Hey, guys and gals. I just wanted to start off with an apology for not updating the story in a while. I was extremely busy, so I couldn't find myself any time to work on the story. Sorry for not posting for over a MONTH, but I'll try to get things back to speed by posting at least once or twice a month (preferably twice). However, if you guys want to, I can post more frequently, but the chapters will be shorter. If you really want to, I can keep going ahead with these long chapters. I'll continue to keep doing the long chapters, but let me know what you really want by leaving a review. Anyways, here is the eighth chapter of the story, and sorry for the long wait after the cliffhanger. To those who have school, I thank you for choosing to read this during your spring break! Enjoy!
Updated: 06/28/23
Chapter 8: Midnight
I - Dark Night
"LUAN!"
Benny took out his katana and leaped out of the RV.
"Benny!" cried out Vonda. "Stay inside!"
Benny refused to listen. He looked as Bobby and Lincoln dragged Luan back behind cover. He then turned towards Sherry, who was fumbling through her magazines, struggling to reload her pistol. He stormed towards her, his eyes radiating rage.
John, his UZI held by his gloved hands, and the trigger pulled by his naked finger, fought off the roamers that were closing in on the group.
A roamer approached Sherry, who decided to kick the roamer away from her and towards Tad. It quickly picked itself up half-way through falling before smelling the odor of live flesh.
Tad gasped as he held his hand up in an attempt to push the roamer away. However, the roamer bit his hand and clawed at his shoulder, making him scream in agony.
Carol, who was watching from behind an abandoned car, covered her mouth as tears flowed out of her eyes. Sergei pulled her away, keeping her hidden from the Piranhas.
Benny gasped as he lifted his sword and swung it at the roamer, slicing its upper head. It then dropped to the floor, along with Tad.
"Tad!" gasped Benny.
Benny looked down at Tad, who now lay on the ground with his eyes closed. Tad's face was very pale and blood continued to leak from his waist, arm, and hand.
John aimed his UZI at Benny, but he quickly turned around and shot his gun at a roamer that would've had a snack in a second, had John not heard its growl.
Benny hissed as he turned to face Sherry, before seeing the front end of a barrel inches away from his face.
"Hold on, buster!" chuckled Sherry as she held Benny at gunpoint. "Look at you! That rage! Shiver me timbers!"
John continued to fire at the roamers leaking into the road.
"Boy... shooting her got you real mad, huh?"
"I'm going to kill you," hissed Benny.
"My money's on me surviving this. So no, I don't think you will."
Sherry pointed at Benny's sword.
"Drop it. Or else I'll kill everyone inside the RV."
Andrew kept watch as he aimed his gun at the vehicles, especially the one Lincoln, Bobby, and Ronnie Anne were using as cover.
Benny growled as he tossed his katana onto the ground.
"Good boy. Now get in the RV. Now!"
Benny walked into the RV as Sherry followed him inside, as well as John.
Missy raised her rifle as John raised his.
"Nope," said Sherry. "You don't want to do that."
Benny was inhaling and exhaling deeply as his eyes were getting watery.
John closed the door as Sherry kept her gun at the back of Benny's head. He locked them.
"Lower your weapons."
Missy lowered her rifle. Becky lowered her pistol. Lynn lowered her bow and arrow.
"Good job. Bold, yet obedient. Just like dogs."
Sherry reached for a magazine in her blue vest and reloaded her M1911 pistol. She then walked over to the driver's seat of the RV. She looked at Missy.
"How's the neck doing? Stopped you from blowing anyone lately, huh? Shucks, weeks of fun ruined by me just like that."
Missy glared at Sherry, who couldn't help but chuckle.
Sherry adjusted the rearview mirror and looked as John sat himself on the booth table next to Lucy. She then switched the RV to drive.
"There's the guy that got shot in the leg. Using a cane now? Nice. And there's a gloomy girl. Spooky. Not nice. And there's another redheaded girl who I would say, looks very beautiful! However, she's nothing compared to my lovely daughter!"
