II - Loose Ends
The birds chirped as they stood in the edge of the shipping containers, watching the calm river in front of them as morning came.
The cloudy skies reduced the strength of the summer heat.
Backpacks filled with supplies were thrown into the RV.
The back door of the house was opened.
Sherry walked outside with handcuffs around her wrists behind her back. She smelled the dry air and smiled.
Vonda walked by her while George held her arms.
Sherry rubbed her jaw into her right shoulder, stinging her whenever she pressed to hard against it.
The three of them arrived at the edge of the dock in the shipyard.
George took out his keys.
Sherry's handcuffs were unlocked. She stretched her arms forwards and let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Finally," said Sherry. "That's the first bad experience I had with cuffs."
"Huh?" wondered Vonda.
"Nothing. Agent Cu- Agent Cane. Can you give me and my daughter a moment alone?"
"I'll be waiting by the vehicles," said George.
George walked over to the vehicles as Sherry looked at him walk away. Sherry noticed the other group members staring at her, including an unhappy Dana.
"I really rained on everyone's parade, didn't I?" remarked Sherry.
"You really did a lot of messed up things," said Vonda.
"I know."
She removed her small blue leather vest and offered it to Vonda.
"This will probably be the last time I see you, little fish," said Sherry.
Vonda looked at the vest. She hesitated to grab it.
"Go on," said Sherry. "It was a gift from your father."
"Why don't you want it?"
"It doesn't really fit me that well anymore... I've been putting on a lot more weight than usual. Guess aging does that to you."
Vonda grabbed the vest, looked to the side, and nodded. She then took a deep breath and walked away.
"Vonda!"
Vonda turned around.
Sherry wanted to ask for a hug. However, she quickly changed her mind.
"What?" asked Vonda.
"Thank... thank you for this," said Sherry.
Vonda gave an affirming nod and walked away.
Sherry swallowed hard. She watched as Vonda walked back with her group.
Vonda followed her group members into the RV before taking a look at Sherry. She frowned and entered.
After a few minutes, all the vehicles were gone.
"Damn," muttered Sherry. "It's quiet as hell."
As Sherry walked to the edge of the dock, Missy peeked from the rooftop of the shipyard building, using her visor cap to shield her eyes from the strong sunlight.
George sat in the chair where Sherry sat when she was handcuffed by him. He looked at the rooftop, seeing Missy. He then lowered it and looked at Sherry.
"Hey."
George gasped and drew his sidearm.
Richard raised his hands.
"Easy there, asshole," smirked Richard.
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked George.
"Just here to make sure you don't make any rash decisions or shit."
"I can control my emotions just fine."
George turned around and looked with his binoculars again.
"Yeah, yeah, I bet," said Richard. "Don't take it personally. I really only want to be here to make sure nothing happens to my wife."
"You don't trust Sherry either, huh?"
"No, sir."
George looked at Richard and nodded.
"Take a seat then," said George.
Across the road, Sherry paced around before pulling out her walkie-talkie.
"Andrew, you big fucker, are you coming?" asked Sherry.
"I'll be there in about a half-hour," said Andrew through the walkie-talkie.
"Perfect!"
Sherry sighed and looked around, prompting Missy to lower her head. She then knelt down and reached into the water, splashing it on her face. She groaned a little as her fingers lightly brushed against her cuts and bruises, creating a stinging sensation.
"Ow, fuck."
She then saw movement from the side of her eye and saw a roamer walking down the shipyard and towards the dock. She reached for her pockets before realizing they were empty.
"Oh, fuck."
Sherry jogged towards a shipping container and took out a box of tools. However, it was locked by a combination lock.
George continued looking with his binoculars, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through his body.
As Sherry turned the combination lock on the toolbox, the roamer lurched closer to her. She then stood up and attempted to kick it away before the roamer grabbed her foot.
The roamer leaned closer to her leg and opened its mouth, allowing thick saliva to ooze out of its rotten yellow teeth.
Losing her balance, she fell down to the ground and groaned.
"Shit."
The roamer did not let go of her foot after falling to the ground with Sherry. Instead, it raised its head and growled at her before it dragged itself closer to her body.
