III - Out of Time
The light of the 21st day shined on the pavement of the empty highway ahead. The vehicles began their march forward.
All of a sudden, steam blew out of the front of the RV, blocking the view.
"Shit," grumbled Richard as he parked the RV. "Radiator got smoked."
Lori wondered what was going on as she stepped out of Vanzilla. Lana ran over to the RV with her tool box.
"Hey, Lana, slow down!" exclaimed Lori.
Lana looked at the radiator in front of the RV. She saw the traces of steam and smoke coming out of it as David stood there, scratching his head and yawning.
"Sorry, Dave," said Richard. "Hate to interrupt your sleep, but I just don't know shit about this RV."
"I don't know that much more," said David, his voice sounding low and drowsy.
"Don't worry, guys," said Lana. "That's why you have me. Let's pop this baby open."
Lana removed the radiator from the RV and looked into the engine.
"Yeah, the radiator hose just burst open," said Lana. "I can fix it with some sealant, but it's only a matter of time before the seal wears out the hose pops again. Honestly, a new radiator hose would be better in the long run."
"Shit, I couldn't even pronounce 'radiator' at your age," said Richard.
"Aren't you only six years old?" asked David.
"Almost seven," said Lana.
"Trust me, she can fix the RV engine," said Lori. "Now, what is it that you need?"
"I need a sealant and a new radiator hose. You'll probably find both in an auto shop. If you can, try to get a siphoning pump too. Those are a lil' harder to come by, especially if everyone's trying to get gas, but it's a massive payoff. We won't have to spend so much time sticking our mouth in tubes."
"You got it," said Lori. "We'll go the town next to us."
"Wait, what about the horde?" asked David. "They're coming today, aren't they?"
"Lana, how fast will it take you to fix this vehicle?"
"If I have a new hose and sealant, then not even five minutes."
"That's very risky," said David. "We don't even know if the auto shop will have any of those things."
"Worst comes to worst, I could tape this up. There's no telling how long that will last, though."
"Exactly. We're not certain about any of these things. But what can guarantee is our safety. I say we clear out a couple buildings to hole up in. We'll let the horde pass."
"If we let the horde pass... they'll block our way. This empty highway is the one miracle we needed to get ahead of the curve."
"So you want to risk the horde attacking us?"
"You're saying we should give up and not put the empty highway to use? What other road could we use? They're all gonna be full! We'll have to backtrack like crazy!"
"Better safe than sorry."
"The horde gave us a chance. We could've spent weeks going the long way. Who knows what the rogues are doing to my mom and dad right now? Every day that we spend trying to get to them could be mean a day of pain and torture for them. Like it or not, the horde is responsible for getting us here. I will not let the horde be the reason we have to backtrack."
"The horde didn't give us a choice. We weren't even supposed to be here. We got here because we spilled blood."
"Yes, we spilled blood. But not in vain. It can't be in vain. But the moment we backtrack... then all we did was kill two people for nothing."
"Not for nothing. We did what we did to survive. That was the primary objective. And what I'm suggesting now is so that we can survive. If the horde comes and that RV is not fixed, then where do we go? Run to the buildings? The buildings infested with roamers? We'll be sandwiched... and we could all die."
"Last time we stayed in a town..."
"We'll do better this time," said David. "We know now. We can do better."
Lori looked at the town. It looked empty enough for her. She sighed.
"No," she said. "I got a better idea. We'll have someone drive down the highway with a walkie. Somewhere with really good visibility. If they see the horde coming, they'll give us a warning. That should give us enough time to clear out a few buildings and then we can hole up there and let the horde pass."
"I think it should be the other way around," said David. "Clear out a few buildings then look for the parts that we need."
"Yeah, well, I like my plan better. And I am the leader, so..."
"Fine. How many people are coming with you to get the parts?"
"Last time, we sent a small group to get medical supplies in Ann Arbor. That almost went bad. We're gonna need to get bigger this time."
"It's a smaller town. I think a small group would be good. It attracts less attention. Less risky too."
"We need more eyes to look for the parts. I made my decision."
David sighed.
"You're coming with me?" asked Lori, looking at Richard.
"Yeah. Missy will too," said Richard.
Lori nodded and looked around.
"Who else wants to come with me to look for car parts?" she asked.
David crossed his arms as he leaned against the RV.
"I can come with you," said Lincoln.
"Sorry, but I'm looking for someone older," said Lori. "I don't want to risk your life."
"But I—"
"I can come with you," said Wavehead. "I can take out roamers."
"Same here," said D.
"I guess I'm coming as well," said Luna.
"Count me in too," smiled Sam.
"I could come with you too," said Tad.
"And me," said Becky. "I could do well with a machete."
"Hopefully you got space for one more?" asked Benny.
