-stained flats.
"And that's how it's done," she said, feeling a prideful smile growing on her face.
She handed Ronnie Anne her pickaxe back and pushed the right mesh fence gate, sliding it along the ground, which created a constant rough screeching noise like nails on a chalkboard.
While holding Darcy's hand, Bobby walked up to the left mesh fence gate and pushed it, creating the same screeching noise which caused Darcy to cover her eyes and ears in discomfort.
The group entered the northern street, looking around the city while moving at a quick pace. They glanced here and there. What they saw were the remains of buildings— former work spaces and offices— that were burnt to the ground where potholes formed from the heat and impact of the napalm bombs.
Lana prepared to step on one of the potholes before Lucy pulled her back.
"Careful. I think I smell the deathly scent of sticky napalm in the hole. Wouldn't want to get it in your shoes— unless you plan on joining great-grandma Harriet."
"It's just napalm," said Lana.
"If you step on a match and burn alive, don't come crying to us!" said Lola.
"Jeez."
Lana stepped over the pothole avoiding the sticky tar and substances that lay inside it, as well as around the streets. Some of the rotters were stuck on the sticky subtstance and found themselves unable to move. And for the rotters that were able to set one foot after the other— found their speed impeded by the napalm.
The group arrived by the mesh fence. Lori looked ahead in the street behind the open mesh fences and spotted warehouses about five blocks away.
"There," she gasped.
"Let's go, guys!" Benny urged.
Luan's eyes twinkled as she watched Benny take charge. The strength that he radiated, especially knowing his father died, allowed her to see him from a new light. She, along with the rest of the group— except Lori, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and Darcy— followed Benny down the street to make their way to the warehouses.
Lori opened the passenger door to the Humvee, finding the leather seats empty. Then, her ears detected a faint growling behind her. Her eyes opened with alertness as she pulled herself away from the seats and grabbed the AK-47 strapped across her shoulder. The growls were as loud as a dog's growls, though more aggressive.
A loud gunshot caused Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and Darcy to flinch as it echoed across the city. They ran to the other side of the Humvee where they saw a rotter in the ground with a hole clotted with running blood in their head.
"Okay, I have to admit," said Lori. "That was kinda fun.
Darcy winced and held Bobby's leg tightly as Lori's eyes opened not with alertness, but with slight regret. She then moved her rifle across her back and knelt down next to Darcy.
"It's okay," said Lori. "As long as a gun is in my hands— or in the hands of responsible people like Bobby— then you'll be safe."
"Does it have to be so loud?" whimpered Darcy.
"I'm sorry about that. If I could make them quieter, I would. But I can't. But I... I can tell you when I'm about to shoot a gun— so you cover your ears."
"Okay," said Darcy, nodding softly.
Lori stood up.
"You're a great listener, Darcy."
Darcy blinked and smiled softly before the surrounding rotters caught her attention. Her grip on Bobby's leg tightened. Bobby raised his pistol and Ronnie Anne raised her pickaxe.
"Close your ears," whispered Bobby to Darcy.
"Bobby? Ronnie Anne?" called out Lori, looking inside the driver's seat. "Can you guys kill any rotter that comes our way? I need to find the keys to this thing."
"Humvees don't have keys, Lori," informed Ronnie Anne. "They use switches. Search for the switch."
"Oh, okay, thanks!" Lori laughed bashfully.
Ronnie Anne lifted her pickaxe and swung it down, the pick piercing through the rotter's skull and ripping apart the brain matter that it came in contact with. Bobby aimed at an incoming rotter and shot at it. He missed and he shot again, this time hitting it in the head.
"Found it! Come here, Darcy."
Darcy kept her fingers plugged into her ears as she ran to the Humvee. Lori stepped outside of the driver's seat and grabbed Darcy, lifting her up and placing her into the backseat. She grabbed a seatbelt and wrapped it across Darcy's chest and waist.
