II - The Message
-Six Days Later-
The morning dew gave the woodlands a moist yet fresh smell.
Birds were heard chirping and crickets made their usual noise.
Flowers and grass blades swayed with the breeze.
It was as if an apocalypse never happened. But this dream, or rather a blissful train of thought, was interrupted by the groan of a roamer that lurked out from the woods.
A tired roamer looked down at the ground, stumbling about. It then heard footsteps and raised its head.
A katana was swung through its neck, causing the roamer to immediately fall to the floor.
Benny gripped the katana and flicked it, making the blood slide out of the blade. He looked up and saw another roamer approaching him.
He took a step forward before an arrow flew to the roamer's head, sending it to the dirt ground.
Benny sighed and looked at Vonda. She smiled smugly and walked towards the killed roamer, picking up the arrow.
"I had it," said Benny.
"I saw it first," said Vonda.
"This isn't a competition, you know."
"I know. For your sake, that's good."
"You guys done playing over there?" asked Tad. "Found another grocery store."
"Maybe this one will not be empty," said Vonda, walking away from the roamers. "Unlike the last nine grocery stores we found."
"Maybe we'll be lucky this time," said Wavehead, holding an empty backpack.
"When the GIE arrived, you think the first things people did were run straight to the safe-zones? No. They went for their local corner store and took all the Cheetos and Lays with them."
"What's the GIE?"
"Global Infection Event. The day no place on Earth was safe from roamers."
"Must be a Michigan thing. In Ohio, we just called it Day 1."
"It doesn't matter," said Tad. "We should check it out anyways."
"Luna was the last person to have found something other than sardines. You know what place she checked out? A guitar shop. And off of a body. Apparently, someone thought a shop filled with instruments that can make loud noises was a good place to hole up in."
"Maybe we'll find some bodies in this shop."
"Whatever you say, Tad."
The grocery store had an open door.
Benny, Vonda, Tad, and Wavehead stood by the windows, looking inside. From the traces of sunlight that the store was able to receive, they saw no one inside. Dead or alive.
Then, they heard a growl to their side. They all turned and looked down.
A roamer crawled out of the doorway, missing the lower half of its body. Its intestines were exposed and were being dragged along the ground by the roamer.
"Oh, shit," said Wavehead, taking out his knife. "W-What the hell is that?"
Benny shuddered softly as the roamer crawled towards him softly. He then saw Tad impale the roamer through the head with his ninjato sword.
He looked up at Tad.
"Are you sure I can't have that sword?" asked Benny.
"Focus, man," said Tad. "There could be more inside."
"You know what to do," said Vonda.
Tad sighed. He walked over to the door and slammed it against the wall repeatedly. He then walked back with the others.
"That was a lil' too loud, don't you think?" commented Wavehead.
"It's gonna get all the roamers outta there isn't it?"
"Yeah, but you might also attract all the roamers from outside," said Benny.
"It's okay, guys. He's just pissed he has to be on this mission instead of being back with the group to stalk Becky."
"What the hell are you talking about?" sighed Tad.
"It's kinda weird actually. You didn't strike me as the jealous type. I thought it was just Becky. I guess I was wrong."
"I'm not jealous. I'm just- man, you should really just mind your business."
"Wait, I thought you were with Carol," said Wavehead.
"I'm not."
"He can't be," said Vonda. "He wants to be with Becky."
"Really?" asked Wavehead. "I mean, no offense to Becky, but why? Carol is really pretty. I'd consider myself lucky to be talking to her."
"Can we just focus on the mission?" said Tad, raising his voice slightly.
"Jesus," muttered Vonda.
"Yeah, come on, guys," said Benny. "I'm sure I wouldn't want anyone talking about my romantic life..."
"Oh, really?"
"Okay. Maybe just a little."
Wavehead smiled. He looked inside the store, seeing no roamers moving about.
"Okay, I'll be the first to ask," said Wavehead. "You and Luan are hitting it off?"
"Yeah. Yesterday was our longest kissing session yet. Seventeen seconds."