Sherry kicked the roamer again, hitting its face, though it did not affect its grip on her.
"Let... go! Asshole!"
She kept on kicking the roamer, though it took the blows. She then reached for the toolbox and grabbed the combination lock. She pulled the box using the lock and then grabbed the box using her two hands as she pulled the roamer closer to her by bending her leg closer to her. She then swung the box down at the roamer, cracking its skull open. She swung the box down again, finally killing the roamer.
"Shit, fuck."
Sherry grabbed the roamer's hand and snapped its fingers backwards one by one. This released the roamer's dead grip from her leg without risking herself from getting scratched. She stood up and grabbed the toolbox, unlocked the combination lock, and grabbed a wrench from it.
"Fucking idiot almost got herself killed," said Richard.
"Yeah. That would've been bad for our group for something that wasn't even our fault. It's a good thing we're here."
"Why's that? You would've stepped in and saved her?"
"Not exactly."
George continued to look at Sherry with his binoculars.
Missy had her gun out, prepared to kill the roamer that grabbed onto Sherry. However, she placed it back down.
The RV, Vanzilla, and Chunk's van moved along the familiar road.
"What happens if they're not alive?" asked Dana.
"They're alive," said David.
"How can you be sure?"
"I'm not. But I have to tell myself they are, otherwise, I'd worry myself to death."
"Well, I'm doing that right now."
"Just calm down," said Wavehead. "Worrying's gonna do nothing."
"That's right," said David. "And if it makes you feel any better, Missy, George, and Richard stayed back where Sherry is."
"Really?" asked Vonda. "I thought my mother said she didn't want anyone following her."
"No, she didn't want George following her. Missy's the one following her. George is only there to communicate everything to us through radio."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Couldn't risk you telling your mother."
"What, you think I tell my mother everything?"
"Couldn't risk it."
"Fuck, man... maybe she was right not to trust us."
"She wants to talk about risk, but we're not taking any chances."
David looked at Vonda through the rearview mirror.
"You understand how well your mother is at lying, right?"
"And if she catches them? Then what?"
"They won't get caught."
"You're just telling yourself that so that you don't have to worry, right?"
David remained silent. Vonda scoffed.
"So much so for not taking any chances."
Sherry dipped her feet in the water as George kept her binoculars on her.
"What's she doing now?" asked Richard.
"She's just... sitting there," said George. "She's definitely waiting for someone."
"We might be here for a while, huh?"
"Maybe."
Richard stared at George.
George took notice and was slightly discomforted.
"What?" asked George.
"If everything went right, would you still let Sherry go?"
"I would have to."
"Even after everything's she's done?"
"I didn't say it was gonna be easy. You're especially not making it easier."
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't want you to spare her."
"It doesn't matter what I want. I made a promise to her and her daughter."
"And so what if you broke your promise? Our people would be safe. You'd be free to hunt her down. And no one would give you shit for it if Sherry's dead and Vonda never finds out."
"It wouldn't feel right."
"Wouldn't feel right... oh, how I wish I could be in your position, George."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. You're not the only person who wants revenge."
"Who'd you lose?"
Richard took a deep breath as he looked ahead.
"My sister," said Richard. "I lost her fifteen years ago. When she turned twenty-one, she didn't celebrate with some good ol' fashioned beer. Not wine, not whiskey. Just lemonade. You see, our father drank himself to death. Didn't matter much, to me. Didn't have much love for him. Piece of shit couldn't gather the strength to tell me he was proud of me, but using the belt? Oh, he used all his strength."
Richard rubbed his thumb against the wooden duck.
"But not my sister. He didn't lay a hand on her. Perhaps it was better that way though. Had he beat her once... alcohol wouldn't have been the thing that killed him. And my sister... she'd always apologize to me. She'd tell me how sorry she was that she couldn't stand up to him when he beat me. Said she was too weak and afraid. Told her it was fine. Told her to just keep to herself. That's the way I'd have it anyways."
George peered back into his binoculars, though he kept listening to Richard.
