IV - One Last Breath
The wind howled as the sky turned darker. The sun was reaching the horizon, its sunlight barely lighting up the fire station. The lamp reflected brightly against the rearview mirrors of the fire truck.
"You really could've been one of us," said Damien.
Becky shook her head and sighed.
"I know, I know. You want me to stop talking. That's what you want, right?"
Becky nodded. Damien shook his head.
"I can't. Before all this, I had a therapist. A marriage counselor actually. After shit hit the fan, I had only my wife to talk to. Then, she died of a stroke. Now, I vent my feelings to Raphael. He's a good friend. Excellent cook too. But he's not here right now."
Damien chuckled.
"He's actually the reason why you're going to taste more delicious than usual. Sorry if that comes off as creepy. But you won't understand until you try it yourself. Humans are fucking good. Especially the women. I cannot explain why. Calvin had a good explanation for it, but I can't remember…"
"You killed innocent people!" whispered Becky loudly.
"No one's innocent these days."
"There was a little girl. Lana. You had her locked up. She was inno—"
Becky stumbled upon her own words. She wasn't even sure if she believed what she was saying.
"What'd you say?" asked Damien, walking closer to Becky. "I can't really hear you."
"There are other options," whispered Becky.
"Other options?"
"Yeah. There are. But killing humans and eating them is addicting. It's the tastiest and most fulfilling food out there. Canned food is disgusting. There are barely any animals in the city and it's even harder to find them during the winter. Options. Sure. Better options? Nah. There aren't any."
"It's horrible," said Becky.
"When you wanna live, you really don't care. You embrace it actually, so you don't let it consume you. That's the whole point. Ironic, isn't it?"
"But… I…"
"You shouldn't really speak anymore. Don't let your dying breath hurt your throat anymore."
Becky remained quiet. She loosened one of the ties of the rope around her wrists. Damien moved away and began to pace back and forth again. Becky pulled on the loose string and loosened one of her hands. She began to untie her other hands before Damien turned around. She froze her arms. Damien did not say a word. Gunshots then began to flare in the distance, causing Becky's heart to pound faster for her group. He smiled.
A muffled thunder of gunfire was followed by a constant ringing as George struggled to open his eyes. Shouting and gunshots became louder as his vision got clearer.
"He's still breathing!" yelled David.
"Then, pick him up and drag him if you have to!" shouted Lori.
George groaned as David lifted his arms upwards and around his shoulder. Bobby also helped George upwards as they attempted to run to cover behind a statue.
"What the—?" groaned George.
"You're awake!" gasped Bobby.
"What?"
"You were knocked out," said David. "Have any idea what blood type you are?"
"O negative," said George.
"Damn."
An explosion in the distance shook George awake. He looked around and noticed the group members escaping the gunfire from the X-Tribe. Bullets struck nearby trees and completely tore apart the benches.
Sam grabbed her assault rifle and began firing back at the X-Tribe members. The bullets then began to get closer to her.
"Stop!" yelled Lori. "There's no use!"
Jace tackled Sam as a few bullets darted past where she stood. She gasped and quickly dragged herself behind a tree as Jace grabbed the rifle and tossed the magazine away. He looked at the glares in the distance.
"Alright, alright, we're going already!" he yelled. "Knock it off!"
A handheld object flew through the air, landing a few feet away from Jace. His eyes widened in terror as he realized it was a grenade, before he rushed towards it in an effort to shield everyone from the blast. Only a few inches away, the flash grenade detonated, stunning and blinding Jace before he collapsed to the ground. He yelled, but was unable to hear himself. All he could see was an intense, burning bright light.
-Day 1-
Jace slowly opened his eyes as he began to stir, the endless din of gunfire, sirens and screams repeatedly resounding inside of his head. His vision blurry and his limbs too heavy to move, Jace struggled to recall how he wound up in his current state. As his remaining senses returned to him, Jace realized he was being carried.
