VI - Monsters
-Three Days Later-
The snow remained settled in the roofs of the homes in Houlton. Fumes of warm comfort flew out of the chimneys. The pond near the park froze into a rink of ice. Some of the civilians were in the pond, playing hockey with a flat, smooth rock.
Lori sat in a lawn chair next to Luna on top of guard tower A1. She patted Luna, prompting her to check on the hill with her sniper rifle.
"See anything?" asked Lori.
"Nah," replied Luna. "Just snow."
Luna sat back in her chair.
"If our cars can't go to the city, what makes you think they can come right to us? I know they're holed up somewhere."
"That's a good point, Luna. But three days… did they even have enough food?"
"They're gonna come. I know it, dude."
Sergei called out to Lori.
"We have a problem!" he warned.
"Rogues?" asked Lori.
"No, roamers."
Lori and Sergei ran to the north gate where the fences were parallel with the highway. In the rush to solve the problem, Lori found a killed roamer in the street. She continued running and found the problem.
"Shit," she said. "Lana? What are you doing here!"
"Jace was–" she replied before being interrupted by Sam.
"Don't worry, she was safe! I was with her!" said Sam.
The fences near the gate bent close to the ground. A swarm of roamers somehow made their way outside the town without anyone realizing.
"Just back up!" said Lori.
Lori reached for her pockets, but realized that she left her walkie-talkie next to Luna back in the guard tower.
"Can you get Buck and Pike?" asked Lori. "I need some other fighters as well!"
"Da!" replied Sergei, turning to Rusty. "Here, take this."
Sergei gave Lana his small carbine and ran for the south gates.
The roamers piled up on top of the fence and forced it down. The roamers stumbled on top of the fence and ripped it apart from the rest of the mesh fences.
"What do we do?" asked Sam.
"We're shooting these roamers," said Lori. "Sam, use your rifle. Lana, do you know how to shoot?"
Lana raised her shoulder.
"A little!" she said.
The roamers stood up and opened their hazardous mouths.
"Push the safety lever down on the right side," said Lori. "Aim through the iron sights… the sights on the top of the gun and aim at their heads. You pull out a magazine like this… and insert it like this."
Lana nodded. Lori aimed her AK-47, Sam aimed an M4, and Lana used Sergei's AKS. The swarm of roamers growled at them and held their infectious nails out.
Lori pulled the trigger on her rifle and released the bullets into the roamers' bodies. Sam and Lana followed, tearing the flesh away from the roamers using their guns.
Bodies fell as the three survivors stepped back slowly. Lori grabbed a magazine from her belt and placed it in her rifle. Lana asked for one, for which Lori replied by tossing her a magazine.
Lana approached the roamers with her rifle, getting better headshots in as she was closer to them. Lori paused and watched in admiration while Sam followed Lana.
Lori pushed forward and shot the roamers near the fences, stopping them before they enter the community. Lana took out her empty magazine and pulled one out of Lori's belt.
She finished off the last roamers as Sam knelt down and bashed the skulls of the roamers who weren't quite killed.
Sergei arrived with Buck, Pike, Kotaro, and Ted, to a finished battle against the roamers. Lana stepped back and watched in surprise as she witnessed the swarm of bodies in the ground.
"Here's your gun back," said Lana.
"Nice job, everyone," said Lori. "Now, we gotta repair this crap. And someone get me a cup of coffee."
Meanwhile, in Medway, the thunder of the herd grew louder as the roamers marched aimlessly. The snow crunched and snapped as the herd arrived at the road by the motel.
"Uh oh," said Lynn. "Everyone…! HERD!"
Lincoln, Clyde, Ronnie Anne, and Tabby rushed out of their old room with their bags in their hands. Vonda looked out her room and found Lynn running inside to grab her backpack.
"They're already here?" wondered Vonda. "How did they walk through all the snow?"
Benny and Dana knocked on Bobby's room and warned him of the incoming herd. George grabbed his bags and headed down to James and Jenny's room.
"No, please. It's so cold!" whined Jenny. "Why now?"
"Just get your stuff, honey," said James. "Come on, it's not that cold. Just go, George. We'll be there."
Bobby stepped out of his room with his winter clothing, prepared for the blistering cold. He held his knife out and looked out into the parking lot. Indeed, the roamers were by the motel and were already infiltrating the parking lot.
The kids hopped downstairs and met up with Bobby, Dana, and Benny. George and Vonda ran out to the woods and towards the road before the roamers can overwhelm them at the parking lot.
