III - Together
-Eight Hours Later-
The morning sun brightened up the river. Andrew kept his eye out on the river. Gina then walked in the room.
"You can take a break now," said Gina.
"Thank god," said Andrew, passing a pair of binoculars to Gina. "Good luck."
Andrew walked out of the room as Gina sat in a chair and looked out the window and at the river.
D sat bored by a computer, tapping the keyboard as Missy was meditating in the middle of the living room. Lynn was meditating with her, though D's keyboard tapping was annoying her.
"Can you stop that?" growled Lynn.
"Sorry, yo," said D.
Benny sat on a chair, looking out the window. Lucy was sitting by the corner of the room, reading a book.
Vonda was throwing darts into a board, a bored expression drawn on her face.
Becky was pacing around the living room, looking around as she was deep in thought.
John stood by the kitchen door, watching the children. He was reading a book himself.
Becky attempted to walk out of the living room before John spoke up.
"Where the hell you think you're going?"
"I need to use the bathroom," said Becky.
"There's one right here," said John, pointing at a door near the kitchen.
"It's not going to flush."
"You can wait then. Maybe I'll have my brother come down and accompany you."
Becky groaned as she walked over to the door. She opened it and entered.
Now, hidden by the cover of the door, she looked around. She grabbed a toothbrush and dropped it into the toilet, creating a plopping noise. She then unlocked the windows and opened it, groaning a bit. She used the bathtub to help her climb up to the window before moving her body through the open space. A few seconds later and she was now standing outside of the house.
Inside the living room, Lynn continued to get more frustrated.
"Nothing's happening," said Lynn.
"You have to give it time," said Missy, her eyes remaining closed.
"I already did."
"Have you ever done yoga?"
"I have. It's just not working right now."
Lynn sighed and stood up.
Missy, however, remained in her yoga meditation stance.
Lynn sat against the wall and groaned out of boredom.
"Is something wrong?" asked Lucy.
"Just need to be out there doing something," said Lynn. "I can't be sitting here doing something. But that asshole over there wants to keep us in here."
John turned towards Lynn, raising his eyebrows.
"Easy now, Lynn," said Missy.
"Yeah, listen to her," said John.
"Do you even know what you did?" asked Lynn.
John lowered his book.
"Lynn, please calm down," said Lucy.
"No! I wanna ask him why! Why did he kill my friend?"
John clenched his jaw. However, he didn't let his vulnerable side show.
"Because I had orders to," said John. "Now, you done?"
Lynn felt veins pulsing in her head.
"You... do you even care?" growled Lynn.
"It don't matter what I feel. Orders are orders. I gotta carry them out. That's all."
"Why even take orders from her?" asked Lynn. "You know what kind of person she is. She... she killed my sister, didn't she?"
Benny nodded, keeping his eyes on the window.
"The only way you'd be okay with taking orders from someone like her would be if you agreed with her in the first place."
"There are winners and losers in this world," said John. "The losers die. It's that simple. And the roamers ain't change a damn thing about that."
Lynn was about to stand up before Lucy held her back.
"I think that's enough," said Lucy.
"They killed Luan," said Lynn. "How are you okay with that?"
"Who says I am?"
"Well, you're reading your book like you don't give a damn."
Lucy frowned.
"Of course I feel angry," said Lucy. "But if I act on my anger, how would that help me? How would that help anybody?"
"It felt good killing those roamers back at the jammed highway. It feels good killing them wherever I find them."
"Does it still feel good now?"
Lynn closed his eyes. She understood where Lucy was coming from.
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't believe Luan is dead."
"Benny saw her get shot in the head," said Lynn.
"People survive gunshots to the head."
"And how do you know she has?"
"I've tried talking to her beyond the veil. But she's not there. I don't feel her energy at all."
"Here you go again with this spiritual bullshit. Now, it just sounds like you're in denial."
"Possibly. Doesn't make me any less angry about what happened to Luan."
Lynn sighed.