Mitchell panted heavily from exhaustion as he hastily made his way through the streets of Eastport, Jace's unconscious form slung across his shoulders. All around him, untold mayhem was growing on a rapid scale, sending the small town spiraling further and further into total anarchy.
As the phone lines were down, most of Eastport's residents had grown fearful and paranoid amidst the confusion. Some had chosen to take matters into their own hands, making their discontent known through acts of violence. Rampant fires caused by rioters continued to blaze uncontrollably. Broken glass from shattered windows littered the sidewalks as looters got to pillaging everything they could. Cops stood near parked cruisers, shouting orders through megaphones in an effort to maintain control, to no avail. And worst of all, there were more of those… infected, like the ones from the store, turning up and further sowing the fear and confusion plaguing Eastport's remaining residents.
Mitchell felt relieved that he sent Harper out on Jace's motorcycle hours earlier to find help. Spotting a nearby alleyway next to an empty auto-shop, Mitch headed there, narrowly avoiding some rioters and infected along the way.
Once certain they were out of sight, Mitchell carefully set Jace down, then took some time to catch his breath, unaware that his friend had already woken. Eventually, Mitchell headed deeper into the alley, intent on finding a safe means of escaping Eastport with Jace.
Moments after Mitchell left, Jace felt enough strength return to his limbs, and shakily got onto his feet. Right then, images suddenly flashed through his head as his missing memories from earlier returned.
Dean, sprawled out on the floor, gasping in pain from the shotgun pellets embedded in his chest, an outstretched arm futilely reaching for aid.
Callie, motionlessly propped against an aisle shelf, the lens to her glasses shattered, with blood pouring from where her right eye used to be.
Jace felt his knees threatening to give way as a torrential surge of emotions washed over him. Cupping a hand over his mouth as tears streamed down his face, Jace resisted the urge to burst into uncontrolled sobbing as he struggled to comprehend that Callie and Dean were gone.
Suddenly, he heard a noise and froze, then felt his heart stop upon finding the source.
"H-Harp...?"
Harper growled as her golden eyes scanned the alleyway. She had a sizeable bite mark on her right forearm, while a substantial piece of flesh was missing from the left side of her face. Her top and leggings were slightly torn, her pale skin had a few scrapes, and there was a limp in her step as she staggered towards Jace.
A small cry escaped from Jace's lips before he slowly began to extend his arm.
"Harp…?" he said. "Harp? Jeez, wh-what happened to you…!?"
Harper paid no heed to the concern in Jace's voice, and continued her advance towards him.
"Harp…? H-hey, Harp…!" Jace cried. "Harp, it's me! I-it's me, Jace…!"
Harper was now inches away from Jace. Her head tilted slightly to the left as she twitched.
"Harp…?" Jace cried, tears bubbling around his eyes, his hand mere seconds from confirming Harper's presence…
"JACE!"
Jace barely had time to react before he was suddenly shoved towards the ground. Dazed and slightly scraped, Jace looked up and saw, to his horror, Harper attacking Mitchell, pinning him against the alley wall. Mitchell screamed as Harper aggressively bit at him, with Mitchell barely holding her off. He spotted Jace and yelled "Jace! Jace, help—!"
Jace frantically searched and found a discarded breaker bar. He hurriedly picked it up, then scrambled to Harper and Mitchell. Right then, Mitchell successfully shoved Harper off him, sending her towards Jace. Jace brought the breaker bar back over his shoulder and prepared to strike.
At the last minute, Jace blinked and noticed how sad Harper seemed. Even as she twitched and growled, with those glowing golden eyes staring into his soul, deep down, Jace still saw the same Harper he first met in 8th grade. The same Harper who spoke of someday moving to NYC to pursue a career in electrical engineering. The same Harper who approached him last fall, trembling in fear, before admitting to him that she liked girls and then breaking down in his arms.
Jace froze. He felt his grip on the breaker bar loosen. He grit his teeth and took a deep breath… then screamed as he swung the breaker bar into Harper's head, sending her face-first onto the ground.
