II - 107 Days Without An Accident
-Three Weeks Later-
The street lamps were lit up. The snow was gone, but the chilly winter attacked the survivors. They've gone through worse so they were able to defend themselves against the cold, simply with extra layers of clothing.
The Houlton civilians were decorating the trees around the center of town as they were preparing for the Christmas that would come next week. In the center of town sat David and Sandy, admiring the view.
"So, how's leadership treating you?" asked Sandy.
David rubbed his shaved jaws. He let his hair grow, though it was covered by his black beanie.
"Not as stressful as I imagined. You know, sometimes I feel like Dr. White is taking more responsibility than I am. He just doesn't stop working!"
"Isn't it great to have two leaders? I don't think it has ever worked before!"
"Yeah… never worked before," pondered David.
Lisa walked away from the laboratory next to the military base. Lana grabbed her bag of tools and followed her.
"Going home already?" asked Dr. White.
"The sun has almost reached its half-rotation since sunrise," said Lisa. "Plus, we completed all the work for the week. I need a fresh mind to start on a new project tomorrow, Dr. White."
"Alright. See you tomorrow, Lana and… Doctor Lisa Loud."
Lisa smiled. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She then stopped and stared at her glasses. She looked around before turning on the video mode of her glasses. She rotated the lens and looked at a video clip.
In the video, Lisa inspected the box of crates in the RV after the group chose their rooms in the Medway Motel. She opened the box of knives and found most of them in their respective places.
Lisa switched to another video clip.
In the other video, she walked to Dr. White's truck and saw Richard and George moving equipment to the car. In the box of knives, everything seemed in place, except a knife was missing.
She looked back at another video clip.
The bodies of Bill Brooker and Zach Gurdle lied on the floor of the cabin. Besides Bill was a knife, the exact knife that was in the box of knives.
Lisa whispered to herself while Lana ate her bag of chips.
"Oh, mother of Newton."
"What?" asked Lana. "Am I chewing too loud?"
Lisa and Lana returned home. Lisa walked up the stairs, ignoring Luna's request to give her a towel. She knocked on Lynn and Lincoln's room. Lincoln opened up.
"Hey, Lis. Back from–?"
"Is Lynn here?"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Lynn from the bed.
"I have to make room in my brain."
"What?" asked Lynn, confused.
"Just take a look at this."
After reviewing the video clips, Lynn shook her head. She then stood up.
"Can't say I'm surprised," she said. "But now… now, I have proof!"
Lynn arrived at George's house while Lincoln, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne ran to the Spokes' home.
George answered the door. Lynn requested to talk to Vonda and Tabby, which he was fine with. They all walked to the front porch and waited for Lincoln, Clyde, Ronnie Anne, and Rusty.
Lincoln explained to Mr. Spokes that he wanted to show Rusty something. Mr. Spokes was convinced that Houlton was even safer than Royal Woods, so he let Rusty go with Lincoln, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne. Though, he did so reluctantly because he was his only living child.
The children gathered up. Lynn handed them Lisa's glasses and they passed it around.
"That's proof," said Lynn. "Zach was murdered by Richard. We weren't wrong. He lied to us. Again."
After a kid watched the video, they passed it to the next kid beside them with a look of shock in their face.
"Well, how can we be sure it was him?" asked Vonda. "What if Bill stole the knife from the RV?"
"What do you mean? He couldn't have, one of us would've noticed," replied Lynn. "Are you defending him? Are you, Vonda?"
"No, no. All I'm saying is we aren't a hundred percent sure this was stolen by Richard. Perhaps someone left a knife in his cabin?"
"That's right, Lynn," added Lincoln. "What if Bill found a knife from another crate like ours? I mean, he wasn't too far from the rogues."
"No, how could you be saying this?" gasped Lynn. "He obviously did it! This is proof!"
"Okay, okay, relax," said Lincoln.
"You're right, we finally have an important piece of evidence that could help us," said Vonda. "However, how do we know Richard won't lie again? David would believe him rather than us. They're best friends."
"That's right," agreed Lincoln. "We should wait a little. We have to figure things out. Lynn, promise me you won't do anything rash."
Lynn reluctantly nodded.
The kids returned to their homes. First, Lynn, Lincoln, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne walked Rusty to his home. Then, Lynn and Lincoln walked Clyde and Ronnie Anne to their home. Finally, Lynn and Lincoln returned to their house, lending back Lisa's glasses.
The wind blew across the state. Trees shook and the grass danced.
Near the city of Bangor, a light-brown headed teenager walked with a map in his hands and a leather jacket under his arms. He wore a blue plaid shirt that matched his eyes. His jeans were also blue, but many shades darker. His shirt hid his chain tattoo on his left arm and his hair hid his white stud earring in his right ear.