Benny closed his eyes. He overheard Lucy, but he thought what Lynn just said. Lucy was just in denial, he thought to himself.
The group members then saw Andrew walk through the living room.
"Sherry's in there?" asked Andrew.
"Nah, she's out in the backyard," said John.
Andrew nodded and walked into the kitchen and out the back door.
Sherry let out a breath of smoke as she held a cigarette.
"How much longer are we going to stay?" asked Andrew.
"Their little steamboat or whatever the hell they're using didn't pass yet?" asked Sherry.
"No."
"Are we really safe then?"
"If Quirino's men were using the river, they would've passed by now."
"Hell, they could just be waiting for us at the end. Catch us with our ass hanging out in the open."
"Then we might as well stay here forever."
"You're right. Let's go then."
Sherry then looked past Andrew and saw Becky coming out of the driveway. She quickly reached for her pistol before Becky placed a knife against Andrew's throat.
"What the?" groaned Andrew.
"Oh, Jesus," said Sherry. "If it isn't my second favorite redhead."
"Don't do anything," said Becky, glaring at Sherry with angry eyes. "If you do, I'll cut this guy's throat out."
"I believe I gave you his name already."
"I don't care! Just shut up and remove everything you have!"
Sherry let out a chuckle.
"Fine," she smiled. "Whatever you say."
Sherry slowly pulled out her pistol and held it carefully, not gripping it tightly at all. She then tossed it into the grass and then reached for her knife slowly.
Sweat formed on Becky's forehead as she watched Sherry carefully. She then tightened her grip on the knife after feeling it get sweaty and slippery.
Then, before she knew it, she was knocked back after Andrew made a sudden headbutt. In addition, Andrew held Becky's wrist, preventing any jolts or sudden movements that would have resulted in his throat being slashed.
Andrew pulled the knife away from Becky's sweaty hand and raised his gun.
"Wait, wait!" exclaimed Sherry, smirking. "Not yet."
Becky was breathing heavily as blood trickled down her nose.
Birds tweeted outside of the Casagrande apartment.
Bobby blinked his eyes open. He turned over to see his digital clock, but it was off. He noticed that it was connected to the outlet before remembering the world he was living in.
He arose from bed and stretched. He walked into the empty living room and then into the kitchen. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his sweaty face with it.
After coming out of the kitchen, he noticed the door to Ronnie Anne's room was open. He walked towards her room and looked inside.
The bed was empty. The closet was empty. The room was empty.
His heart raced.
"Niní?" he exclaimed.
He walked around the apartment, looking inside the bathroom, his mother's room, his grandparents' room. However, Ronnie Anne was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, come on, where are you? I know you're mad at me, but don't hide from me!"
Bobby continued to look around. He then looked outside the window and noticed the roamers wandering around in the street.
"Oh... come on..."
Bobby placed his boots on and grabbed his backpack. He grabbed his pistol and his knife.
Just as he walked out of the apartment room, he saw Ronnie Anne walking up the steps.
"Hey," said Ronnie Anne.
"Hey?"
"Yeah. Hey."
Bobby groaned as he walked back into the apartment with Ronnie Anne.
"Did you just go out there on your own?" asked Bobby.
"Yeah."
"You can't do that!"
"Who says? Mom isn't here. Neither is Abuelo or Abuela."
"I'm your brother. As long as I'm here, I'm responsible for you."
"I didn't even want you here. I can handle myself!"
"What if you needed help? I wouldn't have been out there to save you!"
"I don't need your help. I killed a few roamers and got a few cans for us. And if we're lucky, you won't overcook them. You can thank me."
Bobby grumbled. Ronnie Anne then walked over to her room and shut the door before locking it.
Bobby sighed and looked at the cans. They were canned peaches.
A roamers roamed in the empty distance as the group members were packing up their bags.
Lincoln looked at the empty farm field with a somber expression. Unlike the bright, colorful rows of corn he saw at Liam's farm, it was dry and empty.
Tabby then walked up to him.
"Tabby... about yesterday."
