II - Before We Fly
A mixture of light-gray and white smoke lingered around Ketcham Park like a hot fog. A large portion of the park was covered in dirt and twigs, trees without leaves sometimes huddled up together. There were boxes and tents scarred by fire as can be seen by their black marks and melted holes.
"Man, who left the oven on?" remarked Zach while holding a rag against his face.
"There is... so much... smoke here!" Tabby coughed.
"Tabby, you oughta' be coverin' your chops and sniffers," said Liam.
"Yeah. I oughta'."
The group walked through the park, trying to make out their surroundings consisting of a haze of smoke covering the vast field where the rogue soldiers were stationed at. Tabby placed a small shirt against her face, leaving her eyes open for navigation. Lincoln squinted his eyes while breathing through an orange bandana.
"We're in a very dangerous situation," said Richard. "Yet you kids want to come in headfirst. Damn, you kids are something else."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" asked Zach.
"We'll see."
Zach gulped as he continued to look around the burnt park. David then patted his shoulders.
"Don't let him frighten you. Just keep your eyes peeled and you'll be fine."
"Got it, Mr. Jones."
"Well, I can't keep my eyes peeled," said Clyde, removing his glasses to wipe it with his shirt. "My glasses keep fogging up. And I'm almost blind without them!"
"I got you, Clyde," said Lincoln. "Just grab my backpack and don't let go. I'll lead you."
"Oh, thanks, buddy. I owe you one."
The hazy field became less foggy as the group navigated around it looking for tents and crates that were not completely burnt.
"Hey, Lincoln," said Rusty. "We're going to check out those badass helicopters over there. Come on."
Lincoln smiled before turning over to Ronnie Anne. She was going down a hill onto a pond with David and Bobby. His smile lowered.
"I'm good," said Lincoln, smiling again. "Clyde and I are just gonna go with David."
"Ah, I getcha' meaning," said Rusty. "Tryna' spend more time with Ronnie Anne than the bros?"
"No, I—"
"I'm kidding, my man. I get it. Not too many pretty faces left in this world. Go get her, bro."
"That's not really— she's just a friend—"
Rusty began to walk away, following Rocky, Liam, Zach, and Tabby. Lincoln sighed and rolled his eyes.
"—okay. Sure, whatever."
Lincoln and Clyde walked down the hill, following Ronnie Anne, Bobby, and David. There were tents by the pond, some appearing untouched. On the other side of the pond was the entrance to the park, where a darkened cabin stood nearby.
"Hey, Clyde, you can clear up your glasses now," said Lincoln. "There's almost no smoke down here."
"Oh, thank goodness. I took vision for granted. As a matter of fact, I took a lot of things for granted."
Bobby, having a rag tied around his lower face and holding his burst-fire rifle, walked towards a small tent before lowering himself, getting on one knee. He placed his fingers on the zipper and took a short breath, hesitating in zipping it open.
"Hey!" exclaimed a deep voice behind Bobby, spooking him. "Careful. We don't know what we'll find inside."
Bobby turned around, seeing David behind him. He nodded before raising his rifle up with his right hand. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for whatever sight he may encounter. Then, he opened his eyes and zipped down the tent, aiming his gun inside the tent.
And there was nothing alive. Nothing dead either. Just unopened sleeping bags and an unlit lantern. Bobby crouched inside, grabbing the unlit lantern and the unopened sleeping bags.
"Anything?" asked David.
Bobby came out of the tent with the lantern and sleeping bags. He shook his head.
"Just these things," said Bobby. "Hey, where's my sister going?"
David turned around, finding Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde jogging to the cabin near the entrance.
"Damn it," muttered David. "Let's go."
Lincoln stopped and removed the cloth away from his mouth to take a deep breath. Clyde and Ronnie Anne followed suit, admiring the large cabin— larger than twice the size of Lincoln's house— that stood in front of them, the wooden exterior walls having completely burned away. However, the wooden planks were simply for aesthetics. The cabin was actually made of brick, which was darkened from the ash of the burned wood.
"Hey!" shouted a voice from the distance.
"Uh oh," said Clyde, turning around. "We're in trouble."
"Relax, Clyde," said Ronnie Anne. "What can he do?"
"He could discipline us through a series of pushups, forcing us to our physical limits!"
"Hey," panted David. "Gotta stick close together. Don't need Laurel complaining—"
"Lori," corrected Bobby and Lincoln.
"Lori. Don't need her to complain to me about losing you kids. Much as I hate being responsible for you three... gotta make sure you guys don't hurt yourself trying to play hide-and-seek or something."
"We came here to handle stuff like this on our own," said Ronnie Anne. "You're just our backup."
"Hey!" whispered Bobby. "Don't talk back like that!"
"Guys!" exclaimed Lincoln. "Is this where the rogues kept my parents?"
"It is," said David. "I take it it's not a real wooden cabin?"
"Apparently not. Think we can look through here?"
"Sure. Why not?"
David took out his flashlight and turned it on. He prepared to enter first, though, to his surprise, he saw the children enter eagerly inside. He and Bobby then followed them, taking slow and careful steps inside the cabin.
Suddenly, he heard a movement inside the cabin that did not come from the children. He swiftly unholstered his M9 pistol and pointed the flashlight towards the direction of the sound.
"What was that?" whispered Clyde, his voice trembling.
"Don't know," whispered David. "Probably a rogue, hiding in here like a coward. Just stay behind me."
The sound of the movement got louder. David continued moving around the cabin towards the noise.
