IV - Fight or Flight
Richard arrived at the highway as Lori was close behind. They both stared in fear as the vehicles sat far away while hundreds of roamers followed Chaz's car in the distance.
"Oh my god..." whispered Lori.
Roamers continued to come out of the trees, passing by the vehicles. They followed the roamer ahead of them and the roamer behind them followed them.
"Look at that part," said Richard. "They're not following the car. They're heading to the exit road."
"Where are they going?" asked Becky.
"Must be something more important to them at the exit," said Lori. "Let's go!"
Lola screamed as the roamer opened its jaws.
Suddenly, an arrow struck the roamer through its skull, which released a cascade of blood from its open mouth.
Lola flinched and closed her eyes as the blood fell onto her neck. She then found herself completely immobilized as she felt the sticky blood flow down her neck and into her dress. She has never felt anything more disgusting in her life.
Another arrow flew across the air and struck a roamer next to Lola. The roamer fell to the ground.
Lincoln yelled as he swung his sledgehammer at a roamer, cracking its neck and immobilizing it. Clyde swung his hammer down at a roamer's head, splattering its brain across the sidewalk, some of it splattering on Lola's face.
Lola trembled as she continued to remain frozen in fear. She heard people screaming her name, but their voices were drowned out by the growls of the roamers above her. Another roamer who attempted to grab her was struck by Lynn's arrow.
Lincoln then began to smack the roamers away from Lola, not caring about killing them anymore. He just wanted them away from the market entrance. The roamers smacked by his sledgehammer were knocked to the ground, dazed and disoriented. However, they would get begin to get up only seconds after, but Lincoln continued to swing his sledgehammer, making sure they stayed low to the ground.
"Lola, please!" yelled Lana.
Lola snapped out of her trance. She quickly stood up and ran for the market entrance, running past Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde. Lana move back, making way for Lola as she continued to run at top speed.
Suddenly, a roamer on the ground reached out for her with its arm, managing to grab her leg and tripping her over the sidewalk. Another roamer in the ground with a bloodied face grabbed Lola's hair and pulled her closer to its teeth. The roamer then sunk its teeth into Lola's shoulder, causing her to cry as blood quickly leaked down Lola's arms.
"NO!" cried out Lana.
Lincoln swung his sledgehammer with all his might at the roamer, crushing its skull to its jaw. A piece of Lola's flesh was ripped out as the roamer was killed and she closed her eyes as she continued to cry out in agony. Clyde swung his hammer at the roamer's arm, breaking it and causing it to release Lola's leg. Lincoln and Ronnie Anne then dragged Lola inside the mini-market as Clyde kicked a roamer away from the doormat.
As soon as Clyde entered, Francisco slammed the door shut and placed his back against it.
"Lock it, lock it!" exclaimed Carol.
Francisco turned around and locked the door before backing away, panting as the roamers scratched and smacked their bodies against the glass door.
Lana sobbed and hugged Lola, whose hair was partly ripped by the roamer who sealed her fate. The group then began to circle around Lola as she continued to sob.
Lincoln dropped his sledgehammer and rubbed his hair, allowing the tears to flow out of his eyes. Clyde shook his head as he wiped his eyes. Ronnie Anne pressed her palms together, unable to do anything but keep her eyes on Lola. Lynn closed her eyes, trying to shake off feelings of anger and guilt.
"What happened?" asked Luan, who was behind the counter with Lily.
She went closer to the group huddled around Lola and noticed blood leaking from her shoulder and pieces of her skin hanging from it.
"No, no, no..." whimpered Luan.
"Please do something!" cried Lola. "Lisa! It hurts! Make it stop hurting!"
Dana swallowed hard as she tried to look away from Lola. However, her exhausted eyes couldn't help but stare.
"Stay back, everyone!" ordered Lisa.
Without hesitation, Lisa sprayed her antiseptic wound spray on Lola's shoulder which caused her to cry out even harder. The roamers outside of the mini-market got more riled up as they smashed their bodies against the door more frequently.
"My apologies, dear sister."
Lisa grabbed paper towels from one of the collapsed shelves and ripped out the plastic. She then took a few paper napkins and pressed it against Lola's shoulders.
"Does this store have bandages in its inventory?"
"I don't see any," said Francisco.
"It's not gonna have any," said Ronnie Anne. "It's a food market. It's just snacks in here."
"What about tape?" asked Lisa.
"I have tape," said Lana, pulling a roll of duct tape from a pocket in her overalls.
"I'll take it."
Lisa wrapped the tape around the napkins and cut it with her pocketknife. She then helped Lola up to her feet as she continued to cry, though quietly this time. Another roamer slammed their hands against the glass door, causing Lisa to flinch.
"I found some medicine," said Francisco, hopping from behind the counter. "Would these help?"
Francisco tossed the medicine over to Lisa, who caught it. Lisa looked at the orange prescription bottle, seeing the label.
"They're antibiotics," said Lisa. "Is there any other medicine?"
"That's all I could find," said Francisco.
Lisa sighed.
"They would work if the infection is actually bacterial, right?" asked Carol.
"Yeah, but it's not," said Lisa.
"How could you know?"
"Just... a guess. I just don't see a bacterial infection taking over the world."
"But you don't know for sure, right?" asked Lincoln. "This infection can be bacterial!"
"If it wasn't, it doesn't matter. We want to prevent sepsis. So do not worry, brother. I will give her the medicine."
Lisa then handed Lola the remaining antibiotics that were in the bottle.
"Oh, no... pills?" muttered Lola. "I can't swallow pills!"
A roamer clawed at the glass door, as saliva dripped down the glass to the doormat. Lola looked at the roamers at the door. Lisa palmed her hand and chopped Lola's chest while she was distracted, causing all the air to come out of her lungs. Lana flinched and was ready to pull Lisa away from Lola before Lincoln raised his hands up, motioning Lana to stay still.
Lola heaved as tears rolled down her cheeks as Lisa flicked the pills into her mouth. Lola then took a deep breath, and in turn, swallowed air along with the pill. She coughed before wiping the saliva and tears from her lips.
"Did it work?" asked Francisco. "Is the infection gone?"
"We have to give it time," said Lisa.
"You... should have warned me," whimpered Lola.
"It would not have worked. How are you feeling?"
"I feel like I'm in a lot pain. My bite hurts so badly!"
