IV - Liberation
The door to Unit A opened.
"...I know you are always there for your siblings," said Lynn Sr. "That's what makes you a great sister and the best leader I know."
"Well… actually…" stammered Lori before Dr. White walked to their cell.
"Lukeman's coming," mouthed Dr. White.
"Sorry," Lori apologized to her parents. "Plan's gotta keep going."
George reached into his pockets and took out two combat knives. She handed one to Lori and held one for himself. Lori hid the knife behind her and looked up at the cell door.
Lukeman arrived by the cell while Dr. White jiggled the keys into the cell lock.
"Does Black even know you're doing this?" asked Lukeman.
"He'll know soon," responded Dr. White.
Lukeman squinted at Dr. White as Lori and George quietly moved out of the cell. Lukeman turned around.
"This way, right?" asked Lukeman before he lead the prisoners anywhere.
Lori grabbed and shut Lukeman's mouth as she shoved the knife into his lower back. She then pushed his head into the brick wall, knocking him out. Finally, she grabbed his head and stuck the knife into his left eye.
George and Lori quickly dashed to the corner of the hallway near the entrance.
"What the hell was that noise?" exclaimed a rogue.
George swung his fist at his jaw, knocking him out. Lori knelt, turned the rogue around and swung the knife to the bottom of the back of his skull, letting his cerebellum bleed.
"Don't let 'em turn," said Lori.
Dr. White sweated as he pointed at the other end of the hallway. Lori and George grabbed the soldiers' rifles and placed them around their body. They grabbed their pistols and held them along with their knives.
"The corridor," said Dr. White. "There should be at least five rogue guards."
Lori nodded.
"What are you waiting for? Open the other cells!" ordered Lori.
"Right! Sorry!"
Dr. White listened to Lori while she and George walked to the corridor. They heard footsteps approaching.
Rita and Lynn stayed in their cell as they feared to witness Lori's wrath at full power. They heard the sound of someone's head being whacked by an object. They also heard the sound of skin being pierced and bodies falling to the floor. Then, the sound of a mighty stab and broken bones reached their ears.
Lori and George's footsteps disappeared. Rita and Lynn Sr. looked out into the hallway and gasped at the sight of the two bodies in the ground. One of the bodies bled from their neck while the other's head bent unnaturally. Lynn felt nauseated, causing him to run into the corner of the cell and vomit.
George slid the rogues' weapons across the hall. Dr. White picked up the weapons and handed them to some of the prisoners.
"Oh, you son of a bitch!" yelled one of the prisoners, aiming the rifle at Dr. White.
"Wait, Jenny!" shouted Rita. "Don't shoot him! We need him! He's in our side!"
"You know how much pain he caused?"
"Yes, but I know he was forced to! Think about it! His family is being held hostage somewhere! Don't you think you would've done the same thing if it were your husband, James, being held hostage?"
"Please lower your weapon," whispered Dr. White.
"Here, Rita! Take this! You're right, yet I still want to shoot him!"
"Oh dear," gasped Rita as she held the rifle.
The rogues ran down the stairs with their weapons ready. Lori and George hid underneath the stairs in the middle of the room. Both rogues looked ahead and found two bodies in the ground.
"What the hell?" gasped one of the rogues.
"Hey, call backup," whispered the other rogue.
Lori shoved the rogue suggesting backup out of the stairs while George launched himself towards the other terrified rogue. The terrified rogue swung his gun which George dodged. George smacked the rogue with his rifle, knocking him down.
Lori grabbed the rogue and bashed her head to the floor, knocking her out. She pulled out her knife and stabbed her in the same area as she did with the other rogues. In the cerebellum.
She ran up the stairs and passed by George. George placed his arm around the gasping rogue's neck.
"Please, don't," gasped the rogue.
George hissed as he pushed and pulled the rogue's neck, snapping it. He dropped the corpse into the ground, sighing in regret.
Lori ran around the walkway until she found the last rogue in the Unit, napping in the warden's office. She looked at her bloody knife and snuck up on the rogue. The rogue had earbuds connected to a Walkman, though Lori didn't know what was being played. Lori leaned closed to the rogue and pointed her knife at his right eye. The rogue awakened and gasped before Lori shoved the knife deep into his eye socket.
