IV - The World Is Ours
-Next Day-
A metal can made a clang as it was knocked off a wooden table.
Luna pumped her fist in the air.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
Sam clapped her hands as Chunk nodded proudly.
The group members, surrounded by trees, were firing at metal targets. This time, no one was excluded from gun training.
Luan fired a shot, missing her can by a lot.
"Luan, try breathing slowly," said Lori. "Focus on your target and fire when you feel comfortable."
"Okay. But I don't think that's going to work…" said Luan.
Benny walked behind Luan and lightly grabbed her arms as she aimed with her pistol. Luan lay her head on his shoulder and onto Benny's cheek.
"Feel relaxed?" asked Benny.
"I would if you didn't drive me crazy," said Luan. "You know, in a good way."
Benny laughed as Lori rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Come on, you guys, we don't really have time for this," said Lori, holding back her happiness. "Benny, let her focus."
Luan giggled and her face flushed as she lifted her head from Benny's face.
"I'm helping though," said Benny. "Look."
Benny kept Luan's arms steady while she aimed with her sights.
"I got you," said Benny. "Go ahead."
Luan pulled the trigger. She failed to hit the metal can. She frowned slightly and lowered her gun, taking her finger off the trigger.
"Good try," said Lori. "Come on, Benny. Let her do it on her own."
"You know, if it makes you feel any better, you can have my katana," said Benny. "Only if something happens to me, of course."
"If anything happens to you?" anxiously repeated Luan. "Nothing's gonna happen to you. Please don't say that."
"Hey, you never know. We're heading into Piranha territory. Anything can happen. I could be next."
"Benny..."
"I'm just kidding. I don't want to jinx anything. But I am considering dropping this sword for another. When I do, I want you to take it."
Benny eyed Tad, who was focused on firing his pistol at a can.
Tad then glanced at Benny.
"Oh, no," said Tad. "Not even when I get good with a gun am I giving this sword up."
"Tad, you already know I can wield that sword better than you can."
Tad scoffed and walked away.
"I'll get it one day!" exclaimed Benny before facing Luan. "He's warming up to me."
Luan giggled.
"That's sweet, but... I don't know how to use a sword," said Luan.
"I'll train you. Soon enough, you'll know all the fencing techniques I learned."
"I'd like that very much."
Benny smiled.
"Go on," he said. "Don't let me distract you."
Luan giggled as she lifted her pistol and aimed at the cans.
Suddenly, leaves rustled among the bushes behind the trees. A roamer then appeared. It resembled a fisherman with its clothing and could've easily been mistaken as a human, but its decayed teeth, clumsy footing, and glowing golden eyes gave its deceased status away.
Richard approached his trainees.
"Perfect," he said. "We got a movin' target."
David nodded.
"Everyone!" exclaimed David. "You see that roamer over there? Which one of you can kill it first?"
"My bet's on the Moon Goat," said Richard.
"Mine's on Becky."
Becky aimed at the roamer and pulled the trigger. The multiple bullets he shot did not hit its head. The knockback from the bullets was not as strong as the kids expected since the roamer kept his footing, despite being very clumsy. Suddenly, a bullet made its way to the roamer's head and deep into its brain, killing the roamer.
"Boom! Got him!" cheered Luna.
Becky scoffed as she lowered her pistol.
"Pay up," said Richard, smirking.
"Get outta here, asshole," smiled David.
"Hmm. There's another one."
Becky and the other group members raised their pistols at the second roamer. However, Luna already had the roamer's head in her sights and shot her pistol. Sure enough, the bullet penetrated through the roamer's decaying skull, killing it instantly.
"Damn! Impressive shot!"
"Thanks," said Luna. "Looks like rocking instruments ain't my only skills."
"Just when I thought you couldn't be any more talented, you somehow prove me wrong," said Chunk. "You really are special."
"Thanks, love."
More gunshots were fired. Lily cooed as Leni and Darcy looked out the van windows.
"I know, Lily," sighed Leni. "Those gun thingies make me feel a little nervous too. I'm so glad Lori doesn't make go near them. I would probably cause some harm with those guns. And causing harm to anyone is the last thing I want to do."
"My Grandpa told me that guns are supposed to hurt people," said Darcy. "But only the bad guys. Grandpa was going to tell me more about guns, but my mom didn't want me to know more about it."
"And it's probably the best thing for you," said Lisa, popping out from behind a seat. "The only thing you need to know about those firearms is that you must not touch them unless there is danger. And when there is danger, you hand the gun to someone else, preferably anyone who knows how to operate a gun. That goes for you too, Leni."
"Gee, Lisa, you're smart," said Darcy.
"I know right?" added Leni.
"Don't mention it," said Lisa, looking at George, who was teaching Vonda how to repair guns.
Lisa was unable to make out what George was telling Vonda but through a thorough examination of what they were doing, she understood what they were doing, step-by-step. Vonda pointed the gun at the ground and carefully slid back the pistol chamber. However, the chamber slid back, causing the gun to go off and a bullet to launch itself to the grass, catching the group's attention.
"Sorry!" exclaimed Vonda.
George chuckled.
"Next time, remove the bullet from the chamber," said George.
Vonda nodded.
Lincoln went inside Vanzilla. He saw Lucy, sitting alone, writing in her diary.
"Hey, Luce. Have you seen Liam?"
"I have not. But he's not the only one missing."
"Wait, who else is missing?"
A door creaked as it opened, letting the sunlight inside.
The silhouettes of four legs appeared before footsteps were heard as the legs went into motion.
"You got the bag?" asked a male voice.
"I do," said a female voice.
"Great."
Glass could be heard shattering. Gumballs then poured out of a gumball machine and fell into a bag.
