III - The Cop and the DA

A flock of geese flapped over the metallic sheets used as walls— exactly like those of Royal Woods— in Huntington Manor. However, unlike Royal Woods, the walls were placed in front of the metallic fences that surrounded the gated community— which served as an extra layer of defense. One of the geese from the flock dove down to the roof of the city hall building of Huntington Oaks. Unlike Royal Woods, the city hall building wasn't in the middle of the community— it was close to the main gates. The goose then went to fly back and join the rest of the flock before falling down to the ground. The goose stared out lifelessly as a large bite mark could be seen in its neck.

A police car arrived at the gates, prompting the guards to open it. The police car then drove inside the community and pulled over next to the sidewalk in front of City Hall.

Schoffner stepped out of the car. She wore shades and a leather jacket over her police vest.

Standing in front of the city hall building was Orlando, who was clicking on a pen in his hands. After seeing Schoffner walk towards the building, he walked inside.

He pulled out a seat from a table inside the cafeteria. Schoffner thanked him as she took a seat while Orlando grabbed a seat of his own.

"Chicken teriyaki," said Orlando. "With white rice."

"Looks good," said Schoffner, removing her shades, revealing her tired eyes.

"You sleeping good?"

Schoffner shook her head as she picked up her fork and placed some food into her mouth. Orlando took a sip from his cup of orange juice.

"I'm having trouble sleeping," said Schoffner. "I was able to manage it for a bit, but for the past few weeks… I don't know. It's starting to feel just like the days after… y'know— that day."

"Election's coming up… who wouldn't be nervous?"

"I guess."

"How confident are you that my mother will win?"

"I don't think it matters. We're launching a coup… no matter who wins… isn't that right?"

"It matters, though. If my mother wins, things will go more smoothly. She will not agree with it, but she's not the type of person to fight back. However, Loud…? If she wins… it could get violent. She's emotional— someone like her would resist… hard."

"I have nothing but bad news for you then."

"Think Loud will win?"

Schoffner nodded before drinking her orange juice.

"It's a real possibility," said Schoffner. "It's the likelier one."

"Damn. You're gonna need more cops present when the winner's announced."

"I can't train these guys any faster than I can right now. And don't even get me started on recruiting…"

"Don't worry… I'm not talking about training faster. I'm talking about sending some of my cops to Royal Woods. Well… only if you can handle such a huge responsibility."

"How many cops are we talking about?"

"A couple dozen."

"Christ."

Orlando wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

"You can handle it, correct?" he said.

"Y-Yeah, of course."

"They give you any trouble— contact me."

"Okay. T-Thank you. Honestly, thank you, I won't disappoint."

"I'm sure you won't."

Schoffner looked around the cafeteria, seeing all the armed cops eating their lunch. She felt her heart racing, but not out of fear. Her heart pumped out of excitement and nervousness.

Lori walked through the metal detector, leaving behind her keys, her Python, her Glock 17, a knife. The only thing she carried with her was a walkie-talkie. She nodded at a police officer as she passed by Plesko's office. The door to the jail cells creaked loudly as it opened, allowing Lori to walk across the hallway with the cells next to her. Only one cell mattered to her at the moment.

Lori stood in front of a cell with no one around her. The only person in front of her was Clancy Rhonda. He was lying in bed, holding a book up. He continued to read the last few pages of the book as Lori stared at his unshaved face and his red man-bun.

"Just give me a few," said Clancy. "I'm about to finish this book."

"I'm really busy right now," said Lori.

"I see. Election's right around the corner. Who wouldn't be busy at this time?"

"I have something for you, but as soon as you see it, you have to take it and hide it under your pillow or something."

"Oh, I'm not looking to get into more trouble."

"Becky's back," whispered Lori. "I have a walkie-talkie on me and you have to take it. It's the only way you can talk to her."

Clancy looked up at Lori with a surprised face. He placed the book down, stood up, and walked over to the bars. Lori removed the walkie-talkie from her belt, quickly handing it over to Clancy, who took it and walked back to his bottom bunk bed. He hid it under the pillow.

"She still on the run?" asked Clancy.

"Yeah," answered Lori. "Keep the volume low on that thing."

"Sure. Just, umm… one thing. How's she doing? Is she okay…?"

"Yeah. Same as before."

"That's good. Though there is another thing I've been wondering— considering she's on the run and all… if you win the election, will you pardon her?"

"I'll pardon both you and her. Your five months of hell will be over."

"Thank you, Lori."

Lori nodded. She then walked away from the cell, wondering what she was really in a rush for. She opened the creaky door and closed it after exiting the jail area. She then grabbed her keys, her Python, her Glock, and her knife. She walked out of the police station without a walkie-talkie on her.