George arrived at the office and was left speechless. Lori pulled the knife out of his eye and removed his earbuds. She looked at the Walkman and noticed that it was labeled in permanent marker. It was labeled 'CHUNK'. She wiped the earbuds and placed it inside her ears.
"Cold chills, prison chills,
Locked in, bars of steel,
Leave my woman tonight,
Just ain't feeling right…"
Lori sighed and took off the earbuds while taking the Walkman.
"Ironic," she said.
Haley arrived by Unit A with a few unwanted visitors in the back of the truck. Lynn and Vonda hopped out from the truck with their bow and arrows. Bobby and Carol rushed out the truck and into the prison, where they aimed their guns at any potential rogue guards.
The tower guard spotted the unwelcome visitors and prepared to alert Black. However, both Lynn and Vonda shot their arrows at the guard, with Vonda's arrow striking the guard first. The guard yelled as he pulled out the arrow in his chest. He then coughed out blood and fell unconscious.
David and Wavehead carried the weapons inside while Haley, Luan, and Dana gave the prisoners ammo.
"Anyone good with guns?" yelled Wavehead.
Some adults stepped up, including Ted, while the others stood behind. Wavehead and David distributed the guns until the crate was halfway done.
"Damn, that fast?" gasped Wavehead.
"We gotta hit the armory," said David. "But first Unit B. Where's Lori and George?"
Rita and Lynn Sr. looked out of their cells. Everything went quiet. They saw one of their teenage girls holding a katana helping the prisoners escape with the other teenage girl holding a bow. No noise bothered the parents as they smiled at each other. Luan and Lynn looked at their parents and ran to them.
"Dad!" exclaimed Luan.
"Mom!" exclaimed Lynn.
"Come here, my babies!" Rita gasped in glee.
Luan and Lynn hugged both of their parents, though their adrenaline rush prevented them from crying at the moment.
"Let's go!" exclaimed Lynn. "We're taking you somewhere safe!"
"We're fighting with you guys," said Rita.
"More like YOU'RE fighting with them," said Lynn Sr. "I'm just going to follow you!"
"Crap!" yelled Haley. "They know we're here!"
"I'm taking these guys to Lukeman's truck," said Dr. White. "I'll be able to take them back to the safe-zone."
Lori and George returned to the halls crowded with prisoners. They carried the bulletproof vests that the rogues were wearing.
"Those with weapons, follow me!" ordered David. "Here, George, your vest!"
Haley entered the truck again. Dr. White led the remaining prisoners into the truck where they were hidden from sight. Luan, Lynn, and Lori lead Rita and Lynn Sr. out of Unit A. David lead the rest of the prisoners out of the prison, some wearing the rogues' vests.
"Follow the truck!" ordered David.
David aimed his M4 at the second tower guard in Unit A and shot it. The shot landed in his right arm, disabling him for the moment.
"Make sure to shoot 'em a couple times! The vest you're wearing is tough!"
The group and the prisoners moved ahead towards Unit B. A few vehicles arrived with rogues coming out with their weapons. They fired at the group, causing them to hide behind concrete barriers.
"David, give me the walkie-talkie!" Lori said, panicked.
Luan aimed at the tower guard in Unit A. The thermal target lied in the ground still, although Luna hesitated to shoot her sniper rifle. She then felt a lack of wind and shot the rifle.
The bullet smacked itself on the wall of the tower. Lori turned on the walkie-talkie and contacted Luna.
"Luna! Sam! You guys need to get outta there, now! Black knows that you guys are there!"
Luna aimed at the entrance gate. She saw an armored car heading their way.
"Damn," gasped Luna. "Three people. We can take 'em on, right, Sam?"
"Luna!" shouted Lori.
"I heard you! We got it handled it!"
Lori cried out and handed the walkie-talkie back to David. She leaned on her parents and calmed down. Though, the parents were also terrified. They wanted a chance to see their daughter, Luna, and now there was a large possibility that the chance won't occur.
"There are guns ablazin'!" said Benny.
"Indeed," said Richard, loading his gun.
"What the hell? Where'd you come from?"