"Because of how angry he'd get when he drank, my sister wanted to avoid drinking so she wouldn't turn out like him. Told her it was fine, she wasn't anywhere close to that piece of shit. But still, she didn't want to take a single sip. Even my mother drank casually before the heart attack got her. My mother was a decent person. So I told my sister that she'll turn out more like our mother instead. But still... she refused. Didn't want to pester her with it anymore, so I dropped it. Then..."
Richard stared at the wooden duck.
"...a few nights later, she got into a car accident. A drunk driver hit her. As soon as I got the call, I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could. When I got there, one of the doctors was already writing down the time of her death. Eight fifty-two."
George looked down.
"Said she died from blood loss and they couldn't stabilize her. As for the driver? Well, they drove away from the scene and never got caught."
Richard looked out the window, seeing Missy on the roof.
"Couldn't even say goodbye to my sister. And what frustrated me the most was alcohol killed her anyways... without her ever taking a sip. Her abstinence didn't matter. It just didn't."
Richard gripped the wooden duck.
"So I tried to look for the driver myself. Talked to all the officers, went through all the footage, tracked down all the cars that looked like the one the driver used... but nothing. I even hired a private investigator. Yet, he was stumped too. The whole experience made me bitter. How could the world be this unfair? But maybe... maybe it was better this way. God knows what would've happened if I got my hands on that driver. But now... the rules don't matter, right? You could just take revenge, get proper justice, and not get punished for it. If Sherry was the driver... I wouldn't let her get away with it."
George gulped.
Richard shrugged.
"Maybe I'm just an asshole like my father. You and Missy... you guys are the heroes, right? You guys can't do that... because it's wrong. Even in this world... I guess we're still worried about right and wrong."
George remained silent.
"Or maybe... you just have better restraint than me."
A boat approached from the distance.
"Heads up," said George.
The boat, revealed to be a motorboat, arrived at the dock.
Sherry removed her feet from the water and placed her boots back on.
"Took you long enough!" exclaimed Sherry.
"I arrived a few hours earlier than scheduled, ma'am," said Andrew.
"I know, I'm just messing with you."
Sherry walked over to the boat.
"Give me something to drink. I'm thirsty as hell."
"I have news. You're not gonna like it."
"Oh, fuck, what is it now?"
Andrew handed a water bottle to Sherry.
"The base was under attack," said Andrew. "No survivors as far as I can tell."
"No... survivors?"
"Boomer couldn't contact you because he was executed. But not by Quirino's men, I believe."
"David's?"
"Yeah."
"And how did you come to this conclusion?"
"It's more like I guess. But if it were Quirino's men... there would have been bodies on spikes everywhere, don't you think? Also, some of our men were killed at their own positions. No one but George knows the layout of our warehouse."
Sherry groaned before taking a sip of water.
"This... I had like twenty men and women at the base. And you're telling me they're all dead? Boomer?"
"Kenny. Jay. The list goes on."
"Did we at least get one of them?"
"Don't know. I didn't find any bodies that weren't ours."
Missy kept listening in.
"I just made a deal with David's group... they're headed for Albany right now," said Sherry.
"You know this can't go unanswered."
"They... they must have thought their people were there..."
"The others got the news too. Bertie, Gina, Doug- we're all ready. Just give them the order. They'll execute the kids and leave."
"Then we'll be in real trouble if we do that."
"So what are you saying? We should do nothing?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm just- damn it, Andrew, just give me a moment to think."
Sherry took another sip of water as she paced around. She then looked over at the house, causing Richard and George to duck down.
"Wait a damn minute..." muttered Sherry. "David and his people... had four vehicles, didn't they?"
"Yeah. An RV, a blue van, a black van, and a gray car."
"That gray car, right?"
Sherry pointed at Chaz's car which was parked in front of the house.
"Yeah," said Andrew.
"And they only left with three cars. They left this car behind... someone's still here. Andrew, hand me my gun."
Andrew reached into his back pocket and handed over her M1911 pistol with the Piranha marking on the side of the grip.
Sherry gripped her pistol.
"Stay here," said Sherry.
Andrew nodded and looked around.
Missy took a deep breath as she kept her head hidden under the covers. She heard Sherry's boot slam against the wooden dock. She wanted to contact Richard and George with her walkie-talkie, but Andrew was right there.
