Part II - Finer Things
-1 Week Later-
"JuJu!" Lori yells as her voice comes through JuJu's newly acquired walkie-talkie. "Where are you?"
JuJu pauses before replying.
"I'm uh, hunting. Why? What's up?"
"Are you alone?"
"Uh, yeah."
"You shouldn't be alone out there! Why isn't anyone with you?"
"Lori relax, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can. It's just too risky to be out there, knowing the Rogues are trying to hunt us down one by one!"
"Trust me, I'll be back soon."
"Fine, just be safe, please. I don't want to lose anyone else…"
"Neither do I… talk soon."
JuJu then shuts off the walkie-talkie and continues walking. After some time, he arrives in the same town he was when he went with Vonda. The town was the same as it was the last time he was there, just with no snow.
JuJu walks through the deserted streets of the town, his footsteps echoing in the quiet surroundings as he has his Honey Badger ready in his hands. The absence of snow gives the place a different atmosphere, but it still holds memories of his previous visit. Buildings stand in various states of disrepair, evidence of the turmoil that had engulfed the world. As he explores the area, JuJu can't shake the feeling that he is possibly being watched. He moves cautiously, keeping his senses alert for any signs of danger.
He makes his way to a run-down building, the same one he and Vonda had searched during their last visit. He goes inside and heads upstairs to the room with the red 'X' on the wall. He aims his rifle, preparing himself for the worst as he opens the door. The stack of dead bodies was still there, now rotting and letting out a disgusting smell in the room.
Suddenly, a faint noise catches his attention. He stops and listens intently. The sound grows louder—a distant rumble. JuJu's instincts kick in, and he knows he needs to act quickly. He exits the room and runs across the hallway to another room with boarded-up windows as sunlight punctures through the gaps.
As he crouches behind the wall under the window, the noise intensifies, revealing itself to be the revving of engines. Peering through the window, JuJu sees a group of vehicles speeding into the town. Their engines roar, echoing through the abandoned streets. The vehicles screech to a halt, and armed figures emerge, clad in dark attire.
JuJu recognizes them instantly—the Rogues. It seems his presence in the town hadn't gone unnoticed. Panic rises within him, but he fights to stay calm. He observes their movements, trying to decipher their intentions.
The Rogues split into smaller groups, fanning out to search the area. JuJu's heart pounds in his chest as he realizes the gravity of the situation. He knows he needs to stay hidden and find a way to escape, unnoticed. He grips his walkie-talkie tightly, contemplating whether he should reach out to Lori or any other survivors for help.
"Fuck it," he sighs as he puts the walkie-talkie away. "If I don't come back, it's whatever."
He cocks back the charging handle of his Honey Badger and sets it on the window, about to take some rogues out. But before he can decide, a patrol approaches the building he is hiding in. They scan the area cautiously, their eyes darting around for any signs of life. JuJu's breath catches in his throat as they draw nearer, their footsteps growing louder with each passing second.
As the Rogues get closer, JuJu's mind races. The odds are stacked against him, but he refuses to give up. With determination burning in his eyes, he readies for whatever lies ahead, knowing that survival depends on his wits and resourcefulness. He holsters his rifle and takes out his knife as he waits for rogues to get near him.
"I'll check upstairs," says a soldier.
He hears the footsteps go up the stairs and become louder as they get closer to JuJu's location.
"What is that smell?" The soldier says again.
He walks toward the door with the rotting corpses inside as JuJu finds the right time to strike. He sneaks behind the soldier as he puts his hands over the soldier's mouth and neck as he is dragged into the room he was hiding in. JuJu takes the soldier's weapons away and throws them out of reach as he shoves the soldier to the ground and pulls out his revolver, pointing it at the soldier.
"Don't say a goddamn thing if you wanna keep breathin'," JuJu whispers. "Do y'all know what you do? How do you feel when y'all kill kids? All of you are some sick pieces of shit."
JuJu then starts to see red, remembering what they did to his family. He then walks closer to the soldier sitting on the floor, putting his hand up as a shield from the barrel of the revolver.
"W-wait," says the soldier. "Don't kill me, please."