"I was in the bathroom. Excuse me, anyone want to come with me? We're going to be backup."
"I can't run too well, right now," said Becky.
"I gotta stay here to protect the prisoners when they arrive," said Benny.
Richard spit into the garbage can, hitting a plastic bottle. He walked out of the house with the AR-15 that Luna lended back. A rogue ran across the street, stopping as soon as he saw Richard.
Richard fired his gun at the rogue repeatedly, killing him. He walked up to him and stripped him of his body armor. He placed it on and sighed.
"For Carol."
He looked around and found another rogue running from outside the fences. He aimed at the rogue and shot at him multiple times. The rogue went down and before Richard ran towards him, he shot the rogue by him in the head. Then, he ran towards the rogue outside the fence. He pulled out his Python with his left hand and aimed at the rogue's head from the other side of the fence. He fired it and continued to make his way towards the Units.
Black hopped into an armored vehicle with his walkie-talkie.
"The two targets in the hill? Kill them."
Lead drove Black, Sturgess, and Hoover towards the runway.
The group in the hill hid in the woods while Luna, Sam, and Sergei waited for the armored vehicle to come closer. Luna remained in the same spot where she was, though, she was covered by the white bulletproof vests like a blanket.
Luna shot the sniper rifle and killed the driver. One of the rogues got out of the Humvee and shot at Luna. The other rogue climbed onto the mounted minigun and fired it at the van.
Sam and Sergei escaped from behind the van. Sergei aimed and fired at the gunner, striking him in the neck.
The other rogue fired at Luna, smacking the vests. Her breath was knocked out of her as the bullets smacked against her chest.
Sam fired once at the rogue's chest, stopping him from shooting the gun. Then she fired at his leg, causing him to fall down. She walked up to the rogue and fired a final shot, one to his head.
"Rad car," coughed Luna.
"Are you alright?" asked Sam.
"Yeah. I'll stay here and get more target practice. You guys take the car and help our group!"
"What about the roam–"
"The littluns' got 'em handled. Just go! Save my family!"
Sam nodded. Sergei entered the driver's seat while Sam climbed onto the gunner's seat. Sergei drove the Humvee away and into Houlton.
Four rogues lied in the ground, dead, along with five prisoners in the other side of the prison. The group were inside Unit B, distributing weapons as fast as they could.
"My boys? Are they okay?" whimpered Mr. Spokes. "Rocky, is he alright? What about Rusty?"
"Yes, he's alright!" replied Lori, handing him the last rifle. "I need you to focus, alright? Think about saving your son!"
"Uh, I have two! But alright, I'll do that!"
David tossed a grenade into one of the vehicles, blowing it up and killing a driver and two other rogues.
"We gotta move to Unit C!" yelled David. "Out this exit!"
The combined group of liberators and prisoners ran across the dead grass, taking cover behind the prison. The fire of the vehicles provided light that revealed the nearby rogues. Some of the prisoners fired their guns and kept the liberators safe.
Another fire roared near the runway as some of the other prisoners took the fight at another location. They defended Unit D, distracting half of the rogue force and prevented the prisoners from being exterminated.
As David lead the prisoners to Unit C, a grenade flew across the air ahead of him. He ordered the group to duck and cover their heads, and just as they did, the grenade blew up. Two of the prisoners close to David fell to the ground with shrapnel all over their bodies. He groaned as he looked at a piece of shrapnel in his right thigh.
The rogues marched to the open corridor, but were met with ricocheting bullets. None of them were harmed, but their retreat allowed some of the large group to move from Unit B to Unit C in seconds.
Dr. White arrived at the house with more prisoners. Benny and Becky stood on guard while the prisoners filled the house. Soon, the neighboring houses were used as refuge for the prisoners. Dr. White drove away and towards Unit B and C.
"I'll come in a minute!" yelled Carol. "Gotta make sure these people are safe!"
Carol and Bobby placed the injured against the wall and behind cover. David limped towards Carol.
"How do I fucking take this out?" he groaned.
"Oh… it's not deep at all… just–"
Carol pulled out the shrapnel piece the size of her thumb. David screamed before dropping to his knees in pain.
