My goodness, it's been a while. Hey, dudes, Mr. Potassium here. A lot happened and now I'm sitting here, typing in a new apartment, recovering from whatever the hell I'm infected with (no, not the zombie flu). I guess that's why I kinda like my new apartment because the heater actually works. Yeah, definitely do not sleep with a broken heater when there are record-breaking temperatures out there (Northeastern and Midwestern gang where ya at). Now, the weather is not to be completely blamed for my short "hiatus". I had an extremely busy two months, ESPECIALLY around the holidays. i also had to ponder of the future of this story (ideas, plots, and stuff). Then, writer's block. Oof. Anyways, the weather's getting warmer and I haven't died yet so, and I'm feeling VERY motivated now so I'm able to publish another chapter. So here it is! As always, enjoy!
-Day 11-
Mosquitoes buzzed around the corpses lying in the ground outside of the closed bunker along with flies and maggots.
The buildings still had holes in them and the streets were still covered by ash and rubble.
Maria slowly rocked a sniffling Carlitos. She looked around, finding herself unable to soothe his fever as she lay down next to him on an empty mattress. She was now washed clean as empty bottles of rubbing alcohol and water lay next to the bed.
She groaned and ran over to the stairway at the end of the bunker. She opened the door and looked around. She saw a small light at what appeared to be the end of one of the tunnels.
"Still looking around?" asked Maria. "If you don't mind, my nephew is sick and he needs medicine!"
Her voice echoed throughout the tunnels.
"I know you can hear me!" she shouted in frustration.
After a few seconds of silence, Tim came out of the tunnels, the light from his flashlight appearing small compared to the tunnels.
"I heard you," said Tim. "I was looking for something important."
"What is more important than him?"
"I didn't say this was more important than him. I was just saying this is important."
"What? What are you looking for?"
"The K.H.A.N. tunnels. Just trying to remember where they lead to."
Maria sighed.
"We need to look for medicine. And fast. Or else Carlito's fever is going to get worse."
"And he didn't get bit, right?" asked Tim.
"No."
"Or any blood in his mouth? Any from the roamers we saw outside?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Alright. I was thinking of taking one of these tunnels. One of them leads straight to the outskirts of Detroit. That way, we don't have to go back out there anymore."
"Okay. That's good, right?"
"It is. Ever been to Royal Woods?"
"I've lived there."
"Then you would know what hospital to go to? And you would know where to find medicine for his problem?"
"Yeah. We could take him to the one I used to work at."
"Alright. Here's the plan then. We're going to get out through one of these tunnels. Then, we're going to treat your nephew. Then, we're going to visit a park in Royal Woods. And I suppose that's where we part ways so you can look for your children."
"Where will you go?"
Tim sighed and remained silent.
"You already know where I'm going and everything. Yet, you don't trust me?"
"No, I do, it's just... I'm not exactly the most open guy out there."
"Really? Couldn't tell based on all this crazy stuff you're bringing up without going into detail."
"It'll make sense once I explain everything."
"I don't know. I want to keep trusting you, but... I'm scared."
Tim scratched his head and nodded.
"I'm going to Ann Arbor," said Tim. "It's where I live. And it's where my daughter should be."
"And if you don't find her?"
"Then, I'll look somewhere else."
"If I do not find Bobby and Ronnie Anne in Royal Woods, then I'll go to New York. We live in Albany, so they may already be on their way back home."
Tim smirked.
"Is that so?" he asked. "What a coincidence. That just happens to be where I'm going too."
Chapter 22: Maladies and Disorder
I - Long Road Ahead
PRESENT DAY
-Day 733-
A yellow canary perched itself on a branch, watching as the Humvee took an exit lane in the highway. Lynn looked outside the vehicle as she chugged down a bottle of water. Ronnie Anne kept still against the headrest of her seat as sweat ran down her face. She peeked outside the window and noticed that the Medway Motel she saw ahead in the distance was now a stack of trees and leaves with overgrown grass near the base.
"Yo, Haley," groaned Ronnie Anne. "Where are you going? You're going off the main route."
"I know, I know," said Haley. "Just tryna' see if we can get a car that doesn't melt our faces off. Or maybe some portable fans. We still have the box of batteries for power juice in the back, right?"