The kids ran to the woods as well while Bobby, Benny, and Dana stayed behind to protect James and Jenny.
"We won't all fit in the car!" exclaimed Jenny.
"Fuck the cars!" said Dana. "We're going by foot! Hurry up!"
Dana pulled Jenny out of her motel room as James closed the door. Jenny shrieked as she saw the overwhelming amounts of roamers in the parking lot.
"It's alright!" said James. "Just relax. Stay close to the others."
Bobby knifed the closest roamers and shot the furthest roamers with his Luger. The slide stuck out and revealed an empty chamber, much to his dismay. He tossed the Luger on the ground and only held his knife out.
Benny sliced his way to the woods. He used what Hana taught him and used the edge of his blade to push the roamers out of his way.
Dana followed Benny and swung her machete at the roamers between them. She yelled with each swing, placing her entire weight to them. One of her swings was so powerful, it decapitated a roamer, though the head was cushioned by the snow.
With very little wind getting in the way, Vonda shot her arrows at the roamers. The roamers fell like a line. This allowed her to pick up the arrows as George fought off the nearby roamers before they overwhelmed them both.
Lynn whacked the roamers out of the woods, allowing Clyde to finish them off with his bat. Lincoln and Tabby stayed close while Ronnie Anne watched Bobby fight off the roamers.
"Clear the way for them!" said Lincoln, noticing Benny and Dana running to the woods.
Lincoln and Tabby stabbed the roamers by the dead vehicles in the parking lot. Benny and Dana arrived at the woods, now heading to the road.
James and Jenny had trouble catching up to the young fighters. James elbowed the roamers out his way while Jenny stayed close. She watched the roamers as they attempted to surround them.
Suddenly, James pushed his wife ahead to the dead vehicles. She turned around and screamed for her husband.
The roamers surrounded James and sealed his fate. The roamers grabbed his body and began ripping his flesh apart. He fell to the ground, but his knees were unable to touch the snow. A roamer held him by the back of his neck and another at the side of his stomach. The roamers held onto him and pulled him away from the ground as he screamed in anguish.
Jenny ran towards the swarm of roamers before being stopped by Lincoln. Tabby fought off the roamers around them while Lincoln struggled to keep Jenny from running to his husband.
"Stop!" exclaimed Lincoln. "It's… too… risky!"
"Go away!" cried Jenny.
She shoved Lincoln away from her, causing him to stumble in front of a roamer. Tabby quickly stabbed the roamer and ran towards Jenny.
One of James' arms was torn off by three roamers, and after, the rest of his body fell to the ground. The roamers devoured his entire back as Jenny watched him with a gaping mouth.
"Jenny, get back!" shouted Tabby as she grabbed her arm.
Tabby shoved Jenny away like she did to Lincoln. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pang on her back as she ran back to the woods holding Lincoln's hands.
"Everyone move to the road!" yelled Bobby.
The group ran to the road, including Jenny who couldn't look back at the parking lot.
"Is everyone okay?" asked George as he stared at the incoming herd.
"No…" murmured Tabby, looking back at the parking lot. "That dude–"
"Tabby!" yelped Lincoln. "Your back!"
"What? Did I get…?"
The group was speechless. Ronnie Anne placed her palms over her mouth. Vonda rubbed her arms and glanced at an uncomfortable Lynn. Clyde's lips quivered as he looked at Lincoln.
"No, there's gotta be a way to stop you from turning!" exclaimed Lincoln.
"Can't amputate my back off, Linky."
"We gotta go!" yelled George.
The group ran away from the herd in the road. Lincoln held Tabby's hands as he tried to think of an idea to prevent her from turning into one of the undead.
"What if we freeze the bite?" asked Lincoln. "It… it could work!"
Tabby nodded as she picked up snow. She rubbed it until it melted into cool water. With Lincoln's help, they were able to smear the water into her bite wound.
"Oh my god, it's so cold," trembled Tabby. "W-we can… we can let… frostbite…"
"That's right," said Lincoln. "Frostbite to stall the trigger of the infection!"
"Could it work?" asked Lynn.
"I don't know," said Clyde. "It's not like amputation."
The group kept moving along. Tabby held on to Lincoln as the blistering cold nipped away at her bite wound. The pain of the wound grew worse and worse until it went numb.
The herd moved very slow in the icy road where the roamers stumbled and bumped into each other.
When the snowstorm appeared, conditions became harder not only on the humans but the roamers as well. The roamers found it extremely difficult to follow the road, walk in the snow, and power through the snow. Some of the roamers were sluggish and reached a point where they began to freeze. Their bodies were unable to move, and all that was active from them were their bright golden eyes.