"Your thigh muscles are slightly torn and it'll feel painful to run. I would usually advise–"
An explosion at the top of the guard tower for Unit B caused a burning corpse to fall to the roof of the prison.
"Nevermind! Just take this!"
Carol took out a syringe with morphine and injected it near David's legs. He gasped as he regained control of it. Carol quickly wrapped up his leg with a bandage and sent him in his way.
Dr. White arrived between Unit B and C. Carol and Bobby placed the injured into the truck. Luan provided cover fire, unable to hit anyone due to her lack of training. However, it was enough to distract the rogues from shooting at the injured prisoners.
Another sniper shot flew across the sky, smacking the guard tower wall above Unit C. Dana looked up and fired her rifle at the guard, killing him. Luan looked at the hill and shook her head while grinning.
"Oh, shut up…" smiled Luna, while reloading the M110.
She aimed at the second tower guard at Unit C. She moved the crosshairs upwards and slightly to left. Luna fired the sniper rifle and hit the rogue in her right arm. She fired the rifle again and struck the rogue in her skull.
Pieces of the rogue's brain spilled to the ground. Lynn Sr. yelped and looked away while Rita cringed. Another explosion across the large field caught the attention of Lori.
"The rogues… they're retreating. Push on to the armory!"
Richard continued to run to the Units. He saw fire roar across certain parts around the prison, though not enough to illuminate the whole town.
"Hey!" shouted one of the injured prisoners. "Buddy! I need your help! I-I can't keep going!"
The injured prisoner fell to his knee. Richard walked closer and saw his bleeding face. He looked at his legs and noticed that there were pieces of shrapnel stuck to them. Richard looked around.
"Please. Carry me to this safe place," said the prisoner. "Please. It hurts."
"Sorry, buddy," whispered Richard. "I don't have time."
He immediately shot him in the head, before placing his Python back into his holster. He looked ahead and continued running.
The group moved towards the armory near the runway. Many prisoners of Unit C were running towards the armory while the prisoners of Unit A and Unit B provided cover fire. The prisoners and the rogues often found themselves fighting the same people at different locations.
Suddenly, a helicopter roared across the sky and lowered itself until it hovered right above the prisons.
"Apache!" yelled David.
The helicopter moved towards Unit A and began its onslaught on the liberators and prisoners. The bullets pierced through the prisoners like water balloons. The helicopter shot through one, two, four, eight and counting prisoners.
The remaining prisoners either fled or ran inside the steel building, where the weapons and ammunition were stored. However, three rogue guards in black suits and masks guarded the armory.
"Halt! Don't fire!" yelled the rogue with the red tag on her helmet.
David aimed his weapon at the rogue with the red tag. Lori aimed her gun at the rogue with the green tag. And the other rogue with the blue tag was the target of many prisoners.
"Buck! Pike! Lower your weapons!" shouted the rogue.
"Yes, ma'am!" exclaimed both rogues.
All three rogues lowered their weapons, with two of the rogues looking at the fire outside through the windows. David approached the rogue.
"You are three seconds away from getting shot," hissed David. "Explain yourself!"
The rogue took off her mask. Her brunette hair fell to her shoulders. She blinked once, revealing her black eyeshadow beneath her messy bangs.
"David… it's me."
Lori looked at David, bewildered by this encounter. She turned towards the windows, watching the fire from the explosions engulf the armored vehicles. The helicopter still hovered above them, though it seemed as if the noise silenced itself in David's ears.
"Sandy… w-what are you– h-how…."
David was left speechless. Sandy hugged him while he tried to comprehend the situation.
"Who the hell are you guys supposed to be?" asked Kotaro.
"Yeah! Never seen you folks around here!" added Ted.
"We're special forces," replied Pike. "Ordered to conduct missions that require people with the most expertise and specialization to complete that specific objective."
"You guys made a hell of a mess," said Buck.
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you!" yelled one of the prisoners.
"Yeah!" agreed another.
"We're not those soldiers," replied Sandy. "I need all of you to–"
The helicopter launched a missile to the armory, but its structure withstood the blast, though it caused small tremors felt by everyone inside. The lights inside the armory flickered and some of them went off.