"You think she saw us?" asked Richard.
"I don't know," said George. "We gotta hide anyways."
"Where?"
Missy tried to control her breathing. She then stood up.
"Wait!" exclaimed Missy.
She climbed down the ladder. She then flinched upon seeing Sherry aiming her gun at her.
Andrew kept his gun up too.
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Sherry.
"I was following you," said Missy, raising her arms.
"Jesus, I thought George said your people weren't going to follow me."
"He only promised he wouldn't follow you. I made no such promise."
"Heh, right."
"But it doesn't matter. I wasn't following so that I could kill you. I wanted to make sure you really kept your promise."
"And?"
Missy gulped.
"You're doing a good job so far. You didn't order the deaths of my people. Yet."
Sherry smirked as she moved her finger closer to the trigger.
"Is anyone else following me?" asked Sherry.
"No. It's just me."
Richard and George ran downstairs before the former took a peek from one of the living room windows. He saw Missy being held at gunpoint.
"Shit!" exclaimed Richard. "We gotta go out there."
"Through the back," said George. "So we don't get spotted."
Missy kept her arms raised.
"If I were to shoot you here right now," said Sherry, "no one will know?"
"I'm supposed to radio in my people and update them. If they find out I'm not updating them..."
"You tricked me. I could kill your people for that right now."
"My people will never stop hunting you down. And your daughter... well, you'll lose her trust. Forever."
Sherry licked her lips before nodding softly.
"Yeah," said Sherry. "She would."
Sherry lowered her pistol. She then walked over to the boat.
Richard and George crouched as they walked out of the driveway. They used the cars parked in the driveway as cover. Then, the two men raised their pistols and took aim at Sherry.
"Don't worry. I won't kill your people," said Sherry. "As much as this asshole over here wants me to."
Sherry climbed onto the boat.
"Are you going to keep following me?"
"I guess not," said Missy.
Sherry sighed. She then looked at Missy with wide eyes.
"Your people... did they attack Hudson?" asked Sherry.
Missy remained silent.
"I'll be able to tell if you lie to me."
"We did," nodded Missy.
Sherry grit her teeth.
"Go on," said Sherry.
Andrew started the motor in the boat, causing it to move a bit.
Sherry then raised her pistol, causing Missy to instinctively raise her pistol too. However, Sherry's draw was faster as she pulled the trigger, striking Missy in the forehead with a bullet.
Missy's body dropped to the ground like a rag doll as blood splattered into the asphalt of the shipyard.
"NO!" yelled Richard.
George fired a bullet, though it struck the window on the side of the motorboat, nearly striking Sherry.
Sherry ducked as Andrew accelerated the motorboat.
Richard fired three shots onto the motorboat with his revolver, though all the shots missed as the motorboat began to move fast.
Andrew then turned the boat as Sherry fired off a couple shots, striking the side of a house and the car that the two men used as cover.
George ducked, though Richard came out of cover and ran towards the shipyard. He came up from cover and followed Richard. He fired off a couple more shots, but the boat was getting too far. Yet, Sherry did not stop firing bullets.
The bullets whizzed past the two men, some missing completely, until one bullet struck Richard's right thumb, blowing it away along with his revolver.
"Fuck!" screamed Richard.
He held his hand, pressing against the wound as blood squirted out of his missing thumb.
The boat then went out of range as no more gunshots followed.
Richard stumbled to the ground and attempted to grab his revolver with his left hand. He kept losing his balance as he was unable to properly place his right hand into the ground. He then crawled towards Missy's body, blood dripping from his missing thumb.
George ran towards Missy. He then crouched down and lifted her head, seeing the blood seeping out of the entry wound in her forehead.
"Goddamn..." muttered George.
Richard stumbled forward and then lifted himself up once more before grabbing Missy himself. George released her.
"Come on, no, no, no..." murmured Richard. "No! Fuck, no!"
He then stood up, still holding Missy's body. He tried moving her body back to the car, though his thumb made it hard to get a grip on her body. He stumbled forward, slamming Missy's body against the ground.
"Help me, goddamn it!" screamed Richard.