Ronnie Anne nodded. She was surprised she couldn't roll the window down. Even the roof of the vehicle was closed since this specific Humvee didn't carry a mounted turret on its top.
The Humvee slowed down as it scouted around the calm streets of Medway. Most of the cars seemed to be rusting, while others just looked like they didn't work at all. But then, a couple cars a block away were tainted with fresh blood on the front bumpers of the cars. The windshields were also properly dried.
"Something's not right," said Ronnie Anne, standing up slightly from her seat. "There's roamers in the streets. Bill never left them there."
Suddenly, a woman with hoop earrings and a yellow midriff ran into streets with blood on her stomach, which she covered with her hands. She held her other hand up as she lowered herself.
"Please, help me!" exclaimed the woman.
"Oh my god," gasped Haley. "What happened to her?"
"Looks like she got shot, maybe bit?" said Lynn, squinting at her stomach. "I don't know, I don't see anything."
Haley stopped the vehicle. She and Ronnie Anne stepped outside to look at the woman's injury. Lynn then looked around and saw something move behind a tree.
"Hey, I'm a nurse!" shouted Haley. "What's wrong?"
The woman then pulled out a SIG Sauer P220 and aimed it at Haley.
"Where ya headed?" she asked.
Haley looked down at the woman's stomach. There was no wound. It was just fresh blood rubbed on by her right hand.
"You bullshitted your injury?" hissed Haley.
"Where… are you headed!"
"Anywhere but here!"
"Whatchu got in the vehicle?"
"None of your business."
The woman pressed the trigger and shot Haley in her stomach. Ronnie Anne quickly slapped the pistol from her hand and punched her to the ground. A man popped out from behind a tree but was gunned down by the machine turret in the Humvee.
Ronnie Anne grabbed the pistol from the ground and aimed it at the woman.
"Get in the car and drive us outta here!" yelled Ronnie Anne.
Haley gasped as she held her bleeding stomach. Ronnie Anne kept the woman at gunpoint. Then, suddenly, a bolt traveled across the air and struck Haley in her left arm.
Ronnie Anne quickly turned behind her and pulled the trigger. She shot a man who fell to the ground with a crossbow in his arms and a string of dead squirrels around his waist.
She ran up to him and grabbed the squirrels before picking up the crossbow too.
"Oh my god, Haley! Are you okay?" exclaimed Lynn.
Haley dragged herself to the driver's seat and gasped as she closed the door. Lynn faced Ronnie Anne as she continued to stare down at the man.
Ronnie Anne had to check if he really killed the man. She did.
"Santiago, behind you!" yelled Lynn.
Ronnie Anne turned around and shot the woman in the ground with her pistol. She gulped as she walked towards the Humvee her legs feeling as if they were strapped with cinder blocks.
"Hurry up!" yelled Lynn.
Ronnie Anne ran inside the vehicle and closed her door as Haley pressed against the gas pedal. Haley leaned against the wheel as she kept her left arm straight. Blood leaked out the wound covered by the bolt. And blood poured out her stomach.
"There's more incoming!" yelled Lynn, moving the turret around.
Haley gasped as she struggled to keep the wheel straight. A few other attackers popped out from behind the fresh vehicles, firing their rifles and pistols. Ronnie Anne kept her head down as Lynn ducked behind the turret. The bullets ricocheted off the Humvee, though the glass in the window was cracked where the bullets hit.
The attackers jumped out of the way as the Humvee sped up in the road. It drove through the cars, running over one unfortunate body, as it continued to pick up speed.
Ronnie Anne looked behind her seat and noticed that the attackers chased after the Humvee on foot. She then found more fresh cars in the side of the road, where four more attackers hid by. Then, a rain of bullets from the turret decimated their bodies.
"Jesus," muttered Ronnie Anne as she turned towards Haley. "How are you driving this thing well?"
"Experience," groaned Haley. "Can you… grab that gun strap… and tie it below… my ribs?"
