And here is your late Christmas gift! Enjoy!
Saliva dripped from a roamer's lip as it blindly moved around the streets, using its sense of smell and hearing to get around. Its eye sockets looked deep, with no trace of golden eyes to give it sight.
Next to it was a roamer with ears that seemed to be torn off. It followed the herd around it using its golden eyes and rotten nose.
Behind it was a roamer with a missing nose, seemingly from a gunshot wound. However, its golden eyes and rotten ears were perfectly intact.
In front of the roamers was a person with green irises, a short nose, and ears with diamond earrings on them. She walked slowly among the dead as the rotten blood on her face and every other part of her skin continued to release a putrid odor.
Becky looked to her right with her green eyes and noticed the large amount of roamers following her. As she continued to walk forward into the intersection while facing right, she noticed two figures in a parallel street running around with flashlights. One of the figures was Lynn with a red dress and hiking boots on while the other was JuJu, having a button shirt and sneakers on. They glanced towards Becky's direction before continuing to move ahead.
Becky squinted her eyes in confusion as she continued to walk along the fences of Ketcham Park with the growing group behind her, attracting more roamers from the town.
A gunshot went off in the direction of the Royal Woods Safe-Zone. Becky looked back as she saw the roamers turning around. She gasped softly before hearing multiple noises in the opposite direction, though more muffled, almost like rapid thunder miles away. Now, the roamers began to follow that sound, passing by Becky as she stood still, feeling as if imminent danger was approaching.
Chapter 35: Who We Were
I - Buzzkill
-November 24, 2016-
-Day 177-
Lynn Sr. grabbed a soapy sponge and began to wash the bowls in the sink. Lincoln walked into the kitchen, holding a half-eaten bowl of food.
"Hey, Dad…" said Lincoln.
"What's up, son? Enjoyed the moose?"
"Yeah, but I got full. Think I can save this?"
Lynn Sr. turned around and looked at the bowl of food that Lincoln held. He pouted.
"You didn't enjoy the food, did you?"
"I did," said Lincoln. "I'm surprised I even like moose, but… I just can't eat more. I know the whole Thanksgiving dinner was my idea, but… well, you know— I can't eat more."
"Heh, you're not alone. Lori… she didn't eat that much either. Although, I think the reasons may differ for the loss of appetite between the two of you."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm worried about her. She seems… distant all the time. I'm not the only one who sees it, right?"
"She went through a lot. We all did— even you, Dad."
"I know, I know, but… the reason I'm worried for her is because no matter what… the burden's gonna be on her. She's the oldest out of all of you and your sisters. Naturally, she feels responsible for protecting all of you. That trait… makes her a great leader, and a leader takes all the burden. Y'know… heavy is the head that wears the crown."
"I thought the same. But she seems to handle it well. It's been a while since we all ate together, maybe she just needs some time to adjust to our normal life."
"Maybe…. I mean, Houlton is a very good place. Compared to what I've heard happens out there… she should be worry-free. But that mind of her never stops worrying, right?"
"I guess not."
"You're a very smart boy, son. Making plans on the whim, I heard how often you saved your group. You also want to help others and no matter what people tell you, you're gonna do it. It's who you are. A good person. That's why I want you to be there for your sister as much as she is there for you. Help her out when she's having trouble. Guide her whenever you can. Make sure the burden isn't all on her."
"I know, Dad. I will never leave her side. She's family."
Lynn Sr. smiled. He then signaled Lincoln to hand over his bowl.
-June 4, 2019-
-DAY 1098-
-PRESENT DAY-
Lincoln repeated the conversation in his head as he kept running forward.
"I know, Dad."
He passed people that were running in the opposite direction. Then, he came to a stop as he watched the scene unfold before him.
"I will never leave her side."
Fear began to engulf him.
"She's... family."
Lincoln gasped as he saw the front window shatter.
"Lori!" yelled out Bobby.
"Guys, stop!" exclaimed Clancy.