"Should I give her some oxy?" asked Carol, before realizing what happened to her drugs.
"Carol..." muttered Lisa.
"Yeah, I know... I forgot I don't have them. But you do, right?"
Lisa shook her head.
"They're secured in Vanzilla," she said. "I'm sincerely sorry, Lola. You're going to have to endure the pain. You too, Dana."
Dana panted softly as sweat dripped from her face. The light inside the mini-market dimmed as the roamers scratched and bit at the windows, creating moving shadows.
"Lisa... am I going to die?" asked Lola, tears still running down her face.
Just as Lisa was going to respond, Lana interjected.
"No," said Lana. "Lisa is a genius. She will be able to save you. I trust her. The only thing you have to do is trust her, got it?"
Lola nodded and wiped her eyes.
"Okay," sniffled Lola. "I trust her. I trust you, Lisa."
Lisa fiddled with her fingers and lowered her head as she gave a slight nod. She then looked away from Lola, not being able to look her in the eyes.
"Dana..." said Lisa.
"Yeah?" panted Dana.
"My sincere apologies for not handing you the last antibiotics. Her condition is more life-threatening. Not to say yours isn't life-threatening at all. It is."
Dana looked hazed and was sweating intensely. She was pale and the afternoon heat only made her condition worse.
"It's fine, Lisa," said Dana as she tried to force a smile. "It's just a scratch. It didn't go too deep."
Lisa grabbed Dana's hand and lifted it along with the handkerchief. The wound was oozing blood. She then covered the wound back up and began taping it.
"How bad is it?" asked Dana.
"It's not bleeding out as much as it was before. That's good. However, to guarantee your safety, we must do a blood transfusion. Thing is... we don't have the necessary equipment back at the highway."
"I also don't know my own blood type."
"Even if we had the necessary equipment and Dana knew her blood type, we would still have to figure out a way to get out of here," said Ronnie Anne.
"Are there stairs?" asked Lincoln. "I think this building is two stories from what I saw outside."
Francisco peered around the back behind the counter. There was an open entrance that led to what appeared to be a dark room. He raised his baseball bat and walked forward, trying to concentrate and see what he could make out in the darkness. He then realized he was at a stairwell.
"These are steps," said Francisco. "The stairs are here."
"We should take higher ground," said Lincoln. "The door might not last forever."
"That's right," said Lisa. "But no one here is currently possessing a flashlight, if I'm not mistaken?"
"It's fine," said Lynn.
"Stay here," said Francisco.
Francisco walked up the stairs as Lynn followed behind.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in the glass door.
"Quick! Get in!" exclaimed Chunk.
A door opened and Liam, Zach, Tabby, and Rusty ran inside. Bobby went inside as Darcy continued to clutch his shirt while Lucy was close behind. Chunk ran up the stairs as Vonda shot her arrows at the roamers started to surround the small building. She then ran up the stairs to the entrance and went inside as Chunk slammed the doors shut. The roamers stumbled forward and hit the steps on the stairs before crawling up.
Liam looked around and saw posters of teeth.
Tabby tried not to stumble around the chairs in the waiting area.
Rusty opened a door, finding a chair surrounded with sharp tools.
Darcy crawled under a chair.
Chunk pushed a sofa in front of the door, creating an extra barricade.
Zach opened the door to a bathroom, flicking the light switch by instinct to no avail.
Vonda opened a cabinet and found toothpaste, dental floss, mirrors, braces, and retainers.
Bobby looked out the windows, seeing the roamers stumbling around the parking lot, trying to find a way into the buildings.
Lucy then closed the curtains, darkening the waiting area.
"Oh my god..." whispered Tabby. "We're trapped at a dentist's office."
"What do we do?" asked Zach.
"We certainly don't freak out," said Tabby. "Maybe if we stay quiet, the roamers will leave on their own."
"And if they don't?" asked Rusty.
"We wait until someone comes finds us," said Lucy. "Until then... we wait in the dark. Without saying a word."
Sweat dripped from Lori's face as she kept herself hidden behind the cars on the exit road. The others did the same as a few roamers wandered around the RV, Vanzilla, and Chunk's van. She kept crouch-walking along the cars, eventually stopping as she saw roamers ahead.
"Go back a little," she whispered.
The rest of the group crawled back as Lori raised her head. She looked through the window of a car and saw roamers spread out all over the town. It was only hours earlier where the place was a ghost town. Now, there were roamers in every direction.
"Good lord..." whispered Richard, pointing out at a spot in the distance.
Lori turned over to look at where Richard was pointing. She then felt chills across her body as she saw a field of roamers encircling a mini-market. Some of the other roamers nearby were joining them. Lori then turned over to a spot hundreds of meters away from the mini-market. All the roamers were moving in the direction of the mini-market while some of the others were headed in the opposite direction towards a building in the distance.
"It's like... a flock of sheep," whispered Benny.
"More like a herd," whispered Missy.
"I'm amazed they can even hear from that far," said Luna in a lowered voice. "Because I certainly don't hear anything."
"I don't think they're following a noise. I think they're following each other. Like a herd of sheep."
"Do you think Dana and the others are in there?" asked Becky.
"Could be," said Lori.
"Or they could be long gone," said Richard.
Lori turned over to look at him, her face seeming fearful and upset.
"I didn't mean it like that. I meant they could be somewhere else for all we know."
"But if they're not?" asked Becky. "Lori, you should get on Vanzilla and sound the horn. Get all those other roamers out of there."
"No, she'd risk attracting all the other roamers that Sergei and David are leading away," said Missy.
"So let's attract the roamers with something less louder. If they follow each other like sheep, we should have no problem getting all the roamers out of there."
"And where do we send them?" asked Luna. "Because if we send them towards Buffalo, then that's it, the highway's lost to us."
"And we'd be trapped with one herd in one direction and one herd in another," said Missy.
"So we go the other direction," said Becky. "I don't know."
"We can't, we'd risk running into David's herd," said Richard. "It's better to wait it out.
"Ugh, Lori, what do you think we should do?" asked Becky.
"Uh..." stammered Lori.
"Whatever the choice is, make it fast," said Richard. "It won't be long 'til one of these roamers sees us and their entire army pounces on us."
"I.. think... I..."
Lori looked around. The sun was beating on her. The air seemed to be moving as crows cawed in the air.
"I think we can take the herd past Buffalo."
