III - The Humane Way
A flicker of fire burned in the air as Richard lit up the small campfire as he did in all the nights in the past. He turned to his left and saw a slightly larger campfire than his made by Lisa, just as she made in the past days. David was eating his canned peaches while talking with George. They chuckled, just as Richard and David did in the past days. Bobby and Lori talked to each other while sitting on a log, whispering private things to each other, just as Missy and Richard did in the past days.
Richard poured a some water into the campfire from his canister and kicked some dirt into it while stomping it softly. He quickly kneeled down and inspected his campfire. He then stood up and walked towards David.
"I'm going to get more firewood," said Richard.
"Take George with you," said David. "Or better yet, let me come with."
"I can get it myself. Just stay here and relax. Don't use up too many of the supplies while I'm gone."
David nodded and Richard left the backyard and walked to the forest across the road with his flashlight on. He walked into the forest and loaded his Python. He then disappeared into the forest.
Carol noticed Richard leaving and entered the house through the back door. She grabbed a flashlight and a knife, and exited through the front door of the house. She locked the door and closed it, before running out into the dark forest. She turned on her flashlight and looked around the dark forest, getting goosebumps as she lurked close to the trees.
After a few minutes, Richard walked into an open area in the forest where a bundle of sticks resembling crossbones lied in the ground. He pointed his flashlight at a roamer approaching him. He then pointed his revolver at the roamer and shot the roamer in the head. He saw another roamer coming and shot it in the head as well, causing it to drop into the grass a couple meters away from the sticks.
Her heart stopped as she looked around in the forest for the source of the gunshot. Carol heard the gunshot once again and walked to its direction, moving all of the branches out of her way. Another gunshot was fired and Carol dashed faster in its direction.
"What is Richard doing?" Carol whispered to herself.
A fourth gunshot was fired and Carol finally saw a ray of light ahead of her. The fifth gunshot was louder than the rest of the shots. Carol saw an empty area of the forest and moved quickly towards it, when she suddenly heard a roamer behind her. She took out her knife and moved close to the roamer.
Richard held his breath and pointed his revolver at his head. Richard then shook his head.
"Too cowardly."
Richard saw another roamer approaching. He shot the roamer, using up his last bullet. Another roamer approached from behind the dead roamer and growled as it walked closer to Richard. Richard aimed his gun at the roamer and pulled the trigger, but no gunshots were head. The clicking of the revolver persisted as Richard continued to pull the trigger again and again.
Carol took out her knife from the roamer's skull and looked back at the empty area. She saw Richard opening up his arms, allowing the roamer to come closer to him. She gasped and ran into the open area, shrieking as she tackled the roamer out of the way.
"What the hell?" gasped Richard.
Carol quickly stood up and grabbed her knife with both of her hands. She held the knife above her and moved it downwards, stabbing the roamer's skull with full force. Richard looked at her as she took out the knife and blew into a strand of her hair.
"Richard, behind you!" yelled Carol.
Richard turned around and saw another roamer approaching. He smacked the roamer with his Python and started to beat it up with the grip of the flashlight. He smacked it deeper into the roamer's skull as it continued to growl at the man, until it growled no longer.
"Richard! What the hell! Were you… going to kill yourself?"
"Not until you stepped in! Why were you following me?"
"You were acting strange and I was worried what was going to happen to you when you decided to head to the forest alone!"
"Why do you care?" asked Richard.
"How can I not care? You did so much for the group and even though we really didn't have a chance to repay you, we appreciate what you did for us! Now, I'm going to ask you again! Why did you try to kill yourself?"
"There was nothing to live for! But, that was before… you stepped in… Carol."
"Come on, let's go back with the others. No doubt they heard the gunshots, and they're probably worried about you now."
"I knew it. You're all about saving people, right?"
"I care about you, Richard. I don't like to see you like this. Now, let's go. I want you to be safe already."
"Alright, let's leave."
Lori looked around the backyard. She jogged to where David was as he stood up.
"Did you hear that?" asked Lori.
"That was probably Richard. Six gunshots from his revolver. No big deal. If he got himself into some trouble, he'll pull himself out of it."
"Alright, but if he doesn't come back in a few minutes, we're going to look for him."