"Can we get in now?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Yeah. Get in. You too, Bobby!"
Ronnie Anne ran around the vehicle and sat in the passenger seat. She closed the door and put on her seatbelt before groaning.
"It's so hot in here!" she gasped.
Sweat dripped from Lori's hair and face as she sniffled and panted softly.
"I know, I'm sorry," she said. "Just open a window."
"Okay. Bobby, hurry up!"
Bobby ran inside the backseat portion of the Humvee and closed the door. He put on his seatbelt as his sweat splashed around, some hitting Darcy's face, making her feel uncomfortable.
"Smells like butt in here," said Ronnie Anne.
Lori turned on the switch. An orange light then turned on.
"What's the orange light for?" asked Lori.
"Nothing," replied Ronnie Anne. "Just gotta wait until it goes away. When it does— you crank the engine by pulling the lever to your right. Then, you gotta put this thing on drive by releasing the handbrake. Then— you press the pedals to drive."
"Ugh. I knew the last part. The rest is so complicated though. Where'd you learn all that?"
"When I was younger, I was obsessed with joining the military. I would read books and do my research and stuff. But I guess somewhere along the line, I found out people get blown up by IEDs and stuff, so I'd thought about a different career path. Like a chef. A chef sounds more interesting. And more safe."
The orange light disappeared. Lori cranked the lever and released the handbrake on the vehicle. She pressed on the gas pedal, making the vehicle move. Lori laughed softly.
"Looks like your research came in handy!"
Lori drove away from the rotters that were closing in on the Humvee and slowly moved up the street, away from the mesh fence. They passed by buildings with bullet holes in their windows and sidewalks with burn marks.
Within a minute, Lori and the others arrived at the warehouse. They stepped outside of the Humvee and saw the group rummaging through crates and boxes of supplies, lifting, opening, and closing them.
"Can someone update me on what you guys found?" exclaimed Lori.
"Sure," said Benny. "We found mattresses, bottles, dining utensils, chairs, lamps, blankets, socks, clothing, shoes, tools, toys, and baby cribs."
"So, nothing useful. All things needed for a nice new home. That's something we don't have. Next, warehouse it is!"
The group walked to the warehouse on the right, all moving together like a swarm of bees. Benny grabbed the warehouse door and slid it upwards, letting light and air inside. What sat inside surprised them.
"Dang," said Liam. "This's the most 'Merican thing I've ever seen, I reckon."
Inside the warehouse were crates of guns— rifles, pistols, submachine guns, and more. Crates of grenades— fragmentation and flashbangs. Crates of batteries— A, C, and Ds. Crates of walkie-talkies. Crates of ammunition— 9x19mm Parabellum, 5.56x45mm NATO, and even .50 BMG. Crates of army clothing— green fatigues, green shirts and tan cargo pants. Crates of medical packs— some for animal venom and others for bullet wounds. And a crate with three bulletproof vests.
"Grab as many crates as you can and store them inside the Humvee!" ordered Lori.
The group worked quickly to store the crates inside the back trunk of the Humvee. Luna grabbed a crate of ammo from one side while Sam held it up from the other, and they both moved it towards the vehicle. Francisco carried one crate by herself while Lynn followed behind him, carrying two crates stacked on top of each other. Lincoln struggle to lift a crate before Ronnie Anne helped him out, though the crate still tilted downwards on Lincoln's side.
Wooden crate after wooden crate, the trunk became full and the group could not find any more crates inside the warehouse. Lori sat in the driver's seat and Ronnie Anne sat on the passenger seat.
"Lola and Lana!" Lori called out. "You can come with us. I'm sure you guys don't want to run back to Vanzilla."
"Gee, what made you figure that out?" asked Lola.
"Oh, it's like that? Lana! Only you can come in!"
"Gosh, Lori, I was kidding!"
"Just get in and shut up."
