It's been three weeks already? Oh! Welcome back guys! Mr. Potassium K. here bringing you another enjoyable chapter to read. This was a very long chapter to write, yet it still did not beat the Exodus Chapter. One day... I will beat that chapter... just not today. If you have any ideas you want to bring to the story, have any comments, or you just want to talk about how potassium is your favorite element, leave a review! Anyways, if you enjoyed the story, make sure to follow! As always, sit back, relax, and enjoy! Happy Holidays everyone!
Updated as of 2/8/2023.
-Approximately One Year Earlier-
"You got it? Understood everything I just told you?" asked Lynn Sr.
"I think so. Hand me the lug wrench!" replied Lana.
It was a sunny and warm afternoon in Royal Woods. Lincoln was hanging out at Clyde's house. Lynn was biking around Ketcham Park. Lisa was in her room testing out her newly bought uranium. Leni was alone in her room, knitting a sweater while Lori went to hang out with her friends and Bobby. Luna and Luan were playing with Lily while Rita was shopping. Lucy was alone in her room writing poems. It was the perfect time for Lynn Sr. to teach Lana a few things about repairing a vehicle. Lola sat in her toy car, watching them while eating ice cream.
"Are you guys done now? I would like to go to the beauty pageant now!" asked Lola impatiently.
"Ahh! I forgot you had a beauty pageant contest today!" shrieked Lynn Sr.
"You forgot?! How did you forget about your favorite princess' pageant contest?!" yelled Lola, tossing her ice cream away.
"Please hurry, Lana, before she kills me!"
"Don't worry, Dad! I fixed the flat tire and the engine battery!" replied Lana.
"Great! What about the radiator hose?" asked Lynn Sr.
"The radiator hose? Heck! I forgot about the hose!"
"So you didn't fix it? Can you fix it now?" gulped Lynn Sr.
"Uhh, can you teach me again?"
Lola screamed which caused Lynn Sr. to jump in fright.
"I'm not going to make it to the contest in time! Now Lindsey Sweetwater is going to win by default!" yelled Lola before whimpering. "Thanks a lot, Daddy."
Lola slowly walked away. Lana looked at her father in confusion.
"Why is she like that? Why can't she be more like me?" asked Lana.
"What do you mean?" asked Lynn Sr.
"She's such a drama queen and so spoiled. But I'm not like that at all!"
"I don't know why you two are so different, but there's nothing wrong with her. Well, except maybe the fact that she just wasted a perfectly good cone of strawberry ice cream."
"Is... there anything wrong with me?"
Lynn Sr. looked at how messy she was. She had oil all over her hands and face. Her clothing was stained by the engine. She reeked of gasoline.
"No, of course not!" replied Lynn Sr. "You're perfect just the way you are. Never for a moment think you're better or worse than someone else because they're different from you. Everyone is special in their own way, but you all have equal worth in this world, you understand, my little amphibian?"
"Yeah."
"I have an instruction manual book on how to fix a radiator hose in the glove department. Read it. I gotta make sure your sister is okay."
Lynn Sr. ran inside the house. Lana went into the van and opened up the glove department. Indeed, the manual was there, so she grabbed it. Unclogging toilets are great, but fixing cars was something else for Lana. She flipped through the pages and smiled. She exited the van and admired the wheel before heading to the front of the van. The wheel was lustrous and smooth, working well now that Lana patched it up.
Chapter 5: Out in the Open
I - New State
PRESENT DAY
The left front wheel of Vanzilla moved slower and slower until it moved at a steady pace. Blood drops ran down the window and the scratched doors of Vanzilla and would drip into the road. There was blood on the wheels of the RV, staining the asphalt of the road it drove on. The front of the RV was scratched slightly, but otherwise, no damage showed inside. The real damage happened inside the vehicle since Kevin's blood flooded places where it shouldn't have.
Lola was shivering under Lana's arms. Lana looked at the dent bumps from inside the van. They were poking inwards. It was the first time Vanzilla has seen some real damage in this journey Lana thought to herself. She would hate to see what it did to Madison.
Lily was sobbing. Luan reached for her backpack.
"Don't cry. You want some milk?" Luan asked as she grabbed a bottle of milk for Lily.
"I'm... I'm low on fuel," said Lori into her walkie-talkie as she looked at her fuel gauge.
"Me too," said Sergei.
"Same here," responded Chunk.
"We could siphon some gas from nearby cars," said David. "We should do that later though. The herd is still too close by for us to stop."
"Understood..." muttered Lori.
Lori placed the walkie-talkie down. She was unable to blink as she looked ahead in the road, following the RV.
Bobby looked at Lori and placed his palm under her chin, caressing it softly. Lori faced him, her eyes appearing red and damp.
"It's okay," he mouthed.
Lori swallowed hard and nodded. She looked back at the road while Bobby moved his hand away, now looking out into the sky.
The highway was empty. The trees were tame. The clouds moved softly. The silence in the van was deafening.
Lori's mind was racing with the images of Kevin's body being mangled. She felt her van recoil and screech as it crushed Madison's body against the toll booth. These images replayed in her mind again and again.
"Oh, dear god," whispered Lori.
"What's wrong, Lori?" asked Leni.