"Go the extra mile?" asked Richard.
"Yeah. We lead it north. Towards Canada. We're not going through Canada, right?"
"No."
"Great."
"Only one problem," said Tad. "With any of the vehicles, we're not going to have enough fuel to make the trip back. So if any of us lead the herd away... we'll be stranded wherever we take the herd."
Lori let out a heavy defeated sigh.
"We can use the siphon pump to take out the gas from the other vehicles and put it into one," said Missy. "While someone leads the herd away, the rest of the group can look for more gas."
The crows continued to caw in the distance.
"Nah, not if those damn birds destroy the whole plan," said Richard. "We saw it with David. He couldn't even lead the whole herd away and that was with a damn horn. Some of these roamers just won't follow and I bet it's because of those damn birds."
Lori shook her head.
"You're right," said Lori. "The plan is just too risky. Everything can go wrong. Everything will go wrong. Just look at where we are. We're having the unluckiest day."
"So what do we do?" asked Tad.
"We just wait."
"Here?" asked Benny.
"No. Let's head back to to the mechanic shop."
"Not to our vehicles?" asked Richard.
"Like you said, if one of them looks at us, we could risk the whole herd pouncing on us."
"We'd still be taking that risk. The mechanic shop is in town. What if the herd decides to head where we are?"
"I don't know, okay? I just want to get away and ask David for help. I can do that. I can ask other people for help."
Richard nodded. Lori sighed as she crawled away from the exit road. The group awkwardly followed her.
"Look, there's another herd over there," said Richard, pointing his knife towards the dentist's office in the distance.
"Ignore it," said Lori. "We'll take care of it later."
The glass door continued to crack.
"Hey..." said Lincoln, his voice trembling.
The group members turned around. Suddenly, a shard of glass popped out of the glass. A roamer reached through the hole and tried to grab at the group members as it was being crushed against the door. Blood then began to leak from its torso as its ribs can be seen coming out. The roamer was being crushed to death by the herd behind it. The crushing was breaking the door further.
"Hey, hey, hey!" exclaimed Lincoln. "We have to leave! Now! Go!"
Luan carried Lily and ran towards the stairwell while Carol picked up Dana, who let out a pained gasp. Lynn looked behind as Luan rushed up the stairs.
"What's going on?" asked Lynn.
"The roamers are breaking in!" shouted Luan. "Go up! Go up!"
Francisco grabbed his bat and flashlight and kicked open the door. He found himself in an attic filled with books and crates. There were no roamers around, only a window where the sunlight was shining through.
Lynn, Luan, and Lily were right behind him while Carol and Ronnie Anne were struggling to move Dana up the stairs.
"We need help here!" shouted Ronnie Anne.
Lynn turned around and glanced at Francisco.
"Let's go," said Lynn.
Francisco nodded and dropped his bat and his flashlight and followed Lynn down the stairs. He then heard the sound of glass shattering against the floor before hearing growls.
"Are they in?" he whispered.
Carol turned around and covered her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes as Francisco and Lynn grabbed Dana and carried her up the stairs.
"They're in!" yelled Clyde.
Lola shrieked as she and Lana ran towards the stairwell. Lisa felt her heart racing as a roamer corpse fell into the floor, its skull crushed by the roamers behind it. The roamers then walked over the dead roamer, stepping on the glass shards on the floor. Their golden eyes glowed brighter inside the dim-lit mini-market.
"They're here, they're here!" yelled Lola.
"Let us up already!" shouted Lana.
"Lift, Francisco!" yelled Lynn.
"I'm trying!" shouted Francisco. "I can't see behind me!"
Clyde looked as the roamers stepped over the hammer that he dropped on the floor. Lincoln picked up Ronnie Anne's pickaxe and handed it to Clyde. The two looked at each other and nodded. They swung their weapons on the roamers, killing them as they continued to push towards the group in the stairwell.
"Just move!" shouted Lynn. "Let them through!"
Francisco moved Dana closer to the wall, allowing Lola, Lana, and Lisa to pass through.
"You guys too!"
Ronnie Anne and Carol passed through Lynn and Francisco, entering the attic. Francisco grunted as he moved Dana away from the wall and up the stairs, trying to not trip.
A roamer tripped and slammed its arms and face into the counter, creating noise that riled up the roamers even more. Lincoln yelled as he slammed his sledgehammer against the fallen roamer. He then moved back, as Clyde pushed a roamer away from the stairwell.
"Let's go, Clyde!"
As Francisco took a step back, Lynn tripped, dropping Dana's legs into the steps. Dana cried out in pain.
"Sorry!" gasped Lynn, grabbing Dana's legs again.
Lincoln went up the steps and turned around, looking as Clyde tried to push the roamers away from the steps.
"Just come up!" exclaimed Lincoln.
Clyde grunted and went up the stairs. He then turned around and looked as the roamers stumbled to their arms and legs. The roamers then looked up as they began crawling up the stairs. He lifted the pickaxe before hearing a shout from inside the attic.
"Get in here!" shouted Lynn.
Lincoln and Clyde turned around, seeing the stairwell clear as Dana was now inside with the rest of the group. The two prepared to run up the stairs before a roamer reached out and grabbed Clyde's ankle. Clyde tripped, dropping the pickaxe next to the doorway.
"Clyde!" gasped Lincoln.
Clyde then felt the nails dig deep into his ankle as he let out a pained cry.
"Oh no! Clyde!"
Lincoln grabbed Clyde's hand. Clyde tried to pull himself up the steps, but the roamer wouldn't let go. Another roamer crawling up the steps grabbed onto his left shoe, pulling it away from his left foot. The roamer with blood in its nails then reached for Clyde's shorts and pulled Clyde back, causing Lincoln to stumble forward.
"No!" gasped Clyde.
Lynn ran to the stairwell as Ronnie Anne grabbed her pickaxe. She ran down a step and grabbed Lincoln, preventing him from falling into the stairwell packed with roamers.
"Don't let go!" shouted Lynn.
Clyde grit his teeth. The roamer then sunk its teeth into Clyde's left calf, causing him to scream in pain.
"No!"
Lynn yelled as she pulled Lincoln back, who was holding on to Clyde with all his might. Lincoln was able to pull Clyde away from the roamer, but not before the roamer ripped a chunk of Clyde's skin with its teeth.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" cried Clyde.