"Yeah," said Lori.
"And me," said Lynn.
"No, I think we have enough. Plus, I need some capable people to defend this place for now."
"Got it."
"Sergei, can you drive a mile back down the road? Try to park somewhere with good visibility. I want you to be able to see the down the road for miles. If the herd starts coming, let us know with the walkie-talkie."
"Sure," said Sergei.
"And Dana... watch Carol. Everyone else, just sit tight."
"Okay," said Dana.
Lori looked at Bobby, who avoided making eye contact with her. She then looked away bitterly.
"Let's go, guys," said Lori. "We're on a timer here."
Lori and her group walked down the hill, past the bushes, and towards the exit road filled with vehicles. They crossed the exit road and made their way across the grass, carrying their melee weapons. Only Lori, Richard, Missy, and Becky carried a gun each.
Sergei looked at Carol.
"Sorry, Carol. Looks like you won't be able to come to car."
"It's okay. I'll be fine in the RV."
"Okay."
As Sergei walked over to Chaz's car, David caught up to him.
"Hey, I'm coming with," said David.
"You don't wanna stay here?" asked Sergei. "Protect the group?"
"I'm too sleepy to do anything," said David. "Besides, there will be no AC in the RV. We can't have the engine running yet."
"Okay. Sure."
Sergei walked inside the driver's seat of Chaz's car. David sat on the passenger seat, groaning softly as he reclined the seat back. The car reversed back and turned around before driving off.
Carol looked as the car drove off. She then turned around and looked at the group. The ones who made eye contact with her quickly swiveled their heads away. She then looked at Bobby, who was staring at her with pity. She turned her eyes away and walked to the RV.
"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Lana.
"I'm going inside," said Carol. "It's kind of hot out here."
"Not like it's going to be any better in there."
"What do you mean?"
"The AC's not working, prom queen," said Lola. "Unless you're planning to cook yourself, then by all means, go inside. Not like we really care."
Carol rubbed her arm and walked away. She then walked towards Chunk's van.
"Planning on going inside?" asked Chunk.
"Yeah," said Carol.
"No can do," said Chunk. "Lori has us savin' on gas. That means no AC."
"Really?"
"Yes. Sorry 'bout that. Unless you want to get inside her van. Doubt she'd like that though."
"It's fine. I'll get some shade under a tree, then."
Carol walked away as she scratched her arms. She looked over her shoulder and saw Dana sitting on top of the RV under the umbrella shade, watching her. Dana smirked and waved as Carol continued to glare at her. Carol then looked away as she continued to walk to the other lane.
"Where you going?" asked Dana.
"Just getting some shade," said Carol.
"Don't stray too far."
Carol nodded.
After arriving at the trees, she sighed and lay her back against the tree before sitting down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and felt the soreness of her neck get worse. She moved her neck around, groaning as she tried to relax her neck muscles. She tried to massage them. She then stopped moving as she fell into a light sleep.
"Hello, there," said Lisa, tapping Carol's arm.
Carol gasped and her eyes opened.
"Oh! You scared me!" said Carol.
"I thought you may have suffered from heat exhaustion. I brought some water."
"Oh. Thank you."
Carol opened the canteen of water that Lisa handed her and took a sip. Lisa studied Carol's face.
"What?" asked Carol.
"You're undergoing withdrawal already," said Lisa. "Here you go."
Lisa pulled out a bottle of oxycodone. However, she hesitated to open it as Carol stared at the bottle, feeling her heart pulse faster.
Carol opened up her palm, ready to take a pill.
"I get it," said Carol. "You don't want to waste it on me. But I have to take it. Otherwise... I'd suffer, right?"
Lisa nodded and opened up the bottle before taking a pill out.
"I must remind myself," said Lisa, handing Carol the pill. "We will obtain more."
Carol nodded as she grabbed the pill and placed it on her mouth before washing it down with water. Lisa then walked away. Carol sighed before hearing giggling. She turned to her left and saw Liam and Tabby sitting next to each other, laughing together. In front of them was Rusty and Zach, with the latter attempting to converse with the former. She then saw Lincoln and Ronnie Anne join them under the shade while Lynn and Clyde were behind them.
Carol looked away, lowering her head as she felt a headache grow. She was then alerted by the sound of footsteps. She looked up and saw Francisco walking over to her.
"Hey, Carol," greeted Francisco.
"Hi," said Carol, shifting her eyes away awkwardly.
"Remember back in Royal Woods when we went over to your house to get your medicine?"
"Yeah. I remember. And yes, my 'medicine' did refer to my LSD and oxy too."
"I was going to ask about your trophies. A lot of them were golf trophies. Gold as far as I can tell."
"Yeah."
"Didn't Lori also golf?"
"Why are you talking to me?"
Francisco's eyes widened.