Jace stood there, horrified by what he had done. Suddenly, Harper's sprawled form began to budge. As she slowly got back to her feet, Jace saw the damage to her face, and recoiled in shock. Part of her head had caved in from when the breaker bar hit her. Her left eye had lost its glow, with golden liquid oozing down her cheek. Most notable, however, was the expression visible through the remaining half of Harper's face. Jace felt himself quaking with distress over what seemed to be Harper pleading for the pain to stop. But then he saw the blood and drool dribbling from Harper's lips, and knew what had to be done.
As Harper got on one knee, Jace charged at her and swung the breaker bar again. A sickening 'CRUNCH' was heard as the blunt end of the instrument made contact with Harper's skull, splitting her head open and splattering Jace's jacket and shirt with blood and some brain matter.
"FUCK!" Jace screamed, his trembling hands tightly gripping the breaker bar. Harper fell down onto the ground once more. As she struggled to get back up, Jace swung the breaker bar down on her head. Then again. And again. And again, whilst hysterically sobbing "FUCK! FUCKING FUCK! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! FUUUCK!"
After swinging for what felt like the seventh time in a row, Jace no longer possessed the strength to hold onto the breaker bar anymore. He felt it slip through his fingers, making an audible clang upon hitting the ground. He fell to his knees and stared at what remained of Harper's head, now reduced to a puddle of blood, rotting flesh, human teeth and brain matter, with a single golden eye glowing amidst the mush. Wracked with grief, Jace gave in to despair, taking short hitched gasps for breath between sobs.
"Jace…"
Jace's labored breathing came to a halt. He looked up and found Mitchell limping towards him, leaning against the alley wall while clutching his left hand.
"Jace… Jace, listen, I-… I found your motorcycle, down on Shackford Street. Head deeper into the alley, then take a left. You'll see it. Whatever happens, stay out of sight. Stay out of sight, 'til you're on the bike and away from here."
"W-wait, what about you?" Jace stammered.
Mitchell smiled with a saddened look in his eyes, then showed Jace his left hand, revealing the bite mark from when Harper attacked him earlier. Jace felt a blow to his heart as the realization sank in.
"It's the end of the road for me."
"No…"
"Hummel, you- You saw what became of him, right…? How he- How he turned into one of those… things? And not just him, but- anyone who gets bit, they… they-"
"No! No, I-! We can fix this, I just gotta—"
"Jace—"
"NO! No, Mitch, I-I'm not leaving you here! I can't, I wo—"
"Yes, you can!" Mitchell yelled. "You will! You have to, cause Alex needs you! She needs you now, more than ever! Jace, please…!"
Mitchell felt his left hand stiffen and realized the infection was spreading. It was only a matter of time before he turned into another one of those mindless creatures, whose only intent would be spreading mayhem.
"Please, Jace…" Mitchell pleaded as he shuddered from thinking that he could attack Jace at any minute. "For Alex… For Harper, Callie, and Dean… Please, leave me and go…"
Jace stood there, visibly torn. Eventually, he walked over, placed both hands on Mitchell's shoulders, and held him close. "I'm so sorry…" he whimpered as teardrops rolled down his cheeks.
Even though the thought of becoming infected frightened Mitchell, he kept up a strong front for his friend and patted Jace reassuringly. "Hey… Hey, it's alright. You're gonna do great out there, I know it…! T-tell Alex I said 'hi', w-would you…?"
Soon, their heartfelt goodbye came to a close. Mitchell took one final look into Jace's eyes, then spoke with a resolute tone "Now go…"
And with that, Jace turned and headed deeper into the alleyway. He resisted the urge to look back, fearing he'd never continue forward if he did.
-Present Day-
"Hey, man! Get up!" yelled Benny.
Jace regained his eyesight as the sunset glowed against the park, giving the area a golden glow. Benny helped him up to his feet as Preston could be seen helping Sam walk away. Sam was holding her ears as the ringing noise would not go away.