Lori took a quick glance at Leni before looking back at the road. She was surprised to see that Leni was feeling less depressed despite the incident that just happened. Perhaps, Leni was clueless about what just occurred.
"Nothing," said Lori. "I'm just shook up from the accident we almost had. Right, everyone?"
The Louds all nodded in agreement. Leni looked around and saw the blood in the window.
"Did.. did anyone get hurt?" asked Leni.
"No. That's roamer blood."
"Oh. Well, that's good. It's okay, everyone. The speed was scary but we're all okay, so it's okay, right?"
Luan nodded. Leni nodded back and smiled before looking back at the road.
"Oh god," hyperventilated Carol. "Oh god! Did you see what Lori did… to that woman?"
"Yes, it was brutal. I've seen worse in the motherland, though," replied Sergei.
"What? What was worse than that?"
"Dogs ripping man to shreds. I run like hell when I seen that. Worst 9th birthday party ever."
"Ugh! Sergei!" cried Carol as she grabbed her bottles of oxycodone.
"Hey. What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to forget about everything that just happened."
"You should put it away. It's not going to make you forget."
Carol opened the bottle and looked inside to see her pre-crushed pills.
"Stop, Carol! Blyat!"
Carol dipped her fingers in the bottle and quickly placed them under her nostrils before snorting. Sergei shook his head. Carol closed her eyes, sniffled, and let out a soft moan of relief before laughing softly.
"Oh, how could I not see it? What… why did I ever think I was going to gain Lori's forgiveness? She obviously hates my fucking guts… and she's willing to kill three people. And that's the ones we know of. You know, I bet she killed more in the park, I think. What... what if she decides to kill me? Oh, god, she's probably thought about it by now."
"It's just the drugs talking."
"Yeah, you want some?"
"Nyet."
"Come on, opioids aren't the only thing I have," said Carol, waving colorful sticker tabs around.
"And where in the hell did you get acid?" asked Sergei.
"My own personal collection. Here."
"You can keep those the hell away from me."
"Fine, your loss."
"I'm so disappointed in you."
"Yeah, well you're not alone."
"Weren't you one of top students in your school?"
"How'd you know that?" curiously asked Carol.
"I had a daughter who went to high school. She mention how smart Carol was. How much of good girl she was."
"Wait, you had a daughter?"
"Da. I had children. I'll tell you about them in another day. You're taking a lot of of pills. How long have you been doing drugs?"
"Not too long. You should relax, it's not like I'm smoking crack or meth or anything like that."
"I expected more from a top student. You were destined to do great things and this is what you do? Abuse drugs instead of facing your problems head on?"
"Hey, stop judging me! It doesn't matter anymore! Look around you! What great things can I do? Huh? Tell me!"
Sergei stared ahead, looking at the rear of Chunk's van and the road behind it. Carol closed her eyes and sighed.
"I just want to see my parents again. I want things to be back to the way they were. When Lori and I were friends. When I didn't care about being the best. When the dead didn't roam the fucking Earth! But that will never happen again! I will never be the things I wanted to be, and I will never have the things I had before. So what's the point? So excuse me for wanting to escape reality when it gets really hard!"
"I just don't want you to do something you will regret in the future," explained Sergei.
"What future? What makes you think that one day, I won't swallow all these pills down my throat and end my misery? Knowing how life is going for me right now, chances are, my parents were killed in the massacre in Detroit! If it wasn't for these pill, I would've killed myself by now."
"Carol..."
"I'm serious! I... I really don't think they're alive anymore!"
"Okay, okay. I hear you."
Carol panted as tears ran down her cheeks, leaving mascara marks. Sergei took a quick glance at Carol.
"What did you say your last name was?" asked Sergei.
"Pingrey. Why?"
"I happen to know a Mr. Pingrey and Mrs. Pingrey that escaped Detroit. Escorted to the park by General Black himself."
"What? You saw my parents?"
"I saw them taken away to Houlton by rogues. Yes, I saw them, and they are alive."
"Sergei... you're not bullshitting me right now, are you?"
"Am I American millionaire?" asked Sergei.
"What? No...? No! You're not! That means…!"
Carol smiled and looked at her LSD tabs. She wiped the tears off her face before stuffing the pills and tabs back into her backpack. She then hugged Sergei in the shoulders. Sergei smiled too.
Hours passed by as the sun rose higher and higher.
"David to all. We're stopping for lunch. Park in the nearby merging highway."
David parked his RV on a road that was merging into the highway that they were on. All the vehicles behind him did the same. Richard, Bobby, and Sergei were distributing the food to the group. Many returned to their respective vehicles and some stayed outside as usual.
Lori held a finished can of pineapples when she stared at the swaying grass blades across the field. She saw the water of Lake Erie moving calmly next to the field.
"Bobby, I have to pee," said Darcy.
"Yeah? Okay, let's go find a nearby tree," said Bobby, grabbing a knife. "We'll be back, babe."
Lori nodded softly as she watched Bobby hold Darcy's hand while walking her to the woods. David then walked over, holding his can of peaches. He grunted as he leaned against the metal guardrails where Lori was leaning against.
"Hey, kid. How you holdin' up?" asked David.
"I'm fine," said Lori.
"You know, what we did back there..."