"Detective Plesko!" screamed Ravi.
Lori and Calvin both rolled down the front stairs and into the front yard. Lori wrapped her arms around Calvin's neck before getting her mouth elbowed by the cannibal, causing her to bite her tongue. She groaned and let go of Calvin as he groaned, struggling to pick himself up. His nose and hands bled as he tried his hardest to not stumble. He looked around, seeing Beatrice holding Bobby back as he tried to help Lori out. He then looked at Carol, who was holding Will's hand. He looked down at the ground, trying to locate the knife before being stabbed in the foot. He screamed and dropped to his knees.
Lori went on her knees, kneeling behind Calvin, and placed the blade of the dagger knife against Calvin's neck as Officer Ravi and Detective Plesko raised their guns.
"Put the knife down!" screamed Plesko.
Lori's face bled as one of her eye sockets was severely bruised. Blood dripped from her nose, lips, and hair. Her arms and legs were scraped while cuts showed up all over her hands.
"You'll never hurt my family ever again," Lori told Calvin.
"Listen to the officers!" exclaimed Clancy. "They will shoot!"
"They will not!" exclaimed Melissa. "Everyone is getting out of this situation alive."
"Except him and his friends," said Lori.
"Lori…"
"Why can't any of you see it? Calvin and his people are dangerous! They're going around kidnapping people and murdering them! Their victims are your family! Your friends! Your neighbors! Just in case you don't have a clear enough picture in your head, picture this: people you love… locked up in a barn… until they're butchered and eaten. Is that what you want? You want dangerous people running inside the walls, slaughtering the people that you… love? Is that what you want? You people are weak."
Calvin groaned as blood dripped from his palms.
"We don't execute," stated Melissa. "We help those who want to be helped. Starting with you."
"These people are like your father! Putting on a facade to hide the real monster inside them! They can't be helped! You've all been cramped up inside the walls for so long that you can't even tell the difference between someone who protects their family and someone who goes out of their way to kill other families! But… but you want to help me? You and everyone in this damn place is blind!"
"These officers are gonna shoot you if you kill Calvin. Is that what you want?"
"No. But don't worry," smiled Lori. "That's not gonna happen. Because if it does, my group will take over the place and they will be the ones that will get to choose who will live here and who won't. None of you will be in charge and those officers are gonna be dead."
"Is that a threat?" hissed Plesko.
"It's a warning," said Lori, now pointing her knife towards him. "You'll all be dead if you don't get your acts together. Every single one of you! And it's all because—!"
A loud gunshot caused the people inside the community to freeze. Those who were around Oscar's house were all in shock as Calvin was released from Lori's arm. He looked at the falling dagger, clinking as it hit the concrete sidewalk.
Lori's eyes were wide open as she let out a pained gasp. Blood dripped from her back shoulder and through the hole in her dress. She then fell to the ground, her face slamming the sidewalk as smoke lingered in front of the barrel of a pistol that Oscar held in his hand. He lowered his gun and placed it back into his holster.
"Lori…" whispered Carol.
Lana looked out the broken window, seeing her eldest sister lying face-down on the ground. She tried to reach for a hand to grab for comfort, but upon turning around, saw that Simon was gone.
Beatrice looked at Calvin with a worrying expression. She looked at how helpless he seemed on the ground as he tried to pick himself up. Meanwhile, Nora enjoyed what she was witnessing. She tried her best to hide her smile as she looked around the crowd.
"Oh my god…" gasped Whitney as she and Roger ran to the front.
"Damn…" muttered Fiona.
Lincoln looked down at Lori while feeling his heart sink down to his upset stomach as he felt a cauldron of ire brewing inside him. He clenched his fists very tightly as feelings of guilt and anger mixed together. He looked at Oscar, breathing heavily before taking a step forward. Suddenly, he saw someone running up to Oscar.
Oscar turned to his left before being punched in the face. To his surprise, it was Bobby that landed a strong punch on him, and to his bigger surprise, he kept on going. He stumbled down on the ground and was punched over and over.