"Of course he counts," said Vonda.
"That's awesome, bro," said Wavehead. "Good for you."
"Thanks! What about you?" asked Benny. "Talked with Carol at all yet?"
"No. But seeing D hit it off with Becky... it's giving me confidence. Might just have to man up and say hi to her."
Tad rolled his eyes as he leaned against the window, holding his sword.
"Yeah! She's really nice, you know," said Benny. "I mean, we don't really talk much, but the times we did she was really sweet. It almost makes you wonder why Becky even hates her."
"Right? Beats me."
"What about you, Vonda? Anyone caught your eye?"
"Not really. Everyone in this group kinda sucks. But I guess Luna sucks the least. Too bad she has a girlfriend already."
Tad raised his eyes. Wavehead scratched his head.
"Yeah, Luna's awesome," said Benny. "I guess that's why Sam- wait, what? Did you just admit to liking Luna?"
Vonda rolled her eyes and turned around as she smiled.
"Come on, guys," she said. "Store seems empty."
Benny's eyes were wide.
"You just admitted to liking Luna!"
Wavehead and Tad walked inside the store.
"I didn't admit anything," said Vonda, walking inside the store. "I just said she's the least worst person in this group."
"But we were talking about romance," said Benny, following Vonda. "You like girls?"
"Now I get it, Tad. Talking about this sucks."
Their voices trailed off as they went deep into the store. Flies buzzed around the killed roamer's intestines. Its sliced chest appeared too straight. The cut was too clean to have been devoured away by roamers.
A breeze blew softly into a motel room where Richard and Missy were at.
Richard caressed Missy's blonde hair as Missy looked up at him. He then grabbed another almond and placed it in Missy's mouth as she continued lying on the bed.
"Good thing these things don't spoil fast," said Missy.
Richard smiled and nodded. He then grabbed another almond and got ready to place it in Missy's mouth before she shook her head.
"We should really save them for later."
"We'll find more almonds down the road," said Richard.
"Yes, but we need to ration our food."
"The group ain't doing too bad on finding food. Could be better but it's enough."
"That's what we said before we went on this trip, right? Then look what happened."
"It's not going to happen again. We're going to make sure our food is protected this time around."
"We can never really predict what else could happen to us. We have to be ready for every possibility. It can't hurt to have extra food in case of emergencies."
"You don't have to worry. There is more food out there than you think. Seems like people die faster than they're able to use up their canned foods."
Missy nodded.
Richard placed the almond in her mouth.
A knock was then heard on the door. Richard turned around and saw Lori walk up to the window.
"Sorry, you don't have to get up," said Lori. "I just wanted to ask if you've seen Lynn anywhere?"
"Saw her enter the RV like an hour ago," said Richard. "Didn't stick long enough to see her get out."
Lori sighed.
"Can't find her?"
"I'm sure she's still around here. Maybe she's just purposely avoiding me."
Lori walked away.
Richard turned back to face Missy again. However, her calm expression turned more concerned.
"That doesn't sound good," said Missy.
"It's fine. It's like what the kid said. Her sister is just avoiding her."
"Maybe you should look for her. Just to see if she's doing okay."
"Do I have to? I don't want to leave your side."
Missy groaned as she lifted herself up from the bed.
"Woah, hey..."
"If you won't, then I will," said Missy.
"You should really remain in bed."
"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt like last time."
"You don't have to look for her."
"Someone has to."
"I can ask Sergei."
"I can go."
"Why?"
"I should have given Lynn and Francisco my seat. If I had, maybe neither of us would've gotten shot. I'm sure I could've provided cover when Lori couldn't."
"If we had taken Chunk's van and left, you would've been fine. But you put your own life on the line for these kids. Why?"
"Why not? If I can help, why shouldn't I?"
"Yeah, but... you're my top priority."
"You already know me. You know I wouldn't be able to live myself if I didn't do anything to help."
Richard sighed. He placed his hand on Missy's shoulder, stopping her from getting further up.
"I'll look for Lynn," said Richard. "You just stay there."
