Chapter 4 – A Lifetime Ago

AN: SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! Also, this chapter is a little OC-centric since it's a flashback. Don't worry, next chapter would go back to third-person and should be out by next month.

Derek huffed and puffed as he and the rest of the group followed Brody to safety. It was close. Too close for his liking. If it wasn't for the other teen's help, he doubted the three of them could get out of there alive. Now that they're out of the hungry clutches of the undead, he could feel immense relief as Clementine and AJ got out of there unharmed.

Err… Relatively.

He wouldn't say it out loud, nor even think of mentioning it to anyone, but he owed those teens a debt. One of which he'll repay in kind, slowly but surely.

As the group ventured on, Derek could feel a strange sense of nostalgia. The long heavy strides, the laborious breath of exhaustion, even the surrounding forest. All this was too familiar to him.

His mind unconsciously slipping back to a faint memory of a lifetime ago….

Derek Brooks (15 years old)

3 years ago

"Company, hold!" The sergeant bellowed as he holds up a fist.

The whole unit stopped the march in sync. The blazing sun and the burning heat penetrated my clothes, sweat ran down my face and my clothes clung to my body but I paid no attention to these details. I risked a glance to the side and saw the rest of the unit in the same state.

Exhausted.

Sweating.

And in the brink of passing out.

But otherwise focused and determined.

The sergeant turned towards us and I immediately snapped into attention. "Good work boys. You earned your rest. PT will be in 1300 hours. You're dismissed."

"Sir yes sir!" The whole unit and I responded and quietly dismissed ourselves in an orderly fashion.

'Fuck me my legs hurt. I seriously just want a hot shower right about now.' I thought.

I marched my way towards the common tent shared by soldiers to grab a few stuff for a quick shower when suddenly a voice called me out.

"Yo!"

I turned around and saw Kareem and Julian. My best friends. Well… ones that are alive at least.

"Yo." I responded back, nodding towards them. "Need anything?"

"Nah. But we going to eat at the mess hall right now. You coming?" Julian asked.

(Julian. Hot-headed, courageous, and street-smart. He lived in the streets of Boston his whole life. From what he told me, he grew up on an orphanage when his parents gave him up when he was still a baby. Then he spent the next few years in there, problem was, he wasn't exactly the 'follow the rules' kind of kid. He ran away from the orphanage when he was only eight. For a year, he took it upon himself to survive, scavenging garbage for whatever scraps of food he can find, stole things, even hurt people. It was a desperate time for him. When the dead started to rise and ate people, he used all the knowledge he had to survive. And he did.)

"Sure. Just let me have a shower first man. I smell like shit." I chuckled to myself.

"Yeah 'cause you are shit." Kareem said with a straight face.

"No, you're shit." I responded back.

A small moment passed and it did not take long for us to break character and laughed at the childish banter.

(Kareem. Soft-spoken, introverted, and crafty. He came to the US from the middle-east for a vacation with the rest of his family. I don't really know much about him other than he was the only one, among the thirty-four people, who survived when rescue arrived. He was alone and ostracized by most people but that didn't stop me being friends with him. After all, we were on the same boat. Ever since that fateful encounter, we have been best friends ever since.)

"Man, that was so stupid." I muttered between laughs.

"You tell me man." Kareem said, mirroring my actions. "Anyway, we won't keep you here anymore. We'll wait by the mess hall."

I nodded in confirmation and let them go. I took my towel, some bathing supplies, and my spare clothes then headed off towards one of the community baths. On the way there, I couldn't help but overhear snippets of random conversations.

"Got lots of harvest this month. Should be enough for trading."

"Oh yeah? Tell that to those greedy fucks at Richmond."

"Jeff? Jeff! Fucking clean the solar panels or it's your ass on the brig you lazy asshole!"

"Ja!"

"The security in this place is terrible. Shameful even."

"Agreed. The northside gate has barely enough men holding it. Just what the hell are they thinking?"

"Up for some whiskey and cigars tonight?"

"You know it."

"I swear to God. I saw it! Talking walkers! Started dancing and shit!"

'Hmmmm… Someone needs to lay off from smoking.' I mentally shook my head.

It's not exactly the best place but it's home. My home. For years our community survived the best and the worst scenarios the apocalypse had to offer. We fought and bled to get here and we will do it again to keep it that way. Nothing, not people nor walker, will take this place without a fight.

The place has most of the necessities. High solid walls, electricity, running water, food, and 24/7 security. We didn't stop there either. We got stalls for people to trade in, a bar, training grounds, and my personal favorite: bath houses. Trust me, after three days of not having a shower, you'll be damn grateful these things existed. We're not perfect, we still got a lot of holes to patch up, issues to address but it's more than one can hope for given the undead apocalypse.

My inner monologue stopped in their tracks as I looked up and saw I've arrived at my destination. I took a peek inside and noticed there's only a few people using the stalls. I guess I lucked out. I was just about to head on in when I was stopped by the last person I expected.

"Corporal Brooks." A gruff voice said.

I turned around and felt a shiver run up to my spine. His height towered over me, giving an imposing look. His face was battle-scarred and held the meanest look that can make most men think twice, he shown an impressive solid chest and have muscles that can put bodybuilders to disgrace.

The current head of the expedition group.

Captain Monroe Vasquez.