"We don't have to talk about it," said Tabby. "The logbook- I know why you did it. I just can't forgive you yet."
"But Liam kept the same secret. That would mean... you can't forgive him yet either."
"He's gone, Lincoln. What does it matter?"
"He's not gone in our hearts. We have to do everything we can to keep him alive in our memory."
Tabby walked away, not emotionally ready to have this conversation.
Lori walked past the burned bodies and towards the RV.
David approached her.
"You alright?" asked David.
"Yeah," said Lori. "Your advice worked. I don't feel bad for them. In fact... I hope you won't think of me differently when I say this... but I feel a bit relieved."
"These people killed others. After us, they would have kept going after more people. You stopped that. In turn, you saved more lives than you can imagine. That's something to be proud of."
Lori smiled and nodded.
"Alright, get in, kid. Time's ticking."
Lori got inside Vanzilla as David walked away.
After all the group members were inside their respective vehicles, the vehicles moved along the road and past the field. Soon, they left the farm.
Inside Vanzilla, Darcy was holding a large map of New York. Lisa was sitting next to her, reading through the logbook that Lincoln found.
"So... these lines are roads?" asked Darcy.
"Yes," said Lisa.
"And these dots... are cities?"
"Mostly towns, but yes, some of them are cities."
"What about this star?"
"That's the state capital, Albany. It's where we were four days ago."
"And it's where Bobby is right now, right?"
"Precisely."
"And where are we now?"
Lisa put down the logbook and turned towards the map. She flipped some pages and looked towards southeastern New York. She then pointed at a particularly empty spot in the map.
"Right here," stated Lisa. "Near Kingston."
Darcy looked at the map glumly.
"Is something bothering you?"
"What happened to the four strangers back on the farm?" asked Darcy.
Lisa looked forward at Lori, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
George looked at the rearview mirror.
Lisa was unable to answer clearly.
"Well... I don't think... you don't have to-" stammered Lisa.
"We had a fight, but everything is alright," said George. "Everyone walked out happy."
Darcy had a confused expression before Lori shook her head.
"No," said Lori. "We shouldn't hide the truth."
"She's a little girl," said George.
"A little girl that I'm responsible for," said Lori before whispering. "Now and forever."
George nodded. Lori cleared her throat and spoke normally.
"The four strangers wanted to kill us. So we killed them first."
Darcy clutched the map.
"But... but I heard them speak," said Darcy. "They said they weren't going to kill anyone."
"They were lying."
"Why?"
"Because they wanted our things. This world... is becoming a very dangerous place. Food and water are becoming scarce. Laws don't exist anymore. People take what they want to take, no matter how. They're willing to do anything, and that includes lying. That's why you should never trust a stranger."
"I see... but isn't killing bad?"
"Only when you kill people for no good reason."
"You had a good reason, right?"
"Yeah. I won't let anyone hurt the people I love."
Darcy nodded. She then looked back at the map.
-Four Hours Later-
Inside Chunk's van, Carol held the wheel that she once held when she drove the van from Detroit to Royal Woods. She adjusted the mirrors and noticed that Sam and Luna were not talking to each other. They were both staring out the window. Carol couldn't help but break the silence.
"Are any of you planning to learn how to drive soon?" asked Carol.
Luna and Sam looked at Carol without saying a word. Their glossy eyes told Carol that they weren't in the mood for small talk.
"Sorry, it's just kinda quiet in here," said Carol. "Are you sure you guys don't want me to put some music on?"
"No," said Luna. "No music."
Carol nodded and continued to drive in awkward silence.
Sam then broke the silence.
"We were going to get ready to take our driver's exam when we turned 16," said Sam. "But you already know that won't happen."
"That does suck," said Carol. "But a license doesn't really mean anything anymore. You just need someone to instruct you how to drive and you practice. Just like how you practice how to play a guitar. All you have to is practice driving and that's how you get good at it."
"Yeah, but playing a guitar's easy," said Luna.
"And so is driving. I would argue it's easier- for the non-musically-inclined."
"And who's going to teach us?"
