The sixth chapter of the story has now joined the other five chapters of this story. A more action-filled chapter than the other chapters if I may say so myself. Now, I gotta make some apologies about the delayed posting. I was originally going to post this a week ago, but I was very busy the past few weeks with the holidays and other stuff. However, I was able to make important changes to the first chapter, and so as of January 18, 2018, there is an updated version of Chapter 1. Anyways, enough of that, it's time for you guys to read the sixth chapter of Infection of the Dead. As always, reviews are always appreciated. Enjoy!

Updated: 5/20/23

The crows flew under the gray clouds in the sky.

"It was in the Gulf War where I met a young man about Lincoln's age," said David through the walkie-talkie. "A kid who lost his little sister."

The gray clouds blocked most of the sunlight that shined on the group. Chunk placed Lola's body wrapped in a white blanket into the trunk of Chaz's car. Lori continued to stare into the distance while Missy walked over to Vanzilla.

"He had to be evacuated from the village he was a part of and was forced to leave his little sister behind."

The vehicles sped by the empty highway while the raindrops fell to their roofs. Lori sat by Bobby while looking out the windows as Missy drove Vanzilla. She looked at every falling raindrop. Darcy held on to Bobby before looking at Lori, laying her head on her arms in an effort to console her. However, Lori simply closed her eyes and let a tear fall.

"The kid asked us when he could see his sister again."

Some of the group members looked at the tall buildings they passed by. Lana looked at pictures of Lola from the photo album that Leni reorganized. Lincoln stared at the gray clouds, pondering about his best friend's situation.

"He wasn't stupid. It wasn't a mistranslation. He knew. He knew she was dead."

Ronnie Anne avoided sitting close to Lana. Instead, she sat next to Bobby, staring out of the window in the right car door. The blood in her pickaxe dried up, though the screams and cries that she heard the night before remained. If Rocky's death wasn't bad enough, now she was involved with Lola's.

"He wanted to say goodbye one more time. But in order for that to happen, they needed a funeral for his sister..."

Carol rolled down the window on the driver's side of the car and slowed down before vomiting at the moving asphalt. She wiped her mouth and groaned. She looked to her side and saw Sergei still asleep in the passenger's seat.

"...and he didn't know if they were ever even going back to retrieve the body."

Lynn slept next to Clyde on the floor of the RV with a damp pillow. Lisa hooked a needle in Clyde's arm and connected it with an IV fluid bag. She then did the same with Dana. Vonda yawned as Lisa handed her a can of orange juice.

"...to this day, I wonder if that kid ever got to say goodbye..."

Dana's eyelids opened up and saw Lisa and Vonda drinking orange juice. She was then met with overjoyed hugs by Becky and Tad. Even Vonda stopped frowning and hugged Dana. Lisa smiled and handed her some orange juice, catching her up with their current situation as the group touched the land of another country.

"...I think about it all the time. Burying our loved ones... saying goodbye one last time... we all need closure, don't we? It helps us accept the way things are. This is why we buried Rocky and Chaz. This is why we're going to bury Lola. We have to do this."

The RV, Vanzilla, Chaz's car, and Chunk's car stopped at Queen Victoria Park. The group watched the waterfall come crashing down on the rocks as it was not caring about the tragedies that people faced in the world. Nature truly didn't care. The dew in the grass and the rainbow in the air magnificently set the beautiful scene of Niagara Falls. David looked at the waterfall and took off his shades.

"It's time."

Chapter 6: Hunted

I - Forgive Me

David stepped out of the small grave that he shoveled up using Lucy's shovel. He took off his shirt and splashed himself with the water in the Niagara River. Lucy finished carving a gravestone and handed it to Lori. Richard and Missy carried a sheet wrapped around Lola's corpse and carefully walked to the grave. Lori walked over to David and showed him the gravestone. David dried himself with a towel and put on a grayish blue shirt. He grabbed the gravestone and laid it away from the grave. Richard carefully placed the little girl's body inside the hole and washed his hands in the river. Bobby took the shovel and buried the dirt back into the grave. After he finished, David placed the gravestone on the ground with the words facing away from the waterfall.

"Life won't be the same without Lola…" said Lucy.

"...she was so beautiful and young…" said Lincoln.