I immediately snapped into action and saluted the man before me. I winced as the items I carried earlier fell down to the floor haphazardly. I blushed in embarrassment but kept saluting until said otherwise.

The captain glanced at the fallen items then back to me, he raised a questioning eyebrow but didn't say anything. I was like a total idiot, like a deer caught on headlights, I just stared dumbly at him.

I mean what else am I supposed to do?!

I half expected to get disciplined right there and then, most probably a verbal lashing but what I did not expect was for him to chuckle.

Now hear me out. The last guy who tried to humor the captain ended up cleaning the toilets for a month. For him to even chuckle at little old me was more than enough to send confused warnings in my brain. What he did next completely blew my mind. He bent down and started picking up my items from the floor. I threw all protocol at the window as I scrambled quickly to take all the items before he could.

"Sir! There's-there's no need. I-I-I'll handle it." I muttered, grabbing most, if not all, items from the ground then settled them aside. Whether he approved or disapproved my actions was unclear. The soft look from earlier was replaced with an unreadable one behind his cold steel eyes. "At ease soldier." He finally said.

I snapped into 'parade rest' as I awaited further instructions.

"You're being moved to another unit." He said.

A look of confusion flashed into my face but I immediately covered it up. Moved? Why now? Why me?

"Your C.O has already approved of this. Report to the briefing room in 1500 hours."

"Yes sir!"

Suddenly, he handed something in front of me. I had to look down to see. It didn't register at first but I slowly realized it was my toothbrush. I must've missed it earlier. I slowly reached out to grab it when he suddenly lifted it just a few inches from my reach.

"You're excused from PT this afternoon." He pointed at me with my own toothbrush. "Take this chance to get some rest. You're free to do what you see fit with your time because this could be the only chance you have once you're transferred to my unit."

Oh…

"You're dismissed."

He left without another word but not before he handed the toothbrush on my hand. My mind processed the whole thing that just happened and it only took me just now to realize the severity of the situation.

I am being moved to the expedition group.

No questions, no appeals, just orders. They didn't even ask me about it.

Everything felt numb. The whole thing was surreal. I mean I have experience taking down walkers from either clearing the perimeter or when I was out scavenging but this? This is different.

The expedition group operates beyond the camp's borders. Their main goal is to locate resources outside the safe zone then bring it back home or set up supply routes and safehouses when the need arises. Everyone knows it's the most dangerous job but a necessary one. Because once you're outside the safe zone, it's basically your group versus everything out there. Not to mention you're also cut off from the main camp, face the possibility of communication problems, and fight off the undead all-time around. But if you're really unlucky, you get ambushed by raiders, cannibals, or even some mentally fucked people that takes pleasure in killing you. People come back missing an arm or a leg. Sometimes, they come back as a different person. But most don't come back at all.

And I'm being moved there? Shit.

I sighed heavily. Sometimes I think whoever is watching me right now just wants to see me suffer. Whatever, it's not like I can do anything about it. Although, on the bright side of things, those who do survive usually find themselves on a fast track in getting promoted to a higher rank. Who knows, maybe I could lead my own group one day.

'If I survive.' My pessimistic side reminded me.

I face-palmed myself. There's no point in stressing myself over this when nothing happened yet. Maybe all I need Is a cold shower to cool my head.

=Line Break=

The shower did not help. My mind kept wandering back to what the captain said. To my new responsibilities. To my… Possible early end. It was eating me from the inside and I can't find the switch to turn it off and it's fucking pissing me off.

I shook my head to sway those thoughts. Even though it won't go away completely, at least I don't have to listen to it 24/7 because right now, I just want some food. I'm starving.

I walked down the mess hall and grabbed a tray. The head chef placed a bowl of soup on my tray and gestured for me to move on. I grabbed a spoon and a cup of water and placed it along the soup. I scanned the dozens upon dozens of tables for my friends. A lot of familiar faces but none I knew personally.

"Hey Derek over here man!" Julian waved me over. Kareem was beside him, eating quietly.

I zigzagged my way towards them and set my tray down. I grabbed my bowl of soup and set my tray aside. Today's meal? Rabbit soup with a hint of sawdust.

Not exactly appetizing but it's filling, better than nothing.

"What took you long man?" Julian frowned at me. He then shook his head. "Nevermind, don't answer. Anyway, me and Kareem was wondering. Who'd win on a fight? Some wildlife bear? Or walkers?"

Half of me was in no mood for pointless questions or games but…

"This could be the only chance you have once you're transferred to my unit." The captain's words echoed in my head.

He's right. There's a high chance I won't have times like these anymore. I'm not going to waste this chance by being a moody little bitch. I will enjoy whatever time I have left with them and I will spend most of it starting now. I forced myself to forget the issue for now. I'll deal with it later. Right now, I'll just focus on the present.

"I literally just sat down and you just pulled this shit on me. What the fuck man?" I jokingly asked.

"You can always answer later. I didn't say to answer now." He looked at me smugly, smirking like the wise-ass he is.

My mouth opened to make a comeback but I had none. Like a fish out of water, I closed and opened my mouth stupidly. He laughed at my reaction, so I did what any responsible adult would do and flipped the bird at him.

The three of us ate in relative silence. The depressing thoughts from earlier slowly fading away, replaced by the quiet present, surrounded by friends.

It was a peaceful moment.

If only Julian would stop staring at me so intensely. He was obviously still waiting for my answer. I wiped my mouth after taking two spoonfuls of my soup.