"Move!" exclaimed Francisco.
Lynn and Lincoln pulled Clyde up the stairwell and into the attic while Francisco pushed a bookshelf out of the attic and down the stairs. The bookshelf tumbled down the steps, shoving the roamers down the steps and crushing the one that bit Clyde. The bookshelf then lodged itself in between the walls, preventing the roamers from crawling up the narrow stairwell.
"Oh my goodness..." groaned Carol, taking a glance at Clyde's open flesh wound on his left calf.
Clyde flipped himself over and grabbed his calf, taking a look at the blood in his hands.
"No, no, this can't be..." said Lynn, her voice breaking. "We're going to treat that, okay? Lisa, get the medicine!"
"We're out of antibiotics," said Lisa.
"There has to be something else you can do!"
Lisa gulped. She looked around the attic. She then flinched as Lynn shouted at her.
"LISA, DO SOMETHING!"
Lisa trembled as she reached into her pockets. She shook her antiseptic wound spray and walked over to the machete that Carol was holding. She then grabbed it, wiped the machete clean with a napkin and sprayed the disinfectant on the blade.
"That was the last of it," said Lisa. "The likelihood of this subsequent action succeeding is unknown."
Lincoln felt his hair raising as he stared at the machete. Francisco shook his head softly as he placed his hands on his hat in disbelief. Dana closed her eyes as her breath trembled. Luan kept Lily's eyes away from the machete while Lana and Lola held on to her skirt tightly. Carol closed her mouth with her hands as a tear fell from her eyes. Ronnie Anne was breathing hard. Clyde felt his heart skip for a second.
"Lynn, you will have to perform an amputation right below the knee cap. Please."
Lynn nodded and grabbed the handle of the machete. She then walked over to Clyde.
"Wait..." murmured Clyde.
"Lincoln, take out your belt and tie it around Clyde's left thigh."
Lincoln was breathing rapidly.
"Now, Lincoln!" exclaimed Lynn. "Every second counts!"
Lincoln nodded rapidly and removed his belt. He tied it around Clyde's left thigh as Clyde removed his glasses and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"I can't watch this," said Carol.
"Done," said Lincoln.
"Already?" gasped Clyde.
"Don't worry, Clyde. This will be quick."
Francisco looked at Clyde with remorse. He was unable to muster the strength to apologize to Clyde.
Lincoln grabbed Clyde's hand as Ronnie Anne grabbed his other hand. Clyde then felt Lisa's fingers run down his lower limb. He saw Lynn nod before Lynn faced him.
"I love you guys," said Clyde. "I really do."
"We love you too, Clyde, but you're not dying on us," said Lynn, a tear going down her cheek.
Lynn raised the machete and took a deep breath. Clyde's eyes went wide open as Lynn couldn't control the tears flowing down her face.
"I'm sorry."
Lynn screamed as she swung the machete downwards with all her strength. The machete sliced halfway into Clyde's leg, cutting through flesh and bone. Clyde let out a gasp and gripped Lincoln and Ronnie Anne's hands tightly before closing his eyes, falling unconscious.
Lynn raised the machete and screamed as she swung the machete down again. A loud squelch was immediately followed by a loud crack. Blood splattered on Lynn's hands and clothes. She raised the machete again and swung down, creating another loud wet crunch. Her cheeks, nose, forehead, lips, and hair were further stained with blood that wasn't hers.
Lola and Lana closed their eyes while Ronnie Anne tried to look away. However, just like Lincoln, she couldn't help but watch everything. Francisco felt his stomach churn as backed into a wall. Lincoln broke down into tears as he felt Clyde's grip on his hands get loose.
Lynn let out another scream as she swung the machete again, hitting wood this time. She then dropped the blood-stained machete and looked at her hands.
"Oh my god..." she whimpered.
Lisa placed napkins on Clyde's leg wound. She then began to tape the napkins around Clyde's leg.
"I will need to make corrections later," said Lisa. "However, you did good, Lynn. It was angled and linear. Not jagged at all."
Lynn dropped to the floor. She panted as tears continued to flow out of her eyes.
"Will he live?" asked Lynn.
"Given the unprecedented nature of the locality of the bite and taking factors such as time, efficiency-"
"Lisa... is it a yes or no?"
"I don't know."
Lynn let out a deep breath. She then crawled over to Clyde and placed her hand on his neck. She then lowered her head into his chest and sobbed.
Francisco watched in guilt as slid down the wall, lowering himself. Before he knew it, he sat on the floor, staring ahead in exhaustion.
"David? David. David!"
Lori checked her walkie-talkie. The batteries were working.
"I'm telling you, he's out of range," said Richard.
Lori continued to look out from the rooftop, trying to raise the walkie-talkie as far up as she could. She then let out a sigh of defeat and lowered the walkie-talkie.
"Dana? Are you there? Bobby? Anyone else?" asked Lori.
The walkie-talkie remained silent.
"She must have it off," said Missy. "She might be hiding in a building with the others. She wouldn't want to attract any of the roamers."
"I just wish I had some sort of update," said Lori. "Just something to let me know that everything is all right."
"What do we do now?" asked Benny.
Lori sat down. She watched the clouds moving against the sky. She then closed her eyes.
"I don't know," said Lori.
Liam inched his eyes behind the curtains and lifted them a little bit. The sun was already starting to set. Yet, the roamers continued to circle the building they were in. He closed the curtains and backed away.
"They're like a herd of sheep," whispered Liam.
"What?" asked Zach, confused.
"They're moving around, following each other. They ain't even tryin' to break in."
"I don't understand what's taking them so long," said Tabby. "It's not a big town."
"I'm sure they're looking for us," said Bobby.
"I don't think so... I think we're all gonna die in here," said Rusty.
"Dude..." muttered Zach.
"Are we really going to die in here?" whimpered Darcy.
"No, no, Rusty is just a little scared," said Bobby.
"Of course I am," said Rusty. "Tabby's right, it shouldn't take this long for them to find us. I wouldn't be surprised if they abandoned us."
"They didn't."
"So they died then?"
Darcy started to cry. Vonda then grabbed Rusty's shirt and took out an arrow from her quiver.
"Oi!" gasped Chunk.
"Hey, let go of me," said Rusty.
"You need to shut the hell up," said Vonda. "I'm not an optimistic person either, but if you keep on talking like this, I swear to God I will slice your throat open."