"Well, we're both the outcasts of the group," said Francisco. "We gotta stick together, don't you think?"
"I have friends."
"You have people who feel bad for you. People who feel obligated to help you out. But where are they now?"
"I don't feel comfortable being associated with someone who supported Lori specifically because of what they did to me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Everyone can see it. You supported her because it would help you feel less guilty about what you did to Clyde. Now, here you are. Coming over here acting like I wouldn't notice."
"Is that so? Well, I'll have you know it didn't help at all. I know you and everyone else won't believe me, but really, I do feel guilty about what I did to Clyde."
"Yet you haven't apologized."
"No, I haven't. But I'd really like to. Can you help me with that?"
"Why me?"
"Well, you and Clyde are more similar than you think. I hurt him because he was flirting with Lynn. I like Lynn, you know. And you... you were flirting with Bobby, right?"
"How do you know that?"
"I overheard Becky tell Lori. She was eavesdropping when you and Bobby were talking in the RV. What a weird coincidence, huh?"
Carol rubbed her arm.
"How would you want Lori to apologize to you?" asked Francisco.
Carol looked up. She saw a crow flying in circles near the vehicles. Her dilated eyes started to water.
"Apologize... for what?" said Carol. "I'm not a victim. I did everything I could to hurt Lori in the past. Her friends weren't spared. It was relentless bullying, gossiping, humiliation, all because I couldn't have Lori's boyfriend. I'm in love with Bobby... and I don't think Lori deserves him. When I pulled a knife on Lori, that wasn't entirely the drugs' fault. I really do want Lori gone. But I don't want to kill her. I just... want her gone. I want her to get out of my life and disappear forever. But then I think about Bobby... if he knew I thought all this... then could he ever love me back? I'm a cruel person. I'm no better than Lori. In fact, I'm worse. Lori never wanted to hurt me. But there's only so much backstabbing and harassment one can handle before they lash out."
"Carol... I don't think you're a cruel person."
"Only because you've never seen how I was before. I can tell you everything, but because you've never seen it with your own eyes, it's not real to you. What's real to you and everyone else in this group is how Lori and Becky and Dana treat me. And the thing is, I don't think you should even apologize for trying to keep Clyde from flirting with Lynn. I think you should apologize for hurting him... but not for the reason you did so. If you really love Lynn, then you should do whatever you can to make sure you get her. Otherwise, you'd end up like me."
Francisco was speechless.
"I don't know..." he muttered.
The crow in the air cawed as it dived into the ground, landing on top of the decomposing body of a dead roamer. It started pecking on its flesh, looking around as it swallowed it.
Richard stuck his knife into a roamer's eye, causing the roamer to immediately drop dead. He stumbled down before pulling the knife out of the roamer's eye. He groaned as he held on to a stop sign.
"Shit's annoying," said Richard. "Sometimes the knife gets really stuck in there."
"Honey, that's why you take it in a hook pattern," said Missy.
Missy walked up to a roamer straggling around a fire hydrant. She stuck her knife into the roamer's eye. As the roamer fell, she moved her knife downwards faster than the body fell and removed it.
"Good thing I don't have to deal with all that," said Benny as he walked up to a roamer.
Richard and Missy watched as Benny swung his katana, slicing the roamer's top part of its head off with ease. Tad smiled as he walked up to another roamer.
"Neither do I," said Tad.
Benny watched as Tad raised his ninjato sword and swung sideways, cutting through the roamer's neck, decapitating it. Tad then looked down at the head and stabbed it with the tip of his sword.
"One day," chuckled Benny.
"What's that?" asked Tad.
"One day that sword will be mine."
"Who needs a sword?" asked Luna. "A crowbar's just fine. Take a look."
Luna whistled at a roamer lurking around a barber shop. The roamer turned around and growled before being smacked in the face with a crowbar. Luna then swung down the crowbar repeatedly, breaking open the roamer's skull.
"That one was fresh," said Luna. "Skull was still hard."
Lori looked at the roamer. The skin on its arms were pale and its clothes seemed to have been washed recently. She then saw a blood stain coming from its torso. She bent down to raise the roamer's shirt.
"What are you doing?" asked Wavehead.
"I want to see if he was bitten," said Lori.
"Of course he was, right?" asked Sam. "Otherwise, why would he be a roamer?"
Lori peeled off the bandage from the roamer's torso. She cringed as she saw strings of pus breaking apart as she peeled the bandage further back. Her eyes then widened.
"It's a... bullet wound," said Lori.
"Maybe he got bit somewhere else," said Luna.
"Maybe. We have no time to find out though. We do have to be extra cautious though."
Lori took out her walkie-talkie.
"Any signs of the horde?"
"Nyet," said Sergei. "Whole highway is empty."