"Alright! Jesus man. Stop staring at me." I exclaimed.

"I knew you'd break!" he snickered as he mockingly pointed at me.

I ignored the childish behavior. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for ruining my meal." I muttered. I thought long and hard about my answer, my pre-apocalypse education finally becoming useful. "Well, bears usually go for fresh meat, fruits, or fish. Not decaying corpses. I'd say- "

Julian shook his head, cutting me off. "No, no, no. Fuck that school shit. I'm saying if we put both of them in a ring and let them fight. Who'd win?"

'So much for having an educated answer…' I internally muttered.

"Oh… Well the bear then." I said without a single thought.

"Really?" He asked, confused. "What if there's like ten or more walkers? Surrounding the bear? Still think he'd win?"

"Yes." I said without a doubt. "Not considering the type of species, an average bear is stronger than ten people combined or at least similar. It could easily dispose those dead-heads quite easily."

He nodded at my answer, his face at awe. "Do bears eat them?" He asked a split second later.

I sighed. "I literally just said this earlier. Bears aren't interested on rotting flesh."

"Okay, okay… But what if they're really hungry? And that there's literally nothing for miles around. Still think he won't eat it?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I highly doubt there's nothing to eat for miles around."

He rolled his eyes. "Just humor me." He said.

I let out a snort. "Fine! Then yes. They would eat the rotting corpse if there's literally nothing else to eat for miles around." I sarcastically said.

He threw a finger gun at me, clicking his cheeks. "Gotcha, gotcha." Silence followed as he went back eating. I followed as well, enjoying the peace and quiet.

It wasn't even a minute later when he asks another question.

"You think we'll find a zombified bear or something?"

"Julian, no."

=Line Break=

People have already started to clear out as we finished our meals. We organized our seats back to its original place and cleaned up our table then we arranged our bowls unto one tray so that we can easily hand it over to the dishwasher. As we were cleaning, I suddenly recalled the chance meeting with the captain earlier. I'm not exactly pleased to revisit a sour memory but they have the right to know.

"Oh yeah. Almost forgot to tell you guys. I'm being moved to another unit." I said while cleaning up our table.

That seemed enough to piqued Kareem's interest as he stopped what he was doing.

"Really? Whose?" he asked.

"Captain Monroe's."

The two abruptly stopped at what they were doing and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Yo. For real?" Julian asked.

I shared a reluctant grin. "Yeah."

"Shieeeeet… Lucky you man." Julian said.

"Oh yeah?" I asked doubtingly. "Wanna trade places then?"

He grinned devilishly. "I'd kill to be in your place man."

I snorted at his remark. "You wish."

"I'm serious man." He continued. "Do you know how boring it is in here? I'd literally do anything to get out of here."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well, it's your fault you can't follow simple orders."

"They're stupid anyway!" He retorted.

"Orders are orders man. You know that."

"Bah!" He waved me off.

After a few moments of silence, I sighed. "If you're really serious in getting a better job than guarding the same spot for the rest of your life, why don't you start by getting some practice?"

"I don't need practice." He groaned.

"Hmmm… Sounds exactly like a guy who needs more practice." I smirked.

"Ahhh fuck off." He said jokingly.

This went on for a while, we exchanged banter time to time, throwing in friendly insults, and even the occasional trash talking. After we were completely done with our clean-up, I ordered Julian to take the bowls to the dishwasher, leaving Kareem and I alone.

"Hey Derek."

"Hmmm? What is it?" I raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Why you?" he simply said.

I turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

"Why you specifically? No offense but there's a lot of other people to choose from. Why you specifically?" There was an inquisitive gaze behind his eyes. Most people would feel threatened by the line of questioning but I knew the guy. It was just out of genuine curiosity.

I looked up at the ceiling absentmindedly. "First of all, I wasn't chosen specifically. I'm just one of the few people picked. Second, I don't know."

I could literally sense him raise an eyebrow at my answer. "Really? Not even a hint?"

I shook my head. "If I knew, I'd tell you. I'm just as confused as you are, really."

After a brief period of silence, he turned to face me, "Just be careful man."

I gave him a sad smile as I patted his shoulder. "I'll try brother. I'll try."

Footsteps approached our position and we looked up to see Julian. "Done handing them over. What now?"

'Here's my cue.' I felt myself grin in anticipation.

I slammed my hand on the table.

BAM!

"You guys free this afternoon?" I asked.

The two glanced at each other nervously, my sudden change of behavior slightly freaked them out. The two opened their mouths to answer-

"Oy!"

The three of us looked towards the source. It was the head chef calling from the kitchen. To say he was angry would be an understatement.

"You cunts bashing those tables as if there's a lot of them around? Fuck off will you."

I blushed in embarrassment; I didn't mean to smack it that hard.

"I-I'll see you guys outside." I said timidly.

Outside

"Talk about causing a scene… What the hell was that man?" Julian asked as he raised an eyebrow at me.

I ignored his question and turned towards them. This is it. No matter what happens during the expedition, at least I know I spent my last moments with my best friends.

"I'll cut to the chase. There's a high chance I ain't coming back."

The two exchanged uneasy glances. There was clear worry in their eyes as they looked at me.

"But… I know you already know that. So, here's the thing. If you guys want me around, I want to spend some time with you while I'm still here."