Ronnie Anne nodded as Haley continued to drive ahead in the road. Then she made a turn and began driving away from the town and north back to Houlton. Lynn climbed down from the turret and fixed her sling. She looked as Ronnie Anne tied the gun strap around Haley's waist, making sure that less blood poured out from the wound. Luckily, the bullet was still inside to keep Haley from losing too much blood.
"I'm going to make another turn…" murmured Haley. "You two need to… jump out… and hide."
"What about you?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"I'll be… fine."
Haley turned the vehicle towards another road, slowing down the Humvee. Ronnie Anne placed the strap for the crossbow across her chest and back, and opened the door. Lynn flung her bow and her own M1 Garand out of the Humvee. Then, she covered her broken elbow and leaped out of the armored vehicle, landing on her feet on the grass before rolling along with it. Ronnie Anne followed Lynn's lead, flung her skateboard and the P220 pistol out, and covered her face before realizing how painful it was to have a crossbow on you while you roll.
She groaned as Lynn dragged her into the woods behind a tree. They both watched as the Humvee continued going ahead in the road. After a few seconds, a few cars made a turn and followed the Humvee in the distance, leaving behind one of theirs at a parking lot by Medway Motel.
Lynn and Ronnie Anne grabbed their weapons and the skateboard and made a run for it, finding the closest home available. They stumbled upon a house with an open garage, finding a car and a bicycle.
"Ready to leave?" asked Lynn.
Ronnie Anne looked back at the road, frowning as the skid mark remained in the pavement.
"Hey, Santiago. Look this way. We're not lookin' back that way anymore. Haley made her decision and now we need to make ours. There might still be some of those assholes in this not-so-sleepy town. So, ready to leave?"
Ronnie Anne nodded. Lynn sat on the bicycle and Ronnie Anne stood on her skateboard. They both moved away from the garage and gathered speed as they headed into the main highway, leaving the town of Medway.
And they continued, miles and miles, consuming sunlight, from morning to night to morning again.
In the next morning, two days after the siege in Houlton, the rumbling of an RV, a fraction of the noise that the city had, filled the air near the apartment building in Portland. David turned off the engine and got up from his seat, counting the number of passengers in his RV. Just in case.
The doors were flung open as the group made their way inside the building. David held his knife with his right hand, the blade pointing away from his chest. He held a flashlight with his other hand, though he had it off. There was enough sunlight coming from the windows and the patio in the middle of the building.
The group walked over five new fresh corpses in the ground, joining the other corpses with the Seal of Maine on their uniforms.
David was itching for a gun. He didn't even need to fire it– he just felt as if he can draw breath for another day if he had a gun.
He went behind the counter in the main lobby and opened up one of the drawers. He found a can. He took a closer look and found out there was writing in it. Then he opened it and found the Colt M1911 he was looking for.
George and Vonda looked at David as he took out the gun from the can. His sigh of relief was strange but they understood. Now, David didn't have to carry around a shotgun all the time.
"Hey, isn't that my mother's gun?" asked Vonda.
"What?" mumbled David.
"That's Sherry's sidearm. Or was," said George. "It's got a piranha carving in the bottom of the grip.
David pointed the pistol downwards.
"Huh, I never noticed that. Anyway… George. Stay and watch the group."
"Where you going?" asked George.
David climbed upstairs. He turned on the flashlight and made his way to the third floor, where he found a dark hallway. It was filled with roamers the last time he remembered. And now he can't find any of them.
He entered Room 3A as instructed by the can. And what a blessing the can gave him. He scanned the room and smiled.
"Found anything?" asked George.
David came out from the stairwell and dropped down three bags of pills and other medical drugs. Then, he dropped down an oxygen mask from his shoulders.
"There's more upstairs," said David. "Help me take it downstairs?"
George and Vonda smiled at each other. Lily looked visibly confused, trying to figure out why a long tube was connected to a plastic mouth mask. Lana smiled as she looked up at Frank Weber. Then, she looked down at his son, Simon Weber, who could only stare at the medicine with a deadpan expression. Lana twirled her braided pigtails and winked at him, but he didn't even blink. Lana frowned and looked back at the medicine, smiling again.
"We're staying here for the night," said David. "Our goal is to find some more food and water. And we sure ain't going back to that department store again. Think the others might arrive here?"