"I know. You're gonna tell me it was necessary. And the thing is... I want to believe it. They were going to let the horde kill us all. They were firing their guns at us. Until they weren't. You know... I saw what you did to Kevin. I thought it was unavoidable. But what I did to Madison... I didn't have to do it. I purposely turned my wheel to the left so that I could crush her against the toll booth. I literally made the choice to murder her."
"The way I see it, it wasn't murder. Richard was shooting to kill. I intended her to get killed. But she was able to jump out of the way in time and that was a mistake in our part. What you did... it saved the group. If you had avoided hitting her, then there would have been nothing left to stop her from shooting the back of your van. Your sisters could have been hit. Your brother could have been hit. People would have died. Thing is, you already knew that. That's why your instincts kicked in. So, that guilt you feel right now? That's the human side of you. It's not always easy dealing with taking away someone's life, no matter how justified. And that's okay. You're not a soldier. You weren't trained for this. Hell... even it's not always easy for me."
"She should've just let us go."
"Yeah. She really should have."
Lola walked up to Lori and tugged on her shirt.
"Lori?" said Lola.
"Huh? What is it?" asked Lori.
"I wanted to ask something."
"I'll be over there," said David before walking away.
Lori nodded before facing Lola.
"What did you want to ask?"
"It's been a while since we bathed. I know Lana's stinky butt loves that, but it's getting harder for me to breathe in that van with the way everyone's sweat stinks up the inside. So can we bathe in that lake over there?"
Lola pointed at Lake Erie. Lori looked back at the highway, seeing nothing but abandoned cars and a mirage in the distance. She then nodded.
"Yeah, I think we can spare some time. Plus, it's getting dangerously hot. We all need to cool down."
Lola smiled. Lori then walked over to David and the rest of the group as Lola followed her.
"Hey, everyone. I have an idea. It's not too sanitary to be all dirty like I am right now and it's also getting really hot. Why don't we all bathe in that lake over there?"
"Lake Erie?" asked Richard. "Sure, I could go for a dip."
"I got three bars of soap," said Missy.
"We have four," added Luna and Sam.
"What about the horde?" asked Vonda.
"We're miles away from them," said Lori. "It's gonna take them hours to get here. By the time they get here, we'll be long gone. If they haven't already scattered by then."
"Fine," said David. "We can all take a few minutes to get ourselves cleaned up."
Lori walked across the field and towards the lake, carrying Lily, while Darcy took a piggyback ride on Bobby's back. Ronnie Anne followed the couple, holding a backpack full of clothes and towels and three bars of soap. Lola smiled as she carried a bucket while Lana frowned, carrying a small towel. Lucy and Lisa also followed them while the rest of the group continued to stay back at the highway, eating their food.
Lori washed Darcy with soap and bathed Lily as well. Ronnie Anne hid her face from Lori as she bathed. Lori climbed out of the lake, holding Lily with her right arm while holding Darcy's hand with her left hand. Bobby walked up to Lori and handed her two towels. Ronnie Anne refused to leave the lake.
"This is so embarrassing," grumbled Ronnie Anne, as her body was submerged in the lake.
"Come on, no one is judging you here," said Bobby. "No one is looking. Right?"
The Loud sisters all nodded as they turned their heads around, wringing out their wet hair.
"How are you guys not freaking out, seeing each other naked?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Well, this isn't our first time," replied Bobby.
"Bobby!" gasped Lori.
"Whoops! Pretend you didn't hear that, niní."
Ronnie Anne stared flatly at Bobby and blew into the water, creating small bubbles.
After a couple of minutes, they all walked back to the highway with a fresh pair of clothes that looked exactly like their old ones. Lori was carrying the bucket, now filled with water. With the group members seeing them coming, the teenage girls all stood up, grabbing their towels.
"Woah, hey, what are you doing?" Becky asked Carol.
"I'm... I'm going to bathe with you guys, right?"
"Umm, no. You can wait your turn."
"But... the boys are going next... and then the grownups... am I going to bathe alone?"
"I'm sorry, we just don't have enough soap bars. We only have seven. One, me. Two, Dana. Three, Leni. Four, Luna. Five, Sam. Six, Luan. And seven, Lynn."
"We can just... share though, right?"
"Yeah, but... I don't know, I don't feel comfortable you coming. Especially after what you did last year in Spirit Week, remember?"
Carol looked to the side, blushing in embarrassment.
"Girls, behave—" said Missy.
"No, it's okay," said Carol meekly. "Just let them go."
Becky shrugged with a smirk as she walked away. The rest of the teenage girls followed her, except Lori.
Missy looked at Carol, who was walking over to Sergei's car. She grabbed her small purple backpack and closed the door before walking off the highway.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Lori. "I thought you weren't going with Becky and the others."
"I'm just going to the trees over there. I need a little privacy and the RV bathroom... well, it stinks."
"Get back here. You shouldn't go alone. What if a roamer attacks you out there? Well... that would suck, right?"
"I'll go with her," said Missy. "I'll keep her safe."
Carol looked at Missy before nodding softly. Lori glared at Carol before looking away and shrugging. Carol and Missy walked away, headed for the woods next to the field.
Lori grabbed a towel and shoved it into the bucket of soapy water. She then took it out and placed it against the blood-stained windows of Vanzilla. She began to clean the windows as Tad approached her.
