IV - Change of Heart
-Twelve Hours Later-
Bobby sat in the couch, tapping his foot, as he stared at the front door. He then stood up and paced around. He looked down at his backpack and his knife and contemplated searching for Ronnie Anne. However, he chose to sit back down and wait for her.
Ronnie Anne blinked her dry eyes open, seeing herself surrounded in darkness. However, a dim light shined from the slit under the bathroom door, letting Ronnie Anne know she was still alive.
She stood up weakly, though she grabbed her flashlight, preparing to use it to fight her way out. However, upon opening the bathroom door, she found the salon empty. She groaned as she walked out of the salon.
The afternoon sun gleamed on the river before debris in the water made itself known.
The boat continued to move ahead as Vonda sat in a chair in the back deck.
Sherry sat next to her, making Vonda feel uncomfortable.
"Is everything alright?" asked Sherry.
"What you did to D yesterday... is that a trademark of yours?" asked Vonda.
"I don't get what you mean. It was necessary to-"
"You killed George's family to punish him. Even though they did nothing to you."
"You have to understand-"
"There was a little girl! And yet... you killed her... and for what? George still went after you. You didn't prevent shit. You only made him angrier. More motivated to stop you."
"I know."
Sherry took a deep breath.
"I know. It wasn't supposed to go that way. Andrew and John were supposed to take 'em alive."
"That's not what you said the other day. You said you wanted Andrew to make sure George's family suffered. You said that... right before you shot at us."
"Did you actually think I'd put you in harm's way? I wanted to see if George would hurt you out of anger."
"Why would he do that?"
"He threatened to kill you. The very least he could do is pretend he had the guts to do so. But I knew he didn't. And that's why you're here with me."
Vonda sighed. She was visibly distressed.
"If it makes you feel better, everything I did up to this point... was to reunite you with your father."
Vonda looked up at Sherry. She was conflicted. She wondered how her father fell in love with the monstrous being in front of her. She then wondered how they even made this plan. They must have made contact at some point. Her father must have known what Sherry was... and he came to her for help anyways. The longer she thought about it, the more she realized that Tim was using the Piranhas to guarantee her safety just as much as Sherry was.
Her eyes opened with horror after coming to this realization.
Andrew walked to the back deck.
"We're about to arrive," said Andrew.
Sherry nodded and stood up.
Vonda stood up as well, walking to the side of the boat. Her eyes were then filled with even more horror.
The boat traveled slower and slower. As it got closer and closer to the buildings, she noticed that there was a large amount of debris of enormous size, crumbled in the ground, smoked, shattered, and bent. However, what horrified her the most was the vast amount of debris in the city, making it appear like a wasteland. Mountains of collapsed buildings covered the land for as far as the eye can see. Only a few buildings remained standing as dust moved around the debris.
The boat then went idle. Vonda realized that the debris in the river prevented the boat from moving. The river was littered with steel poles, scrap metal, bricks, tons of glass particles, rubber tires, and even flesh. Vonda looked closer at what appeared to be a skeleton. The skeleton hung from a crooked pole, with wires wrapped around the parts where skin still stuck. Vonda stood back and almost stumbled to the wooden floor of the boat.
"Something wrong, Vonda?" asked Sherry, as she placed her hands on her daughter's back.
"W-W-What happened here?"
"Nuclear explosion, I think. It ruined a once great city. Now, it's nothing but debris and dust."
Sherry nodded.
"We have to get off from here," said Andrew.
The captives came out of the cabin and looked at the horrific sight in front of them.
"This… is New York?" stuttered Vonda.
"Yeah," said Sherry. "I mean it's not all of it. You can still see some pieces of Harlem and Yonkers over there. I don't suppose any of you lived here before?"
The hostages continued to look at the city in silence.
"Yo, Doug, we can come out now?" asked Bertie.
"Yeah, go on," said Doug.
Sherry overheard and motioned the hostages to follow her.
The ramp was lowered and Sherry walked over it while Vonda followed her, along with the other hostages and Piranhas. The Piranhas held their guns, including Sherry as they stepped onto one of the piers of the Hudson River Park. A wall of rubber tires blocked off the pier from the rest of the city. A small yacht sat in the water next to the pier.
