A lamp on top of a drawer turned on, showing a radio sitting next to a picture of a balding Oscar, a younger Melissa, and a teenage boy. In front of that picture was another picture— this one being a picture of a smiling woman.

A man removed the tie off his shirt, revealing his bruised knuckles in the light of the lamp. He tossed it next to his badge attached to a lanyard. The badge showed his face— different from the bearded and beaten face he currently had— along with his job title and name. Oakland County District Attorney. Orlando Breckenridge.

He opened up the drawer and took out a small diamond ring from his pocket— which was covered in blood. He grabbed a towelette and wiped the blood off the ring before placing it inside the drawer with the rest of his late wife's belongings. He then heard static coming from the radio before a voice started speaking.

"This is Katherine Mulligan coming at you with breaking news in the Royal Woods Community. Oscar Breckenridge, leader of the Royal Woods Community, has been shot to death by one of his own bodyguards— Clancy Rhonda. He was fifty-six years old…"

Christopher Buchanan, leader of the RenCen in Detroit, looked over the horizon from where he stood seventy floors above the ground, seeing nothing but darkness except in two places. Huntington Oaks and Royal Woods. He sipped wine from his cup as he wondered why fireworks were going off earlier at Royal Woods. He slowly listened to the radio in the back.

"...caused havoc when he forced others to keep the entrance gate closed. However, thanks to the actions of twenty-year-old Lori Loud and her group, they were able to stop the roamers from killing Schoffner and the other captives…"

Nathan O'Connor, leader of Casino Windsor— located right across the Detroit River, was playing beer pong as his friends were all cheering him on. Bright lights and party music all distracted Nathan from hearing the radio by the bar.

"...showed evidence of wrongdoing on Oscar's part, thus incriminating him along with Calvin Reed, Beatrice Iddo Knight, Guillermo Velasco, Nora Marchioni, and Mitchell Frazier— also known as Moose— all murdered by members of Lori's group or by Lori herself…"

Miriam Adler, leader of the Queendom of Orchard Lake, looked over the pictures that her daughter took. Jane stood with her arms crossed as Miriam appeared disappointed at the low number of pictures taken. She then turned to her personal assistant, asking him to turn up the volume of the radio.

"...did not appear to deny any wrongdoing on his part— instead opting for an attempt to shoot and possibly kill Lori Loud. However, Mr. Rhonda reacted in time to save Lori by pulling out his own handgun and…"

April Bell, leader of the CHQ in Auburn Hills, whistled as she scrubbed her hair with shampoo. Steam from the shower fogged up the mirror while she continued to listen in to the radio.

"...Lori then ordered Mr. Rhonda to shoot Oscar once more, presumably to stop the latter from reanimating into a roamer. But people loyal to Oscar are claiming that it is an act of vengeance done to spite everyone close to him, including his widowed wife and his only son…"

Orlando's eyes grew wide. He looked at his hands, seeing them shaking as he sat down in his bed. He grabbed the bottle of liquor that sat on top of his drawer and poured it into a cup. Then, he chugged the cup as Katherine Mulligan continued to report the news.

"...in the growing unrest, it is unclear who will take over as the new leader of the community. But from the looks of it…"

Lori looked at Albert, who walked past the gate and inside the community. She then walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a warm hug. Albert smiled as he hugged her back. She closed her eyes and sniffled softly.

"...she has no plan to become Royal Woods' new leader."

Becky sighed as she tapped her foot on the floor. She whistled and looked around the school to pass the time. She then groaned and picked up her fire ax as she walked away from the school, now headed back to Royal Woods.

Chapter 36: Us

I - Her

The stars twinkled softly across the sky. Lana and Lily looked up at the stars from their windows before turning back to see if Benny was watching the stars with them. But he wasn't there. They then heard chattering downstairs, piquing their curiosity.

Hana walked out the front door before letting out a tear from her eyes. She stepped down the front stairs slowly before sitting down and lowering her head as she held something in her hands. It was a small dog tag with the kanji symbol for the word kimi.

Her eyes then glanced over the group of people that were walking along the street carrying Oscar's body inside a large blanket. They were headed for the church as groups of people were shouting and panicking in front of Schoffner and Ravi.

"You guys bury your criminals inside the walls?" asked Benny.

"It's what Melissa wants," said Patchy Drizzle. "Poor woman's going through a lot."

Benny sighed while he slowly stepped down the steps before taking a seat next to Hana, who glanced away from him as she wiped her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" asked Benny.

"Fine," said Hana before clearing her throat. "Not really. I feel bad. I miss Kimi."

"Yeah, I miss her too. She was so pure and innocent…"

"She remind me of home. I love her so much because she only one who understand me and has same memories as me. Now… only thing I have from Nihon is my katana."