JuJu stands there, his hand trembling while keeping a tight grip on his revolver as anger and grief live inside him. The soldier looks into his brown eyes, sensing that a flame burns inside them. JuJu then finds a rope in the corner of the room and ties the soldier's hands behind a metal pipe poking through the wall.
"I… I didn't have a choice," the soldier stutters. "I w-was just following orders."
"You didn't have a choice? Just following orders?" JuJu's voice trembles as the pain in it becomes audible. "No manches. Do you think that makes up for whatever you or your little military has done? Taking people away from their families, friends, and others? I should put a bullet in your head just for saying that shit. All of you are the fuckin' same! You knew what you signed up for!"
JuJu then holsters his revolver and pulls out his knife once again.
"Wait, w-what are you doing?" says the soldier.
"Shut up," JuJu says as he punches the soldier in the face.
He puts his hand over the soldier's mouth as he stabs him in the leg. The soldier's screams of pain are muffled by JuJu's hand.
Suddenly, footsteps are heard going up the stairs, catching both of their attention.
"I want you to call them over here," JuJu says.
"W-why?" Replies the soldier, slowly hyperventilating.
"I'm not gonna ask again."
The soldier sighs as he yells out his location to his comrade. JuJu hides next to the door with his knife out as another soldier barges through.
"Oh my god!" says the other soldier. "Who did this to you?"
As the soldier walks with trepidation to help their squad member, JuJu slowly closes the door and sneaks behind him. He kicks the back of their leg and falls on one knee. He then stabs the soldier in the neck and they gargle on their blood until they fall motionless on the floor. The soldier JuJu tied up stares down at his fallen comrade and then back at him, showing visible fear that a teenager successfully killed a trained soldier.
JuJu's breaths come in heavy, ragged gasps as adrenaline flows through his veins. The room was filled with silence, nothing was heard but JuJu's racing heartbeat. He kneels and wipes the blood off his knife with the dead soldier's sleeves. He then stands up and leaves the room to escape the building before more Rogues arrive.
"Hey!" yells the bound soldier. "What about me?"
JuJu peeks back into the room and gives the soldier the middle finger.
"Chinga tú madre."
The rogue starts squirming around, trying to free himself but is unsuccessful. He looks at his fallen comrade with a puddle of blood surrounding the body. Suddenly, he hears growling and the body starts to move.
"Oh no," says the soldier.
The corpse lifts its head and shows its glowing yellow eyes.
"Please! No!"
The soldier then screams as the newly made roamer crawls slowly and mauls him.
Outside the building, JuJu overhears the echo of the soldier's screams as he increases his speed toward the outskirts of town. He runs into the forest as his heartbeat is racing and adrenaline is flowing through his veins.
"Holy shit, holy shit!" he says as he keeps running.
After some time running, JuJu sees the community in the distance as he starts to slow down and catch his breath. He tries to slow his heavy breathing while trying to appear calm as sweat slowly goes down his forehead.
"Okay," He says to himself. "Relax JuJu. You're good. Just don't look suspicious."
He wipes the sweat off his face and walks into the front gates of the community. As soon as he enters, he's met by Lynn and Vonda.
"Hey, JuJu!" says Lynn with a smile as Vonda nods. "Where have you been bro? Haven't seen you all day."
"'Sup guys," JuJu replies, holding in his heavy breathing. "Uh, I was just out huntin'."
"Any luck?" Vonda chimes in.
"Nah. Um, roamers got to the animal before could get near it."
Lynn and Vonda then give each other concerned looks as they look back at JuJu.
Lynn's smile fades, and she places a hand on JuJu's arm.
"JuJu, are you okay?" she asks, her voice filled with genuine concern. "You seem... off. Is something wrong?"
JuJu hesitates momentarily, contemplating whether to share what he had just experienced. He looks into their eyes, seeing their worry, and decides to open up.
"I... I ran into the Rogues," he admits, his voice slightly shaky. "They found me in that town Von and I went to before. I had to fight my way out."
Lynn's eyes widen, and she squeezes JuJu's arm in support.
"Oh my god, JuJu," she says softly. "Are you hurt? Did they see you?"
JuJu shakes his head, relief was evident on his face.
"Nah, I managed to escape without them spotting me. But the ones I killed, who knows if the bodies were found."