For a long time, nobody said anything nor took any action. What felt like an hour later, Kareem spoke up.

"Well, I hope you're not here to fuck. 'Cause I don't swing that way."

I was literally caught off guard by the joke that I forgot how to react.

"Same." Julian added.

That was enough to break my trance as the words sinked in to my brain. I chuckled, then giggled. It didn't take long for me to burst out laughing. The other two joined in and we laughed our asses off. I seriously did not expect that kind of response. I was expecting something sympathetic or uplifting, but a sex joke? I did not expect that even the slightest.

I wiped an imaginary tear off my eyes. Only to realize it wasn't, I wiped the tear on my pants and continued laughing. After a few moments later, we ultimately stopped.

"I… I did not expect that." I chuckled. "Anyway." I coughed into my fist and wore my serious face (slightly failing). "So, with that in mind, I've been thinking… Why don't you cut me in on that little expedition of yours?" I raised a sly smirk.

Like a child caught with their hand on the cookie jar, their eyes widened that it could literally possibly pop out of their sockets. A small part of me felt satisfaction seeing the look on their faces. It was priceless.

Julian coughed uncomfortably. "W-w-what expedition?"

"Kareem?" I shifted my gaze on my best friend.

If there's one thing I know about my friends, it's that they're not exactly discrete. I literally saw their plans written on paper at lunch earlier. Not to mention, the two talked in whispers most of the time. It would've worked, if I wasn't in front of them feigning disinterest.

Kareem remained silent for a while, reluctant to tell me anything. I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him, and that was all it took for him to reveal everything.

"We found something and we're planning to get it." He confessed.

At the corner of my view, I could see Julian threw his hands up. I ignored him and focused on Kareem.

"That it? Doesn't sound exciting."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "About that… It's located outside."

'Ahhh… That makes more sense.' I thought.

"Planning to scavenge outside? Did you ask permission from command at least?"

Julian suddenly cut in. "Fuck. That. Ain't dealing with that bureaucratic bullshit."

I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Jeez. I'm just asking. You do realize if they caught wind of this, you're both fucked you know that?"

"Pfft. That only happens if they find out. Which they won't." Julian retorted.

"I don't know why you're making this hard for yourselves. It would've made the whole thing easier if you asked you know?"

"And they get a share for sitting on their asses? No thanks. We are NOT involving them. Period." Julian said with finality.

At that point I just gave up trying. On one hand it's technically illegal to just go out by ourselves without permission. On the other hand, I share the same sentiments with Julian. It is unfair.

Well, it's their plan, their rules.

"Alright then. Do you guys have a plan how to do it?"

Julian looked left and right. "Not here. Follow me." He gestured us to follow.

Kareem and I followed Julian as he strolled us around the compound. It took a whole lot of walking but we eventually arrived to our destination. It was a small area between the north and south gate. Around it are a few tables and chairs, some playing cards, and finally a tiny music player. By the looks of it, this is probably a common meeting spot for people. He motioned for us to take a seat as he grabbed the music player and played some country music. I would've appreciated the song if only it wasn't playing on max volume.

"Jesus. Make it louder will you? I could barely hear it." I joked.

"It ain't smart to talk about something illegal out in the open now is it?" He remarked. I could barely hear him over the music. He took some playing cards and shuffled it around his hands, then he started sending cards on our way.

"Wha-"

"Just pretend that we're playing poker." He said.

I looked at him confused but reluctantly played along.

"So what's with the…" I gestured to the cards.

He looked at me like I'm an idiot. "Bro. Are you that dumb?"

"Maybe…" I shrugged.

He shook his head, chuckling. "The music is to make sure nobody hears us. The cards is a diversion to not make things obvious." He explained. "Come on man, this is basic. I thought you were smart?"

I felt an angry tick above my eyebrow but elected to ignore it. "Ehhh not all the time. Dick." I added. "Anyway, lay it on me."

The two explained the situation, during one of their guard duties, they spotted a unique find. It was a heavily armored zombie covered from top to bottom. The armor was pure white with red horizontal lines detailing on its chest. Finally, as a cherry on top, it carried a sizable military ALICE pack behind its back that surely has something good inside.

The two were generous enough to decide to give the backpack to me as their interest was on the armor itself. But any contents inside the pack should be split three-way. I accepted the offer and gave a nod of approval. Still, that didn't answer as to how to make the plan possible.

Thankfully, Julian told us his elaborate plan on how to get it.

The plan was simple, we sneak out at night where the guards won't see us, find the prized walker, then get back with none the wiser. It was a simple 'get in, get out'.

But I knew better.

"So, let me get this straight." I said, massaging my temple as I felt an impending migraine. "Your plan involves sneaking out of the compound in the middle of the night, find this one walker, amidst the darkness, and then carry its loot, ALL the way back here? Did I get that right?" I asked.

"Well, yeah."

My face twitched in annoyance. "Are you fucking stupid?"

Julian gave me an insulted look. Good! That's exactly what I want him to feel. The plan was utterly shit with too many uncertainties, too many unknowns, and not to mention that they have to do it at night where walkers are more active and I doubt a flashlight could help when everything else is pure darkness. Did I also forget to mention that a patrol checks the bunks at night? They'll get themselves killed not five minutes past that gate. That's assuming they can even get out at the first place.

