IV - In The Middle Of It All

-Four Days Later-

The evening sun warned of the dusk that would soon fall on the city of Wilmington. "In the Middle of it All" by Irma Thomas played in the stereo in David's RV as the vehicles parked in front of a small cabin in Alapocas Run State Park. The group members took shelter inside the cabin as the groups brought their bags of canned food and buckets of meat. A fire was set in the logs of the fireplace as the survivors heated up their food by it.

Carol laid on a bed in one of the rooms, staring at the curtains covering the windows. Dr. White and Lisa attempted to talk to her to no avail. Becky held Carol's snub-nosed revolver on a table in the corner of the room where she sat, drinking a bottle of liquor as she set her hair loose into her shoulders. She placed her hands on her chin as she gazed into the fireplace, taking another sip.

Dr. White and Lisa walked out of the quiet room, giving Lori the cue to walk inside. She opened the door and closed it, as she quietly approached Carol.

"Hey, girlfriend," said Lori, struggling to smile. "We haven't had a talk in a minute."

"It's okay," whispered Carol. "I don't wanna talk."

"Okay… I'll do the talking then. And don't worry. I'm not gonna judge you or scold you for anything. You're a really strong woman, Carol. I can't imagine anyone who would have held on as long as you did… but I don't wanna see my friend go. I really don't. I'm here for you. I'm sorry if it didn't feel like I was but I promise you now… I'm here for you."

The door opened, catching Lori's attention. Lana peeked her head through as she looked around the room.

"Sorry. I've just been wondering if you seen my gun."

Lori pulled out a gun from below her chair and lifted the AKS-74U. Lana's eyes lifted up as she walked inside the room.

"I've heard what you did to Simon Weber," said Lori. "I also heard about the things you told Lincoln. Tell me this, Lana– what are you going to do with the gun?"

"I-I just need it to feel safe," muttered Lana. "Can I have it or not?"

Lori placed the gun down before looking at Carol, who kept her eyes fixated on the curtains. She picked up the gun again and walked out of the room with Lana and into the hallway away from the living room.

"I can't give you the gun. You don't need it now."

"But Weber gets to run around with a knife?" groaned Lana. "Weber is crazy, doesn't anyone see it? He killed Izzy and Lizzy, and then he killed a dog right after! He pulled a knife on me."

"I'll handle it later," said Lori.

"Handle it how?"

Lori sighed and knelt to meet Lana's eye level.

"I don't want you to do anything," Lori said.

"Then, can you do it instead? Put him down or something! Kick him out if you need to!"

"No, we're not going to kill him!"

"Why not?" exclaimed Lana. "You killed threats before! Don't you know that Weber's a threat! He's not right in the head. Next thing you know, he's gonna grab a gun and kill a person instead of our pets!"

"It's not the same thing," said Lori.

"It is the same thing! I'm not just going to sit around and wait until he kills someone! We have to stop him! You have to stop him!"

"Enough!" hissed Lori. "I don't want you to ask me to kill someone ever again! And leave the boy alone! Mom raised you better than this!"

"Well, Mom ain't here! And you sure as HELL ain't Mom!" yelled Lana as she stormed away from the door and out the hallway.

Weber, who hid away from the entrance of the hallway, backed away, whimpering softly as he looked at the living room. Some gazed at him while others looked into the hallway. Weber then quickly walked away into the back room as Bobby stood up from his seat at the table by the hallway. Bobby backed up as Lana stormed away from the hallway, and to the table where Bobby sat. He then walked into the hall and placed his arms around Lori's shoulder.

"Well, that was… shocking," said Bobby.

"How much did you hear?" asked Lori.

"The others didn't really hear you guys until Lana screamed that part. But I did."

"I'm afraid that I'm not being a good role model for her," said Lori. "I don't think I'm someone she can look up to."

"You only do some things so that she doesn't have to," said Bobby. "You're a good role model. But she has to understand that there are some things that are your decisions and your decisions only."

Lori nodded. Bobby opened the door to Carol's resting room, and motioned Lori to go inside with him. She gave him a soft kiss and walked inside.

Weber ran downstairs into the basement, flicked a lantern on, and paced back and forth. He rubbed his nose and placed his hands over his head.

"Hello," said a voice behind Weber. "You look scared."

"Lily Loud," sighed Weber. "I am scared of your sister, Lana. I'm scared that she's going to kill me… and no one in the group is going to care."

"Is Lana a monster?" asked Lily, becoming worried.

"Y-Yes. She's bad. We have to run away now. Leave the group… find safety on our own. You're going to die with these people. Ever since my dad died, more than half of our group have been killed off. These people are stupid and they're going to get us killed. We have to go now! Oh, I wish we could take Lincoln…"

Lana climbed down into the basement.

"You're not going anywhere with Lily," she hissed. "You're going away… on your own! Or better yet, I kill you myself!"

Weber shook his head as Lana approached him.