"Now, I'm really curious to know what Carol has done to you," said Tad.
"Becky hasn't told you?" asked Lori, her eyes focused on washing the van.
"More like I forgot. Well, there is that Spirit Week thing, but I only remember that because it was so memorable."
"Yikes. It's no wonder she broke up with you."
"Hey, it was mutual, okay? We were going to different schools. But enough about that. We're talking about Carol, are we not?"
"What is there to know? She harassed me for years and tried to steal my boyfriend. She's a snotty condescending bitch."
"Yeah, but it goes deeper than that, right?"
"I don't know. Does your breakup with Becky go deeper than 'different schools'?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it. I'm intruding too much. I just wanted to say that some people can change. Maybe she's not that person anymore."
Lori stopped wiping on the windows and looked down. She heard the sound of Tad's footsteps fade with each second. She shoved the red towel into the bucket and lifted it before draining it, letting all the blood come out of the towel. She then looked at the woods, seeing Carol and Missy disappear into the trees.
Missy yawned and stretched her arms as Carol walked over to a tree.
"I'm going to do my business now," said Carol.
"Got it," said Missy, turning around.
Carol lowered her backpack into the ground before lowering her panties and crouching. She then opened her backpack and opened up a pill bottle. Urine splashed against the tree as she sighed, placing an LSD tab into her tongue. She looked back and saw Missy looking away at the highway.
"You know... you don't have to tolerate getting pushed around like that," said Missy.
Carol grabbed her pill bottle.
"What do you mean?" asked Carol.
"The way the girls treat you... whatever you did, it couldn't have been that bad, right?"
"It was bad. I really don't expect them to forgive me anytime soon."
"I don't know, Carol. You were standing up for yourself until Becky mentioned the Spirit Week thing. What happened during Spirit Week?"
"I'd rather not talk about it."
Carol placed the uncrushed pills up her nose as she snorted quietly.
"I don't want you to feel like you have no one to talk to," said Missy. "That sorta shit consumes you when you hold it in."
"I guess."
"I wouldn't judge you. When I was in the Army, I wasn't as kind as I am now. I was a mean girl. I mean, real mean. There was some heavy stuff I was holding in from my childhood. I let it motivate me to join, but once I was in... it was more of a poison than a motivator. It was in the Army where I met Richard. A very hardworking and handsome man. Funny and assertive on the outside, just my type. But when I started to know him really well... I realized he was more sweet in the inside. He was very gentle and easy to talk to. But that's only if you really got to know him. And I really wanted to get to know him, so I told him everything about myself. And not once did he judge me. He listened to me. He guided me. And he kept my secrets safe with him."
Carol closed her backpack and stood up, placing her panties back on.
"I'm sorry," said Carol, sniffling. "It's just... you really don't know me."
Carol walked past Missy as she stood there, seeing Carol wipe her own eyes and nose. Missy felt bad for her.
"Alright, so how are we doing this?" asked Luna.
Becky looked across the field and towards the highway, seeing Carol and Missy return with the group. Dana then tapped Becky's shoulder.
"Huh?" asked Becky.
"How... do we do this?" asked Luna. "I assume we're not trying to see each other naked."
"Does it matter?" said Lynn, removing her tank top. "I'm dying to cool down."
Lynn then removed her shorts, leaving just her underwear as she ran into the river.
"Whoo! It's cold! I love it!"
"Well, I suppose there is no time to waste," said Leni, removing her shirt, revealing her bra.
"Right," said Dana, removing her boots.
Luna covered her mouth as Becky began to strip as well. Sam turned around.
"Hey, don't be shy," smiled Becky. "We've all seen boobs before."
"I can't argue with that logic," said Luan, stripping down before running into the river. "Oh, how nude of us. We forgot that these girls here are actually into boobies."
"Luan, shut up!" exclaimed Luna.
Lynn snickered as Becky smiled.
"If it makes you feel any better, I find boobies to be attractive too," said Becky. "Probably not as much as you two, but hey, none of us are judging. Really. You're not men, so we trust you."
"Sure thing," said Sam.
Luna's heart rate began pumping up as Sam untied her laces and removed her boots. Luna then began to do the same. She then dropped her skirt as Sam removed her jeans, revealing her underwear.
"Oh my god," whispered Luna, turning red. "Wait."
Luna grabbed Sam's hands and pulled her towards the river.
"Luna, what are you doing? Our shirts are going to get wet."
"That's okay, we have dry shirts. Plus, we get to stay cool longer with wet shirts, right?"
"Right," smiled Sam.
Both of them walk farther into the river, getting their torso wet as Luan splashed both Luna and Sam with water.
"Hey! Luan!" exclaimed Luna before she splashed water back.
The girls laughed as they all began to splash water at each other.
Birds chirped as the leaves in the trees swayed.
Missy and Carol were both in the river, washing themselves with soap. Missy then submerged her head into the water to cool her hot hair. She then went back up and began to wash her hair with the soap bar in her hands.
Carol looked at Missy and then faced the water. She closed her eyes and slowly submerged herself into the water, allowing it to wash over her blonde hair and fair skin. She then let herself sink lower and lower, allowing the water to take away her air little by little. The sound of the river muffled out all the noise in the world and left her alone with her thoughts and the sound of her heartbeat. It beat slow and slow, then slow. Then, it beat faster, and faster and faster. She opened her eyes and her mouth, allowing air bubbles to come out before she surfaced up into the air. She gasped for air and coughed.