"Are you good?" asked Benny.
"Yeah," said Jace. "I'm good. Thanks."
"The X are letting us get away. We're not wasting this chance. We're going now."
Jace nodded as he followed Benny out into a field, where they both ran towards the group, with Preston and Sam behind them. Luna was firing at the nearby roamers with Jace's Px4, covering the group members that were falling behind.
"Fuck these cannibals," muttered Lynn. "Fuck! I need to take a leak now!"
"Hold it in!" yelled Lori. "We're almost there! Just a couple more blocks!"
The sun began to reach the horizon as Carol looked into the scope of Luna's M110. The sun lit up her left side profile as she looked towards the North Lawn from the Promenade of the West Wing. She moved the scope more north and zoomed into Lafayette Square. She noticed a person coming out of the woods.
The man wearing the Yankees cap was then accompanied by four people around him. One was blonde and cheery. Another was curly-haired and hairy. Another was tan and had a goatee. Another was thin and had sleek brunette hair.
Thoughts raced across Carol's mind. The man in the middle. Based on the description her group members gave her, he must be Calvin.
She placed her finger on the trigger and aimed the crosshairs at Calvin. Suddenly, a group of men and women accompanied the five cannibals. There were cars parked in front of the North Lawn.
She gulped as she aimed her sniper rifle at Calvin, following him as he continued walking towards the fence. She needed to make her shot count, so she waited until he stopped by the fence. And he did.
She pressed the trigger. However, the gun jammed.
"Fuck!" she exclaimed.
She looked into the scope and saw Calvin smirking at the direction of the roof. For a moment it seemed as if their eyes met. He tipped his hat and let his cannibals climb on top of the trunk bed of the truck. They grabbed the top of the fence and leaped over it, landing on a soft pile of snow, while Calvin jiggled a screwdriver and stretched out a coat hanger through the locks of the fence gate. He then placed his hands through the fence gate and opened it up, letting some of the other cannibals enter with ease.
Carol quickly removed the sniper rifle from the edge of the balcony and tossed it to the Promenade ground. She pulled out her snub-nosed revolver and ran inside the White House.
Guillermo leaped over the fence and landed on the pile of snow followed by Beatrice, and Nora, then Moose.
"The way we're walking to the White House," said Beatrice. "Yeah, we're totally not easy pickings."
"Relax," said Calvin. "Like I explained. Their best snipers aren't here yet. We had our people observe them for a while now. The short-haired blonde one never used a sniper rifle. She's always using that tiny revolver."
"That's why she ran away like a pussy," said Guillermo. "No doubt she's getting that armor ready again."
"Ooh, I can tell this is gonna be a lot of fun!" giggled Nora.
The cannibals continued walking towards the White House unchecked. They were heavily armed, with Timothy carrying an MG 710-3, Raphael dual-wielding CZ-97's, Neville packing a Vepr-12, and Nora, her Franchi PA3. Moose gripped the handle on his QBZ-95, Becky's worn-down machete slung over his back. Guillermo checked the scope on his G36. Beatrice made sure her PP-19 was loaded. Calvin held Becky's ACE-23. The cannibals behind them carried all sorts of rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, and pistols. They began to split up, avoiding the Residence building. One group went to the West Wing while the other went to the East Wing. Only one cannibal stayed behind to guard the entrance to the Residence building.
The sun touched the horizon. George panted and let out a yell of agony as his eyes became bloodshot. His face was really pale and his hands looked thin and stiff. His eyelids were purple and his lips were darker.
"I… don't…. know how much… more I could… take," groaned George."
"Please hold on for a little longer," said Lori. "We're literally a couple blocks away from the White House."
"Lori. Come here. I know… you're avoiding… me."
Lori looked around the shattered windows in the buildings. She looked at the rusty cans, crumbled newspapers and wrappers, and cigarette butts in the melted areas of the sidewalk. Then, she saw the group members moving ahead as she remained still, waiting for David and Bobby to catch up to her.