The next morning, the prison buses carried many of the survivors to the small city of Portsmouth. The buses stopped in front of the church that Jeffrey and Preston resided in. One of the drivers was asked by Jeffrey to lead the other buses to the church.
It was very easy to do, since there was no one in charge of making the important decisions. Most of the bus survivors looked to Dr. White for advice for where to find water and which roads would lead to what cities. But he could barely answer their questions. He was too focused in his work. Him and Lisa.
"Roamers!" shouted Dr. Feinstein.
Carol, Jace, Preston, Clyde, and some other survivors stepped up to fight off the roamers in front of the church. Reggie hesitated before grabbing a hammer from the toolbox in the back of the bus.
Carol held a Swiss Knife from that Lisa had in the laboratory back in Houlton. Clyde had his trusty baseball bat while Preston held his pocket knife. Jace looked around for a weapon when he was handed a hammer.
Carol stepped ahead by stabbing the closest roamer in the eye as Preston lunged next to her, stabbing another roamer. Clyde gulped and swung down his bat, taking out a roamer with a crack in its skull. Then he smashed another roamer into the outer wall of the church as Jace bludgeoned a close roamer.
Their onslaught against the roamers continued as they cleared a path in front of the church. However, a swarm remained. Reggie decided to take a chance with this swarm.
"Hey, guys, lose the guns!" yelled Carol. "We don't wanna attract more of the roamers out there!"
The survivors listened to her. She waved around her snub nose revolver.
"Only for emergencies."
Reggie moved past the group. He walked towards the swarm, dropping his hammer.
"No!" yelled Preston.
Jeffrey looked from the bus window. He gasped and quickly rushed out of the bus.
"Reggie, stop!" yelled Carol.
The teenage boy kept on walking ahead. Preston ran ahead, tackling Reggie to the ground. Jace ran ahead too, killing the roamers surrounding the boys.
"No guns!" yelled Carol as she motioned the survivors to help the boys out.
Carol and Clyde began slaughtering the roamers as Preston dragged Reggie away from the swarm. Jeffrey and the others fled inside the church.
Moments after, Carol, Clyde, and Jace came inside the church.
"We did it," said Clyde. "All the roamers are dead."
"Good job, Carol," said Jace. "I think you can lead us!"
"Yeah, Carol!" exclaimed the survivors in unison.
Carol looked at the survivors inside the church. She saw a scared Jeffrey. An incapable Dr. Feinstein. Two scientists who lacked any fighting skills. She was the only adult up for the responsibility.
"Yeah," said Carol, "I guess I can."
Later that evening, Lynn and Ronnie Anne traveled down the state through the highway, one biking and the other skating at their top speed. Lynn was, of course, ahead of Ronnie Anne, though she wasn't too far behind.
When darkness fell upon the wilderness that surrounded the girls, they set up shelter in the woods near the highway. They would pick a high point– like a small hill– and tie strings between a couple trees. They would look for firewood and dry leaves so Lynn could make a campfire. Then, one of the girls would lay down in a soft patch of grass and nap as the other girl stays awake. However, on this one night, despite both girls being exhausted, they stayed up, sitting next to each other as they ate cooked squirrel meat.
"...and so you would expect Manning to be the MVP, right? But nah, it was Miller, but that's alright too. Totally deserved it. Still, I kinda expected more from Newton 'cause–"
"Lynn, shut up."
"What? Aren't you interested–?"
"No. I don't care about sports."
Lynn sighed as she clenched one of her fists.
"Can't believe there were only fifty Super Bowls before the world ended."
"That's fifty conversations I'm gonna have to listen to you ramble about," groaned Ronnie Anne.
Lynn gurgled her saliva and spat at Ronnie Anne, landing her gross fluid at the girl's left cheek. She hissed and removed the spit from her cheek when she heard a growling noise. She looked up and saw Lynn pulling back the sleeves to her own shirt. Lynn looked mad. But it didn't even faze her.
Ronnie Anne braced herself as Lynn clenched her fist. But she quickly released it and ran behind her, catching the roamer mid-lunge by its neck, and tossing it to the ground. Lynn continued to press against its neck but this time by the sole of her sneakers. The roamer moved its jaws up and down, its chin bumping into Lynn's shoes.