"Stop!" yelled Melissa.
"Bobby!" exclaimed Carol.
Officer Ravi ran towards Bobby before grabbing him from behind. He held him back as Oscar quickly stood himself up, rubbing his jaw. Oscar then punched Bobby in the face, before Clancy held him back.
"Relent!" yelled Melissa. "You two need to stop so that Maria can treat Lori and Calvin."
Stella and Chandler came running with a stretcher each. The crowd made way for them as Maria ran towards Lori.
"Becca, help me get Lori on the stretcher," said Maria. "Stanley and Clancy, get Calvin on the other stretcher."
Syd's mother rushed in to help Maria while Syd's father and Clancy ran over to Calvin to help him lie down on the other stretcher.
"What's gonna happen to them?" asked Beatrice.
"Lori will be exiled," hissed Oscar, "along with her husband. And for all their group members— guns gone!"
Oscar then opened his front door and closed it, passing by his broken front window. The concert music has long died down as some confused partygoers gathered near Oscar's house, wondering what was going on.
"There's nothing to see here!" shouted Melissa. "Go home! Party is over!"
Miriam took a sip of her wine as Chris placed his hands inside his pockets, staring at the glass shards on the floor. Oscar then approached the two of them as he leaned his arm forward to pat Miriam in the back.
"Sorry you two had to see that," said Oscar.
"Easy there," said one of Miriam's bodyguards. "No touching the Queen."
"Of course."
Oscar then walked away as Miriam lowered her eyebrows out of irritation. She then looked at Chris, who began to walk away. Miriam nodded at her bodyguards before they walked out of the house.
The headlights from the red Honda Civic Coupe lit up the road in front of it as it drove along the cluttered highway. Luna leaned her head against the window, seeing the trees outside of the highway pass slowly.
"Can't you drive faster?" asked Luna.
"Not with all these cars scattered around the highway," said Tim. "Do me a quick favor and check the glove department for me."
Luna opened up the glove department, finding two FN-57s. Tim took a quick glance at the pistols.
"Check their mags."
Luna released the magazines from the pistol before turning on the interior lights in the car. She saw cartridges inside the magazines.
"Yeah, they're full."
"Good. You may have to take one but don't tell Oscar any of this. This isn't a mission he approved of and you're not supposed to carry a gun."
"Don't worry, I never planned telling that knobhead anything."
"Good."
As Luna placed the magazines back into the pistols, Tim initiated a conversation to kill the awkward atmosphere.
"If you don't mind me asking, how close are you with that girl, Ronnie Anne?"
"We survived together for three years. Hardly a day went by when I didn't see her. Why?"
"Eh, just wondering. So, you know what she dislikes— what bothers her?"
"I guess. My lil' brother Lincoln would know more about that. After all, they're boyfriend and girlfriend."
"I see."
"You and Ronnie Anne aren't getting along well?"
"You could say that… she caught her mother and I together."
"I could see why that would be weird."
"Thing is, my girl, Vonda— she's completely fine with what I got going on with Maria. Hell, she seems a bit enthusiastic about her. I'm just wondering why I'm not getting the same treatment."
"It's simple. Ronnie Anne had a loving dad in her life. Vonda didn't have a loving mother in her life. This is just me throwing a guess out there but maybe… Vonda wants a motherly figure in her life. And Ronnie Anne doesn't want a fatherly one."
"Oh. That makes sense. I had no idea Vonda wanted something like that."
"I mean, it's just a guess, but it's not hard to see why. No offense, but your ex sucked as a mom… and as a person. Can't exactly picture you reciting your wedding vows to a woman like her."
"She wasn't always like the way she was when your people fought her. She was kinder… more caring. She was…"
Luna looked at Tim, wondering why his voice trailed off. She saw him staring straight ahead as he turned off the headlights and slowly pressed the brakes.
"What is it?" asked Luna.