"Whatever you need to say, save it," said Lori. "Don't waste your energy telling me something I don't need to hear."
"Lucky for you… you need to hear this…" said George in a low voice. "Don't worry… it's not much. I just know… how you're gonna… feel after… all this. Thirst for revenge."
"The cannibals need to die so we could truly be safe," said Lori. "I don't wanna sit by and do nothing. I'm hunting these assholes. Don't bother trying to convince me otherwise."
"I won't. But there's gonna be… an after. After all this. If you can… I want you… to spare the enemies… that aren't… a threat. If you somehow… have the resources… then imprison them."
"I don't think I will."
"Listen. Not everyone… out there… is an enemy. It's okay… to mistrust people. But do not… equate that… with knowing… that they're evil."
Lori took out a water bottle from her backpack. George frowned.
"You may know... where you want to go… but without a compass… you'll be lost. You will always… have a compass. Use it."
Lori handed Bobby the water bottle.
"Make sure he drinks it," said Lori.
Lori faced George.
"If you die, I'm gonna be really mad at you."
Lori then began to walk away. Bobby opened the water bottle and offered it to George. He took a quick sip before spitting out the water.
"Get that shit... away from me," he said.
George coughed and coughed and coughed until tiny droplets of blood splattered into the snowy road. He began wheezing as his legs became numb. He then heard an echo of a female voice behind him.
"Pushing others away, I see?"
George squinted as he looked ahead. There were Piranhas walking ahead him, carrying bags and weapons. There were no signs of the group members. He then turned towards his left and saw John. He quickly turned to his right and saw Andrew.
"Oh, I love this. Looks like you're in so much pain."
The voice then moved in front of him. There she was. Walking right in front of him as the woman began walking backwards.
"W-Wha…"
"What's the matter, Agent Cane? Looks like you've seen a ghost."
George shook his head. He couldn't believe he was seeing Sherry right in front of him.
"W-Why are you… here?"
"Well, I came here originally to check on you, but damn. Not even makeup can cover that ugly-ass shit you call a face. That's too bad. You're gonna die soon— and you won't look beautiful like I did. After you die, you'll suffer with me. Look at my men and women. We're leading you to Hell right now."
"I'm nowhere... close to your kind."
"Maybe not. Still fun to see you suffer. Serves you right for stealing my daughter away. Oh, and ha! That's the best part! You won't see her grow up either! Aww, that sucks, doesn't it? Now you know how I feel."
George shook his head.
"I really love her. I love her enough that I'm giving you a few minutes to talk to her. But after that… you're done."
"Get outta here," hissed George.
"Thanks for the second chance, asshole."
Sherry slapped George as hard she could. He gasped as he blinked, opening his eyes. He noticed that Lynn was under him, carrying his legs. He couldn't feel his legs. He felt nauseous. His head felt as light as the dark blue sky above him. His neck felt tight and he felt his heart beating slowly.
"Vonda…" he whispered. "Vonda…"
Lynn looked up then faced forward.
"Yo! Vonda! C'mere!" she shouted.
Vonda jogged back to David, Bobby, and Lynn. She looked up at George, swallowing hard.
"What is it?" asked Vonda.
"I think he wants to talk to you," said Lynn.
"George… I know it hurts, but I promise you. We're almost there. We're like two blocks away."
"Vonda… I love you. After Emma… you shown me… how it feels… to be a father… again. I'm proud… of you. I know… you're gonna… grow up… to be a… strong woman… courageous… assertive… and…"
George coughed out a thick fluid of mucus mixed with blood. He lowered his head as his vision began to blur and swivel around. Vonda turned around.
"Why did we give ALL of our medicine to Carol and the others?" screamed Vonda. "We should've kept some! It was so stupid to send all of our medicine back home!"
"Chill, Von," said Lynn.
"Vee… relax."
"How can I?" sniffled Vonda. "You're gonna leave us! You're gonna leave me!"
"Take this," whispered George, reaching into his jacket.