"Nice."
A hand reached down to grab a pair of binoculars.
"We should also take this," said the female voice.
A door busted open as the two survivors ran out into the roof. They ran to the edge of the roof and looked out into the distance, seeing houses and buildings on the edge of a glittering blue river.
"What'd I say, Tabs, was this not gonna be a great view or what?"
"Yeah, you were right, Liam. This is an amazing view."
"Come on, let's go 'head and sit on the edge."
Tabby smiled as she grabbed Liam's hand and walked to the edge of the roof with him. Then they both sat down, setting the bag of gumballs and the binoculars down. They let their legs hang freely as they sat next to each other, watching the calm and slow river.
"Gumball me," said Tabby.
"Sure thing," said Liam.
Liam grabbed a gumball from the plastic bag and placed it in Tabby's mouth as she grabbed the binoculars.
She looked out into the river and saw how smooth the water was. She then looked out into a tree and saw birds sitting there, stalking the ground below them.
"Nothin' beat this, eh?"
"You know, I was hesitant to follow you at first," said Tabby, removing the binoculars from her eyes. "I mean, a trip like this is just... reckless, right?"
"Right. But you followed me anyways."
"I did."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I guess after a month of being confined in the vehicles and constantly being around the group members, it felt a bit suffocating. Like I was trapped. And for a moment, I was okay with it. What happened with Rocky... it made me afraid of going off on my own. But when you asked me to come with you... it's like I felt eager. And the weird part is that I'm still afraid. So I don't really know why I followed you here."
"Well, I'll tell you why I asked you to come with me out here," said Liam, placing a bubblegum into his mouth. "What happened with Rocky was a real tragedy. I mean, I really do feel for Rusty, you know? But after what happened to him, we all got so scared of dyin' that we stopped livin'. We can't go nowhere without the group's approval and we can't just go wherever we like either. We have to stay on track for the mission and stuff. But I was thinkin' about what we wanted to do before we started the mission. We all agreed we were gonna have a fun road trip. We were gonna live like the world belonged to us. Why did we stop doin' that? Because we were afraid to die? Francisco died even when he tried to be as safe as he could. Lola did too. So it really got me thinkin'... we really can die any moment now. We may not even make it to Houlton. And if we do... our folks... may not even be there. So why not live a little? While the group's trainin', we can just take a little moment to explore. There ain't no laws, no government, no police, nothing. We're completely free to do whatever we want. The world's... truly ours. So before I die... I want to experience that freedom. And there's no one else I'd rather experience that than with you."
Tabby's cheeks reddened as she couldn't help but remove her eyes from Liam. Her heart fluttered.
"Y-Yeah," she stammered. "I'm glad you think that way of me..."
"You know..."
Liam was blushing heavily as well.
"...what I'm saying, right?"
"I think so."
"Do you... see me the same way?"
Tabby looked at Liam's hand as it inched closer to hers. She smiled as she inched hers towards Liam's.
"I do," said Tabby.
Liam placed his hand over Tabby's before their fingers grabbed each others. As they held each other's hand, they swung their feet back and forth, watching the tranquil river flow quietly.
Gunshots continued to go off as Tad grabbed a water bottle from Chunk's van. He began to chug it as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He then looked at Bobby, who was leaning against the back of Vanzilla, looking down, appearing to talk to himself. He set the water bottle down and walked over to the van.
"Hey, man, how you holding up?" asked Tad.
"Huh? Oh, hey, Tad. I'm doing fine," replied Bobby.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"
"Saw you talking to yourself."
"Oh, was I? Huh. Weird. I must be nervous."
"I bet. We're getting real close to your city, huh?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"I don't know, man... feels like there's something more going on. Feels like you're hiding something."
"Me? Oh, no, no, everything's fine!"
"Look, I respect your privacy, but you know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Can I?"
"Yeah. And it looks like you want to say something. Look at you. Sweaty. Pale. Worried. It's like you aged twenty years in the past two weeks. You... you don't have a roamer bite, do you?"
Bobby shook his head. He then looked around and motioned Tad to follow him as he walked into the woods.
Lori looked at the two as they headed into the woods. She remained where she stood.
"We were already away from everyone else," said Tad.
"It wasn't isolated enough," said Bobby. "Look. I need some advice. This has been killing me all this time."
"Sure, sure, I'm all ears, man."
"I... I lied to my sister. I haven't been truthful with the group."
"About what?"
"My family. You see... they're... they're..."
"My god..."
"Yeah."
"How do you know?"
"I saw them... just when we left Detroit. Their bodies... their car... there was no mistake. It was them. Only Lori and I know. Chaz saw them too, but he's not around anymore. But he knew too."
Bobby leaned against a tree and wiped a tear from his eye.
"So... no one is waiting for you or your sister in Albany," said Tad.
"I didn't see my mom with them. So a part of me is hoping that she may still be in Albany..."
"Jesus. I'm sorry, man. That's... that's tough. It's heartbreaking."
Tad scratched his head.
"Should I tell my sister?" asked Bobby.
Tad took a deep breath and thought about it for a minute.
"I think you should tell the group," said Tad. "That way we can avoid Albany."
"But my mom..."
"After everything we've seen, you really think she is still there?"
"I don't know..."
"We'd be risking the lives of everyone for nothing."
"You think... my mom is nothing?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I'm saying we can lose people just to get to your apartment and we may not even find your mom."
Tad sighed.
"But... I get it. If you didn't see your mom... then that must mean she wasn't with them. If your mom really is in Albany, I wouldn't want to stop you from reuniting with her. Even if she isn't there, your sister may be able to keep whatever hope she may have. But false hope... I don't know. Your sister... she may find out one day. The longer you make her hope, the more it could break her when she finds out the truth. She deserves to know the truth. So... I do think you should tell your sister. We can save some lives by not going to Albany."