Vonda couldn't stop her heart from beating so fast. She felt like she was going to pass out any moment now.
"How are you doing, Vonda? We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?"
A teardrop fell from Vonda's eye.
Sherry sighed. She placed her hands on the wheel.
"Why's everyone so serious tonight?"
Becky let out a hysterical laugh as tears fell from her eyes.
Sherry looked at the rearview mirror, wondering who it was that was laughing.
"You... you have a lot of nerve... you evil piece of shit," wept Becky. "I hope... I hope you burn in hell for this."
Sherry placed the RV on park. She then turned around.
"What did you say?" hissed Sherry.
"I said... burn in hell, you piece of shit!"
Sherry got up from her chair and walked towards Becky.
"Wait, stop!" shouted Missy.
"Anyone moves- shoot them," said Sherry.
Sherry grabbed an arrow from Lynn's quiver.
Becky crawled back, stumbling into D's lap as she looked up at Sherry in fear.
Sherry bent down and grabbed Becky's shirt while placing the arrow against her throat.
"I already know I'm burning," said Sherry. "I accepted that long ago. But I don't need a brat like you telling me that. I demand respect. And how am I going to get it if I don't kill the people who talk to me like that?"
Becky shivered as she leaned into D's arms.
"Don't..." said Vonda, her voice sounding soft, as if about to break.
Sherry closed her eyes and growled softly. She then moved the arrow downwards and rubbed the blade against Becky's tank top. She then stopped above the heart and thrusted the arrow softly, poking a hole in her tank top while also tearing into a bit of flesh, causing Becky to squirm. She then removed the arrow, allowing a bit of blood to dip out of the small cut.
"Oh... but you have precious red hair," said Sherry. "I'll let it slide this one time just because there aren't too many of us left."
Sherry stood up. She then looked at Lynn.
"What's your name?"
Lynn looked up and glared at her. She then looked down.
"Lynn."
"Thanks for the arrow, Lynn," said Sherry before she tossed the arrow to her.
Sherry walked back to the driver's seat and sat down. She set the car on drive and honked the horn, frightening David and the others who were outside.
The RV then began to move forward, driving past the burning vehicles and ramming into the parked vehicles that were in the way.
"What the hell?" gasped David. "Who the hell-?"
Tad's body was revealed to David, Richard, Luna, and Lori, as well as Dana and Wavehead.
The headlights then began to turn off and disappear as the Piranha's vehicles turned around.
"Oh my god..." gasped Lori.
"Tad?" whimpered Dana.
Lori then looked over at Bobby, who was holding Luan. He was distressed.
"Luan!" shouted Lori.
Lori looked over at the road, seeing a couple vehicles driving away. Their fumes, as well as the gunpowder residue from the firefight covered the road in smoke. She ran across the road, ignoring the roamers that were still coming from the intersection.
David followed her as he kept his eye out across the road. He looked back as he saw Dana and Wavehead prepared to follow him.
"Stay there!" he exclaimed.
David then rushed behind the cover where Lori was.
Lori started sobbing as she lifted Luan's head.
"What happened to her?" cried out Lori.
Lincoln shrugged as he sobbed quietly.
Bobby was sweating, not knowing what to do.
Ronnie Anne was panting heavily, keeping her back against a rubber tire.
Lori leaned towards Luan's face and inspected her pale face. She rubbed her hair, trying to look for the gunshot wound, though the darkness was making it hard to see. However, when she removed her hand from her hair, she noticed only a faint smudge of blood on her fingers.
"She didn't get shot in the head?" asked David.
"She... she did," said Lincoln. "I saw it myself."
"Let me see," said David.
David grabbed Luan and placed his fingers on her neck. He gasped and leaned his ear close to Luan's mouth before rubbing his hand over Luan's head.
Sergei, Lana, and Carol moved up forward, still being careful not to expose themselves in the open.
"Oh, no..." murmured Sergei.
"What happened?" Lana cried out.