Vonda looked up. George took out a toy figure of a police officer, the size of his palm. Vonda held her arms up and grabbed it.
"Please... return it home… if you can," he whispered.
Vonda nodded. George then reached into his pants and took out his wallet. He handed it to Vonda.
"For you…"
"Why?" asked Vonda.
"I just want… you to hold it… for me," said George, winking slowly.
Vonda let out a tear as she looked ahead.
"You see it, right?" she asked.
"I do. You'll make it," said George. "But I won't. Tell Lori… to stop."
Vonda nodded. She jogged up to Lori and tapped her on the shoulder. Lori turned around, looking at Vonda while the White House was a couple blocks behind her. Vonda rubbed her eyes as she pointed at George.
Lori approached George. He stammered as he tried to catch his breath.
"I can't… go on."
"It's right there."
"Lori… I can't. I wanna… see the sunset… before… I go."
Lori closed her eyes and took a deep, quivering breath. She then opened them.
"I know a good place," she said.
She began to walk forward, headed towards Lafayette Square with the group. Vonda held George's limp hands as they continued walking.
The pink sky on the horizon turned more lavender as the sun began to set. The wind howled as Becky shivered softly. Her cold breaths were visible among the puffs of tobacco smoke. She kept moving her wrists, disguising it with her shivering muscles struggling to keep warm.
"I'm sorry," said Damien.
Becky looked at him, confused as she tilted her head.
"If it could be painless, I would make it so," he added. "I want to give you my jacket, but it's kinda difficult, considering you're all tied up."
Becky looked blankly as she smiled softly. Her smile quickly faded as she faced Damien again.
"It's okay," she whispered. "Can you at least put a hat on me?"
Damien sighed. He walked over to the corpse of one of his friends. He removed the gray beanie off his head and walked back to the fire pole.
Then, both survivors heard a car rumbling in the distance, getting louder as it approached the fire station. Damien continued to hold the hat in his hand as he looked outside.
"What's going on?" he asked. "Is it just you?"
The driver stepped out of the car with another cannibal, a young teenager.
"I brought Elizabeth to help us out," said the driver.
"Why the hell aren't there more people? Why bring Anastasia's daughter here?"
"Sorry, Damien. Everybody's already in position. They said to just wait here and watch the girl until they're done."
"More waiting? Fuck, are you serious?"
"You wanted to participate too, right?" said Elizabeth.
"I… nah. Nah, I didn't. It's fine. I just hate waiting out here like sitting ducks."
Damien turned towards Becky as he lifted up the beanie. The driver then called out to him again.
"Damien!"
"What do you want?"
"Music?"
"Whatever."
"Play some Ariana Grande," said Elizabeth.
"I don't have any Ariana Grande CDs," said the driver as he turned around. "I got Fifth Harmony, if you want—"
Hana stared coldly at the driver as she stood in front of him, katana on her hands, the blade facing the ground. The driver gasped in surprise as he reached for his pistol.
"Who the hell—"
Hana quickly swung her katana at the driver's knee, causing him to drop on one knee. He screamed before she returned the blade to his body, slicing his throat. He dropped to the ground as he approached Elizabeth.
Becky began to breathe faster in excitement as she looked at Hana lift her sword. Damien turned around as he watched Hana jam her sword into Elizabeth's chest, who struggled to groan in pain as her eyes were wide open.
Damien grabbed his pistol and aimed it Hana before a split second shriek forced him to turn around. Becky punched him in the nose and dropped him on his knees. She wrapped the rope against his neck and pulled on it as she stepped on his hand, the one that held the pistol. He yelled as he stumbled back, slamming Becky against the fire truck. Becky then pulled the rope and swung his head against the fire truck as he tried to grab the pistol with her shoes.
Hana jogged towards the two survivors before finding a couple roamers running towards her. She turned around and began to slice the roamers' skulls off their body.
"Damn you!" yelled Damien as his glasses fell off. "You… will… not…"
Damien fired the rounds in his pistol until only clicking sounds could be heard.