This usually happened to the weaker roamers as the roamers in front of the herd powered through the wind through will encouraged by hunger for the human flesh. This created a scatter of groups of roamers, though almost every roamer belonged to a swarm.
The swarms acted as waves, and the wave behind George and his group was the first wave of roamers. Despite the waves being scattered distances apart, they all headed in the same direction– northeast. The same direction the group walked in to get home.
Tabby grew weaker by the hour, coughing, shivering, turning pale. Her bite wound remained dark while developing white blisters that matched the skin around it.
She then began to shiver violently.
"Hey, everyone, stop!" exclaimed Lincoln, before turning to Tabby. "What's wrong?"
"S-S-So… c-cold," quivered Tabby.
"Oh, Jesus, your wound!" shrieked Lynn. "What are these– bumps?"
"Frostbite," said Vonda. "Look, the inside of the wound is black."
"We… we f-froze the b-bite… right?" said Tabby.
"At what cost?" said Ronnie Anne.
The group looked at her. She kept her eyes closed for fear of her tears freezing them shut.
"I know what you're thinking, Tabby," she continued. "You're not getting better."
Tabby looked at both Lincoln and Ronnie Anne. She motioned them to hug her. And they did to keep her warm enough to calm her trembling.
Clyde, Lynn, and Vonda joined in the hug while George, Bobby, Dana, Benny, and Jenny watched them.
"The blizzard…" said Tabby. "It's… not going away. I think it's time… to accept what is."
"Time to accept what?" said Lincoln. "You just need to keep pushing!"
"I knew it… from the moment… I was bit. I had little hope… that I would get… better. I played along, Linky. But look at me…"
"It's just the cold," said Lincoln. "Not the bite. We can just stay here and warm you up."
Tabby shook her head.
"Come on," said Ronnie Anne. "Tabby, you're my friend and you actually made me feel like I wasn't alone in the world. I hate to admit it, but I didn't like who you were at first… especially since you hung around Lincoln so much… but I've grown accustomed to you… and you became one my closest friends. We were supposed to kick ass, but here you are… going out from the cold!"
"It's alright," said Tabby. "Though I have something… to admit too. I look around… and I see a world… that I can't be… happy in."
The winter wind blew snow into Tabby's leather jacket and into her hair. Her teeth rattled softly and she coughed once more.
"You guys are the best… but I'm sorry… this world just sucks. It's not worth it… fighting through this pain… only to live in more pain. I just want to see… my parents again."
"I understand," said Vonda. "We shouldn't deny you your wishes."
"You are awesome," said Clyde. "It's been fun hanging around with you."
"Yeah, it was," said Tabby. "Lynn… can you carry my bags? Whatever's left… still needs to go back home."
"You got it," said Lynn. "Anything for the girl with spunk."
"What do I tell Rusty?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"The truth," said Tabby. "So he can spare his father… the pain that comes from this… reckless behavior."
"You're a hero," said Lincoln. "It wasn't reckless."
"Can I have a moment with Lincoln, alone?" asked Tabby.
The children nodded. Tabby handed her backpack to Lynn. They walked back with the rest of the group, leaving Tabby on Lincoln's arms.
"You're great… kind… loving… selfless," said Tabby. "That's why… I did what I did. You inspired me. And you can inspire others. Like Ronnie Anne. She still likes you."
"Her and I were always just… friends," said Lincoln. "You're leaving and that's what you wanted to tell me?"
"Come on, Linky. I want what's best for you. And trust me… she's the one… who you should go for."
Lincoln looked at Ronnie Anne and sniffled. Tabby grabbed Lincoln's arms.
"You'd make a really good boyfriend. Trust me… I know from experience."
They both let out a soft laugh before tearing up again.
"Man, what a day," said Tabby. "I gotta take a nap… can you please go now?"
"I'm not leaving you yet!" exclaimed Lincoln.
"Okay," whispered Tabby as she closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Lincoln."
Tabby's exhaled her cold breaths out and out until she exhaled her final breath. The ice crystals glittered on her hair as her pale face was covered in snow. Lincoln closed his eyes and turned around. The herd could be heard from the distance.
Lincoln placed Tabby on the ground as careful as he could before returning with the rest of the group. They left the area without looking back, as the herd closed in closer and closer to home. They marched on past Tabby, leaving her body at peace.
The group walked in the woods by the road, as the trees provided some protection from the powerful blizzard. They continued walking for hours, eating the supplies in their backpacks.