"Lori's capable of teaching you guys. Or if you want, I can! Really, anyone who knows how to drive."
"That sounds like it would be a lot of fun," smiled Sam.
Luna smiled and nodded. She then noticed Sam frowning.
"I'm sorry, Lunes," whispered Sam.
"For what?" asked Luna.
"I made you selfishly protect me. If I wasn't so worried about dying in a gunfight... you wouldn't have been so inclined to protect me. You could have protected Chunk as well instead of just me."
"No, you didn't make do anything, Sam. I want to protect you. What happened with Chunk... is the Piranhas' fault. And that's why we're going to stop them. But please don't blame yourself."
"You're... not mad at me?"
"No, of course not. I've just been thinking about Chunk too much. I'm sorry. I should have asked how you felt too."
"N-No, there was no need. I just... I was just being stupid. I should have said something earlier."
"Same."
Sam smiled.
"I guess now is the right time to say that I actually wanted to listen to music all this time?" chuckled Sam nervously.
Luna smiled and nodded. Carol put a CD into the radio and began playing rock music.
Sam lay her head on Luna's shoulder as the vehicles continued to move.
A damp darkness surrounded Becky. A light then peered into the basement, revealing Becky tied to a chair. Her hair was ruffled and her nose bruised. She looked up and saw Sherry walk down the basement stairs. She immediately grew an angry glare.
Suddenly, a muffled noise was made as Andrew walked D, who was gagged, down the stairs. Her glare turned into a look of worry.
Andrew shut the door and Sherry turned on a lamp.
"What... what are you doing?" asked Becky.
"Punishment awaits," said Sherry.
"He... he had nothing to do with this."
"And yet, he'll be punished just the same."
Becky panted heavily as D was sat down on a chair. He tried fighting Andrew off before Sherry pointed a gun at Becky's forehead.
D let out a muffled scream before Sherry hushed him.
"Just let Andrew tie you down," said Sherry.
D did not resist and allowed Andrew to tie him to a chair facing Becky.
"Please... whatever you're going to do to him, just do to me," said Becky. "He didn't do anything!"
Sherry walked over to D and placed the gun back in her holster.
"You care about this boy, don't you?" asked Sherry. "How would your lover boy feel about this? You know... the one I killed?"
Becky grit her teeth, almost hissing at Sherry.
Sherry smiled.
"You have to tell me what you were thinking," she chuckled.
"Please... let him go," said Becky.
Sherry placed her hands on D's shoulders, feeling him tremble. She then punched D with a side punch, causing him to groan.
"Stop!"
"I give you shelter..."
Sherry punched D again.
"I give you food..."
Sherry punched D again.
"I give you water..."
And Sherry continued punching D.
"And yet you tried to kill me. I know I killed your lover, but come on. Cut me some slack, won't you?"
Becky growled as she twisted her wrists, trying her hardest to break free from her rope. However, she couldn't.
"Maybe I don't need you. Or maybe... I don't need him."
Sherry took out a gun and aimed it at the back of D's head.
"No! Please, don't!" cried Becky. "Please, kill me. Not him. Please."
"I wanna hear it."
"Hear what?"
"Apologize."
"I'm sorry."
"Doesn't sound genuine enough."
"No! Wait! I'm sorry! I... shouldn't have tried to kill you!"
Sherry's smile grew widely.
"Okay," she whispered. "Apology accepted."
Sherry untied D's ropes as Andrew untied Becky's. D fell forward as Becky ran towards him, making sure he was okay.
"Just so you know..." said Sherry. "Your lover is turning over his grave right now. And there's not a damn thing you can fucking do about it."
Becky's eyes were filled with angry tears, though she swallowed hard, knowing very well what the consequences would be. She would not be punished. D would.
Sherry walked up the stairs as Andrew pushed D and Becky forward, forcing the two of them to follow her. They exited the basement and met up with the rest of the group in the dining room.
"Oh my god," whispered Missy.
Sherry looked at Andrew.