David looked around the dim armory as many of the prisoners panicked. He looked for his wife and saw her running deeper into the armory. He chased after her but stopped in his tracks when she pulled out a giant Stinger.
"Cover me, David."
"Yes… honey."
The prisoners of Unit C were grabbing weapons and ammunition from the armory. The armory itself held rooms of weapons and ammunition, enough to supply all of the prisoners. Crates of ammunition filled many rooms, with its amount of bullets able to feed a small town for two generations. Though, the prisoners were not looking to hunt for animals in their urgent situation.
"Maybe we should just go back!" shouted Lynn Sr. in a panic.
"The fight's not over yet, Dad!" shouted Lori.
"C'mon, Dad!" exclaimed Lynn. "I got your back! Just stick close to us!"
The helicopter continued to hover over the armory, though Sandy exited the armory through the back of the building. David and George surrounded her with a few prisoners, each aiming their weapons at the rogues in the distance. However, the rogues weren't looking at them; they were looking at the group in Unit D, including Carol and Bobby.
Sandy aimed the Stinger at the helicopter.
"Three, two, one…"
She fired the Stinger. The missile rocketed to the air and struck the helicopter. Within a split second, the body of the helicopter exploded, disabling its slowing rotor.
The wings struggled to pick up the burning chopper, leading to its crash in a small building next to Unit D.
David and George watched the explosion light up the night as the fire blazed in the crash site. A few rogues came out of the building, screaming as the fire consumed their bloody bodies.
On top of all that, the rogues and the group by Unit D continued to fight in their stalemated battle.
Richard watched the fire blaze in the distance and groups of people escaping the armory. Suddenly, the fence crashed into the ground as a Humvee passed through it, stopping by Richard.
"Hop on, Richard!" shouted Sam.
Richard entered the vehicle and pointed at Unit D. Sergei began driving the vehicle again.
General Black climbed onto a helicopter with Donovan, Lead, Sturgess, and Hoover. He turned on his walkie-talkie.
"I want Charlie forces on the east side of Unit D! Beta forces! Head westward and flank the test subjects! Alpha and Delta force! Tactical retreat! Then, Beta and Charlie forces will retreat on the other side! I don't need many fatalities on both sides, so do not, I repeat, DO NOT launch a full-scale attack! Not yet!"
"Roger that!" shouted many of the rogues.
Black watched the fire spread to the fields, but not yet to the runway. The military zone was safe, with many rogue soldiers hopping into their armored vehicles. He watched the fire as bodies rose from the fire and roamed to the firefight. He smiled as the helicopter flew him away from Houlton.
"Sir, that fire is not going to last long," said Lt. Lead.
"Don't worry, Luther. We lost yet another battle… but they have no idea what's coming next. I underestimated them this time. First, we'll do what needs to be done."
"What about the K.H.A.N. Spec Forces?" asked Hoover.
"Sandy, Pike, and Buck? Oh, they're not coming back. I'm sure they know. Even Dr. White's not coming back. However, we still got to do that Wasteland project."
"Are we taking back the place?" asked Sturgess.
"Yes. Our project is not over yet. Just postponed. We're also taking back the people. We'll come out of the shadows when they least expect it, give 'em the same kind of attack they gave us… and they'll be back to doing the same shit again."
The helicopter flew away before Sandy could find another missile for the Stinger. She looked at David, who approached her at a rapid pace. She smiled at him.
"Hey, you saw–"
David grabbed her arms and pulled her into the building, a second before bullets rained in the air outside of the armory. She looked back and placed her mask and helmet back on.
"We still have a battle to fight," said David.
The firefight near Unit D ensued as the fire grew larger. Smoke lingered around the second guard tower while a helicopter blade prevented two rogues from opening the door. One of the rogues banged on the door while the other rogue climbed onto the top of the tower, gasping for air. Deciding that there were no other options left, the rogue decided to jump out of the tower. She fell into the fire, while the other rogue reached the top of the tower. However, it was too late for him as he fell unconscious.
Bobby and Carol entered the prison, jumping over the dead rogues in the ground. The prisoners were running around in panic near the corpses of a few slaughtered prisoners.