After a few hours of walking, the group found two cars by the road. George and Bobby each checked a car, learning that it had very little fuel left. However, the batteries remained functional, so the group took shelter inside the cars.
Bobby turned on the backseat heater for Lincoln, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne while the front heaters warmed him and Dana up. Lynn, Vonda, and Benny sat on the back seats in the other car with George and Jenny in the front.
George and Bobby drove the cars until they ran out of fuel, not making much progress. The sky turned dark, prompting the group to stay inside with the heater on.
Benny wrapped his arms around Lynn's shoulders as they wondered where Luan was. Vonda looked out the window, thinking about her parents. She wondered why she still wanted to live and took a quick glance at George. She remembered.
Bobby rubbed his hands on Dana's back. Bobby was worried for Becky, but Dana had an additional emotional loss. Free from the adrenaline of running away from the herd, she thought about Wavehead's comments before he died.
She then looked at the other car and glared at Jenny with vengeful eyes.
"Such a coward," murmured Dana. "No guts at all. No guts…"
"What was that?" asked Bobby.
Dana shook her head.
Bobby looked into the rear mirror. Clyde wondered how Rusty was going to take the news. Learning of the loss of his friend would cause him and his father to grow paranoid of the harsh reality of the outside world.
Ronnie Anne lied on Lincoln's chest with her hoodie on. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Lincoln stared out the window and watched the snow flying around. Ronnie Anne glanced at him and Lincoln glanced back. Tears rolled out of their eyes as they both looked away from each other.
Eventually, the group fell asleep, even Ronnie Anne, who found Lincoln to be very reassuring. And Lincoln thought the same as well.
The herd arrived near the cars, which alerted Bobby who was up, watching out for the group. Since the roamers were already attracted to the cars, he honked the horn and woke the survivors up.
"It's time to go!" exclaimed Bobby as he exited the car.
"Damn, it's still kinda dark out," said George.
"We're not too far!" said Bobby.
The group left the cars behind and ran along the road. The roamers ran after, stomping on the snow and ice in the ground.
The sun rose in the east mountains that provided a beautiful sight for the community. Lori woke up and poured herself some coffee. She placed her blue sweatpants and blue jacket. She then placed Missy's vest over her jacket.
The sun rose higher as Lori grew more anxious of the group's return. She visited Dr. White and Lisa, wondering if there was any way they could track the group down, but their answer weren't too positive.
The sun rose to the top of the skies when Lori climbed the guard tower. She used her binoculars to see the north fences, which were being repaired by some of the civilians.
She was then tapped in the shoulder by Luna.
"Holy shit, Lori, look!" exclaimed Luna with joy. "It's them–!"
Luna's mood tarnished and her voice grew upset. Lori quickly looked into the hills that led to the front gates of Houlton.
"Oh my… god," murmured Lori.
Swarms of roamers followed Bobby, Lincoln, Lynn, Clyde, Ronnie Anne, Benny, Dana, George, Vonda, and Jenny. They panted as they stumbled down the hill. The roamers tumbled down the slippery slope, reaching the bottom of the hill before the group did.
"What are you doing, dude? Tell the guards to open the gates!" exclaimed Luna.
Lori contacted Buck and Pike.
"Open the gates, now!" shouted Lori.
Lori and Luna climbed down the guard tower and ran to the front gates. They sprinted to the town and across the streets. Luna's gear slowed her down and caused her to be behind Lori.
Buck and Pike opened the front gates after witnessing the large wave behind the supply-runners. Clyde was out of breath and fought his way to the town. Lynn whacked the roamers outside of the gates.
Buck and Pike fired their rifles at the roamers behind the group, taking large amounts of headshots. The wave continued to head for the town when the guards realized they needed to reload.
Lynn and Vonda reached the town first with Benny and George behind them. Lincoln, Clyde, Ronnie Anne, and Dana came soon after they killed a couple roamers by the cars that belonged to the Oaks. Bobby remained behind Jenny, making sure she was safe.
Jenny arrived inside the gates, falling to the ground while coughing her lungs out. Bobby panted and ran to Lori's arms before collapsing to the ground, dropping his bloody knife.
"Go! Go! Go!" yelled Pike.
Buck, Pike, and Luna pushed the gates until they closed before the first few roamers smashed themselves in the gates.
"Gates closed!" said Buck.
The roamers began to stumble onto the fences, placing their fingers through the holes. They tried inserting their mouths through the fences, but found themselves unable to. They scattered to their own spot, creating a large line of roamers along the fences.
