Hey, Mr. Potassium here! Welcome to the ninth chapter of the story! No unexplained delays this time! No further notes until the end of the story, so let's get right into the story!
Updated: 07/15/23
-Ten Years Ago-
Water dripped from a faucet in a dark bathroom.
Sherry, her hands on the sink, took a deep breath as she looked at the mirrors. There were black circles under her blue eyes.
She stepped into a room lit up by a night light. She saw a small red-headed girl sleeping on a small bed, holding a stuffed shark. Sherry walked over to the girl, placed her hand softly on her hair, and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry," whispered Sherry.
Sherry stepped out of the room, grabbing her suitcase, and put on her vest. She grabbed a Colt M1911 and holstered it. She then walked down the stairs and towards the door before seeing the lights turn on behind her.
"Sherry?"
Sherry placed her hands on the doorknob and opened the door.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Sherry turned around, the streetlights illuminating the dark empty street behind her. She faced Tim, who had ruffled hair and unkempt shirt and pajama pants.
"Back home," said Sherry.
"You're going the wrong way," said Tim. "Our bed's up there."
"It's all yours."
Sherry turned around and walked out the house. Before she closed the door, Tim rushed over to her.
"Wait, seriously, where you going?" he asked, grabbing her arm.
"I told you already."
"I... I must be missing something."
"I'm heading to New York."
"W-Why? I don't understand."
"Let go. My taxi's here."
Tim released Sherry's arm. Sherry began walking away from the house.
"Hey, we can talk about this. I don't know what I did, but we can talk this out."
"We can't. Because it's not your fault."
"When are you coming back?"
Sherry placed her suitcase in the back of the taxi.
"Don't know," she said. "But don't wait for me."
Sherry opened the back door to the taxi.
"Wait! W-What do I tell Vonda?" asked Tim.
Sherry paused. She sighed and looked back at Tim.
"That her mom had no time to explain," she said. "And that she's sorry."
She entered the taxi and closed the door.
The taxi then drove away from the house as Tim stood in front of the door.
Sherry looked out the window, wiping a tear from her eye.
Tim felt a burning sensation in his throat as he continued to look at the taxi. He then heard a voice coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Vonda standing on the steps of the stairwell, looking down at him.
"Daddy?"
"Oh, hey, Red..."
Tim closed the door. He cleared his throat.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing. What are you doing up?"
"You and Mommy woke me up."
"Oh, baby girl, I'm sorry."
"Where's Mommy?"
Tim looked at Vonda, feeling his heart sink. He resisted looking out the door to see if Sherry came back.
Vonda stared at Tim for what was her first time seeing him sad.
Chapter 9: Missing
I - Corrupted
-Day 46-
A boat moved along the Hudson River as Vonda stood in the front deck of the sightseeing boat. She looked at a light in the distance atop of what appeared to be a lighthouse.
Standing next to Vonda was her mother.
She felt a sense of sadness in her heart.
"So I assume you know what I am," said Sherry. "You know the things I did... isn't that right?"
Vonda continued looking ahead in silence.
"Well... this isn't how I wanted you to find out."
"That implies you wanted me to find out some other way," said Vonda. "And that confuses me. Why would you want me to find out what a piece of shit you are?"
"Heh, look at the sailor mouth on you."
"Gonna ground me? Send me to my room? Or maybe kill me like my friends?"
"I... there's something you have to understand. A mother would never hurt her child, so don't you worry about that."
"Then you're not my mother. You've hurt me. Then and now. And you don't even realize it."
"Yeah, well... we're both learning together."
"You think you can just come back to my life, kidnap me from my group, and get me to love you like I did with my dad?"
"No-"
"What the fuck is wrong with you? Why am I here?"
"You'll soon find out."
"Why can't you just tell me now?"
"Patience, you little fucker."
Vonda was caught off-guard by Sherry's tone shift.
Sherry took a couple of breaths, clearly losing her temper. She then closed her eyes and let a few seconds of silence pass. She smiled.
"Well... that explains where you got your sailor mouth from," chuckled Sherry.
Vonda rubbed her arms and looked away, trying to control her own anger.
"I want to ask about that other girl. Lynn."
Vonda couldn't ignore her mother. She was just full of surprises.
"Why?" asked Vonda.
"She's very important to you, isn't she?"
Vonda wasn't sure how to answer. Would her mother use Lynn against her? She didn't know.
"I don't understand why we're talking about her," said Vonda.
"Just wondering if she's one of your father's many secrets."