"Or I could lose her forever."
"Yeah. The choice is yours. I won't tell anyone."
"Thanks, Tad."
Tad nodded. He walked away, his eyes wide as he returned to the vehicles. He saw the group members and sighed, wondering how many secrets each member was truly holding. He wondered how many were putting his life at risk.
Bobby returned to the vehicles as well. He looked around, wondering where Ronnie Anne was.
The water continued to flow slowly.
"I think we should return to the group now," said Tabby, leaning her head against Liam's shoulder.
"Mmm. I wish time would freeze right about now just so this moment could last forever."
"Yeah. Same here."
Liam raised his eyebrows as he heard someone approaching below them. He looked down from the roof and noticed Ronnie Anne looking up at them.
"What... in the heck are you guys doing up there?" exclaimed Ronnie Anne.
"Uh... sightseeing?"
The door slammed open as Ronnie Anne entered the roof.
Liam and Tabby stood up and walked towards Ronnie Anne.
"You really thought you could sneak away from the group and get away with it?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Well, to be fair, I ain't think anyone was stalkin' us," said Liam.
"I wasn't stalking you guys! I'm just very observant!"
"You're not gonna tell anyone we were here, right?" asked Tabby.
"Of course I will. I got a walkie on me right now. I'm about to tell everyone."
"Oh come on, Ronnie. You sure we can't bribe you with bubblegum?"
"No."
"Ronnie, you sure we can't keep this a secret?" asked Liam. "I mean, you're good at keeping secrets, ain't ya? There's some mutual trust between us, right?"
"No, enough secrets! I'm sick of secrets! You know what happened the last time I didn't snitch on two stupid lovers sneaking out? Rocky died! I could've saved him had I just told on him and Lucy when they snuck out! But I won't let that happen again!"
"Ronnie..." whispered Tabby.
Liam gulped.
"Geez, I had no idea," he said. "It's different this time, though. Tabs and I know the risk. We know the consequences to doin' this. We know we could die doin' this. But... we're takin' the risk anyways 'cause we know it's worth it. Look at the river. Imagine being free to explore and seeing sights like this without anythin' holdin' us back... it's what we have the freedom to do now. But we can't do that because David don't let us do that. So we have to sneak out. But if you tell him, then we're never gonna be able to sneak out 'cause we'll always have someone watching us."
"Maybe that's for the better," said Ronnie Anne.
"Is it? It's like what I told Tabs. It's possible... our folks ain't waitin' for us in Houlton. It's possible we may not even make it there... so why not enjoy every day like it's our last?"
Ronnie Anne sighed. She then shook her head.
"Fine. I won't tell," she said. "Let's just go back."
Liam and Tabby both sighed a breath of relief.
"Go get the binoculars," said Liam. "We're leavin', unfortunately."
Tabby nodded and walked towards the edge of the roof.
Ronnie Anne then leaned close to Liam.
"I'm not doing this for your sake or even mine," whispered Ronnie Anne. "I'm doing this for Lincoln. Die if you want. But Lincoln's secret stays safe with us."
"Okay, I'm ready," said Tabby, approaching the two.
Liam gulped and nodded. He then forced a smile at Tabby.
"Great," he said. "Let's go."
The smell of gunpowder littered the air as David and George were picking up the metal cans from the ground and stacking them together.
"That's it, guys," said David. "You all did great. It's improvement from last time."
"Are we going to be ready if they ever attack?" asked Sam.
"There's no way to really know. But you all know how to use a gun. That greatly improves your chances of surviving. I mean it."
The group members were satisfied with that answer and set down their pistols and removed their earplugs.
Becky was placing cartridges into her magazine for her Glock 17 pistol before Tad approached her. She rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, what do you want now?" asked Becky.
"I don't wanna fight," said Tad. "I just wanna talk."
"Yeah, because that went so well last time."
"I'm sorry about last time."
"Yeah, me too. Can't you see I'm busy?"
Tad scratched his hair.
"I just wanted to clear some stuff up," said Tad. "Be honest with you."
Becky looked at Tad. There was no hint of malice in his eyes. She sighed and followed Tad into the woods.
Dana looked at the two before D walked up to her.
"Hey, where's Becky?" he asked.
"Talking to Tad," said Dana.
"Again?"
"Sorry, dude. He's known her longer than you have."
D grumbled as he walked away.
Becky and Tad came to a stop upon seeing no one around.
"Make this quick," said Becky. "We're leaving soon."
"Alright. About what happened the other day... I'm very sorry."
"I know. You just made that clear."
"Not clear enough. I mean I'm sorry about the things I said. The truth is... you were right. I was jealous. Seeing you hang out with D and getting close to him... it hurts. And not only that... I was very unfair to you. I didn't realize how much it hurt you seeing me with Carol until now. And for that... I'm very sorry."
"No. You still don't realize how much it hurt me. It hurts me worse than it hurts you. D is just some stranger to you. Just some guy that you met on the road. Carol? She's my enemy. She was so determined to make my life a living hell. That's what she is to me."
"Well, I don't wanna date her anymore. I can't. I can't because I can't stop thinking about you. I want you in my life, Becky. Even if we're not dating... can we at least be friends?"
Becky looked away.
"Please, please look at me."
"Okay, Tad. I get it."
"Look at me in the eyes and tell me you feel the same way."
Becky sighed. She turned around and looked at Tad as her eyes got watery.
"I miss you too," she said. "But I can't. As long as you're friends with Carol Pingrey, I can't be with you."
"But Dana... she's friends with Carol. So is Lori. Yet you're still friends with them."