However, the pier itself was empty.
"Burner, you here?" asked Sherry. "Katrina?"
Gina stepped inside the yacht and looked around. She then shook her head.
"I found their stuff," said Gina. "Radio's fine too. But no one's here."
Sherry paced around, huffing in anger before pulling out her sidearm. She pointed the gun at Missy.
"What did your group do?" growled Sherry.
Missy clenched her jaw and raised her hands up.
"It was probably the Barracudas," said Missy.
"If it were, they would've left heads for us."
"Hey, look!" exclaimed Vonda.
Vonda pointed at the wall of rubber tires. There were two large red X's spray-painted into them.
"So what?" asked Sherry. "Those could've been there before."
Gina walked forward, studying the wall.
"It wasn't," said Gina. "At least, not the last time I was here. Couldn't have been George's group either. Me and Andrew didn't see a damn boat pass by. And there's no way they could've beaten us here by car."
Sherry sighed regretfully and lowered her pistol.
Missy lowered her hands, though still feeling unsafe.
"Where the hell are they?" asked Sherry.
Gina touched the wall and then looked at her hand before feeling her whole body shudder. The X's were not spray-painted. It was blood.
"Oh my god..." whispered Gina.
Sherry looked at Gina's hand. She took a deep breath.
"Two X's, two victims?" asked Sherry.
"Maybe," said Gina.
Sherry faced the Piranhas.
"Gina, I need you to keep looking around, see any clues that could help us. Bertie, man the wall. Doug, you stay by that radio. John, take these people back to the boat. Andrew, stay with me. We're gonna do some inspecting. Is that clear?"
The Piranhas nodded affirmatively. The hostages all wondered what their fates was going to be.
"Wait, are we leaving already?" asked Vonda.
"No," said Sherry. "But there are dangerous people around. If they come back, you have to be ready to leave."
"You said my dad was here. Did something happen to him?"
"As far as we can tell... no."
Sherry motioned Andrew to follow her as they walked towards the wall. She turned around and looked at Vonda.
"Have hope, my little fish," said Sherry, smiling.
Vonda gulped, feeling uncomfortable. She was only becoming more hopeless.
Back in the Casagrande apartment, Bobby grabbed his backpack and his gun. He put on his boots and walked out of the apartment door. He then found Ronnie Anne walking up the stairs while covered in blood and rotten flesh.
"Oh my goodness," gasped Bobby.
Bobby ran up to Ronnie Anne, who appeared weary.
"Are you okay?"
Ronnie Anne looked at Bobby and shook her head. She then broke into tears and hugged him.
"I... I'm sorry," she sputtered.
"You don't have to apologize," said Bobby. "I'm here."
The two continued to hug as Bobby was crying too.
"Come on. Let's get you washed up."
-Eight Hours Later-
Vonda looked out the boat, seeing the sun setting in the west. She then turned around and saw Sherry coming into the pier through a narrow walkway between the wall of rubber tires and the waterfront. Andrew followed her before he climbed up the wall. Gina then climbed down, her skin looking burned by the sun.
Sherry walked over to the yacht.
"Nothing?" asked Sherry.
"No," said Doug.
"That's fine. Head back to our boat."
Sherry, Doug, and Gina walked back to the boat. The hostages paid little attention to them, except Lynn, Missy, and Vonda.
"So... was Vonda's dad here?" asked Lynn.
"I doubt it," said Sherry. "No sign of him or his shit. The people who killed or took Burner and Katrina didn't give a damn about their shit."
Sherry sat in a table inside the cabin with the rest of the hostages. She clasped her hands together and sighed.
"My biggest worry is that Tim arrived here before us and found no one."
"Where else would he go?" asked Vonda.
"Did you leave any clues- hints, about where you were going?"
"No."
"Nothing? Not a note, not a map, nothing?"
"I didn't think I had to. I thought he was dead... and I still think he is."
"Why? You don't believe me?"