"It's okay, it's okay," hushed Bobby.
Darcy stared at Rusty and Vonda, wiping the tears away from her eyes. Rusty nodded softly.
"Okay," said Rusty. "I'll shut up."
"Perfect," smiled Vonda before releasing him.
Rusty fixed his shirt while Vonda walked over to the counter, sighing to herself.
"I'm really hungry," said Darcy.
"When the monsters go away, we'll go back to the cars and get some food, okay?" said Bobby.
"When will that be?"
"Soon. Try getting some sleep. It will make time fly."
"Okay."
Darcy lay on Bobby's laps, clenching her stomach as it growled. She then frowned.
"You're hungry too, aren't you?"
"Yeah," said Bobby. "But don't worry. When we return, you'll get to be the first to eat."
"I don't want that. I want all of us to eat at the same time. It hurts when I'm hungry. So it must hurt you too."
"Just a little bit. But it's okay. I can handle it. And you can too. Now, get some sleep."
Darcy closed her eyes as Bobby lay his head against the wall. He continued to hear the sound of roamers growling outside of the building.
Dana took a deep breath. Lisa opened her eyelids wide open before letting them close. Lana was laying on the floor with her tongue out. Lola was sleeping against the wall. Lynn was lying on the floor next to Clyde. Lincoln continued to hold Clyde's hand. Ronnie Anne sat with her knees bent. Francisco stood against the door of the attic. Luan rocked Lily back and forth slowly as Lily was snoring. Carol looked outside the window, seeing the sky get dark. She then sat next to Dana.
"What's the diagnosis, doc?" asked Dana, her voice sounding weak. "Am I going to die?"
"You're anemic and you're dehydrated," stated Lisa. "You're doing very well. Your condition is stable enough. But you are on thin ice. Your blood pressure can free fall at any moment. Can be the very next minute. Could be hours from now. Could never happen."
"What are the chances... something doesn't go wrong with me?"
"I don't know. I wish I could give you some water, but we're out of luck. I'd suggest sleeping. It may reduce the chances of your blood pressure lowering too much."
"I can't even if I tried. I could never sleep when it's too hot. Even though my head feels gone... I could never fall asleep when sweating this much."
"Understood. I'm going to check on the others."
Lisa walked over to Clyde. She placed her fingers on Clyde's neck and nodded softly.
"Comatose," said Lisa.
"Is he getting better?" asked Lincoln.
"No. And he won't get better until we get him proper treatment. Of all our injured group members, Clyde is the one who is in most dire need of medical aid."
"We have to do something."
"But what?" said Lynn with a low voice. "Have you come up with a plan yet?"
"No. We have one window. We can't get out of here with one window alone. No walkie-talkie. No lighters. No guns. Nothing. It's impossible to send a distress signal. There is no way out of here. We just have to trust Lori and the others."
Dana let out a chuckle.
"I can't believe it," said Dana. "I'm being punished... for the way I treated Carol."
Carol rubbed her arms with discomfort.
"I don't understand... I was only treating you the way you treated me. And yet, I'm the only one who gets punished. By dying to a simple cut."
"It's not a simple cut," said Lisa. "It's a deep puncture wound."
"I guess."
"You didn't deserve this," said Carol. "None of us did. Not you. Not Lola. Not Clyde."
"You think so? Maybe this punishment will go away... if I apologize to you."
"That's not necessary. I should be the one apologizing. I saw the horde earlier but I thought I was hallucinating. I should have just warned you guys earlier. Maybe then, we would have been here a second sooner and no one would have gotten hurt."
"Maybe. But if we hadn't spent so much time antagonizing you, Lori would have never fought you. And we would have been out of here a long time ago. Look at that. Looks like I need to apologize more than you need to apologize to me."
Carol sniffled and wiped her tears.
"I'm sorry, Carol. I really am. I want to live... and do better next time..."
Carol sighed.
"I accept your apology," said Carol.
A silence filled the attic. Carol then turned towards Dana.
"Oh no... Lisa!"
Dana had her eyes closed and was lying against the wall, her face pale and wet from her sweat and tears. Lisa jogged towards Dana, placing her fingers on Dana's neck. Carol kept her mouth closed, her heart racing quickly.
"She's just unconscious," said Lisa. "No need for alarm. Her pulse is stable."
Carol let out a big sigh of relief. Lisa moved away from Dana and began walking over to Lola.
"You jerk..." whispered Carol. "You scared me. I don't know if you can hear me, but I accept your apology. But just in case you didn't hear, I'll say it again when you wake up."
"Oh, no..." muttered Lisa.
Carol turned around, seeing Lisa place Lola down on the floor and getting on top of her. Lana looked at the two of them, frightened.
"What's going on?" asked Lana, panicking.
Lisa began to perform chest compressions on Lola as Lincoln slowly stood up, trying to look at his younger sisters.
"Lisa!"
"Her heart stopped!" shouted Lisa.
The roamers underneath the attic began growling louder as Lisa continued to perform chest compressions. Lana stared at Lola's closed eyes and began to cry. Luan closed her eyes, letting tears flow freely from her eyes. Lincoln felt his breaths stop as he watched Lisa. Lynn's tears fell on Clyde's chest as she watched Lisa struggle to keep Lola alive. Lisa then leaned close to Lola's lips before hesitating. She then slowly lifted her hands away from Lola's chest and moved her face away from Lola.
"What are you doing?" asked Lana. "Keep going!"
"The antibiotics... didn't work."
"I don't understand..."
"She's gone."
The growls underneath the attic became the only source of noise as Lana stared at Lisa with distraught eyes. Lincoln grabbed Lynn's arms and began to cry into them as Lynn felt herself getting lightheaded. Luan then began to fill the attic with the sound of weeping.
"I... I don't believe you!" exclaimed Lana.
Lisa tried to hush Lana. Lana then shoved Lisa away and began to do chest compressions herself.
"You could be wrong, Lisa!"
"Lana... I don't make errors. This is it. She's deceased."
Lana shook her head.
"No, no, no..." sobbed Lana.
Suddenly, just as Lana was ready to raise her voice again, she spotted movement in Lola's arm. The slight movement was enough to stop Lana from crying any further.
"Look, did you see that? I told you! You were wrong!"