Benny sympathized with Hana, giving her a look that expressed pity and guilt from his eyes. He then looked out onto the gate, seeing people wearing masks dragging the undead bodies away from the community to burn them. He rubbed his arms, feeling nervous.

Hana glanced sideways at him, studying his body language.

"Lori was… lying to me?" asked Hana.

"Huh?"

"Lori lied earlier. She say Kimi starve to death. But that really not what happened?"

"I don't—"

"Do not lie to me, Benny. What happen to Kimi? How she really die?"

Benny looked down and took a deep breath to ease the nerves he felt.

"Becky killed her," said Benny.

Hana's eyes widened as she looked away. She began to breathe heavily before punching the railing on the stairs. Benny flinched before she leaned close to him.

"Where is she?" she asked.

"You believe me?" asked Benny.

"Yes."

"I think the context is a little important though…"

Hana stood up, taking out her katana.

"Where is she?" she asked again.

"Royal Woods Elementary School. It should be half a mile southwest of the gate."

"Arigato."

Hana began to walk away as Benny stood up, following her briefly.

"What are you gonna do?" asked Benny.

"Get her to tell me the truth," said Hana. "If not… I kill her."

"What do you know about the truth?"

"She lost control. That what really happen, right? She enjoy killing my Kimi!"

Benny gulped as he recalled just how envious of Lori Becky sounded when she shot Kimi. And before that, Becky threatened to shoot Lynn, Ronnie Anne, and Lana as they were fighting. He's been cautious of her for multiple reasons. She was a loose cannon. He knew it from the look in her eyes when she aimed her pistol at her own group members. She genuinely wanted to kill them.

"Don't make her suffer," said Benny.

"I don't care," said Hana.

Hana stormed off, leaving Benny standing alone under a lamppost near the Loud residence.

—

A door opened followed by lights turning on inside the police station.

"Everything is just as I left it," said Ravi. "I know we don't really have a lot of evidence, but I think someone in Lori Loud's group may have been involved. I don't really know though. I thought maybe someone with more experience can figure something out."

Schoffner walked into Plesko's office before shuddering softly. Ravi gulped as he pulled out a pair of latex gloves and handed them to Schoffner. She grabbed the gloves, placed them on, and knelt close to Plesko's head, which was undead and biting. She then looked at the rest of the body, its paleness disturbing her.

"We know Lori Loud is capable of something like this but it can't be her… right?" wondered Ravi.

"Cut isn't the cleanest," said Schoffner, "but it was done in one swing. No way a knife could do something like this. A sturdy machete could, if someone really strong was holding it. No… a sword is likelier…"

"I see. You suspect Benny Stein and Luan Loud?"

"Not just them."

Schoffner thought about the blood stains that were on Becky's ax before she attacked Guillermo.

"An ax could do the job as well."

"I see. You suspect Rebecca Rhonda too. Well… how are we going to figure out which one of them did it? We bring them in for questioning?"

"Yeah…" said Schoffner as she patted Plesko's walkie-talkie holster, "...and we find out who took his two-way radio."

"All right. Should I talk to Melissa now?"

Schoffner grabbed a knife from her pocket.

"What for?" she scoffed. "Don't tell me you're going to ask for permission to investigate."

"That's what we gotta do, right?"

"She's in a fragile state right now. We can investigate on our own for now— we don't need her permission now."

"All right. And you're sure—"

Schoffner inserted the tip of the blade into Roamer Plesko's left eye, pushing it deep into its head until the roamer's mouth froze and its growls stopped. Ravi groaned softly before Schoffner stood up, wiping the knife with her latex gloves before taking them off.

"Let's go," said Schoffner.

—

Benny opened the door and entered the Loud residence, catching some eyes before the eyes turned away and focused back on Albert. He closed the door and tried to listen in to the conversation— which was now coming close to an end.

"...followed them all the way to DairyLand," said Albert. "Lynn's tracking skills were a big help. JuJu knowing the place was convenient as well."

Clancy walked inside the house, catching the group's attention. He then walked towards Tim.

"Entrance is clear," said Clancy. "How many do you plan on taking?"

"Four," said Tim.

"Actually… we're gonna stay," said Finn, the redheaded twin.

"You sure?"

"Cannibals are gone," said Quinn, the blonde twin. "Plus, Haley and Jace and my brother and I were thinking about it… and we might all get a house together. Al and Hana could live with us… we got really close y'know."

"All right. Just two, then."

"The small taxi car should be good enough," said Clancy, handing a pair of keys to Tim. "Good luck."

"Are you sure about driving around at night?" asked Lynn. "What if… the thing that happened yesterday happens again?"

"We stopped them," said Diana Harris. "Ain't nothing to worry 'bout anymore."

"I just want to see my sister as soon as possible," said Angel Bell.

"Since it's safe and all… then you don't mind if I come with you, right?" asked Vonda.

"Heh, all right. Let's go."

