III - Lonely Spirits
The metal door creaked loudly. A beam of light peered inside the warehouse. The beam of light was then joined by two separate beams of light.
The beams of light looked around a large, dark room with many empty shelves and empty crates. There were ropes and fishnets that hung from the ceilings and shelves. There were empty boxes of ammunition. There were bullet holes and blood stains on the walls.
George slowly stepped forward, leading David and Richard behind him. His footsteps were slow and steady as he continued to shine his flashlight around while aiming his pistol forward.
Sweat dripped from Richard's face as he looked around and saw mattresses lying around the floors. There were empty food cans and littered bottles of water and alcohol.
David kept his breaths steady and quiet as he heard rustling among folded sails in the corners of the warehouse. He shined his light on the folded sails, each which were the length of an adult human. He licked his lips and approached slowly as George and Richard backed him up. He placed his hand on one of the sails, ready to uncover the source of the sound. He then pulled the sail open rapidly, revealing a mouse, which squeaked and darted across the floor, causing David's heart to skip a beat.
David sighed and turned around. He then followed George towards a door near the end of the warehouse. He stood in front of it, nervous to open it.
"Want me to take over?" whispered David.
"No," said George. "I got this."
George opened the door and shined his flashlight forward, revealing a very narrow stairway that went upstairs and downstairs. The three group members went downstairs, each step being as slow and as quiet as possible.
Upon arriving at the bottom of the stairwell, they found a narrow tunnel-like hallway, which led to a door. However, the door was already open, revealing a small room.
George, David, and Richard walked inside the small room, seeing a cage, large enough to fit multiple people, and a table with a broken hatchet. There was foul odor in the room coming from the dark-red stains in the walls and floor, some inside the cage.
George took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, trying to shake off his nerves. He then opened them and sighed.
"This... this is where they held me before the roamers came," said George. "And not just me... there were others too."
George walked out of the room.
"Bruna's information is correct so far. This place is empty."
David and Richard followed George up the steps. They walked out of the stairwell and returned to the warehouse.
"Was that built by the Piranhas down there?" asked David.
"No, it used to be a wine cellar," responded George. "This whole place used to store wine before it became a storage warehouse for fishing boat parts. Of course, the boat business was just a front for the Piranhas. They have multiple warehouses just like this, but this was their main base."
"Not anymore, apparently," said Richard.
"No, not anymore apparently. If Bruna's information is correct, then we're looking at a fucking drive all the way down to Hudson. And so far... she hasn't been lying to us."
"Very low standard. But it's a Piranha after all."
George walked into a small room by one of the corners of the warehouse. David and Richard followed him.
"What's this?" asked David.
"Used to be Sherry's office," said George.
George pointed his flashlight at the pictures in the wall, some showing Sherry in her Coast Guard uniform. Others showed her in normal civilian clothing, showing off her catches, from bass to barracuda.
"Look at that sick smile," said Richard. "She was a criminal even then, right?"
"Only if those pictures show her before she was discharged or after she moved out of Ann Arbor. Believe it or not, there was a period in her life where she stayed off a life of crime."
George opened a drawer.
"It was the person Vonda's father knew," said George.
George then grabbed a note and a Polaroid photo of Tim Crowley in his younger years with a young Sherry. The photo showed Tim hugging a smiling Sherry in front of a Ferris wheel and a rollercoaster ride. He then opened up the note. He looked up and sighed as he placed the note and the photo inside his pocket.
"What is it?" asked Richard.
"A note and a picture of them in Coney Island," said George. "The note's not important to us. Let's go."
The three walked outside of the warehouse where they found Sergei atop of a shipping container. Sergei turned around and quickly got down from the shipping container.
"No one's in there?" asked Sergei.
"No," said David.
"Oh. At least we got RV back."
David nodded. The four of them entered the RV and headed back for the Casagrande apartment.
The moon continued to shine in the night sky.
Bruna was scribbling on a notepad using her right hand while a lantern allowed her to see. Her left hand was handcuffed to a metal pipe. She tapped the pencil against her lips before writing again.
Lori and Bobby leaned against the counter, watching Bruna.
"How long will it take to get to Hudson?" asked Bobby.