Each of the three children took out their melee weapons—tactical knives straight out of the crates back in Chunk's van— and were alert for any incoming rogue ready to pounce on them.
"That's a leopard," whispered Clyde. "And we're a couple of deers... sitting, waiting to be pounced on. I have to get out of here!"
David pointed the flashlight at Clyde.
"Dammit!" whispered David. "Shut him up!"
Ronnie Anne grabbed Clyde from behind and wrapped her hands over his mouth, causing him to scream into her hands. He flailed as he tried to escape from her grip, but any attempts were futile.
"Shut up!" whispered Ronnie Anne loudly. "Shut. Up!"
"He's gonna hyperventilate," whispered Lincoln. "Just get him outta the cabin!"
Ronnie Anne nodded and walked Clyde out of the cabin as he began to inhale and exhale rapidly. Bobby followed them.
"He may just have ruined our element of surprise," whispered David.
"I think they knew we were here already," said Lincoln. "I still hear them."
David heard heavy breathing coming from the room next to him. Lincoln stood still behind the wall as David backed up away from the door to the room. He then raised his leg and kicked the door open before pointing his flashlight and his gun inside the room.
"Wait! Wait! Don't fire!" yelled a man with a deep British accent.
"Identify yourself, asshole!" yelled David.
Lincoln snuck a peek inside the room and saw the flashlight pointing at the man's face, who appeared to be soaked in sweat. However, most of his sweat was not coming from the heat in the cabin, but rather, from the immense fear he felt when he heard people coming inside the cabin. Suddenly, Lincoln walked into the room getting a closer look at the man.
"Hey, kid," said David. "Stay back."
"Chunk?" said Lincoln, looking rather puzzled as the man did.
"Hey, I know you," gasped Chunk. "You're… Luna's brother!"
"Yeah, the name's Lincoln."
"You know this guy?" asked David, still pointing his M9 at Chunk's face.
"Yeah, he's my sister Luna's friend."
"Which one's Luna?"
"Purple tank top? Short brown hair? Whatever, you can put the gun down."
David lowered the gun while keeping his flashlight pointed at Chunk, who slowly walked closer to him. Chunk held his cap in his hands and wiped the sweat off his face with his arm. Then, David pointed his flashlight away from Chunk and into the cabin halls.
"Tell me, Chunk," said David. "Is there anything important we can find in here that will give us information about the rogue soldiers that kept you in here? Anything at all?"
"Not that I know about," replied Chunk. "Can we please leave this cabin? It's bloody hot here."
"Sure."
David quickly looked around each room and found nothing but blankets and shattered lanterns. He then quickly moved ahead of Lincoln and Chunk, eventually walking out of the cabin.
"—couldn't just keep quiet?" scolded Ronnie Anne. "I mean, come on, Clyde! David was there!"
"I'm sorry, I just... I panic easily," stammered Clyde.
"Hey, go easy on Clyde," said Lincoln. "I brought him out here. He's here because of me."
"That was really dangerous of him to do that, you know?" said Ronnie Anne. "Him panicking made us bait. And you know he panics a lot. So, yeah, I guess it's on both of you."
"Ronnie..."
Ronnie Anne walked away, crossing her arms. Lincoln scratched his head, feeling a sense of disappointment inhabiting his head.
"I'm sorry, Lincoln," said Clyde.
"It's all right. Look who we found."
"Hi, Chunk."
"Hey, little man," said Chunk. "You yanks cleared this field, yeah?"
"A few of us did," said David. "I wonder how Richard and the others are doing. Maybe they got better luck finding information about the rogues."
The wind blew against Tabby's hair as she cleared out the smoke particles on her eyelashes. The park became clearer with every passing minute.
"Do you think my mom might still be alive?" asked Tabby while sitting in the gunner's seat of an Apache helicopter.
"I think she still breathin'," said Liam, sitting above her in the pilot's seat. "I mean... didn't Lori see her ma' in here? Your ma' mighta' been with every other 'rents in this place!"
"How'd your mother look like?" asked Richard while he rummaged around in the crates around the helicopter.
"Well, she has long black hair and she's kinda tall," said Tabby. "She was wearing a green tank top and gray jeans. Why, did you see her?"
Richard knew he shouldn't have asked. He had no memory of seeing a woman wearing such clothes, except maybe this one time, five years ago, in Flint, where he lived. Knowing that every group member needed an incentive to support him, David, and Missy on their trip to Houlton, Richard closed his eyes and opened his mouth, to tell his "truth."
"Yeah, I saw her. She's gotta be in Houlton right now," said Richard.
Tabby smiled at Liam. Liam then jumped out of the helicopter and tapped on Richard's shoulder.
"What about my ma'?" asked Liam. "She had a red dress with yellow polka dots on."
"No, I didn't see her," said Richard, getting on the pilot's seat. "But keep in mind that I didn't get to see every adult in the park."
Richard reached into the glove department and pulled out a stack of papers.
"It was just... very chaotic."
"Oh. What is that?" Liam asked, looking at the papers.
"No clue," said Richard, looking through the papers. "Ah, I see now. It seems to be a map for the pilot of this helicopter. There are dots showing the location of military bases, like this lake— Spednic Lake— and that Canadian town— Woodstock, New Brunswick. And then there is a large dot, pointing at Houlton."
"Do you think you can fly this helicopter to Houlton?" asked Tabby, standing on the seat.
Richard chuckled.
"I was just an Infantryman, not a pilot," he said. "So no, I can't fly this helicopter, and I sure as hell don't plan to."