"She got shot," sniffled Lincoln.
Carol looked at Tad's body and shook her head. She was still in disbelief over seeing his motionless body in the ground.
They then flinched at the sound of gunshots as they looked over across the road, seeing Liam and Tabby firing their weapons at the roamers at the intersection.
"Blyat. That scared me," said Sergei.
David noticed a slight rift on Luan's right temple.
"She got grazed in the head," said David. "But she's not breathing. Shit."
Carol turned around and wiped her eyes.
"She needs CPR," said Carol.
She moved towards Luan and began to do chest compressions. She then opened Luan's lips and took a deep breath before shoving her mouth against Luan's mouth, blowing air into her lungs. She then removed her mouth and began chest compressions again, causing Luan to cough out saliva and phlegm.
Luan groaned as drool leaked from her lips.
"Luan!" gasped Lori. "Are you okay? Luan?"
Luan was unresponsive, though her chest was rising up and down.
"She's breathing," said Carol. "But we still have to get her somewhere safe. Somewhere safe where Lisa can treat her."
"You saved her life," said Lori. "Thank you, Carol."
Lana hugged Carol, who flinched at the sudden display of affection. She then hugged her back with one arm.
"Come on," said Carol, clearing her throat. "I only performed CPR."
Carol then flinched again as she heard another gunshot.
A destroyed brain was sent flying off into the pavement.
Luna shot once more.
She looked back at Lori and Luan, making her more concerned. However, Lori's nod allowed her to exhale a breath of relief. She then heard sobs and turned around to see Dana crying as she looked at Tad.
Wavehead looked up at her.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
"I-I don't know!" said Luna.
"We have to go back to the vehicles," said George.
"Not yet," said Richard. "There's a couple sons of bitches up ahead."
"Still?"
"Yeah. Look."
A roamer walked into the intersection before turning to the right, moving towards the wrecked vehicles that belonged to the Piranhas.
"The roamers smell them."
"Gotcha."
A roamer walked around a car that was flipped on its side. The roof of the car was facing David's group while the underbody was facing the Piranhas. The roamer was then stabbed in the skull by Bruna. As she prepared to stab another roamer, a gunshot sounded and a cling was heard as a bullet bounced off the engine of the flipped car that Bruna and a few other Piranhas were using as cover. She quickly ducked as another Piranha fired their gun at the roamer, killing it.
"Fuck," muttered Bruna. "They know we're here."
A roamer appeared from the other side of the car, grabbing a Piranha and biting into her shoulder, causing her to scream.
"Joan!" shouted Bruna.
The flash from a gunshot fired by the Piranhas could be seen through the smoke as the roamer fell to the ground.
David aimed his shotgun through the smoke before looking back at the group members.
"Move her to the van," said David. "Lori, come with me."
Lori nodded as Sergei and Bobby both picked up Luan. She followed David as they both moved slowly up to the wrecked car that Becky used as cover.
Richard looked at them.
"What are we doing?" asked Richard.
David kept quiet as he stared intensely across the smoke. He ignored the roamers coming from the intersection.
Sergei and Bobby both moved Luan across the road as Carol, Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Lana followed them.
"Movement!" shouted a Piranha.
One Piranha poked their head out and aimed their gun at Sergei and Bobby. However, not even a second later, the right side of his head was ripped apart by shotgun pellets, instantly dropping him to the ground.
Carol opened a back door for Vanzilla, allowing Sergei and Bobby to place Luan inside. Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Lana hopped inside along with Carol.
Lisa gulped as Clyde felt shivers up his spine.
"What happened?" asked Lisa.
"Gunshot," said Carol. "She got grazed in the head. But I think she has a concussion."
"She may be bleeding internally as well," said Lisa. "If so, then we'd need to release pressure from her head. I need my tools. Where did the RV go?"
"I don't know," said Carol.
"The Piranhas took it," said Bobby.
"Oh no..." said Clyde.
"Well, that's a conundrum," said Lisa.