"All right. Dana, I need you to be extra aware. We found a guy here who was shot. He was dead already when we found him and we don't know exactly how long ago he was shot but... still, someone could be out there."
"Got it, Lori," said Dana.
Lori sighed.
"We have a lot of time," said Lori. "But who even knows if this town has an auto shop? Might take us the whole day just to find it. We'll run out of time by then."
"Would a mechanic shop work?" asked D.
Lori looked at where D was pointing at. Down the street was a sign to a mechanic shop. She smiled. She walked over to the shop while the rest of her group followed her.
Lana hummed as she was tightening a screw in the engine.
Lola walked over to Lana. She saw the sweat that dripped from Lana's forehead and the dust that peppered Lana's face.
"You need an entire waterfall to wash off all the gunk off your face," said Lola.
"We're not going to Niagara Falls, Lola."
"What...? Who said anything about going to Niagara Falls, my sweet sister?"
"You shouldn't be kissing up to me. It's Lori's butt that you should be kissing up to. But I doubt she's gonna want to stop by. It'd waste us more gas to get there."
"But it's right there! How much fuel can it possibly waste?"
"This RV is a piece of junk. It eats up gasoline so inefficiently. I mean, the pistons need recalibrating, the alternator needs to be replaced, the engine's outdated, all this is a bunch of junk kept together by a metal box. I'm surprised this thing can run at all."
"Oh, Lana, if only I cared."
"Well, maybe if you cared more, we would visit your dumb waterfall."
"Niagara Falls is not dumb! It's one of the most beautiful places in the world. Not to mention one of the most romantic."
"Doesn't Lori want to get married there?"
"Yeah, she does. Imagine how gorgeous that wedding would've been. Hey, maybe she and Bobby can still get married there."
"After we get our parents back, right?"
"Of course. They need to see the wedding too."
"In the meantime, can you get me some water? And a rag too."
"Why not just come inside Vanzilla? Bobby, Darcy, Leni, Luan, Lucy, Lisa, and Lily are in there. Oh, and Vonda too. The AC feels pretty nice in there."
"And stink up the whole place? No, thanks."
"You're already going to stink up the whole place."
"Yeah, well, I need to fix all these issues. It would bother me if I didn't."
Lola rolled her eyes.
"I'll be back, then," said Lola. "Try not to get cooked to death while I'm gone."
Lana chuckled.
Lori placed a bottle of sealant in her backpack. Becky looked at the broken RV radiator hose and compared it to another one that she found. The one she found was much smaller, so it wasn't going to suffice.
Sam walked around a sleek gray car in the mechanic garage. Luna looked at her as she was opening up cabinets next to the car.
"What's wrong?" asked Luna.
"Nothing," said Sam. "Just admiring this car."
"I didn't know you were into cars."
"Not really. My dad was going to buy me a car like this for my 16th birthday. Well, an older model, probably."
Luna smiled.
"I'd like to think my dad would have done that too, but eleven kids? No way he had the money for that. I knew it as soon as Lori got shoes for her 16th birthday."
Sam giggled. Lori looked over at the two of them and couldn't help but chuckle quietly herself too.
"Eleven new cars... that would have definitely been pricey," said Sam.
"Oh, only ten. Leni on the road? Not a good idea. Right, Lori?"
"Yeah," said Lori. "God bless her."
"Maybe after we free your parents, they can get you and each of your siblings a car when you guys turn sixteen," said Sam. "There's no shortage of them nowadays, right?"
"Heh, I guess not," said Luna.
"It's funny. When my parents were around, we had limited options. But now I can have any car I want now, but I couldn't care less. They're not around. My brother isn't around. My 16th birthday is gonna come and no amount of cars will bring them back."
Sam placed her hand on the windshield of the car as tears ran down her face. Becky looked away as she felt her heart drop. She thought about what Tad sai. She thought about her own family.
"The past three weeks have been hell for me," said Sam. "It hasn't been getting much better. But I'd be in a worse place if it weren't for you guys. Especially you... Luna."
Sam walked up to Luna and hugged her. Luna closed her eyes and hugged Sam back.
"Thank you," whispered Sam.
"I should be the one thanking you," said Luna. "You didn't have to come. But you did."
"I'd do anything to make sure you and your family make it to Houlton safe. The last thing I want is for any of you to feel the same pain as I did. And you're also saving me."
Luna hugged Sam tighter as Sam sniffled.
"I found a good hose," said Richard, walking into the garage before stumbling upon the girls. "Oh. Sorry."
Sam turned around and wiped her tears while Luna was tearing up. Becky's lips were quivering though she kept her sorrow well-hidden. Lori took a deep breath.
"Good," said Lori. "Let's go back."
"You know, there really isn't any good reason to stay out here," said Zach. "The shade's nice, but I'd really like to go somewhere with some AC."