"On boat? Maybe... an hour," said Bruna, not breaking her concentration. "On car... could take days. The roads from here to New York are a nightmare to get through. Well... what's left of New York anyways..."
"Days? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Trust me, I tried going back to the Bronx. It's hopeless."
"Are you almost finished?"
"I would be if you let me focus."
Lori placed her hand on Bobby's shoulder and moved him away.
"Hey, what's going on?" whispered Lori.
"I just want to get our group members back," said Bobby.
"We all do. But I should be the one most worried about them. Two of my sisters are in there after all."
"Because of me."
"Bobby..."
"I should have told the group about what we saw. I should've just told them. Even Tad told me to tell everyone."
"You told Tad?"
"Yeah, I had to tell someone. It was killing me inside. But I don't know what happened. It's like... I don't have the courage or something. And because of that... Tad died and your sisters are now being held by Sherry. It's all my fault."
"No, it isn't. We would have chosen to go to Albany anyways because of your mom, remember? We- I wanted to take that chance too. If you're going to blame yourself, blame me too. Because I would've done the same thing."
"I... I can't do that."
"So then just leave it. Blame the Piranhas instead."
Bobby sighed as he leaned towards Lori. The two hugged each other before Bruna called out to them.
"Yo, I finished," said Bruna.
Bruna placed the notepad down on the floor and slid it across the floor.
Lori grabbed the notepad and shined her flashlight at the sketch of the outline of the warehouse in Hudson.
"This is everything?" asked Lori.
"Yeah, that's everything I can remember," said Bruna.
"You're not intentionally leaving anything out?"
"You can have George check it out. He'll tell you it's right."
Lori placed the notepad on the counter.
Bruna gave the lantern a sorrowful side-eye.
"About what happened earlier..."
"We don't have to talk about it," said Lori. "Just sit still."
"I'm sorry. Everything that's happened... shouldn't have."
Lori closed her eyes.
"You were screaming," said Lori. "You wanted the roamers to hear us. You wanted them to kill us."
"I saw your friend was dead and I knew you guys wanted revenge for it. I heard stories about how George interrogated the others... I thought the same would happen to me. I'd rather get ripped apart by roamers than get tortured."
"And what about your friend? You don't want revenge for her?"
"No. I knew we had a lot of enemies. I know what my people have done. Yet... I told Joan that staying with the Piranhas was the best choice. I only have myself to blame for that."
"You knew and you stayed anyways... but you yourself didn't fight with them? You know what we call that? A coward."
Bruna sighed and looked at Lori while a small teardrop rolled down her face.
"Yeah," nodded Bruna. "That's exactly what I am. If you release me, I'll probably end up running back to them... because I'm a coward. It'd be better to just kill me after this."
Bobby looked at Bruna with a concerned face.
However, Lori wasn't buying it. She then looked outside the bodega door and saw headlights from an RV. She grabbed her walkie-talkie.
"Is that you, David?" asked Lori.
"Yeah."
"Wait... Sherry might hear you," said Bruna.
"We changed channels," said Lori. "Just worry about yourself."
"That's what you hate about me, though," Bruna muttered.
The door opened and David, Richard, George, and Sergei walked in.
"She played nice?" asked George.
"Yeah," said Lori. "So, you got the RV back. But I guess you didn't find the others?"
"No. And the warehouse was abandoned just like Bruna said."
"So, I guess we're going to Hudson then?"
"Yeah," said David. "She drew the outline?"
Lori nodded and handed the outline that Bruna sketched over to George.
George looked at the outline and nodded.
"Yeah, that's how I remember it too," said George, kneeling down. "Now, can you tell us what these dots mean?"
"Sure. These dots... they're guards. You see the two dots in each of the bridges? Two guards for each bridge, North and South. Then, there's four guards on top of the lighthouse- plus an extra in the bottom, and five on the river view side of the warehouse."
"And the rest of the warehouse?"
"Not too sure. Piranhas come in and out all the time."
"Alright."
"What if they're not at Hudson?" asked Richard. "Anywhere else they could be at?"
"Diamond Point," said George. "Isn't that right?"
"Yeah," said Bruna.
"Where the hell's that?" scoffed Richard.
"Further upstate," said George. "Where we saw the Piranhas by the lake."
"And how do we know they're not heading over to Diamond Point right now?"