Missy looked at Richard with a hesitant look. She then nodded.
Richard leaned in to give Missy a kiss.
"You're a really good person, you know that?" said Richard.
"I try," said Missy.
Richard smiled and stood up. He grabbed his backpack and walked outside the hotel room.
Lori walked out of the motel room next to Richard's and gasped softly upon seeing him.
"Oh, hi there," said Lori. "Still can't find her. Heh."
"I'll help you," said Richard. "Have you looked everywhere inside the motel?"
"I think so. I'm just double-checking. Maybe I missed a spot."
"Or maybe she's not here. Come on. Grab your gun. We're going out."
"Okay, but where are we going specifically?"
"Who knows? Just anywhere that's not here."
"You should go to the bridge," said Lucy, spooking Lori and Richard.
"Where'd you come from?" said Richard.
"I was here the whole time."
"Right. The bridge. Where we fought the Piranhas?"
"Yes. I saw her go in that direction towards the highway. She must be going back to where Francisco was shot."
Lori sighed and cleared her throat. She then looked at Richard.
"Let's go," said Lori.
Richard nodded. The two began to walk away before Lucy tagged along. However, Lori immediately stopped walking.
"What are you doing?" asked Lori.
"I'm going to go with you guys," said Lucy.
"You should stay here. It might be dangerous out there."
"I don't think you realize how angry Lynn is with you. In her eyes, you are part of the reason why Francisco is dead. You will not be able to convince her to come back with us. And you certainly can't do it by force, not without the two of you getting hurt in the process. Let me come along and speak to her. Perhaps... I can bring her back."
Lori thought about it. She knew Lucy was right.
"Fine... take this," said Lori.
Lori handed a knife to Lucy along with a sheath.
"I trust you know how to handle it?"
"I do."
"Great. Let's go."
The tree leaves swayed softly. Water trickled softly in a small creek.
"You all got your goggles on? Your earplugs?" exclaimed David.
The group members accompanying David all nodded.
"Great. Pay attention. Now you want to shoot a target from 5 yards away or 50 yards away, it's all the same. Safety first."
David grabbed a magazine and placed it inside his M9 pistol. He racked the slide and held the pistol pointing towards the cans sitting above a log five yards away from the group.
"You grip with your dominant hand. For most of you, that'll be your right hand. Then, with the other hand, you grip the rest of the grip."
Lincoln wriggled his fingers, wondering which hand he would use.
"Keep your fingers away from the trigger. Rest them above the trigger guard like a straight line and do not put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot."
Tabby turned towards Liam, whose eyes were glued to David.
"Safety's on. You flick the switch over here- and safety's off. If you see a red dot, that means the safety's off. It may be different on other guns- hell, some guns don't even have safeties like Glocks."
George nodded slightly.
"But for now, we're using the M9. So, red dot means safety's off. But whether the safety is on or off, it is important to remember to not point the gun at anyone or anything you aren't willing to destroy. Treat every gun as if it's loaded. This is important."
David removed the magazine.
"There are no exceptions. Even when you think the gun is empty..."
David fired his pistol at a tree, knocking some of the bark off. Some of the group members flinched.
"...the gun may fire. Just because there was no magazine doesn't mean the gun wasn't loaded. There was a round in the chamber. So, treat your gun like it's always loaded."
Rusty gulped.
David placed the magazine back inside the M9 and racked the slide.
"Hold the grip tightly but not too tight. Spread your feet apart shoulder-width and do not lock your knees."
Ronnie Anne subconsciously loosened her legs.
"Line the iron sights with your eyes. Stretch out your arms, but do not lock them. Allow them to bend a bit."
Luan wriggled her arms slightly.
"Aim at the target..."
Chunk stared intensely.
"...then squeeze the trigger."
David fired a shot at a can, knocking it off the log.
Zach smiled, being amazed at David's accuracy.
"Just like that. Simple. Any questions?"
Sam shook her head.
"Great. Who wants to go first?"
Carol rubbed her arms. She looked down, now wanting to be first.
The group members looked around. Only two people raised their hands without hesitation. Luna and Liam.