Richard and Carol walked out of the forest and walked to the backyard through the driveway. David shoved a sliced peach into his mouth as Lori sighed, confronting Carol.
"Carol? Why'd you follow him?" asked Lori frantically. "You know how dangerous it is in the forest at night?"
"Yeah. That's why I accompanied him," replied Carol.
"Strange," said David, joining in. "I thought Richard didn't need anyone coming with him."
"He didn't. But I did. I wanted to come with him because, frankly, I was scared for him. Now that I followed him and saw what he was capable of, I think he really doesn't need anyone."
"I wouldn't say that," said Richard. "It was nice having someone accompany me in the loneliness of the forest. Plus, I would need you just in case I scrape myself or some shit."
"Well, everything's all figured out now, right?" said David, smacking his hands as he tossed the can to the ground. "Remember. Tomorrow, we should be in the outskirts of Boston."
The sun disappeared and appeared again within hours, spinning around the sky like the cars in the RV wheel, watching over the vehicles as they traveled on the road that led to Boston. However, there was nothing of importance in Boston for the group to take advantage of, so they decided that they would move around Boston and continue on I-95. This idea has been debated numerous times, with some group members arguing that Boston was bound to be loaded with supplies. The risk of coming in contact with a city herd was too high, so they decided to sacrifice the potential of good supplies so that they can live another day.
The group stopped at another store, only to find it empty. They continued to search for another store, when the fuel for Vanzilla ran out. The group stepped out of their respective vehicles and began to set up camp as it was around lunchtime. A cabin stood by the road a dozen meters away from the van, so Lisa decided to create a campfire near the cabin, using her glasses. Richard insisted in using his lighter, but David stressed the importance of saving his lighter.
Lori grabbed George and Bobby to help her find cars to siphon fuel from them. George carried the jerry can and tubes, while Lori and Bobby held their weapons to protect the three of them. Sergei and David began to prepare the food with Dana's help. The rest of the group sat in the grass or inside the cabin, waiting for their food and water to be heated.
"Leni! Can you watch the young ones?" asked Lori. "You know, Darcy, Lisa, and Lana?"
"Sure thing, Lori. Have fun!" replied Leni.
Leni walked over to Lana, Lisa, and Darcy, and kneeled down to the grass, joining their conversation.
"Hey guys! Whatcha' doing?"
"We were going to search the forest for some firewood," said Lana. "Want to come with?"
"Well, Lori told me I had to watch you guys. So, yeah! I'm coming!"
Darcy jumped up and cheered along with Leni as Lisa motioned the girls to follow her. They walked into the forest while the group were distracted by their activities.
The fire continued to crackle near the log where Lynn was sitting at. Wavehead walked over to the log and sat down next to Lynn, watching the flame moving along with the weak breeze.
"You look troubled," said Wavehead, shifting his lens. "Watchu' thinkin' about?"
"Just thinking about my family," replied Lynn. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling a little worried. We're runnin' outta supplies and that would mean that this group is gonna split."
"What do you mean?"
"With no more supplies, some of us are gonna leave the group. We're not all tryna go to Houlton. To spare you some of the supplies, me and D are thinking about leaving. You guys had done more than enough for us."
Lynn looked at Wavehead in his eyes and slowly opened her mouth.
"No! You can't leave! You're a valuable member of our group. You're part of our family! We've been through a lot!"
"Sounds like you've been doubting family for a while now," commented Wavehead.
There was a pause before Lynn began to speak.
"I was talking about my siblings. I don't want to be around them for too much because that's when shit hits the fan."
Wavehead fixed his glasses and raised his right index finger, ready to rebut what Lynn was saying, but she added on.
"I know, I know! I sound superstitious! It's part of who I am! But can you blame me? Look how unlucky I've been! Just look around and tell me bad luck doesn't exist!"
"No, I can't blame you. Me and D have been through a lot, back in Cleveland. The world was already shit, and it seemed like it was us against the world. We've been involved with the wrong people, but we knew when not to cross limits. But even when we tried being nice… well, shit happens, Lynn."
Lynn and Wavehead continued talking while Ronnie Anne sought a conversation with Tabby. Both girls walked away from Lincoln, Clyde, Rusty, and Zach to walk around the cabin. Both girls did not talk as Tabby was waiting for Ronnie Anne to start the conversation, and Ronnie Anne was trying to find the right words to say to her.