"Just leave her! We have to contact David and the others!"
"Fuck it if I'm doing that," said Richard. "I'm headed back to the fucking car and fucking kill them!"
"We won't be able to catch up to them!"
"We have to!"
George looked up and saw a few roamers coming from the road. He lifted his gun and fired in rapid succession, killing all the roamers. He then sighed and looked back at Richard. He walked over to him and lifted Missy's arms as Richard lifted her legs. The two men then moved body into the car, shoving her in the back seats.
"Keep this car safe. I gotta contact the others," said George.
George ran back to the house. He then heard the engine to the car turn on, causing him to turn around. He then saw Richard drive ahead, leaving him behind.
"Come on," groaned George.
He ignored it for the time being and ran inside the house. He ran up the stairs and busted inside a bedroom and grabbed the radio.
"David! Sherry is going to Albany! I repeat, she's headed back to Albany! She killed Missy!"
"You gotta be fucking kidding me," said David through the radio. "Alright, come join us quick. We're just outside of Kingston."
"Richard took the car. He's going after them."
"Get a new car if you can. Hurry!"
"Alright."
George ran out of the house carrying his backpack. He then looked at the road and saw the gray car parked in the middle of the road as a pack of roamers surrounded the car. He quickly ran over, taking out his pistol.
Richard rolled down the windows and used his left hand to stab the roamers with a knife, killing the roamers next to the driver's side. George fired at the ones in the back of the car. Richard then reversed the car.
"Hurry!" shouted Richard.
George entered the front passenger seat and closed the door.
Richard then drove forward, swerving past the other roamers.
David was panting heavily as he looked at the side mirrors. Then the rearview mirrors. Then the road ahead of him. Then the empty seat next to him.
"Missy's... dead?" asked Dana.
Vonda tightened her fists so much, she thought she was going to faint. She then slammed her thighs as she held in her tears.
"I fucking knew it," said Vonda. "No one knows shit in this world. No one."
"Vonda, calm down," said Wavehead.
"We just got her back. And you sent her to her death!"
David huffed with frustration.
"And now my mother isn't going to leave us alone! Why did you have people follow her? Why couldn't you just trust her?"
"This isn't the time to talk about it," said David. "We have to get to Albany, fast."
"Yeah, and what are you going to do once you get there? My mother is going to use our people as a shield. There's no way you're getting your people back without bloodshed."
"We'll figure out a way."
"No, you won't! You'll just resort to Lincoln's plan and have me shot! All because you made a stupid plan that failed!"
David slammed the edge of the steering wheel as he let out a large huff.
"I know!" he screamed. "I... I failed Missy! I failed Richard! And that's on me!"
"So you blame yourself. That's good to know. Except I'm the one that's gonna be paying for it."
"I told you already. We're going to figure something out!"
"No, I'm going to figure something out. I'm gonna talk to my mother. Whatever deal we're going to make, you and everyone else are going to fucking accept it."
"Vonda, David didn't mean for this to happen," said Rusty.
"I don't care! He betrayed my trust!"
Vonda began to tear up.
"Why couldn't... you just leave her alone? Now... now I'm going to be stuck with her... for the rest of my life... because that's what it's gonna take to get her to leave you all alone!"
David grit his teeth. He then cleared his throat as he began to feel a huge wave of guilt wash over him.
"David, this is Carol. Someone is driving Chaz's car over here really fast!"
David picked up his walkie-talkie.
"It's just Richard," said David.
"And George."
The vehicles all came to a stop except the one Richard was driving. Chaz's car then passed by all the vehicles.
"Stop over here," said George. "Hey! Stop the car!"
"We can't let that bitch get away," hissed Richard.
"We're not gonna catch up to her!"
"I don't care!"
"Stop the damn car! Your thumb is gonna fucking bleed out!"
Richard stomped on the brakes, causing the car to skid forward. The other vehicles then slowly approached before braking behind Chaz's car.
Richard stormed towards the RV as David came out.
"Why are we stopping?" yelled Richard.
"We need to discuss a plan," said David, clearing his throat. "Jesus, what happened to your thumb?"