A crow pecked on a roamer carcass in the ground, chewing on its decaying skin. It then flew away as a police car drove along the wide road. Many of the abandoned cars in the road were placed along the side of the road, acting as guardrails to prevent roamers from entering the road.

"Extra security," chuckled Schoffner. "Just how much security does a small election require?"

"My mother likes to overthink some of these things. Trust me— it'll be believable to her."

"So we're talking… forty-eight cops in total. Fifteen of them are veterans. Rest are rookies."

"Need more?" asked Orlando.

"No, it's fine. And we'll all be equipped with riot gear?"

"Body armor, riot shields, tear gas, rubber bullets, smoke bombs, gas masks— the whole package."

"Wow… I get to lead forty-eight cops? That's a whole precinct right there. Might as well make me captain."

"Detective suits you better for now. Maybe in due time."

Orlando turned at the intersection, now leaving the highway and entering a narrow street. Schoffner felt uneasy as she clutched her seat but then relaxed as Orlando slowed the car down.

"Hey, you alright?" asked Orlando. "Was that turn too sharp?"

"No, that's not it," said Schoffner. "Just keep on driving. I'm fine."

"You sure? Seems like you're uncomfortable with me driving your car around."

"Trust me, I'm more comfortable here. It's okay— you can pick up the speed."

"I can't…"

Schoffner noticed that Orlando was staring at something in the road. She turned towards the road and saw a large pack of roamers headed their way. She then saw Orlando place his hands on the gear stick to set it on reverse. She then looked at the rearview mirror, causing her eyes to grow wide.

"Orlando!" she gasped.

A figure stood behind the back of the car. The figure was wearing a yellow raincoat and held a long knightly sword in their hand. The figure was then joined by others wearing the same attire and carrying the same bladed weapon. The Yellowjackets surrounded the back of the car. One of them approached the driver's side of the door as the roamers continued to limp down the road.

Orlando turned towards the window. He saw a pair of eyes staring down at him as the rest of the survivor's face was covered with a surgical mask.

"Yellowjacket," gasped Schoffner.

"What does this asshole want?" growled Orlando.

The survivor pointed towards the car lock controls. Orlando kept his foot on the brake as he continued to stare at the Yellowjacket. The Yellowjacket then tilted their head slightly towards the pack of roamers approaching the car, reminding Orlando of the lack of choices he had. Orlando then unlocked all the car locks. The survivor walked to the back passenger door and opened it before entering.

Schoffner gulped as the roamers bumped into the car and growled. The roamers were now scratching the car as they tried to get inside.

"Great, now we're trapped," said Orlando. "I hope whatever you wanted to talk about was worth trapping yourself here. Go on— talk."

The Yellowjacket stared at the rearview mirror with intense eyes— her eyelashes seeming sharp as spikes while her brown bangs seemed to cover her forehead. The intense odor that she was exhibiting was that of a roamer— which is something that Schoffner just noticed. She couldn't tell the smell of the Yellowjacket apart from the roamers.

"Well?" asked Orlando.

"Becky of Royal Woods," said the Yellowjacket. "We know you have her inside the walls. Bring her to Hawkwoods."

The Yellowjacket handed Schoffner a map of the place, marking an X by a lake in Hawkwoods.

"You have thirty-six hours. Bring her alive. If we see more than one car, we'll send a horde into your lands."

The Yellowjacket then looked at the windows. Orlando and Schoffner noticed the roamers turning away from the car. Next thing they noticed was the roamers moving away from the car, following the Yellowjackets. The Yellowjacket then opened the car door slowly and exited before closing the door as slowly as she opened it. She followed the pack of roamers as they moved down the street and eventually far enough to become non-threatening. Orlando looked at the road ahead of him, now seeing it empty.

"They… were actually more reasonable than I thought," said Orlando.

"Becky's in Royal Woods?" asked Schoffner. "Think they actually saw her? Or some other redhead?"

"I don't know. But if you find her, what are you doing?"

"I don't know yet. A horde… that sounds…"

"Yeah…"

Orlando moved the gear shift back to drive and moved the car along, leaving the narrow street. The Yellowjacket that gave them the ultimatum looked back, her eyes unblinking.

A manhole cover opened. Two people climbed out of it. It was Simon and Jace.

"I've been trying to get this safe open for weeks, but you're a hard kid to find," said Jace.

Simon closed the manhole cover as Jace spun around one of his butterfly knives with one hand while pocketing his other hand. He turned around and flinched upon seeing the knife, though noticed that Jace wasn't paying attention to him. He just kept looking straight ahead at the street that ran along the walls, seeing it empty. There was nothing but cars parked to the side next to the walls and the Ketcham Park fence.