"Why not?" asked Liam. "I woulda' love to fly helicopters!"
"I'm afraid of heights. Now let's go see what Bobby and the others are doing," replied Richard, getting off the helicopter with the papers on his hands. "Let's rendezvous with David and the others."
"No need," said Tabby. "They're coming."
Richard turned around, noticing David, Bobby, Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, Clyde, and a stranger approaching them from the bike trail.
"How's it going, guys?" asked Bobby.
"Not good," responded Rusty. "I can't find anything in these crates. They're all empty and burnt."
"Nothing by the tents either," responded Zach.
"Richard found something," said Tabby. "Oh, hey, Chunk!"
"Sup, Tabitha," greeted Chunk.
"Who's this?" asked Richard.
"Meet Chunk," said Lincoln. "He's a friend of Luna."
"And me," said Tabby.
"Does he know what we're doing?" asked Richard.
"I sorta' get the idea, mate," said Chunk. "No further information needed. I'm in."
"Great!"
"Tell us what you found," said David.
"Oh, yeah, I found a map of the state of Maine by the helicopter. Shows us some key rogue locations. Super helpful."
"More helpful than we think. This is great!"
"It's not enough."
"We still haven't searched the small shack by the baseball field. Think it's where Black kept his most important documents?"
"Only one way to find out," said Lincoln.
"Alright, then let's head–" said David before he was interrupted by a loud gunshot.
"What the hell?" yelled Richard, taking out his Colt Python.
David pointed his M9 in the direction of the gunshot, which was near the shack they were headed for. From behind the building were rotters approaching the source of the noise. One rotter locked its eyes on something before being shot in the head by the unknown enemy.
As soon as David and Richard ran towards the building, the children began to follow them. However, Bobby placed his hands in front of Ronnie Anne and faced the children.
"Wait here," whispered Bobby, raising his rifle. "Get behind something. All of you."
David and Richard ran into the shack. The gunshots echoed across the dark rooms. They looked out a window and saw a short man firing a pistol at the rotters in the baseball field. They moved out the shack and hurried out the shack, raising their handguns.
"Hey! Hey! Lower your gun!" Richard yelled.
The children were able to hear Richard, even as they were hidden behind the trees. Bobby and Chaz stayed outside the shack, keeping themselves away from the direction of the gunfire. Lincoln looked as Bobby entered the building. The next thing the children saw was Lincoln sprinting to the shack.
"Lincoln!" shouted Ronnie Anne.
"You dogs murder everyone! I should be shooting you in face!" yelled the man in a deep Russian accent.
"Get your eyes checked," said David. "Do we look like rogue soldiers to you? We don't have any damn camos on us!"
"Dog tags around your necks," said the man. "Just like the ones who murder people back in the city."
Lincoln dashed out of the exit door and into the baseball field. Bobby felt his heart skip and chased after him.
"Hey, bro!" exclaimed Bobby. "Where are you going?"
"Stop!" yelled Lincoln. "Sergei, these guys are not the rogue soldiers!"
The man turned towards the boy. His livid eyes were soothed.
"You're… Lynn's son!" gasped Sergei.
"Lincoln. How many random men do you know?" asked David.
"He was my dad's boss," said Lincoln.
"The soldiers... they took your parents," said Sergei.
"I know. These people are gonna help us rescue them. Now, please... lower your weapon."
Sergei turned towards David and Richard. He slowly lowered his pistol and groaned as he began to relieve painful memories.
"I'm David. This is Richard. We are not associated with Black's rogue soldiers."
"General Black... that suka," muttered Sergei. "Sorry I almost kill you."
"Don't flatter yourself," said Richard. "We would've dropped you— just like that."
"Yeah, yeah. I just... I just want to go home."
Sergei walked inside the building. Everyone else followed him inside with Bobby closing the back kitchen door.
"So, how did you people survive massacre? The bombings?" Sergei asked.
"The rogues took us to a bunker specifically designed to handle the bombs," explained Lincoln. "Some adults were spared, as you saw, but not everyone survived. Which begs the question... how are you still here?"
"I guess General Black forgot about me," said Sergei. "Consider me lucky."
"Lucky?" asked Richard.
"I'm not dead like others."
"Black and the other rogue soldiers took the surviving adults to the town of Houlton in the state of Maine," revealed David.
"Maine?" asked Sergei.
"It's the most northeastern state in the country," replied Lincoln.
"Where's Houlton?"
"I don't know if we should be trusting these maps like they were written in stone, but by reading this, it appears to me that it's a town bordering Canada in the eastern border of the state," answered Richard. "At the end of I-95. That shouldn't be too hard to find."
"So, what? You want to free others?" asked Sergei. "And you want me to risk life and come?"
"If that's okay with you," said Lincoln.
Sergei chuckled and let out a sigh.
"Eh, sure, why not? Not like people come to restaurants anymore."
David nodded and grinned.
"Great."
The door creaked open, causing David and Richard to instinctively aim their weapons towards the entrance. As soon as Ronnie Anne entered, she let out a small yelp before catching her breath.
"My bad," said David, lowering his pistol.
"Is it safe now?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"It is," said Richard.
Ronnie Anne pulled Lincoln's arm and dragged him out of the shack.
"What the heck was that?" yelled Ronnie Anne.
"What?" retorted Lincoln.
"You— running straight into danger."
"It was just Sergei. He's with us."
"You had no idea it was him. It could've been an actual rogue soldier! You could've gotten shot!"