"I only came out here because you guys were here," said Lincoln.
"Same here," said Clyde.
"I came here only because Clyde was here," said Lynn. "Which one of you losers thought coming here was a good idea?"
"Umm, Liam's not a loser," said Tabby.
"What's the problem?" asked Liam. "Ain't nothing wrong with enjoying a nice summer breeze."
"Yeah, but it's like ninety degrees out here," said Ronnie Anne.
"Naw, it's like seventy-nine. Maybe eighty."
"Ugh, I'm to Vanzilla."
"Yeah, same here," said Zach.
Rusty stood up.
"Alright, alright, if y'all are going, then don't let me hold y'all back," said Liam. "Just sayin', this is nothin'. Wait 'till mid-July. That's when it gets real crazy."
Lincoln groaned as he stood up. He held out his hand as Lynn held out her other hand. Clyde grabbed both of their hands and stood up, smiling as he dusted off the dirt from his pants.
Liam looked at Tabby. She noticed how sweaty she was, even with just a sleeveless shirt.
"You ain't gonna join 'em?" asked Liam.
"Nah, it's fine. I could take this heat."
"You know, you ain't have to stay here for me."
"Really, it's okay."
Liam sighed. He stood up and held out his hand.
"Naw, let's go to the van," he said.
Tabby smiled as she grabbed Liam's hand and stood up. Clyde was ready to follow them before Lincoln grabbed his shoulders.
"You guys can go on, we'll be there in a minute," said Lincoln.
Liam nodded. Lynn stood in confusion as Ronnie Anne remained still, though her face was turned away.
"Umm... Ronnie, you don't have to... whatever. Listen, Clyde. I wanted to apologize about yesterday."
"For what?" asked Clyde.
"For voting for Lori. For taking Francisco's side."
"I don't get why we can't just ignore him," said Lynn.
"What Lynn said," agreed Clyde. "It's fine, Lincoln. You didn't take Francisco's side. You took Lori's. I can't get mad at you for that."
"Really?" asked Lincoln. "You're not mad?"
"Nah. I get it."
Lincoln smiled. He then saw Dana walk towards them.
"Hey, can I ask you guys to come back to the highway?" said Dana. "Lori says a roamer was found with a bullet wound on them. A fresh one. She wants me to be extra cautious, so for safety's sake, I'd like it if we stick close."
"Yeah, we were just heading back," said Lincoln.
"Perfect. Hey, Carol! Francisco!"
Carol and Francisco turned their heads. Dana waved at them.
"We're going back to the highway!"
Francisco made a thumbs-up.
"Oh, god, they're gonna wanna come into Vanzilla," said Lynn.
"Dana? Lori, here. We've got the sealant and the radiator hose. We're coming back now."
Dana smiled.
"Got it, Lori," said Dana.
"Never mind, looks like we're not waiting long," sighed Lynn.
"I'll let Lana know, guys."
Dana walked across the grass and across the left section of the highway and towards the RV. Lincoln and the others followed them as Carol and Francisco were not too far behind.
"Are we finally leaving this dead highway?" asked Francisco.
"I guess so," said Carol.
Lynn let out a soft snicker.
"You know, I'm surprised no one ran into us," said Lynn, stepping into the left section.
"What do you mean?" asked Lincoln, walking past the abandoned cars.
"We're out in the open where every roamer and survivor could see us for miles on both sides of the highway. And we've been here for days. Yet, nothing. It's just... it's starting to really set in."
"What's starting to set in?" asked Clyde, stepping into the right section.
"How little people there are left. It's an empty world."
Carol sighed as she felt the heat beating over her. The cawing of the crows flying over the dead roamer disturbed Carol as she felt her headache get more intense. The shade by the trees moved erratically as walking figures began to come out.
"The others are coming back," said Dana.
"Is that so?" asked Lana. "Good. I've been staring at this broken hose for hours and it's been killing me this entire time."
"At least you had something to do," said Lola. "I've dying of boredom over here."
Dana looked as Luan began walking over to her. Luan was carrying Lily in her arms as the other group members began to step outside of Vanzilla.
"What's wrong?" asked Dana.
"The AC in Vanzilla stopped working," said Luan. "I don't know what happened."
Dana groaned.
"It's okay," said Lana. "I'll fix it."
"Good news, Luan," said Lola, "Lori and the others are coming back."
"Really?" gasped Luan. "Finally."
Carol opened her eyes and looked over the highway. She saw a mirage stretch over the surface of the empty pavement in the distance, moving as if the highway were flooded. She blinked as she turned towards the lake, intending to compare the two. Her eyes then shot open as she saw roamers coming out from the shade of the trees. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head as she took a deep breath. The roamers were crossing the grass. Her heart started to race as she turned towards the group.