"What are you talking about?" asked Vonda, puzzled.
"Is she... your sister?"
"Lynn? No."
Sherry was surprised.
"She isn't?" gasped Sherry.
"No. Why would you think that?"
"Well, she has one of your father's bows."
Vonda felt strange about the fact that Sherry kept mentioning her father. She didn't like it.
"It's my bow," said Lynn. "And I gave it to her."
Sherry turned around and looked at John. She gave him a slight nod, to which John responded by going into the cabin and dragging Lynn out into the main deck.
"Hey, let me go!" growled Lynn. "I can walk myself!"
John shoved Lynn forward, allowing her to walk towards Sherry.
Lynn clinched her fists and stormed towards Sherry.
"Careful, Lynn," said Sherry. "Careful how you approach me."
Lynn looked at Vonda, who shook her head softly. She took a deep breath and loosened her fists.
"Lynn, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?" asked Sherry.
Lynn grit her teeth and glared at her.
"How old are you?"
"Thirteen."
"Huh. You're older than Vonda. Okay, where are you from?"
"Michigan."
"Oh, nice. Go Werewolves, amirite?"
Lynn continued to glare at Sherry, her anger only burning hotter the more she stared at her.
"I lived in Michigan for some time. Ann Arbor. What about you?"
"Royal Woods."
"Royal Woods... not gonna lie... doesn't ring a bell. Got any family?"
"Yeah."
"How many siblings?"
"Ten..."
Lynn's voice trailed off as she realized that she erred in her explanation and was hesitant to fix it.
"...I had ten siblings. I have nine now."
Sherry gulped.
"What was your sibling's name?"
"Lola."
"What happened to Lola?"
Lynn looked at Vonda. Vonda slowly nodded her head.
"She was… bitten by one of the… roamers. And she died."
Lynn was tearing up now though her glare was unchanging.
"What else about my damn life do you want to know about?"
"I'm sorry for what happened to your sister."
"Why would you be sorry? You should be sorry about killing my best friend! You and you!" cried Lynn as she pointed at John. "But not like it matters anyways... because I won't ever forgive you two."
"Lynn. You need to understand something. Your group... just had to listen. They had no business allying with George. Not after what he's done. If it's an apology you want... you'll have to wait. Just know I won't hurt you anymore."
Lynn was unable to speak. Sherry continued on.
"When was the last time you saw Vonda's father?"
"Never."
Sherry nodded to herself. She then signaled John to take Lynn back to the cabin.
"And when was the last time you saw your father?" asked Sherry.
"The day before the world ended," said Vonda.
"May 29th?"
"No. 31st."
"I see. I guess Michigan fell right on the day your father predicted. The Global Infection Event. Speaking of him... why the hell aren't you with him? Or your aunt Meredith, for that matter?"
Vonda looked at Sherry, speechless. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"They're... gone," said Vonda.
"Huh?"
"They both got shot by rogue soldiers. My dad in Detroit... and Aunt Meredith in Ann Arbor."
Sherry took a deep sigh.
"And how did you find that out?"
"My group told me about my dad. They were there. And Aunt Meredith... well, I saw her body."
Sherry grabbed her trembling hand, and cleared up her throat.
"I see. Well, you're going to see your father again. I can't say the same for Meredith."
"W-What?"
"He's on his way here. We're going to see him."
"He's... dead."
"That's what he wants everyone to think."
"And how do you know that? Were you there? Did you see him survive?"
"Not exactly, but-"
"Then, how the hell do you know if he's alive or not? Don't give me false hope!"
"Vonda... when he was killed... was it because General Black said he was dead? Is that what your group told you?"
"Yeah. W-Wait... how do you know that?"
"One thing you should have known about your father is that he's a man of secrets. Just when you think you really know him... bam! He hits you with another surprise. His great escape plan... he's never been dead, Vonda. And I'll prove it to you."
Vonda looked ahead as she saw the docks in front of the Hudson warehouse. There were Piranhas standing around the docks, waving their hands.
Sherry waved back.
"All you have to do... is stay on this boat."
Vonda felt conflicted between fear and hope.
-Next Day-
Vonda felt the fan blow into her face as she sat on a seat inside the cabin of the sightseeing boat. She then moved a fork of ramen noodles into her mouth.
"Can you at least tell me what's happening to my friends?" asked Vonda.
John sat on a seat next to Vonda, eating ramen noodles with her.
"Not sure," said John.
"Something good? Something bad?"
"Don't know. Your mother don't tell me much."