"You haven't even told me the plan you two had. You barely give me time to ask questions. It's like you can't have a conversation with me for longer than five minutes!"
"Fine, then. What do you want to know?"
"The plan."
"It's simple. He was to go to Detroit with his virgin friends and take down a message broadcasted by General Black's men. He was then to put up a message of his own, warning people to stay away from Detroit. A friend of his, Jonathan Simmons, was to disguise himself and distract the rogues so that your father could make his own escape."
"Disguise himself?"
"You know, like plastic surgery. Shit works wonders. Anyways, he was to escape and head to Ann Arbor. In the meantime... my sister was supposed to take care of you."
"Aunt Meredith couldn't take care of her own liver. What made you think she could take care of me."
"It was your father's plan. You think I wanted him to go to Detroit? I told him to hell with everyone else. I wanted him to bring you here immediately. But no... he had other business to take care of. Just... just like I do."
Vonda closed her eyes.
"Go on," said Vonda.
"You three were supposed to head to the New York through the I-90 highway. There, you were supposed to be escorted by two of my people, Kevin and Madison."
Missy felt a skip in her heart.
"First, head to Diamond Point. Then, if for some reason it was compromised... then here, the Dust Zone. In order to keep each of us updated, we were supposed to keep in constant contact on the radio."
Vonda looked at Sherry with more energy.
"So you talked to him!" gasped Vonda.
"Well, last time I did... was on Day 9. After that... I lost contact. But he didn't die in Detroit. I know that much."
"How... how did you lose contact?"
"We were supposed to radio each other every morning at 8:52. That was the time. I know it."
"This plan is so complicated... why didn't you just come over to Ann Arbor yourself? If you cared to come back to my life... you could've done at least that much."
"Like I said, I had business to take care of."
"And what's that? Killing George?"
Sherry glared at Vonda.
"Yes," said Sherry. "As long as he's around... I will never be safe. You know it too. He won't stop until he kills me."
"Maybe you shouldn't have gotten his family killed!"
Sherry stomped her hands on the table, causing Vonda to flinch.
"Don't you talk to me like that," said Sherry. "I don't care if you're my daughter or a stranger. You... do not talk back to me that way."
Vonda took a deep breath before standing up.
"Or what?"
John's eyes popped open as he looked at Gina, whose jaw was agape.
Sherry looked up at Vonda, veins pulsing near her forehead.
"Boy, you're a difficult one, aren't you?" said Sherry, holding back the anger in her voice.
Vonda started tearing up.
"I don't even want to live with you. But that's what I'm gonna have to do... because my dad is dead."
"You really don't have any faith, huh?"
"Faith? He's a goddamn expert in radios. If his radio was broken, he would've found another one and fixed it. He would have fixed any radio and contacted you. But he hasn't. You know why? Because he's dead. Or- or maybe he's not dead! Maybe he got caught by the rogues! That would explain why he couldn't contact you. Then in that case, I'm never gonna see him! And if he somehow escapes or something, then it's gonna take him forever to get here. If he can even get here. And if he even does, you and your Piranhas will not be able to protect him. Look at what happened with Kevin and Madison. And Diamond Point! And Hudson! And this place! Your Piranhas keep dropping like flies. You guys are probably the last Piranhas in the world! Maybe you thought you and your group were tough in the old world, but this world... it's entirely different! There is nowhere that is safe! Nowhere! So I'll be damned if I stay here for a single day longer!"
Vonda was in complete tears by now.
The hostages and the Piranhas looked at each other awkwardly as Sherry closed her eyes, her hands trembling.
Sherry then stood up and faced the hostages.
"Very well. My daughter doesn't want to stay here any longer. So neither should you guys. Enjoy your last night here, you sorry sacks of shits."
Sherry then walked out of the boat as Vonda swallowed hard, feeling frightened for her group members.
Vonda turned around.
"I'm sorry," whispered Vonda.
"You could've at least stalled them," said Lynn, with her teeth clenched. "Lori and the others would have found us."
"No... it's alright," said Missy, walking up to Vonda and hugging her. "You kept us alive this long... we'll be grateful for that."