"Um..."
"Oh, I didn't realize... go ahead, Liam," said Luna.
"Naw, it's fine," said Liam. "You can go first."
Luna nodded and looked back at Sam.
"Good luck," mouthed Sam.
Liam looked at Tabby.
"Don't wanna set up high standards for the rest of 'em," said Liam. "Y'know, 'cause I got experience and all..."
Luna walked up to the wooden bench and stood behind it while David stood next to her.
David handed the M9 pistol to Luna. It felt slightly heavy on her hand.
She then aimed the pistol at the next can on the log.
"First step. Make sure the safety's off."
Luna looked at the pistol. The safety was on. She flicked it off, feeling nervous now.
"Aww, I feel kinda bad now," whispered Liam.
Luna took a deep breath and aimed the pistol on the can. She then fired the pistol at the empty can, hitting it dead center, knocking it off the log. She smiled.
"Go on," said David. "We got plenty of bullets."
Luna nodded and bit her lips as she stared at the cans excitedly. She fired one shot. Then another. Then another.
All cans were now on the floor with a single bullet hole in each of them.
Liam was dumbfounded. Tabby clapped along with the rest of the group.
"That's Luna," said Tabby. "Never underestimate her."
Liam gulped as Luna placed the gun down on the table.
David grabbed the pistol and flicked the safety on.
George walked over to the log and placed the cans back on the log.
"You want to go next, Liam?" asked David.
"Uh huh," said Liam weakly.
Liam walked over to the table. He looked back, seeing an excited Tabby talking to Luna. She then turned towards him.
"You can do it, Liam!" said Tabby.
Liam faked a smile before grabbing the pistol. He lifted it up and looked at the target.
"Check the safety," said David.
Liam looked at the safety. He grumbled and disengaged it. He aimed at the cans.
"Don't lock your knees. And your arms. Bend them a bit."
Liam nodded. He started feeling hot. He then squeezed the trigger. However, nothing came out.
"Guns don't have unlimited ammo," said David. "Make sure to check your magazines. Press the button on the side and let the mag slide out."
"You ain't show us how to do that earlier!"
"That's right. I didn't. But I did ask if any of you had questions. I assume there will be more questions from now on."
"Yeah..."
"You have a question to ask, don't you?"
"Can I get more bullets?"
David handed a full magazine to Liam.
Liam grabbed the magazine and inserted it into the pistol. He racked the slide and aimed at the target. He squeezed the trigger and hit the can. He sighed in relief.
David gave a slight nod as shots continued to be fired.
Flashlights shined around the grocery store. With the four group members checking each aisle, they found what Vonda predicted; empty aisle upon empty aisle.
Then, they stumbled upon the wine aisle and found multiple stacks of canned pasta and soda cans.
Tad's face lit up with joy.
"And you thought this place had nothing," said Tad.
"Only took ten tries," sighed Vonda, crossing her arms.
"Alright, come on, let's take this and head back," said Wavehead.
Tad nodded as he moved the flashlight around. The aisles around were all empty except this one. He then placed the flashlight in his mouth and grabbed some of the cans with one hand while holding his backpack with the other.
Vonda and Wavehead joined in while Benny looked around the store. He looked at the aisle sign and appeared confused.
"Hey, lover boy, come help us out over here," said Vonda.
Benny walked away.
"Yo, I already checked the other aisles," said Tad. "Benny?"
"How come there are stacks of canned pasta in the wine aisle?" asked Benny. "And a bunch of unrelated items?"
Tad stood up and walked over to Benny.
"Must've belonged to someone else," said Tad. "Maybe that guy with half of his body missing."
"Then where is his other stuff?"
"Other stuff?"
"His other essentials. His clothes, his flashlight, his batteries, his backpack. Where are they?"
"Maybe he just didn't have them. Or maybe it's not the roamer we killed. Maybe they were out there."
Benny continued to point his flashlight around. However, there was nothing notable.
Wavehead and Vonda walked over to them, both having left their backpack behind.