"We can use a knife, right?" asked Carol.
"She could get sepsis. It may make everything worse. Besides, I have to inspect her in the first place. But I need a proper medical environment and proper medical tools."
"We can take her to my apartment," said Bobby. "My mom has a stash of medical tools."
"Where is it?"
"It's like four blocks from here."
"We have to leave now."
"Can't yet," said Sergei. "There are still Piranhas out there."
Lisa looked out of Vanzilla.
Richard, George, and Luna moved up towards the intersection, exposing themselves. The roamers turned towards them, though Liam and Tabby quickly shot at them.
"C'mere!" exclaimed Richard.
Tabby and Liam moved away from the alleyway and followed Richard, George, and Luna. The five crossed the intersection and took cover behind a parked car on the Piranha side, but were now completely exposed to the roamers coming from the city.
Tabby fired her pistol at the closest roamer, hitting it in the throat before hitting its skull, killing it.
Liam fired his pistol, taking out a roamer down the street.
George then fired his pistol rapidly, taking out three roamers in quick succession.
"Richard, focus on the Piranhas," said George. "We got your back."
Richard nodded. A cacophony of gunshots soon followed as roamer bodies fell one by one.
"David!" shouted Richard.
David turned towards Richard, who motioned with his hands to move on forward. He nodded and crossed the street with Lori before taking cover behind another parked car, one across from Richard's cover.
"Bruna!" gasped a Piranha. "There's someone behind–"
"I know! I know!"
Bruna took a deep breath as sweat swamped her face.
"It's okay, Joan," she whispered. "Just hang in there."
"It hurts..." wept Joan. "It hurts so much..."
A Piranha peeked out from the car and saw George, Liam, and Tabby moving down the street in the intersection. He tried to get a better angle at them as he raised his submachine gun.
"Luna, think you can nab that guy's gun?" asked Richard.
Luna nodded and aimed her pistol at the barrel of the Piranha's submachine gun. As it slowly stuck out more and more, she bided her time until it was large enough of a target for her to hit.
She fired her HK45 pistol, hitting the gun and causing it to drop to the ground. As the Piranha tried to reach for it, Richard pulled the trigger to his revolver, blowing a hole in the Piranha's back, causing him to fall forward.
The Piranha lay in the ground motionless with the gun at hand.
"Don't peek!" yelled Bruna. "Don't-!"
Another Piranha came out from the other side of the car cover only to be blasted by David's shotgun. Blood from his lungs and stomach painted the shattered windows behind him as he stumbled back onto a car before collapsing to the ground.
"Fuck!"
David pumped his shotgun as he aimed down again, keeping his sight on the flipped car. However, he then noticed a body coming up from the ground next to him. Before he could react, Lori shot the head of the body that was rising up with her rifle.
"Damn..." panted David.
Lori was exhaling deeply as she noticed that the body belonged to a zombified Gus, whose face was pale and golden eyes bloodshot.
David faced her and nodded.
"Let's move up," he whispered.
Both David and Lori walked towards the flipped car and used its roof as cover.
Joan grabbed her pistol and moved it towards her head.
"Not yet!" exclaimed Bruna. "Please... just hold on..."
Bruna panted heavily as she held her pistol tightly. Beside her was one bitten Piranha and one frightened Piranha and three dead Piranha corpses.
"You take the left," whispered David. "I go right."
Lori nodded.
"You ready?"
"Yeah," whispered Lori.
"Ready... and... now."
Lori and David walked around the cars and aimed their weapons at the Piranhas behind cover.
One of the Piranhas screamed as he raised his arms with a gun still in hand. Lori gasped as she unleashed a burst of bullets towards the Piranha's chest, causing him to fire his gun in the air before falling to the ground.
"Fuck, fuck!" gasped Bruna as her voice trembled.
Bruna and Joan found themselves at gunpoint by David and Lori.
Lisa continued to look out of Vanzilla as Carol tapped her foot nervously.