"Seems to be her thing."
John slurped into his cup before looking at Vonda. He felt some pity for her.
"You know, she never mentioned you," said John. "But I can tell she cares a lot about you."
"Yeah, I can feel her love," sarcastically quipped Vonda.
"She's hardheaded for sure. She's strict. She's the kinda person you don't wanna mess with. But she's got favorites. But even then, those motherfuckers won't dare to step out of line. People here learn the hard way. It's just how we work. But then there's you. Cursing at her motherfuckin' face. Disrespecting her in front of her people. And yet, she don't lift a finger on you."
Vonda continued to listen to John.
"I'm sure her pride gets hurt when you talk back. But she lets it happen anyways because you're her daughter. Letting herself get disrespected in front of us just for you... if that ain't love, then I don't know what is."
Vonda looked over at the warehouse. She knew her mother was inside. She didn't doubt her own safety. She doubted the safety of her group members.
"What about my people?" asked Vonda. "Would she treat them the same way she treats me?"
John blew into his noodles.
"Don't know," he said.
Vonda gulped. She then looked back at her noodles.
Inside the warehouse, Benny was suffocating inside the shipping container. There was no fan. Just him, a chair, and a few air holes. He then saw the door to the container open. His eyes opened widely.
"Really?" scoffed Sherry. "We couldn't find a better place for him? Somewhere a bit... cooler?"
"It's the best we had," said Andrew.
"Maybe I should have invested in those fans," said Sherry, walking inside the container. "Jesus, I definitely should have. Whew."
"You're good in there alone?" asked Andrew.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I have a big strong man here to accompany me. Don't get jealous or anything."
"I'll try my hardest."
Andrew closed the door, leaving Sherry alone with Benny, who was tied to his chair with duct tape covering his lips.
"Look at you, pretty boy... no wonder it's so hot in here," smiled Sherry as she removed her vest, only showing her purple tank top.
Benny looked up at Sherry, hate burning in his eyes. He tried to say something, though his voice was muffled.
"There, there..."
Sherry removed her leather gloves and sat on Benny's lap.
Benny gulped and looked away.
"You must be burning," she said with a soft voice. "Here, let me help you out."
Sherry took out a knife with a serrated blade and cut his shirt open, revealing his sweaty chest. She placed her naked hand on his chest.
"My, my, look at that smooth skin..."
Benny continued to look away, though his heart was beating faster and faster.
"I want to free those young lips. If you scream, then..."
Sherry tapped an iron with her foot.
"...I'll burn your chest. Got it?"
Benny looked back at Sherry, now noticing how close her chest was. He quickly looked up and nodded.
"Good boy."
Sherry ripped the duct tape off his mouth, causing him to groan. She smiled as she grabbed her chin and forced him to look up at her.
"You're doing a great job, Benny."
Benny panted as felt the sweat in his neck choke him.
"We can keep this up," said Sherry. "But first... why don't you tell me where your group were going before our... little scuffle?"
"Please... please stop," whispered Benny.
"Aww, but I was just getting started. And you know I'm not going to stop until I get what I want from you. So tell me, Benny."
"We were just going to Albany... that was our final destination..."
"Now, now... you are doing so good right now. You don't have to lie. I know your group were going somewhere beyond New York."
Sherry placed her arms down on Benny's shoulders, moving her face closer to his face. She placed her hand on his face, forcing him to look down at his cleavage.
"The faster you tell me, the more time we'll have to ourselves."
Benny closed his eyes. He was breathing heavily.
"Perhaps you need more encouragement..."
Sherry grabbed his face and kissed his lips. She then moved the rest of her body slowly, moaning quietly.
Benny's eyes opened widely as the sweat in his face seemed to take the life out of him. The discomfort was killing him.
Sherry released her lips and smiled.
"Let's take this further..." she whispered, "...but first... where's your group going?"
"W-Why are you doing this?"
"I just want to make you comfortable. Or is the pain of losing that girl... too much?"
Benny closed his eyes and gasped as he tried to hold back his tears.
"Trust me... I can make you forget all about her."
"You.. you're sick in the head," panted Benny.
"What did you say?"
"You're a horrible person. You killed... three people that I cared about- people that Vonda cared about too! You think she's going to be safer with you? What's... what's wrong with you?"
Benny then groaned as he felt a sharp tip enter his chest. He then screamed as Sherry dragged the tip of her knife across his chest, cutting across him as blood dripped from the trail her knife left.
Sherry placed her palm on his mouth and shushed him as she showed him the knife and the blood that marked its tip.