Lola and Lana hopped in the backseat with Darcy and Bobby. Lana smiled at Darcy, who smiled back, and she wiped the sweat off her faces with her sleeves. Lola groaned as she grabbed her small pink fan and waved it across her face. Lori rolled down her window.
"Benny! Here's a walkie-talkie, just in case of an emergency. I'm going to drop off the kids at Vanzilla and store our supplies in one of our vehicles. Watch yours and the group's back."
"Will do. See you in a minute, Lori," said Benny.
Lori nodded and stepped on the gas pedal while turning the steering wheel around. The Humvee turned away from the warehouses and moved up the street, moving closer and closer to General Black's station. She then maneuvered her way around General Black's station using the narrow circular street, avoiding the potholes while crushing the rotten corpses in the ground. She did avoid the corpses that seemed fresh, and couldn't help but feel pity for them. Then, as she made it through the entrance, she made a sharp right turn.
Benny turned around and saw Luan standing next to him smiling softly. His solemn expression faded as his eyes moved around the group, spotting Chaz, Luna, Sam, Francisco, Lynn, Lincoln, Clyde, Liam, and Lucy.
"Where do we go from here?" asked Sam.
"Okay, where are they?" Tabby asked.
"I wish I could give an irrefutable answer, but unfortunately, I am unable to," said Lisa. "They are five minutes tardy."
"Being late to the doctor's is not so fun you know! I'm feeling anxious already!" said Leni.
"We're not going to the doctor's, Leni."
"Oh, look! Duck! Hide! There's a military vehicle coming!" shouted Carol.
Carol grabbed Leni, who was holding Lily, and hid her behind Vanzilla. Lisa, Tabby, Rusty, Rocky, and Zach also left Vanzilla and hid in the back. The Humvee came closer to the parking lot, driving along 8-Mile Road. Suddenly, the Humvee came to a stop.
"Why did they stop? Do they know we're here?" whispered Zach.
"I don't know! Hopefully not!" whispered Tabby.
Lori stepped outside of the Humvee.
"Where is everybody?" asked Lori in a slightly panicked voice.
"That voice kinda sounds like Lori," whispered Carol.
Bobby and Ronnie Anne stepped outside of the Humvee, with Bobby grabbing Darcy from her seat and lowering her down. Lana and Lola soon exited the vehicle as well.
"Boo-Boo Bear, where did they go?"
Carol peeked from the edge of Vanzilla and found Lori standing inches away from Vanzilla, looking at the other cars. She sighed and got up from her hiding spot.
"Hey!" called out Carol.
Lori shrieked and turned around, aiming her rifle at Carol, who shrieked and lowered her head while covering herself with her hands.
"It's me! It's me!"
"Oh my GOD, Carol!" yelled Lori. "Why'd you do that?"
"Well, we– we saw..."
"You were trying to scare me like it was some game?"
"No! We saw a– y-your car, I mean– I mean truck. And we thought that-that-that..."
"You thought what, Carol?!"
"Hey, go easy on her!" said Tabby. "We thought that maybe you were a soldier. I mean— you got an armored car. And we didn't wanna get spotted so we hid, 'cause— well, 'cause we didn't wanna get killed."
"I could've shot her," said Lori.
"You wouldn't shoot a human being who's only shouting out your name!" exclaimed Rusty. "Seriously, you scared the living crap out of her!"
"Maybe she shouldn't have been here then. That wouldn't have happened to her."
"I'm sorry," whispered Carol, her voice shuddering. "I didn't mean to scare you."
Lori walked past her as Carol recollected herself.
"Oh well, moving on," said Lori. "I need help storing some crates. I brought Chunk's car keys."
"Who's Chunk?" gulped Carol.
Lori turned around, lowering her eyebrows. Carol swallowed hard as Lori approached her.
"You can drive, right?" asked Lori.
Carol nodded.
"Of course you can. You're driving Chunk's van, and we're putting all of our supplies inside his van. Time for you to be useful."