"Well?" asked Simon. "What are we waiting for?"

"Nothing. Let's go, lil' bro."

"Don't call me that. I'm not little and I'm not your 'bro'."

Jace placed the butterfly knife back into his pocket while he continued to walk along the wall. Simon was wary to not get spotted by any of the guards by the walls. He then looked ahead at the street, seeing a couple people. His eyes widened, now knowing what he was walking into.

"You liar…" muttered Simon.

Jace grabbed Simon's arm. Simon grunted and tried to remove his grip by punching and slapping Jace's arm, but Jace refused to let go. Jace's arm was protected from his leather jacket.

"Stop it," said Jace.

"You said we were gonna unlock a safe! You liar!"

Jace looked at the three figures approaching them. They were Lincoln, Sam, and Lana.

"Ooh, someone got busted," said Lana.

Sam picked up her pace as Simon stopped struggling. Jace let him go as Sam walked up to them.

"Caught lil' bro sneaking outside of school," said Jace.

"Ugh, you're serious?" sighed Sam. "Thank you for telling me, Jace."

"Sneaking out?" scoffed Simon. "That's an exaggeration."

"I didn't see a hall pass on you," quipped Jace sarcastically.

"Simon, just go wait with Lincoln," said Sam. "I need to talk to Jace for a bit."

Simon silently groaned as he walked over to Lincoln and Lana. Jace tilted his head.

"What's up, Sharpie?" asked Jace.

Simon looked back at his older sister talking with Jace as Lincoln got down on one knee. Lincoln was at eye level with Simon and Lana.

"C'mon, guys, what the heck is going on with all the sneaking out?"

"Look who's talking," said Lana.

"I got work to do," said Lincoln. "I'm not sneaking out for the fun of it."

"And who said I was?"

"No one, just— it's unsafe, okay? I got to the Farmlands with Sam and Jerry Kling. I was with people. You walked all the way to Farmlands by yourself? You don't need me to tell you how risky that is. And you— Simon—"

Simon glanced over at Lincoln before looking back at Sam and Jace.

"You're not even paying attention."

"Sorry, but I kinda don't care," said Simon. "My sister's gonna scold me later anyways so just save the boring lecture."

"I'm with him," said Lana. "Lori's gonna give me crap about it anyways, so don't waste your time."

"Sam's not like Lori though," said Lincoln. "She's too… lenient."

"Maybe she knows how stupid the rules are," said Simon. "Especially when I explain why I even cut class."

Simon walked over to Sam as she and Jace finished their conversation.

"Look, I can explain…" said Simon.

"Sorry, but you need to go with Lincoln and Jace," said Sam. "They'll take you and Lana back to school. I got some important stuff to do."

"Okay."

"I'll talk to you after school, alright?"

"Yeah."

After a small moment of hesitation, Sam walked away and hurried for the main gate.

"Actually, I'll just walk you guys to the gate," said Jace. "I got a hunting trip right now. Real important. Might not come back until late night."

Jace and Lincoln walked with Simon and Lana at their own relaxed pace. Then, they heard a siren whoop behind for a fraction of a second, spooking them. They turned around and saw Orlando and Schoffner inside a police car.

"C'mon, guys, move it," said Schoffner. "Wait a minute, who gave you kids permission to go outside?"

"I'm taking 'em back inside," said Jace.

"If I see you kids sneak outside again, there'll be consequences."

Jace, Lincoln, Simon, and Lana moved to the side, allowing the scratched police car to pass them. The car parked next to the main gate, where Sam went in and Ravi went out.

"Schoffner, I need to talk to you," said Ravi.

"Lemme' guess," said Schoffner, getting out of the car. "Becky's here?"

Sam paused for a bit, overhearing the police officers. She then saw Schoffner glancing in her direction.

"Yeah," said Ravi. "How'd you know?"

Schoffner gave Orlando a concerning look.

"So it's true," said Schoffner.

"What's true?" asked Ravi. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

Schoffner looked inside the main gate. Sam wasn't there anymore.

A dim lamp lit up a room with curtains covering the windows. Melissa sat behind a desk with a pencil in her right hand. She was drawing in her notebook where she kept a list of names of the residents of Royal Woods, as well as some information about them. On an empty page, next to the page where the names and information of some members of Lori's group were at, she drew a dove carrying an olive branch with its beak.

A knock on the door disturbed the peace. Melissa grumbled softly as she flipped the pages on her notebook.

"Come in," said Melissa.

Both Lori and Sam came inside the office. Melissa smiled upon seeing Lori.