I'm not being mean. I'm being realistic. The risks aren't worth it just for a piece of armor that may or may not have some holes in it with a bag that we don't even know what's in it.

Julian glared at me. "What do you mean? It's a great plan!"

"If you're planning to get killed that is." I replied coolly.

He scoffed arrogantly. "It won't even be a problem! We fought these things before, day AND night. It'll be easy. Guarantee. In and out. Right Kareem?" He looked at the latter for support.

Kareem looked at him with doubt in his eyes. Then his eyes darted between Julian and I before he eventually sighed. "Look man, no offense but I think Derek is right on this one."

His eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Fine! If you guys are so smart, why don't you plan it." He threw his hands up in frustration. Kareem and I decided to ignore him for the time being, he'll come around eventually. He just needs to cool off.

"Kareem. Paper." I simply asked.

Kareem slid a piece of paper and a pen into my view then I immediately started drawing up some plans.

The first plan I thought of was the simplest one. File a petition to the guys in command for a scavenging run. That's it. If they approve, all the supplies and gear are given. No questions asked. The only problem was, as mentioned before, we'll barely get anything from the scavenging run and I don't think Kareem and Julian would appreciate that. Although… It would be beneficial to the whole community. Just saying.

The second plan is riskier but more rewarding. I took the main concept from Julian's plan and refined it which I made sure he heard it. It should be carried out in the afternoon where there's more light thus more visibility which makes tracking that one specific walker easier then get back before dark. Although, sneaking out would be harder but at least we don't have to worry about anyone looking for us for the time being. I know for a fact that there's no other exits other than the four gates (north, south, east, and west) which left us one option, bribery. Times are desperate nowadays, someone's bound to take the deal, now's just a matter who to make a deal with. An alternative method is to use decoys to divert the attention of the guards while we slip away.

Personally, I would've just signed a petition for a scavenging run. I doubt whatever we find out there is worth it compared the risks.

But that's not my call to make now is it?

"So. What do you think?" I laid the pen to the side as I waited for their input.

"Well, the first plan is obviously a no." Kareem said. "But the second one… Yeah I think we could do the second one."

"Thought so too huh?" I nodded. "So, when are we doing this? Tomorrow? Can't be too sure about next week."

"Uhmm… Today actually."

I did a double take. "You're kidding?"

Kareem shook his head. "That was the original plan. Tomorrow's a no-go since it would probably be too late and the trail would go cold."

"Shit." I immediately checked my watch. It was 12:49pm. "Fuck, not much time. If we're doing this then we're doing this now. I still got a debrief a few hours from now. We're sticking with the plan then?"

Kareem gave a nod. We turned to look at Julian who was, unsurprisingly, still sulking in his seat.

I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you alright man? Sorry about earlier."

He sighed and pressed further into his seat. "It's... It's alright. Did some thinking and maybe you were right."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Your plan wasn't totally bad. Just needed some fine tuning is all."

He nodded sadly. "Yeah… I-I guess."

I patted his back. "Good. Want me to run down the plan again? I don't mind repeating it if you want me to."

He shook his head. "No need. I've been listening since the start."

"Right. Guess that makes things easier then. I'll dig in some more info, see what I can come up with. In the meantime, I want you two to handle a few things for me. Kareem, you know your way around crafting, so I need you to handle the decoy." The latter nodded. I turned to Julian. "Julian, you're on supplies."

Julian furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait, what? Why the hell do we need supplies? We're not gonna go out for long."

"It's for emergencies."

Kareem jumped in the conversation. "I don't think it's necessary. Besides, it would just add another problem."

"Just do what you can okay?" I said, a little irritation crawling into my tone.

"I'm just saying." Kareem muttered, raising his hands in surrender.

I huffed. "We'll meet back here if you're done. Don't take too long. Max time twenty minutes."

With that said, we got to work and parted ways. I conducted a thorough sweep of the camp's perimeter, taking notes of who's guarding, how many they are, and their patrol routes. When I had finished, I took a small detour through the barracks to eavesdrop and gather more intel, so far nothing I haven't heard about. To make sure I didn't miss anything, I walked towards the public announcement board and checked if there's anything events I could've missed or forgotten. There was none to be found.

I gave a nod of approval and finally made my last stop at the north gate. The situation was exactly what I heard from earlier this morning. There are lesser guards here compared to the other gates, only two in fact.

One was up in the watchtower while the other was by the gate. If I wanted the plan to work, I need to know who's who. If I can't identify who's up on that tower it would lead to a whole lot of problems and questions I don't want to answer.

I sighed. 'Looks, like I need access to the guard shifts to see whose on duty.' I thought to myself.

Guard schedules are changed every three days and it's usually written in paper. I don't know why they still use papers but at this point I'm too afraid to ask. My only lead now is to get those schedules. The problem is that the guards have the only copy since it's not available for the public, breach of security and all that. I looked at the guard by the gate and a plan formed into my mind.

I just hope it works.

I approached the gate and the guard looked at me with mild interest. "No one's getting out without a notice from command." He said absentmindedly.

I waved him off. "Not leaving. Inspecting. A lot of people have been reporting this sector is undermanned."

That seemed to get his attention as he suddenly stood up straighter. "Well, I guess you could say that. Hold on, who the hell are you anyway?" He narrowed his eyes on me.