"Can you breathe?" asked Lori. "Bobby–"
"Yes! Please get us inside," he puffed.
Lori, Luna, Sergei, Kotaro, and Ted helped the supply runners to Lori's home. Lori looked around and found defeated expressions.
"We're… we're missing some people," said Lori, her voice breaking.
"My husband…" whimpered Jenny. "The girl with the pink streak on her hair…! The kid that looks like that kid with glasses…!"
"So, James, Tabby, and Wesley Hill?" said Lori. "Roamers got 'em?"
Bobby nodded as grabbed his cup of coffee. Lori looked at Lincoln and Dana. She placed her hands over her chest and closed her eyes.
"What about Becky, Luan, and Hana Konda?" asked Lori, almost not wanting a response.
"They're MIA," replied George.
"Here's Becky's walkie-talkie," said Benny. "We have no way of contacting them now."
"Oh my god…" groaned Lori. "I'm glad you guys are safe. Tell me everything that happened out there."
The fences by the front gates were weakened. The roamers moved slowly and eventually froze into undead statues as the blizzard continued to rage through the town.
-One Week Later-
The first wave of roamers remained sluggish and were unable to damage the weak fences. Their reactions were also lacking since a rattle to the fence wasn't enough to catch their attention.
Jace, Luna, and Sam stood outside of the south corner of the town.
"You owe me a fiver if I hit three of those deadies with a single bullet," said Luna.
"Deal!" replied Jace.
Luna aimed her scope with her sniper rifle and pulled the trigger once. The bullet tore through the skulls of three roamers before lodging itself on a fourth roamer. All four monsters fell to the ground, letting go of the fences. The other roamers were slow to turn around.
"Cough it up," said Luna.
"Cough– you meant money?" asked Jace. "The hell are you going to need money for?"
"I want to buy a special night from you," winked Luna.
Luna and Sam grinned while Jace chuckled forcefully. Sam then grabbed a hunting rifle.
"Three of us in a bed if I can hit four," said Sam.
She aimed at the roamers before shifting to the right. She pulled the trigger and missed the roamers.
"Oops," said Sam sarcastically.
"Haha. Real funny guys," said Jace before taking another sip from his bottle of liquor.
Sam cocked the bolt on the rifle and aimed at the roamers. She pulled the trigger and managed to take out eight roamers.
"Goddamn!" said Jace.
"Your turn," said Sam. "Beat that, wanker."
"No, thanks, I'm good."
"Come on. Afraid of losing… to a girl?"
"It's not that, it's…"
"Don't you wanna get your kills up, Mr. Forty-Roamer-Kills?" asked Luna.
"Whatever, let's just take out these roamers before they get too close," said Sam.
"It's cool, bro," said Luna. "Not everyone's a fighter against these monsters."
Sam shot the rifle, then pulled the bolt, then shot again. After repeating two more times, the roamers were all cleared out.
"That was easy," said Sam. "Let me take a sip."
"Finish it," said Jace. "I gotta piss."
"Miss you already!" said Luna.
Luna and Sam grinned as Jace made a genuine laugh before entering the woods. Sam then took a sip from the bottle before passing it to Luna.
Carol and Dana sat on the porch of Lori's home. They each stared at the front gates, watching Buck and Pike guard it. Carol then shifted around in discomfort, stretching her lower back forward, while placing her hands on her belly.
"Hey, Dana? I hope you don't mind, but can you massage my back?"
Dana nodded. She stood up and sat behind Carol, placing her palms on Carol's back. She sighed and still shifted in discomfort.
"Can you do it like how Becky does it?" asked Carol. "Put your thumb on my spine and just… wriggle it."
"Like this?"
Carol groaned.
"It doesn't feel any better."
"Well my bad! Maybe if Becky was here, she could give you a better massage! In fact, why don't you go out and look for her!"
Dana placed her hands back under her chin. Carol patted her laps and looked at her.
"I miss her too, more than I thought I would," said Carol. "She's tough, Dana. She'll come back home as soon as the herd is gone."
Dana looked back at Carol. She covered her eyes and sighed.
"Wesley's not coming back," she muttered. "He's gone. Forever."
"You gotta stay strong for Becky," said Carol. "I'll also be there for you, even if we don't exactly have the best history."
Jenny walked to Lori's house. She walked up the steps and met Carol and Dana on the porch. Dana lowered her eyebrows.
"What do you want?" hissed Dana.
"I want to… apologize about what happened to your friend. I'm sorry that I couldn't open the gate."