"You're gonna have to learn to take risks. This new world has a lotta unknown factors. We'll be taking risks."
"We have to know which risks are worth taking."
"I saved Sergei. If I didn't run in there, David or Richard would've shot him. I saved a man's life and in return, he'll be coming with us. He makes good food, so we won't be eating garbage."
"Ugh, you're so infuriating."
Ronnie Anne stormed into the shack, leaving Lincoln outside with his friends.
"You guys sound like an old married couple," said Zach.
"Who says they aren't one?" quipped Liam.
The children laughed as Lincoln rolled his eyes. He walked back into the shack as the children followed him inside.
The petals from the flowers in the gardens of the abandoned homes fluttered across the lawns, carried by the light breeze. Birds chirped as they stood on top of the telephone lines. Squirrels scurried across the empty streets, some littered with empty plastic bottles, cans, and wrappers.
A group of footsteps came to a stop. Empty cartridges rattled against the back of a pickup truck. Water slowly dripped from the gutters of a nearby home. Shattered windows were within sight.
"We're here," said Sam and Carol simultaneously.
"Whose's house?" asked Lynn.
"Sam's," said Luna.
"And mine's," said Carol.
"Woah, you guys live in the same house?"
"No, I live right next door to her."
"Wow, you guys are neighbors!" said Luna, gritting her teeth to hide her jealousy. "Who knew?"
Carol shrugged as she walked forward, stepping into her lawn.
"Eh, it's not really a big deal," said Sam. "Hey, Carol, wait up. You shouldn't go alone."
"Who's coming with me?" asked Carol.
"Well, I'm taking Luna and Luan. Luna's been at my house before, so she's familiar with the place. It could speed things up a bit."
"So, Lynn and Francisco are coming with me."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Lori and Lincoln grabbed some of your stuff already, so there shouldn't be a lot you need to pack up, right?" asked Lynn.
"Right, I just need my photos and… medicine," replied Carol.
"Are your photos that important?" asked Francisco.
"Hey, of course they are," said Lynn. "People always need something to motivate them. C'mon, jock, we know it best."
"We're... gonna go now..." said Sam, pointing back at her house.
Carol nodded. Sam turned around and walked towards her house while followed by Luna and Luan. Carol did the same, with Lynn and Francisco following her. She grabbed the keys from the left pocket of her skirt and inserted it into the lock. She then turned the keys and twisted the doorknob, opening the door, allowing the trio to enter the house.
A wave of sudden warmness hit the trio. Sweat poured from the trio's faces, running down their warm skin. Lynn and Francisco looked around in amazement, seeing how orderly the living room was kept. And when they looked at the kitchen, they saw how neatly the plates and cups were stacked.
"Woah, your place is nice," said Francisco.
"You can thank my OCD-driven father for that," said Carol, chuckling for a second. "I'm just kidding, he doesn't really have OCD. He's just a neat freak."
Lynn looked at the trophies that were sitting inside a large glass cabinet. Most of them were for cheerleading, but one was of a particular gold tournament.
"Seems very snooty to me," said Lynn.
Carol raised her eyebrows as she placed a foot on the stairway.
"The place, I mean. Not you. I'm sure you're a great person, Carol. At least, to anyone that's not Lori."
"I was a great friend to her... it was just—"
"No offense but I'm not really interested in hearing why you and Lori hate each other."
"I don't hate her, I— ugh. Whatever. Let's just go to my room."
The trio walked up the stairs, suddenly finding themselves in the hallway where portraits were hung from the walls. Francisco approached one particular portrait of Carol and what appeared to be an extended family behind her.
"Hey, you want me to grab this for you?" asked Francisco.
"We're not here for those pictures," said Carol before she entered her bedroom. "My pictures are in here."
Lynn and Francisco walked inside, finding themselves inside a light-blue room with purple carpeting. Standing on top of a nightstand was a homecoming crown. And on the walls were awards for perfect attendance, perfect exam scores, scholarships, and more.
"Can you guys grab all the Polaroid photos on the wall above my bed?" asked Carol. "I just need to grab my medicine."
"Sure," said Francisco.
As Lynn and Francisco took the pictures off the wall, Carol opened her drawer and took out bottles of multivitamins and sleeping pills. She then walked to her closet and reached inside a dress that was on the floor. She pulled her hands out the dress and snuck some pill bottles into her backpack. She grabbed her sneakers and began to take off her brown dress shoes as Lynn and Francisco stacked the Polaroid pictures on their hands.
"Here you go," said Francisco.
Carol tossed her brown shoes into the closet and grabbed the Polaroid pictures placing them inside her backpack.
"Thanks, guys," smiled Carol.
"Are you sure you don't want your family pictures?" asked Francisco.
"I don't plan on staying wherever we're going. My family and I are coming back here."
"I see. Well, I guess that's it. Let's go back with the others."
"So what is it that you need again?" Luan asked.
"My red electric guitar signed by Mick Swagger," said Sam. "I know I really can't use it anymore, but it would still feel good to carry it. Can you go to my room? It should be there."
"Sure thing. I'll be right back," said Luan as she skipped up the stairs.
Sam looked up at Luan before she was gone from sight. She turned around and walked to the couch and sat down on it, letting out a heavy sigh.
Luna removed her backpack and placed it on the wooden floor next to the couch. She then sat down on the couch next to Sam and stared at the TV, which barely reflected the two of them. But it wasn't the TV that Sam was looking at. It was the frame of a picture that showed her family, specifically her father, her mother, and her little brother.