"Watch this," said Lynn as she grabbed her bow and an arrow, her foot not budging. "Aim like this and…"
Lynn released the string, landing the arrow in between the roamer's eyes. She stepped away from the body and looked at Ronnie Anne, shrugging.
"Still doesn't give you bumps on your goose? Shake your bones a lil'?"
Ronnie Anne looked away and sighed, softly sipping a can of water.
"What's wrong, Santiago? You've been really quiet and cranky lately."
Ronnie Anne shrugged.
"C'mon, you can tell me anything!" said Lynn. "I ain't gonna make fun of ya."
"Just worried about Bobby," she replied, placing her can of water down.
"Nah, it's more than that. You can't stop thinking about it, right?"
"Don't know what you're talking about," she said, picking up her can again.
"Blood on your hands. Feels worse than shit in your fingers, right? But it ain't. Hey, put the can down and look at me."
Ronnie Anne listened to Lynn.
"Look, the people you killed? Total scumbags. Wouldn't even spare you a can of beans if you were dying of hunger."
Ronnie Anne couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Tell you what– next time we see a house– we look inside and search for a bed to put our asses in. We'll get some sleep. However much sleep you want. You can sleep 'till you feel better. How about it?"
"Did it help you?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"It did," said Lynn. "It will for you."
Lynn looked around.
"We need to put cans on these strings. They'll make noise that way. We're both catching up on sleep, right?"
Ronnie Anne smiled and nodded. Both girls finished their cans of water and tied it along with the strings. Then, they both fell asleep.
The next morning, the girls were on the road, cruising along the woods as Lynn biked one-handed. She held her bicycle steadily, also keeping the skateboard steady as it was tied to the back of the bicycle with a rope. Ronnie Anne kept her balance as she stood on the board, looking around, seeing houses in the distance.
"Hey, there's a nice yellow house over there!" exclaimed Ronnie Anne. "Lynn? Did you hear me?"
"Yeah. Just tryna control my breath."
Lynn turned her bike to the left. Ronnie Anne lowered herself and placed her hands on the board as it slid to the left as well. Little did the two know, however, was that a large green box of armor and terror hid behind the yellow house. A few soldiers hung around the Stryker.
"Ah, holy fuck no!" blurted out Lynn as she braked her bicycle.
Ronnie Anne kept moving forward and bumped forward into Lynn, knocking her and her bicycle down. She groaned as she looked up at the men walking towards them. And behind them was a particular woman.
"Look what we have here. Two survivors," said the female officer.
Ronnie Anne grabbed her crossbow. Lynn dragged herself away from the bicycle while tending to her shoulder. But when both girls looked up again, the soldiers surrounded them. The female officer held her beret hat, revealing her black hair tied to a bun.
"You two look like shit. What are your names, survivors?"
"Ronnie Anne."
"Lynn."
"You two are faring well, Ronnie Anne and Lynn. Let me guess– 13 years old and 15 years old?"
"How the hell did you know that?" asked Lynn, standing up.
"I have knowledge in the… genetic field. My name is Colonel Catherine Ash. Where you two headed?"
"Somewhere far from here," said Lynn, "I had enough of the winter. This summer ain't gonna last long."
"Come with me. I wanna show you something. But first… tell me your story."
Lynn and Ronnie Anne looked at each other. They had no choice but to get inside the armored truck that stood behind the Stryker. They had to pretend as if they never saw the face of a rogue ever in their life.
The truck parked in front of a steel building with metro maps covering the walls. Lynn and Ronnie Anne got off the truck, holding their weapons and food.
"We're here. Welcome to Augusta."
Lynn gulped. This was the place that Luan was talking about. This is where Lori went to retrieve David. This is where the subway people were located at. And this is where Black ordered the KHAN to scout at.
She walked inside the building with Ronnie Anne and Colonel Ash. She looked around and saw steel beams and empty stores. She walked down the stairs and saw more of the same metro maps.
"It's not everyday we find survivors," said Ash. "Especially now. But I've been wondering. We've found some girls weathered and exhausted and you two don't ask us for a base?"