He wore his black leather jacket and looked at the map again. The map of Maine had many areas crossed out. He found a Humvee, closed the map, and looked at the woods to his right.
A couple rogue soldiers sat by a campfire. They were cooking rabbits when they heard cans rattling around. They stood up and aimed their guns at the direction of the sound. The teen slowly revealed himself with his hands up.
"Hey, sorry about that. I'm just looking for some help."
"I'm afraid we can't help you," said the rogue, lowering his weapon. "Go on, keep surviving. Like the rest of us."
"No, I just need help finding my family," said the teen. "My name's Jace Taylor. Have you seen these people?"
Jace handed the rogue a picture of his mother, father, and older sister.
"Nah, haven't seen 'em," said the rogue. "But I know they ain't ever go there. That's where we came from."
Jace looked at the direction that the rogue pointed at. He then turned back to the rogues.
"Have you tried checking out Portland?" asked Brick, another rogue. "I heard the National Guard were protecting people in there."
"No, I haven't checked it out. Uhh, thank guys."
"No. Thank you for surviving this long," said Brick.
Jace chuckled nervously. He left the woods and headed back to the road.
After walking a mile, he returned to his motorcycle and backpack. He checked on his pet lizards inside his breathable backpack. They were not yet asleep.
"We're going to Portland, guys!" exclaimed Jace.
He started his motorcycle and drove it in the empty road, away from the roamers in Bangor.
-Nine Days Later-
The Christmas trees glimmered while snow slowly fell on its spiky leaves. A candle flickered in each homemade menorah inside some houses. The gas lamps in the streets lit up.
With all the lights sparkling in the town, Houlton felt like the happiest place in the world, and because of the Earth's present state, it could be true.
Many tables and chairs were set up in the park where Leni and Preston had their picnic a month prior. Many of the civilians sat with their friends as they had yet to reunite with their family.
The Louds sat with each other for dinner. However, none of them remained in their seats for the whole night. In the meantime, as they waited for midnight to unwrap their presents, a dance commenced.
The waning moon floated high above the sky. Richard walked to George's home and knocked on his door. George answered the door, allowing Richard to enter his home. Vonda walked to the kitchen and peeked at the living room.
"You need something?" asked George.
"Yeah. I wanted to ask you, how's the holidays treating you?"
"I don't celebrate Christmas," said George. "Though, it does feel good knowing that people are enjoying their lives."
"Vonda celebrates Christmas, does she?"
"Yes. She's going to the center of town with the others."
"You know, I used to celebrate Christmas with my wife," said Richard. "Still want Vonda to celebrate Christmas?"
George gulped. He stared at Richard while he grabbed his holster. However, Richard pulled out his revolver and aimed it at George.
"Not wearing your vest, huh? Look man, I just wanted to talk."
"Doesn't look like it," said George. "I swear to God, if you touch Vee, I will–!"
"Do nothing!" hissed Richard. "Look, whatever you're going to do to me, it won't be necessary! I just needed to give you a warning."
Richard placed his revolver back into his holster. George lowered his eyes.
"You probably think I killed the kid," whispered Richard. "One of the kids musta' told you. Don't tell anyone that lie. 'Cause if you do, it will be my life on the line and the people I care about. For Vonda's sake, don't tell anyone."
Richard and George stood up.
"I'm not one to make false accusations," said George as they walked towards the exit. "Just enjoy the holidays. And try not to come back here again."
"Merry Christmas," smirked Richard.
The clock in the church almost signaled midnight. The amplifiers and microphone were connected to a generator. Dr. White approved Luna's request to play Christmas rock songs to the civilians.
Some of the civilians held their candles in the air for Luna while she sang and drummed.
"Bells will be ringing this sad, sad news…
Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues…"
Sam played her bass guitar and took over vocals.
"My baby's gone, I have no friends…
To wish me greetings once again…"
Luna then took over vocals.
"Choirs will be singing 'Silent Night'..."
As the adults moved along with the song, Sam took over vocals again.
"Christmas carols by candles…"
Both Luna and Sam couldn't help but sing together.
"Please come home for Christmas…
Please come home for Christmas…"
"Whoo!" cheered Lynn Sr. "That's my daughter, everyone!"
Near the Christmas trees, an instrumental version of The First Noel played in a small amplifier. As midnight arrived, more of the civilians arrived at the area to hand each other gifts that they scavenged or handcrafted.
Leni and Preston also made it their jobs to make sure everyone in town had gifts.
Luan and Benny walked to a more secluded area near the shimmering trees. Benny held Luan's shoulder and stopped her in her tracks.
"I got you something," said Benny, handing Luan a small box. "Found it in one of my scavenging missions."
"Aww, you shouldn't have."