I felt my heart rapidly beating inside my chest. I swallowed my fear and remained calm. "Corporal Derek Brooks." Seeing no objections, I continued. "There have been numerous complaints about a lack of a proper security detail in this sector. What's the situation here?"

The guard sized me up, he looked at me up and down with an unimpressed look. "You don't look like an inspector." He commented.

My hands felt clammy and I felt my heart would burst in any minute. Still, I kept a level-head even though it took me extreme willpower not to just turn into a puddle and get washed away by the rain. My mind raced to find a plausible excuse.

I sighed, doing my part to look like 'a tired private.' "I'm not. Some dumb lieutenant found me during my break. He said he didn't want to deal with this shit and ordered me to do it. Can't exactly say no to that can I?" I lied through the skin of my teeth, providing enough details but nothing specific.

The guard let out a low chuckle. "Sounds exactly like one of those lazy pigs with their head up in their asses alright. Let me guess, told you if you didn't do it or fucked it up, you're the one whose balls getting busted amiright?"

I went along with his suggestion and nodded sheepishly. "I'd prefer not to think about it really."

The man laughed, he smacked my back with enough force to move me forward. "Don't let it get to ya kid. Most of those chumps up high are fucking assholes anyway."

I let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah…" I coughed to my fist. "Uhmmm…. Can I…?"

The guard noticed my look and immediately snapped into action. "Yeah, yeah. Can't have your ass getting grilled now, are we?" He flashed a friendly smile. "What do you need?"

I swallowed a lump on my throat I didn't know I had. Thankfully, it went unnoticed. "Just some feedback. Usual reports, and the current guard schedule."

The guard nodded. "Ramirez!" He yelled to the tower. "Get your ass down here!"

A few seconds the other guard from the watchtower slid down the ladder.

"Sir." He saluted the other guard then his eyes locked on me. "Brooks! What're you doing here man?"

I have no idea who this guy is, or where I met him but I played along anyway. "Hey man." I greeted him with a smile. "I'm just doing some favors. No biggie."

"Sweet. I- "

"Ramirez." The other guard interrupted him. "Cut the chatter and get this corporal the reports and the guard schedule."

"Sorry Sarge!" Ramirez said then bolted out of view.

'Oh shit. I didn't realize this guy's a sergeant.' I sheepishly thought. 'Geez. I lucked out that he's more laid back than most.'

After the other guy left, silence filled the atmosphere. Only the occasional rustling of papers can be heard where this guy 'Ramirez' was. To be honest, I felt a little awkward to just stand there in silence with this Sergeant right next to me but I kept my wits to myself. What felt like an eternity later, he came back with the documents in hand.

"Sorry if it took too long. Here." He handed me the documents, more importantly, the guard schedule.

I accepted the papers with gratitude. "Thank you. I guess I'll be on my way- "

"Not so fast." The sergeant interrupted me.

My heart skipped a bit as I stopped mid-step, my body went rigid while my mind raced as the possibility of getting caught was high. Am I…?

"Think you can stop by the armory? We need a resupply over here. Tell them it's from Foley."

Relief flooded into my veins as I felt myself relax. I nodded at the request. "Consider it done sir." I gave him a crisp salute which he returned in kind then left the area.

As soon as I rounded up the corner I collapsed down to the nearest wall. My legs feel like jell-o and my heart was pounding a mile a minute. I looked down and saw my hands are literally shaking. I clenched and unclenched my hands in a futile attempt to calm down but it's better than nothing. After a little while, I managed to calm down.

My part is complete. I just need to analyze it and understand it. I looked down at the reports on my hand and sighed. I can't just throw these away, they'll know. I need to pass these reports to command and tell them about the situation. If I'm lucky they won't ask any questions and just address the problem within three days. If not?

Well, I'll make it up as I go.

I still have to pass by the armory as well and get the resupply that sergeant asked. I mentally groaned. No choice I suppose, better than having a bad reputation.

I wonder how those two are doing….

Sometime later…

It's been a long while and they haven't gotten back yet. I checked my watch and it's already 13:24. I sighed in annoyance. We're running out of time and we haven't even got out yet. I'm starting to wonder if I have enough time to get back for that debrief.

I shook my head. Worrying won't help. Might as well review the plan again.

I analyzed the guard schedule from earlier and it seems we got a jackpot. The guards replacing the north gate sentries are ones I knew personally. Abigail and Duke. Duke owes me for saving his life and for those 'magazines' I gave him while I was out scavenging. Abigail doesn't give two shits about authority as long as it doesn't bite her in the ass. She'll let me through.

Alternatively, I did prepare a few contingency plans should the need arise. I just hope it doesn't come to that.

"Yo."

I looked up and saw Kareem and Julian. Kareem was held up a fully furnished decoy grenade while Julian was…. Empty handed?

"Where's the supplies?" I asked, confused.

Julian rubbed the back of neck. "Yeah…. I kinda fucked up. I didn't get it."

I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance. I should've predicted this. Julian's a good guy, and a best friend but his incompetence in getting a simple task done tests my patience. I shook my head. No matter, this is just a minor problem. As long as we can keep this short it wouldn't be a problem.

"Damn shame." I muttered. "Still, we should proceed as planned and guess what? We're in luck. Abigail and Duke is on duty right now by the north gate. Abigail won't give a damn about authority but Duke could be a stickler for rules."

"Will that be a problem?" Kareem asked.

I shook my head. "No. He owes me since Boston. Pack your gear and let's go."