Lisa was confused as Lana smiled. Lola then opened her eyes, but they weren't the eyes that her siblings were familiar with. They were golden and glowing. The eyes moved around, looking around before locking onto Lana.
Slowly rising up, Lola growled and lunged towards Lana, grabbing her overalls. Gasping, Lana tried pushing the zombified Lola's face away.
"Shit!" yelled Lynn, standing up.
"Help!" yelled Lana.
As the zombified Lola opened its mouth to bite on Lana's hand, Ronnie Anne swung her pickaxe through her back and out her chest. She then pulled the pickaxe back, dragging the roamer back with it before the pickaxe released it. She then raised her pickaxe into the air.
"Wait!" shouted Lana. "Don't kill her! We have to keep her alive!"
Ronnie Anne hesitated as she saw blood spilling out of the zombified Lola's chest.
"She tried to kill you," said Ronnie Anne.
"She's not in control of herself! Please! Lisa can find a cure! Right, Lisa?"
"No, Lana. She's deceased. She can't be revived at this point."
"What if Lola is still in there?"
"Ronnie Anne... eliminate the roamer, please."
"No!" screamed Lana.
Ronnie Anne drove the pickaxe down through the zombified Lola's skull. The sound of blood splattering everywhere could be heard.
Lori took a sip of water from a canteen before placing it back into her backpack. She sighed as Missy looked around the town from the rooftop with her binoculars.
Luna was lying against the floor of the roof with Sam as they both looked at the moon in the sky. Sam then looked towards Luna. She could see how anxious Luna was based on restless her hands were. She reached for her hands and grabbed them.
Luna turned towards Sam.
Sam smiled softly.
Luna smiled back.
Becky was sitting next to Lori while Tad stood next to Missy. Not once have they talked to each other since the herd attacked the group.
Wavehead and D were playing with cards, using the faint moonlight to help them see. Benny watched them, though he would often get distracted, wondering about Luan's safety.
Richard was carving on a wooden mop handle.
"Where the hell is everyone?" asked David.
Lori gasped as she grabbed her walkie-talkie.
"David!"
"Lori?"
"What took you so long, asshole?" asked Richard.
"Leading a horde away is slow work."
"Well, get ready to lead another horde," said Lori. "You and Sergei couldn't get them all. Make sure you do this time."
"About how many more are left?"
"A hundred. Maybe two-hundred."
"Okay. We're going to sound the horn. Are you guys in a safe location?"
"We are."
"Alright."
A horn sounded, waking Bobby up. He looked down to see Darcy rubbing her eyes as she woke up too.
The horn continue to sound, catching Francisco's attention. He slowly looked outside the window, watching the roamers begin their march away from the min-market and towards the highway.
"Finally," whispered Vonda.
Rusty looked at Darcy's happy face. He gulped deeply and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it. The group was going to get out of this without any casualties.
Lynn's blood-stained hands were trembling as she sat against the wall, watching Lisa struggling to get up. She slowly walked over to Clyde and checked his pulse. She then limped over to Dana and checked her pulse.
Lana continued to stare at Lola's corpse, which remained near a corner in the attic.
Lily then began to cry out loud, alerting the roamers near the mini-market.
"Oh no, no, no, please," whispered Luan, trying to get Lily to suck on her finger.
While most of the roamers headed for the highway, a few of them went back into the mini-market.
"We need to get her to quiet down," said Francisco. "Some of the roamers are starting to come back."
"Well, what do I do?" asked Luan.
"She has been deprived of food and water," said Lisa. "We need to provide those."
"There's nothing here to feed her with though," said Ronnie Anne.
"There is. Luan, you will have to breastfeed Lily."
"What?" gasped Luan.
"Carol can't do it. She has drugs in her system. Dana needs all the nutrients she need to survive. Plus, you're free of disease."
The roamers continued to growl from under the attic.
"You just witnessed what your siblings went through," stated Lisa. "Look at all of them. Tell me they would not do anything to switch positions with you."
Lynn's hands would not stop trembling. Lincoln kept his ears closed as he stared at Clyde. Lana continued to stare at Lola's body.
Luan nodded and turned around and lifted her shirt before placing Lily's face by her breasts. She then allowed Lily to suck on her nipple, causing her face to redden as tears welled up in her eyes.
Francisco looked out the window and slowly turned around.
"Alright, some of them are starting to leave again," he said. "But not enough. I bet the ones who are inside the building are gonna remain inside."
"Sounds like it too," said Ronnie Anne. "We need to clear them out."
"No," said Lisa. "It's too risky. We should stay and wait for the others."
"They might not even know we're here. And even if they did, we're running low on time. We have to save Clyde and Dana's lives."
"Not at your expense. Look, Francisco can barely walk. You're dehydrated. If you overexert yourself, you will go unconscious."
"I'm fine. I don't faint. But if we do nothing, Clyde and Dana will surely die."
"We have to cut our losses somehow."
"No, I don't accept that."
"I'll go," said Lynn.
"Lynn, wait," said Lisa.
Lynn grabbed the machete.
"At least... let me help," said Francisco, struggling to stand up.
"No," said Lisa. "It's too dangerous. You overexerted yourself and you're dehydrated. You can barely stand. Lynn, wait!"
Lynn stormed towards the door. Ronnie Anne shrugged and grabbed Francisco's baseball bat.
"Who's gonna stop her?" asked Ronnie Anne.
Lisa sighed.
"I'll make sure you live, Clyde," whispered Lynn.
Lynn opened the door, seeing a roamer extending its arm past an opening through the barricade that was the shelf. Lynn yelled and swung the machete down, slicing the roamer's arm off.
"Give me your bat," said Lynn.
Ronnie Anne handed the bat to Lynn as she placed the machete down. Lynn raised the bat and screamed as she swung it down, smashing the shelf apart. Each smash echoed across the stairwell and the attic. Lincoln cried softly as he covered his ears.
The shelf broke apart. Lynn shoved the broken wood out of the way and swung the bat sideways against the roamer with the amputated arm, smashing its skull against the wall, creating a hole with blood-stained edges. She tossed the bat back to Ronnie Anne and picked up her machete.
The roamers growled before Lynn and Ronnie Anne used their weapons on them, killing them as they moved away from the stair well and towards the front door.
Ronnie Anne grunted as she felt the recoil of each bat swing smack against her palm. Her hands blistered and she could only imagine what Lynn's hands felt like.