"But I don't wanna be friends with you. I wanna be your girlfriend again. I wanna love you again. But friends...? That... that'd just be too painful."
"Look, I'm not saying I'd choose Carol over you, because I totally wouldn't. I'd choose you, over and over again. But you have to realize... Carol is just not that person anymore. That's why Lori forgave her. That's why Dana forgave her. Why can't you?"
"Because I don't want to! Do you even know how embarrassing that Spirit Week thing was? She made me the laughingstock of the school for a month! I had to go to therapy for that! And when I told on her, no one believed me! Not even you! You might've been my boyfriend but you certainly weren't on my side, not even then. My mother... was so patronizing- it drove me insane! Not to mention everyone saw my breasts! Do you know how disgusting some men can be? They made comments every single fucking day I went to school- so much so that I didn't wanna go anymore. Every time I came home, I'd call you just to stop myself from hurting myself! I bet if I had killed myself, Carol would've been sad- only because she didn't get to record me hanging myself! And it's not like Lori or Dana forgot- I just didn't tell them. But I told you! And I thought you cared! But every time you share a laugh with her, every time you smile at her, every second you sing for her..."
Becky's voice broke. She was in complete tears by now.
"...it makes me think you didn't actually care. Or maybe... or maybe you just forgot. Because how could you be friends with someone who did that to the girl you love?"
Tad took a deep breath, holding his own tears back.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Tad tried to hug Becky, but she simply fended his arms away.
"No, stop," she said. "Just don't."
Becky walked away.
Tad stood alone. He then wiped a tear from his eye.
Lincoln ran up to Lori frantically.
"Liam and Tabby aren't here," said Lincoln.
Bobby then approached Lori.
"Neither is my sister," said Bobby.
Lori looked around in a panic. She then quickly composed herself and took a deep breath.
"Okay, let's just a take a breather," said Lori. "When was the last time you saw them?"
"I don't know, maybe like an hour ago?" said Lincoln.
"Same here," said Bobby.
Lori turned around and walked towards David.
"Hey, we're missing Ronnie Anne, Liam, and Tabby," said Lori.
"Really?" sighed David. "Jesus Christ. Listen up, everyone! Has anyone seen Ronnie Anne, Liam, or Tabby?"
"Calm down!" exclaimed a voice from the woods. "We're right here."
The group members looked towards the woods, seeing Liam, Tabby, and Ronnie Anne walking side by side.
"Oh, thank goodness," said Bobby.
"Where were you guys?" asked Lori in a stern voice.
"Taking a potty break," said Liam.
"Then we saw this pretty river," said Tabby.
"And then we got carried away and started talking about life and stuff," said Ronnie Anne. "You know, they were really calming my nerves about the whole Albany thing. You know, even though I may not see my family there, I still have hope that they're out there. Just needed Liam to really remind me about that. Again."
"Well, at least let us know," said David. "You're gonna worry us sick."
"We had a walkie," said Liam. "Y'all could've just said something. We woulda' responded."
Lori sighed.
"All right," said Lori. "We're leaving now, so get ready."
Ronnie Anne nodded. Lincoln approached her.
"What were you guys really doing out there?" asked Lincoln.
"What do you mean?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Did you actually see a pretty river and start talking about life and stuff?"
"Yeah, actually."
Ronnie Anne flashed a smile and walked away.
"Huh," said Lincoln. "Okay."
Becky walked out of the woods with reddened eyes and headed for the RV.
Both Dana and D looked at Becky with worry.
"Hey, Becky, what's wrong?" asked Dana.
"Nothing," huffed Becky. "Let's just go."
Tad walked out of the woods, scratching his head. He noticed the stares in his direction from certain group members.
"What did you say?" asked Dana before she walked to the RV.
"Bro..." said D with a frustrated expression.
D walked away to the RV.
Tad walked over to Chunk's van before being stopped by Carol.
"What happened out there?" she asked.
Tad stared at Carol. He felt a mixture of emotions. Anger. Sorrow. Pity.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Tad walked away and entered Chunk's van.
Carol stood there as the group members all returned to their vehicles. She then looked at the RV and clutched her shirt, feeling pity for both Becky and Tad.
-Next Day-
A pigeon pecked at bread crumbs in the road. It then heard incoming vehicles and flapped its wings away.
Four vehicles drove slowly by the bread crumbs, being careful not to crash into any of the abandoned cars in the road. The sun was setting, making it harder to see without headlights.
"What are the chances we got spotted already?" asked Vonda.
"Don't know," said George. "It's possible they may put scouts on top of some buildings. But they may have scouts on the west. They probably don't think anyone's coming from direction."
"Probably?"
"Hopefully."
"There's too much ground to cover," said David. "I doubt they have scouts. If I were them, I'd put my scouts on the bridges. They have to know we want to leave the city at some point. So they either put scouts on I-90 where we came from or they put 'em on the bridges to the east. They're betting on the fact that we think I-90 is the only bridge without congestion, so I'd probably put my Piranhas in there."
"Are we taking that bridge?" asked Vonda.
"No," said David. "We're going to head to Bobby's apartment first, which is more to the south. But not too southwards that we get too close to the Piranha's base. Then, we take the south bridge across the Hudson River."
"And how do we know that bridge isn't congested?" asked Wavehead.
"It wasn't the last time I was here," said George. "Though it's possible the Piranhas may have plugged it up."
"If that's the case, then we head northwards to Troy. We may end up in the same situation, but at least there is less risk of running into Piranhas."
"We couldn't have done that from the start?" asked Vonda.