"If we captured Sherry's daughter, then we were supposed to head to Diamond Point, but something must have happened over there. Sherry wasn't all that clear about it but I think she wanted to change course and head to Hudson instead."
"So this is just a guess? Fucking hell..."
"Richard... just trust her."
"Trust her? A Piranha? Don't we all know what happened the last time we trusted a Piranha?"
"What other choice do we have?"
Richard smiled to hide his resentment and shook his head.
"Just one thing," said Bruna. "Those dots I drew are the night positions. I only know the night positions because I had the night job over there. There are probably less guards in the day... or maybe more."
"We'll go at night," said George. "Maybe hit 'em while your people are sleeping."
Bruna flinched at the sound of that.
"What? You have a problem with that?" asked Richard.
"It's just... not everyone one of us are bad people. There are people like Joan. Like Jay! He always used to get me a bagel in the morning."
"Your people killed a kid. If they're okay with that, then they deserve to get killed."
"Not all of us are. Some of us don't have a choice. If we try to leave... we'd get killed if caught."
"I understand," said George. "But your people made a choice. Take their chances out in the road or take their chances with Sherry. They chose the latter. Unfortunately..."
George stood up and handed the notepad to David.
"...we can't just give them a heads up. This needs to be a surprise. I'm sorry, Bruna."
Bruna felt defeated. She could do nothing but take a deep breath and agree with George.
"We're resting for the night," said David. "You guys can go up now."
"I can take the night watch," said George.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Just get a pillow or something for Bruna here. Then we'll release her tomorrow after light."
"Woah, David didn't say anything about releasing her," said Richard.
"She's done nothing but help us."
"What if she warns the Piranhas in Hudson?" exclaimed Lori.
"I-I won't," said Bruna.
"That's right. I understand you want to keep her alive, but she's still a threat," said David. "We don't release threats."
George nodded.
"Fine," said George.
"Can you guys at least get these cuffs off of me?" asked Bruna. "They feel really uncomfortable."
David, Richard, Lori, and Bobby began to walk away.
"Come on, guys..."
George sighed and shrugged.
"Sorry," said George. "It's the only way I can feel safe."
Bruna sighed.
"Can I at least get my weed back?"
George groaned and rolled his eyes.
Birds tweeted as the morning sun was shining through the curtains.
Ronnie Anne stared up at the ceiling, her eyes reddened from crying all night. She didn't want to leave the bed.
A knock on the door.
She ignored it.
"Are you up?"
It was Lincoln's voice.
"Yeah," said Ronnie Anne.
"We're leaving now."
"I'm not going."
"What?"
"I said... I'm not going."
Ronnie Anne turned to her side.
Moments later, Lori, Bobby, and Lincoln were in her room. However, she wasn't looking at any of them, only her window.
"What do you mean you don't want to go?" asked Lori.
"I mean... if what Bobby said is true, then that means my mom could be somewhere out there. If she's still alive, then I have to wait for her here. Unless... he's lying."
Lori took a moment to think about what she was going to say.
"He's not lying," said Lori.
"You knew too? Who else knows?"
"Only us two."
"How convenient."
"Chaz also knew. But just us three, I swear."
Ronnie Anne shrugged.
"Well, I'm not leaving until my mom comes back," said Ronnie Anne. "I'll stay here as long as I need to."
"We can't leave you alone here," said Lori.
"She won't be alone," said Bobby. "I'll stay here with her."
"Bobby..."
"No, just go with her," said Ronnie Anne. "I don't want to separate you two."
"Well, I'm not leaving you," said Bobby.
"I don't want you here."
"Ronnie..." said Lincoln. "We might not come back to Albany."
"That's okay," said Ronnie Anne. "Once my mom gets here, we'll head straight to Houlton. I promise."
"But..."
Ronnie Anne turned around.
"But what? Do you not think she's alive?" she asked. "Do you think this is in vain? Then go ahead and say it, guys. Say she's never coming back. Say that if I stay, then we'll never see each other again."
Lori, Bobby, and Lincoln stood still, all three not being able to speak.
"I can take care of myself. I know how to use a gun. I know how to use a knife. I can loot for food. I'll be fine."
"You won't be on your own," said Bobby.