"Good afternoon, ladies," said Melissa. "What can I… do for you?"

"Your son came by the farm," said Sam. "He made an offer— ownership of the Hunnicutt land while giving us half the crops grown there. He thinks we would benefit from this deal. I'd tell him to rightfully screw himself— no offense— but unfortunately it's not up to me."

"It's up to me?"

"Heh, you're the leader."

"Lori, what do you think?"

"Me?" asked Lori, getting a nod from Melissa. "I don't think it's a good deal. Don't get me wrong— I think it's convenient to get crops while our farmers could focus on other land. But we don't have any other land. The Hunnicutt farm… that's our only land. We've been relying on the other communities for almost all of our crops, and I think it's time we scale back our dependency. Besides, I don't think your son is doing this out of the goodness of his heart. It's a smart way to control our community… because we would depend on them for crops. No telling what hidden plans he has. So… I would have to agree with Sam."

"Interesting. So, I turn down the offer?"

"I'm… not the one making the decision… right?"

Melissa shook her head.

"What if I had wanted you to take the deal?" asked Lori.

"Then I would take the deal."

"Why—?"

"Just wait."

Lori exhaled softly as she and Sam stood in front of the desk. Melissa then looked at Sam.

"You don't have to stay," said Melissa.

"Oh, okay," said Sam before glancing at Lori. "Bye."

Lori cleared her throat as she continued to stand awkwardly in the room while Sam left. Melissa held her hands together in a praying position as she glanced to the side.

Then, another knock on the door was heard.

"Come in," said Melissa.

Orlando and Schoffner walked into the office, both of them having a determined look on their faces.

"Sorry I'm late," eagerly said Orlando. "Our conversation won't be dry. I got things to tell you. I don't even know where to start."

"Can it wait?" asked Melissa.

"Yeah, yeah, it can, right?" said Schoffner.

"Yeah," nodded Orlando.

"Please, sit down," said Melissa before looking at Lori. "Both of you."

Schoffner stood by the door as she watched Lori and Orlando sit in front of the desk. Melissa placed her closed hands on the desk and gave Orlando a solemn look.

"To benefit your own community as well as express support to a neighboring community, I want you to work well with Lori. She's going to lead this place after tomorrow."

Lori raised her eyebrows, surprised as to what she was hearing. She then looked at Orlando, who was clearly upset.

"Doubting yourself already, ma'?" asked Orlando.

"Not exactly. I'm not capable of leading this place. I don't think I ever was. My area of expertise— what I'm good at are one-on-one interactions. I can connect to people on a personal level. Or at least… I used to. But now, I'm not even so sure I have the emotional capacity for that."

"Don't tell me you're thinking about what I think you're thinking about."

"I'm gonna concede."

"You can't be serious."

"Ma'am, what about the election?" asked Schoffner.

"It's gonna continue as planned," said Melissa.

"And waste everyone's time?" asked Orlando.

"If Lori wins the election, then the win will be hers. I would have to do nothing but accept the results. But if I win, then I'll concede anyways. I hope Lori can secure her victory the traditional way, but if she doesn't— then that's okay. Time is only wasted if I get the majority of the votes."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, that doesn't make sense," said Schoffner. "If Lori is gonna end up winning anyways, then why does it matter if she wins the traditional way or not?"

"The traditional way is the most peaceful way. People who supported the former leader support me because they think I'll carry on his legacy. But his legacy is not a good one. History will not be so kind to him. I am not going to continue that legacy."

"No, every bad thing that he did is on him," said Orlando. "You don't have to carry on that legacy and you won't. Everything he did wrong— you can fix it."

"I can't. I don't know how to."

"I can help you."

Lori turned towards Orlando with an annoyed expression on her face.

"You don't think I can lead the place?" asked Lori.

"No, I don't. Look, my father was not a good leader. I resent him for many of the choices he made, even before the outbreak. But you're not any better. I know your type. An entitled, emotional girl who will ruthlessly put down anyone she deems unsafe. Unbound by law— because the law doesn't apply to you or your family or your friends."

"You don't even know me like that."

"But is he wrong?" asked Schoffner.

"I need you two accept this," said Melissa. "This is going to happen."

"No… Orlando's not wrong. Did you know what he was going to tell you? He was going to tell you that we got attacked by the Yellowjackets. They ambushed us on the way here and made demands of us— that we hand over Becky. Yeah, that's right. They said she was here and that Lori and the others snuck them in."

"Leo did come to me about a warrant to search for her," said Melissa. "She really snuck in here? You don't need a warrant anymore. Launch a full-scale investigation and search the homes of people you reasonably suspect that are holding her. Reasonably."