"There's a group of roamers blocking the highway. I don't know if they saw the headlights."
"We can turn around, right?"
"And take the long way. We don't have the gas for that."
"We can wait for the roamers to pass."
"We can drive back to the walls. We could get more gas and then try the longer way."
"Sounds like a plan."
"It'll be safer for you to stay inside the walls. It's way too dark out here."
"I don't want to wait. If I do nothing and wait, I'll suffer. I want to see Sam."
"Alright."
Tim placed his hands on the gear stick and put the car in reverse. He began to drive backwards as he spun the wheel slowly.
Suddenly, a loud cracking noise followed by a car window shattering caused both Tim and Luna to flinch. Then, more gunshot noises followed.
"Get down!" yelled Tim.
Luna ducked as the bullets flew by the car. She then felt the car tilt downwards as a front wheel popped loudly. Tim covered his ears as he ducked under the steering wheel, keeping his head away from the windows as a few stray bullets continued to fly by the car.
A group of roamers approached the car from the front, attracted to the sound of glass breaking. Luna groaned softly from straining her wounded leg. Tim heard the sound of the roamers growling and began to sweat intensely. He looked at Luna in the eyes and placed a finger in his lips, signaling her to stay quiet. Sweat dripped from Luna's face as she nodded softly before her eyes moved upwards. She saw glowing eyes staring into the car. She stayed as still as possible, though the roamer now began to lower itself so that it could crawl into the car.
More gunshots then popped off in the air, though the stray bullets were now flying elsewhere. The roamer turned away from the car and began to walk towards the source of the noise, along with the rest of the undead group.
After a few seconds, Tim let out a slow sigh.
"Are they gone?" he whispered.
"Yeah," sighed Luna.
The car doors opened, causing a few more glass shards to fall down to the ground. Luna stumbled out of the car while grabbing her crutches. Tim walked around the car and reached into his glove department, grabbing his two pistols.
"We need to go back," said Tim.
"We need to find shelter," said Luna. "As much as I hate to say it, we have to get inside first. There's no telling how many roamers heard that. Then… we look for Sam."
"You still want to look for Sam? We have to warn the people back home."
"Warn them of what?"
"That sounded like a heavily armed group."
"Then, go back. I'm gonna keep moving forward. Sam is still out there."
Tim watched Luna limp ahead on the highway. He shook his head and groaned as he followed her.
"Damn it, Luna," he muttered. "Damn it."
-Next Morning-
Water dripped from a faucet into the sink. The curtains moved slowly as an air conditioner could be heard humming in the room. Sunlight lit up the room.
Lori's eyes blinked open as her pupils contracted at the sight of sunlight. Bandage strips covered her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, her arms, and her hands. A large bandage wrapped around her right shoulder.
She groaned softly as she moved her face away from the sunlight. She lifted her right arm and groaned more loudly as she felt a heavy pain in her right shoulder blade. She lifted her left hand to rub her back, but grunted upon feeling it being pulled back. She looked at her left hand and found it handcuffed to the side of the bed that she was lying on.
Her eyes shifted to the seat next to the bed where she saw Bobby sleeping with his arms crossed. She saw the bandages wrapped around his knuckles before feeling her head pounding against itself.
"Good morning, Lori," said Maria in a low voice, catching Lori by surprise. "How was your sleep?"
As Lori tried to muster the strength to speak, she saw Maria placing her hands on Bobby's shoulders, giving him a light shake to wake him up.
"What— where am I?"
"You're in the infirmary," answered Maria as Bobby woke up. "You remember what happened last night, right?"
"I… I almost killed him. Then, Oscar's people tried to stop me. I don't remember what happened after that."
"Thank goodness you're all right," sighed Bobby, leaning towards Lori to give her a kiss.
"What happened to me?"
"Babe… you got shot by Oscar."
"Oh… what happened to you?"
"He punched that old man," said Maria. "Like the good husband he is."
"Thought you didn't like violence," said Bobby with a chuckle.