"Just go with Lori."
"No. I don't care... if you hate me. You're my sister. You're my responsibility. You can hate me all you want, but my job is to keep you safe. So if you're staying here, then so will I, understand?"
Ronnie Anne crossed her arms and looked away.
Bobby turned around and hugged Lori. The two of them snuggled into each other's shoulders as tears came out of their eyes.
"This won't be the last time we see each other, right?" asked Bobby.
"No," said Lori. "I promise to come back."
Lincoln looked at Ronnie Anne, feeling heartbroken.
"I wish you luck, Lame... Lincoln," said Ronnie Anne.
"You too," said Lincoln.
"Go rescue your mom."
Lincoln nodded. He then walked out of her room, along with Lori and Bobby.
Ronnie Anne lay down and looked up at the ceiling before covering her eyes. She began to cry again.
The afternoon sun brightened up the ghost city.
George shined his flashlight around a room with dark walls. He opened up the melted cabinets and found darkened pieces of paper and files.
He sighed and stood in defeat.
"She's right again," said George. "Piranhas burned the whole place down."
"There's gotta be something," said David.
"Look around. Think there's anything left?"
David looked around the FBI office. Everything was burned.
George stepped in front of an office room. He crouched down and put his hands together, almost as if to pray. But he simply looked down with his eyes closed.
"This... this was my boss's room," said George. "She worked hard every day to put some of the most terrible human beings behind bars. She was one of the few who really had faith in me. All these years of dedicating her life to protecting the public... and now there's nothing left of her."
"Maybe she's still out there," said David.
"She isn't. Sherry killed her."
Richard looked at David, shaking his head as his eyes showed even more anger and fear about what could happen to his wife.
George stood up.
"Let's go."
The three walked out of the FBI office building and met up with the rest of the group in the parking lot.
"You didn't find anything?" asked Lori.
"No," said David. "Bruna's right. The Piranhas lit the whole place on fire."
"Great..."
"Hmm... seems a little fishy," said Zach. "Why would they burn the whole place down?"
"Maybe because they hate George's gut and everyone else that worked at the FBI?" scoffed Tabby. "Why else?"
"But would they really put that much effort into burning a whole building just to spite the FBI?"
"Sherry is petty like that, so why not?" said George.
"Yeah, not everything has to be some grand conspiracy," said Rusty.
"Gosh, I just wanted to ask questions," said Zach, rubbing his arm.
"There are some we can ask," said Lincoln, turning to Bruna. "What do you know about General Black and the rogues?"
Bruna looked at Lincoln with curious eyes. Her hands were clasped against each other, this time in front of her waist, though she was still handcuffed.
"Who?"
"Well, that settles that," said Luna.
"Why is she still alive?" asked Dana, causing all the group members to look at her. "I mean it. If she can't give us any more information, then why are we still keeping her prisoner? Let's just kill her and get this over with."
"Dana..." murmured Carol.
"I can't be the only thinking this, right?"
Richard smirked and looked at David, almost nudging him along to agree.
"She didn't attack us," said David. "George vouches for her, and I trust him."
"But we can't let her go...?"
"No. I don't trust George that much. No offense."
"Some taken," said George. "She's not like the others. She doesn't hold any malice in her heart. She's also not that much older than you. I mean, for god's sake, she was only 13 when they took her in."
"Which would arguably make her more dangerous, no?" remarked Dana before looking at Bruna face-to-face. "She grew up with them."
"You're overestimating her actions. She was just a low-level drug dealer."
"As far as we know."
Bruna glared at Dana.
"If you want to kill me... go on ahead," said Bruna. "It's the safer option after all."
Dana gripped the handle of her machete, continuing to glare at Bruna.
The sound of loud sneezing interrupted the two young women.
Dana and Bruna looked over at Luan, who was groaning as she blew her nose into a tissue.
"Still not feeling so good, huh?" asked Leni.
"Well, at least I'm not throwing up anymore," said Luan. "I think Ms. Santiago's medicine is working."
"They were just simple antiviral and antifungal medications," said Lisa. "Truthfully, are you not feeling worse?"
"No, I'm feeling about the same."
"You still have yellow eyes and a pale face, though," said Lisa. "Very curious. What about you, Ms. Pingrey?"