"What did I say about you screaming?" she remarked.
Benny shook his head as Sherry grabbed the duct tape on the floor.
"No, wait... wait, don't!" begged Benny.
Sherry placed the duct tape over his mouth and stood up, moving away from him. She grabbed the iron in the floor and turned it on.
Benny flailed his head as he could see steam coming out of the iron.
"You could've just made it easy on yourself," said Sherry. "Maybe I'm just not as good-looking as I was ten years ago."
Sherry then let out a chuckle.
"Who am I kidding? I'm hot as fuck. Just like this iron."
Sherry shoved the iron into Benny's chest right below his left shoulder, causing him to scream at the top of his lungs. However, once again, the duct tape made sure those screams didn't leave the shipping container.
Benny's eyes flooded with tears as steam flew up and out the air holes. His entire body was shaking until Sherry peeled the iron off his chest. He could see and feel pieces of his skin stuck to the iron.
"That pain you just felt... you wouldn't want anyone else feeling it, right? Tell Vonda what I just did to you and I'll burn the other redhead's face off."
Sherry released the duct tape from Benny's mouth, allowing him to heave as tears ran down his sweaty face.
"Now... tell me where the fuck you and your group were heading."
"Houlton. Houlton, Maine."
"Houlton..." whispered Sherry. "That's close to Nova Scotia."
"Huh?"
"Why are you going there?"
Benny was trying to catch his breath before Sherry smacked her hand on her shoulder, causing him to flinch.
"Hey, keep up with me, pretty boy."
"Our families were captured by these rogue soldiers. Right now... they're in Houlton, and we're going there to rescue them."
"I see. Are these... rogues commanded by a certain General Black?"
"Yeah... how'd you know that?"
Sherry turned off the iron.
"We're done for today, Benny," said Sherry. "Andrew will take you to the showers. Gina will take care of that. And I'll get you a new shirt. How's that sound?"
Benny continued to cry softly as his wound was blistering.
Sherry groaned and slapped Benny lightly.
"Come on. You're a big boy now. Wipe those tears."
Sherry opened the shipping container door. She then walked out as Andrew walked in.
Benny didn't stop crying.
Vonda dug her finger into her ear before flicking her earwax away. She rubbed her towel on her air as she walked out of the showers.
"Where are we going now?" asked Vonda.
"Back to the boat," said Sherry.
"Where exactly are we going to meet my dad... assuming he's still alive?"
"Not here."
"Why don't you just tell me?"
"Just being cautious. We had something happen to us recently. A group hit us hard. Would've never happened had information not been leaked."
Sherry and Vonda walked out of the warehouse and towards the boat. Benny sat inside the cabin, staring into the ground as Becky paced around.
"We gotta do something," said Becky.
"What can we do?" asked Missy.
"I don't know... a Piranha's out there alone... I say we kill him and take his gun."
"Who... Doug?" asked Lucy.
"Eww, you know his name?" scoffed Lynn.
"Nah, we should just sit still," said D.
"Like hell we should," said Becky.
"They gave us shelter. Showers. Food. They wouldn't do that if they were just gon' ahead and kill us. Nah, I say we just wait it out."
"Maybe you should, since you can't do anything with that leg."
"No," said Benny. "Let's just... don't."
The hostages all looked at Benny, who was looking down at the ground. His new shirt covered his wound, and did not catch anyone's attention as all the captives were wearing new clothing.
Sherry stepped into the boat with Vonda, followed by John, Andrew, Gina, and Bertie. She then turned around and looked at Boomer.
"You know what to do, Boomer," smiled Sherry.
"Yes, ma'am."
Boomer grabbed the rope and tossed it into the boat. He then waved goodbye.
"Safe travels! We'll be taking good care of this place. Well... I will. Well, you know what I mean."
Sherry turned around and looked up.
"Hey, Doug! We're good here!" she exclaimed.
The boat began to pick up speed.
Vonda looked out the boat, seeing Boomer looking at them. He waved goodbye at her, though Vonda didn't wave back.
"Don't mind him," said Sherry. "He's a loyal mutt. But that's all he is."
"A... mutt?" said Vonda.
"Don't feel too bad for him. Don't feel bad for any of these people. You don't know them. Believe it or not... there are people worse than me."
Vonda nodded and looked away from the warehouse, now facing whatever was downstream as the boat moved away from Hudson.
PRESENT DAY
-Day 49-
The boats in the river floated with red stains on them, some which were capsized and others were torn in half.