"Oscar deserved it. Violence is the only thing he listens to. He's completely ignorant to what goes on beyond the walls. Tim and I know what Calvin and his friends are. Monsters."
The door to the infirmary house opened and Melissa entered. Maria walked over to the door and closed it as Melissa entered the living room where Lori was held.
"Good morning, Lori. How are you feeling?"
"I've had better days."
"How's the shoulder?"
Lori lifted her right arm, causing her to groan out in pain before lowering it.
"Hurts a lot," said Lori. "If you're here to get me to apologize, then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I'm not sorry about the things I said."
"I didn't come to hear an apology," said Melissa, her voice sounding less polite than usual. "I just wanted to inform you that Oscar has come to a decision. You're going to be exiled soon."
Lori lowered her head in defeat.
"What about my son?" asked Maria.
"Do not worry, Maria. I was able to convince my husband to let your son stay."
"Woah, woah, I'm not going to stay here without Lori," said Bobby. "If she's leaving then I'm leaving too."
"Bobby…" whispered Maria.
"It's okay, Bobby," said Lori.
"No, it isn't. I don't want you to be out there by yourself. I'm always going to be there for you."
"Your mother and your sister need you here. I can handle myself out there."
"I don't want you to be alone."
Lori gulped before turning to Melissa, who was talking with Maria.
"How's Calvin's condition?"
"He's fine," said Maria. "A lot of cuts in his face and hands, but other than that, he's perfectly fine. No concussions, no signs of internal bleeding, nothing."
"What's gonna happen with Calvin?" asked Lori.
"What do you mean?" asked Melissa.
"Is he going to be exiled too?"
"Lori… you should have heard yourself yesterday. You promised me that you were going to be patient. You broke that promise. Not only that, I was not able to find any evidence that Calvin and his friends interfered with the food. You need help, Lori, and I wanted to help you, but you couldn't keep yourself calm."
"Is… is he a free man then?"
"You're not listening, right?"
"I heard."
"Hearing me talk is not the same as listening to me talk. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
Lori remained silent. She then saw the door open again and rolled her eyes.
Oscar closed the door before walking into the living room with Plesko. He looked down at Lori, who glared at him intensely.
"Starting the morning off with a nasty look, aren't you?" said Oscar.
"I'm not going to miss you at all," said Lori.
"So you know. Do you know your charges?"
"Telling the truth?"
"Incorrect. Detective Plesko, mind relaying the charges to her?
"Lori has been charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, multiple counts of terroristic threat…"
Lori scoffed as she rolled her eyes.
"...multiple counts of property damage, one count of illegal possession of a weapon, one count of resisting arrest, and for disturbing the peace."
"Thank you, Detective Plesko. Lori Loud, all those charges combined means you will be exiled from the Safe-Zone forever. You will also not be allowed to join any of the other five recognized communities, including the Huntington Oaks Safe-Zone—"
"Yeah, I got it," said Lori. "Banned forever."
"Mr. Santiago, I apologize for shooting your wife and for hitting you. I decided not to exile you on the basis that your reaction was perfectly reasonable in the heat of the moment. In other words, I forgive you for hitting me. That being said, don't do it again."
"I'm leaving with her," said Bobby.
"No, you're not," said Lori. "You're staying behind the walls."
"Listen to your wife," said Oscar. "Stay behind the walls. Don't punish yourself."
Footsteps could be heard coming downstairs. Lori clenched her jaw as she learned who it was.
"How are you doing, Cal?" asked Oscar as he opened the front door, getting ready to leave.
"Just fine, thanks for asking," said Calvin.
Melissa and Plesko followed them out the house. Maria grabbed her medical bag and began to follow them out of the infirmary.
"Woah, where are you going?" asked Bobby.
"Sorry, Bobby. I have to run some tests on Calvin. Clearly, he does not want to stay so… I got to run!"
Maria closed the door, leaving Bobby and Lori alone. Bobby grabbed Lori's handcuffed hand.