Lori tossed the keys upwards, which Carol reached for, though it was too far ahead of her to catch. She bent down and grabbed the keys as Lori opened up the back trunk of the Humvee. She then stood upright, with the keys in her hands, feeling anger and frustration building up within her.
The hot sun beat down on the group, who all floundered towards the mesh fence. Each breath that each group member inhaled and exhaled sounded heavy. Each step they took exhausted the group and drained their energy and willpower, slowly and slowly— like water leaking out of a drain.
A rotter approached from the mesh fence. Lynn spun her baseball bat and swung it forward, knocking the monster down before slamming it down its face.
A door creaked. A rotter walked out of a building next to the group. Luna walked over to it and slammed its head with the crowbar, crushing its golden eyes. Then, another rotter walked out of the building, which Lincoln took out with his sledgehammer.
Two rotters growled as they came out of an alley, knocking over a trash can. One of the rotters stumbled forward, though they quickly regained their balance as they prowled towards the group. Francisco swung his golf club at both of the rotters and slammed their skulls against the concrete sidewalk.
Then, three rotters walked out of a different alley, joined by two rotters walking out of a different building. As Benny and Sam approached the rotters, they heard more growls and footsteps behind them. A trio of rotters pushed open a door while a duo of rotters slammed open a window.
"Oh, crap," said Benny.
Sam then turned around and looked at the warehouses before her eyes grew wide with fear.
"Run!" shouted Sam.
The group turned around, finding groups of rotters walking from the warehouses to the mesh fence. More rotters joined them by the second as they continued their march.
Benny snapped out of his stupor as he pulled out his katana and sprinted towards the mesh fences that surrounded a shelter that was once safe for the group— now becoming a death trap for those who lingered around for too long. He turned around and called out to the rest of the group.
"Guys!" he yelled. "Head to the street by Building B and Building C! Go! Go! Go!"
Another group of rotters arrived from the street parallel to Building B and C. The group of rotters seemed scattered all over the streets, though once their eyes locked on to their prey, they all headed to the same direction, moving closer and closer together.
The group ran past the mesh fences as the rotters waddled towards them. One of the rotters, who wore a button shirt with bullet holes on its chest, opened its jaw and growled, the saliva stretching from its top teeth to its bottom teeth while also drooling from its gray tongue. Then, a yellow pry bar pierced through its head, before being removed. Luan looked down at the rotter and shuddered as she rubbed her fingers across the blood on her hands. An urge to vomit breakfast was suddenly suppressed when she was forced to kill another rotter in front of her.
Benny pulled out his walkie-talkie while the group continued to kill the rotters as they tried to look for a way out of the surrounding wave of rotters. Only Chaz was unable to kill the rotters as he was unable to retrieve his axe. All he could do was watch the rotters get closer and closer as he was powerless to do anything.
"So, why his car? I mean, is it going to fit?" Carol asked while putting the crates inside Chunk's minivan.
"Of course it's going to fit," said Lori. "It is a pretty big car— it's a van. Not even a car."
"Heh, what about the passengers?"
"Oh, did you literally think you were going to drive with other people in the van? No, you have an important job. You are carrying all of our supplies. Nothing is forgiven, and this is the consequences of your actions— just in case you wanted to know."
The walkie-talkie on Lori's shorts then made a static noise for a second before a voice spoke.
"Help! Lori! We need some serious backup! We are trapped by a giant herd! Please, help!"
Lori grabbed her walkie-talkie and sprinted at full speed to the Humvee.
"I'm coming!" yelled Lori at the walkie-talkie before looking at the group. "Carol, take care of the others. Bobby! Ronnie Anne! Zach! Rusty! Tabby! Get over here now!"
"What?" gasped Zach. "I don't even have a weapon."
Lola tossed her golfing club at him. He caught it as she looked at Lola running inside Vanzilla.
"Go ahead," said Lola. "Have fun!"