"It took us hours to clear out the jammed roads. The Piranhas like to roam around a lot. Remember, they're still looking for George. The closer to Albany we are, the higher our chances of being caught are. Troy is too close, but we really don't have more time to waste. It's already mid-July and we're not even close to Maine."
"Damn. Fucking Piranhas."
"Your father really let you talk like that?" asked George.
"Yeah, and it made him laugh. Oh, what's that?"
"What's what?"
Vonda pointed a finger on George's chest, causing him to look down. She then ran the finger up George's face, causing him to flinch.
"Hey!" exclaimed George.
Vonda cackled as the group members around them chuckled.
"Thought this new world would've made you kids grow up faster. Looks like I was wrong!"
Vonda continued to laugh before she noticed a scar on the back of George's neck.
"Oh, hey, what's this?" asked Vonda.
"Nope. Not falling for that again."
"No, seriously. This thing in the back of your neck. Looks like a scar."
George touched the back of his neck and felt the texture of his skin.
"Yeah. Remember, I went undercover? I needed a Piranha tattoo too. The tattoo removal wasn't too good. Good thing it wasn't such a large tattoo, otherwise, I would've been scratching my damn neck off."
"Hey, language."
"Quiet, you little shit."
Vonda broke into laughter as George chuckled.
David turned on the headlights.
"You don't think we'll get spotted?" asked Missy.
"We ain't stoppin'," said Richard.
"What he said," remarked David. "Longer we wait, the more we risk getting caught. They already know how our vehicles look like, so we can't just park them."
"Got it," said Missy.
Becky looked out the window. Dana then sat down next to her.
"Hey, girl," whispered Dana. "I know you said you wanted to be left alone, but I just wanted to ask if you tried this bubblegum that Liam apparently found when were clearing out the bridge."
"I'm not hungry," said Becky.
"Well, technically you don't eat it. You chew it. Anyways, I just thought you may have wanted something to keep you awake for the next couple hours."
"I'm alright."
"Can you at least look at me in the eye when you say that?"
Becky turned around and faced Dana.
"I'm..." said Becky before choking on her words.
"You know you can talk to me. We can whisper if you want. I can even clear out the booth table if needed."
Becky shook her head. She sighed and looked down, clasping her hands together.
"Dana... do you really forgive Carol for everything she's done?"
"I do."
"Even... for what she did in Spirit Week?"
"She apologized for that. And she seemed genuine. So, yes... I do."
Becky sighed.
"So you actually think she's sorry."
"Not only that- I don't think she's that same Carol from high school."
"But how-? How could she have changed?"
"I guess when the world ends, it makes you rethink your priorities. Maybe she believes in karma. Whatever the case... she definitely changed."
"But we didn't..."
"I went from hating her to seeing her as a friend. Two months ago, I'd never thought I'd do that. Same goes for Lori. I guess this world just does that to you."
"What- change you?"
"Yeah. And you shouldn't resist it. We're changing for a reason. We're adapting. We need each other, so we have to become better people for each other. And let's face it. We're the last people on Earth. We're stuck with each other."
Becky took a deep breath and nodded.
"Y-Yeah," quivered Becky. "I guess we are."
Becky looked back at the window by the booth table. It was covered up by curtains, but nevertheless, she stared at its direction.
Suddenly, the RV came to a stop.
"Oh," said George. "What happened?"
"There's something blocking the road," said David. "A bunch of cars."
David's eyes suddenly shot open.
"Wait."
Headlights from the cars blocking the road turned on. They illuminated the front of the RV as well as the road around it, showing abandoned cars, the front of the buildings next to the road, and some parts of the Hudson River next to the road.
A voice could then be heard echoing outside.
"That's good right there. Great. Now come outside!"
Despite the cool air inside the RV, sweat formed on David's face. He looked ahead, almost paralyzed as he reached for the shotgun on the side of his seat.
"Fuckin' hell," whispered Richard.
"Don't try anything funny. We got cars blocking your path, so you can't try that shit you did back at the toll booths."
"What do we do?" asked Missy.
"What's going on?" asked Vonda.
"It's Sherry," said George. "Shit, shit, shit."
Gunshots popped off rapidly as Sherry fired her submachine gun up in the air.
"You got about five seconds to come out! If you don't, then we're going in there and killing anyone who doesn't have red hair! So... gingers rejoice. It's our day!"
David shook his head as he stood up and looked at the group members.
"You stay here," said David.
"You're going out there?" asked George.
"Yeah."
David opened the door and walked out with Richard and Missy.
Becky stood up and pulled her pistol out of her holster.
"Wait, Becky, you don't have to-" said Dana.
"They're not letting us out alive," said Becky. "We have to fight back."
Becky followed the adults out of the RV as Dana looked at D.
"Shit, man, I don't know... I think our chances are better here," said D.
David walked forward holding his shotgun. He looked back and saw Lori and Sergei coming out, both of them holding assault rifles. The two joined him and Richard, Missy, and Becky.
They all created a wall-like formation as they looked ahead, seeing Sherry standing in front of her truck, holding a megaphone and a submachine gun. Behind her were many Piranhas, all aiming their weapons at the vehicles and the six group members. Among the Piranhas was Gus, whose face was scarred.
The headlights were beaming brightly at the six group members.
"Glad you could join us," said Sherry, lowering her megaphone. "Gotta admit, I thought I'd have to go bust through the vehicles myself."
Sherry took a deep breath.
"Where's George?" asked Sherry.
"You already had your chance," said David. "You blew it."
Sherry grit her teeth and stared David down before forcing a smile.
"You got some massive balls, don't ya?" she quipped.
Sherry set the megaphone down on the truck and stretched her arms out.
"I don't know how perfect your vision is, but look around."
Sherry turned around and then around again.