"Tabby, I've noticed that you've been talking to Lincoln a lot lately," said Ronnie Anne. "That might not mean anything since we're the only girls Lincoln talked to-"
"Actually, there's Haiku, Polly Pain, Giggles, Girl Jordan-" interrupted Tabby.
"I mean in this group," said Ronnie Anne.
"What about Carol Pingrey? Or Sam? Lincoln's been talking to Sam lately, but I think they were on friendly terms before already," said Tabby.
"Sam is dating Luna already! And Carol Pingrey is too old for him!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Tabby.
"I'm talking about you liking Lincoln!" hissed Ronnie Anne.
"Me liking Lincoln? What?" gasped Tabby. "Ronnie Anne? Are you jealous?"
Ronnie Anne growled as they turned at another corner outside of the cabin.
"No, I'm not jealous! I was just going to tell you that if you're going to date Lincoln or something, you BETTER NOT hurt him!"
She raised her right fist and shook it in the air.
"Or else I'll hurt you!"
"Okay! I get it! But… I don't like Lincoln like I did with Liam…"
Both girls turned at another corner around the cabin when they saw two teenagers embracing each other, with lips pressed against the other. Becky and D gasped as they turned towards both girls, each with their jaws hanging open. D began to sweat while Becky flushed.
"Woah!" giggled Tabby.
"What?" gasped Becky.
"You two were making out!" said Tabby.
"Yes… so?" said D.
"How long have you two been dating?" asked Ronnie Anne. "Or is this your first time smooching each other?"
"Shut up! It's only been for a couple weeks!" whispered Becky loudly.
"Can you guys go away now?" asked D.
"Yeah sure. We'll leave you two lovebirds alone," said Tabby. "But don't keep this thing a secret! It's too cute to be a secret!"
Both Tabby and Ronnie Anne walked away while Becky and D held each other's hands again.
The sunlight shone through many spots in the canopy of the forest, promising hope for the four survivors. However, Leni was scratching her arms since a couple mosquitos sucked her blood, and they did so for a couple minutes since Leni didn't want to kill them. Darcy was scratching her legs from the itchy sap of the poison ivy that it came in contact with. Lana was used to feeling sweaty, dirty, and itchy, so walking through the forest proved to be no trouble for her. Lisa took out her anti-mosquito spray and used it on herself, Darcy, and Leni. She then took a bottle of lotion and squirted a small amount into her palm.
"For your poison ivy itch," Lisa told Darcy. "Does this feel better?"
Darcy sighed in relief as Lisa rubbed the lotion around her legs. She nodded and smiled.
"Thank you, Lisa! But what is poison ivy?" asked Darcy.
"I've been wondering too!" said Leni.
"It's a mean, green thing that makes you itch 'till you bleed!" said Lana.
"Eww!" cried both Leni and Darcy.
"Sigh. The toxicodendron radicans, street name, poison ivy, causes itching upon contact with its urushiol, or oily sap, and will spread throughout the skin, should you scratch it with your nails. Luckily, that lotion is going to eradicate the oil from the skin, causing the body to reject it out through sweat. Simple invention by moi, yet I still can't find the cure for the necrosis influenza."
"Gee, Lisa, you make me learn something everyday," said Darcy. "I wish I can grow older faster so I can understand what you said."
"Me too," said Leni.
"Leni… you're already-" said Lisa before being interrupted by Lana.
"Lisa. Look! A tent! Let's see what's in there!"
"Lana! Wait! Stay!" exclaimed Lisa. "Why do I even bother trying with these immature kids? Sorry, Darcy, thank you for actually acting your age."
Lana, Lisa, Leni, and Darcy hopped over the low barbed wire that surrounded the tent and went inside it. Lana gasped with joy as she saw the pile of canned food, bottles of water, and plenty of medical supplies.
"We shouldn't be here. I already obtained firewood," said Lisa. "We have to return to the base before Lori, George, and Bobby return. They'll notice that we're missing and then they'll start to search for us."
"But Lisa! Look at all of this!" pointed out Lana.
"But nothing! None of this is ours!"
"Everything we took from the stores aren't ours! Finders keepers, Lisa!"