"If there's anything I could do... I will do it," said Luna.
Sam's breaths became shaky as her eyes were glimmering with tears.
"In the heat of the moment, sometimes you don't think about anything other than doing what you're supposed to do," sniffled Sam, now facing Luna. "But now, all I can do is think… think about how there is absolutely nothing waiting for me in Houlton. My mom, my dad, my brother... they're dead. They're... never coming back."
Sam grabbed Luna's hands.
"You and your family are the only people I care about now. I was thinking about the letter that you gave me the other day… and... I..."
Luna felt her heart beating faster, though a sting of sorrow accompanied the eagerness to find out how Sam felt.
"...I feel the same way. I didn't want to tell you before not only because I was afraid of my family knowing... but because I was afraid of how you were going to react. I really, really valued our friendship. I didn't want to lose you. But now... I really don't have anything to lose... except you."
Luna nodded, taking a deep breath in an effort to hold back her tears.
"I lost my family," added Sam. "I don't want to lose you too."
Luna saw that Sam was unable to hold back her tears. She pulled her close to her chest and hugged her as Sam began to sob quietly.
"Don't worry," whispered Luna. "You will never lose me."
Luan was crouched in the middle of the stairs, watching Luna and Sam embrace each other. She slowly set Sam's guitar on the stairs and went back upstairs to her room.
Luan slid the closet open. She grabbed a shirt from a hanger and tossed it into the bed. A pair of jeans were also grabbed and tossed into the bed. More shirts and more pants were removed from the closet. She folded the shirts and pants and placed them inside her backpack.
The drawers were opened by Luan. She rummaged through the CDs. She opened another drawer and pulled out the socks and underwear that were inside. She then lifted up a yellow bra and placed it against her chest, facing the mirror to see her own reflection, though this prompted her to shake her head in discontent.
Luan walked downstairs with the filled backpack.
"I don't think I should keep the group waiting too long," said Sam. "Let's go to my room."
"No, it's okay, Sam," said Luan. "I already got your clothes. We can go now."
Sam wiped her arms against her face and flashed a quick smile at Luan.
"Thank you. I-I'm sorry for making you do this."
"It's really no problem-" said Luan before being interrupted by a soft knocking on the door. "That must be the others."
Luna stood up from the couch and went to open the door. Outside stood Carol, Lynn, and Francisco.
"We're done packing," said Lynn. "Ready to hit the road?"
"Yeah, just one more thing," said Sam, standing up from the couch. "I won't be long."
Sam walked towards the TV and removed the picture from the frame. She walked inside her parents' room and grabbed a photo of her parents at their wedding. She looked then thought about all her other relatives, wondering if they were even alive. Her heart broke when she considered that they may all be dead, even her extremely religious and homophobic aunt, who always made her feel less confident about herself.
Next, she walked upstairs and walked into the room of her younger brother, Simon. There was nothing to grab inside. Everyone in the group already had a blanket or sleeping bag, so nobody needed Simon's green sleeping blanket. Everyone in the group already had clothes that fit them comfortably, so no one needed her little brother's clothes.
She walked over to a drawer and picked a handheld gaming console. She saw her reflection in the screen as she heard her brother's voice, his laughter, and she even thought about the way he flicked his hair when it got in the way of him playing. Then, he started to see his frightened face. The memories of her family dying violently plagued Sam's mind. She dropped the console, causing the screen to crack upon hitting the floor.
"Shit," she whispered.
She picked up the console and placed it back on top of the drawer. She couldn't help but feel guilty about cracking the console, even though no one was going to ever use it again, not even Rocky, who had his own DS.
She walked out of his room and went inside her room, opening her drawers. She placed the CDs, which features bands like The Who, Aerosmith, and Nirvana, into her backpack. Finally, she walked out of the room and down the stairs, grabbing her guitar in the process.
"Do you really need that guitar?" asked Francisco.
"I do," said Sam.
Lynn softly punched Francisco's arm.
"Dude, motivation," reminded Lynn.
"Oh, yeah."
The survivors walked out of the house, with Luna closing the door. The sun was nearly at its highest point in the sky as they walked on the sidewalks as if there were still a possibility that the world hadn't ended and any car might pass by in the street.
"Wait, I don't get it. Why aren't we going to Pop-Pop's retirement home?" asked Leni as she grabbed fabric from her closet.
"Because he is in the Bahamas, probably relaxing in the beach— literally unaware of the living hell we're facing," answered Lori, grabbing all the photos in her house and taking them out of their frames.
"Oh, okay. After we get Mom and Dad back, we should totally go to the Bahamas with him."
"You know, that's actually not a bad idea. We need someone to fly a plane there, or if we somehow reach Florida, we can get there on a boat. There's nothing left for us in here anyway."
"Mom knows how to fly a plane," said Lucy. "But are you sure you don't want to come back here?"
"If I'm being honest... yes, I'm sure. This place has traumatized me enough. I don't think I'd be able to walk around this place without thinking about what happened at the school, at Detroit."
"What makes you think it will be different anywhere else?"
"It can't be this bad anywhere else, right?"
"It can be worse."
"Oh, come on, Lucy, I'm talking about an island. A tropical island that we can live out for the rest of our days until this thing blows over."
"You honestly don't think this will blow over."
"I do! It doesn't hurt to be optimistic for once in your life, you know."
"I believe it can hurt."
"Ugh, fine, whatever. It's all death, death, death everywhere."
"Yes."