"Eh, it is kinda dark so I guess I can't fault you for acting so brave. But I have a lot of men and women here hiding in the dark behind the cars."
"I see them," said David.
"So you see them aiming their guns at you? Ready to slaughter your entire group? Maybe you are stupider than I thought."
A few roamers from the city came out of the buildings next to the vehicles and walked towards the road where David and Sherry were.
Two Piranhas moved away from their positions and stabbed a few of the roamers.
"We don't have time for this," said David.
"I guess even a stupid person knows that. So let's make this quick. I need George and my daughter to come out. Matter of fact, I want everyone in the group to come out. Now."
"Why the hell would I let that happen?"
"Because I entrust you to at least be smart enough to know what will happen if you don't. You want the people around you alive, don't you? I don't need all of you alive to get George and my daughter back."
David looked back and nodded.
Dana came out of the RV with Wavehead and Lynn. They were armed.
Chunk came out of the van with Luna, Sam, and Tad. They were armed.
Sergei came out of the car with Carol. They were armed.
All the inhabitants of Vanzilla came out, most of them armed.
D looked at George and Vonda while they were still in the RV.
"What the hell's going on?" asked D.
"I don't know," said Vonda. "Come on, David... this is stupid..."
"We have to trust him," said George.
"I don't know..."
"Do you trust me?"
Vonda took a deep breath and gave a nod.
Sherry looked at the armed group members and smirked.
"Well, don't you all look tough?" said Sherry. "Almost like you can move stashes on your own. Like the people we killed back when the world was normal."
Lynn was breathing heavily as she stared at Sherry. She could feel her fists losing blood before loosening them a bit.
"There are two people that are missing however. I believe I did ask for them first."
"If you wish," said David.
George grabbed Vonda's arm and shoved a gun to the back of her head.
"W-Wait!" stammered Vonda.
"Ayo!" gasped D. "What are you doing, man?"
"Shush. Keep quiet and stay still," said George. "You do that, you may get out of this situation alive."
George walked out of the RV as he held Vonda at gunpoint.
Sherry's eyes widened as she felt her stomach sink.
Vonda was breathing rapidly as she felt the cold tip of the barrel pressing against her head. She had her hands raised next to her head.
Some of the Piranhas were caught off-guard.
"Jesus..." whispered Gus.
Lori felt the sweat in her face get thicker as she looked at Vonda's frightened face. She then turned around to see her siblings, seeing their frightened expressions as well. She inhaled deeply and exhaled.
"No," said Sherry. "You won't."
"You killed my daughter," said George. "You don't think I'd kill yours?"
Vonda looked at Sherry. Her mother looked at her back.
The two stared at each other, uncertain about what was to happen next.
"You're gonna let us pass," said David. "You don't, then we'll just have to fight right here. All the gunshots are gonna attract the roamers. A few of you may make it out alive. Maybe it'll be you. But it won't matter. Your little girl's brain matter will paint this road."
Sherry gulped as she felt her heart beating fast. She knew she lost all control of the situation.
"You can leave George and my daughter here," said Sherry. "That other girl with the bow too."
David turned over to Lynn, who looked at Sherry.
"Me?" asked Lynn.
"Why the hell do you want her?" asked Lori.
"She's family, no?" asked Sherry.
Lori wondered how Sherry knew, but she refused to confirm. However, her question did feel ambiguous.
"No one's coming with you," said David. "You already had your chance, now you let us pass."
The roamers began to growl louder as some came together in packs. The Piranhas began to use their guns to dispatch the roamers. The roamers dropped one by one, creating a pattern of growls before a gunshot.
"You really think I won't stop going after my daughter?" hissed Sherry.
"You can try," said David. "Everyone, head back to the vehicles."
The roamers came in larger packs until it started entering the roads. Sherry watched as the roamers started coming closer to the Piranhas.
Sherry growled as she walked back to her truck.
Andrew placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Are we really letting them pass?" asked Andrew.
Sherry placed her hand on the door of her pickup truck. She opened it, but instead of opening it, she simply stood there. She watched George walk Vonda back to the RV, still holding her at gunpoint.
"George!" shouted Sherry.
Some of the group members froze as George turned around.
"You know... your little girl... she didn't die instantly. She suffered. But not enough. I should've just told Andrew to leave her there. That way you could see her die in front of your eyes."
George gripped the pistol tightly as he panted.
"George..." whispered Vonda, her voice sounding worried. "Don't."
The group members quickly took cover behind the cars as David got ready to fire his shotgun.
"George, ignore her," said David.
George stared at Sherry. He then saw a slight smirk on her face. He shook his head and continued to walk to the RV.
"I knew it," whispered Sherry before looking at the Piranhas. "Go ahead. Everyone but George and Vonda and the other girl."
David gasped as he crouched down and leaped behind a car.
Gunshots went off as George and Vonda flinched.
Becky lowered herself behind a car as Lynn leaped into the RV.
Tad leaned against Chunk's van as Luna and Sam held their weapons, preparing to counterattack.
Sergei and Carol went inside their car, lowering themselves as bullets flew by.
Lily was crying while Lisa and Darcy kept themselves well-hidden behind the seats.
Leni covered her head and trembled as bullets ricocheted off the RV and hit random cars around the road.
Clyde, Rusty, and Zach held the bulletproof vests in place as they tried to protect the front part of Vanzilla.
Liam hopped out of Vanzilla, despite Tabby trying to hold him back.
"Wait!" exclaimed Tabby.
"There ain't no escape," said Liam. "We have to fight back."
Smoke blew off Sherry's submachine gun as she grabbed a magazine and reloaded her gun.
David and Lori used the cars as cover as they moved away from the Piranhas. However, two Piranhas were approaching them.