"Carol!" gasped Missy. "Are you okay?"
Carol took deep breaths and nodded.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"Carol... what was that?"
Carol looked across the field. Her heart continued to beat fast. She saw the group chattering amongst themselves while they were drying their hair with their towels. She then turned to their right and saw the horde walking towards the group. She gasped as the group members continued to laugh and talk, unaware of the multitude of roamers behind them. She ran towards the riverbank, splashing water with each rapid step.
"Carol? What are you doing?"
Carol ran across the field, panting as sweat dripped down her face.
"H-Horde!" she screamed.
The group members turned towards the field, seeing Carol run at them in the nude.
"Oh my god..." gasped Becky.
"Oh, look away!" cried out Clyde.
"Sweet," giggled Zach before Tabby smacked his shoulder. "Ow!"
Carol then tripped on nothing and fell to the ground, her face landing on soft grass.
"Oh, Jesus," said Richard.
He ran over to Carol along with David, Lori, and Tad.
"Did she just call us whores?" asked Becky. "That crazy bitch!"
Richard knelt down and rolled Carol over, looking at her head. Carol groaned as she struggled to open her eyes.
"What the hell happened with her?" asked Richard.
"She seems so out of it," said Lori. "Why is she naked?"
"Did she forget her clothes?" asked David.
"Jesus, let's cover her up already," said Tad, placing his towel over Carol's torso and waist.
Missy jogged over to Carol, wearing a shirt while having a towel around her waist.
"Is she okay?" asked Missy.
"Who the hell knows?" said David.
Carol blinked rapidly before lifting herself up. She grabbed the towel and groaned.
"Ow..."
"Hey, Carol, you with us?" asked David.
"Yeah..."
Carol looked at the highway. The horde she saw earlier was gone. She was visibly confused and scratched her head. Tad then grabbed her hand and helped her up to her feet.
"Care to explain... anything?" asked David.
"I thought... I thought I saw a horde. I came here to warn you guys. Ugh, looks like I'm not getting enough sleep."
Lori rolled her eyes and looked at David, shaking her head. David looked up and sighed.
"Come on, let's get you dressed," said David.
As David, Lori, and Tad walked Carol back to the river, Richard prepared to follow Carol before Missy grabbed his arm.
"Not getting enough sleep? She's the only one in the group with sleeping pills," said Missy. "Something is up with Carol."
"Yeah, you think?"
"I'm pretty sure she just tried to kill herself a minute ago."
"What?" gasped Richard.
"I'm going to have a talk with her when we leave. I'll be with Sergei and Carol."
"Good idea. Find out what you can. For now, let's chalk this up to sleep deprivation. However much the group eats up that bullshit."
Missy nodded.
-Approximately One Year Earlier-
"And that is how you siphon gasoline," said Lisa. "Don't tell Mother and Father that I taught you this illegitimate method of acquiring fuel."
"No worries, Lisa. Who do you think I am? Lola?" chuckled Lana.
"Did someone call me?" asked Lola as she entered Lisa's room.
"Nope! Want to annoy Lori?"
"Sure do!"
Lana and Lola dashed out of Lisa's room and ran to Lori's room. They entered her room and found no one inside. They looked at each other, confused, and wondered where Lori went. They ran back into Lisa's room.
"Lisa? Where did Lori go?" asked Lola.
"I believe she went to partake in a social interaction with her friend, Carol Pingrey, and her boyfriend, Bobby Santiago, at Ketcham Park," replied Lisa.
"Hmm, Lana, are you ready to go on a mission?" asked Lola.
Lana nodded her head. They both dashed out of Lisa's room and headed downstairs.
PRESENT DAY
"Oxycodone? And LSD?" Missy asked Carol as she pulled out multiple stickers from Carol's bag. "Don't tell me you combined the two."
"It's fine," said Carol. "I know how to mix them safely."
"Apparently not. You hallucinated a horde earlier. And the thing you did in the river... were you trying to drown yourself?"
Carol looked in the distance. The clouds moved slowly and the air inside the car felt calm.
"I don't know what I was doing," said Carol.
"Back in the woods. You weren't sniffling because you were crying. You were using."
"You said you weren't going to judge. But you are. Just like Sergei. Just like everyone else."
"You knew?"
"Hey, I thought she was going to stop," said Sergei.
"Look, Carol, I'm not judging you for abusing drugs. I've done my fair share of opioids when I was younger. Morphine, was my top choice. I just... I just really wish you told me sooner. I could help you through this."
"Who says I want to stop?" asked Carol.
"Trust me, you don't want to grow dependent on these. Especially acid. You're one bad trip away from scarring yourself for life."
Carol looked to the side, watching the trees pass by.
"I don't even do acid that much," said Carol. "Just when I want to escape. And considering the things that happened earlier... I want to feel numb to it all. But I don't know what happened. Usually I can manage my trips... I usually don't hallucinate at all."
"How long have you been using acid?" asked Missy.