"Yeah. What a cowardly thing you did back there."
"I was scared! But, I'm owning up to it. I promise to not to do something like that again. I'm sorry."
"Sorry's not going to bring him back."
"I suppose not," Jenny said. "Also… I wanted to give you this."
Jenny took out Wavehead's trench knife. She held it out, waiting for for Dana to grab it, but all she could do is stare at it. Jenny placed it down on the porch and walked away. Dana grabbed the knife and held it out in her palms.
"I just want to fucking stab her with this," said Dana.
Carol rubbed Dana's back and took notice of the presence of the falling snowflakes.
Lori and some members of the militia marched through the woods by the road. They observed the partially frozen roamers in the snow, moving at the pace of a slug.
"You see that?" said Lori. "We can use that to our advantage. But we stay in tight formation. No guns unless you have to absolutely use it. We don't want to make more noise. Follow me."
Lori, George, Bobby, and Benny were in the front. Lynn and Vonda stayed in the sides with their archery weapons while the rest of the militia were in between the front fighters.
Benny took out the first roamers in their second wave. The roamers attempted to raise their arms before they were sliced off by his sword.
Lori walked up to a roamer and swung her hatchet, slicing a quarter of its head off. The roamer slowly fell to its knee before landing its deceased face on the snow.
Bobby thrusted the sword into their skulls while keeping his distance. Preston took out a roamer next to him with his pocket knife.
Lynn and Vonda fired their arrows at the same rate. However, Vonda got more headshots with her arrows, causing Lynn to shoot the arrows faster. Before she knew it, she was out.
"We're getting through this layer," said Lori. "Good job, guys."
"That means I can get my arrows back," said Lynn.
When Lynn grabbed the last of her arrows she noticed a roamer falling to its knees. However, it wasn't stabbed, instead, it was reaching for her.
"Fuck! These things still see me!" exclaimed Lynn.
"Of course they can," groaned Lori. "Careful, their eyes aren't frozen!"
Lynn jammed an arrow up through the roamer's jaw, sticking out of the top part of its skull. She pulled it out and looked carefully into the arrowhead, noticing bits of lobes and brain tissues. She shuddered and shook the arrow before placing it back in her quiver.
An explosion shook the earth far from the group and caused the birds to flee from the woods. The terrifying noise of the rotor blades approached the group as shells were seen dropped from the sky.
The roamers growled and were seen moving around much faster. Billows of black smoke lingered around the woods from where the group stood.
More napalm was dropped and the group were able to see the flames engulf the bombed area. Another helicopter arrived, napalming the woods on the other side of the road.
"Get outta here, now!" yelled Lori. "Run back to Houlton! Stay out of the woods!"
The helicopter roared near the second wave of roamers and dropped napalm on the surrounding trees.
Lori shrieked and closed her ears as the frosty air turned into a zone of intense heat. The fires consumed the nearby trees, even those by the side of the road, melting the snow in the road.
The roamers were attracted to fire, but their herd-like mentality prevented them from scattering too far. The roamers were already feasting their eyes on the humans.
Most roamers began to break apart, and the herd grew weaker. However, the double Super Hueys hovered above Houlton, and the noise of the helicopters proved to overcome their other distractions.
Carol and Dana looked up at the sky. Jenny approached the front gates when the helicopters caught her attention. Buck and Pike noticed that the helicopters hovered directly above the center of town.
"Two Super Hueys in the sky!" said Pike.
"Nevermind that!" said Buck. "They dropped napalm!"
Pike turned on his walkie-talkie.
"Is it true, Lori?" asked Pike. "They're dropping incendiary bombs?"
"Yes! Yes, it's true! It's melting the snow! The herd is coming! Also– Lynn!"
"Lori? Lori? Damn, she ain't saying shit."
Lincoln grabbed Lana and Lily's hands as they watched the helicopters haunt their town. Clyde and Ronnie Anne came out of their house and saw Dana and Carol in their porch.
"This isn't good!" said Clyde. "What do you think they're–"
The two helicopters dropped a couple shells on the park. A few seconds after, explosions filled the center of town with fire raging across the grass. The ice rink cracked and blocks of ice shattered, exposing the debris-filled water in the frozen pond.
"Holy shit!" yelled Ronnie Anne. "We're under attack! We gotta go inside!"
Carol moaned as she pressed on her stomach. She began to sweat and press on Dana's hand with a strong grip. Lincoln, Lana, and Lily joined the four survivors.
"What's wrong?" asked Clyde.