"We've met people like you," said Ronnie Anne. "We had enough."
"Santiago!" muttered Lynn. "Shut up! You're gonna get us killed!"
"I wouldn't worry about it! Hey, Colonel! You believe in survival of the fittest, right? That's why you didn't kill us on the spot!"
"Someone's caught on," said Ash. "That's why I showed you this place. It's your reward for living two long years."
"What reward?"
"This subway can go to any state, so long as it is its capital. For example, Augusta, capital of Maine, could go to Sacramento, capital of California. Only time you get this chance though. I would suggest choosing wisely. Hope you know your capitals."
Lynn looked at Ronnie Anne. She smirked.
"Wanna go home?" asked Lynn. "Your home?"
Ronnie Anne nodded.
"Sure, we'll take it," said Lynn. "Let's go to New York City!"
"That's not a capital," groaned Ash.
"Fuck, Lynn!" muttered Ronnie Anne. "It's Albany! The capital of New York is Albany!"
"Okay, okay. Sorry. Albany. We wanna go to Albany."
"Albany it is," said Colonel Ash, nodding to her men.
Lynn turned towards Ronnie Anne.
"Let's get you that sleep, okay? We'll just wait for the–"
Colonel Ash knocked out Lynn as Ronnie Anne watched. Then, in a blink of an eye, a KHAN soldier elbowed Ronnie Anne in the back of her head, causing her to black out.
"It helps pass the time," whispered Colonel Ash.
As the soldiers carried both girls to the subways in the track, a young woman held her breath as they walked over the bludgeoned turnstiles. She hid in the corner of the station, a blade in front of her face. Most importantly, she overheard everything. It was time to go to Albany.
Somewhere in New Hampshire, with mosquitoes buzzing under the hot sun, Kotaro was unable to drive his bus any further from where it was. He looked back and saw the passengers cough wildly. Their phlegm and bile spilled over the floor. One of the passengers grabbed a rat from the floor and tossed it out of the window.
"Damn. We're outta gas," he said. "I'm going out to get some. Ted, stay here and take care of the others. Sam, Luna, why don't you two help him out."
"Actually, we were gonna go hunt," said Sam, grabbing her AR-15. "These people can't live on canned food. Expired as well."
"We're gonna more than just meat to help these fellers out," said Ted. "Ain't no deer helping these people. They need medicine."
"Well, we can't go hunting alone," said Sam. "Luna and I need to watch each other's backs."
"I'll look for some medicine," said Kotaro. "Ted, these people are going to be fine. They just need to rest a little. They had a long night. Throwing up all night ain't fun. Trust me, I know."
"Alright," said Ted. "And what if they… you know…"
"You do what you have to do," said Luna. "We can't risk everyone's life."
Ted nodded. Kotaro, Sam, and Luna walked out of the bus.
"Watch your back, girls," said Kotaro.
"You too," said Sam.
Kotaro grabbed an empty jerry can and carried a small pack on his back. Luna and Sam walked into the woods with their guns. And in the woods, was where they were going to hunt for food.
But it was much harder than they thought. Minutes and half-hours passed by, and both girls had trouble looking for food. The sun was still rising, so lack of sunlight was nothing to be worried about. It was the fact that the passengers were starving that worried both girls. Many of them refused to eat more canned food, leaving only the healthy survivors nourished.
"How many bullets you got, Lunes?"
Luna slid out the magazine from her rifle and stood the rifle up-right. She shook the magazine slightly, finding it very light.
"Don't know, but there isn't a lot," she replied.
"Well, I got three bullets left," said Sam.
"How do you know that?"
"My magazine has holes in them. Look, three bullets. Plus, it helps to count how many bullets you shoot."
Luna grabbed her rifle and placed the magazine back in. Suddenly, a dear dashed across the trees. Both girls looked at each other and felt the hunger in their stomachs kick in. They ran after it.
After chasing it, they realized that the deer stopped by a small pond covered by logs and sticks. They also spotted a beaver in the pond.
"Hey, Lunes," whispered Sam. "You go for the deer while I shoot the beaver. We do it at the same time, got it? On my count…"
Luna nodded. She aimed in the scope of her rifle and looked into the deer's heart, and felt a river of guilt shower over her.