The three of us took our gear and headed towards the gate. From the looks of it, Abigail's on the tower while Duke's manning the gate. I turned towards my companions. "No matter what happens, let me do the talking ayt?"

They gave a nod which I mirrored back. We approached the gate and Duke greeted me with a smile.

"Derek my man. What's up?" We shared a custom hand-shake only we know.

I smirked. "All good man. Listen Duke, need a favor."

He looked at me then at Kareem and Julian. "Seems to be a huge one too. But no problem dawg. Anything for you. Whatcha need?"

"Going for a little scavenging hunt. Think you can cover for me?"

He looked at me a little nervous. "Ahhh shit man. You know I'm already in trouble for that little mishap from last week. I don't want no trouble from those dogs up top. Hear what am saying?"

"I know, I know. But you owe me. Remember Boston?"

Duke licked his lips in nervously. His eyes darted left and right, looking for invisible people who might be listening. I won't blame him either, he did get into trouble last week.

But I need to get out.

A sly grin crossed on my face as I added a small nudge to break his hesitation. "Don't forget about those 'magazines' I found for you."

That seemed enough as he caved in immediately.

"Alright! Shit man. You know how to push my buttons huh? Fine, I'd cover for you but if this bites my ass, you're covering for me for a month."

"Make it two. I feel generous." I smirked.

He let out wide-smile. "Shit. You really know how to make any man happy. Deal." He put out his hands to shake the deal.

I returned the smile and shook his hand, sealing the deal. As long as everything goes according to plan. I won't have to deal with the little 'if' of his.

"Brooks." A voice called from above.

We looked up towards the watchtower and saw Abigail leaning by the side, with the most bored look on her face. Her short mohawk hair swaying by the side.

"You know what I want." She said with a monotonous tone.

I nodded to her. "Yes ma'am."

Duke led us to the gate and opened it with a grunt and we were greeted by the fresh sight of nature. I took my first step outside and breathed the fresh air. It was different compared inside the compound. There was no lingering smell of cigarettes, no foul-smelling people (believe there are a handful of them), and no smoke. It was… breathtaking. I felt a smile cross my face but wiped it off immediately. I didn't come here for that.

We only took a few steps forward when Duke whistled me over.

"Make sure to come back here before our shift changes. That's three hours from now. After that, you're on your own." He said.

I gave him a nod. "Will do."

"And one more thing. Be careful out there 'aight? You never know with them dead heads."

I gave him a two-fingered salute to which he nodded in return. Then he shut the gate with a bang. Ultimately sealing us from the main camp.

"Alright, lead the way." I signaled for them to move.

"Sure, but just gonna warn you ahead in time man. It's probably gonna take a while." Kareem said.

I shrugged in reply. It won't be that long, right?

Thirty Minutes Later…

"'Take a while' my ass…" I muttered under my tired breath.

I didn't even bother trying to hide my immense irritation. I'm tired, hungry, and pissed. 'It'll be quick' they said, 'in and out' they said, 'we don't need those supplies' they said. They said a lot of things but none of them were true and I was a goddamn fool to believe them.

It's been thirty minutes since we left the main camp and all we've ever done since then was following a bunch of tracks. From what Kareem managed to gather, it seemed that our little walker friend has joined a horde on the way. Tracking them was easy, that huge trail was hard to miss especially.

But even if we did find them then what?

We weren't equipped to fight a horde of walkers. We don't even know how many of them are! I tried to convince the two that it's suicide to continue but they refused to listen, simply "improvise" on the way. Improvise on what exactly?! Our funerals?!

Not to mention I'm running out of time. The walk back already takes thirty minutes and it's already past two in the afternoon. The debrief is in an hour!

I never should've believed that it's a 'quick' job. Fuck sakes.

Whatever! Should might as well see it 'til the end while there's more time 'cause I'll be fucking more than fucking pissed if I don't.

"Kareem, any luck?" I asked, a hint of irritation on my tone.

He inspected the trail with a close eye, fingering the dirt on the ground. "Can't be too far now." He muttered. "If we keep heading this direction, we'd eventually see them by now." He pointed forward.

'Yeah, that's exactly what you said ten minutes ago.' I mentally added.

But I decided to play it cool.

I gave him a nod of approval. "Alright. Why don't you scout ahead? Gonna take a break over here. Julian go cover him."

The latter shook his head. "Nah. I think I'll stay. You go ahead Kareem."

I could feel Kareem's eyes shifted between me and Julian but didn't say anything. He left without another word leaving the two of us alone.

I took a seat on the nearest object and crossed my arms. I already know where this is going. "Got anything to say?" I looked at Julian with a disapproving look.

"You're mad." He simply said.

I hummed in reply.

He sighed. "Dude, it ain't gonna be easy to look for one walker amidst all this mess you know."

There it was. The dam that held back my anger for the past thirty minutes broke. They kept giving me promises, kept telling me how easy it was, then when I told them it's starting to get out of hand, they won't even listen. Now I have to listen to this? Asking damn questions which I already know the answer?!

"I know that!" I snapped at him. "I'm just pissed that it's taking too long! You said it was going to be a quick run! In and out remember? We're short on supplies thanks to you, we got no backup, and we have no idea where the fuck we're going! Fuck! I never should've believed you!" I stood up, prancing around the area. "I-I have a fucking debrief later man! Did that not occur to you?!"