"David, look out!" shouted Lori.
David fired his shotgun, blasting one in the chest and one in the torso.
Chunks of their flesh and organs painted the abandoned cars as they fell to the ground screaming.
"Oh my god..." gasped Lori.
Her eyes were glued to the Piranhas before David placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Come with me," he urged.
Lori nodded.
Roamers in the distance began to stumble their way to the firefight.
"Get in the RV!" exclaimed George.
Vonda nodded as she ran inside.
George held his pistol and kept close to the RV as bullets continue to fly past and into the vehicles.
Missy and Richard were on the other side of the RV, cut off from David and Lori.
"You need to get inside the RV," said Richard.
"But the others..." stammered Missy.
"No, your safety's important too. You can't even fire a gun yet without popping your damn shoulder off."
Richard sighed.
"Please... just get inside."
Missy nodded reluctantly and ran inside the RV as Richard lifted his Python up.
"Luna, get down!" exclaimed Sam.
"I told you I was going to protect you, Sam!" huffed Luna. "I'm not breaking my promise!"
Luna ran forward, heading to the right of the RV where Richard was.
"Damn it!" muttered Sam.
"You ain't fightin' back?" asked Chunk.
"Are you?"
"Nah. Just keep the roamers away from the group."
Sam turned around and looked at the roamers that were approaching from the city. She gulped as she lifted her gun.
Bullets continued to pop off as George fired at the Piranha vehicles. He hit a Piranha creeping on the edge of the road, blasting their shoulder open. The Piranha cried out in pain as she dropped her weapon. She then collapsed to the ground as blood continued to squirt out of her shoulder.
The Piranha next to her fired his bullets at George, causing him to flinch and instinctively duck for cover.
"Shit," he muttered.
"Blyat! We cannot stay here!" urged Sergei.
"Of course we can!" shouted Carol.
Sergei shook his head and grabbed his M4 rifle and got out of the car.
Carol groaned as she grabbed her pistol and took a deep breath. Sweat swamped her neck as she looked over at the road ahead of her. It wasn't like the firefight back in Utica. No, this was more disorganized. It was chaos.
Tad held the pistol close to his face as he continued to slide his back up Chunk's van. He then moved past Vanzilla, inching closer to the RV. He then saw Dana and Wavehead behind the RV.
"Where's Becky?" asked Tad.
"Over there!" cried Dana.
Tad looked at Becky, who was trapped alone. There was too much space between the RV and her cover. He felt his heart pounding as the crack of gunfire bounced around his ears.
David continued to remain low as he walked over to Chunk's van with Lori right behind him.
A roamer walked past a fire hydrant, spilling its saliva on the ground as it walked towards Richard and Luna. Suddenly, its eyes popped out of its head as its skull blew open. The roamer fell to the ground as Sam fired her pistol at another roamer.
Sam heard footsteps behind her and turned around in a panic before seeing David, who raised his hands.
"Woah, woah, it's just me," said David.
Sam panted as she lowered her pistol. Her finger remained on the trigger guard.
"Good trigger discipline."
"Yeah," said Sam, trying to control her breathing.
More disorganized and irregular gunshots continued going off, causing Sam to close her eyes. David rummaged through the crates inside Chunk's van.
"Where's Luna?" asked Lori.
"She's helping you guys fight. I'm just... keeping the roamers off."
Lori looked over at the RV, seeing Luna and Richard leaning against the right side of the RV, keeping themselves in the shadow of a wrecked car ahead of them.
"That's good," said David, opening a crate. "Keep it up. Don't need roamers biting our ass."
"Yes, sir."
David took out two grenades and handed one to Lori.
"What's this?" asked Lori.
"That... is our key to getting them out of the way," said David.
David and Lori moved up the van and towards the RV. Suddenly, a voice called out to them.
"Lori!" whispered Lincoln. "What do we do?"
Lori looked at Lincoln, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and Luan. They were across the road where a large amount of space was left between their cover and Vanzilla and the RV.
"Just stay there," said Lori. "Don't move yet."
"Listen," said David, placing his finger in the pin of his grenade. "You see this?"
"Yeah.
"Pull back the pin like this…"
David pulled the pin of the grenade and tossed it over the RV.
Sherry watched as the grenade flew over her. She then turned around and gasped.
An explosion blew the back half of a car apart, killing two Piranhas that were using it as cover.
"Holy fucking hell!" shouted a Piranha.
"Alright. Here goes nothing," said Lori.
Lori pulled the pin on her grenade and threw it over the RV as well.
"Move out of the way!" shouted Sherry.
The Piranhas moved forward or to the edges of the road, using the abandoned parked cars to protect themselves from the second grenade's explosion.
A large shockwave from the second grenade shattered the windows on some of the cars. Some of the vehicles were also on fire now. One such vehicle was Sherry's truck.
"How many of those do they got?" shouted a Piranha.
George continued to stand by the front door of the RV, watching the Piranhas move through a small slit between the side mirrors and the front windshield. He then saw them shooting at something else to the road to his right. He looked through the windows of the driver's door and front passenger door and saw multiple roamers approaching the groups.
"Trouble on the other side!" exclaimed George as he turned around.
"What?" shouted David.
Gunshots then resounded from the other side of the RV.
"Luna!" gasped Lori.
"Let's go!" shouted David.
George, David, and Lori ran to the back of the RV as they made their way to the other side. Dana and Wavehead watched as they passed them.
"Go on the right!" shouted Andrew. "You, on the left! Watch the roamers!"
Becky looked as the Piranhas began to push ahead in large groups. Among them was Sherry and Andrew.
"Shit! They're coming!" whispered Becky.
D opened the front door and looked at Becky.
"Becky! Get inside!" yelled D.