Luan opened the box and found a thin necklace with a small, golden forget-me-not flower at the center of it. Her eyes sparkled upon taking the necklace out of the box. She lifted her hair and placed it around her neck, then let her hair fall down.
"Beautiful," whispered Benny.
Luan lightly rubbed the necklace and shifted her eyes at Benny. She leaned close to him and gave him a tender kiss. Then, she leaned towards her shoulder and giggled.
"Thank you, Benny. I love it so much!"
They both shared another kiss in the snow while Lynn Sr. and Rita watched happily. They held each other's hands and pointed their eyes at Lori and Bobby.
Lori and Bobby watched the star twinkle in a particular Christmas tree. The star pointed to the North Star in the night sky. Bobby and Lori held their hands together as they continued to stare at the stars.
Lori felt a tiny metallic object as Bobby shifted his hands strangely. Bobby placed his right hand on Lori's face and grabbed her attention. He then released both his hands, allowing Lori to feel the object.
Lori opened her hands and saw a silver ring. She gasped and gleamed.
"I think they call those promise rings," said Bobby. "I wanted to promise you that I'll always be there for you, to love and to protect you."
"Boo-Boo Bear! I love you so much too! Where's your ring?"
"My ring? Oh, it's uh… I'm supposed to wear one too?"
Lori giggled. She took a ring out from her pocket.
"I only had one too," said Lori. "Did you get this at the cabin in the Irish Settlement?"
Bobby nodded. Lori handed him the ring, which happened to match the promise ring that Lori wore. Their beamed at each other and kissed under the stars, causing Lynn Sr. and Rita to squeal softly in joy.
Lincoln stood near a snowman that Lana created. Next to the snowman was a pole that Leni accidentally placed her tongue in.
Lincoln looked around the town center. Lori and Bobby hugged each other, Leni and Preston handed presents to the civilians together, Luna and Sam fed each other fruitcake, Luan and Benny held each other's hands, and Lynn and Clyde lied next to each other, creating snow angels.
He sighed and leaned on the pole.
"Feeling lonely?" asked Tabby, holding a cup of eggnog.
"Yeah. Seems like everyone's in a good mood… and it feels real. It makes me happy… but how long will this happiness last?"
"What's wrong with you? You should be living in the moment!" exclaimed Tabby. "Especially these days."
"It's just… I don't want it to end. I don't want the happiness to go."
Tabby looked above. She smiled and grabbed Lincoln's hands.
"It doesn't have to," she whispered. "Look up."
Lincoln shifted his eyes above. There was a string on top of the pole that hung an object above the two kids. A mistletoe.
As Lincoln looked down, Tabby leaned close to him and kissed him softly in his lips. He kept his eyes opened, unable to speak or react. Tabby released her lips from Lincoln's.
"Merry Christmas, Linky."
"M-M-Merry Christmas, Tabby."
Ronnie Anne unwrapped her gift from Leni, which happened to be a skateboard. She smiled and set it down, riding it away from the center of town. She then headed back when she saw Lincoln and Tabby under the mistletoe.
She opened her jaws and gasped. She shook her head and walked back.
Ronnie Anne looked away and set her skateboard down. She placed her foot on it and propelled herself away from the town center, feeling the sting in her heart.
Suddenly, she bumped into Richard, who managed to lift his foot just in time to prevent the nose of the skateboard from bruising his ankle.
"Oh, sorry, Richard!"
"Hello, Ronalda. It's quite alright," said Richard. "Leaving already?"
"Nah, I'm just trying my new gift," replied Ronnie, shrugging her arms. "I-I should go back to the party."
"Before you go, I want to ask you one thing."
Ronnie Anne looked away. Richard snapped at her, catching her attention.
"What are you and your friends planning to do?" questioned Richard.
"W-What do you mean?"
"Don't play stupid with me. You, Lincoln, Tabby, Rusty, Lynn, oh, especially Lynn! I know you guys are forming thoughts about me, so I thought I should know about those thoughts."
"I have no idea what you–"
"Imagine if you woke up tomorrow, thinking it was going to be a great day. Next, you realize… Bobby hasn't been around lately. You worry and worry… and worry. Then, Lori or someone will find him consumed by a roamer in the woods. What an unfortunate fate."
Ronnie Anne clenched her teeth and formed two fists.
"We were going to use Lisa's glasses to prove to David the kinda sick scum you are. We know you murdered Zach. And we know you were going to kill Becky."
"Kill Zach? What, with this?"
Richard took out a knife. Ronnie Anne stumbled back and looked around. Many of the adults were far away and distracted in the town center.
"If you talk… your brother dies. Just don't tell anyone, alright?"
Richard placed the knife back into his pocket. He patted Ronnie Anne's head and walked away from the dark streets that she was at.