"Have Gina come down and treat him," said Sherry, rubbing her knuckles softly.
Andrew nodded. He left and walked upstairs.
"What did you do to him?" asked Missy.
Sherry ignored her and walked up to John.
"Don't let her out of your sight next time," said Sherry.
John gulped and nodded.
"Hey!" exclaimed Vonda. "Missy asked you a question!"
Sherry was caught off-guard but smiled.
"I think Becky can answer that," chuckled Sherry.
Becky looked at the group members as she held in her tears.
"I tried to kill Sherry. So she punished him... instead of me."
"And let that be a warning to you all."
Benny looked at the injuries in D's face before closing his eyes and looking away.
"Well, I think we stayed in this hell hole long enough," said Sherry. "Let's go to the Dust Zone."
Vonda looked at her mother with terrified eyes.
-Twelve Hours Later-
A large explosion caused a roaring fire to streak across the trees in a park. Rogue soldiers were gunned down. A loud shot was heard and then another as two young delinquents fell. The sounds of ribs cracking and a woman yelling. A gunshot pierced through a man's face and then another one through a woman's face. A lamp shattered as another man was shot from the distance. Blood oozed out of a man's neck as it poured through the water. Splashes of water jumped out of the river as two people were shot. The sound of a skull cracking as a hatchet hacked their face.
Lori gasped as she woke up. She panted heavily and was covered in sweat. She looked around and saw Leni in the bed next to her along with Lily in a small bed in the corner of the room.
She walked outside of the house to get some fresh air. On the front porch, sitting on a rocking chair, was David.
"David?"
David turned to her.
"What are you doing up?" asked David.
"Couldn't sleep. What about you?"
"Same."
Lori sat on another rocking chair next to David's. She looked ahead, seeing the moonlight illuminate the dark streets and the trees that covered the river.
"We're getting close to your home city," said Lori. "Feeling nervous?"
"Not really."
"Thinking about something else?"
David rocked his chair back and forth slowly. Lori nodded, knowing his silence answered her question.
"You shouldn't be awake right no. We can't have you sleeping on the wheel."
"Never get much sleep anyways," said David.
"I wonder... what even keeps you up at night?"
"Look at the world we live in now. Do you really have to ask that?"
"I don't know, I thought veterans would be used to this by now. Death and violence... isn't that what you're used to seeing?"
"Not this kind."
"Still, you're more hardened than the rest of us. I just thought veterans of all people would be able to sleep through this."
"No one's immune to insomnia, including veterans. Oh, especially veterans."
"I see. Makes sense. My grandpa suffered from sleeping problems most of his life."
"Yeah? He served?"
"Yeah. Navy."
David nodded.
"He's the one who taught you how to use a gun?"
"Yeah. He's taught my mom as well. I guess he knew the world was dangerous even before there were roamers."
"Certainly. My... my wife was taught by her grandfather too. He was a World War 2 vet. He was lucky enough to fight the good war. When the military was still honorable."
"My grandpa fought in Vietnam."
"That's when it all went wrong, wasn't it?"
"I guess so. You're not too fond of the military?"
"After what you've seen, are you?"
"No."
"I didn't want my son to go through what I went through. He's a bright kid. So I pushed him to go to college. That way he wouldn't end up like his folks."
"Your wife served in the military?"
"Yeah. And unlike me, she has a more... optimistic view on the military. She believes she can be a soldier while keeping her humanity intact. If only I had discouraged her from joining Black on his mission..."
"So she's with General Black?"
"Yeah. Probably being held at Houlton with the others. Or maybe she's dead. No way to tell until we get there."
"So that's why you didn't care to back to Manhattan- your wife's not there."
"You got it."
"What about your son?"
"He's in Miami. Or maybe away from the cities."
"So you were alone when the city was overrun?"