"Where do you propose we go, Lucy?"
"Back here. It's our home. I don't want to go knowing I'm not coming back. It would... upset me."
"I didn't think you could feel upset."
"So... Royal Woods or Bahamas?" asked Leni.
"I don't know, Leni. I don't know anymore."
"Where do you really want to go?" asked Chaz from downstairs.
"I don't know."
"Which of those two places is best for the group?"
"I don't know. I would have to ask everyone in the group."
"Ah, I don't know how I feel about that response."
"What do you mean?"
"We're gonna need someone who can call the shots. Someone to make all the choices, whether they be mad easy to make or whether they suck to make. And that leader's gotta do it because it's best for everybody around- not because he or she wants to be liked. I ain't gonna name any names, but I do know who it oughta be."
Lori nodded in surprise in response to hearing Chaz give her some solid advice. She then started thinking to herself before Chaz spoke again.
"You know I'm thinking of you, right?" he asked.
"I was thinking of myself too, but I don't know if I could order people like David around. I mean, he's former military, so he's got a lot more experience with this kind of thing. Unless... we both become leaders."
"Eh... no. That can't work out."
"Why not?"
"Two leaders for the same group? I mean, we can have a leader for the group, then a leader for that leader and the group, but we can't have two leaders who are equal in power. Like, think about it, Lori. If you want us to do something and David wants us to do another thing, which one of those things do we do?"
"David and I would have to come to a decision together."
"What if there is like, no time at all?"
"Then... I don't know. We'll figure it out."
"Better figure it out fast. For our sake, bro."
Chaz gave Leni a kiss before walking away. Lori frowned in response to being given a lot to think about.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Benny lifted the cold can away from his ribs.
"How does it feel now?" asked Missy.
"It feels a lot worse," said Benny. "It hurts every time I touch it."
"I will get better by tomorrow. I think," said Missy, looking around the house.
"Weren't you in the military?"
"Yes. Army."
"This never happened to you?" questioned Benny, pointing at his purple bruise.
"No, it was a hole instead of a bruise. I wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest. I know, you might wanna pin the blame on me for that one, but you see, none of the available ones fit me comfortably."
"Oh."
"Here! Rafo can make your bruise feel better!" said Darcy, leaning her stuffed giraffe closer to Benny's rib cage. "Just make him kiss the bruise! It works for me all the time."
"Huh?"
Darcy placed her stuffed giraffe's mouth on the wound, causing Benny to wince from the pain.
"Hey, what do you know!" said Benny, gritting his teeth. "It does work! It feels a little better!"
Darcy giggled. She then turned around as she heard footsteps from the stairs.
"I found nothing upstairs. No animals, no Hops, no Izzy," sighed Lana as she climbed down the stairs.
"I told you, you weren't going to find any animals in our room! They're out on the streets doing who knows what!" complained Lola.
As Lori and Leni followed Lola and Lana down the steps, Lucy approached Lily, who was biting into a toy.
"Oh, Lily," sighed Lucy. "How unfortunate of you to never know how life was before the dead roamed the earth. Even though I think zombies are cool and all… sigh… I was happy with my old life. My group has been calling the zombies, 'rotters'. I have no idea why. I'm sure you can relate with me on that one can't you, Lily?"
"Poo-poo!" said Lily.
"You're right. Zombies are a thing of the past. It's what's not real. Rotters are the real thing. It's our present and our future."
Lucy picked Lily up and carried her downstairs, approaching Lori.
"You can hold her now. And change her diaper," said Lucy before lying on the floor, awaiting the other group members' return.
"Ugh," groaned Lori.
Lisa walked down the stairs, joining the rest of the group.
"There," said Lisa. "I acquired every necessity required for our odyssey. I assume you people have completed your preparations as well?"
"Yeah, sort of," said Lori. "I just need all the photos from the living room and the kitchen, and then we're practically done. But first I have to change Lily's diaper. Be right back."
Lincoln placed his hands on a journal inside the shack, flipping over the pages. One of them mentioned a name: Colonel Catherine Ash. Allergic to peanuts. Then, Clyde approached him from behind.
"Hey, Lincoln. Whatcha' find?" asked Clyde.
"Looks like an empty journal. Nothing important."
"I bet five dollars they got a notebook stashed in here somewhere with the names of all the people they captured," said Zach.
"Dibs on that book," said Rusty. "Gotta know if my dad is alive."
"If you find it, let me know," said Clyde.
"I ain't wanna be the Debbie Downer of this group, but what if we ain't find our folks' names?" asked Liam. "As much as it would fill me with joy to see the name Hunnicutt, we gotta consider what we do for those who can't find their folks."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," said Tabby.
"I guess what I'm really asking is... are y'all gonna stay if you don't find your folks' names?"
"I promise to stay with you guys," said Clyde. "Even if I don't find my dads' names. I mean, if I stay here in Royal Woods... then I'll truly be alone. But with you guys... it will be like a road trip."
"It's already a road trip," said Lincoln. "That is if you guys are cool with that."
"Oh, heck yeah!" smiled Rusty. "Parents or not, this is the road trip of our life. Who better to go on a road trip than my friends?"
"So, it's official?" asked Zach. "Totally epic road trip?"
"Totally epic road trip," nodded Lincoln.
"Whoo!" exclaimed Tabby. "Time to do whatever the heck we want to do!"