"...no matter what she did…" sighed Lynn.

"...she didn't deserve this…" added Luna.

"...even though giving laughter wasn't her trait…" stated Luan.

"...she still made our hearts warm up," said Leni.

"She was a very valuable member of the Loud family," said Lisa.

"...and no one else can replace her," added Lori.

Lana couldn't say anything. She just stared at Lola's tiara that she was holding in her hands. Missy noticed this and decided to give a couple words.

"Even though we all didn't know her too well, we could tell that she was a very special person and impacted your lives positively. I give my condolences."

The group left and went towards their vehicles. The Louds all gave each other a comforting hug, except Lana. She picked a nearby dandelion and planted it on the grave. She looked at the gravestone.

LOLA LOUD

2009-2016

Loving daughter and loving sister

"My soul will always live beyond me."

Lana placed Lola's tiara on the gravestone and wiped her tears. She then looked up at the cloudy sky.

"I hope you're watching over us, Lola," she whispered.

Lana walked over to Carol and tapped on her legs.

"What's up?" asked Carol.

"Can I borrow your fancy camera? I want to take a picture of the falls."

"Sure thing."

Lana pointed the camera at the waterfall, making sure that Lola's gravestone stood in the middle of the shot. She snapped the picture and grabbed the photo that came out. She handed the camera back to Carol and headed inside Vanzilla. Carol held the camera, staring at it. She then looked at the grave and tried to shake off the feeling that it was her fault. She walked to Chaz's car, trying not to throw up on the way.

"Are you okay, Carol?" asked Sergei.

"No, not really. I need to go to the RV. Maybe Lisa can help me out," replied Carol, still pressing her stomach. "Are you well-rested to take the car back?"

"Yes. Go on. Get some rest."

Carol walked to the RV. She was met with a glare from Becky and a sympathetic look from Tad. Dana was the only one who looked at Carol with slight sorrow.

"What?" asked Becky.

"I need some medicine for my stomach," said Carol.

"Haven't you had enough? Lola died. Clyde got amputated. Dana got impaled. And you're here because your tummy hurts?"

"Becky..." whispered Tad.

"I don't want her here!"

"I'll leave then," said Carol.

"No..." said Dana weakly. "I need to know first."

"Know what?" asked Becky.

"If she accepts my apology."

"Apology? For what?"

Dana looked at Carol. Her weak eyes waited for a response.

Carol rubbed her arms and nodded.

"Yeah. I accept your apology," said Carol.

Dana smiled. Tad rubbed his head. Becky was confused as well.

"I want to apologize to you though, Becky."

"Umm, what? No."

"Let her stay and apologize," said Dana. "Then you. I made a promise to her to be better. You should too."

"You're just... not yourself right now," said Becky. "Have you forgotten what—"

"Please be quiet, Becky."

"Huh?"

"Be quiet... and let Carol apologize. And after she does, I want to hear you apologize. I didn't almost die just to be a part of this stupid drama again. So please... just be quiet for now. Go on, Carol."

Carol nodded.

"If I could take back everything I did... I would," said Carol. "I'm deeply ashamed about who I was and I want to change. I'm sorry, Becky. I really am."

Becky scoffed. She then looked at Dana, who glared at her.

"Okay. I'm sorry too," said Becky, gritting her teeth. "But this doesn't make us friends. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Becky..." whispered Dana.

"Look, I can't do this right now. Maybe you do really mean it. Maybe you really do want to change. But I can't trust you yet. I can't forgive you. Every time I look at you I still see who you were and I just can't shake that feeling away."

Becky let out a deep sigh.

"I need some air."

Becky walked out of the RV, leaving Carol standing in silence as the group members all awkwardly looked at her.

Dana grabbed Carol's hand and gave her a reassuring nod.

Carol took a seat and closed her eyes, holding back her tears. Lisa walked up to her, handing her a warm can of soup.

"I don't have access to your oxycodone yet," said Lisa. "However, this should mitigate the pain for now."

"Thank you, Lisa."

The door opened and Carol's eyes met with Lori's. However, Lori's eyes weren't filled with hate, only sorrow. Their eye contact broke almost immediately when Lori walked past her and over to Clyde, who was lying on the sofa. Lynn was holding Clyde's hands.