"Are we clear to go now?" asked Carol.
"I don't know," said Bobby.
Sergei grabbed his gun and opened the door.
"I'm gonna find out," said Sergei.
Sergei closed the door and jogged ahead.
Suddenly, Luan groaned.
Carol's eyes widened as she looked down at Luan.
Luan's eyelids opened up. She looked around the van in a daze.
"What...? Where...?"
"Oh, thank god," sighed Carol.
"B-Benny? Where's-?"
Luan tried to lift herself up before experiencing a sharp pain in her head, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Don't move!" said Carol. "Just lie still. We're going to get you to safety!"
"Ow, my head! It feels like... ugh!"
"Where does it hurt?"
"Everywhere! It feels like my head is being crushed!"
Carol looked at Lisa, who nodded.
"Internal bleeding," said Lisa.
"Benny? Where is he? Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's alright," said Carol. "He's… umm… preoccupied at the moment."
Luan touched her right temple and looked at her finger. She blinked rapidly, not being able to tell if she was looking at blood.
"Am I... bleeding?" gasped Luan.
"Yeah, but just relax."
Luan groaned as she pressed her head, feeling a massive amount of pressure on her skull.
Sergei jogged back to the van, though he didn't enter. Luna, Liam, and Tabby were with him.
"Go!" he said.
Carol nodded as she moved ahead to the driver's seat.
Lincoln held Luan down as Leni was breathing rapidly, trying not to faint.
"Bobby, give me directions!" exclaimed Carol.
"Okay!"
Vanzilla suddenly moved forward as Sergei jogged back to his car with Liam and Tabby right behind him.
"Follow the van!" exclaimed Sergei.
Sam and Chunk both nodded. Chunk hopped into the driver's seat while Luna and Sam moved into the back passenger seats.
Sergei entered his car. Liam and Tabby entered as well, and as soon as Chunk's van started moving, Sergei stepped on the gas pedal.
George continued waving his arm as Vanzilla, Chunk's van, and Chaz's car drove past him. He then joined Richard as they remained behind cover, looking out into the intersection and the road where their vehicles used to be. George then noticed a figure coming out of from cover and aimed his gun at it before lowering it.
"Oh, shit..." whispered George.
"Hey, where they're going?" shouted Wavehead.
Meanwhile, Bruna and Joan both had their hands on their guns, though they were aimed at no one.
"Drop it!" yelled David.
Bruna dropped her pistol and raised her hands. However, Joan did not do the same. Instead, she was sobbing, moving the gun higher and higher.
"I said to drop it!"
David kicked Joan's pistol out of her hand, causing her to wheeze as she continued to cry.
"She's... she's in pain, you assholes," said Bruna.
"We're the assholes?" growled Lori.
"She got bit. She's suffering. You have to take her out her misery."
"She can hold it," said David.
"I can't!" sobbed Joan. "Please! Please let me-"
Lori fired her rifle at Joan, placing a bullet into her skull. She then gasped as she stared into Joan's lifeless eyes. She looked at the lack of wrinkles under her eyelids. She saw her plump lips. She saw her smooth skin.
Joan had to be about Lori's age.
Lori felt her heart sink. She was frozen as she continued to stare at Joan.
Bruna's breath trembled as she exhaled.
"Well?" groaned Bruna. "What are you waiting for? Shoot me already."
David lowered his gun. He looked at Lori and motioned her to lower her gun.
"What the hell is this?"
Richard and George looked at Wavehead before turning around, seeing David grabbing Bruna's arm as he dragged her out of the car cover.
"Hey! Let me go, asshole!"
David then shoved Bruna into the pavement of the intersection.
George gasped as his eyes widened.
Bruna growled as she lifted her head up before noticing Tad's body.
"His death won't be in vain," said David. "So brace yourself."
Bruna turned to look at Dana, who was crying behind the cover of her car while Wavehead tried to help her up. She sniffed and looked away.
"So what, you're gonna torture me?" asked Bruna.