Lincoln smiled as he watched his friends chatter joyfully among each other as they discussed plans for their road trip. He turned around and opened a cabinet with a smile stuck in his face. His smile then faded as he found a tiny log, filled with the names of people that were held in Ketcham Park. He turned around while sneaking the log into his backpack, seeing his friends distracted talking about the cities they're gonna stop by. He then zipped his backpack shut, and was ready to walk out before finding Ronnie Anne, who watched him the entire time. He looked at her, fearing that she may say something. But all she did was turn around and walk out of the shack, keeping the discovery of the log a secret.
"So... how was the cereal?" Lori asked.
"Bad," answered Lola. "It tastes bad when I don't brush my teeth."
"Well... I liked it," said Lana.
"Ugh, guys!" scoffed Lori. "You still have to brush your teeth, even if— when the world ends! You will get gingivitis and your teeth will fall out!"
"God, Lori!" exclaimed Lola. "Who cares! I probably won't be here for a long time!"
"Don't say that."
"You're right, I'm going to live until I'm a hundred years old. All those years in this stupid world."
Lori groaned.
"I'm sorry, Lori. I just don't think we should be so strict about things because now our future isn't so certain. You understand that, right? I mean, you seriously don't believe we'll all have a happy ending, right?"
"It wouldn't kill you to have some hope."
"Whatever. We can't brush our teeth because we don't have running water."
"Can you guys at least use dental floss?"
"Where would we find dental floss?"
"Ask Luan for some when she comes back. She has plenty of it."
Missy tapped on Lori's shoulders, prompting her to face the adult.
"Look," said Missy, pointing out the barricaded windows.
"Oh!" gasped Lori. "The others are back!"
The door opened with Lori and Missy stepping outside of the house. The others looked outside from inside the house.
"So... how did it go?" asked Missy.
"Peachy," said Richard.
"Did you guys find anything?"
"Hell yeah. We found logs, journals, maps, and some more of that shit. I'm just gonna put 'em in David's RV."
"Glove department?"
"Like always."
"You guys are doing okay? Didn't see anything out there?" asked Lori.
"Well..." murmured Lincoln.
Sergei stepped in front of the group, making his way towards Lori before raising his hand in order to give her a handshake.
"Hello, Lori."
"Sergei! You're alive!"
"I sure feel like it as well. So, when are we getting this journey started?"
"You know about our mission?"
Sergei nodded. Lori smiled.
"My dad is going to be so happy to see you."
Lori then faced Bobby.
"Did you see the others?"
"No, I was going to ask if they were in the house with you guys," responded Bobby. "I guess not."
"Hey guys!" yelled a voice from down the street.
Lori and the other group members turned towards the direction of the voice. Lori then grew a smile once more as she saw Luna waving her arms around.
"Hey, people!" shouted Luna. "Woah, wait! Is that... Chunk?!"
"The one and only!" shouted back Chunk. "Lunes! Samantha! I'm alive, mates!"
"Yeah!"
Luna ran towards Chunk before leaping onto him, giving him a big hug. Chunk chuckled before releasing Luna and giving Sam a high-five, hugging her shortly after.
"Aye, mates, is that my van?" asked Chunk.
"Yeah, I hope you don't mind that we put some stuff inside," said Luna.
"What kinda stuff?"
"You know, weapons and stuff."
"I don't mind."
"Hey, Mr. Chunk," said Carol as she approached him. "I have your keys here."
"Ah, much obliged, love."
Carol smiled as she returned his van keys to him. She then backed away awkwardly as Chunk began spinning the keychain around his finger.
"Dude. you don't know how glad I am to have you back," said Luna.
"Likewise, Luna. So, I heard all about the mission from the bloke with the shades. Sounds a tad bonkers to me if you ask me. But I'm in."
"David told you? He was the one who found you?"
"Yeah."
"So, you were in the park when it was all going down. Oh, dude, I gotta know more. Lori, Sam and I are gonna crash in Chunk's van. Is that cool with you?"
"Yeah, that's not a problem," said Lori. "We don't have space in Vanzilla for Carol and Sergei, though."
"They can ride in my RV," said David. "It's quite large."
"Actually, we were thinking about going to the RV with you guys," said Tabby, pointing out to Lincoln and his friends. "Carol and Sergei can stay with Chaz in his car."
"Sure, I don't mind the company," said David.
"This is gonna be such an epic road trip," said Zach. "Man, imagine all the cities we're gonna pass by."
"And them farms," added Liam.
"So, Lincoln..." said Rusty, placing his arms around Lincoln's shoulders, "you must be pretty excited. You and Ron on a road trip together. Pretty romantic, eh?"
"Yeah, right," said Ronnie Anne. "I'm staying in Vanzilla. You boys can have your stupid fun in the RV."
"She digs you. Trust me."
"Ugh, she's just a friend," said Lincoln.
"Let's be real here," said Rocky. "This is not going to be an epic road trip. Sure, we got a lot of freedom and stuff but it's gonna be a bit depressing. I mean... every place is probably gonna look like a ghost town."
"That's the fun part," said Tabby. "Freedom, Rocky, freedom!"
Rocky sighed as Tabby began to grab her backpack. The rest of the group did the same— grabbing their belongings.
"We all ready or what?" asked David.
"One last thing," said Lori. "I would like a picture of all us in front of my house."
"And I would like to sit my ass at home and watch some football. But we got other things to do."
"I got a camera on me already."
"We can't be wasting time like this."
"This will literally take a second. Hey, can everyone stand in front of the house? We're gonna take a picture."