"Three months. First time I used, it was from this one trip to the city I took with my friends. I snuck out, so my parents never knew about this. I wanted to have fun, and they never really let me have any fun. It's all about waking up, going to school, go to these stupid clubs, come home, sleep, then start over. Little time for fun. So why not? Wasn't my first time sneaking out, either. So one of my friends picked me up and we went to Detroit. We went to this party and we... we got in for free, as expected, heh. We met this guy and his friends. We talked and danced with them while getting hammered. Then, all of a sudden, one of them offers my friends and I cocaine and heroin. I tried oxycodone, codeine, and other opioids, but cocaine? Heroin? No way. Even I wasn't that stupid. So we told him no. His friends even thought he was crazy, coming at us with these hardcore drugs. So this guy then offers something more 'beginner-friendly.' LSD. His friends were more enthusiastic about this one. It would be an amazing way to party harder, they said. They were right. We put these stickers in our tongues and boy, did I party harder that night."
Carol let out a giggle. Sergei looked at the rearview mirror, seeing a concerned expression on Missy's face.
"Oh, I was so fucking depressed," said Carol. "Tell me why that was the best night of my life already. And the thing is... the night wasn't even over yet. It was just getting started. We danced and screamed and fucked. You would've thought I blacked out by then. But I was awake as shit."
Carol let out a nervous laugh before tearing up.
"The guys knew what they were doing. They gave me more LSD in exchange for letting then fuck me like I was their mindless drone. And I wanted more, oh, I really wanted more LSD. If I could repeat that euphoria from that night, then of course I would want more. So my friends and I let them fuck us. They each took their turns with each of us, and I told myself I would enjoy it. But as the night passed, I started to feel dizzier. I felt weaker. My trip was ending... and I was starting to feel nauseous. Yet, they wouldn't stop. A lot of energy, they had... I wonder what they were on... because they didn't stop... they didn't stop until morning. All I could think about was... 'at least, I have more tabs.' My friends and I went back home before my parents woke up. I remember taking a shower... and feeling so disgusted with myself. I let them use and degrade me for this... this better be worth it. But it wasn't. Every time I try to replicate that high, I just can't seem to. But it does help with the anxiety and depression. At least until the high goes away. Then, it's back to reality. And can you imagine how it feels now? Going back to reality means going back to this... cruel world. I want to stop, but at the same time... I don't want to stop."
Missy nodded softly before placing her hand on Carol's shoulder.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," said Missy. "I really am. We won't be able to erase what happened to you in the past, but we can help you move forward now. You're not going to be alone in this."
"You weren't, right?" asked Carol. "You had Richard."
"I did. He was very helpful. It's part of what made me fall in love with him. And when he saw I was strong enough to overcome my addiction... he also fell in love with me."
Carol nodded to herself.
"Everything I told you guys... you two promise not to tell anyone else, right?"
"Sure," said Sergei.
"You have my word, Carol," said Missy.
"Okay."
Carol looked at the passing trees and smiled as she wiped a tear.
-Approximately One Year Earlier-
"Leni! Leni!" called Lola. "Can you take us to the park?"
"Can I?" asked Leni. "Mom and Dad told me I can't take you guys anywhere. Or did they mean Luna and Luan?"
"They meant Luna and Luan. You can't take them anywhere, but you could take us."
"Oh, okay! Let's go, guys!" cheered Leni as she walked out of the house.
Leni, Lola, and Lana strolled to Ketcham Park and arrived at the at the tall gate the separated the street from the fresh green field that sported trees and benches. Leni looked around and gasped when she saw Lori, Bobby, and Carol. Lola and Lana hid in nearby bushes. Leni was ready to call out Lori when Lola grabbed her and hid her behind the bushes, covering her mouth.
"What's—?" asked Leni.
Lola hushed Leni and took out her binoculars.
"So are Becky, Whitney, and Dana coming soon?" asked Carol.
"Yeah, Becky just texted me. She said they're coming in about two minutes," replied Lori.
"Do you really think it was a good day to meet with your friends today?" asked Bobby. "It's kinda hot."
"Yes, I want to show off how lucky I am to have you," replied Lori. "Look, I have to powder my nose really quickly. They'll probably see you guys when they enter the park. Tell them I'll be back quickly."
"Okay, babe. Have fun!"
Lori dashed to a nearby bathroom. Bobby and Carol sat on the bench waiting for Lori and Carol's friends. Carol then looked at Bobby and smiled as her hands trembled softly. Bobby smiled back.
"Bobby..." said Carol, "there's something I wanted to tell you for a long time. I li… I lo… I… you know what? It's better if I just show it."
Carol leaned closer to Bobby, closed her eyes, and kissed him. Lola dropped her binoculars along with her jaw. Lana picked up the binoculars and handed them back to Lola. Becky, Dana, and Whitney walked into the park and gasped. Bobby, astonished by Carol's sudden action, moved away from Carol and nervously stood up.
"H-Hey!" gasped Bobby.
"What's wrong?" asked Carol.
"Why did you do that? Carol, you're nice and all, but you know I have a girlfriend!"
"Well…" stuttered Carol before she was interrupted.
"So, this is Lori's boyfriend?" asked Becky. "Who you just tried to kiss."
"Ooh, it's getting juicy!" squealed Lola.
"What's happening?" asked Lana.
Carol was speechless and embarrassed. She saw Lori coming out of the bathroom. She broke in sweats as if she already knew what fate was in store for her.