"... kill me!"
He then tossed the pistol away. Becky groaned as she tossed him onto the ground. She collapsed on her knees as she exhaled heavily, feeling extremely fatigued. Damien groaned as he lay on his back, feeling blood leaking from his head.
"Cold. Hungry. Thirsty. Tired. Beaten. You're dying."
Becky crawled towards him and grabbed his shirt as she exhaled deeply, groaning in pain as she held her throat. Damien smiled.
"What are you gonna do now?"
Becky grabbed an icicle from under the fire truck and jammed it into his throat. He wheezed as he began to cough out blood, his face turning purple, and his eyes becoming bloodshot. Becky then pushed herself away from Damien's body and sat against the front bumper of the fire truck, panting with her eyes closed and her chest contracting and expanding.
Hana approached her and knelt down, handing Becky a water bottle. Although reluctant to take it, she eventually grabbed it, gulping half of the water bottle. She then moved the bottle away from her mouth and coughed out blood before wiping her mouth with her blanket. Both girls then heard the young girl groan for help in the distance.
"Please…" whispered Elizabeth.
Becky stood up and walked over to Elizabeth. She looked down at her, watching blood pour all over the girl's hoodie and vest. She knelt down, grabbing Elizabeth's knife from her hands and held it up against her throat.
"How many of you are there?" asked Becky in a whispering voice.
"What?" groaned Elizabeth.
"How… many… of… you… are there?"
"I-I don't know. I… I really don't pay attention."
"Where's Calvin?"
"In the White House…"
Becky slammed the knife against her shoulder. Elizabeth cried in pain.
"Where in the White House?"
"I don't know!" sobbed Elizabeth. "Ow. Please… stop."
"Are any of my friends dead?"
"Just one. Agent Cane. He's… he's supposed to be dead."
Becky felt the rage inside of her ready to explode.
"I'm going to the White House. And when I do, I'm gonna kill all your people. So, before I go… is there anything or anyone that can kill me? Like one of your traps?"
"My mother… she wears yellow glasses. She has her hair in a bun. It's black. Please don't kill her. Please… just let her go… and never let her find out… what happened to me."
"That's not what I fucking asked."
Becky lunged the knife into her stomach and pulled it out. Elizabeth screamed before Becky wrapped her left hand around her throat. She stabbed Elizabeth in the stomach again, forcing the girl's teary eyes wide open. Elizabeth struggled to shove Becky away, but she sliced her palms and continued to stab her in the stomach over and over and over. Elizabeth shrieked loudly as Becky stabbed her rapidly again and again and again.
"Becky!" exclaimed Hana. "Stop!"
"No!" Becky whispered loudly. "No! No! NO!"
Elizabeth began to gurgle on her own blood as Becky continued to stab the gashes in her stomach. Hana dropped her sword and grabbed Becky's arms and pulled her back.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
"Stop!" yelled Hana. "Look at you!"
Becky dropped the knife and shoved Hana's arm away. She sighed as she looked at her red hands. Hana picked up her sword.
"Becky. Becky."
"I'm fine!"
Becky took a deep exhale.
"I'm fine. We have to go now. We gotta save our group."
"Your vocals. What happened?"
Becky opened the door the fire truck. The corpse of a fireman sat in the seat, with bullet wounds in his head. Becky coughed as she squeezed her nose, pulling the corpse out of the fire truck.
"That cannibal burned my throat. And it's voice. 'Vocals' makes it sound like I'm a singer."
Becky grabbed Damien's bomber jacket, the cannibal's beanie hat, and the fire axe. She climbed into the driver's seat of the fire truck and closed the door as she grabbed the keys. She then rolled down the windows.
"Hana, you're coming?" she asked.
Hana climbed inside the passenger's seat and looked at Becky. She nodded as she closed the door. Becky inserted the keys into the fire truck and started the engines. The beam of light shined across the bodies of Damien, Elizabeth, and the driver. Becky drove the fire truck ahead, crushing the bodies that lay in front of her. She then made a right turn, driving away from the fire station.