"That's not right! The stores have been abandoned and its supplies were rightfully available for the next survivor to come across them! The probability that its owner or owners were going to return for their supplies were slim to none! These supplies…! They HAVE an owner!"
"Whoever owns these supplies isn't here for a reason! Maybe the owner died! Got eaten by roamers, you never know!"
"We're not going to make such wild assumptions. It's immoral and unjust. Remember what we're trying to do! Live as human beings, not just survive!"
Lana started stuffing the water bottles and canned food into her bag. Lisa tightened her eyes and walked closer to Lana.
"How can we even live as human beings if we can't survive?" argued Lana. "We need this for the group! It's many of us versus one person! Do you want to save the life of one stranger or the lives of many people? People that we love!"
"We'll find supplies. Maybe we can wait for this person to return and ask him/her for the supplies?"
"What do you think he or she will say? No! Look, Lisa, if it makes you feel better, I'm not gonna take all of the supplies. Just enough to keep us alive for a day."
Lisa stared at Lana silently, giving her the eye. Lana raised her eyebrows and stopped looting the supplies.
"It's three days worth of food and water, Lisa! Let's just go so you can stop looking at me like that."
Lana, Leni, Lisa, and Darcy walked out of the tent only to see the owner of the supplies standing in front of the barbed wire. The young man aimed his pistol at the girls and walked closer.
"Drop my stuff," said the young man in a calm voice. "Didn't your parents tell you not to steal?"
Lana stared at the young man. Lisa urged her to drop the supplies, but Lana kept her eyes locked on the young man.
"Yeah," spoke the young man into his walkie-talkie. "A blonde teenage girl with a green dress. Small tan girl with dark hair. Small brunette girl with a green shirt. Small blonde girl with a red cap."
The young man looked around his small camp and attempted to pick up noises other than the tweeting of birds. But nothing else was heard, so the young man with a green t-shirt and a black watch approached Leni and turned her facing towards the small girls. Leni gasped as the young man shoved the barrel of the pistol at the back of her neck.
Leni lowered herself as Lana and Darcy watched the man with their eyes wide and teary. Lisa wanted to ask the young man if they could be left alone, but now he made it clear that they were going to be questioned.
"Where did you guys come from?" asked the young man.
Leni kept her head lowered and her eyes closed.
"Michigan!" gasped Leni. "We're from Royal Woods!"
"Well, you guys are a long way from home!" hissed the man. "Where were you guys an hour ago?"
"In the road! We were going to…, Lisa, what was it called again? Botson?"
"Boston," corrected Darcy, causing the young man to push Leni to the ground.
Leni whimpered as the dirt ravaged her hair. The young man pointed his gun at Darcy, instead of Lisa, who was going to say Boston as well. Lisa underestimated her friend's knowledge, just as the young man was underestimating her knowledge. Lana stood in front of Darcy and looked at the man with teary eyes.
"If we give you your stuff back, will you leave us alone?" asked Lana.
"No. I'd be crazy to trust you girls like that. You girls just tried to steal from me!"
"And you're going to kill us for that?" exclaimed Lana. "Please, we don't have any weapons! We're starving! We're dying of thirst! That's why we stole from you!"
The young man lowered his gun. He knelt down and looked at Lana and Darcy.
"What are your names?"
They looked at Lisa. She nodded her head, while reaching for something in her pockets.
"I'm Lana."
"And my name is Darcy."
"I'm… Leni."
"They call me Lisa. Can you please do something about the roamer behind you?"
The young man turned around, holding his pistol in the air, ready to kill the roamer, but the trees remained silent as the man observed before. Lisa took out a needle and stabbed it on the man's buttocks, through his ripped jeans. The man yelled until his voice died out. He lied on the dirt, unconscious with the needle still in his buttocks. Lisa pulled it out and dug a small hole.
"What was that?" asked Lana, sounding frightened.
"Poneratoxin," said Lisa. "The tip of the needle was loaded with that chemical."
"That chemical knocks people out?" asked Lana. "Cool!"
"Technically, the chemical just delivers an excruciating sting, and the pain knocked him out."
Lisa buried the needle in the dirt. She stood up and picked up the young man's pistol. She switched the safety on and carried it in her hands.