Lincoln gazed at the river with his binoculars and wondered what had occurred in the river. He then focused his binoculars on the South Bridge and zoomed in. Large groups of roamers walked through the South Bridge and towards the warehouse. Lincoln then heard a growl in the distance.
He turned to his left and saw a roamer stumbling about down the road. Its glowing eyes made it noticeable in the darkness.
Zach walked up to the roamer and stabbed it with a knife.
"Got ya," said Zach. "And there's more of you guys. Crap."
Zach thrusted his knife again and again, and once more at the roamers that were walking towards him.
"The gunfire stopped," said Lincoln. "The roamers are coming. Yet they're not here. Where are they?"
"I don't know. But I do know you gotta pay more attention to ya' surroundings."
Lincoln looked back and saw Zach panting heavily. He looked at the roamers he took down.
"Nice job," said Lincoln.
"Thanks," said Zach, rolling his eyes.
Lincoln looked back at the river. He then saw the tugboat traveling across the river, heading to his direction. Ahead of the tugboat was a motorboat. However, the lack of light made it hard to identify who was coming.
"I think they're coming," said Lincoln. "But just in case it's not them..."
Lincoln grabbed his pistol.
"...get ready."
Zach nodded. The two of them walked back into the RV. Then, moments later, both of them came out, along with Carol. The two of them walked down the steps of the hill that led to a road and a small boating warehouse with a dock.
Lincoln kept looking ahead as he turned on his walkie-talkie.
"Is that you guys on the boat?" he asked.
"Yeah," said David. "Get Carol and Lisa ready. We got some injuries to deal with."
"Alright. Go on, Zach. Tell Carol."
Zach nodded. As he jogged up the steps, Lincoln crossed the road and walked towards the river where the motorboat was approaching. A flashlight was turned on from the motorboat, shining at Lincoln's face.
"Hey, Lincoln..." groaned Lori. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be back in the house."
"I just couldn't wait," said Lincoln, running up to the dock. "Is everyone okay?"
Sam stopped the boat. She and George helped Lori step off of the boat and into the dock.
"Not really," said George as he walked past Lincoln.
Lincoln looked back, seeing George run across the road and up the stairs.
"What is he in a hurry for?" asked Lincoln.
"Don't know," said Sam. "I really needed his help getting Lori up there."
Lincoln looked back at Lori again. Upon shining his flashlight at him, he was immediately shocked.
"Lori!" gasped Lincoln. "What happened to you?"
"Stabbed in the foot. Slashed in my hand," answered Lori. "Almost drowned. Can you help me?"
Lincoln nodded as he ran up to Lori. He allowed her to grab his shoulder and use him like a crutch as he and Sam both walked Lori across the road.
"You have to know..."
"Later," said Sam.
"I have to know what?" asked Lincoln.
"We'll wait until everyone's at the house."
George ran towards the RV. He rushed inside, causing Leni to yelp.
"Oh, Christ, I'm sorry," said George.
"It's okay," said Leni. "I thought you were one of the monsters."
George walked over to Bruna and pulled out his key from his pocket.
"So? Did you guys get your people?" asked Bruna. "Hey, what are you doing?"
George unlocked the handcuffs from Bruna's hand. He grabbed a canister of water.
"What's going on?" asked Clyde.
"We didn't find your people, Clyde," said George. "And Bruna..."
George placed the canister inside a backpack, as well as four cans of food, and a box of .45 ACP ammunition. He then handed the backpack over to Bruna as she removed her handcuffs.
"What's this?" asked Bruna, her voice sounding a bit panicked.
"Supplies. Enough to last you a day or two out there."
"W-What?"
"You have to go now."
Bruna grabbed the backpack. George then took out a sidearm from his pocket and checked the magazine inside it. He loaded it again.
"HK45. Uses .45 ACP rounds. Take it."
Bruna grabbed the pistol and pocketed it.
George placed his hand on her back and moved her out of the RV.
"I don't understand what's going on," said Bruna.
"You can't stay here any longer. Don't head southwards."
"O-Okay."
George took a deep breath and handed a flashlight to Bruna.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I know you didn't ask for this. But this is for your sake. Now, go. Hurry."
Bruna nodded and turned on the flashlight. She ran towards the trees and before George knew it, she was gone.
George looked down and sighed as he rubbed his forehead. He walked back inside the RV where he saw Lori, Sam, and Lincoln.
Lisa was inspecting Lori's foot while Carol was looking at her hand.