PRESENT DAY
"David to all. Dinnertime."
All the vehicles stopped by the field. Lori partly filled the gas tank of Vanzilla and the RV with a jerry can of gasoline. Chunk, Sergei, Richard, and Bobby took out the crates of food and water from Chaz's car.
"That was the last of it," said Lori. "I didn't think we would have run out this soon."
"Yeah, it's this piece of junk," said David, tapping his RV. "It's six miles to a gallon. Can you believe that?"
"That's literally terrible."
"Yeah. We'll see what we can siphon out of these abandoned vehicles tomorrow. Whatever we can find, it's gonna have to be enough to go around Buffalo without stopping. Last thing we want to do is look for gas in the city."
Lori nodded.
"So, we're stopping here?"
"For today, yes."
The group ate their dinner as Carol ate next to Missy and Richard. She looked at Bobby, who was chatting with Darcy. Both felt comfortable at each other's presence, which warmed Carol's heart. She then saw Lori approach Bobby before sitting down next to him. Carol's smile faded away as she placed a spoonful of soup into her mouth. She then looked over at Tad, who was sitting next to Bobby. He kept to himself while eating his soup. He then looked up and his eyes met with Carol's. Tad smiled, to which Carol smiled back. Carol then looked over at Becky, who was sitting next to Lori. Her eyes met Becky's, which were glaring sharply at her. Carol quickly lowered her eyes and continued eating her soup in emotional isolation.
As the group slept, Missy stayed up at the roof of the RV with Richard. Her eyes were wide open as she thought about what Carol said earlier.
The sun was low. Birds chirped as David filled the gas tank of the RV with more fuel. Richard brought more jerry cans over to the vehicles. Missy was asleep in the sofa inside the RV while the air conditioner was blowing cold air inside.
The sun was high. Missy rubbed her eyes as she joined the rest of the group in eating lunch. Lori cracked open a can of pineapples and began to chug the juice from inside. Bobby leaned close to Lori's ears.
"I gotta use the bathroom real quick," whispered Bobby.
"Okay," nodded Lori. "I'll watch Darcy."
Bobby jogged over to the RV. He went to the bathroom and urinated into the toilet bowl, sighing in relief as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He then zipped his pants and applied hand sanitizer on his palms, rubbing them together and around his hands before walking out of the bathroom. He then flinched softly.
"Oh, sorry for scaring you," said Carol, sitting at the sofa. "Can I talk to you really quick?"
"Yeah, and let's make it quick," said Bobby. "It's really hot in here."
"Heh, that it is."
Carol removed her white buttoned shirt, revealing a light gray tank top. She then pulled the tank top further down, making her cleavage pop out more. Bobby raised an eyebrow as he tugged on his shirt.
"I just wanted some advice," said Carol in a soft voice. "Advice from someone who knows me well."
"What is it?"
"What happened yesterday was really... embarrassing."
"It's all right. I'm sure everyone will forget."
"You're just as optimistic as ever, huh? It's not something I would ever forget. And I shouldn't. Not if I want to tackle this problem that I have."
"Huh? What problem?"
"This is going to be really tough to admit, but... I… have a drug problem."
"What… do you mean? Like... weed?"
Carol pulled out her packs of acid. Bobby was perplexed and looked closely at the 'stickers'.
"What is this?" asked Bobby.
"It's LSD. You know what that is?"
"Y-Yeah. It makes you see stuff that's, like, not really there, right?"
"That's exactly right. What happened yesterday... I thought I saw the horde from the other day. I tried to warn you guys, but I didn't realize that I was just... seeing things. It's never happened to me before. Losing myself like that, I mean."
"Carol, this is... this is a lot. It's, like, really serious."
"Well, yeah. I'm aware. And yet, I can't find myself to stop."
"How long have you been doing drugs?"
"Almost a year."
"Wow. That's... that's a lot of time."
"I'm sorry. I just had to get it off my chest. It's not very easy finding someone to talk to about this, especially when everyone in this group hates me. Well, everyone except Missy, Sergei, and... you."
"Hey, not everyone hates you. The kids... the kids think you're nice. I'm sure Richard thinks you're a good person. And Tad, man, Tad only says good things about you."
"What about Lori?"
"She's just... angry. Angry at the world. Angry at the soldiers for taking her family and killing m-m... people."
Bobby gulped. He closed his eyes for a second, trying not to think about his family.
"She... she doesn't hate you," said Bobby. "I'm sure if we give it enough time, she will want to become your friend again. Although... this whole drug thing may not sit right with her."
"Does she... get angry with you?"
Bobby bit his lips.
"You shouldn't worry about that," he said.
Carol gasped softly, wondering what Bobby could have done that would made her angry with him.
"If she does... then I just want you to know that you don't deserve to be treated like that," said Carol.
"I'm sure none of us do."
"I've done things... if anything, I deserve to be treated like this. But you don't. You've done nothing but love her."
"Carol, I'm okay, honestly. You shouldn't worry about me. It's you who don't deserve to be treated unfairly. Whatever you did, it's in the past. And this drug thing... I mean, you clearly aren't proud of it. You came to me because you needed help. That just shows you're trying to do better. You're a good and kind person at heart."
Carol was tearing up.
"You really think so?"