"I'm feeling alright," said Carol. "Maybe a little warm, but it is hot out here."
"Intriguing. Twelve hours have passed and Luan has yet to show signs of declining health, despite initially showing concerning symptoms."
"So the medication did work?"
"Or perhaps... Luan has not contracted the infection of the dead. Perhaps the concussion weakened her immune system, causing her to contract an unrelated disease. I'll have to get more data."
"Well, that's good news, right everyone?"
Dana scoffed as she walked into the RV.
Luan frowned.
"It's good news," said Lori.
Luan smiled before sneezing again.
Bruna sighed out of relief before George moved her into the RV. This was then followed by all the group members returning to their vehicles.
As the vehicles moved into the highway, Lori looked into her side mirror, looking at the passing road behind her.
Lincoln looked out the window of Vanzilla. He looked at the passing buildings getting smaller and smaller.
The vehicles soon left Albany.
-One Day Later-
The sun was setting as the vehicles drove along a highway. The brake lights turned on as the RV pulled into a road away from the highway. The vehicles continued following the RV until it stopped in front of a red house in a quiet neighborhood.
David stepped out of the RV and held out his flashlight and pistol as Richard and Lori followed him. He opened the front fence gate and staked out the front yard, his flashlight still turned off. He then walked around the house, finding a car in the driveway and a table in the backyard. He walked back to the front yard where he walked up to the front door and knocked on it.
George and Sergei looked around the neighborhood from where they stood, watching out for any roamers. Only one came out of a backyard in a neighboring house.
Sam walked up to the roamer and drove her pickaxe through its head, killing it. She then looked back and nodded.
Leni walked up to the front door holding a hairpin and began to pick on the lock. After hearing a click, she backed away and nodded.
David opened the door, now turning on his flashlight and aiming his gun out. Richard stepped inside with him as Lori stayed outside in the porch, making sure nothing gets inside the house.
The two men looked around the living room, seeing a painting on the wall showing a vase of roses. Below it were paintings of a man with his wife and children.
They entered the kitchen, seeing dirty plates in the sink and used napkins in the dining table. On the refrigerator, there were more paintings, this time on paper and seemingly done by children.
As David exhaled, he paused and heard a small buzzing sound above him. He slowly moved his head up along with the flashlight and looked at the ceiling. However, there was nothing there. Just a darkened spot in the ceiling.
"You hear that?" whispered David.
"No," whispered Richard.
"Sounds like... something's up there."
David and Richard slowly moved up the stairs, their flashlights showing every angle of the narrow stairwell. The flashlights then showed a hallway, and doors on the side. All the doors were open except the one at the end of the hallway.
The men looked inside the first room, seeing a bedroom filled with action figures, superhero posters, and comic books. Cobwebs hung from the corner of the walls.
David was sweating intensely as he blinked rapidly.
The men then slowly moved to the next room, their footsteps causing a large creaking sound, making their hearts skip a beat. The buzzing sound got louder, though upon looking inside the second bedroom, which was filled with dolls, stuffed animals, and tea cups, they realized the buzzing must come from the end of the hallway.
Richard took a deep gulp as he tried to control his breathing.
The men looked inside the next room, which was a closet and had nothing but a broom. Then, they stood in front of the door at the end of the hallway, hearing buzzing noises inside.
David placed his hand on the doorknob and looked at Richard.
Richard made a slow nod and lifted his Python as he aimed at the door.
David slowly turned the knob and then pushed the door open quickly as he aimed his pistol inside the room. He then felt chills going through his spine.
The shower curtain remained still. A spider moved around slowly in the top left corner of the bathroom.
A fly flew through an open window and around the bathroom, passing through the blood-stained tiles below the window and landing on the open skull of a corpse sitting on the toilet with a shotgun leaning against it, joining the many flies and maggots that were feasting on the dead man's flesh and brain matter.
The dead man's face seemed to be marked by blood and despair.
"Jesus," said Richard. "And his wife and kids?"
"Hopefully not around to have seen this," said David.
A campfire was lit in the backyard of a house in a different neighborhood.
Sergei placed a pot on a grill rack above the campfire and began to put in some of the canned food in there.
David was standing by the back mesh fence, looking out into the other backyards in view. Lincoln then approached him.