Lana handed Tabby her wrench and then a hammer to Rusty.
"It's not fun, trust me," she said before running to Vanzilla.
"Hurry up!" yelled Lori. "Get inside already!"
Rusty, Zach, and Tabby sat on the back seats at this respective order. Lori turned on the switch, which showed the orange light. She looked at Ronnie Anne who looked back with a panicked expression.
"Ugh. To hell with the orange light," said Lori as she started driving the vehicle.
The Humvee made a sharp left turn as it approached the entrance to the shelter. Lori looked ahead at the enormous herd that was surrounding the group by the circular streets— fear shaking in her eyes. The group struggled to fight off the herd— and they weren't the only ones.
The ones that escaped from the bunkers— and lived— were now out in the streets. With the herd let loose, the neighboring buildings that they holed up in were not safe anymore. They— like the group— had to fight off the rotters. But it wasn't them who Lori cared about. Her fear was only focused on the group, especially her family— for it was the first time her mind processed that death was a possibility for her siblings.
"Here comes Lori! Huddle together!" yelled Benny.
Only those who belonged in Benny's group listened. The other survivors darted through the street, shoving and killing the rotters in their way with any weapon they had at hand, whether it was a rock, a pipe, or their fists. They would separate from the other children and ran through any opening they found, believing the illusion that they were going to make it out.
A rotter reached for a kid and pulled on his leg, the smoke in the ground partially covering the rotter's jaw as it sunk into his leg. The kid screamed as he fell on the concrete, busting his elbow and wrists. A rotter then knelt down and grabbed his left arm, biting a chunk of the bleeding flesh. A group of about ten rotters then closed in on the boy and fell to their knees as they each took a piece of him for themselves.
A rotter then grabbed a kid by her hair and pulled back. The kid fought off the rotter with all her might, screaming through the stinging pain on her scalp as she pulled forward. However, another rotter walked in front of her and sunk its yellow sharp teeth into her neck, piercing through the skin as blood seeped out. She raised her mouth as if to scream but was only able to let out a few gasps before choking in her own blood.
A teenager with blonde hair, around Luna's age, was bit in the arm by a rotter. She shoved the biter away from her with her unwounded arm and continued to run ahead into the street, covering her bite wound. Through her fingers, blood dripped as a desperate look formed in her face.
"Take cover!" Lori yelled as she drove into the street.
Benny's group hid behind General Black's station as the engine of the Humvee roared louder and louder. Bobby climbed onto the mounted gun turret and clicked on the triggers. The turret fired large .50 BMG bullets at the rotters, destroying every piece of flesh it came in contact with. The sound of the bullets tore through the air, rupturing across the sky as Bobby squinted his eyes, screaming through the defeaning gunfire.
Lori turned her steering wheel around, running over the rotters as she circled around the station. The rotters' bodies were crushed and pulverized by the giant wheels on the Humvee which left red skid marks on the pavement.
"Run to Vanzilla!" shouted Lori through the gunfire. "Go now!"
The group quickly fought their way closer to the entrance, sending blood and guts flying to their sides. Benny sliced all the rotters that stood in his way. Lynn bludgeoned the head of any rotter in front of her. Francisco swung Lori's club to the rotters standing in his direction. Lucy slammed her shovel on the rotters trying to grab her skin. Lori drove the Humvee closer to the entrance and got out of the car. Rusty, Zach, and Tabby exited the car as well, killing any rotter that got close to the Humvee. The relentless turret gunfire lay waste to the herd that tried to form by the station.
Lori took a deep breath, cocked her AK-47, aimed her gun at the rotters, and pulled the trigger. Many of the rotters quickly collapsed to the ground as the bullets sent fragments of their skulls flying back.
Of the hundreds of rotters that were overwhelming the shelter, over half of them were killed. Some more were dropping like flies, as Lori continued to fire her rifle at them while the group members darted past her.