Vonda sniffled as she hugged Missy back.
Gina looked away as John shook his head slightly. He was not looking forward for tomorrow.
Sherry glanced back at the boat. She saw Missy and Vonda hugging each other and felt a sting in her heart. She then walked into the yacht, disappearing from sight.
The campfire crackled by the river. Richard was sitting on top of the RV, scouting the surroundings of the group, making sure they weren't being stalked.
David opened up a can of peaches and joined the rest of the group as they ate their food.
Lori was eating in silence before she noticed Luan coming out of the RV with Benny's katana and a scabbard around her back. She stood up and walked over to her.
"Hey, Luan, watcha' got there?"
"A katana."
"Benny's?"
Luan nodded.
"He said that if something happened to him, I was to take his sword," said Luan. "He said he was only joking... but I knew he only said that to not make me worry. But in reality... he meant it."
"You know... he's still alive, right?"
"We don't know that. But even if he was, he's not here right now. And I'm not going to sit around and wait to find out if he's gone or not. Just thinking about whether he's dead or not makes me want to break down and cry. But I'm not going to do that. With his katana, I feel like he's with me. And this sword... it's giving me the strength I need to keep my head up."
Lori smiled softly and placed her hand on Luan's head. She caressed her hair and moved it aside from her left temple, revealing the stitches on her gunshot wound. She then noticed that her hair wasn't growing around the stitches. She then pushed the longer strands towards the scar, and removed her hand.
"You're a really tough girl, Luan. Tougher than I imagined."
"Yeah. And I think Benny knew it the whole time."
Luan grabbed the katana and looked at the shiny blade. She noticed a dark-red tint on the point of the blade. She then placed the katana back inside its scabbard and wore it behind her back.
"It looks nice," said Lori. "It fits you."
Luan smiled widely and walked over to the campfire with the rest of the group.
-Twelve Hours Later-
The dust was carried in the destroyed city by the wind in multiple directions.
The morning sun started rising, but there were no chirps to accompany it.
The sound of nature has completely faded as the destruction of mankind remained lurking in the area.
The two X's remained painted to the wall of rubber tires.
The boat remained idle in the river.
Sherry stood in front of the boat.
Becky was crying softly before D hugged her from the side.
Lucy stared out in the river, looking as hopeless as Benny.
Lynn was pacing around, trying to think of a plan to avoid their seemingly inevitable execution.
Missy remained still as she nervously awaited her fate.
Vonda stood up and walked out of the boat. Gina accompanied her before she stood before Sherry.
"About my outburst yesterday-"
"Don't," said Sherry. "Just come with me."
Sherry, Vonda, Gina, and Bertie walked out of the pier and along the waterfront, moving away from the boat. Sherry then walked over to a bench while Gina and Bertie turned around, making sure no roamer was to put her and Vonda in danger.
Sherry pat the empty seat next to her.
Vonda walked over to the bench and hesitantly sat down next to her mother. The two then looked out into the river and the intact city across the river. The light from the rising sun could be seen over the abandoned buildings.
"Doesn't it look peaceful here?" asked Sherry.
"Yeah," said Vonda.
"If everything went wrong, do you know why your father and I chose to meet here?"
"Why?"
"This was where we first met. He loved cities, but he also had an affinity for nature. This river... we talked about how much more beautiful it would look without all the boats and cars and noise in the background. If we were to just sit here and listen to the silence while watching the water flow..."
Sherry sighed.
"I know it may be hard to believe... but I loved your father. I thought that if we were to meet again and forget about everything I did... to start over again... perhaps we'd fall in love again."
Vonda placed her hands on her knees, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the vulnerability her mother was displaying.
"Do you believe in second chances, Vonda?"
"I don't know."
"I do. Perhaps... that's why I've been trying so hard."
"If you let my group go... then I am willing to stay here with you. We can wait for my dad together... as long as you want."
"As long as I have your people... George can never take you away from me."
"Is that what Lynn is to you? Missy, D, Becky, Lucy, and Benny? Insurance to keep yourself alive?"