The halls increased in temperature as Bobby and Carol approached a rising corpse. The remaining prisoners fled the halls, allowing Carol to shoot the roamer. The gunshot echoed in the halls, awaking some of the other roamers.
A roamer-turned rogue rose from the dead and sunk its teeth into a prisoner's left leg. The prisoner cried as another prisoner fell victim to a different roamer.
The prisoners rushed out of the prison, leading the rogue soldiers to fire onto them. After the blood of five prisoners spilled to the ground, the rogues stopped and reloaded.
A smoke grenade exploded near the entrance to Unit D. This allowed the rest of the prisoners to make their escape along with the fighters, including the rogues.
Bobby ran towards the two roamers in the prison and shot them with his Luger. Carol crouched and looked at one of the victims. Suffocating in her own blood, the prisoner watched Carol pull out an M9. Carol closed her eyes and turned away before she shot the prisoner in the head.
"This one! She needs amputation!" Boby cried out.
"I don't have anything!" shouted Carol.
Bobby looked around the prison. He ran to a roamer and grabbed a hacksaw with razor teeth. He grabbed it and offered it to Carol. She reluctantly grabbed it and looked at the prisoner.
"Hey, stay with me. Stay with me. This is going to hurt a lot, okay? Be strong. I'm here for you!"
The prisoner nodded and gasped. Bobby knelt along with Carol as she proceeded to saw the man's lower limb off. The man screamed as Carol cut deeper and deeper into his leg.
"No, no, no… this is too rusty," whispered Carol. "Ah! No!"
Carol cut the limb off and yelped as she saw the man's arteries. The arteries were not sliced properly and blood squirted out at a rapid pace.
"What happened?" exclaimed Bobby.
"He's bleeding out!" yelled Carol.
"Let's wrap him up! Hurry!"
"This requires bypass surgery! I don't know how to do it!"
"Dr. White just left! He'll come back to rescue the rest of the prisoners, though!" informed Bobby.
"No, not enough time!" cried Carol. "He's going to die!"
Carol stood up, her face glued to the dying man.
"We can't leave him here!" said Bobby.
Carol nodded. She raised her gun and shot the man in the head before Bobby reacted. Blood splattered into his hands and the gunshot rang through his ears. Carol sighed and looked ahead.
"Carol?" called out a voice.
Carol's eyes opened. Bobby quickly stood up.
"Mom? Dad? You're alive!"
"Oh, my beautiful girl!" exclaimed her father. "Oh, and hello, Bobby."
"Hey, Mr. Pingrey. Hello to you too, Mrs. Pingrey. I don't want to interrupt this beautiful moment, but we have to go now!"
"Right!" exclaimed Carol's mother. "Carol, I'm so sorry for everything you went through. That must have not been so easy to do."
"It wasn't," whimpered Carol.
The rogues were firing from the west and east side, forcing the groups to run away from the fences in the northwest side. Another smoke grenade exploded, leading the area by the small building to be covered in gray air.
"Keep your buns outta the smoke!" yelled Haley. "The chambers are there! And the roamers are coming outta the chambers!"
The roamers surrounded the groups. They struggled to fight their way out, but they weren't receiving support from the outside fighters due to the smoke.
"Out this way!" yelled Carol. "Bobby, clear a path for us!"
"Carol, it's too danger–!" exclaimed Carol's mother before being shot.
The rogue in top of the first tower of Unit D reloaded his sniper rifle. Carol looked up at the tower guard as tears formed in her eyes. Suddenly, a sniper bullet tore through the smoke and struck the tower sniper, splattering his brain against the wall.
Carol's father sobbed while Bobby shot a roamer close to him. Carol felt the sound of a different gunshot go off. And with the gunshot, the body of her father dropped to the ground with a wound to his neck.
"Dad. No… NO!"
Carol yelled and raised her pistol. A rogue came out of the prison, gasping while bleeding through his leg. Carol and the rogue locked eye contact before a roamer stood in the way. She shot the roamer and looked at the rogue, who had his gun aimed at her. The rogue fired the gun.
The Humvee arrived near the smoke with Sam firing the gun at the rogues in the distance. She shouted as the bullets tore through the bushes, killing four rogues before the rest made their retreat.