"What was wrong with the other house?" asked Lincoln.
"It's nothing you have to worry about," said David.
"Well, Richard looks freaked out."
David looked at Richard, who was sitting on a chair looking out of the driveway and into the street. He seemed unblinking and distressed.
"He's just worried about Missy," said David.
"I don't think that's what it is."
Lori placed her hand on Lincoln's shoulder.
"Hey, why don't you focus on coming up with a plan to rescue our people in Hudson?" asked Lori.
Lincoln nodded. He then walked away.
"He's too smart for his own good," said David.
"He has a very curious mind," said Lori. "At least he's asking the right questions."
"He is... but he's not ready for the right answers."
"Isn't he? What could you have possibly seen in that house that he hasn't seen already?"
"Oh, trust me. He hasn't seen it yet."
"Back then, you told me it's better to learn from wisdom instead of from experience. What happens when he comes across whatever you saw? It's better to be prepared, no?"
"Heh. Yeah. Cleverness seems to run in the family, doesn't it? Well... except your sister Leni I'm afraid."
"She's clever in her own right."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. She has a knack for fashion. And she did unlock the door to this house for us."
"Ah."
"Well, why don't you tell me about your family?"
David paused and suddenly, his smile faded. Lori almost regretted asking.
"Another day," said David.
"You really don't think I'm not ready to hear it?"
"I'm not ready to tell it."
Lori looked at David, whose face suddenly aged decades as wrinkles formed in his forehead and his eyes opened with worry. She nodded.
On the back porch stairs, Clyde sat down next to Zach and Rusty.
"She's like the toughest girl I ever met," said Zach. "Trust me, she'll be okay."
"That's not what I'm worried about," said Clyde. "I know she can handle herself. But she's in a state of anger right now. She can barely look at Lori. Just imagine her surrounded by Piranhas! She's... she's not going to be able to hold back her rage..."
"Then, you're worried about the wrong person. You should be worried for the Piranhas- pray Lynn goes easy on them. Eh, isn't that right, Rusty?"
"I guess," said Rusty.
"Heh, come on, Zach," said Clyde. "Be realistic. She's strong... but not that strong. Plus they're armed. She probably isn't."
"Worrying ain't gonna do you no good," said Zach. "You should focus on being able to get her back. How's your gun accuracy?"
"I haven't been practicing with you guys, remember?"
"What? Why not?"
"Because he's disabled, dumbass," said Rusty.
"Yeah, he's missing a leg. Last time I checked, you don't need a leg to fire a gun."
"You need one if you don't want the recoil sending you back so you can fall on your ass."
"Oh, right. Sorry, Clyde."
"It's okay," nervously chuckled Clyde. "Sometimes I even forget I'm missing a leg. Happens when I'm not using my crutches."
Lincoln walked over to Clyde, Zach, and Rusty.
"Hey, guys. Sergei says food is gonna be ready in about five minutes," said Lincoln.
"I kinda forgot how to track five minutes," shrugged Rusty.
"It's alright," said Zach. "I got my pocket watch. In five minutes, it's going to be 8:31."
"Woah, where'd you get that pocket watch from?" asked Clyde.
"I found it in one of the rooms in that motel back at Utica. Looks pretty neat, right?"
"Yeah!"
Tabby and Liam approached the group, though Tabby didn't look too happy.
"Hey, come on, Tabs..." sighed Liam.
"Guys, can you please convince Liam not to join the rescue mission tomorrow?" asked Tabby.
"Wait, what?" gasped Clyde. "Liam, you don't have to go."
"I do," said Liam. "I can't just sit back and do nothing when I can do something."
"I'm fine with that, though," said Zach.
"That's 'cause your aim ain't as sharp as mines. Believe me, I'd be really beneficial to the group if I go."
"It's too dangerous," said Tabby. "You already remember the last time we faced off against the Piranhas? Make that the last two times."
"We're gonna catch 'em by surprise this time."
"And if you don't? Someone's gonna die and it could be you."
"Could be. But it's the right thing to do."
"Then I'm going with you."
"Me too," said Rusty.
"No, you guys can't!" exclaimed Liam.
"Why not?"
"Your dad's still alive. If you died, then it'd break him for sure."
"If he's still alive."