"Yeah. The truth is... I'm terrified. There aren't a whole lot of people alive in this world... and almost all my people are gone..."
"You... you put yourself in this situation. Your people was me and Dad and Aunt Meredith. You had us... and still, you left us. For a group of murderers and rapists. Why?"
"Times were hard, Vonda. We needed money... and your father was out of a job. And... and I was never one to settle down and live a normal life. And the truth is... I never wanted to have you."
Vonda looked at Sherry with a surprised face.
"Me and your father were supposed to explore the world. Go to the Bahamas... visit Mexico... perhaps take a glance at the Philippines and Hawaii. Then I became pregnant with you. Our dreams of exploring the world... gone, just like that. In a desperate attempt to cling on to this dream... I visited a clinic... so that I could get rid of you."
Vonda felt hurt. However, she didn't interrupt.
"But then, your father started picking out names. Then, I suggested two to him. The name of my father. Jon. And the name of my mother. Vonda. He immediately fell in love with the latter. So then, I hoped for a girl. And when we found out we were getting a girl, I'd never seen someone so delighted. I thought to myself that maybe... I'd fall in love with you just as your father has. But after you were born... I felt nothing but sadness."
Vonda began tearing up as her mother continued staring ahead at the river.
"Then... then I felt it. When I left you and your father, I realized how much I loved you. But it was going to be all right. It was only going to be temporary. Just stay with the Piranhas for a few months. Get us some cash to jumpstart our finances. And I could explore the world not just with your father... but with you as well."
Sherry smiled as she tried her hardest to hold her tears.
"Leading the Piranhas gave me a thrill and the control of my own life that I so desired. And so rarely did I think about returning back to you and your father. But now that the world has ended... and your father is probably dead... I have come to realize just how much of a mistake everything was. But it doesn't have to be that way. There's nothing in the world I want more than a second chance."
Sherry wiped her tears.
"Of course... only you can grant me that second chance."
Vonda felt a teardrop roll down her cheeks and wiped it.
"You really think my dad's dead?" asked Vonda.
Sherry nodded.
"So we're not going to stay here and wait for him?"
"No."
"You know you can't come with us, right? Not after everything you did."
"I know."
"So where would you go?"
"There's a place that gives assholes like me a second chance, no matter what you have done in the past. A place called Nova Terra. Cross the Wasteland and you'll reach it. It's close to Houlton."
"H-How'd you know-?"
"It doesn't matter. I'd prefer if you come with me. We can take a boat to Nova Terra. Then we can start a new life. One free of roamers and assholes like me."
"If people like you can be forgiven that easily... then that is no place I'd like to go to."
"But it's the safest place you'd be. Certainly safer than out there."
"If it was so safe, why did my dad insist on us going to Diamond Point? Why not just head to Nova Terra instead?"
Sherry stood up. Vonda looked up and stood up slowly as well.
"Yeah," said Sherry. "Perhaps it's better if you stay with your group then."
Sherry cleared her throat.
"You're going to take revenge on General Black, aren't you?"
Vonda was surprised. She didn't tell anyone in her group. Yet, here, her mother knew.
Vonda nodded silently.
"Very well. After you kill that piece of shit... I hope you can head to Nova Terra... and find me."
Vonda nodded.
"Let's go... my baby fish."
Sherry and Vonda walked back to the pier while Gina and Bertie followed them.
Lynn gasped as she saw the Piranhas approaching the boat.
John took a deep breath as he awaited his orders.
Missy looked at John, getting ready to take him hostage.
"Doug!" exclaimed Sherry. "Turn the boat around! We're heading back north."
Doug nodded as Sherry, Vonda, and the rest of the Piranhas got inside the boat.
"What's going on?" asked Missy.
"Congrats," said Sherry. "We're all getting a second chance at life."
The boat turned around and began to move away from the pile of debris by the pier. They were now heading to the direction of Albany.
Birds tweeted on the rooftop of a house by the river, similar to the one where the group took temporary shelter by Hudson.
The group began packing up their belongings and putting them into the vehicles.
Rusty sighed as he looked onto the river.