Ronnie Anne quickly picked up her skateboard and walked back to the center of town. She then heard footsteps running towards her. She ran and didn't look back for fear of losing speed and getting caught by Richard.
"Ronnie Anne!" called out Vonda.
"Vonda! Oh thank god! I thought you were that puto that put the fear of God in me!"
"Are you talking about Richard?"
Ronnie Anne nodded.
"He threatened George," explained Vonda. "We gotta tell David!"
"Let's tell Lynn first!"
Ronnie Anne and Vonda ran back to the center of town. They spotted Lynn playing with Clyde's hair while he and Rusty talked about their times in school.
"Lynn, this is important!" exclaimed Vonda.
Lincoln and Tabby returned with the group awkwardly around Ronnie Anne. However, after Ronnie Anne and Vonda explained Richard's threats, they felt the grim reality of the menace facing the group.
"That's it. Someone has to stop Richard," said Lynn.
"Wait!" cried out Lincoln. "We have to tell David! We have to–"
"I'm done waiting," hissed Lynn.
Lynn hopped on her bicycle and headed home. Rusty looked at the kids.
"What do you think she's going to do?" he asked.
Tabby facepalmed.
"She's going to kill Richard!" explained Lincoln.
Lynn grabbed her bow and quiver. She hopped back into her bike.
She biked around Main Street and Church Street. She looked around the fences. Lynn ran around the graveyard. She went to the empty infirmary. She biked near the blind spot that allowed the group to liberate the civilians. She then biked back to the center of town, and sure enough, she found Richard.
Richard walked around uneasily. He appeared to be looking at the kids then at Bobby. He was planning something. But then, Lynn caught his attention.
"Richard! You will no longer terrorize my friends!"
"Well, well, well. It's about time–"
Lynn drew an arrow and shot Richard in the leg.
"Ahh! Fuck!" screamed Richard as he collapsed to the ground.
Richard took out his revolver, but Lynn quickly kicked it out of his hands. She crouched and grabbed Richard's shirt. She shoved him to the pavement and elbowed his jaw.
Lynn took a mighty blow to her face as Richard punched her away from him. Lynn quickly regained her balance and drew another arrow. However, he lunged at her legs, causing her to release the arrow too early.
Richard lied on top of her and punched her over and over. She blocked all his hits, though her arms were becoming numb.
Richard kicked her as he stood up. He limped towards the revolver in the ground. As soon as he grabbed it, Lynn struck his back with her knees. He yelled and turned around, tossing her to the ground.
Lynn grabbed Richard's arms as he moved the revolver towards her. He pointed the gun near her and shot it twice. However, he missed as Lynn struggled to keep the revolver from being pointed at her.
Richard stood on his knees and struggled to aim the gun at Lynn. She continued to hold her grip on his wrists. She then leaned close to Richard's left wrist and thrusted her teeth onto it. She chomped on it, making him scream.
He dropped the gun and pulled out his knife. Lynn swung the bow at his left arm, but Richard quickly dodged it and grabbed her arm. Lynn fell on her back with her arms extended across her chest.
He thrusted the knife at her left collar and she screamed in agony. She gargled her mouth as Richard pressed on the knife. She then spit at Richard's left eye.
"Aw, shit!" yelled Richard.
Richard stood up. Lynn struggled to breathe as she grabbed an arrow from her quiver. She kicked his crotch, causing him to drop to his knee. Aiming the arrow carefully, she threw the arrow at his face, cutting his right cheek.
Lynn crawled on her knees, taking another arrow from her quiver. After getting close enough to Richard, she grabbed her arrow and thrusted it at his chest.
Richard coughed blood before dropping to the ground. He opened up his jacket and removed the arrow from his vest.
"You can't… kill me… that easily," Richard wheezed. "Go ahead. Beat the shit out of me."
"Gladly," Lynn panted.
Lynn groaned as she grabbed her bow. Using only her right arm, she beat a helpless Richard on the ground.
"Lynn!" shouted Lori. "What are you doing!"
"Serving justice," whispered a bloodied Lynn.
David grabbed Lynn and moved her away from Richard. Sandy stood above Richard, who lied in the ground unconscious. Haley ran towards him.
"Anyone has a vehicle I can use? I need to get them both into the infirmary!" she exclaimed.
Dr. White arrived to the scene on a truck with the logo of a red cross. He got off the vehicle and dashed to the two injured civilians.
"Oh, these two are top priorities!" he said.
"I'm okay. Just get this damn knife out!" hissed Lynn.
Dr. White and Haley placed both Lynn and Richard to the truck and they drove off the infirmary near the town center. Lynn Sr. and Rita prayed that their daughter would be alright. However, Lori seemed less worried.
"There goes the happiness," said Lincoln.
Lincoln, Tabby, Vonda, Rusty, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde looked at the blood near the arrows in the pavement.