"Yeah, I got one. Let's keep going after Sherry!"
"Her boat's gonna make it to Albany before we do."
"Alright then! Let's hear it! What plan you got David? You're the planner, aren't you? I'm sure you got one right now just as you had one for my wife!"
"Richard-"
"Your plan... failed! It got my wife killed! But you're the leader ain't you? So why don't you tell us what the fuck we gotta do next, huh?"
"I'm sorry, man... you know I cared about her too. I know... it's on me."
"Oh, yeah, sorry will do it. That'll bring her back."
"David, it was our fault," said George.
"The fuck you say?"
"Sherry knew someone was following her. But Missy was very well-hidden- she wouldn't have found out where she was. She only revealed herself to keep her from finding us."
"You're saying I'm responsible for my wife's murder?"
"I'm saying we shouldn't have been there. We should've just let Missy do her own thing... and she would've come out alive."
Richard then approached George.
"And I only came because of you!" screamed Richard.
David and Sergei jogged over to stop Richard from doing anything rash.
"Let go of me!"
"You went there to make sure your wife was safe! Don't pin this all on me! You didn't have to come! Just as I shouldn't have!"
Richard growled as he tried to free his arms to punch George. However, David and Sergei kept holding him back.
Vonda was breathing rapidly as she looked over at Chaz's car. She saw a body in the back seat and felt her heart racing even faster.
Lori limped forward.
"Hey, stop it!" exclaimed Lori. "I thought we made this perfectly clear! It's the Piranhas' fault! Sherry killed Missy, didn't she? So why don't we blame Sherry? Richard, why are you trying to blame your own group for something Sherry did?"
"Because none of this would've happened had David not told my wife to follow her in the first place!" screamed Richard.
"Your wife wanted to do it," said George. "No way was anyone going to stop her from making sure the kids were safe. She puts the lives of others before hers. Even though I didn't know her for very long... I know what kind of person she was. And I'm sure you know too."
Richard grew weak and fell to his knees. He let out a whimper before he screamed and stomped the ground.
"Damn it!" screamed Richard. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Richard then broke into tears as he planted his head against the ground.
The group members watched him, some of them crying, including Lori and Carol.
David walked over to Chaz's car and opened the door. He pulled Missy's body out of the car, noticing the bullet hole in her forehead. He removed the dog tags from Missy's collar and placed them in his pockets. Though his shades covered his eyes, one teardrop was able to escape the cover of the shades.
As the sun was still high in the air, Carol approached Richard, who was standing in front of a grave.
"Hey," said Carol in a soft voice. "Let me check your thumb again."
Richard raised his right hand softly, revealing the bandage covering the stump of his missing thumb, not taking his eyes off the grave.
Carol grabbed the bandage and slowly unwrapped it. She saw that the wound stopped bleeding. She then wrapped the wound again.
"If you start feeling feverish, let me know, okay?"
"Carol..."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
Carol nodded. She then wiped a tear as she continued to stand next to Richard.
Sergei hammered in a wooden cross that served to mark the grave as Wavehead carried Lucy's black shovel back into the RV.
Lori was holding Missy's vest as she looked down at the grave.
Vonda watched from the distance as she leaned against a tree. She felt frustrated at the group. She felt frustrated at her mother. Most of all, she felt frustrated with herself.
David handed Missy's dog tags to Richard, who slowly grabbed them.
"David... you know what we gotta do, right?" said Richard.
"Vonda wants to try talking with her. She plans to give herself up."
"I won't accept that."
"It's probably not going to work."
"I don't care if it works or not. She... she cannot get away with this."
David looked over at Richard before George placed his hand on Richard's shoulders.
"Don't worry," said George. "She won't. I promise you that."
Richard nodded.
David turned around and talked to his group members as he headed for the RV.
"We gotta go now," said David. "We won't stop for anything. We eat in our vehicles. We sleep in our vehicles. No matter what, we don't stop until our people are safe."
As the group members all followed David, Richard walked over to the grave and placed the dog tags on the wooden cross. He then turned around and walked away from the grave, headed for the RV now.
The wooden cross read:
MISSY BOLTS
February 14, 1978 - July 23, 2016