After hearing a click by her chamber and the last echo faded away, she ran back into the Humvee, hopping into the driver's seat. Rusty, Zach, and Tabby entered the vehicle again and closed the door as Lori turned the steering wheel around, moving the Humvee towards the entrance.
"Wait!" yelled Rusty.
Lori braked the vehicle as Tabby opened up the door. Liam and Clyde climbed inside, tossing themselves onto the laps of the children sitting in the passenger seats. Ronnie Anne turned around from the passenger seat.
"I don't know if you notice, but it's full in here!" she yelled.
"Maybe I ain't ready to land on the Reaper's doormat yet," panted Liam.
"Drive now!" exclaimed Tabby.
"I can't!" yelled Lori.
The group hopped over the bodies that lay in the streets. Luan tripped and stumbled into the ground, scraping her knee. She groaned as Benny stopped in his track and ran back at a worrying pace.
"Luan! Are you okay?" asked Benny.
"Yeah, ow. Just keep running."
Bobby continued to fire at the rotters, though he was unable to fire at the ones that were too close— since the bullets would no doubt damage the vehicle. Tabby looked back at the approaching rotters some of them bumping against the back trunk.
"Lori, go! They're getting closer!"
"Our group's still not out yet!"
"They're surrounding us!"
"What do you want me to do— run over them?"
A rotter reached its left arm through the window and inside the vehicle. Rusty and Tabby screamed as Liam covered his head.
"GO!" screamed Tabby.
Lori pressed on the gas pedal, the back wheels spinning against a rotten corpse, grinding its pale flesh and dark blood and splattering it onto the other roamers behind the vehicle. The Humvee drove ahead as the group arrived at 8-Mile Street— the street that once represented the border of the safe-zone— and made a sharp right turn.
Bobby watched as the Humvee separated itself from the rotters, moving farther and farther way. He got a peek of the thousands of rotters that were tearing apart the fences and gates in the distance. He climbed back inside the vehicle and wiped off his sweat with his shirt before noticing how full the back seats were.
"I... I'll just stay up there!" yelled Bobby, rubbing his ears.
"Oh my god," gasped Ronnie Anne. "There are thousands of them. We gotta leave."
"What do you think we're doing now?" asked Lori.
Benny turned around.
"Hey, guys! Watch out!" he exclaimed.
The group members moved to the sidewalk as the Humvee honked before driving past them. Then, after a few seconds, the wheels of the Humvee stopped.
Lori opened the door and leaped out of the vehicle. The kids in the back seat all jumped out and ran towards Vanzilla, all chattering in panic.
"Woah, woah, what's going on?" asked Carol.
"Finish putting the crates onto Chunk's van!"
Lori quickly put the remaining crates inside of Chunk's van, which was to be the vehicle for Carol to drive. Carol lifted the crates from the Humvee and placed them inside the van.
"Chaz, start your car now! Take Tabby, Zach, Rusty, Rocky, and Liam, with you!" Lori ordered.
"I gotchu', Lori."
Tabby went to the passenger seat, while the boys went in the backseat. Chaz started his car and nodded to Lori. Lori entered the driver's seat of Vanzilla. She looked at the mirror and quickly made sure that her passengers were all there. She looked at Leni, Lily, Luna, Sam, Benny, Luan, Lynn, Francisco, Clyde, Ronnie Anne, Lola, Lana, Bobby, and Darcy. She then turned towards the passenger seat and looked at Lincoln, who stared at Carol, who closed the back door of the van.
"Why don't we take the big army car?" asked Francisco.
"Not fuel-efficient," said Lori.
She pressed her flats against the gas pedal and drove onto the road and made a sharp right turn away from the herd that were getting closer and closer to the border. Chaz followed behind Vanzilla, and Carol followed behind Chaz's car. Lori drove through the vulnerable gate that had sealed the fate of many people— the wheels running over it. Lincoln looked back at the entrance, finding many rotters escaping. Sorrow slowly filled his heart.