"Lori and her group snuck her in."

"Last I heard, she was at Orchard Lake," said Lori. "I mean, I know she's alive but in here? I… I don't know anything about that."

"Looks like Orlando's right. She's protecting her friend. She's going to delay this as much as she can so that she could pardon her when given the chance."

"You're going to give her that chance," said Orlando. "Don't do it. Don't make Lori the leader. Pursue justice for Plesko."

"All I'm hearing are accusations," said Melissa. "Lori, what would you do to find your friend? Full-scale investigation? Or do you have something else in mind?"

"I don't think an investigation is the best way to approach this…"

"Of course she wouldn't think that," said Schoffner. "She wants to protect her friend."

Melissa raised a hand to shush Schoffner.

"Explain," said Melissa.

"The wilderness is a harsh place to live in," said Lori. "Chances are that she's grown really distrustful. Do you guys even know what happened to her? She was held captive by the Yellowjackets for the past five months. Schoffner- what did these Yellowjackets tell you?"

"That we have to give her over. But I'm not going to do that- if that's what you're so worried about."

"What happens if we don't give her over?"

Schoffner stared at Lori with unease.

"What happens, Schoffner?"

"They'll unleash a horde into our community."

Melissa clenched her fists close to her chest as she continued to listen in to the conversation. Lori gulped.

"We can't waste our time with a full-fledged investigation," explained Lori. "We have to divert our forces into stopping the Yellowjackets."

"And what happens after we stop her, huh?" asked Schoffner. "Or- not even. In the meantime, what's gonna happen? Do we just let her roam around? She's a threat."

"She needs help. Locking her up in that lonely jail cell is cruel and unnecessary. She needs psychological help. Melissa is great for that. And I promise you Becky will be cooperative."

"Nah, she would just get away with her crimes," said Orlando. "How do we know you're not lying right now?"

"Enough," said Melissa. "Here is what is going to happen. We will trust Lori's judgment. I interviewed Becky before and I certainly believe that she needs counseling. But that doesn't mean we will disregard your judgment, Schoffner. As it stands now, there's no reason we can't launch an investigation and go after the Yellowjackets at the same time. The police will do their job and Lori will do hers. Remember, she and her group have deterred groups like the Yellowjackets before. Lori- I want you and your group to stop the Yellowjackets. Make sure they aren't a threat anymore. Schoffner- the police have been given permission to search for Becky. But try your best to not arrest her. Bring her over here peacefully. Understood?"

"Yeah," said Lori.

Schoffner gave Orlando an annoyed look. Melissa then snapped her fingers, catching Schoffner's attention.

"Understood?" repeated Melissa.

"Yeah," said Schoffner.

"You all can go now," said Melissa. "Oh, and Lori- if I find out that you're lying to me about not knowing about Becky's whereabouts- then I'll change my mind about conceding the election."

Lori nodded. She then exited the office with Schoffner behind her. Orlando moved his tongue against his cheek, clearly dismayed. He then looked at his mother.

"Ma'... you can't be serious," said Orlando. "The power is out in your house. The former electrician was too incompetent to fix it so you hire a teenager fresh out of high school with no job experience?"

"She's old enough to drink," said Melissa. "And she has experience in leading."

"Not a community of over five hundred people. If you have trouble fixing the power, let another electrician help you out."

"You're the other electrician?" she chuckled. "Your analogy is too simplistic."

"Please tell me you're okay up… here," said Orlando, pointing at his head.

"Heh. I promise you I'm sane, thank you very much."

"Nothing to be ashamed about. Grief can affect people in different ways."

"Orlando. I'm okay."

Orlando let out a disgruntled sigh.

"I'm not going to give you the Hunnicutt farm, by the way," said Melissa.

Orlando stood up from his seat and walked out of the office. Melissa's tear troughs seemed more prominent with the dim light shining on her solemn face as she watched Orlando close the door. She was now alone in the quiet office again.

Orlando looked at Schoffner who walked towards the base of the double stairwells. Schoffner pulled Ravi close to her.

"We got permission to launch a full-scale investigation to search and detain Becky," said Schoffner.

Ravi smiled with relief.

"What do we do, Detective?" asked Ravi.

"Just spread the word for now. After everyone's notified, report back to me."

"Got it."

Ravi jogged out of the building as Orlando approached Schoffner. Lori saw Ravi jogging past her. She then felt two people staring at her behind her. She kept her head forward and walked out of the building, ignoring Orlando and Schoffner's stares.

"So what's the move?" asked Schoffner.

"Same as we discussed," said Orlando, walking away.

Schoffner's face lit up with determination as she quickly exited City Hall, walking out of the building with Orlando.