"We're not even close to New York City, right?" asked Rusty.
"Not really, no," said Lincoln. "There are more road jams too."
"Why couldn't we just take the boats back there?" asked Dana.
"The tugboat was too damaged," said Sergei. "The motorboats do not have fuel to take us down to New York. Beside, there's no space for all of us."
"How many people do we even need?" asked Zach. "How many dang Piranhas could there be?"
"Maybe we'll find another boat," said David. "We just have to keep moving."
Rusty faced his group members.
"Is it even worth it?" he asked. "I can't be the only one feeling like we're being led on a wild goose chase."
Clyde nodded.
"That's right," said Clyde. "We don't even know if Sherry will still be in New York City by the time we get there."
"She's experienced enough to sail the coast," said George. "She'd know her way around too. It's possible that by the time we get there... she may be long gone."
Richard grumbled as he rubbed his tired eyes.
"We're not abandoning this rescue mission," said Richard.
"And we're not going to," said Lori. "We just have to take the chance."
"This... this is why I didn't want you to kill Boomer," said George. "He could've told us about the whereabouts of any additional boats we could've used. We could've used him as a way to lure Sherry. I don't know, we could've done something with him!"
"We're not having this conversation again," said Richard.
"We have to. Next time we see a Piranha- we have to actually weigh our options. 'Cause look at us. We're traveling in unknown waters."
"It's like I said," said David. "We're going to find a boat. Just pack up your stuff."
The group members entered their vehicles and were preparing to leave as David turned on the RV. He then heard a crackle coming from the radio.
"-to the Kingston Shipyard."
David looked at Richard, who looked back at him.
"Oh my god, who's that?" asked Dana, walking forward.
"I repeat. This is Sherry Crowley. This is a message to George and his people. Head to the Kingston Shipyard in Kingston."
"No..."
"How the hell does she know what frequency we're using?" asked Richard.
"Hi. This is Missy Bolts. Do not attempt to fight back."
Richard gasped.
"Hey. This is Vonda Crowley. Do not attempt to fight back."
"Shit, they're being forced to say this, huh?" asked David.
"Hey. This is Lynn Loud. Do not... do not attempt to fight back."
"So it's a trap?" asked Wavehead.
"Yo. This is Derrick Tyre Chery. Don't attempt to fight back."
"Shit."
"Hello. This is Lucy Loud. Do not attempt to fight back."
"This has to be a trap," said Dana.
"H-Hey. This is... this is Becky Rhonda. Don't attempt to fight back."
"Oh my god. What do we do?"
"Hey. This is Benny Stein... do not attempt to fight back..."
"They're all alive," said David. "That's good news."
"They don't sound okay, though," said Dana. "We have to rescue them as fast as possible."
"Yeah. We gotta come up with a plan first."
The sun rose higher and higher into the air.
There was barely any debris in the river. The tumbled skyscrapers were gone from sight. New mossy and abandoned buildings filled the skyline.
The boat came to a stop by the shipyard where they were two days ago.
Sherry then stepped outside of the boat with Vonda, Missy, and Andrew.
As Lynn prepared to follow them, John stopped her.
"What the heck, man?" growled Lynn.
"Just them," said John. "Rest of us are going to keep on moving ahead."
"What?"
"Why aren't they coming with us?" asked Missy.
"It's not part of the plan," said Sherry.
"Not part of the plan?" asked Vonda. "Where are they going?"
"Somewhere safe. Don't worry. They won't be hurt."
"But- why release us?"
"It's the only way I can guarantee I won't get shot after releasing you guys."
The boat began to move away from the shipyard as Sherry walked towards the house that they took shelter in. Vonda, Missy, and Andrew followed her.
"I see," said Missy. "Still worried about George?"
"Yup. That asshole's been a thorn in my ass. He's why I have to do this."
"Do you? You could have just went with the others and leave us here. You could've left all of us."
"No. I need to hear it from him."
"Hear what?"
"That he's willing to give me a second chance."
"Why me, then? Why am I being released instead of one of the others?"