"Hey, if all this shit really belongs to someone else, then we better leave it and just go before they come back," said Wavehead.
"We should at least take some food for ourselves," said Vonda.
"Nah, we got enough problems. We don't need to start beef with another group."
"No one's coming back," said Tad. "That roamer wouldn't have been inside here if that was the case. It's either this roamer or someone out there- someone who's probably dead right now. Now, let's go finish and-"
Benny shushed Tad. He then lifted his hand near his ear.
"You hear that?" whispered Benny.
Tad, Vonda, and Wavehead listened in closely. They heard soft clacking noises and faint growls from behind the deli counter.
Benny removed his katana from its sheath. Tad followed with his sword.
The four group members walked over to deli counter and walked around it. The floor was empty. Nothing was under or behind the counter. Yet, they still heard the growls.
Benny looked at a door behind them. He placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it.
Vonda shined her flashlight at the door.
Benny slowly opened the door.
A brisk of cold air came out before a rotten stench overwhelmed the four group members. Then, the growling became louder.
Benny gripped his katana, getting ready to defend against a lurking roamer. He then felt a chill go up his spine and his stomach immediately tightened. He pressed his hand against his mouth as he gagged softly.
"Oh, what the hell?" gasped Wavehead.
Tad shuddered while Vonda's eyes widened.
The flashlight pointed at six mutilated roamers on the floor. One was missing its left leg. One was missing its arms and legs and had its decapitated head placed inches above its neck. One had its arms cut off and its left leg broken to point left. One had its legs and arms cut off and pointed straight upwards with the roamer's disconnected torso laid out diagonally. One had its two mutilated legs and arms apart, though each leg was connected to an arm. Only a horizontal-pointing torso connected them. One had its entire lower limbs cut off, much like the roamer that Tad killed earlier, and was turned upside down with its arm pointing downwards.
Their limbs and bodies were laid out like letters of the alphabet, spelled out as 'PiR NHA.'
Benny looked at the 'i' roamer and stared at the decapitated head. Its glowing eyes were staring at him and its jaws were opening and closing, making chomping noises. He then looked at the body below it and saw its skin. It still appeared fresh. Not like the other bodies next to it.
"It's laid out like a word," said Vonda. "Anyone wanna take a guess what it says?"
"Jesus," whispered Tad.
"Guess we killed 'A' out there."
"This is sick, man," said Wavehead. "The Piranhas did this?"
"If so, these people are even worse than we thought," said Tad. "We can't stay here much longer."
"Wait," said Benny, pointing his sword downwards.
"Do we really have time for this?" asked Vonda.
"Just let him do it," said Tad.
Benny stood over the decapitated head. He took a deep breath and thrusted the sword downwards, impaling the roamer's head. He then lifted the sword, though it also started lifting the roamer's head along with it. He groaned as he placed his shoe on the roamer's forehead and applied a bit of force, allowing himself to slide the sword out of the roamer's head without taking it with it. He then moved to the other roamers and began impaling all their heads.
"You know, this would be a lot easier with your sword," said Benny. "My katana is curved. Your sword isn't. The heads should be able to slide out easily."
"I think roamer blood is just sticky," said Tad, kneeling down.
"What are you doing?" asked Vonda.
Tad turned over one of the roamer's head.
He saw a Piranha tattoo on the back of its neck. Tad was shocked.
A roamer growled softly as it walked along the road next to the bridge. It then got an arrow to the head and fell to the ground.
Lynn grabbed the arrow and pulled it off the roamer's head. As she prepared to stand up, she paused and looked at a bullet casing on the ground. She picked it up and noticed the dust and dirt on the casing. She also noticed the blood stains.
Trembling softly, she stood up and gripped the bullet casing. She looked at the canal and yelled as she threw the casing as hard as she could. However, the bullet casing failed to make it across the canal and fell to the water.
Lynn watched as the bullet casing sank. She growled and looked across the bridge. It was empty on the other side, no signs of roamers anywhere.
She stepped foot on the bridge and prepared to walk across it before someone called out for her.
"Lynn!" exclaimed Lori.