"Hey, Carol!" called out Dana.
Carol looked at Dana as she and Lisa began to walk over to her.
"Lisa here says she needs to give you some acid too so you can wean off it safely too."
"I have questions first."
"W-Wait, so can you guys see that too?" stammered Carol, pointing at the trees.
Dana and Lisa turned towards the trees. Dana's heart sank as she found herself unable to swallow. Lisa's face grew more and more stunned.
The roamers were stepping into the left section of the highway.
"Holy..." said Dana before her voice trailed off.
Francisco turned to his left. He was immediately shocked and screamed with all his might.
"HORDE!"
"Oh crap…" muttered Lynn.
"Everyone, run!" yelled Lincoln. "Run for the town! Go, go, go!"
Bobby grabbed Darcy's hand and picked her up as he ran towards the exit road. The crows flew away as he slowly jogged down the declining hill with Lucy, Tabby, Liam, Rusty, and Zach following him.
Chunk exited out of his van and tripped. Vonda grabbed his vest and helped him up before they both chased after Bobby.
Francisco ran inside the RV with Lynn. Lincoln and Clyde were frozen as they looked at the RV.
"Come on, guys, let's go!" exclaimed Ronnie Anne.
Lana looked out of the engine and saw the horde of roamers crossing the highway. She gasped and began to run away before tripping over her toolbox. Lola helped Lana up as Dana ran over to them.
"We have to go now!" urged Dana.
Lana grabbed a wrench from the toolbox and held on to it as she ran ahead to the exit road. However, a few roamers already stepped into the right section of the highway, cutting her and the others off from the exit road.
"Go around! Around!"
Dana swung her machete, slicing a roamer's skull apart. She grabbed a golf club from the ground and tossed it towards Lola, who caught it. Lola, Lana, and Lisa then ran the other way, running past Vanzilla and Chunk's van. Dana ran after them.
"What are you guys doing?" cried out Luan. "Get outta there!"
Francisco hopped out of the RV, tossing the pickaxe and hammer into the pavement. Ronnie Anne picked up her pickaxe while Clyde picked up the hammer. Lynn then came out of the RV carrying her own bow and a sledgehammer. She handed the sledgehammer to Lincoln before gripping her bow. She took out an arrow from her quill and shot it at a roamer coming around the RV. Francisco gasped as the roamer fell by the back door before he leapt out of the RV, carrying his own baseball bat.
"Go, go, go, we're right behind you," said Lincoln.
Luan carried Lily and ran, closing her eyes in fear as she heard the thunder of the horde behind her, all riled up and ready to consume live flesh.
Clyde swung his hammer, knocking a roamer back before Francisco swung his bat down, cracking the roamer's skull. Lynn shot another arrow, taking out a roamer. Ronnie Anne yelled as she swung her pickaxe, killing a roamer next to Vanzilla. Lincoln yelled as he raised the sledgehammer and swung it down, slamming a roamer's head against the pavement. They continued to back away from the vehicles as the horde began to overwhelm both sections of the highway. They then found themselves stepping on grass.
"Follow Luan, go!" urged Lincoln.
Lincoln and the others jogged after Luan, causing the horde to split into three. One part of the horde was going down the exit road, following Bobby and the others. The other part was now moving past the vehicles and along the highway, chasing after Lincoln and the others as they attempted to run along the highway.
"What's the plan?" asked Lynn.
"Run to that curve over there!" exclaimed Lincoln. "Then, when the horde is out of sight, run to the bushes! We'll double back and sneak past them using the bushes as cover!"
Lincoln looked back. He saw the third part of the horde burrowing deep into the bushes, presumably chasing after Dana and the others.
Crows cawed as they flew across the sky, going past Lori's group.
Becky looked at Tad, who seemed to be in low spirits as his face was lowered. She closed her eyes as her empathetic heart grew sorrowful as well. She then caught up to Lori.
"Hey, Lori," said Becky. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Shoot," said Lori.
"You know, when you guys were back in Detroit during Day 10... you said the rogues moved all the minors to some giant bunker, right?"
"Yeah."
"How big was it?"
"It was pretty big. Could fit like a thousand kids in there. Maybe even more. It was bigger than our gym for sure. Way bigger."
"Any chance you saw my brother there?"
Becky took out her wallet and removed a picture from it. She showed the picture to Lori, which displayed Becky's parents and little brother.
"His name is Tucker. Tucker Carmichael."
"Oh, wow... I didn't know Leni's boss was your mother."
Lori continued to examine the picture.
"No, I can't say I've seen him," said Lori. "But there were a lot of kids. A lot of them did manage to escape the city."
Luna looked at Lori. Sam looked uncomfortable as she looked away. She could remember some kids escaping the city. But certainly not a lot.