The branches rustled. The wind howled. The snow crunched.
"Look at you," said Sherry.
"Yes. Look at me. I did what you couldn't."
"Oh yeah? What's that? Die slowly?"
"Keep up that attitude," smiled George. "I gained Vonda's trust… and I didn't destroy it. I gained her love. You'll never know how that feels."
"She'll never love you as much as she loved Tim."
"That's fine by me. It's more than anything you ever got from her."
Sherry remained silent. George sighed.
"I beat you, Sherry."
The wind howled again. George blinked his eyes as he looked to his right.
"Here," he whispered.
David and Bobby placed him down on the snow and pulled him against a tree slowly. He looked directly ahead at the sunset. The last gleaming rays of light reflected against his bloodshot eyes. Vonda continued to hold his hands.
"Go," said George. "Just… leave."
"No," said Lori. "No one's going to leave you. We're all here with you."
"Looks… nice… right?"
Lori looked ahead at the sunset. The last gleaming rays of light reflected against her glistening eyes.
"Yeah..." said Lori softly, her voice trailing off.
"I love you, Vee," said George.
"I love you too, George," sniffled Vonda.
George continued to stare at the sunset. In the distance, his wife and his daughter were smiling at him. They waved their hands as they motioned him to follow them. He smiled back as the last gleaming rays of sunlight faded away from his eyes.
His last dying breath faded away.
Lori felt George's pulse and shook her head. Vonda broke down and sobbed as sniffles were heard among the group. David gulped as tears flowed down his cheeks, and his eyes eventually met Lori's. They walked up to each other and hugged each other.
"Don't worry," whispered Lori. "I'll take care of it."
Lori grabbed her Python and cocked it, as Vonda shook her head.
"Please, please don't," she sobbed.
"We have to go," said Lori.
Bobby grabbed Vonda's arms and held her back. Lori knelt down and aimed her Python at George's head. She gulped as she looked straight at him, her eyes refusing to blink. She then pressed the trigger.
The snow crunched again.
Jace looked back at Lafayette Park as the group crossed the street into the North Lawn.
"We're not gonna leave him there, right?" he asked.
"We'll come back for him," said David. "Don't worry. He'll get a proper burial."
Lori unlocked the gates with her keys and allowed the group to walk inside. They looked around and saw pockets of flames in random sections around the fence. Smoke clouded the lawn as the group were no longer able to see outside. The glares from the sniper rifles in the distance were gone. Smoke continued to puff in random directions as Lori's group triggered them.
"Carol?" asked Benny.
"Yeah," said Lori.
The group walked to the staircase at the entrance of the White House. They found a cannibal lying dead in front of the door with a pair of scissors stuck in his right eye.
"Carol again?" asked Luan.
Lori nodded.
"We made it," said Jace. "We're actually here. I don't know what Carol did, but she somehow ruined Calvin's plans."
"Good. If Carol's feeling generous, then she's gonna leave Calvin for me," said Lori. "We have to be very careful when entering. There could be traps… ambushes… flanks… we have to be prepared for anything. So, we all need to stick together and watch each other's backs."
Lori grabbed the handle of the door as she held her Python.
"We're not gonna leave any of the cannibals alive," she said. "Everyone's gonna die. If you find Calvin… leave him for me. I'll kill him myself."
The group grabbed their weapons and aimed at the door. Lori pulled the door handle.
"Let's go."
End Credit Song
Fourth of July - Sufjan Stevens
"Hey guys, this is Moon7055 again! Have any of you spotted the easter egg I've planted referencing a work of fiction much similar to The Last of Us? If you have, be sure to comment, and feel free to make any suggestions or criticisms on how to improve IOTD!
(Srsly, we need more comments!)
Later!"
- Moon
Agreed.
Hope everyone keeps themselves safe and remember— wash your hands for 20 seconds and stay inside!
- Mr. Potassium