"Three… two… one…"
Sam pulled the trigger. The shot beaver fell down into the pond while the deer dashed away. In a slight panic, Luna pulled her trigger too, attempting to aim at the deer, but her bullets missed.
"Come on, what the hell!"
"It's not a big deal, Sam."
"What's your problem? We need food and you hesitated to shoot a large fucking deer!"
"My shot's been a little off lately…"
"You shot's been off since we left Houlton! Except for when you–! When you… shit."
Sam hugged Luna who was tearing up. Sam started to cry as well knowing that she screamed at her girlfriend for a trivial thing. She even almost brought up her sister Lynn.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's just… I'm hungry… still that's no excuse to scream at you…"
"It's okay, Sam. It's not as bad as my conscience beating me up. C'mon, get the beaver. I'm going back to the bus."
Luna walked away from the pond. Sam reached out for her before looking back at the pond, noticing that a hawk hovered above the corpse of the beaver. Then, the hawk flew away with the beaver in its talons, leaving the girls with no game to bring back.
"Damn," muttered Sam. "Hold up, Luna! I'm going back with you!"
Back in the bus, a certain smell took over the vehicle as some of it rotted away in the windows that were left open for the fresh air. One of the sick passengers checked on his neighbor, whose eyes were closed. They also had no breath coming out of their mouths. And their faces were pale.
"Sir, you alright?" asked the sick passenger.
It woke up. And its golden eyes stared at the passenger, before lunging at him, chomping at his neck. The passenger wheezed as the roamer tore off his throat and poured blood all over its body.
Ted was asleep as the roamer pushed the deceased human away from it. It stood up and moved on to the passengers behind him. They were awake, though barely able to see well. And unfortunately, not able to react in time as the roamer bit into their necks, killing them within seconds. And then, another roamer woke up from a different seat. And another at another seat. And another.
A scream forced Ted awake. He leaped from the driver's seat and pushed against the lever, closing the bus door.
"The hell?" groaned Ted as he rubbed his eyes. "Damn, I might be getting sick too!"
Then, his teary eyes were shot open as he noticed the passenger screamed louder. The roamers were biting his arms, legs, and face. Blood poured underneath his visible feet as his screams faded. His feet shook one more time before the roamers turned around and paid attention to Ted.
"Holy hell!" he screamed.
Ted stumbled down the bus steps and pushed against the door. However, the lever kept it closed as the roamers approached him. He leaped up the stairs and reached for the lever before a roamer took a hold of his arm and chomped down at it.
Ted screamed as he kicked the roamer away from him. He stumbled back and fell down the steps, his body smacking against the closed bus doors. The flood of roamers passed by the driver's seat and stumbled down the steps, crushing Ted against the door. Then, they forced their teeth onto his body, ripping him open like a packet of ketchup. Ted screamed wildly as his back was ripped apart. But no one was around to hear.
"Lynn looked kinda clunky," said Sam. "She probably had a vest on or something!"
Luna remained silent.
"Haley moved her away from the fight– she picked her up and everything– that's gotta mean she wanted to treat her! She wouldn't do that if she were dead on the ground–"
"Sam… just stop. I know you're trying to make me feel better about the whole thing and I love you for that but… I can't stop beating myself up over it. I'm not going to see her again… and it's my fault."
"Bullshit! It's Black's fault! No one we met ever used human shields! Of course it had to be a piece of shit like him to do that!"
Sam and Luna moved the branches out of the way as they stepped into the road, walking closer to the bus.
"Sam, please, I don't wanna hear– eww, what's that smell?"
Sam and Luna faced the barred windows. They saw bodies moving around in the shadow, though they weren't able to tell what they were doing. Sam walked towards the door as Luna removed the rifle from her arms.
"Oh, Jesus!" exclaimed Sam.
Luna ran next to Sam and gasped as she saw the corpse crushed against the door. Luna moved Sam back as they attracted the attention of the roamers inside.
"Hey, what's going on?" shouted Kotaro from the distance. "I got some fuel!"