"Bye, kids," smiled Angel as she waved goodbye.

"Bye, Angel," said both twins simultaneously.

Tim, Vonda, Diana, and Angel walked out of the house. Albert then looked back at the group and continued his story while Lori looked at the shimmering candles in the kitchen. Clancy stayed as he looked around the house.

"...and then that's when we came back and saw… well, we all know what happened," said Albert.

"I'm not gonna apologize for what happened earlier," said Lori, now looking at her grandfather.

"And you shouldn't have to," said Albert.

Lori stared at Albert, caught a bit off-guard though she hid her surprised emotions. Albert then looked down at Lily, who was hiding behind Lincoln. Even though Lincoln looked messier— covered in blood and dirt— Lily used him as protection.

"You don't remember me, do you, Lily-bug?" asked Albert.

Lily shook her head as she continued to stare at him.

"That's Pop-Pops," said Lincoln. "Remember the stories we told you about him? That's him right there… your own grandpa… standing there… alive."

Luan wrapped her arms around Albert as she smiled brightly.

"Missed you so much, Pop-Pops," said Luan. "Now, Lily, why don't you say hi to him? He's family."

Lily slowly stepped forward and raised her hand softly as she waved hello.

"Hello," she said shyly.

"Hello, Lily. You got big! And you can walk now! And talk!"

"Yeah."

Albert smiled once more before looking up at Lincoln.

"Linc… you alright?" he asked.

Lincoln gulped as his breath shuddered softly.

"So, about Mom…" said Lori, stepping in front of Lincoln.

"I know," said Albert. "Jace told me a while ago. It pains me that we all can't reunite. But honestly, kids… I should be asking you kids how you're all holding up."

"I mean… the rest of us are still here. It's not all of us, but hey…" said Luna, "...better than none of us."

"It's better now that you're here," said Lori. "Anyways, it's not that big of a deal anymore… I mean, we're all okay now. I just didn't want you to think we dealt with their deaths by ignoring them, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Man… you kids are tough," chuckled Albert, wiping away a tear.

The door to the house then opened abruptly followed by Officers Schoffner and Ravi storming the house.

"Sorry to interrupt your not-so-peaceful night, but we're looking for three of your people— we see two of them here," said Schoffner.

"I'm a little concerned about the lack of rights this place seems to demonstrate, Officer Schoffner," said Albert.

"Well, I would say you can take it up to my superiors, but both Oscar and Detective Plesko have been murdered so… good luck filing a complaint, Albert."

Ravi began to walk towards Luan and Benny, signaling them to come over to him.

"Wait, Plesko's dead?" asked Carol.

"Yeah," said Schoffner. "Looks like someone came and tried to defend your honor. Decapitation— that's what we're looking at and the three main suspects are Benny Stein, Luan Loud, and Rebecca Rhonda."

As Ravi patted down Benny, he shook his head.

"He doesn't have it," he said.

Ravi then walked over to Luan as she backed away cautiously.

"Wait… heh, why would you think I killed that guy?" nervously asked Luan.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," said Schoffner. "You may not have a motive like Rebecca, but you three are the only people with access to a weapon that can decapitate in one swing. Doesn't mean the rest of you are not guilty, but hey, we don't got the evidence to check all of you."

"She doesn't have it either," said Ravi after patting down Luan. "Where's Rebecca?"

"Are you talking about Becky? I don't know."

"You look nervous," said Schoffner. "Ravi, look around the house."

"Stop," said Lori. "She's not here."

"Carol Pingrey, how did you and Rebecca find Guillermo and I? Surely you two weren't wandering outside the walls after curfew for no reason, right?"

"Sounds like you already believe she killed Plesko," said Carol.

"Sounds like you believe it too. Where is she?"

"Not in here. She never came back with us."

"Ravi, we're going to the elementary school."

"Wait, hold on," said Clancy.

"Clancy, if your daughter tries to shoot back, we'll have no choice but to gun her down," said Schoffner.

"No, wait— I killed Plesko. It was me."

Schoffner stopped in her tracks. She turned around and faced Clancy, who raised his hands up.

"That's gotta be a false confession, right?" asked Ravi. "He's clearly covering for his daughter."

"Maybe. But if he wants to confess, let him confess. We'll arrest him and keep him in jail until his daughter comes back. Then, we'll get the real confession out of her."

Ravi placed his handcuffs on Clancy's hands and walked him out of the house as the group members all watched the officers glance around the house as they were leaving. Schoffner then held the doorknob and looked at Lori.

"Don't try to hide her," said Schoffner. "That's a crime too."

Schoffner closed the door, leaving behind a tense atmosphere for the group to deal with.

"Nice cops," said Haley. "I have a feeling it's gonna be hard to catch us up with whatever the hell you guys went through."