Lincoln shrugged as he dropped his backpack onto the ground. Clyde followed him up the stairs in front of the house as the rest of the group gathered next to each other. Lori grabbed the Polaroid camera from her bag and handed it to Carol.
"You had my camera the whole time?" asked Carol.
"Uh huh. Now, take a nice picture of us."
"I'm not gonna be in the picture?"
"Someone's gotta take a picture."
"I could take it," said Richard.
"No, it's fine," said Carol. "I don't want to be in a picture with a group that doesn't want me around."
"Alright. Just lettin' you know right now... not everyone feels that way. My wife and I... we want you around."
Carol glanced at Richard and smiled softly as he gave her a reassuring wink. She then turned around, looked back at the group, and pointed her camera towards the group before snapping a shot. The photo slid out of the camera, allowing Carol to grab it and stuff it in her pocket. However, Lori walked up to her and motioned her to give it over. Carol took the picture out of her pocket and handed it over to Lori, who stuffed the photo into her pocket.
"Now we're ready?" David asked.
"Yeah," said Lori. "Remember, Ann Arbor first. You'll be leading us on the road, so I don't want you going off-track."
"Oh, boy," chuckled David as he removed his shades. "You're giving me orders?"
"Sorry, force of habit."
Lori glanced at Chaz, who shrugged disapprovingly.
"Alright," said David. "Just come here for a second, Lori."
"What is it?"
"I appreciate what you and your group are doing right now. It's nothing less than honorable to do something so dangerous and risky... but it's okay to back away from this. You're just a teenage girl... and you're about to enter a world filled with the worst kinds of people. It's like Missy said... this is their world. Are you sure you want to go?"
"This teenage girl has blood on her hands. No point in giving up now. So let's go... before I change my mind."
"Alright. Let's go, guys. Everyone inside a vehicle!"
David entered his RV through the door behind the passenger seat, along with Richard and Missy. He handed Richard his walkie-talkie as he turned on the lights, revealing the interior of the RV. Lincoln, Clyde, Liam, Zach, Rusty, Rocky, and Tabby soon entered the RV and were struck with awe. The floor was decorated by a red-orange carpet with a diamond design. The windows were covered by black transparent curtains. Three cabinets stood next to a large sofa by the windows in the middle of the vehicle. There were two large cabinets on top of the sofa. An American flag hung on the opposite wall of the wall that the sofa supported itself on. In the back of the RV, there was a booth table in the form of a square, which sat below a Remington Model 870 shotgun. To the left of the booth table was a closet, and to the right, a small bathroom. A small rectangular window with white curtains was fixed between the bathroom and the closet above the booth table but below the shotgun.
"Holy hot dog on a bun," said Liam.
"Woah. This place is so… awesome," said Rocky, staring around.
"Yeah, where'd you even get this?" Tabby asked.
"My father," answered David. "He got it from his friend. Made some slight changes in the field of decorations. Like it?"
"Oh yeah."
"I like it a lot," said Rusty.
"I really dig the whole 80s look," said Zach. "1986 Fleetwood Bounder?"
"Right on the mark," said David as he turned on the engine. "Alright, boys... and Missy and Tabby— buckle up."
"I don't see any seatbelts," said Clyde.
"I'm just kidding," chuckled David. "There aren't any seatbelts. Just sit on a sofa or on the table in the back."
"No seatbelts? Eh, I don't really feel all that safe anymore."
"Well, get used to it," said Richard, taking out a map. "World ain't safe anymore."
"My dads could always find a way to make anything safer. I can't wait to see them again."
Overhearing Clyde, Lincoln walked over to the booth table in the back and looked out of the back window in guilt. The RV started to move, and eventually the vehicles behind the RV— Vanzilla, Chunk's van, and Chaz's car— followed suit.
As Chunk moved the van out of the driveway, Sam leaned forward into the front seats and inserted a CD into the CD player in the dashboard radio. Luna watched as Sam leaned back into the back seats, suddenly recognizing the music playing. It was Time For Me To Fly by REO Speedwagon. She looked out the windows as the van began to drive away from her house. Sam then nudged her as she nodded her head slightly. Luna smiled as she began to nod her head along to the song too.
Lori rolled down the windows to let the air inside the van. She stuck her left arm outside the window as she watched her house get smaller and smaller in the side mirror. She couldn't help but get slightly teary-eyed as the breeze blew along her hair.
"Attempting to reserve fuel?" asked Lisa.
"Mhmm," mumbled Lori.
"Roll up the windows. Activate the air conditioner. With the windows open, the increased air resistance applies a force on the van that requires the van to consume more—"
"Okay, Lisa. I'm rolling up the windows... and I'm turning on the AC."
As Vanzilla continued to drive along Franklin Avenue, the windows were rolled up until they were completely closed. The convoy of vehicles were now all headed westward.
Lori pressed a button on her walkie-talkie and spoke into it.
"David, how long do you think we will take to reach Ann Arbor?"
Richard pressed a button and leaned the walkie-talkie closer to David's mouth.
"Best case scenario— that is, no cars on the road, it'll probably only take 30 minutes. However, luck doesn't seem to be in our side as of lately. So... maybe a couple hours until we arrive, give or take."
Lori looked at the afternoon sun as she sighed a deep breath of disappointment.
"Alright. Well, I got something that I think you need to hear."
"What's that?"
"Tim Crowley's tapes. He left a whole bunch of them in the not-so-safe-zone in Detroit. I'll play the two tapes that we found. This one is called 'I' and it's dated February 3, 1988. Here goes…"