"I'm sure it's nothing," panted Carol. "Has it been nine months already? Oh…."
"It has," said Dana. "Oh my god, are you–?"
"My– it's leaking. Something's leaking down there."
"Oh my gosh, you're going to give birth now?" said Lincoln. "Let's take her to the infirmary!"
Dana placed Wavehead's knife in her back pocket and walked Carol close to the border of the military zone and the town where the infirmary resided in. Lincoln, Lana, Lily, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne followed them.
Luna and Sam ran around the woods. They searched for Jace as panic set in on the mental states of both girls.
"Jace! Jace!" called out Luna. "Where are you?"
"Here!" yelled Jace from a couple yards away. "I'm coming!"
He came out from behind a tree, his hands on his zipper as he ran towards Luna and Sam. He tried to catch his breath, but both girls dragged him out of the woods.
Another explosion coming from Houlton caused the girls to rush to the fences faster.
"Jesus Christ, what was that?" exclaimed Jace.
Luna remembered the flames and the explosions when Lisa hacked into the traffic cameras back in Detroit.
"Napalm," Luna answered.
They arrived at the front gates and called out to the guards.
"Open the gates!" exclaimed Luna.
"Sure thing!" said Buck. "Better get your ass somewhere safe! The herd's coming for this damned town!"
Pike opened the gate. Luna, Sam, and Jace entered while Sergei, Ted, and Kotaro exited.
"Where the hell are you guys going?" asked Pike.
"Figured if we could get one of them cars started, we might lead these roamers away," said Ted.
"Whose idea is this?" asked Pike.
"Mine," replied Sergei. "It worked before. Why not work now?"
"We got bigger cars," said Pike.
"We need something we can abandon on the road. Something we don't need," said Kotaro. "Like those cars!"
"Hey, Pike!" exclaimed Buck. "Let 'em do their thing! It could work! If it don't– damn, then it's their funeral!"
Pike nodded. Sergei, Kotaro, and Ted ran to the cars on the side of the road that belonged to the Oaks. The men went inside one car each, turning the keys on the ignition switches. However, the engines only groaned and the men moved on to the other cars.
"Nothing works!" said Kotaro.
"Either fuel's all out or the damn batteries ran out of juice!" said Ted.
"Er, we go back inside," said Sergei. "I got an idea."
The Super Hueys remained in the sky, watching the herd come from the road in the opposite side of the hill. The pilots also watched the civilians run around the town, scattering like cockroaches.
Haley stepped outside of the infirmary with Leni and her student, Kathy. They looked above at the sky to find the cause of the fiery explosions at the town center.
Haley then noticed seven members of the old gang running to the infirmary. She saw Carol and assumed the worst based on their timing.
"She's– she's going to labor!" said Dana.
"Alright, get her inside!" exclaimed Haley. "Can you get Dr. White?"
"Yes. He's in the lab by the armory, right?"
Haley nodded. Dana ran off while the others entered the infirmary.
The Super Hueys moved away from the town and allowed the military's work to unfold on the people of Houlton.
Lori dropped her walkie-talkie into the snow and ran towards Lynn, whose right leg was caught by the sticky flames.
Lynn screamed and rolled around in the melting snow as the herd advanced towards the group. After a few seconds, the flames puffed away and left behind burned flesh and blisters. Lynn clenched her teeth and groaned as she pressed on the ripped holes in her pants.
Lori shot an advancing roamer with her revolver and picked up Lynn. She placed her arms around her shoulders and helped Lynn limp back home.
"How bad does it hurt?" asked Lori.
"I wanna cut my leg off!" cried Lynn. "Motherfuckers will pay for this!"
A roamer growled at Lori and ran at her. Bobby yelled as he chopped the roamer in the head.
"You dropped your hatchet," panted Bobby. "We got way more roamers behind our back. Here– let me help you."
Bobby and Lori carried Lynn up the hill with the rest of the militia members. Benny and Vonda kept the roamers away from them as the fire raged through the woods.
"We have to go faster!" exclaimed Benny. "All the waves are coming in!"
"The fences aren't going to hold!" shouted Vonda.
Buck and Pike watched the militia members run inside the town. Then, they caught sight of their leader and the herd on top of the hill. With them, came the inferno in the woods.
"We gotta help them again!" yelled Pike.
"Damn right!" replied Buck. "Use them new scopes!"
Benny and Vonda ducked as the bullets flew above them. One by one, the roamers were dropped to the ground. However, for every roamer killed coming down the hill, dozens more flowed to the top of the hill.