I expected him to yell back. Punch me. Anything, really. What I didn't expect though was a one-word reply.

"Chill."

For a split second, I felt a spark of irrational anger. I wanted to strangle him there and there for that simple reply but then I realized he was right. It wasn't his fault. Neither of them is to blame for this. I voluntarily joined simply because I wanted to at first. To soothe my own existential crisis. If it's anyone's fault I'm in this mess it's mine. And the debrief? I should've known from the start that it was already a risk to take. It's my responsibility and mine alone. It ain't right to blame it on them.

I collapsed back to a sitting position and sighed heavily. I just want to punch myself. Hard. I forced myself into this situation and I actually had the audacity to blame it on them. Talk about ironic.

At the corner of my eye, I saw Julian sit across of me. He didn't say anything, nor offered anything. He was just there. But that was enough for me to calm down. To realize that I wasn't alone.

We just sat there, for a while. Listening to nature. It was quiet for the most part, one which I'm grateful for. But all things must come to an end. I picked myself up and dusted myself off. We still got a walking corpse to loot.

"Sorry." I muttered. I couldn't even look at him, still ashamed from what happened earlier.

He shook his head. "Nah don't sweat it. It's our fault too. We kinda thought it would be easier y'know? Didn't realize it would take this long. Not to mention the lack of supplies… I should've grabbed at least a water bottle or something."

I was about to say something else when suddenly there was a slight disturbance on the thicket nearby. The two of us dropped to a fighting stance, our knives at the ready. Our eyes alert and scanning the surroundings.

"Marco!" A familiar voice called out from behind the thicket.

"Polo!" I shouted back. We dropped our stances as we watched Kareem pop out of the bushes.

"Found our guy." Jabbing a thumb behind his back. "Oh, and by the way? Marco-Polo? Really? We could've stick with our own callouts you know."

"And let other people know where we came from? Don't wanna risk it. No one is supposed to know we're even out here."

"Alright. But damn, you're paranoid as fuck. Anyway, you should take a look. Follow me." We followed Kareem to where he last saw our intended target but what we saw literally made us stop on our tracks.

"What. The. Fuck…." Julian muttered, eyes wide.

"What the fuck indeed." I added, nodding.

Just beyond our ridge, was a small abandoned town and right down in the middle of it all was our prized target, surrounded by hundreds of his friends.

"Still think this was a good idea?" I turned towards my friends.

Only to see nothing. It was as if they disappeared into thin air.

I looked left and right, wondering where they've gone to. "Guys?" I asked out loud as I stood up to search for them. Then it hit me.

There were no sounds anymore. Just total silence. The voices of nature were replaced by the cold desolate wind, where it whistles maliciously as it passes.

I was alone.

"Kareem? Julian!?" I called out.

Still nothing.

'This…. This is madness. This isn't real. I was here. I know what happened. I was there. This isn't real.' I told myself.

But for some odd reason. Something is telling me that this is real. That this happened.

"Derek?" A voice from afar called. It was hollow and distant. I couldn't pinpoint the source, its voice bouncing around everywhere.

"Derek?" There it is again. It sounded closer, clearer. It was feminine in nature and… familiar?

"DEREK!" I felt my body being violently shaken.

I snapped out of my dream and saw Clementine in front of me looking worried. At the corner of my eye, I noticed AJ standing next to her mirroring her expression.

Derek Brooks (18 Years Old)

Present

"Clementine? I… Where…?"

"You've zoned out for a while. We tried talking to you but it was like you're on autopilot. You didn't even realize we already stopped until I had to snap you out of it. It worried us."

I'm…. back? It's hard to tell. My mind felt fuzzy but clear at the same time. It was confusing. Suddenly, the memories of this morning flashed back into my head. A wave of nausea washed over me and I felt my breakfast threaten to leave my stomach but I managed to hold it in.

"Just… Give me a moment." I managed to utter out.

It happened again… Damn I hate it when that happens. I pulled myself together and breathed. In and out. Until I felt myself calm down. After a short while I felt better than before. Not fully though, I still have a bloody nose and some bruises to deal with.

I looked at Clementine and felt a little sorry. Made her worry about something unimportant. I gently patted her head. "Sorry Clem… There's just… Something in my mind is all…"

She took my hand and gently caressed the back of it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I smiled gratefully but there was a hint of sadness behind it. "Maybe later. Once Brody can get us to safety first."

I pulled my hand back but was surprised when she held it firmly. I looked at her with a questioning gaze. "You know you don't need to keep everything yourself. You can talk to me." She said in a serious tone then smiled softly. "Partner."

I felt myself smile unconsciously. It was as though a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I felt my heart skip a beat but I was quick enough to calm it down. "Thanks… I needed to hear that." I uttered quietly.

She gave me a happy nod then released my hand before moving to care for AJ's needs. She never failed to impress me. Even though she already has AJ to take care for, she still managed to find time to talk to me about my problems. Talk about dedication.

Then the flashback from earlier kicked back again. The warmth and happiness I felt earlier was soon replaced with cold bitterness and self-loathing. I remember it clearly now. It was the one event which changed my life and not for the better.

It was that one fateful day where I surrendered everything I was, to become someone I didn't want to be.

AN: This was a long one eh? I hope you guys enjoyed it and please leave a review and tell your friends. Have a great day!