"I'm not leaving you," said Bobby. "Let me stick by your side for a couple weeks at least."
"Okay," said Lori. "We'll leave together at night then."
Bobby nodded before planting a kiss on Lori's hand. She looked at the ring on her finger as she began to speak again.
"Before we leave… can you keep an eye out for Calvin? He can't be up to any good."
"Okay. I can do that."
"Hurry."
"Right! I gotta go now then. Catch up to him, you know."
"Yeah. Thanks, love you!"
Bobby ran out the house, closing the door behind him. Now, Lori was all alone in the house. She took a deep breath as she was now concentrating on making a plan to somehow escape her seemingly inescapable situation. However, her ears picked up on a noise by the window next to her that disrupted her concentration. Then, she heard the window open, causing her to gasp in surprise as she saw Simon leap into the infirmary.
"God! W-Wha— where did you—?"
Simon looked straight at Lori, his mouth not budging.
"Ugh, I forgot," said Lori. "You could pick things open. You picked that window open, right?"
"Where's Sam?" asked Simon.
"She's not back yet?"
"Back from what?"
"The supply-run! When was the last time you saw her?"
"Yesterday morning."
"Oh my god… what about Luna and Tim?"
"I don't know. I don't pay attention to them."
"Paying attention isn't your strong suit, right?"
"You're making fun of me?"
"If you're not gonna pick my handcuffs open, why are you here?"
Lori noticed a stack of papers inside of Simon's pockets. He was close enough that she could try and grab it but her right arm felt sore.
"I just wanted to know where Sam is," said Simon. "Where did she go?"
"DairyLand. Went to get some party supplies or something. If she's not back, then that means something bad happened to her."
"How bad?"
"Bad enough… that…"
As Simon paid close attention to Lori's eyes, she quickly leaned her right arm to his pocket before making a rapid attempt at swiping the papers. Simon gasped and tried to back away, but Lori was able to grab one sheet from the stack.
"Hey, give that back!"
Lori quickly read through the paper as Simon tried to take it away. She leaned to her left and away from Simon as he leaped into the bed, trying to reach for the paper. He then started hitting her right arm, causing her to yelp in pain.
"Ow! Ow, stop it! Stop it! Fine, take it back!"
Lori dropped the paper onto the ground, to which Simon went after.
"Where did you get that paper?" asked Lori.
"I knew I couldn't trust you," said Simon.
"You were never gonna show me that, you know that. You wanted to show Sam first, but news flash, Simon! She's not here! And she won't be here unless we help her out! But we can't help her out if you keep everything you have a secret!"
"What's happening to Sam?"
"If she's been kidnapped by the cannibals, then nightmarish things are happening to her. She might not even be alive and nobody's gonna do a damn thing about it because no one trusts me."
"You're not an easy person to trust."
"Like you're one to talk. Tell me where you found the paper."
"Inside Oscar's safe in his room."
Lori chuckled.
"Those names… Calvin uttered them yesterday… said those are the people he killed."
Simon's eyes widened as he took out a sheet of paper with the coordinates on it.
"I have a paper in here with numbers— coordinates, I think," he said as he handed the sheet to Lori. "I don't know where those coordinates are though."
"I do," said Lori. "But just to confirm it, think you can look for a map of Royal Woods with coordinates on them or something? Look around the Farmlands."
Simon took out another sheet, revealing it to be a map with a circle around the Farmlands.
"So that's what it is?" he asked.
Lori nodded.
"Unlock my handcuffs."
"On one condition," said Simon. "I come with you."
"Do you know how to sneak out?" she asked.
"Yeah. I saw your brother use the sewers."
"Okay. I need you to do a favor for me before we go. I'm going to get a camera. I want you to take a picture of the most important things you find. Oscar and Calvin cannot get away with this."
Simon nodded and grabbed his multitool, walking to the other side of the bed to pick Lori's handcuffs open. Upon hearing a click, Lori let out a breath of relief and got up.