"Finally," sighed Lori. "We finally escaped that hell-hole."
Everyone inside the van sighed deeply in relief, even Lily. They looked back at the city of Detroit, and only saw hopelessness.
"Not everyone did," said Lincoln.
Lori looked at him and was overwhelmed with pity. Vanzilla drove ahead in the empty part of the highway— the other side jammed with cars.
"You know we can't save everyone," said Lori.
"I know. It's just... I wished they didn't run out of the bunker like a bunch of crazy people."
Lori lowered her eyes and shook her head softly. She couldn't remove the image of Lincoln's sorrowful eyes from her mind.
"Lincoln, can you pull out one of the cassette tapes? Start with the oldest one, and play it on the cassette player."
Lori pressed on the brakes slowly, causing Vanzilla to come to a stop. She then stepped outside the van, taking out a walkie-talkie from her pocket as she looked behind the van, noticing Chaz's car and Chunk's van parked not too far from the entrance, but far enough for the rotters to not notice them. She then slowly turned around and noticed something strange about the cars in front of her.
The bodies in the highway— some stained with blood on their foreheads, others with their faces lying down on their steering wheels, a few lying in the pavement— sent chills throughout Lori's body. Her heart pulsed quickly and her palms grew sweaty as she looked from car to car, finding bullet holes in the windows, cartridges on the ground, rotters roaming around the cars consuming the unfortunate victims of an unjustified massacre. Then, with a terrified look in her eyes, she came to a realization as she observed the gruesome sight in front of her.
Lori then quickly turned to her left, slightly flinching before realizing who it was.
"What's wrong?" asked Chaz.
Lori took a deep breath, calming her nerves down.
"Nothing," whispered Lori. "I'm... I'm fine. I... I—"
"You needed something?"
Lori looked at Vanzilla, finding Bobby coming out of the back seat. He closed the door and approached her. She then looked at her hands.
"Oh, right," she gasped. "Here."
Lori handed Chaz a walkie-talkie.
"Keep it on. We have something important that we might need to hear."
"Ah. Gotchu'. Is that all?"
"Yeah. Just go back to your car. I... I just need some air."
Chaz turned and faced the walking bodies in the highway. He adjusted his collar and clenched his teeth as Lori turned towards the jammed highway, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Don't stare too long," said Chaz. "Looks pretty gnarly."
"Okay. I'll drive in a minute," said Lori, her lips quivering.
Chaz walked away as Bobby placed his warm hands on Lori's shoulder. Lori shook her head as she quickly turned around, looking at Bobby— whose eyes were already observing everything in front of him.
"Bobby..."
Lori's voice was breaking down. She swallowed hard as she tried to tell Bobby to look away, but found herself at a loss for words. Bobby felt himself growing pale.
"Babe... that... tell me it isn't them. Oh, god."
"We have to go."
"Lori... that's them... that's abuelo Hector, abuela Rosa, tío Carlos..."
Lori teared up. She held Bobby's hand and pulled him away from the guardrail that kept the empty and jammed sides apart.
"I know, I know..." she whispered.
"...tía Frida... C.J... Carl... Carlita..."
"Bobby, we gotta go..."
As Lori pulled on Bobby's hands, he resisted. The rotters in the highway growled as they began walking towards the guardrail.
"Don't tell Ronnie Anne..." said Bobby. "Please... don't tell her. This is the last thing she needs to hear."
"Alright."
Lori wiped the running mascara off her eyes, leaving a dark smudge below her eyes. Bobby then allowed her to pull him away from the guardrail— which the rotters struggled to get through.
The doors opened. Lori and Bobby entered Vanzilla and closed the doors.
"Are you okay?" asked Lincoln.
"I'm fine," said Lori. "Do you have the tape ready?"
"Yeah."
"Turn on the walkie-talkie and play it."