"How is he doing?" asked Lori.

"Stable for now," said Lisa. "However, he is yet to show signs of awakening from his comatose condition."

"It's all my fault," said Lynn. "I could've ran to Lola and carried her inside the market. I should have taken the bite instead of her. And I should have helped been the last one going upstairs instead of Clyde. I failed to save Lola. And I'm probably going to fail Clyde too."

"I heard what you did," said Lori. "You saved Clyde's life. And what happened with Lola... the blame lies entirely on me. I should have prepared the group better. I should have listened to David."

"No," said Lisa. "The fault lies with no one but... the roamers."

Lisa rubbed her arms and her breaths shuddered. Lori shook her head.

"Still. I was the leader. I should and will take responsibility for everything that happened yesterday. No one else will."

Lynn lay her head on Clyde's chest, hearing his heart beat slowly. Carol continued to drink her can of soup before Lori turned around and looked at her. Her heartrate increased.

"Here you go," said Lori, taking out the oxycodone bottle. "Just take it."

"Thanks…" said Carol, slurping on her can of soup, "...but no thanks. I don't deserve it."

Oh, how Lori wished she would've said those words sooner. She would've loved to see her rival suffer, but that was then. This is now, and she felt guilty instead.

"Y-You do… deserve it," stuttered Lori.

"Me? The girl who tried to steal your boyfriend a year ago? Lied to you countless times? Humiliated you and your friends with my fake friends? Tried everything to beat you, no matter what it was? The girl who still wants to be with the kind and gentle man that you're with?"

Those words would've set off the fuse of Lori's short temper. However, she felt nothing but guilt. Lori sat down next to Carol.

"Better than the girl who showed off her boyfriend to a friend who she knew she liked. Who held a grudge against you. Who led you to on a path to drugs. Who didn't care if you died alone or not. Who wanted to beat you until you bled. Who didn't care that you suffered from withdrawal. Who wanted you... gone," sighed Lori. "I don't blame you for the feelings you have for Bobby. He's always willing to help others and he is so gentle with everyone. If I were in your shoes... I wouldn't know what I'd do."

"You do know that I was going to try to impress Bobby in prom night this year by copying your hairstyle, right? I heard a rumor that he was going to come to Royal Woods."

Lori chuckled softly to herself. Carol lifted her eyebrows confusedly.

"I would've guessed so. I hated you because I was angry and I didn't want to talk to you like friends should have. If I had, you wouldn't have gone down the path you went."

"I wish things could've been different."

"Me too. You reminded me of the prom night and graduation day that we never had. You were always going to outshine me somehow, in both events."

"I'm sorry," apologized Carol, closing her eyes.

Lori grabbed her shoulder and moved closer to her.

"Don't be. In a way, I was always jealous of you when we were close," reassured Lori. "It just literally sucks that we were so close to having those two special days…"

"...and to have it ruined by a zombie apocalypse," sighed Carol. "Nothing but death all around us."

Lori thought about Lola again. Her tears were shed from grief, but something else was on her mind.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lori! I didn't mean to remind you of your sister again!"

Lori thought about how Carol, her rival, her sworn enemy, kept her mind off of the death of a loved one.

"It's okay. You know what? Let this apocalypse be a new beginning for us. I'm so sorry for everything. I really am. I want to... I want to give you a second chance."

"A second chance?"

"Yes. Do you forgive me, Carol?"

Carol teared up. She sniffled and hugged Lori.

"Of course," said Carol.

Lori was crying softly into Carol's shoulders. Even Dana was crying, though not making a noise to ruin the moment. Carol then opened her eyes and looked up and saw Becky standing at the door. She appeared confused. Yet she didn't say a word.

Lincoln stood by the mist produced by the fall. He watched as the water fell from the top of the falls to the rocks in the bottom. He then turned around and saw Ronnie Anne standing a few yards away.

After a few seconds, Ronnie Anne was now standing next to Lincoln.

"Hey," said Ronnie Anne.

"Hey," said Lincoln.

The two stood in silence. Ronnie Anne then broke the silence.

"How's Lana doing?"

"She's doing okay," said Lincoln.

"Has she said anything about me?"

"Like what?"