"I wasn't even in the city. I was in Michigan. Richard and Missy were using my RV for their camping trip, and luckily, they were home when the Global Infection Event started. We were gonna head back to New York when we heard a broadcast in the radio. It was Tim Crowley. He revealed that Black was in Detroit. But even after he warned us to stay away, I still wanted to head there. Just to get my wife out of there. The RV broke down though... and we took shelter in your neighbor's house for a bit. But then... I saw the rogues setting up base in Ketcham Park. Tim mentioned an Operation Exodus. We thought he meant he was going to transport everyone to Royal Woods... but in the end, we knew he meant Houlton. He said Detroit was going to be bombed on Day 10. When the bombings started, we knew he was right. And that's when I knew my wife was in real trouble."
Lori looked at David with worry.
"Why... was your wife even with General Black?"
"He used to be respected amongst the military. Decorated from head to toe. He also used to command Richard and Missy's battalion back when he was a Lieutenant Colonel. He was then transferred to a special operations group. That's where my wife comes in. She's good. And I mean good. So Black saw the potential in her and recruited her. But after retiring, that was supposed to be it. It was only six months ago when she was called out of retirement to join a 'special mission.' I guess she still wanted to be a hero, so she joined him. Six months later... and I have yet to see her."
"I see. What about your son?"
"What about him?"
"Will you go to Florida after we go to Houlton?"
"Haven't given much thought to it. Can't anyways- all I have to do is focus on the mission in hand."
"Yeah. I haven't thought about what to do after Houlton either. Leni wants to go to the Bahamas, but... I don't know how realistic that idea is."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Lori nodded. The two continued to stare ahead into the dark and empty street.
A door creaked open before light leaked into a salon.
Ronnie Anne, wearing a backpack, moved the flashlight around. She saw the chairs sitting in front of the mirrors, the comfortable chairs for waiting clients, and the front desk displaying hair dyes. She walked over to the front desk and knelt down to open a drawer with a box inside. Opening the box, she found a stash of cash.
Ronnie Anne sighed. She moved the box back into the drawer with the cash still inside and walked over to the back, where she found a narrow hallway to the back door and to a bathroom. She also found a large pot with a plant standing upright.
"Margarita, you cheeky woman," said Ronnie Anne. "I knew the plant was fake."
She then walked over to one of the salon chairs and opened a drawer. Shuffling through the scissors, curling iron, and hairbrushes, she then saw a small spray bottle on a shelf with water still inside. She grabbed the spray bottle, opened it, and took a large sip before spitting it out in disgust.
"Aw, dang. Gross."
Ronnie Anne placed the spray bottle back on the shelf and began to walk out before seeing roamers in front of the salon. They pressed their hands against the glass window, growling as their eyes locked onto the flashlight.
Ronnie Anne gasped. She reached for her pocket and took out a knife before seeing more roamers gather up in front of the salon. She turned around, deciding not to fight the roamers, and headed for the back door. However, upon turning the doorknob and pushing the door, she realized something was blocking the door from the other side.
She then heard a crack as the roamers continued to press their hands and nails against the glass window. Some were slamming their face into the window, shattering their nose and breaking their teeth. She turned off the flashlight, but to no avail as the roamers continued to break the glass window little by little.
She grabbed some of the chairs and placed them against the glass window. She then backed away before the glass window shattered. The roamers easily pushed the chairs away, causing Ronnie Anne to raise her knife. She lunged her knife forward, taking down one of the roamers before swinging her knife around, slashing more roamers. However, not each swing killed a roamer. Blood splattered onto the floor as Ronnie Anne continued backing up.
"No, no, no," muttered Ronnie Anne. "Get away!"
She stabbed one of the roamers in the skull, but upon pulling the knife away, she broke the blade, only being able to pull the handle out. She gasped as she saw more roamers pouring into the salon.
With escape being out of the table, she ran to the bathroom and locked it. She turned on her flashlight and saw cockroaches scurry away, causing her hair to stand up. She turned it off after hearing a roamer slam their palm against the door. Their nails then scratched against the door, causing Ronnie Anne to close her ears with her hands. She panted heavily and began to cry.
The roamers that were some distances away from the salon were now walking towards it, following the other roamers that were already pouring into the building.