Luna, Sam, and Jace arrived at the top of Guard Tower A1. Luna and Sam quickly placed on their gear while Jace struggled to put on the vest.
"I'm ready!" said Luna.
"Ready too!" said Sam.
"I'm still trying to put my… gear on!" said Jace.
Luna aimed with her scope and scanned the area. She found hundreds of roamers marching down the hill, all chasing Lori, Bobby, Lynn, Benny, and Vonda. She moved her eyes away from the scope and vomited outside of the tower.
Jace looked into Luna's M110 sniper rifle and found the herd on the road towards the front gates. Many of them followed the fire in the woods, allowing them to scatter, yet they all headed towards the direction of the fences.
Sam shot her AR-15 at the herd, killing very few roamers to make a difference. She then let go of her rifle and picked up Luna.
"Come on, stay with me. Stay with me."
"My sisters!" yelled Luna. "Everyone in the town! We're totally fucked!"
Sam looked into the herd and couldn't find a way to comfort Luna. She believed her.
Lily climbed on top of a couch near the front entrance. She looked out the window and found frightened civilians running back to their home. She then turned around and tapped Leni on the shoulder.
"Why are people scared?" asked Lily.
"You know those two floaty things in the air? Those are called helicopters. They sound pretty scary and then to drop a boom-boom on the center of town!"
"That boom-boom was loud," whimpered Lily. "I'm scared. I want Mommy and Daddy! Are they really gone?"
Leni's memories flashed before her eyes. She hugged Lily and then sat her down on the couch.
"They are gone," said Leni. "I'm totes sorry to tell you this but… they're never coming back."
"Lori tell something to me. She said people come back. Even if they die."
"You don't understand it now… heck, I don't understand it totally. But I do know one thing. Once people die, they are never the same. They are monsters."
"Lori say people are monsters," said Lily. "Are Mommy and Daddy monsters?"
"No," said Leni. "They are not monsters. They are gone. It's good that you listen to your oldest sister. Lori says a lot of good things. She's, like, the bravest person I've ever known. She protected me more times than I can count."
Benny and Vonda fended off the roamers near the vehicles in the side of the road. Bobby and Lori passed through the vehicles as the flames caught up to the fences.
Buck and Pike shot the roamers behind Benny and Vonda. The roamers dropped to the ground while the rest pushed forward. Lori and Bobby made it inside the gates with Benny and Vonda.
"I wish I wasn't such a letdown," said Leni. "I have done almost nothing to help out the community."
Jenny watched Buck, Pike, and other members of the militia struggle to hold the fences. The gates closed and the roamers were unable to enter.
Lori placed Lynn down and pushed the gates as the roamers struggled to get inside. Jenny ran in and helped her out, while the herd continued to advance.
"You help me," said Lily. "You make me feel happy."
"Besides that, I think I might be somewhat useful," said Leni. "It was one of the last thing Mom said. She wanted me to help the community out. And now I'm doing my part."
The fences bent forward in some parts near the front gates. Some members backed away from the fences. They grabbed their weapons and aimed it at the herd.
Jenny, Lori, Buck, and Pike struggled to keep the gates closed. George stayed behind them, shooting the roamers that leaned their hands close to them.
The roamers crushed each other against the fences. They pushed onward and onward.
Jace scoped out the west fences. The roamers were already breaking through the grenade-battered fences. He gulped and called out to the civilians below. But they were too far.
"You know that boy from church?" asked Leni.
Lily nodded.
"His name is Preston, my lovable friend," added Leni. "He's very nice and kinda cute. But you know what he tells me? There's life after death."
Carol screamed from inside the room. Lily held Leni tightly.
"Life always springs up after death in this new world," said Leni. "That's why we have these monsters. But this– this is an exception. A new life will be born."
Lori ordered everyone to fall back. The guards, the militia, the civilians all stayed away from the gates and the fences.
Leni leaned close to Lily.
"One day, you'll live in a world where for every life that dies, a new one will be born… and not in a form of a monster."
Lynn struggled to get up as Lori and Bobby grabbed her arms. Then, they all turned towards the front gates.
The herd pushed. The hinges in the gates snapped and the roamers in the front were eager to enter. Lori's eyes grew wide as they caught sight of what came next.
The gates fell.
And the herd made their way inside.
.
.
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End Credit Song
When the Darkness Comes - Colbie Caillat
Sorry for leaving you hanging like that! I promise the chapters are going to be back to normal length (less long) for the rest of the arc. I can tell you guys... if you think the death toll in this chapter was high... just wait until Chapter 20.