Lynn grumbled and stopped walking.
"Leave me alone," said Lynn.
Lynn then continued on walking.
"Don't," said Lori. "There could be Piranhas on the other side. Roamers too. It's dangerous."
"I told you to leave me alone."
"We can't," said Lucy. "We're worried about you."
Lynn turned around with a slightly surprised expression.
"We don't want you to put your own life at risk."
"Someone has to do something," said Lynn. "We're just sitting here while the Piranhas are still roaming around."
"We have to stay clear of them," said Richard. "I don't like it too, but we don't know their numbers. It's just safer to avoid 'em."
"Who cares about safer? We need to kill them! They can't just kill Francisco and get away with it!"
"You're just going to get yourself killed," said Lori.
"And so what, we're just going to sit and do nothing like a bunch of cowards? Maybe you will, since that's what you do best."
Lori's breath trembled. She tightened her knuckles.
Lucy then stepped forward.
"I know how you feel," said Lucy. "I know what it's like to want to enact revenge on others. At first, I felt pity for the roamers when the apocalypse hit. They used to be people too. They didn't want to turn to roamers. They had no choice. Every time I looked at them, I saw humanity locked inside their decaying bodies. But when Rocky passed, that pity I had for them... it went. I didn't see them as victims anymore. I saw them as monsters who didn't deserve any mercy. I wanted to kill them all. I still do. But that's unreasonable, isn't it? There are millions of them, possibly even billions of them... there's no way I could take them on. The only thing I want is for my family to be safe. And I know they want me safe. So the best thing I can do is stay alive for them. That's what I want you to do. Just stay alive for us."
Lucy walked up to Lynn and grabbed her hands. Lynn was huffing and puffing as she avoided eye contact.
"I know it hurts. What happened to Rocky still hurts me too. But what comforts me is that his death isn't final. Neither is Francisco's. Together, we can continue to speak to them beyond the veil. But we have to be alive for that. So please, come back with us."
Lynn looked at Lucy and frowned. She pulled her hands away forcibly.
"Don't give me that stupid spirit talk again," said Lynn. "Francisco's gone forever. Plain and simple."
Lynn walked off the bridge and past Lori and Richard, now heading back in the direction of the motel.
Lucy sighed and rubbed her arms as she walked back to Lori and Richard.
Dana smiled as she played with Lily's nose. Lily giggled and babbled.
"Aw, she's so adorable!" smiled Dana.
"I know right?" said Leni. "Lisa often calls her the cutest Loud. Which I'm, like, totally not jealous of. Really."
Dana continued to tap Lily's nose.
"You like it when I do that, right?" said Dana with a higher-pitched voice. "Boop. Boop."
Lily continued to giggle before Dana picked her up.
"Your turn."
Lily moved her finger towards Dana's nose and tapped it. Both girls giggled as Dana lifted Lily high up.
"Whoo! You're flying!"
Lily laughed as Becky and D watched, big smiles on their faces.
"She's really a big fan of babies, huh?" said D.
"Yeah," said Becky. "She wants like six of them someday."
"Maybe more," said Dana. "I can see why Leni's mom had a lot of children. They're just so darn cute!"
"Right."
"What about you?" asked D. "You ever think about how many children you want?"
"I... I don't know. I'm not a big fan of babies. They seem like a mess to handle. Poop and spit everywhere... constant crying... sounds like a lot of work."
"But it's all worth it!" said Dana. "Just look, hold her. Tell me you don't want babies after looking at Lily!"
"No, wait-"
Dana handed Lily over to Becky.
Becky grabbed Lily though she wasn't too pleased. She looked at Lily who stared at her.
"Yes, you're really cute," said Becky in a monotone voice. "But not all babies are like her. Some can be difficult to handle. Like my little brother. He cried a lot."
Lily reached her hand out as Becky placed Lily in a more comfortable position. She tried to tap Becky's nose.
"And... so was I. I kept my parents up almost every night the weeks after I was born."
Leni watched as Lily got frustrated from being unable to tap Becky's nose.