"You wanted Carol to die… that's why you left her hanging there, right? You were going to kill us all one by one… starting with me!"

Weber punched Lana in her jaw and grabbed Lily's hand as they both ran to the entrance. Lana quickly grabbed Weber's leg and pulled him back as she elbowed his lower leg. Weber cried out and pulled out his knife. Lana then pulled out a snub-nosed revolver– the same one that Becky was supposed to guard in her sober state so that Carol wouldn't shoot herself– and aimed it at Weber.

Weber then turned the knife inwards and held the blade against Lily's neck as she shrieked.

"No, don't!" yelled Lana.

"Stay away from me!" yelled Weber. "Lily and I are going to head out that door… and we're never going to come back. We'll survive longer than you and everyone in your group."

Weber climbed up the basement, holding Lily with a knife by her throat. He closed the basement door and ran out the back door of the cabin, holding Lily's hand as they both ran into the wooded trees in the park, following the creek.

Lana grabbed the lantern and ran up the basement stairs, slamming the door open, causing Lincoln to stumble back after he tried approaching the basement. Lana ran out the back door and into the wooded trees, causing Lincoln to shout after her.

Ronnie Anne opened the door to the back room of the cabin, finding Lincoln grabbing his flashlight.

"Tell the group to look for Lana, Simon Weber, and me in the woods," he said. "Hurry!"

Lincoln ran off towards the trees that surrounded the cabin, following a particular creek. Twilight approached as the sun set over the horizon, the danger heightening in the shadows of the trees.

The beam of light traveled across the woods as Lincoln ran, leaped, crouched. Twigs in the ground caused him to stumble, branches smacked him in the face, bugs caused him to scratch his arms. An owl hooted in the distance as Lincoln tripped on a rock in the ground. He groaned as he lifted himself up, rough leaves on his arm. He smacked the dirt off his hair and looked around with his flashlight.

"Oh man," he sighed. "Lana! Where are you!"

No response. He quickly picked himself up, and continued to press his shoes against the dirt as he ran off into the woods.

Lana continued to follow the creek while holding the lantern up with her free hand and the revolver with her shooting arm. No footsteps ahead of her. She turned away from the creek and jogged deeper into the woods.

The night grew darker as members of the group navigated through the woods. Lynn aimed the flashlight in the dirt, following a trail of footsteps with Preston next to her, both studying the tracks that the children left behind. Vonda looked out for any other tracks while Lori followed them, leading the group behind her. Kotaro moved the branches away from him as he carried his Remington 700 through the woods. Reggie strayed a bit away from the group before returning, then strayed away as he repeated this.

"Think we can split up?" suggested Benny. "We can cover more ground like that."

"Yeah, that'd be a great idea," said Lori.

"Wait, hold on," said David. "Look, the trees."

"Great, more X's," said George.

Lori looked at a particular oak tree and placed her hands on the scratched bark, moving her fingers along the diagonal lines. She then looked down on the dirt. There were spots of blood that lay on the grass. She turned around and shook her head.

"No splitting up," she said.

"Hey, Lori," called out Lynn. "There're hella prints here. All different shoes, and some are even footprints. I don't think we're following the right tracks."

Lynn looked at a pile of leaves in the ground.

"Wait, I think I found something," she said.

She yelped as a rope net quickly pulled her upwards, wrapping her body as she struggled to move.

"I'm being held like a piñata!" yelled Lynn. "Help me!"

Lori and the rest of the group ran to huddle around the net which hung at eye level with David. Then a quick shuffle of leaves followed by a large snap caused Reggie to yell his most excruciating screams. He quickly dropped to the ground as a metallic bear trap mauled through his ankles.

"Oh my god!" yelled Jace.

A few growls lurked in the woods. The group moved their flashlights in all directions, revealing golden eyes peering at them. Lynn yelled as a roamer stumbled towards her before a blade quickly slashed through the roamers' skull. Luan then turned around and swung her katana at the noose that held the rope net, causing Lynn to drop down. David then knelt down and cut open the net, freeing Lynn.

Preston grabbed the bear trap and tried opening it, but it remained shut. Reggie continued screaming as blood squirted out of his ripped arteries. Lori used her rifle to smack the roamers away from Reggie before slamming it against their skull. Preston grabbed his pocket knife and stabbed a roamer that tried to bite a vulnerable Reggie.

"What do we do?" panted Preston.

Lori shook her head as she grabbed her hatchet. The rest of the group continued fighting off the roamers.

Lana panted as she placed her lantern down. She raised the revolver in her hands and pointed it at Weber, who found himself trapped by a cliff by the creek. The moon shone on the empty cliffside.

"Let go of her!" yelled Lana.

"You come any closer and I… I will cut her throat!"

Lily whimpered as she held Weber's arms, struggling to be set free. Lana took a deep breath and shook her head as her mouth trembled.

"Okay, fine, okay," exclaimed Lana, raising her arms up. "I'm not coming any closer."