Bodies crashed into the shelves in the floor and thudded against the tiles in the floor. A few roamers outside the mini-market turned around and headed for the front door. They were then struck by a bat or a machete.
Lynn was panting heavily. She flinched slightly with each swing. All the roamers outside the mini-market were then cleared out, but there were still more figures in the distance. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt lightheaded.
"Lynn, you need a minute?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"No," panted Lynn as she opened her eyes and began to walk towards the figures in the distance.
"Hey, we can ignore them."
Lynn stormed towards the figure and raised her machete.
"Lynn?" called out the voice.
Lynn paused, taking a couple of breaths as the figures moved closer.
"Bobby?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Oh, thank goodness you're safe," smiled Bobby.
Lynn looked at the other figures. She saw Darcy on Bobby's back, Liam, Tabby, Zach, Rusty, Chunk, Vonda, and Lucy.
Ronnie Anne started to cry.
"Hey, hey, are you okay, niní?"
Ronnie Anne shook her head. She dropped her bat and continued to sob.
Lucy looked at Lynn, who was also crying, though softly.
"Lynn..." said Lucy. "What happened?"
Lori stood by the exit road. She peered out into the distance with her binoculars. She looked at the direction of the mini-market, but she couldn't see any of the roamers.
"It looks like every roamer in town is gone," said Lori.
"Except these," said Luna, walking towards Vanzilla.
Luna swung her crowbar, taking out one of the roamers before Sam swung her ice pickaxe, taking out another roamer. Tad sliced a roamer's head in half with his sword while Becky split a forehead open with her machete.
"It looks like they were trying to get inside Vanzilla," said Luna.
Lori lowered the binoculars and turned on her flashlight. She looked at the van and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing that she noticed were the claw marks on the window. Indeed, they were trying to get inside.
She moved to turn the flashlight off before getting a nagging feeling in her gut. She then raised her head quickly and ran over to the van. She opened the door and felt her heart drop.
"Leni!" she cried out.
Leni was lying on the floor of the van, wheezing. Her face was pale while the rest of her body was red. A pile of vomit lurked near her along with white pills.
"Leni? Can you hear me?"
"L-Lori?"
"Oh, what happened to you?"
"Move," said Missy, removing Leni from the van. "God, she's hot to the touch."
Becky and Tad both stared at Leni in fear.
"The van was so hot... the roamers wouldn't go away," groaned Leni.
"But I thought the AC was on!" said Lori.
"It was. Then it wasn't."
"Battery must've died," said Richard.
Missy checked Leni's tongue, eyes, nose.
"Get some water!" said Missy.
Richard handed Missy his canteen, which Missy handed to Leni as they both slowly poured water into her mouth.
"What did you eat?"
"Nothing but these white pills."
"Oh my god, Leni..." sighed Lori. "That wasn't food. They were drugs."
"Sorry... I was just really hungry... and really thirsty."
"It's okay, Leni. You're alive now. That's all that matters."
Richard looked at the pills and showed them to Missy. Becky looked at Missy.
"Will she be okay?" asked Becky.
"Yeah, she didn't overdose," said Missy. "Her body just didn't react well to it and so she threw them up. We need to keep her hydrated. But other than that, yeah, she'll be okay."
"Thank goodness."
Benny looked inside the RV while Wavehead looked inside Chunk's van.
"There's no one here," said Wavehead.
"I have a bad feeling about this," said Benny. "Lori, we have to go that place we saw earlier! The town may be empty but our people may not be safe!"
Lori nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "Okay. We're going. Missy, Luna, and Sam, you guys stay with Leni. The rest of us will look for the others."
The bushes shifted and moved, causing Richard to turn around and raise his revolver. Lori grabbed her rifle and pointed it at the bushes.
Vonda poked her head through the bushes before flinching.
"Oh, Jesus," she gasped.
Richard and Lori lowered their weapons as Chunk came out of the bushes as well.
"Oh, thank goodness you guys are alright," said Luna, smiling.
Chunk gave her a slight nod but did not smile.
"Are the others with you?" asked Lori.
"Yeah," said Vonda. "Just... give them a second."
Carol walked forward, holding Darcy's hands.
Lori felt a sting in her heart, born out of offense at the sight she saw. However, she saw tiny splatters of blood in her arms and legs and tears welling up in her eyes.
Carol looked at Lori, allowing a teardrop to fall before she looked away. The sting in Lori's eyes quickly transformed into one of fear. Next, Francisco and Ronnie Anne were carrying an unconscious Dana.
"Oh my god," said Becky. "Is she...?"
"She's still alive," said Chunk, grabbing Dana off of Francisco and Ronnie Anne's hands. "But she needs blood. Quick."
"Do we have blood?" asked Tad.
"I do," said Vonda. "I'll save her."
"Thank you, Vonda," said Lori.
"Don't thank me yet."
Lori looked back at the bushes, seeing Lynn and Lincoln carrying Clyde. Lori gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as she looked at where Clyde's left leg used to be.
"Oh my god," said Lori, her voice trembling. "What happened to him?"
Liam, Zach, Rusty, and Tabby came out from behind, walking close to Clyde as they walked over to Vanzilla. Lynn and Lincoln did not respond. They didn't even look at Lori. Lori stared at the blood stains that stuck on Lynn's arms.
"Guys?"
"We don't wanna talk about it," said Ronnie Anne.
"Besides... this ain't the worst thing that happened," said Liam. "I offer my condolences, Lori."
"Liam... what do you mean?" asked Lori.
Liam walked away as Luan came out of the bushes with Lily in her arms. Lori felt her heart pumping rapidly, watching Lucy come out of the darkness. She then started to fear the worst as she wondered where Bobby was. However, when Lisa and Lana came out of the bushes, with the latter in tears, her worries began to shift. Suddenly, she realized it. She could sense it.
Bobby came out of the bushes, holding a body wearing a pink dress and a shirt wrapped over their face. His face appeared beaten with exhaustion and sorrow as he walked forward, allowing Lola's arms to hang out, pale and lifeless.
"No, no, no..." whispered Lori before breaking down into tears.
"I'm sorry," whispered Bobby.
"Our little princess..."
Lori couldn't finish her sentence. She walked over to Bobby and grabbed Lola's body. She prepared to take off the shirt from Lola's face, before Bobby grabbed her hand and shook his head. She let out a pained gasp and continued to cry. She stroked Lola's hair, which had lost color as the others watched her.