Richard jumped out of his seat and aimed at the rogue outside of the prison. He shot the rogue with the Python, leading him to collapse into the floor, dead. He ran into the smoke and picked up Carol.
"No! I'll get you help!" yelled Richard.
"M-m-my mom! My dad!"
Carol weeped into Richard's chest while Bobby cleared out a path. The prisoners moved away from the smoke and fled towards the town while Sergei continued to drive the Humvee ahead. Sam fired the minigun at the soldiers until Sergei made a turn.
"Sergei! We can catch up to them!"
"We have more pressing matters back at the chambers!"
The roamers growled at the passing prisoners until the Humvee arrived. Sam shot at the roamers with the minigun, plastering the brains of many roamers into the wall of the prison.
David, Lori, Luan, Lynn, George, Dana, and Wavehead reunited with Richard, Bobby, and Carol. Rita and Lynn Sr. looked at Carol with shock in their faces, realizing that this was Lori's sworn enemy. And Lori's sworn enemy was bleeding from her arm.
"I'll take her back!" said Dr. White. "Get on the car. You too, George!"
George looked down at his chest. Blood poured out from his left shoulder, though he wondered why he didn't feel it earlier. He climbed onto the truck with Richard and Carol and they were driven to the town.
Lori turned on her walkie-talkie.
"Luna? Are you still there? Luna?
Luna panted as the convoy of armored vehicles passed by her and the vehicles. The kids in the woods watched as a couple rogues took pistol shots at the vests, but none of the vehicles stopped.
Luna softly whimpered as the force of the bullets punched her over and over. The walkie-talkie lied next to her. However, it was damaged. All Luna could do is hear Lori's voice grow more desperate.
"Luna? Please respond. Lunes?"
The last armored vehicle drove down the hill and disappeared into the horizon. Luna sighed and pushed the vests away. She checked her bruised arms before hearing Lori again.
Lincoln dashed to Luna's aid. He handed her her crutches back and picked up the walkie-talkie.
"We're fine, Lori!"
"Dude," said Luna, picking herself up. "She can't hear you. That thing is fucked up."
Lori ran towards the Humvee.
"Sergei? Can you drive me back to the kids? I need to see if Luna is alright!"
"Sure."
"Can you take Sandy and I as well?" asked David.
"Of course," replied Sergei. "Anything for the leader."
Sandy and David entered the vehicles while Sam left the gunner's seat, allowing Lori to take over.
"I'll be back!" exclaimed Lori as the Humvee drove past by Lynn Sr. and Rita.
Dana, Wavehead, Vonda, Sam, Luan, Lynn, Rita, Lynn Sr., and Bobby stood next to each other. Around them were Mr. Spokes, Jenny, James, Kotaro, Ted, Pike, Buck, and many other prisoners. Haley stood in front of all of them.
"I'll lead you guys back to the safe-zone!" she exclaimed. "Just follow me!"
The Humvee drove through the broken entrance gate. David and Sandy sat next to each other. Sandy removed her gear, revealing a purple tank top and cargo pants. She sighed and looked at her husband. David looked back.
"I… never knew you would side with Black," he said.
"I was forced to," explained Sandy. "He said you and Seth were soft targets. I couldn't let anything happen to you guys so I had to follow Black. And I worked for him. Well, I did. Davy, you do understand, right?"
"I do. It's just… I missed you so much."
"I did too. I love you so much."
Lori looked around while at the gunner's seat. As the Humvee drove up the hill, Lori saw the rest of the group standing next to Luna. She couldn't help but smile.
"It's all over, dude!" said Luna.
"Yeah. I'm so glad you guys are alive."
"Sorry about that, brah. Walkie-talkie got jacked up. So… are Mom and–"
"Mom and Dad are alive," revealed Lori.
Leni, Luna, Lincoln, Lana, and Lisa cheered while Lily babbled happily. The Louds hopped into Vanzilla, with Lori being the driver while the rest of the group entered the RV.
The lanterns lit up the neighborhood as the prisoners stood outside. Luan kissed Benny and hugged him which surprised both parents, though it did make them feel happy. Suddenly, Lynn Sr. looked into the distance and saw Vanzilla.
"Never thought I see this baby again," he sighed.