"An adult is going to have to convince your group that what I'm saying is the truth. They won't believe my daughter after all, right?"
Missy nodded silently. Vonda rubbed her arms as she looked down. The four continued to walk towards the house.
-Twelve Hours Later-
The sun began setting down.
An RV moved towards the shipyard. It then stopped.
Out came David, Richard, George, and Sergei, their weapons aimed out. They quickly walked around the shipyard, inspecting each of the shipping containers. However, there was nothing to be seen.
Suddenly, David's walkie-talkie crackled.
"Over here, George."
George looked at David and saw him grab the walkie-talkie.
"Where are you?" asked David.
"Blue house across you. You see me up in the top floor window?"
Sergei looked up with his binoculars and saw Sherry waving at the group as she was eating a sandwich. He then looked at David and nodded.
"Why don't you come out?" asked David.
"Door's open. Why don't you come in?"
The door to the front door busted open.
George stepped forward, his pistol aimed out. David and Richard were behind him, scanning the living room. They then walked upstairs as Sergei went to the dining room and then the kitchen.
Another door busted open and George shouted orders.
"Hands in the air! Now!"
Sherry smiled as she raised her hands. She held an almost-finished sandwich. She then turned around on her swivel chair.
Richard and Missy hugged each other.
David quickly walked up to Vonda.
"You okay?" asked David.
Vonda nodded.
"Oh, don't worry about her," said Sherry. "She's alright. It's the others you should be worried about. After all, you don't see them anywhere do you?"
"Shut up," said George. "On your knees. Now."
Sherry got off the swivel chair and knelt down.
George then shoved Sherry against the floor, causing her to drop her unfinished sandwich. He handcuffed her hands behind her back.
"Aren't you going to recite my Miranda rights?" asked Sherry.
"Shut up," replied George. "Where are the others?"
"I know I have a right to remain silent. I'll use it."
"Oh yeah? We'll see."
George stood Sherry up, her hair now ruffled in front of her face. He then walked her out of the room.
Vonda looked at her mother, feeling a bit of concern for her. She then closed her eyes and looked out of the window, seeing the calm river.
A darkness covered the sky as the moon hovered high above the house.
Four candles flickered in the dining table. The group surrounded the candles as Lori's voice could be heard.
"I know the past few days were hard. When we're missing the people we love, it feels hard to keep on going in a world we hate."
Luan, holding a lantern, entered the bathroom and closed the door. She looked at the mirror and grabbed her long hair.
"But we have to remember, we are never alone. A lot of us may come from different backgrounds, but we have all have the same goal."
Luan took out Leni's pair of scissors. She removed her yellow scrunchie, causing her ponytail to go down. She noticed how long her hair was as it reached her skirt.
"We... all want to survive with our loved ones. Whether they be our family, our partners, our friends, or even a stranger... we want them to be alive. And we want to be alive for them."
The sound of snips and cuts were heard in the bathroom. Locks of hairs fell into the sink. She continued to look into the mirror as she cut more of her hair off.
"That means we have to be willing to do things to make sure they survive. Even if we don't like it."
Sherry was tied into a chair with a rope across her chest. Her hands were handcuffed behind the chair. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from her face. A fist smacked her face again. However, despite the pain she was feeling, she cracked a smile.
"This is how we find them. This is how they live. This is how we live."
Tears rolled down as Lynn looked out the windows of the boat. She then looked at Becky, who was also looking out the windows. Her eyes then met Becky's as the latter looked at her. More tears rolled down from Lynn's eyes as she could see how broken and hopeless Becky's eyes were. They were both missing their loved ones. Both dead and alive.
The boat continued to move along the river.
End Credit Song
Youth - Daughter
Don't worry, guys! I won't drag the Piranha arc for much longer, but their influence will still be felt for a long time, whether subtle or not! I like Sherry and her cocky personality, that it makes me wonder, should she meet her fate in any of the next couples of chapters, or should she take the second chance and live? And as for the conflicting leaders, are you Team David or Team Lori? Remember to follow this story if you haven't already, and make sure to leave a review if you have any comments about the story! See you all in the next chapter!