"You need to leave now," said Weber. "Just leave me alone."

"Not without Lily," said Lana. "Look at yourself, Weber. This isn't you."

"I know it's not!" he yelled, his voice breaking down. "I'm kinda like you guys in a way. I would do anything to live– but I refuse to be a monster like you guys!"

A few leaves ruffled as Lincoln approached the cliffside from the side. He was ready to call out Lana when he found her speaking in a nervous yet low voice.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'd do anything to survive too, but I'm not a monster. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

"It's too late. You already want to kill me," said Weber. "Go ahead. Try to tell me I'm wrong."

"Don't you see yourself, Weber? You're turning into a monster yourself. You're gonna kill my baby sister, the girl that you say you're gonna protect. You think this is what your dad wants?"

"You don't know what my dad wants! But I know what I want! I just wanted people to care! I didn't want them to avoid me 'cause I was some freak!"

"That's just me," said Lana. "I wanted to avoid you because I think you're dangerous. But the others don't think so. Like Lincoln here… he thinks you're not a danger to be around with. Believe me, Weber."

Weber moved the knife away from Lily's throat as Lincoln waved at him, trying his best to form a smile.

"I do believe you… but then what about you? I'm going to let Lily go… but what are you going to do to me? You still want to kill me!"

"I don't," said Lana. "You hear those birds?"

"They're owls," muttered Weber.

"Yeah, I just want to see the birds with you."

"I don't. They're owls."

"I see crows," said Lana. "Behind you, there are a bunch of crows."

"A murder of crows?" gasped Weber, slowly moving his knife away from Lily.

"Yeah, a murder."

"I don't believe you, how are you seeing them?"

"They look blacker than the night sky itself. If you don't believe me, go look for yourself."

Weber lowered his knife and allowed Lily to walk away. Lincoln smiled as Lana's voice turned smoother.

"I kinda believe you," he said as he turned around. "Where are the crows?"

Weber quickly turned back at Lana.

"Over there… by the building in the distance," Lana said. "Look closely, they're there."

An owl hooted as Weber squinted his eyes, looking closely at a building beyond the park. The moon hovered above the building, but he couldn't see anything. Lily slowly walked away as Lana continued to stare at Weber.

"I think I see the birds, Lana!"

Lana quickly lowered her arms as Lincoln gasped, ready to cry out for his sister to stop. But it was too late.

A shot was fired.

Lily shrieked as a couple drops of blood splattered on her skirt. Lincoln felt his heart drop as he was left speechless. Lana lowered her revolver as tiny fumes of smoke puffed out of the barrel, letting out a deep sigh, one that did not indicate relief.

Weber's body lied by the cliffside as blood leaked from his nose, falling into the creek below the cliff. His eyes stared at the running water as blood slowly seeped out of the back of his head and into his scalp.

"No…" sniffled Lincoln. "My god, Lana. What'd you do?"

"I-I saved us… right?"

The owl continued hooting in the distance as the moon shone on the empty building in the distance.

A gunshot roared in the distance as the group in the woods continued fighting off the roamers.

"We have to amputate," said Lori.

"No, no, please!" screamed Reggie.

"It's the only way," said Preston. "Make it quick, Lori. Please."

Reggie cried out in protest as Lori lifted her hatchet. Suddenly, a man with a dirt-stained hockey face mask leaped out from a tree behind Reggie and wrapped his arms around his neck. He then lunged his knife back at Reggie's chest causing him to scream as blood squirted out his mouth.

"Holy…!" yelled Preston.

The man pointed out the bloody knife at Lori before stabbing Reggie again, drowning out his screams with blood. He pulled him back, tearing his ankles as it ripped away from the bear trap.

"You're all next," the man hissed.

A gunshot was followed by a bullet to the man's head. He dropped to the ground as Lori noticed a large X scar across his chest. Smoke came out of David's M9 as he held it, looking around his surroundings.

A couple bullets flew across the air and hit the trees with the X on their bark. The group all fired their guns back at the shadows of the trees as they scrambled away back to the direction of the cabin. Lori held Preston's hand and lifted him up as they both ran with the group. A couple men and women wearing similar masks with eye holes in them propped up from the bushes and trees and fired their guns near the survivors. They all held a torch as they followed the group.

Lori panted as she and the group approached the cabin. Then, she noticed a circle of torches all surrounding the cabin. Then, a group of men and women came out of the trees with rifles, pistols, knives, all sorts of weapons in their hands. Some wore shirts. Some wore shorts.

"There are people in there, right?" said one man who stood in front of the cabin.

The man wore a hockey mask that only covered his jaws, his dark brown eyes staring at Lori. His gray hair hung around his forehead and back down to his neck. He swung around two butterfly knives and squinted.

"We marked X's here for a reason," taunted the man. "Here's the spot. And we just found a whole lotta treasure."

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End Credit Song

In the Pines - Janel Drewis

I guess you can say things went... south.

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