"Like anything. Anything good, anything bad."

"No. She's been really quiet. Why?"

"I have this feeling she resents me for what I did. It feels like she's avoiding me, like she doesn't even want to look at me."

"She's been like that with everyone."

"Do you think... she understands?"

"Understand what?"

Ronnie Anne's breath shuddered.

"That the person I killed... wasn't her twin sister anymore?"

"She does. She just needs time to process it all, you know?"

"Yeah. How about you? You're okay?"

Lincoln shrugged softly.

"Shit," whispered Ronnie Anne. "How many more of us are gonna die before we can even make it to Houlton?"

Ronnie Anne recollected her breaths before looking at Lincoln.

"Whose parents are not in the logbook?"

"The logbook?"

"Yes, you know, the one that you found in Ketcham Park?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"If any more of us died, it would make me feel better knowing they don't have a parent waiting for them. That way we wouldn't have to break the news to them."

"I see. Well, there's Zach, Liam, Tabby, Francisco, Becky, Tad, Dana, and Darcy."

"So only besides us, only Rusty's and Carol's parents are in Houlton?"

"That's right."

"What?" exclaimed a voice from behind.

Lincoln and Ronnie Anne quickly turned around. They saw Liam standing behind them, in disbelief at what he just heard.

"Liam!" gasped Lincoln. "What are you doing here?"

"David told me to tell y'all that we were leavin'. What's this I hear 'bout my folks not being in Houlton?"

"Liam, I..."

"We were just messing around," said Ronnie Anne. "Just saying crazy stuff, you know?"

"Naw, it sounded like y'all were being serious."

"It may have sounded like that, but-"

"Ronnie... there's no point. I have to tell him," said Lincoln.

"You don't. He doesn't even know what the heck we were talking about."

Lincoln faced Liam. Liam looked at his detached eyes.

"Back when were in Ketcham Park, I found a logbook with the names of all the hostages that were captured by the rogues. Rusty's dad is in that logbook. So is Carol's parents. So are mines. But not your parents. Not your grandmother. Not your sister. No one in your family is in there. Same goes for everyone in the group."

Liam shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Liam."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to destroy what little hope there was in this group for you and everyone else. You all need something to hope for, otherwise, how would this life be bearable?"

"So what? Why's that important? Why did you want me hopin'?"

"Because I wanted you guys around. I'm sorry. It's selfish."

"Geez. You know even if my fam were alive or not, I still would have come with you anywhere you go. Ain't nothin' left for me back at Royal Woods. I mean, this is a lot to take in, but what hurts the most right now is that you ain't trust me, Linc. But... I get it. If we were all comin' anyways, better for us to have hope, right?"

"I don't know... I think the others deserve to know."

"I know it may sound crazy comin' outta me right about now, but... no. I say keep it a secret. There's no point in telling any of them folks. It would just depress the heck outta 'em for no reason."

"I guess it's a secret between the three of us then?" said Ronnie Anne.

"I guess so. Linc, were you really plannin' on taking this secret to the grave?"

"Yeah," said Lincoln.

"I should be mad, but I respect it. You'd go to lengths to keep us jolly, huh? You the best liar I ever met. And I mean that as a compliment."

Lincoln smiled softly.

"But this means my folks really are gone..."

"I'm sorry, Liam."

"Let's just go back. We got a whole trip ahead of us."

Lincoln nodded. He and Ronnie Anne followed Liam as they walked away from the falls.

-Eight Days Later-

It was the last day of June. Francisco walked into the RV and saw Lynn listening to Clyde's heartbeat. He saw how low Clyde's IV bag was and walked further towards the back.

The group headed back into Syracuse after avoiding herds in other roads near it. With the vehicle moving, Francisco stood still and inched his way closer to Lynn. Finally, after a couple minutes he sat down on the couch next to Lynn and Clyde.

"Hey, Lynn."

"What are you doing here, Francisco?"

Francisco slowly removed his cap and fixed his messy hair.

"I'm here to apologize," said Francisco. "Apologize to you for what I did to Clyde."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to him when he wakes up."

"I will, but I do need to apologize to you as well. I know how close you two were and I'm sorry about hurting him. I really am."

Francisco took a deep breath.