Vonda's expression turns solemn as she reaches out to touch JuJu's other arm. She remembers from that day they both went to the town and reminisced about the things they both saw.
"JuJu, W-why'd you go back?"
"I thought we missed something. I thought there would be something that could help. I lied to Lori too. She's gonna be pissed if she finds out."
"We'll make sure she won't. Just breathe and relax. You're tense."
Lynn nods in agreement, her worry still evident in her eyes.
"JuJu, I don't want to lose you. None of us do."
JuJu takes a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he appreciates the support from Lynn and Vonda.
"I know, and I don't want to lose any of you either," he says, his voice steadier now. "I just... I couldn't leave things unfinished there. But I won't go back again. It's too dangerous, especially now that the Rogues are actively hunting us."
Lynn and Vonda nod in understanding, knowing that JuJu's determination can sometimes lead him to take risks. They guide him back towards the community's central area, reassuring him that he did the right thing by escaping and that they'll all be more cautious from now on.
As the three of them walk, they encounter Lori, who rushes toward JuJu with a mixture of relief and worry on her face. She was looking a lot better than before but still has scars from when she was captured.
"JuJu! Thank God you're back!" she exclaims, embracing him tightly.
He returns the hug, feeling a sense of comfort in Lori's presence.
"I'm okay, Lori," he assures her. "I ran into some trouble, but I managed to get away."
Lori looks into his eyes, searching for any signs of deception, but she sees nothing but sincerity.
"Okay, just promise me you won't do something like that again, okay?" she says firmly.
"I promise," JuJu replies, his voice filled with sincerity. "I'll be sure to go with someone next time."
Lori gives him a smile, grateful for his assurance, and walks away.
"I gotta go," says Vonda. "I'll talk to you guys later."
"See ya, Vonda," says Lynn.
She walks away from them as JuJu and Lynn are the only two left. Lynn then brakes the few seconds of silence.
"Uh, wanna chill with me for a little bit? I don't have any plans right now."
"Sure, especially if I'm with you."
Lynn shows off a smile as she moves her bangs away from her eyes.
The two walk together away from the other survivors in the community to just be alone together. They find a bench under a tree and sit on it.
As they chat, JuJu can't help but feel a sense of comfort around Lynn. She's been a loyal friend since they met, and he values her presence in his life. They share stories, some funny and others bittersweet, reminiscing about the time they spent together in this post-apocalyptic world.
After a while, JuJu finds himself laughing genuinely, the tension slowly dissipating. Lynn's positive energy has a way of brightening the darkest moments, and he's grateful for that.
"Hey, did you know that Richard's dead now?" Says Lynn.
"What?" JuJu replies as his eyes widen. " Are you serious? How do you know?"
"Did a 'lil eavesdropping and heard that David wanted to end it. He found him and they both got into a brawl."
"Jesus. At least he's gone now."
"Definitely. That's one less problem."
After some silence again, JuJu looks down and sees Lynn's hand resting on the bench as he makes a move and puts his on top of her hand.
"Lynn, I just wanna say thanks."
Lynn looks up at him and blushes.
"For?"
"Everything. Treating me like family when I lost mine, letting the guys join y'all, and especially you for just being you."
She blushes even more and can't contain it. JuJu gets closer to her and moves his opposite hand to her face as he moves her bangs away from her eyes again.
"JuJu…" Says Lynn.
"I admire you in every way possible Lynn. You're perfect in my eyes."
JuJu then leans his head in for a kiss as Sam walks toward them before their lips meet.
"Hey guys," she says. "Am I interrupting? Sorry!"
Lynn and JuJu's faces pull back as they both feel embarrassed.
"You're fine Sam," Lynn says as she clears her throat. "What's up?"
"Lori's looking for ya."
"Okay, I'll be over there in a bit. Don't tell anyone you saw this please."
"Gotcha. It's safe with me. Sorry again!"
Sam then walks away from the two as JuJu and Lynn look at each other and both let out a little laugh.
"I think I should get going, bro," Lynn says. Don't want Lori to go apeshit on me."
"I don't blame you," JuJu replies with a smile. "I'll see you later."
They both hug each other and part ways. JuJu looks back at Lynn as she's walking away, letting out another smile, knowing that there are finer things in this run-down world he lives in.