Kotaro rushed to the girls' sides as he realized the grim nature of what was occurring. He then flinched and dropped his jerry can.
"Aww, shit. Fuck, no!" gasped Kotaro. "That's– that's Ted…"
"What do we do?" whispered Sam in fear.
The roamers growled as they clawed against the barred windows. Kotaro gulped and teared up as he grabbed his long steel wrench. Sam placed her rifle across her back and grabbed her ice pick. Luna did the same, except she took out her reliable crowbar.
"All these people…" sighed Kotaro, "...we didn't even know 'em that well."
He walked to the back door and stepped up to the emergency exit. He nodded at the girls and pulled it open. He then back up and started swinging his wrench furiously at the roamers. Luna pulled some of the roamers away from him and bludgeoned them with her crowbar.
Sam watched in horror as they killed off some of whom used to be their neighbors. As one of the roamers approached her, she sighed and quickly stabbed it in the temple with the tip of the pick, before sticking it out of its skull.
After clearing all the roamers from the bus, Luna, Sam, and Kotaro walked inside towards a deceased Ted, fearing the graphic memory that would never leave their heads.
"Sam… Luna… get all the food and water and get out of here."
Kotaro held back his tears as he grabbed his wrench tightly. Ted's corpse moved slightly, though it was unable to stand up. Standing up would he hard to do, when a roamer was missing parts of their spine.
Sam and Luna grabbed all the remaining foodstuffs and supplies that was left in the bus. And it wasn't a lot since it wasn't enough to fill up their bags. As they left the bus, Kotaro swung down his wrench, giving his friend a needed mercy.
After a few minutes, Kotaro walked out of the bus and followed the girls down the road to nowhere as far as they knew. The bus was left alone in the middle of the road with blood pouring from the back. Nothing around except flies and mosquitoes.
At a platform near a dark tunnel, with a subway station lit up by torches and candle lamps, Lynn and Ronnie Anne awoke. Rubbing their eyes and feeling disoriented, they looked around and wondered whether they were still at Augusta.
"Look the metro maps are still here," said Lynn.
"But this place seems different. It looks familiar," said Ronnie Anne.
"Goddamn rogues. At least they didn't take our weapons."
"I don't think they were rogues. I mean didn't you see their tags and the flag in their sleeves? Something feels weird, man."
Ronnie Anne grabbed her crossbow and placed it on her back as she held a Bowie knife in her hand. She walked out of the platform and up the stairs with Lynn following her, leaving the skateboard and bicycles behind.
Ronnie Anne looked around. The metro maps were there before, though it looked different than the ones from Augusta. It looked like the ones she's seen before.
"I can't believe it," gasped Ronnie Anne. "We're really here. We're home. We're home!"
Ronnie Anne and Lynn looked around. The streets were littered with trash. The cars were crashed onto buildings and abandoned in the streets.
After a few minutes, Ronnie Anne and Lynn arrived at the bodega. It was just like how the group left it before, though there were a couple blood stains here and there. They didn't completely loot the store. There was still some items that the girls could use, though most of the chips and sweets probably went stale.
"We've been gone for quite a while," said Ronnie Anne. "I just want to go to sleep in my own bed."
"Let's go up then," said Lynn. "In fact we can spend the next couple of weeks in here. No doubt some of the others are going to come here soon."
Lynn and Ronnie Anne dashed upstairs. Lynn looked for Carlota's room while Ronnie Anne headed for her own room. She opened the door and was ready to jump into her bed when she suddenly noticed something. Her bed was made, and a note was left on top of it. She grabbed it and read it.
"Ronalda and Roberto. You don't have to stay put anymore. I'm sorry I took so long to return but I did, yet I did not stay. I don't know if you two will ever return, but I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. I'm with a man… and he's made me feel safe. We also have Carlitos, so it's not over yet. A woman told me that you two were out there saving the world… and I know these families mean the world to you now. I will be back home… and I'm not talking about this place. I will wait for you two when you're done saving the world. Mucho amor, your mother."
Ronnie Anne gasped. She dropped the note and teared up as she sat down in her neatly made bed. She would need all the time in the world to process this information. A fresh piece of evidence of her mother's status in this new world. Alive.