"Lynn, the guilt is eating me alive. All I ask is for us to start talking again like best friends."

"I don't know, man. I trusted you, you stupid jerk."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I wasn't thinking straight. Come on, Lynn, you have to know how it feels like to let your emotions take over! I just wish I wasn't so stupid. So please... forgive me."

Lynn looked at Francisco quietly. She then closed her eyes and faced the ground.

"I do know how it feels. But before I forgive you, Clyde must forgive you first. No ifs and buts. He has to forgive you. If not... then, we can't be friends again. I'm sorry."

"Okay. I'll apologize to him when he wakes up."

"Now, can you tell me what you two fought about?"

Francisco took a deep breath and rubbed his neck. He then began explaining.

"I was jealous of the fact that he was always spending time with you, especially after your little argument with him. I thought that you and he were going to become closer than you and me. I got mad and I confronted him about it. He didn't want to stay away from you. Now, I don't blame him because you're such an awesome person, Lynn. But I didn't care. I was too mad to care. Now, I don't even know if I'm ever going to be close to you again."

"That's why you beat him? Clyde and I were already close, sort of. You know, I could've spent time with both of you."

"No, you don't understand. I like you, Lynn. That's why I was so jealous."

Tabby, Liam, Zach, and Rusty looked at them. Vonda raised her eyes. Lynn blushed a little and hid her face close to Clyde's chest.

"Did you have to say that so loud?" whispered Lynn.

"Sorry, Lynn."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Francisco, you stupid moron. I liked you too."

"I know, I should've told you when I got that letter. You see, I was too nervous. I never had the balls to do it."

"I never pegged you for a coward."

"Yeah, well..."

"I'm just messing with you. I understand. It took me a lot of time to write that letter."

"I wouldn't have guessed. You were so straightforward and confident in that letter."

"It's go big or go home. Speaking of the letter, where is that thing?"

"It's stashed in my blood-stained and roamer-infested locker."

Lynn looked surprised. She always wondered what happened to her school as none of the Loud sisters were around to witness the destruction of her school.

"What happened to the school?" asked Lynn.

"You weren't there?" asked Francisco.

"No. I caught an illness. Lisa says I probably caught the infection of the dead. Lucky for me, it didn't kill me."

"Unluckily, others in our school caught it, and they were killed. Margo caught the… what was it that you called it? Infection of the dead? It wasn't just her. A couple of other kids as well."

"What happened to her?"

Francisco took a deep breath.

"Francisco..."

"I'm sorry, Lynn. She turned into one of them."

"No..."

"Yeah. It was… shocking. She had no traces of her former-self left inside of her. She attacked people by biting and tearing their bodies apart. Everyone in the school panicked. There was a whole lockdown. That was probably the school's worst mistake. In almost every class, someone was bitten and they turned. I ran around the school and I took matters into my own hands. I pulled down one of the fire alarms so my classmates didn't have to stay in that stupid school. However, they completely ignored evacuation rules and started piling up around the entrance. I tried calling my parents, but the phone lines were down. I ran to the equipment room and grabbed a bat. I smashed a window in one of the classrooms and ran out of the school."

Lynn lowered her head.

"Margo… are you sure it was her?"

"Yeah," said Francisco. "Whenever I think about the school, all I think about is her. How pale and sweaty she looked. Then, I am reminded of the victims with blood all over their bodies, some with torn necks and stomachs and limbs. It was just like in Detroit. And... I killed my first roamer in the school.

Francisco closed his eyes.

"It was Margo. She was my first kill."

Lynn wiped a tear from her left eye. She held Francisco's right hand. Francisco opened his eyes, revealing tears building up in them.

"What happened to your bat?" asked Lynn.

"Probably bombed into pieces in Detroit. But you would've seen it. You would've seen Margo's blood dry on the bat."

Lynn knew how guilty Francisco felt in killing one of Lynn's closest friends. Francisco broke his silence.

"I hope Clyde wakes up soon. And we three can start anew," said Francisco. "The craziest part is, I don't want to go back to Royal Woods after this is all over. If this is ever all over."

The group stayed in silence. Even Lynn couldn't say anything. All she could do is hold Francisco's right hand and Clyde's left hand. Yet she couldn't look at either of them as she thought about her own future.