"Have any of you guys seen-" asked Becky before hearing the walkie-talkie static.
"Lori! The horde is here!" yelled Dana. "I repeat, the horde is here!"
"What?" gasped Becky.
"No, that can't be correct," said Lori before she spoke into the walkie-talkie. "Where's the horde? Is it already there?"
"Yes! It's chasing after us! I have Lola, Lana, and Lisa with me here! I don't know where the others went!"
Sergei grabbed his walkie-talkie as he looked across the highway. It was empty to him. David grumbled as he started to wake up.
"You children better not be pulling prank," said Sergei.
"Where's the horde coming from?" asked Lori.
"The trees!" yelled Dana.
"Shit, what's going on?" slurred David.
Sergei looked around. He then turned around and looked at the trees running along the highway. He raised his binoculars and peered through the trees, seeing Lake Erie a mile away in the horizon. He then noticed a traffic light hanging in the horizon. His eyes shot open.
"The horde took different road!" said Sergei.
David turned around.
"The roamers took Route 20," said David. "Oh my god... I can't believe how stupid we were. Of course the roamers can go through jammed roads. We need to turn around. Head back to the group."
"Okay."
David grabbed the walkie-talkie as Sergei turned the car around.
"We're going back to the vehicles," said David. "We're going to get close to the horde and sound the horn. Then, we'll lead the horde away from the group."
"You're with Sergei?" asked Lori.
"Yeah. You got any buildings cleared out?"
"Yeah, a mechanic shop."
"Everyone else, run to town! Find Lori and the others!"
Dana sliced some of the bushes with her machete. She then allowed Lana, Lola, and Lisa to go through.
"Go, I'm right behind you!" ordered Dana.
The kids jogged down the hill as Dana killed more roamers. She backed away further into the bushes, watching the roamers burrow themselves deeper and deeper into the bushes. She yelled as she swung her machete, using the bushes to her advantage as they slowed the roamers down.
Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, Francisco, Clyde, Lynn, Luan, and Carol continued to run across the highway, attempting to run around the curve. However, every time Lincoln looked back, it seemed as if the roamers were not going away from sight.
"Look!" gasped Francisco.
Lincoln looked ahead, seeing Chaz's car speeding in the distance.
"We have to move aside!" said Lincoln.
The kids moved towards the bushes, brushing them to the side as they struggled to get through without being poked by branches and twigs. The car then slowed down as it passed them.
"Blyat," muttered Sergei.
"Now!" exclaimed David.
Sergei pressed on the horn, catching the roamers' attention. The section of the horde that was following Lincoln and his group moved towards the car while some of the roamers that were following Bobby and Dana's groups turned around and moved back to the highway. More roamers came from the trees, though instead of heading for the RV, Vanzilla, and Chunk's van, they headed for Chaz's car.
Sergei turned the car around and waited for the roamers to get closer before pressing on the gas pedal.
"Thank goodness," whispered Clyde.
The kids watched as the roamers walked behind the bushes, their bodies casting moving shadows along the kids. The kids moved away from the bushes, sneaking along the hill as they saw Lana, Lola, and Lisa in the distance.
"Look, it's them," whispered Lincoln.
Lynn nodded. She then motioned the kids to follow her as she slowly made her way down the hill and into a packed road. To their right was the town, but Bobby's group was nowhere to be found. They had to have been much further ahead.
Dana panted as the roamer corpses lay near her boots. The horde seemed to not see her through the bushes as they followed the other roamers along the highway. Suddenly, her walkie-talkie made noise.
"How are you guys doing with the horde?" asked Lori.
"We're leading 'em away now," said David. "They were coming from Route 5, the road northeast of the highway. It was the straightest path the roamers could've taken."
Dana saw as some of the roamers turned their heads towards the bushes. One of the roamers' golden eyes peered through the bushes, eventually making eye contact with Dana. The roamer growled as it moved through the bushes.
"Explains why Sergei didn't see it. They took the detour a long time-"
Dana turned the walkie-talkie off. She then turned around and ran before stumbling down the hill. She then tripped and fell to her knees and rolled along the hill before crashing into a half-crushed car. Her hands opened up immediately, releasing the machete and the walkie-talkie, as she let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Oh my god..." gasped Carol.
Lisa ran over to Dana. She saw her lying on the ground, struggling to pick herself up. She picked up the machete as Dana grit her teeth. Lisa then turned towards the car and saw a blood-stained piece of the door that stuck out like a spike. The blood was dripping to the pavement.
Dana stood up, letting out a pained cry. The roamers got through the bushes and began to walk down the hill before tripping and falling down, rolling down the hill. Lisa and Dana quickly moved out of the way, letting the roamers crash into the cars.