Richard shook his head before lowering it, not being able to imagine the pain Lori was going through. Missy wiped the tears away from her face while Luna cried into Sam's shoulders. Sam looked at Luna, trying to keep it together. She then closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall.
Bobby hugged Lori, allowing Lori to cry into his chest. She turned her face towards the group, her cheeks reddened and wet.
"What... what happened while I was gone?" asked Lori, still weeping.
"We were running away… from the horde," said Carol. "Dana fell down the hill and punctured her abdomen with a car door…"
Lisa grabbed a fresh towel and wrapped it around Dana's left abdomen. Becky and Tad were watching over them. Becky was holding on to Tad, crying softly while Tad moved Becky closer to him, allowing her to feel more comfortable.
Lisa walked over to Clyde who lay on the carpeted floor and put on a pair of nonlatex gloves.
"...Lynn ran out of arrows, and Lincoln couldn't grab Lola in time…"
Lynn stared at her bloody arrows as Lisa grabbed a suture and threads. She began stitching Clyde's leg.
"...Clyde was bitten in the leg…"
Lisa continued stitching Clyde's leg and grabbed another towel to clean the bloody wound.
"...Lynn amputated Clyde to save his life…"
Lisa grabbed another pair of nonlatex gloves and wrapped a large bandage around Clyde's leg.
"...Dana went unconscious…"
Lisa sewed Dana's cut together, while Lynn took off Clyde's glasses and looked at his eyelids. Leni allowed a tear to fall from her eye as she watched them.
"...Lola turned into one of them…"
Lori sat on the hard pavement. She stroked Lola's hair and took off her tiara. Richard and D were standing near her, keeping watch for roamers.
"...and Ronnie Anne saved Lana by ending Lola's life."
Lori motioned Ronnie Anne to come closer. Ronnie Anne sat next to Lori, unreasonably afraid of what Lori might do to her. Lori pulled her closer and cried softly while wrapping her right arm around her back. Ronnie Anne knew what she was doing. She was looking for comfort.
Lana walked away from everyone else and looked at the radiator hose and sealant sitting in front of the RV. She went on to fix the RV. She remained silent as the group looked at her. Yet no one in the group said anything. Instead, Wavehead and Chunk stood up to protect her from the roamers.
Rusty glared at the group members and shook his head before walking back inside the RV.
The night was long and silent.
The crows in the air cawed as they descended towards the town, landing on the piles of bodies left outside of the mini-market. The morning sun shined on Chaz's car as David and Sergei continued driving on the highway. They saw the group and the vehicles.
"Thank goodness," said Sergei. "I am about to faint."
"Same here," said David.
Sergei parked the car behind Chunk's van. He and David walked out of the car and met up with the group. Lori watched as Bobby approached them. She saw Bobby talking before David removed his shades and lowered his head. Lori closed her eyes, knowing what Bobby was telling them.
Some of the group members left to look for fuel while Carol walked over to Sergei.
"You know how to drive, right?" asked Sergei.
"Yeah," said Carol, shivering softly.
"You're cold? In this heat?"
"I'm just going through withdrawal. I gave away my drugs to the others. They need it more, especially Dana."
"Will you be okay to drive?"
"Yeah. Certainly more okay than you."
Sergei nodded. He went inside the car and turned the AC on while Becky filled up the gas tank of the car.
Becky closed the fuel door and picked up the jerry can. He noticed Carol glancing at her. Carol quickly looked away, though Becky did nothing. She simply lowered her head and walked away.
Carol looked back at Becky, surprised to see her reaction though realizing she shouldn't be. She then saw Lana walk towards the car.
Lana opened the hood, peering into the engine.
"Is something wrong with the car?" asked Carol.
Lana looked around. She then nodded as she grabbed her lug wrench and worked on tightening something.
"Just making the necessary inspections," said Lana. "I don't want your car to break down."
"Hey, you know it wasn't your fault that the vehicles broke down, right?"
"If I had checked earlier, I would have spotted the faulty radiator hose. I could have fixed it earlier."
"What happened last night... no one will blame you for it. It's not your fault after all."
Lana moved herself away from the engine and closed the hood.
"Your car is okay," said Lana. "Drive safe."
Lana walked away with a defeated expression, leaving Carol standing alone by her car.
Lori looked at the group sorrowfully eating their breakfast. She then walked over to the RV, where David was preparing to sleep.
"David, I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead, Lori."
"Is it okay if we drive to Niagara Falls? I'd like it if it were my sister's... resting place."
David appeared surprised.
"Umm... you don't have to ask me that," said David. "You're the leader. Wherever you go, we follow."
"Not anymore. After what happened... I can't stand here and pretend that I know how to lead this group."
"Lori..."
"I understand that I couldn't have prevented a herd attack. But I could have prepared for it. You were right. We should have cleared out a few buildings and camped it out there to let the herd pass. Or at the very least, it could have served as shelter for Lynn and the others. Roamers were in the mini-market when they were trying to escape from the herd. Had we cleared it out, they would have been inside easily, and we could have had supplies. But I thought time was worth more than lives. In the end... I'm responsible for what happened to Lola."
Lori looked at the group.
"I was too stubborn to realize you were right. You should have been the leader the moment the trip started. It can't be me. I just have too much to lose."
Lori looked at David.
"So... will it be okay?"
"Yeah," said David. "We should be there later today, if not tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll let everyone else know."
Lori left David alone and walked over to Bobby.
David stepped out of the RV and rubbed his eyes and looked at the horizon of the road ahead. He then looked behind and saw a lone roamer, limping on the road. The roamer was wearing a booth worker uniform. It was the same ones that Kevin and Madison wore. He turned around and walked inside the RV, closing the door. The roamer hadn't yet caught up to the group. But it will, eventually. However, David was confident that the group will take care of it. Its uniform made it noticeable after all.
End Credit Song
Fear the Fever - Digital Daggers
Ah yes, the end of the beginning of the journey. What comes next, won't be so good for our fellow characters. Also, always remember that my notes in the end of the story will CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE CHAPTER! Like a Loud sister dying. Yeah, finally killed off a Loud sister. But more pressing matters... do you think Clyde and Dana will survive their ordeal? Find out in 1-3 weeks! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and leave a review!