Lori and David parked their vehicles outside of the house where Rita and Lynn Sr. stood at. Sam waved at Luna gleefully, which both parents noticed. Their happiness only increased as they watched Leni with Lily, Luna, Lincoln, Lana, and Lisa exit the vehicle with Lori.
"Dad!" exclaimed Leni.
"Mom!" gasped Lincoln.
The Louds ran towards their parents, except Luna who limped, with Luan and Lynn being the first to hug them. Rita and Lynn Sr. were overwhelmed by their emotions as the family initiated their group hug.
"I've been thinking about you guys every single day!" said Leni.
"It feels good to make physical contacts, mother and father!" stated Lisa.
"We're together again!" exclaimed Lana.
"I've missed you guys so much!" said Lincoln.
"I don't want to leave your sides!" said Lynn.
"No more worrying about this anymore!" said Luna.
"I can truly be happy, now!" exclaimed Luan.
"We love you, Mom and Dad," said Lori.
"Poo-poo!" babbled Lily.
"We love you kids too!" said Rita.
"Where's Lola? And Lucy?" asked Lynn Sr., wiping a joyful tear from his eye.
The sudden radiant moment snapped when both parents looked at their children's eyes. Lana's mouth shook and she couldn't look at her father anymore. Lynn's tears fell from her eyes as she closed them, something that Rita found out of character.
"No… don't tell me…" gasped Rita.
"I was going to tell you earlier," sniffled Lori. "I-I-I guess I was too afraid too… I'm sorry."
Lynn Sr. dropped to his knees and teared up. Rita knelt down and let her tears run down her face.
"How did it happen?" asked Lynn Sr. "Please tell me there's a chance they're still alive!"
Lori shook her head.
"Roamer bites are always fatal, remember?"
Both parents broke down. The Louds tried to comfort their parents, but they could not stop the tears from forming in their own eyes. Some of the other survivors couldn't hold back their tears either.
Many of the liberated prisoners didn't see their child and would most likely never will. Mr. Spokes was glad to see Rusty, but he sobbed over Rocky.
The candles out in the street flickered with the grief of the survivors. In the candles, Lori was reminded of Lola, Lucy, and Darcy, leading her to feel the urge to break down and cry, but her strength pulled her through it.
"They're in a better place, where they suffer no more," Jeffrey told the parents. "God is taking care of them in His kingdom.
"They're in a better place..." Lori repeated to herself. "Where they suffer no more…"
Richard looked at the hill above Houlton, away from the sunrise.
"The rogues are going to return. We gotta be prepared. 'Cause next time they come, they'll be stronger than ever. But we'll be there, and we'll slaughter them all."
David nodded. Richard thought to himself.
"Under my own leadership of course."
Benny and Luan sliced all the leftover roamers in the military zone and the Units. After inspecting the gates, the armory, and the runway, the group headed back to the town.
Benny and Luan came across the roamer-turned parents of Carol. Not knowing who they were, Benny sliced through their heads with his sword without a second thought.
Lori walked back to the Houlton with supplies in her backpack. A roamer with half of its body missing growled at her. She removed her hatchet, but an arrow flew at the roamer's head, killing it. Lori turned towards Lynn who placed her arrow back to her quiver.
Lori looked at the destruction back in the military zone. Smoke lingered around the chambers, destroyed armored vehicles, and other areas.
"I know I wasn't able to give a proper introduction to this lovely town before…" said Dr. White.
Lori looked ahead.
"So I thought, why not give it now?" continued Dr. White.
Lori saw the sunrise hover from the hills to her right. They shone on the houses and the trees of the town. The survivors were moving around, chattering with each other, finally free to do so. The birds flew in the sky and the insects chirped. She felt right at home. Dr. White turned towards Lori.
"Welcome to Houlton."
End Credit Song
Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
Finally, after all these chapters, the Louds reunited, though Lola and Lucy couldn't... though, who will be the next Loud to join them in the afterlife? Or will they finally live the rest of their lives happily? This chapter is the longest one in the story yet, but next chapter is going to be longer! Much longer since it is the last chapter of the third arc or volume (which is every five chapters) and I have to wrap things up while also setting up the next arc.