Dana limped forward and looked at the left side of her abdomen. She saw her tank top was bleeding and pulled it up a bit higher above her waist, finding the cut. The cut was about half the size of her hand and was bleeding profusely.
"Keep going," said Lisa.
Dana limped forward, wincing in pain with each step as she tried to press on her cut. Lola held her golf club tightly as she watched in horror as Dana left a trail of blood behind her, which the roamers were walking over.
"Where are we going?" asked Lana.
Dana looked ahead. She saw a church surrounded by metal gates ahead and a mini-market to its right.
"That... mini-market..." panted Dana.
"We need to get you somewhere safe, fast!" said Lisa.
Dana limped forward and tripped, groaning. The roamers were catching up to them.
Suddenly, an arrow flew across. The closest roamer slammed against a car trunk. Francisco then came with the bat, slamming a roamer's head against a car roof.
Carol picked Dana up.
"Great," said Lisa. "Don't move her."
Lisa took out an aerosol wound spray, the size of a pepper spray bottle, and sprayed it on Dana's wound. Dana cried out in pain as Lisa placed a handkerchief and moved Dana's hand over them.
"Press on it as hard as you can."
"It hurts," groaned Dana.
"I know. Just do it until we get inside."
Lincoln beat a roamer's skull in with his sledgehammer. He panted as he saw more roamers come from the hill. They were falling and rolling down the hill, like a waterfall of roamers. He then turned his head towards the direction of Bobby's group and saw more roamers coming. He then turned around and more roamers walking down the hill. There were roamers coming from the left, from ahead, from behind. This left only the right direction, where the mini-market was. Lincoln read the sign: Washington Mini-Market.
"There's nowhere to go!" exclaimed Luan as Lily started sobbing.
"We have to go there!" said Lincoln.
"That's what I was thinking," nodded Lisa.
"Stay behind me," said Francisco as he ran ahead.
Carol stepped forward, following Francisco as he beat a roamer away from the doors of the mini-market. Dana once again stumbled down.
"Ow, ow!" cried out Dana. "Just go. Leave me behind."
"Hell no," said Lynn. "Carol, just drag her inside!"
Carol tried to pick Dana up before Ronnie Anne came over and picked Dana up from the other side. They both helped Dana walk towards the mini-market as Francisco opened its doors. Clyde continued to hit the roamers with his hammer, splattering blood all over the abandoned cars. He then turned around and ran towards the mini-market.
Lola and Lana walked into the mini-market as Francisco looked around the dim interior. He gasped as he saw roamers turning around, growling at them.
"Back up, back up!" yelled Francisco.
Lola shrieked as the roamers caused one of the cabinets to fall, toppling all the other cabinets like dominoes. Lynn ran inside the market as Lana and Lola ran out.
"Hold on!" exclaimed Lynn.
Francisco yelled as he smacked one of the roamers across the jaw, causing it to stumble sideways.
Lincoln continued to attack the roamers in the street as they got closer and closer to the mini-market.
"Stay close to me!" exclaimed Lincoln.
Lola nodded as she raised her golf club, getting ready to attack any sneaky roamers. Lana then joined Lincoln and swung her crowbar at the roamers crawling under the cars.
"Back away!"
"Lincoln! Watch out!" cried out Clyde.
Lincoln turned to his right and saw roamers coming to his direction. He then saw roamers to his left. He then turned around. The roamers were already entering the market. He, Lana, and Lola were completely surrounded.
"Lincoln!" screamed Ronnie Anne.
Lily continued to wail as Luan ran into the market, holding her. Ronnie Anne let go of Dana, allowing Francisco to catch Dana before she fell to the ground. A roamer in the ground then raised its hand as Clyde threw his hammer to the ground, breaking through the roamer's face and taking out its brain. He bent down and grabbed his hammer as he ran towards the doors.
Lynn shot an arrow then another. The arrows struck a roamer then another. Ronnie Anne stabbed a roamer through the top of its skull and shoved it, causing all the other roamers behind to stumble back. This created an opening for Lincoln, Lana, and Lola.
"Go inside!" screamed Lincoln.
Lana ran ahead, slamming a roamer in the hands with her wrench while Lincoln used the handle of the sledgehammer to shove the roamers away. He then saw Lola run ahead.
"Lincoln, come on!" screamed out Ronnie Anne.
Lincoln ran towards the mini-market. He caught up to Lola. He then felt a hand tug on his orange shirt. He yelled as he swung his sledgehammer, knocking the roamer away from him and forced it to release his shirt.
Lola felt a hand tug on her pink dress. She stumbled and tripped, falling to her knees. She turned around and saw the roamer that was holding on to her dress now hovering above her. Her eyes were paralyzed in fear as the roamer lunged its face towards her body.
"No!" shrieked Lola.