"He is."
"You're worried about our parents, but not your own?" asked Tabby.
"I... I don't think my folks are still alive," said Liam.
Lincoln saw the despair in Liam's eyes.
"Why not?" asked Clyde.
"It's... it's just a feeling."
"So it's not about the right thing at all then," said Tabby. "You just think your family is dead. So does Rusty. But you don't want him to go? Something's not adding up."
Lincoln took a deep breath then spoke up.
"He just wants to protect all of us," said Lincoln. "He cares more about our lives than his own. It's almost admirable. But it's foolish. We care about you too, Liam. You don't have to go."
"I do, Lincoln," said Liam. "You'd go too if Lori allowed you to go. Don't deny it."
"Well, I'm not bound by anyone," said Tabby. "I'm going with you. So either we both go or none of us go."
Liam sighed. He then looked at Tabby nodded.
"Alright," said Liam. "We both go then."
"Food's ready, everyone," said Sergei.
Zach looked at his pocket watch.
"Huh. What do you know. 8:31. Right on time," said Zach.
As the children walked towards the campfire, Zach grabbed Rusty and Clyde's shoulder. He allowed Lincoln, Tabby, and Liam to walk ahead.
"Hold on, guys," said Zach in a low voice. "Is it just me or does it seem like Liam's hiding something from us?"
"He could be," said Rusty. "What do you think?"
"Don't know. But I wanna get into the bottom of it."
"Come on, guys," said Clyde. "Liam's not the type of person to hide stuff from us."
"He wasn't," said Zach. "This world changes people."
Clyde looked at Zach with a concerned expression plastered on his wife as Rusty nodded along.
Zach then patted Clyde.
"Let's go eat now," said Zach.
Bruna sat on the front porch, placing her arms on her laps as she looked out into the dark street. She then reached into a pocket in her vest and pulled out a rolled-up joint.
"You have a lighter?" asked Bruna.
"You know you're not supposed to smoke, right?" scoffed Chunk, standing next to her with a rifle in hand.
"What's the worst that can happen?"
"Someone may sniff it out and know we're here."
"You can smell the food from all the way here. If anyone's around, then they already know we're here."
"I guess you got a point."
Chunk took out a lighter and lit up Bruna's joint. She placed it between her lips and sniffed before puffing it out.
"Hope you don't mind me asking, but how old are you, love?"
"I'm 22," said Bruna.
"Interesting. Name's Chunk, by the way."
"Are you... British?"
"That's right, love. Came all the way here from Manchester. Spent part of my life in London too."
"How'd you end up here?"
"Moved when I was a small lad. My mum always wanted to live in America."
"That's funny. I always wanted to leave this fucking country. Maybe move somewhere nice like Puerto Rico or... Mexico. One of those countries down there. Heard they have good beaches. Weather's certainly nicer."
"Maybe when this all blows over, you could head down there. By boat, maybe."
"It's something me and Joan always talked about. Yet I convinced her to stay with the Piranhas. And she listened... She was the ambitious one. Me? I never even stepped foot outside of the state."
Bruna puffed out smoke and groaned as she rubbed her head.
"Do you... do you think this will really all blow over?"
"Sure, why not? The roamers are pretty weak if you think about it. Just give it a few months. Maybe a year. They'll all be too flimsy and rotten to even move a muscle. Then who knows? Maybe I'll take you out anywhere you want, love."
"Anywhere?"
Chunk nodded. Bruna smiled.
"Sure... as long as it's not Cuba. It's not somewhere we want to be."
"Why's that?"
Bruna took another puff from her joint before offering it to Chunk.
"You want?"
"No, thank you," said Chunk. "I'm good."
"Suit yourself."
Footsteps could be heard as Chunk looked at the driveway.
"Hey, food's ready," said Luna.
"Alright," said Chunk, before looking at Bruna. "You should probably put that out."
Bruna sighed and dropped the joint to the ground before rubbing it against the concrete walkway. She looked out into the darkness and saw a streak of light move across the night sky. It was dim and covered a large portion of the sky, almost like distant lightning, but no thunder followed it.
"What is it?" asked Luna.
"I saw something in the sky," said Bruna. "Like a streak of light."
"You probably saw a meteor," said Chunk. "Neat."