Bobby nodded. Carol smiled and hugged him. She then giggled.
"Are you... okay?" asked Bobby.
"Yeah. I'm just a little high right now."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But it's okay. Missy says it's okay. I can't just stop instantly, you know. I would get sick. It's called cold turkey."
"Huh... I did not know that."
"Yeah, well, there's a lot you may not know. Including stuff about me."
Carol went to put the LSD tabs back into her shirt pocket before dropping them on the floor.
"Oh, I got them," said Bobby.
However, Carol was already bending down to get them, allowing Bobby to get a better view of her cleavage. Carol blushed softly as Bobby picked up the LSD tabs and scratched his head in discomfort. However, Carol mistook this as nervousness in a shy way. She let out a soft giggle and grabbed the LSD tabs.
"Thank you," she whispered. "You won't tell anyone else about this, right?"
"No."
Carol smiled.
Behind the RV stood Becky, peering through the curtains of the back window, watching everything that was happening inside the RV. She shook her head and smiled before walking away from the RV.
-Approximately One Year Earlier-
"Bobby, please tell me this isn't true..." said Lori.
"It is," gulped Bobby.
"I'm gone for two minutes and you allow my friend to suck your mouth?"
"I'm sorry, I should've seen it coming."
"No!" exclaimed Becky. "Lori, your boyfriend isn't at fault! He was clearly caught by surprise! You're getting mad at the wrong person."
Carol gulped as Lori turned around. She took a deep breath.
"Carol... why'd you do that?" asked Lori. "Answer me, you slut!"
"I'm sorry!" apologized Carol.
"Yeah, I bet you are."
Lori walked over to Carol before Bobby held her back.
"Let go of me!" shouted Lori. "I just wanna talk! I just wanna talk!"
Carol backed away before running off.
"Next time I see you, you're gonna literally be dead!" shouted Lori. "You snake!"
"I think it's our cue to leave, Lola," whispered Lana.
Lola nodded. She grabbed Leni's hands and followed Lana as they headed for the exit.
PRESENT DAY
Carol and Bobby walked out of the RV. The group were wrapping up lunchtime and were heading back to their vehicles. Bobby walked over to Lori while Carol went to Sergei's car.
"That was an awful long time in there," said Lori. "Had to take a shit?"
"Uh, no. No, I was just talking to Carol."
"And what were you two talking about?"
"Just about something she wanted to tell me. She was hoping we'd forget about the whole nude thing that happened yesterday. I completely forgot about it until she brought it up."
"Oh, and I'm sure she wanted you to forget by taking off her shirt and shoving her boobs on your face."
Bobby went silent.
"It's... it's not what it looked like."
"I guess not. You didn't shy away from hugging her back. I hope you can explain that."
"I can hug other people."
"You can hug Becky. You can hug Dana. You can hug Tad. But Carol? I don't even want you near her."
"You know, she only came to me because she feels no one else can put up with her, especially you. She thinks you hate her."
"And I do. Did you forget why?"
"It was a year ago. Please, you have to let it go. If you haven't kept treating her like a horrible human being, then she wouldn't feel the need to talk to me."
"And why do you feel the need to talk to her? To hug her? To flirt with her?"
"I wasn't flirting with her and I was hugging her because she's in a really dark place right now."
"And why the hell is that your problem? She did it to herself."
"No, Lori, it's your problem. You're doing it to her. And I want you to stop. Please... just let it go."
"Yeah? You think it's my problem? You think that?"
"Babe, please..."
"Don't bother sitting next to me. Go sit in the back with Darcy. I don't wanna talk to you right now."
Bobby tried to place his hand on Lori's arms before she smacked his hands away.
"Don't fucking touch me. Just go."
Bobby swallowed hard. He sighed before walking away.
Lori grumbled as she stormed towards the driver's seat, but not before grabbing Leni.
"You. Passenger seat."
"Okay!" smiled Leni.
Approximately One Year Earlier-
Carol walked to her car. She sighed in shame as she opened the door. She entered the car and put her seatbelt on. She slid her keys into the ignition and turned it. The engine made grinding noises, even when she turned it again.
"Oh, crap."
Lola, Lana, and Leni walked out of the park. Suddenly, Lana noticed that Carol's car was not working properly.
"Hey, do you need help?" asked Lana as she approached Carol by the hood of her car.
"Um, yes," said Carol. "Yes, please."
Lana took out a lug wrench from her pockets.
"Really, Lana?" whispered Lola. "Did you just not see what happened?"
"What? I'm helping someone out," whispered Lana back.
"Let someone else take care of it. We need to get out of here before Lori sees us."
"Hey, aren't you three Lori's sisters?" asked Carol.
"Umm... no?" said Lana.
"We aren't?" asked Leni. "But Lori said we were her sisters. Unless she was just being nice?"
"Oh, no, I can ask someone else for help," said Carol. "You guys can go."
"It's no problem," said Lana. "Really, I can fix this car."
"I appreciate that, but please, just go. I can handle this."
Lana nodded. She placed her lug wrench back into her pockets as she, Lola, and Leni began to walk away.
Carol leaned against her car and sighed. She then looked at Lori's sisters and saw Lana glancing back at her, feeling sorry for her. Or perhaps sorry that she left a car without repairing it.