"Did I hear her right?" asked Jace from the dark kitchen while munching on his sandwich. "Becky killed a cop? Why would she think that?"

"Because she did," whispered Carol. "Plesko is not someone we want around though."

"I can't tell what's going on," said Finn. "I think I wanna go to sleep now."

"For once, I agree with him," said Quinn.

"Allow me to clear things up then," said Becky in a low voice, surprising everyone as she walked downstairs. "Hey, everyone. To all the new ones… I'm Becky."

"How'd you get in?" asked Lori.

"Fire escape. The one by the—"

Becky looked at the kitchen table and noticed someone eating her mother's sandwich. She smiled softly as she walked over to the table and hugged Jace. Finn looked at Quinn, who looked back at him all confused and suspicious.

"I didn't think you missed me that much," chuckled Jace.

"Did you?" asked Becky, bracing herself for Jace's response.

"I mean… I did. Of course. I missed all of you."

Becky clenched her jaw as she released Jace from her arms. She looked at the candles in the table and took a deep breath.

"How much of the conversation did you hear?" asked Lori.

"Enough to know that they arrested my dad for something I did," said Becky. "Pretty twisted of them."

"Then you know enough to know that you can't stay here."

"On the contrary, Lori… I can help take over. You killed Oscar, right? Let's keep it going. Let's take over the damn place and free my dad. Nothing Schoffner can do if we're the ones telling them what to do."

Albert raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I promise to handle things, but not like this," said Lori. "Melissa's still reeling from what happened. The people holding our guns? They still got them."

"We can off Schoffner," said Becky. "She's dangerous too."

"No! We're not going to kill anyone else! We need to give these people a chance!"

Becky felt her heart sink. She gulped as Carol placed her hand on Lori's shoulder, calming her down.

"Then… what am I supposed to do?" asked Becky. "Where do I go?"

"You can hand yourself over to the police," said Carol. "They're not gonna hurt you. And you're not gonna stay there for a long time. It'll just be for a few hours, maybe even a few days… as long as we explain everything. Your dad won't have to be in jail either."

"Schoffner doesn't plan on releasing my dad. Your way of thinking… it's like the past three years didn't change anything. Have you all already forgotten what this world is like?"

"No, Becky… I think it's you who forgot what it's like to be a part of a community."

Becky grew angry. Lori could see it in her eyes. And so could Albert.

"You need to leave…" said Albert. "I know a place you can go. My group and I camped out close at—"

"No, just— I don't need to know. I'm going back to the school," said Becky as she began to walk into the kitchen, headed for the back door.

"I'm not gonna break our promise," said Lori. "I just want you to be patient."

Becky looked back and nodded.

"There's an opening in the northeast wall. You can walk through it. If you ever need to leave quietly, you can go through there."

She then looked over at Jace before walking out of the house. Jace stood up and walked out of the house as well.

Lori looked outside as JuJu tapped on her arm.

"Yo, I know what wall she's talkin' 'bout," he said.

"We don't need to go through a wall to escape this place," whispered Lori. "There's another way."

Lori then looked over at the back door, wondering what Jace needed to tell Becky. Haley fiddled with her fingers, wondering as well.

On the other side of the door, outside the house, Jace grabbed Becky's shoulder. She turned around, feeling irritated upon the sudden touching.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry about my lack of enthusiasm back there," said Jace. "Look, I really do care about you… I remember all the times we played darts together and the times you forced me to watch those zombie flicks to help me get over my fear of the roamers. It's just that… I knew you were alive. I guess it must've flown past my head that you all saw me… die."

"I really didn't think I would ever see you again," said Becky.

"I'm sorry."

Jace wrapped his arms around Becky's shoulders and gave her a comforting hug as Finn and Quinn looked out from the kitchen windows.

"You must be really jealous right now, nerd," said Quinn.

"Jealous of a straight guy?" scoffed Finn before turning red. "Oh, come on, you can't tell me you're not jealous either. I've seen how you look at him too, you dork."

"It's not like that!" blushed Quinn. "You're just jealous he's not into guys like you are! Not like he would be into nerdy guys like you! He's definitely into badass girls like her… even though she creeps me out a bit."

"Whatever."

Jace let Becky go and noticed that she was trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

"Can you talk to me for a few minutes?" asked Becky.

"Uh, sure thing," said Jace.

"What happened in D.C.? I mean… how are you alive?"

"Is that really what you want to talk about?"

"I want to know how you dealt with surviving on your own."

"I see. Well… I wasn't exactly alone. After the bomb went off…"

The stars twinkled in the sky as Jace and Becky sat on the stairs by the back entrance. Lori walked to the kitchen, spooking Finn and Quinn though she said nothing to them. She simply walked up to the candles and blew into them, almost putting them out though one lingering ember fought on. As Lori walked away, the ember lit up the candle again, continuing to burn through the wax.