"I think most babies are like that. Besides, can you imagine raising them in this world now? We're lucky Lily doesn't cry a lot. And we're lucky we got a van to keep the roamers from hearing us in case she does."
Dana lifted a finger, wanting to say something. Lily began to mutter angrily.
"If we have to repopulate this world, I don't think I'm up to the task. I-"
"Becky-" said Dana.
"What?"
"She... she wants to tap your nose."
Becky looked at Lily, who was upset. She leaned her face down, allowing Lily to touch her nose. And before she knew it, Lily went back to giggling.
"Your nose is funny to her too," said D.
"Looks like she likes you," said Dana.
Becky smiled, as she held Lily close to her. She continued to stare at her, feeling warmth in her chest for the first time in a while.
"Oh, Tad and the others are back!" exclaimed Leni.
Becky felt the warmth in her heart fade away as she looked up from the motel window.
Tad looked visibly upset as he walked over to the motel room. Looking at Becky sitting next to D while holding Lily didn't help.
"Found anything?" asked Dana.
"Yeah," said Tad. "Where's David?"
"Still out training the others."
"Crap. What about Lori?"
"Out looking for Lynn," said Lisa, walking into the room. "And so is Richard and Lucy."
The teens looked at her.
"Don't mind me, just going to check up on Derrick."
Lisa approached D and turned on her flashlight as she pulled up a pant sleeve.
Tad was pacing around as Wavehead stared ahead, appearing traumatized.
"What's going on?" asked Dana.
Benny nervously looked around.
"I'm going to put the cans in the RV," said Benny.
Tad glanced at Becky, who was trying her best to avoid eye contact.
"We shouldn't stay here any longer," said Tad. "There are some truly sick people out there."
"We don't know that for sure," said Wavehead. "They could be on our side."
"Yeah, I'm sure we want people who dismember other people on our side," said Vonda sarcastically.
"They're Piranhas. They probably deserved it."
"These people could be worse."
"Can you guys slow down?" asked Dana. "Look, you're scaring Lily."
Lily whimpered and was about to cry before Dana grabbed her from Becky's arm. She rocked her back and forth slowly while looking into her eyes.
Lisa was looking at D's wound, but she was also listening in closely at the others.
"The hell you guys talkin' 'bout?" asked D.
As Tad got ready to speak he noticed Leni looking outside the window. He turned around and saw Lynn coming back, as well as Lori, Richard, and Lucy. He then saw David's group coming back as well.
"Everyone's back," said Tad. "Come outside, I'll tell everyone."
Tad, Vonda, and Wavehead walked out of the room. Dana and Leni followed them.
"I guess I'll just stay here," said D, still lying in bed.
"I'll tell you everything," said Becky.
D nodded as Becky walked out.
Lisa turned off the flashlight. She then began to walk out.
"Hey, wait, how am I?" asked D.
"I'll tell you in a bit," said Lisa as she stepped outside the room.
The group members were chattering amongst themselves.
Clyde, Lana, Darcy, and Sergei stepped out of a room and joined the rest of the group. Clyde had a new set of crutches.
"How was it, guys?" asked Clyde.
"Luna killed it," said Lincoln.
"Oh, really? Nice, Luna!"
"Please, it was nothing," said Luna.
"Liam was pretty good too," said Zach.
"Yeah!" agreed Tabby.
"Really? That doesn't surprise me. I had a feeling you were some kind of sharpshooter, Liam."
"Well, your feeling's right," said Liam. "Ain't nothin' gettin' past me."
The group members continued to chatter amongst themselves as Tad stood there, sweating.
"Aren't you going to say something?" asked Becky.
Tad looked at Becky, raising his eyebrows. He then began to stammer.
"Y-Yeah, just give me a moment to... to collect my thoughts..." said Tad.
Becky sighed. She then raised her voice.
"Guys! Tad wants to say something!" she exclaimed.
Tad looked at Becky with thankful eyes, which Becky reciprocated with a nod.
"What's up, Tad?" asked David.
"We found some cans," said Tad.
"That's great."