"Or maybe you're getting a little too paranoid," said Luna. "Next time, lay off the weed."
Bruna glared at Luna before following her. She looked back once, seeing a dark night sky showing no activity.
The three of them joined the rest of the group in the backyard as Sergei handed them their paper bowls filled with tomato soup.
"So about this rescue mission," said Luna. "Anyone's got a plan?"
"It's a surprise attack for sure," said George.
"I actually have one," said Lincoln.
"Don't say it," said David.
Lincoln tilted his head in confusion before seeing David eyeing Bruna for a second.
"You guys can't be serious," said Bruna. "I'm not gonna tell anyone anything. How can I anyways?"
"We're not taking any chances. Just tell us who we need for this plan to work."
"As many people as possible," said Lincoln, looking at Lori.
"Don't look at me like that," said Lori, blowing on her soup. "You're not joining the rescue mission. Period."
"He could be an important out there," said Richard.
"He's a child."
"So is Cowboy over here. And he's coming with us."
"If it were up to me, he wouldn't."
"I have good aim," said Liam. "If it's a surprise attack, then every shot's gotta count, right?"
"We'd still be risking the life of a child."
"Do you think I should take him off the mission then?" asked David before moving a spoonful of soup into his mouth.
Lori hesitated to answer. She looked at Liam, who shook his head.
"If we need as many people as possible, then so be it."
"I'm coming too," said Tabby.
"Your parents are gonna kill us if they find out we let you come."
"That's fine. That's for me to worry about."
"I'll go too," said Rusty.
Liam sighed, almost regretting his decision.
"I'm joining too," said Luna.
"Luna... why?"
"Why not?"
Lori struggled to answer before Rusty spoke up.
"Because you're her family," said Rusty. "That's why she's not letting Lincoln join but allows Liam and Tabby to join, even though they're the same age. It's that simple. It's understandable, Lori. You care about your family more than the other members of the group. You just don't have to lie about it."
Lori glared at Rusty, who glared at her back.
"Of course, I care about my family more," said Lori. "That doesn't mean I want Liam and Tabby out there. But you guys just won't accept a no. You'll just sneak out like the other day. It's better if you're with us."
Liam and Tabby looked at each other, wondering how Lori knew.
"How...?" stammered Tabby.
"Please, it was obvious. Now, Rusty... is there anything else you would like to say?"
The light from the campfire reflected off of Lori's arms holding her soup, casting a shadow on her face. Only her eyes were reflecting the campfire light.
An intimidated Rusty shook his head.
"I know you won't like to hear this," said David, "but Luna is a necessity out there. She's an excellent shot."
Lori reluctantly nodded, and Luna smiled.
"I guess I'm going too," said Sam. "I'm a pretty good shot myself."
"You don't have to," said Luna.
"I want to."
Luna noticed that Sam was grabbing her hands. She then gave Sam an approving nod. She then looked at Chunk.
"Why look at me?" asked Chunk. "I'm going too, you know."
"I guess I go too," said Sergei.
"Same," said Wavehead. "Can't leave D out there with that monster."
"Nor Becky," said Dana.
David looked around, seeing most of the group members determined to rescue the hostages. Compared to the last time he asked this group, he received more enthusiastic responses. However, he didn't feel any more relieved. In fact, he felt a bigger burden weighing down on him.
"Missy, Becky, Derrick, Benny, Lucy, Lynn, and Vonda," said David. "Given our past experiences with these Piranhas... one of us may die. But right now, more than ever, they depend on us to rescue them. Will we find them? I think so. Will we save them? Now, that's the real question."
The group members looked at each other. They began to wonder who they would lose next.
"At any point, Sherry can shoot our hostages down. Probably not Vonda and for some reason- Lynn. But we have to try."
"What if we end up losing more people than we save?" asked Clyde.
"We won't," said Lincoln. "Because if everything goes according to my plan, then no one will die... except maybe just one person. Vonda."
The attention of all the group members, even Bruna's, was caught by Lincoln. George looked most concerned, but when he turned over to Richard, he saw him smirking.
"Boy... now this is gonna be a hell of a plan to hear, huh?" asked Richard.
Lincoln nodded as Lori looked at him with intrigue, almost both terrified and proud of him.