"I can't!" cried out Becky.
D saw a flash of light pass them before hearing a clink. Sweat dripped from his face.
"Keep the door open, D," said Tad. "Becky, look at me!"
Becky looked at Tad with frightened eyes.
"I'll count from three. On zero, you run to the RV and you don't stop, got it?"
Becky nodded.
"Three!"
Lana shrieked as bullets flew over her. Suddenly, Sergei and Carol ran over to her and hid behind her cover.
"Two!"
Liam and Tabby walked toward the sidewalk, using the parked cars to hide themselves from the headlights.
"One!"
Luna and Richard were firing at the roamers that were coming from an intersection ahead in the road. They were starting to overwhelm both the group and the Piranhas. Suddenly, David, George, and Lori joined them.
"Zero!"
Tad leaped out of the cover of the RV and exposed himself to the broken headlights of the Piranha vehicles, firing his pistol rapidly at them.
Becky stood up from her cover and ran across the road as Sherry raised her submachine gun. She gasped as she looked at Sherry's angry expression.
Sherry pulled the trigger. Her submachine gun sprayed bullets at the unprotected road. The bullets flew past Lincoln's cover, Lana's cover, the RV, Vanzilla, Chunk's van, Chaz's car. It then struck flesh.
Becky dropped to the floor of the RV as D moved out the way. She then turned around and screamed.
"TAD!"
Patches of blood gushed out from Tad's waist as he fell to his knees.
Becky reached out for Tad as Sherry lowered her submachine gun. Sherry then took out her sidearm and jogged to her right, getting a better angle at the left side of the RV.
Surrounded by John and Andrew, Sherry aimed her pistol at Becky and pulled the trigger.
Tad raised his arm and leaped forward, causing the bullet to lodge itself into Tad's arm as his blood stained the RV.
"NO!"
Tad dropped to the floor with his knee bent and gasped as he held his arm in pain.
Lynn grabbed Becky and pulled her into the RV.
"Let me go!" yelled Becky, tears flowing out of her eyes.
"Stop!" exclaimed Lynn.
"Go... go!" huffed Tad. "Please..."
D slammed the front door and closed it, before more gunshots went off.
"Oh my god," panted Missy, turning around from the passenger seat.
Lynn looked at Becky, her eyes wide open as she released her. She watched her sob into D's arms.
"What the hell was that?" asked Richard, having heard a scream from the other side of the RV.
"Was that one of our own?" asked David.
"That sounded like Becky," said Lori.
Lori then saw a roamer coming out of a building next to her. She gasped before seeing Liam shoot down the roamer.
"Watch yer' surroundings!" exclaimed Liam.
Lori nodded as she raised her rifle and fired at the roamers pouring into the sidewalk.
"They're fuckin' pushing us," said Richard.
"The Piranhas?" asked David.
"Yeah! Fuck! We gotta pull back!"
Gus, Bruna, and a few other Piranhas moved ahead while using the cars as cover, hiding themselves in the darkness. They allowed the roamers to move towards David and the others as they raised their guns.
"Let 'em pass," said Gus. "Then we-"
Gus was interrupted by a bullet flying through his throat. He gagged, catching the roamers' attention.
Luna shot her gun once more and grazed a Piranha on the shoulder, causing him to scream.
Some of the roamers at the intersection now turned towards the Piranhas hiding behind the wrecked cars.
"Pull back! Pull back!" shouted Bruna.
The Piranhas quickly backed away from the intersection, though keeping themselves hidden from David and the others.
Gus gasped for air before seeing a roamer walk over him. The roamer then feel to its knees and dug its nails into his face, ripping it apart as Gus struggled to scream.
Luna ducked below the wrecked car and took a deep breath as David grabbed a roamer and stabbed it with his knife.
"Fucking hell," chuckled Richard. "Good shot."
Luna smiled and nodded. She then saw David's concerned face.
"What is it?" whispered Luna.
"They're heading for the other side," said David.
Tad groaned as he used his one good arm to grab onto the pavement. Blood leaked out from his lips. In this moment, he did not feel useless. He looked up and saw Sherry standing in front of him. She raised his pistol, aiming it at him.
A roamer began to approach Sherry from the back.
Tad smiled. He then heard a gunshot as Sherry turned around and let the killed roamer fall to the ground.
Sherry continued to fire her pistol at the roamers, pushing her away from Tad.
"There are roamers outside," said Missy.
"The back door!" gasped Lucy.
Benny turned around and rushed to close the back door.
"Quick, she's distracted!" remarked Luan.
Benny grabbed the door handle but then saw Luan. He paused.
"Wait!" gasped Benny.
"Luan, wait!" exclaimed Lincoln.
Luan ran over to the RV, but not before Sherry instinctively moved her Colt M1911 pistol to the right.
Then, a gunshot.
A click was heard as Sherry's pistol ran out of ammo.
Blood spilled into the pavement. And Luan collapsed to the ground, her right temple bleeding.
Her vision faded as her motionless eyes refused to blink.
End Credit Song
With or Without You - U2
What a hectic ending! I told you guys that the Piranhas meant trouble! Once again, don't forget that the author's notes (my notes) in the beginning of the story will almost never contain spoilers! However, the ending notes will, assuming you scrolled all the way here! Anyways, after three chapters, our group are still in New York since they have to be bothered with all these obstacles! The threat of the Piranhas remain in the next chapter, but the group will retaliate against them. However, will their retaliation work in the Piranhas favor? And is the best or worst cliffhanger I have ever done? Leave a review if you enjoyed the story or feel like dropping some constructive criticism! If you enjoyed, don't forget to favorite and follow this story! I'll try to get the next chapter out in less than a month this time!