"Only if you don't tell us what we need to know," said David. "George, you got your cuffs?"
George nodded and took out the handcuffs from his back pocket.
"Be a bit gentle with her," whispered George.
David moved Bruna's arms behind her back and George handcuffed her.
"Why would I do that?" said Bruna. "You'll kill me anyways."
David and Richard helped Bruna up to her feet. She had blood stains on the right side of her face, some getting on her mole and nose piercing. Her black wavy hair was ruined by dirt and gunpowder. Luckily, her neck was protected by her blue bandana.
"There's only person that has to die," said George. "And she isn't you."
"For wanting to kill one person, you sure did drop a lot of bodies."
"I could say the same about your people."
"We were only defending ourselves. You psycho... you killed anyone who got in your way. Even the ones who didn't lift a finger on you. Come on, Cane, tell 'em that's not the truth."
George sighed as he shook his head. He looked at Dana and Wavehead.
"Come on, guys," said George. "We have to go."
"I'm not going anywhere with you guys," said Bruna.
"You shut the hell up," said Richard.
Wavehead grabbed Dana's arm. He pulled on it, but Dana refused to get up.
"Come on, Dana, we gotta go," said Wavehead.
Suddenly, Tad's body twitched.
Dana gasped as Lori reached for the trigger on her rifle.
Wavehead gulped as he backed up, though Dana finally stood up.
Bruna watched as Tad's body twitched again. She then heard a growl come from it.
"Damn..." she whispered.
Tad's undead corpse lifted its head up, then its body. It showed its glowing golden eyes and blood-stained pale face. Its long, oily hair partly covered its golden eyes. It then raised its left arm up, revealing a dangling hand with three missing fingers.
Lori was speechless. She wanted to put down Tad before she saw Dana walking up to it.
"Dana, hold on..." said Lori.
Dana picked up Benny's katana from the ground and let out a yell as she swung it towards the head of the zombified Tad. The katana did not completely slice through its head, however, although it did twist to the left and ended up slicing part of his head off. Roamer Tad dropped to the blood-stained pavement.
Dana groaned as she clutched her abdomen, and she began to cry again.
"Are you okay?" asked Wavehead.
Lori looked ahead, seeing the roamers in the distance move southwards towards them.
"We have to go!" exclaimed Lori.
Richard aimed his revolver outwards at the roamers though he didn't fire it.
Wavehead attempted to grab Dana's arm, though she shook her head.
"I'm okay, I'm okay..." she panted.
Dana walked forward, allowing Tad's blood to drip from the katana and leave a trail.
George attempted to move Bruna into the city, but she resisted, scraping her shoes against the pavement while pulling and flailing her arms.
"We can't stay here!" said George.
"I'm not going anywhere with you assholes!" yelled Bruna.
"You want to die?"
"I'd rather that than let you take me!"
George pulled her by force anyways, causing Bruna to scream loudly.
A roamer walked out of a building by the intersection, being attracted to Bruna's screams.
"Stop screaming!" yelled George.
Bruna continued to yell before Richard aimed his revolver at her.
"We may not need you after all," said Richard.
"Richard, wait!" gasped George.
Bruna smiled.
"Go on!" she screamed.
Bruna then spit on Richard's face, causing him to chuckle.
"Alright then," said Richard.
Richard grabbed the barrel of his Python and swung the butt of the revolver at Bruna's temple, knocking her unconscious. Her weight then began to cause her body to fall, though George kept her up by grabbing her armpits.
"She's quiet now."
"Goddammit," said George. "Grab her legs."
Richard grabbed Bruna's legs and lifted her up as George lifted her from the other side.
David, Lori, and Wavehead kept their guns up while Dana walked alongside them.
"Where do we go?" asked Wavehead.
"Sergei said the others are going to Bobby's place," said Richard. "I don't assume anyone know where that is?"
"I do," said Lori. "Come, I'll lead the way."
The fire from the blown up cars back at the intersection continued to burn, allowing many roamers to gather up there.