"But we also found something else. We found... seven dismembered bodies."
Lana's eyes widened as Lisa looked at Darcy, who appeared terrified.
Lynn looked over at the group, not wanting to miss this.
"Think the Piranhas did it?" asked Richard.
"No. They were Piranhas. The tattoos in the back of their necks- they all had 'em."
"That's not even the craziest part," said Vonda. "Their bodies and limbs were all set up to spell out 'Piranha.' Like it was some sort of message."
"They didn't even bother to take their food," said Benny. "It's like... that's not what they came there for."
David scratched his beard, trying to think of what to make of this.
"Jesus," said David. "What do you think, George?"
"The Piranhas had a lot of enemies," stated George. "Rival gangs, police officers, Coast Guard. Maybe... someone wanted to take revenge?"
"Could there be someone worse than the Piranhas out here?"
"I don't know. The Piranhas are pretty bad. I'd find it hard to imagine there are worse people out there right now."
"Well, I sure as hell ain't aiming to stick around," said Richard. "We have to go."
"Not until your wife and D are all ready," said David.
"Which they are," said Lisa. "I just checked them. They're ready to go."
"Where do we go though?" asked Wavehead.
David looked at Bobby and Ronnie Anne.
"We're going to have to take the longer route," said David. "I spoke to Bobby earlier. We will have to skip Albany."
Ronnie Anne crossed her arms and kept her angry eyes closed.
"I looked at the map. There are two directions we can take. We either head to Vermont or we head to Montreal. That means we have to go to Lake George and from there we go west of the lake and choose Montreal or east of the lake and choose Vermont."
"How many days is it going to hold us back?" asked Lori.
"The Vermont route could take us to Houlton just as fast as our normal route... if we have the gas for it. Thing is, it's very empty over there and too many jagged routes to take. We could get stranded often. We may have to walk for miles just to find gas. This can add days, weeks, maybe even months. Depending on our luck, we may have to head down to southern New Hampshire, adding even more days to our trip. If we go to Montreal, we're almost guaranteed fuel as we just cruise along the cities, but this trip will almost certainly delay our mission by weeks."
"God. Shit just gets worse and worse, huh?" grumbled Richard.
"And you'll be coming with us the entire way?" Vonda asked George.
"Just until you're out of New York," said George. "Remember... I'm not leaving this state until I stop your mother."
"Just you alone?"
"Yup."
"If you're going after her anyways, why don't we come with and help out? We have the numbers. A lot of us are trained to use guns now."
"I can't let you help me out. Your lives would all be put at risk."
"Do you have to do this? You can help us out in our mission instead."
"I-"
"Vonda, George's made his choice," said David. "We'll have to respect that."
"I know, it's just... okay," said a saddened Vonda.
Lori looked around and then faced David.
"So, we leave now?" asked Lori.
"Yeah," said David.
The group members all began to pack up and head to their vehicles. Lisa handed a cane to D as he limped towards the RV. Becky walked with him and made sure he didn't fall. Richard walked along Missy as she wore an arm sling.
Tad approached Carol, who was getting ready to enter Chaz's car.
"Hey," said Tad, scratching his head.
"Hi," replied Carol with a smile.
"Listen... I'm sorry about this, but I'm going to be in the RV. You see..."
"Oh, it's okay. I don't mind."
"Really? Thought you hated being alone."
"I'm not going to be alone. Sergei's here."
"Well, you know..."
"Hey, seriously, it's okay. Besides, I understand. I know what you're going through. Trust me."
"What do you mean?"
"I know you still have feelings for her. The fact that she's hanging out more often with another guy... I know that bitter feeling. Hope you two can make up and start dating again. Looks like you really need it."
"Come on, Carol... that's not why I'm going there..."
"Okay, Tad. But go on."
Tad nodded. He walked away and headed for the RV.
Sergei chuckled.
"What?" asked Carol.
"Nothing," said Sergei.
"Oh, come on, tell me!"
After a few minutes, the vehicles left, keeping themselves north of the canal. They now deviated from their planned route.