"Would've appreciated the help back there," said Sam.
George sighed as he checked the ammunition in his own magazine. He continued to pace around the RV.
"Yo, what's going on?" asked Zach.
"Where's Bruna?" asked Clyde.
Lori, Lincoln, and Sam looked around the RV.
"Where did she go?" asked Lori.
"She was here until George dragged her out of here like a madman," said Zach.
"Lori, she wasn't safe here," panted George.
Lori clenched her teeth.
"So you let her go?" asked Lori. "What about our safety?"
"You can't tell me you see Bruna as a threat."
"I don't understand what's going on," said Lana. "What happened? Where's everybody else?"
"They're coming."
"When?"
"In a bit."
"Why'd you release Bruna?" asked Lincoln.
"What happened to Lori?" asked Leni.
"Is Benny okay?" asked Luan.
"Everyone!" exclaimed Lisa. "Please, compose yourself. George, everyone has questions. Your frantic behavior is causing panic among the group."
"Yeah, well, I didn't have much time to-" said George before seeing the RV door open.
David walked in along with Richard.
"Rest of the group's outside," said David.
The group members all rushed outside of the RV, with the exception of Lori, Carol, and Lisa. However, Lincoln left the door open for them to overhear.
"Where's Benny?" asked Luan.
"We... we didn't find the others," said David.
"What?"
"They weren't there. They're somewhere else."
"So Bruna lied to us?" asked Zach.
"No. Sherry was there. Then she took the hostages somewhere else."
"Where?" asked Clyde.
"New York City."
Lincoln looked around the group. He saw a dejected Rusty.
"And how do we know that?" asked Zach.
"Someone talked," said Richard. "Speaking of Bruna, where the hell is she?"
The group members all looked at George. He took a deep breath.
"I let her go," said George.
"What?"
"We're done with her."
"So you're telling me she's out there?"
"Yeah. And we gotta leave ourselves too. Plenty of roamers heard all that noise back there."
"Why the hell did you release her?"
Richard took out his revolver.
"We gotta find her. It ain't safe with her running loose."
"Hey, relax," said David.
"She could warn her people! Where'd she go, George?"
"I ain't letting you go after her," said George.
"We don't have time for this," said David. "We gotta go now."
"What were you even thinking?" asked Richard, standing in front of George.
"You executed that man!" said George.
"That piece of shit back there? Don't tell me you feel sorry for him!"
"He was cooperating!"
"His people killed our people!"
"You could say the same for Bruna. That's why I released her. She doesn't deserve a bullet to the head."
The group members all looked at the two men arguing. Some of them felt terrified.
"We ain't going to waste our resources keeping him alive," said Richard. "And we can't let him go. He would've warned the others. I had to do it! Ain't that right, David?"
"What's done is done," said David. "We don't have time for this."
"Come on, back me up here."
"Enough! The roamers are coming. This conversation is finished. Now, let's go."
Richard growled and walked into the RV, pushing George with his shoulder.
George looked back at him, though he felt relieved on the inside.
Lori looked up at Richard. The two looked at each other, though Richard seemed to show no concern with what happened with her. He was too angry.
"It's very fortunate that the sharp weapon missed your dorsalis pedis artery," said Lisa. "Your foot did not get infected, nor did your left palm, but you did experience quite some blood loss due to the size of the gash."
"Thank you, Lisa," said Lori.
"Is she gonna be alright?" asked David.
"Yes," confirmed Lisa. "The bandage on her hand should prevent her wound from getting infected and her foot wound is stitched up."
"I can't drive though," said Lori.
"Don't worry," said George. "I got it."
"And who's gonna drive Chunk's van?" asked Dana.
"I will," said Carol.
"Wait... Chunk's gone?" asked Clyde.
The group members looked at Luna and Sam, who were both quiet. However, the latter was able to hold her tears back and nod.
"Yeah," mouthed Sam.
"Not just him..." said Tabby.
Lincoln looked around. His heart continued beating faster and faster. The longer he looked around, the harder it became to hold his tears back.
Then, the tears were let loose.
"Liam..." whimpered Lincoln.
Rusty nodded as he wiped his tears.
Tabby sat on the couch of the RV and cried into her hands.
Zach looked shocked, almost as if he couldn't believe what he just heard.
Clyde wrapped his arms around Lincoln, crying into his chest.
Down the road, the glow of a roamer's eyes made themselves known. Accompanying it were other glowing eyes. A group of roamers saw the light from the RV and changed course, now limping towards the light like flies to a lamp.