When the smoke cleared up, only corpses, dead or undead, were the only things remaining.
The group and the Piranhas were gone.
The headlights dimmed as Sherry stopped the RV right before a truck in the road.
Two Piranhas standing next to the truck walked over to the RV, walking past a dock.
At the dock came light from the lanterns inside a sightseeing boat.
The two Piranhas opened the passenger doors behind the driver's seat and entered inside.
"Andrew! Gina!" smiled Sherry. "Glad you guys made it out alive! Is the boat ready?"
"Yes, ma'am," replied Andrew, as he turned towards the hostages. "Seven hostages?"
"Six," said Sherry. "Vonda here is not a hostage."
"Understood," said Andrew.
"Everyone! Move out of the vehicle and follow Andrew! Everyone except Vonda."
Missy, Lynn, Benny, Becky, and Lucy followed Andrew. D grabbed his cane and followed him as well while Vonda remained in the RV, nervous and afraid.
Sherry then grabbed Vonda's hands. Right away, Vonda felt uncomfortable, but she was too frightened to remove her hands as she walked past a heavily armed Andrew and Gina.
John grabbed the black recurve bow and the leather quiver of arrows. He exited the RV and caught up to Sherry, Gina, and Andrew. They all walked to the docks.
The hostages then found themselves looking at a 50-feet long sightseeing boat with a large cabin with dark-tinted windows. Near the bow of the boat stood an armed Piranha holding a bright lantern. The docks led to the starboard of the boat, and Missy was the first to step foot on it. The boat gently moved as the river tugged on its skeg. However, a rope tied to a pole in the docks kept the boat from drifting away. Benny looked at the hull of the boat before entering it, which was labeled 'TWELVE HUNDRED'. Gina held her gun behind D as he was the last to step foot on the ship starboard.
Vonda looked around, standing awkwardly in the boat. Sherry placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be afraid of my Piranhas," said Sherry. "They won't point their weapons at you. If anything—"
"I don't wanna come," said Vonda.
"What's that?"
"If I'm not a hostage, that means I can just leave, right?"
"Well... not exactly."
"So then I am a hostage."
"The city's too dangerous."
"It's dangerous everywhere."
"Not where we're going."
"Where's that?"
"I won't ruin the surprise."
The Piranha with the lantern walked towards the anchor-rope before seeing headlights at the dock entrance.
"Hold on, Bertie," said Sherry.
The headlights dimmed as it came to a stop. Behind the car were other vehicles, all familiar to Sherry.
A Piranha exited the vehicle and jogged down the docks.
"Sherry! Sherry! Glad I caught up with you!"
"Boomer! My favorite poker player! Knew you'd survive."
"Hell yeah, ma'am. Not just me. Kenny, Jay—"
"What do you need?"
"Oh, uh, just wanted to ask if we're meeting at Diamond Point or Hudson."
"Hudson, baby! Oh, and can you release our anchor-rope?"
"Sure thing!"
Boomer lifted the heavy rope from the wooden pole and tossed it into the boat, allowing the boat to move away from the docks. He then ran back to his car and waved goodbye before he departed along with the other Piranhas.
The hostages were moved inside the cabin with the exception of Vonda, who continued to look outside the boat, seeing the buildings in the city getting smaller and smaller. She then looked down at the flowing water where the moonlight was reflected. She saw herself, distorted and alone until Sherry appeared in the reflection.
"Careful," said Sherry. "You don't want to slip out of the boat."
"I can swim well."
"I'm not surprised. It's in our genes."
Sherry then nudged Vonda with a bow and a quiver on her hands.
Vonda raised her eyebrows before looking at Sherry, who smiled. She then swiped the bow and quiver off of Sherry's hands.
"And the arrows?" asked Sherry.
"I have to make my Piranhas feel safe too."
Vonda looked away.
Sherry's smile faded before she walked away and into the cabin.
The docks left the sight of Vonda as she and the other hostages were taken into unknown waters.